Cogenitor

Zealousgirl’s EARLY EDITION

Cogenitor

Production 048
First Air Date: April 29, 2003 in Canada (April 30, 2003 in US on UPN)
Mission Date: unknown

Director: LeVar Burton
Written By: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Star Trek or Paramount. I do this for amusement and not for profit. Be forewarned that this will be seen through the biased eyes of a proud Tuckerite!!! (and, a Trip/T’poler!) I will try to focus on what is happening with Trip in these spoilers. I will only briefly talk about non-Trip scenes, so if you want more details check out Li’s Trekpulse review.

About ‘Cogenitor’: Oh my! I really liked this episode - a very different feel to it. We get an opening scene that is more than a few seconds long and actually gets a bit into the story! Trip is again adorable here (I love ‘curious Trip’), but we also get to see a serious side. And, Malcolm gets to be flirt with an alien (about time he gets a bit of attention). I did find that the scenes jumped around a lot, though, which was somewhat distracting, and often left you guessing about what had happened between scenes. But it is the last few scenes that were incredible – I almost cried.

Cast of new characters (for myst):
- Vissian Captain - Drennik
- Vissian Engineer (VE)
- Vissian Engineer’s Wife – Calla
- Cogenitor – I use ‘she’ and ‘her’ because it was getting too confusing to say ‘it’
- Vission Woman #1 - Traistana
- Vissian Woman #2 - Veylo

Synopsis (from StarTrek.com):

While studying a star in the early stages of going supernova, Enterprise encounters a race called the Vissians. The two crews get along famously, until Trip Tucker gets a little too curious about a member of the species' third gender — a nameless individual called a "cogenitor."

“Trip-centric” Enterprise SPOILERS

~bridge~

Everyone is on the bridge looking at a ‘hyper-giant’ that will be going supernova in about 100 years. Archer comments that it’s too bad that they won’t be around to see it. T’pol interjects that he should speak for himself.

Trip: “Can’t forget Vulcan longevity, Captain. A 100 years from now? How old would that make you?”

T’pol glares at him, as he chuckles.

They note that there is a ship close to the hyper-giant. Hoshi contacts them. The captain (on audio only) introduces himself as being from Vissia. He assumes that Enterprise is there to investigate the star. The VC says something about detecting ‘the rate of nucloesynthesis’ and Archer sheepishly admits that Enterprise has not developed that sort of technology yet. VC offers to help them adjust their sensors, and only wants to be able to come on board, since meeting new species is a priority in their exploration.

Archer seems pleased, and a little surprised. He states that this is also Enterprise’s mission and agrees.

Trip: “It’ll be nice to have a first contact where no one’s thinking about charging weapons.”

****************************

~Captain’s mess~

Archer is having a meal with Drennik (funny ridges around his eyes). They are discussing hull design and the ‘stratapod’ which allows them to go into stars. Drennik invites Archer to come with him exploring the outer stratosphere of the hyper-giant tomorrow.

~messhall~

Trip is introducing 2 female Vissians to the joys of ice cream. Malcolm comes to the table, and wants to be introduced to Traistana and Veylo. He sits down, and tells Trip that he has just met the chief engineer of the Vissian ship. Trip bounces out of his seat, to find him at a nearby table.

Trip cheerfully introduces himself to the Vissian engineer (VE) and his wife Calla, and is asked to take a seat. He invites himself to visit the Vissian engines, and then turns to face the 3rd person sitting at the table (‘it’ is very androgenous in appearance – almost Odo-like, but with the same bitemporal ridges). Trip introduces himself, while extending his hand to shake its. It shrinks away from him and says a quick hello. Calla explains that it has no name and that it is their cogenitor – as she and her husband are hoping to have a baby.

Trip looks puzzled but resists asking about this further. The VE tells him that he will need to be inoculated before visiting their ship because of the omicron radiation.

~Sickbay~

Phlox inoculates Trip with a hypospray. Trip quizzes Phlox about the cogenitor. Phlox explains that there are 3 sexes and that the cogenitor is involved with the impregnation process.

Trip: “I’m pretty familiar with how it works with 2 sexes, but. . .” (shakes his head)

Phlox gets enthusiastic about going on further but Trip stops him, “I don’t think I wanna know.”

Phlox: “I have pictures.”

Trip: “I’ll pass.” He then asks how long the inoculation will work, as he may want to stay there a little while. Phlox responds that it will last for 12 years. Trip says that will be enough, and starts to leave. Phlox stops him to tell him to ‘keep an open mind’. Trip merely nods.

~Stratopod~

{{lots of scenes with Drennik and Archer in the pod flying in and around the star, Archer actually takes over the helm for a while. They seem to really bond, but I felt it to be very boring. They do have a close run in with a flare but nothing much else happens. So for the sake of this review, I will simply say ~Stratopod~ when these scenes show up in the show, but will not go into any details}}

~Vissian engine room~

The VE is explaining to Trip how their engines work
(techno speak).

Our Trip though seems to have a one-track mind and starts to ask about the concept of 3 genders. He states that on Earth there are only 2 genders. The VE responds by saying that that is the way on most other planets as well.

Trip: “I don’t mean to pry, but. . . does every family have a cogenitor?”

VE: “That wouldn’t be very efficient. They are only needed when a couple is trying to have a child.”

Trip then asks what they do when the couple no longer is trying to have a child. The VE explains that it gets assigned to another couple, as they make up only 3% of the population. He continues that it seems to be the right ratio, and that nature seems to find a way to make the right balance. He says that this cogenitor is the only one of the ship, and that once they have conceived they will no longer require it. The VE tries to get the topic back to the engines, but Trip is persistent and questions him further. He asks where it lives, and what it does when it is not helping in the impregnation process (he stutters through this). The VE says that it merely lives; cogenitors do not go to school, since they only serve one purpose. The VE is a little suspicious and asks why Trip is so curious.

Trip: “Humans are very curious.”

They then return to the topic of the engines, and other things. The VE comments that all this new technology must be unnerving for him.

Trip: “A lot of things around here do, but I’m trying to keep an open mind.”

**************************

~Captain’s quarters~

Archer is back in his quarters and is packing as he will be spending 3 days in the stratopod with Drennik. T’pol is there, and subtly shows that she does not feel that he should go, but Archer is very enthusiastic about all of this. He is leaving her in charge, and asks here to have some movies downloaded for the Vissians.

~Enterprise’s Engine Room~

T’pol comes to find Trip who is working on the top of the warp core. When she calls out to him, he immediately stops what he is doing, and rushes down to see her. She tells him that the Captain will be gone for 3 days, and that he wants some films downloaded for the Vissians (hey! Didn’t Archer ask her to do this?)

Trip sighs, as he seems preoccupied with something. He asks T’pol if she had met the VE (she says “Briefly”) and then states that they are trying to have a baby.

T’pol, turns to walk away, and says “How interesting.”

Trip follows her, eager to continue with his train of thought. “There was someone else with them. They called her a cogenitor. You know what that is?”

T’pol very quickly responds: “A third gender. Why do you call it ‘her’?” (a definite suspicious tone to her voice. . . is she jealous?)

Trip: “Well, she looks more like a her than a him. (a look of concern on his face) They treat her like a pet. Kept in her room, not taught to read or write. No name! Porthos has a name.”

T’pol: “It’s not our place to judge the customs of other cultures.”

Trip: “We’re not talking about taking your shoes off when you walk into someone’s house. This cogenitor is treated like one of Phlox’s leaches. You pull it out of its tank when its needed then you throw it back in.”

T’pol: “Tri-gender reproduction is not uncommon.”

Trip (exasperated): “That’s not what I’m talking about. This is a question of . . . human rights.”

T’pol: “They’re not human.” She then reminds him that the Captain would like to develop a productive relationship with the Vissians, and that it would be best if he kept his opinions to himself. She then walks off, leaving Trip looking annoyed.

~Sickbay~

Trip is sitting on the counter in front of the monitors, while Phlox is scurrying around Sickbay. Phlox agrees with T’pol’s assessment, and that some species are not comfortable discussing their sexual habits.

Trip retorts that it’s not those habits that he is concerned with, but rather how they treat the cogenitor – he doesn’t think it’s right. Phlox tells him that it is not a question of right or wrong. Trip asks if Phlox’s scans when the Vissians boarded would reveal their mental capacity. Phlox says no. Trip wonders if he were to scan them, whether Phlox could determine this. Phlox says yes, but why?

~Messhall~

Malcolm and Traitsana are sitting at a table. Malcolm has brought a platter of a variety of cheeses for her to sample. Apparently the Vissians enjoy food that has a strong scent, so the cheeses are the most pungent food that he could find. They talk about the cheese, and he urges her to try. She only sniffs the first few, but then starts to feed Malcolm some cheese (Malcolm is a bit smarmy in this scene, but I loved it!) – both are being very flirty. Traitsana asks if she could visit the armoury sometime as she is anxious to see ‘your tactical array’.

Malcolm: “There’s an old Earth expression. I’ll show you mine, if (chuckles) you show me yours.”

~Stratopod~

{{see above}}

~Vissian Engine Room~

Trip and the VE are looking over the engines again. ‘Tunnel-vision’ Trip reappears and casually comments about how Enterprise doesn’t have couples on board. He is curious if they get special quarters, and would like to have a look at it so that he could tell Captain Archer about it, and maybe allow him to expand his quarters (real subtle Trip!). The VE invites him to dinner.

~Vissian Quarters~

Trip is now sampling some of the cuisine. He smells it first, scrunching up his nose at the scent, and then ventures to eat it – he likes it. He compliments Calla on the meal. Trip asks if the cogenitor will be joining them. The VE says that it rarely eats more than one meal a day. Taking it to Enterprise’s messhall was a special occasion. Trip says that he would like to say hello. Calla is confused by this but the VE explains Trip’s curiosity about the concept of 3 genders. Calla seems OK with this and says that she will check if it is awake.

~Sickbay~

Trip is reviewing the results of his neural scan with Phlox (we don’t actually see him do the scans), and it is determined that all 3 genders have equal mental capacity.

~Stratopod~

{{see above}}

~Vissian Engine room~

Trip and the VE are again looking at technical stuff, when Trip says that he’s hungry and would like to go to the messhall to grab a bite. The VE offers to show him the way, but Trip says that he’ll figure it out and leaves.

~Vissian Quarters~

Trip pushes the ‘doorbell’ several times before the cogenitor finally comes to the door. She tells him that no one is there. Trip says that he has come to see her. He then hands her a PADD, telling her that it will help teach her to read.

************************

~Vissian quarters~

Trip and the cogenitor are sitting on the floor in front of a coffee table looking at what is displayed on the PADD. Trip explains that all she has to do is touch a word and it will say it out loud. He plays with the PADD but she is reluctant – she has no right to read. She tells him that he shouldn’t be there.

He gets up and starts to preach about how ‘she’ is every bit as smart as the other genders, and that she can do anything. That she should have the right to have a name.

The cogenitor is hesitant to accept this.

Trip continues to try and convince her by asking her why she has no right to a baby that she had a hand in creating. She tells him that he doesn’t understand. He tells her that his scans prove that ‘she’ is capable of learning and doing more. He asks her if she has ever wanted to read. And that it won’t hurt her to try.

‘She’ accepts the PADD handed to her by Trip and starts to learn to read.

~Stratopod~

{{see above}}

~Armory~

Malcolm is showing Traitsana the various weapons. He is a bit embarrassed about the inferiority of Enterprise’s technology. She does not that they recharge their weapons with the same technique. Malcolm suggests a look at the phase-cannon assembly. He removes a large panel from the wall and they both step inside. (Malcolm gets a good look at her ‘bum’ and is quite pleased by the view) It is a bit cramped, and they have to bend over to fit. Malcolm apologizes for this.

Traitsana: “Don’t be. I’ve wanted to get a little closer to you all day.”

Malcolm: “Really?”

Traitsana: “I was hoping to spend some intimate time with you. We could sleep together tonight.”

Malcolm stands up and hits his head on a pipe above him. “On Earth, it’s customary to ask a woman to dinner first before spending the night with her.”

Traitsana: “It’s very different of Vissia. It’s only when a woman enjoys her intimate time with a man that she’ll join him for dinner.”

~Vissian quarters~

Trip is impressed that the cogenitor is now fluently reading from a text – he tells her that it is amazing how much she has accomplished in one day. And that she could study whatever she wants – maybe even engineering.

She tells him that they would never let her do those things. But he continues to go on about seeing things outside of a room, like swimming in oceans or climbing a mountain. The cogenitor is lighting up with excitement with all this talk.

Trip tells her to keep up with the reading. He has to go as they think that he is in the astrometrics lab. He promises to come back and see her again.

As he leaves she calls out to him that she would like her name to be ‘Trip’ just like his. He tells her that his real name is Charles, so she says she wants hers to be ‘Charles’ too. He smiles, and looks quite proud of what he has accomplished.

~Stratopod~

{{See above}}

~Back on Enterprise~

Trip is sneaking the cogenitor on board to show her around. They know that she will be punished if she is caught. Trip hesitates momentarily and suggests that they go back to the Vissian ship. The cogenitor convinces him to let her look around.

Trip brings her to the transporter, and explains it to her. She wants to try it but he doesn’t think that will be a good idea. He then brings her to the Engine room and tells her about their warp engine. She asks him if he lives there (in engineering). He laughs and says that his quarters are on B deck. He pauses and then asks her if she has ever seen a movie

Now they are in his quarters, and Trip is trying to decide what she would like to watch. He finally picks an old science fiction movie called ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’. She watches it with glee.

Later, they are still in his quarters, discussing the movie and playing a game (I can’t think of what it is called right now). She is trying to figure out why everyone was frightened of Klaatu and his android. Trip explains that before the Vulcans made first contact that humans tended to be quite violent – had a hard time trusting things that they didn’t understand. So in the movie, the people didn’t understand Klaatu so they wanted to kill him.

The cogenitor then beats Trip at the game, which surprises him since no one has been able to beat him in 2 years. He then says that it’s time for her to go back, before they notice that she is gone.

~Ready room~

Trip is standing at attention with his hands behind his back while T’pol walks around him.

T’pol: “I’ve been told you’re no longer welcome on board the Vissian ship. Why?”

Trip (a rebellious look on his face): “I wasn’t exactly where I was supposed to be.”

T’pol: “No you weren’t. You told them that you were going to the Astrometrics lab. They tried to contact you, but you weren’t there. They tried the messhall, you weren’t there either.”

Trip: “I was with the cogenitor.”

T’pol: “Where?”

Trip: “At first in her quarters. . . actually they’re not her quarters. (now a bit snarky) They belong to the Chief Engineer and his wife. She gets a room to sleep in, and if she’s real good she gets to use their living space.”

T’pol: “Why were you there?” (is that jealousy I hear in her voice???)

Trip: “I’m teaching her how to read.”

T’pol: “Her education is not your concern.”

Trip: “What education?!”

T’pol: “Where else did you go?”

Trip: “I brought her here. Gave her a little tour. Showed her a movie.”

T’pol: “It appears you are doing everything you can to undermine the captain’s wishes.”

Trip explains that she has learned to read in one day. She ignores this and continues to reprimand him for potentially irreparably harming this First Contact.

Trip: “You’re not listening to a word I’m saying.” He glares at her, and walks out defiantly.

~Engine room~

Trip is working on the engines when the cogenitor arrives, alone. She tells him that the Vissians will not let her do the things that she wants. She asks to stay on board Enterprise, with Trip. Trip sighs.

*************************

~Stratopod~

Archer has hailed T’pol to tell her that they will first be going to the Vissian ship to download data, but she states that he is urgently needed back on board Enterprise.

~Ready room~

Trip is standing in the middle of the room at attention, with his hands behind his back. Archer enters, a look of disappointment on his face. T’pol follows behind.

Archer asks where ‘she’ is. Trip answers that it is not exactly a she, and that she is in his quarters. He explains that the cogenitor arrived last night after supper. T’pol states that the Vissians are requesting that she be returned immediately.

Trip: “I did exactly what you’d do Captain. It’s not like I had much choice. I wasn’t going to . . . ”

Archer (interrupts): “Will you excuse us Subcommander?!” T’pol leaves. He continues to reprimand Trip. He says that he would expect this of a first year recruit, but not him. “You’d do exactly what I’d do? If that’s true, then I’ve done a pretty lousy job setting an example around her.” He then stops to stare down Trip. “You’re a senior officer on this ship. You’re privy to the moral challenges that I have had to face. You know that I have wrestled between the fine line of doing what I think is right, and interfering with other species. So don’t tell me that you know what I would have done, when I don’t even know what I would have done!!”

Trip: “I didn’t think it would hurt to teach her to read.”

Archer: “Then you didn’t think hard enough. We’re out here to meet new species, not tell them what to do.”

Trip suggests that what he has done is no different than Archer supplying them with books and movies. Archer says that that is very different, as it is not us telling them how to define their culture. Plus, they asked. He questions Trip on whether the cogenitor asked to be taught to read.

Trip: “No, sir.”

Archer then asks why he would sneak into her quarters, onto Enterprise, and lie about where he was.

Trip does not respond, only lowers his head in shame.

Archer: “Come with me.”

~Trip’s quarters~

The cogenitor is pleading with the captain to not make her go back. Trip stands just behind Archer, in silence.

~Conference room~

Drennik is going on about the bond that he and Archer share, and that he is sure that things can get sorted out. Archer explains that he has to consider the cogenitor’s request for asylum despite the VE and Calla’s pleas. Drennik is very diplomatic, and says that they are willing to wait for a decision. (I like Drennik)

~Walking towards Trip’s quarters~

Archer and T’pol are going to find Trip. T’pol tells him that he should not have misgivings as he has made the right decision.

~Trip’s quarters~

The cogenitor and Trip are listening to piano music when the door chimes. Archer and T’pol walk in, and Trip can tell by their expressions what decision has been made. Trip is obviously upset but is able to control this response.

{{We see the Vissian ship detach from Enterprise and leave}}

~Bridge~

Drennik hails Archer, and exchange niceties. And they say good-bye.

~Captain’s quarters~

Archer is sitting on his bed reading a book, holding a polo ball on his lap, and patting Porthos. Hoshi contacts him to say that there is a message from the Vissian ship.

~Ready room~

Archer is staring off into space, when the door chimes. Trip enters, “You wanted to see me Captain?”

Archer: “I was just told that the Vissian cogenitor died.”

Trip: “What? How?”

Archer: “Suicide, Trip.”

Trip lowers his head, and looks shocked.

Archer: “She killed herself.”

Trip: “That can’t be. . . why?” It looks like tears are starting to well up, as he blinks several times. “It’s my fault. I’m responsible.”

Archer: “You’re damn right you are! (Trip looks on, startled by Archer’s reaction) And it’s not just her. There’s a child is will not be conceived because of this. . . at least not for a while. It’s time you learn to weigh the possible repercussions of your actions. You have always been impulsive. Maybe this will teach you a lesson.”

Trip (sorrowful): “I understand.”

Archer: “Do you? I’m not so sure you do. You knew you had no business interfering with those people. But, you just couldn’t let it alone. You thought you were doing the right thing. I might agree if this was Florida, or Singapore. But it’s not, is it? We’re in deep space, and a person is dead. A person who’d still be alive if we hadn’t made First Contact. I guess I haven’t been very successful at getting through to you. If I had you would have thought a lot harder before doing what you did.”

Trip (now almost beside himself with guilt): “You’re not responsible.”

Archer: “Dismissed.”

Trip (looks with disbelief, as Archer turns around to face away from him): “Captain?”

Archer leans into the window, and we see Trip standing behind him (I wanted to give him a big hug – he looked so sad). He waits a few moments, and when Archer doesn’t respond he leaves, in shame.

THE END

N.B. We never see what happens with Malcolm and Traitsana.

One person has made comments

I want trip tucker pix