When a visit to a colony ends in its destruction, apparently due to Enterprise's negligence, Starfleet recalls the ship. However, Archer is visited by Crewman Daniels, who explains that the Suliban caused the explosion and are altering the timeline for their own ends.

The opening of this story is impressive, the explosion coming out of the blue. Archer's reaction to it is exactly right; Scott Bakula is finally given some good material to work with and his ability to command while still racked with guilt and grief allows for some emotional moments. It's when former crewman Daniels turns up that things start to get a little weird. Aside from his ability to move Archer around in time, the whole premise of what he wants the Enterprise crew to do would be more reasonable if we had any idea what was going on.

There's a Suliban ship and it's made the Enterprise crew think that they've caused a disaster. But why? What do they have to gain aside from getting Enterprise out of their space? If they're that desperate, why don't they just blow Enterprise up? Why go through all the playing with them? Although it may be necessary that we have no idea what is going on, it becomes increasingly frustrating when you realize that nothing is being explained for the entire episode. Archer is given things to do and we're left to watch as he reels off some technobabble and things are built.

Therefore we end with a Suliban plan allegedly in operation, the aliens having finally decided to destroy the Enterprise while Archer is trapped in the future, rather cunningly a future beyond anywhere Trek has gone before. It all seems very mysterious and, indeed, rather good for that reason alone, and the cliffhanger ending is certainly a fine example of 'get out of that' and would have me keen to tune in next season. I'm therefore giving it the thumbs up, but if little of this is explained next season and I end up still none the wiser about what's going on, there'll be trouble…

****

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