The Crossing

N.B. I have a wicked cold right now, so please forgive any mistakes.

Zealousgirl’s EARLY EDITION

~ “Trip-centric” Enterprise SPOILERS ~

The Crossing
Production 044
First Air Date: April 1, 2003 in Canada (April 2, 2003 in US on UPN)
Mission Date: unknown

Director: David Livingston
Story By: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Andre Bormanis
Teleplay 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 ‘The Crossing’: Oooh. . . what a cool beginning!!! Actually, what a cool show!!!! I don’t want to give too much away, but everyone has a part in this episode, including Phlox! I don’t feel that I could really catch this episode in my review very well. Looking forward to seeing what Archer4Trip has to say!

Synopsis (from StarTrek.com):

Enterprise is swallowed by an otherworldly vessel occupied by noncorporeal creatures who invade the bodies of crew members and trade consciousnesses with them.

SPOILER

~on the bridge (tense, exciting music playing)~

Malcolm is at his station, giving a report on a strange ship that is approaching – “It’s big. More than 500 meters across.” Hoshi puts it up on the viewscreen. T’pol doesn’t recognize it. No response to hails. The ship is gaining on them.

Then, you see a massive ship coming up behind Enterprise. The front of the alien vessel opens up, and ‘swallows’ Enterprise.

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

~back on the bridge~

Archer asks for ‘tactical alert’, but Malcolm can’t because weapons are off-line. Trip calls up from engineering, saying that both impulse and warp engines are also off-line. T’pol notes that they can not penetrate the hull of the ship that they are in, but that life-support is still fully operational. No biosigns can be detected.

Archer has Travis use the dorsal cameras to have a look inside the ship that they are now in. On the viewscreen you seen tiny wisps of lights floating around.

T’pol comments that the ‘vapor’ does not contain any elements that their sensors can detect, and that the atmosphere is Helium and Xenon.

Archer asks to prep a shuttlepod, then calls Trip to tell him to meet him and Malcolm in the launch bay. He leaves T’pol in command.

~inside the bowels of the ship (blue-grey in color)~

The shuttlepod is seen leaving Enterprise, and lands not that far away. Trip, Malcolm and Archer step out in their EV suits, scanners in hand. Suddenly they notice that the atmosphere changes to mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen (like on Earth).

Trip: “Someone seems to know what we like to breath.”

Malcolm then comments that the ambient temperature is 18 degrees (Celsius)

Trip: “Florida, in November.”

They walk a few meters, and then stop to observe the wisps floating around Enterprise above them. Malcolm is frustrated at not reading any life forms, and about just who is working the ship. They chat a bit more about the wisps.

Then, suddenly one of the greenish wisps flies down, pauses for a moment in front of Trip, and then passes through his EV helmet into his head. Trip gasps, and a yellowish wisp exits and flies off. Trip looks stunned, as he lifts his hand up slightly, and watches as he wiggles his own fingers. He does not speak. Then the yellow wisp returns, enters his head, and a green wisp leaves.

Trip is now panting. “What the hell happened?”

Archer says that that was just what he was wondering.

Trip: “I think I was up on the ceiling with those things, and I was looking down at the 3 of us, but not with my eyes. I can’t explain it.” Archer starts to lead Trip away. “I was in Tarpon Springs too, swimming with Lisa. She was afraid it was getting too dark.”

Malcolm tells him it was a dream. But Trip says that he knows that he was there, even though Earth is so far away.

~In Sickbay~

Trip is in his blue skivvies, in the decon chamber. Archer, Malcolm and Phlox are all on the other side of the glass talking. Phlox detects nothing wrong with Trip. They discuss his out of body experience. Phlox turns off the comm, so that Trip can’t hear what he is saying, and says that his experience is a common hallucination. Trip gets annoyed that they are talking about him. Phlox lets him go.

The 3 are getting dressed in their uniforms. Trip is still in awe about what has happened to him, but Archer is genuinely concerned. But they can’t afford to have Trip stay in Sickbay since they need to get the engines on line – so Archer lets Trip get to work. He also asks for Malcolm to get to work getting the weapons on line.

~Captain’s quarters~

T’pol comes to speak to Archer. She tries to convince Archer that these beings may not be hostile. They debate this for a bit. He is quite abrupt with her so she changes the subject, mentioning that Hoshi has not been successful at communicating with the aliens, and that the rest of the crew are worried but calm. Archer answers with an assertion that he needs to get them out of there (… duh!)

~Engineering~

Trip goes to work on the engines, and a greenish wisp comes up next to him. He tries to get away but there is another exchange. Rostov comes by asking Trip a question, and Trip is clueless. He just has this stunned expression, tells Rostov that he is fine and then says “Good bye sir.”

Rostov contacts Archer to say that Trip is acting weird, since he thought that Rostov was his superior officer. And that he has left engineering.

~Messhall~

Archer, Malcolm and T’pol walk into the messhall to find Trip sitting alone with a table covered with food, happily eating. Archer calls out “Commander?”

Trip: “Commander Charles Tucker the Third.”

The 3 approach him cautiously, and Archer asks him if he is hungry.

Trip: “Yes, it’s all very good.” He looks about the table, and then enthusiastically picks up a piece of bread. “Have you ever tried this?”

Archer says “It’s called bread. Haven’t you ever eaten it before?”

Trip: “I’ve never eaten anything before.”

T’pol: “Where’s Commander Tucker?”

Trip: “I’m here. Charles Tucker the Third.”

Archer: “Where’s the man who used to be Charles Tucker.”

Trip (in a monotone voice): “Exploring another realm. But he’ll be back.”

Archer says that he wants him back now. Trip asks for Archer to trust him. He explains that Trip is non-corporeal, and that he is experiencing something that he has never experienced.

Malcolm steps forward and asks if the ‘wisp’ that entered Trip’s head has anything to do with this.

Trip seems fascinated by the word ‘wisp’ and says it several times, slowly and carefully enunciating it. Trip explains that the wisps live in subspace, and that they are explorers too. He is fascinated with corporeal beings. He was pleased that after the first ‘crossing’ with the commander that they were compatible. He wants to learn more. He says that humans are very interesting because they eat, have gender, need to mate to reproduce. He says that the wisps were once like them.

Archer demands to be released. Just then the alien ship lets Enterprise go.

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

~Again in the Messhall~

Archer: “What about Tucker?”

Trip: “I’ve enjoyed my time with you.”

Just then a yellowish wisp can be seen coming from outside of the window, passes through and ‘crosses’ with Trip again.

Trip: “Wow! I was riding right aside Hop-along-Cassidy chasing some bad guys. Then I was with Lisa again… it wasn’t a dream… they told me that you could all try it….” {I’ve left out some of the lines}

Archer is suspicious. He asks Trip, how could he be with others if he was with Hop-along Cassidy. Trip tries to explain it; he is almost giddy with enthusiasm and excitement about the whole experience. He tries to convince Archer and everyone to try it. Archer tells him to go to sickbay.

Archer feels that ‘something smells funny’. T’pol again tries to reason with him that maybe they are what they say they are.

~Captain’s quarters~

Archer is entering a log about what has happened, and what he knows about these lifeforms (blah, blah, blah). He is interrupted by Phlox, who comes to tell him that a wisp had tried to enter him but that they were not compatible.

~In the armory~

Malcolm is tinkering around, when a wisp suddenly appears. He goes into action, sliding down the stairs, and grabbing a phase pistol. After some fancy shooting, he tries to make a run for it but unfortunately is not successful.

Now in the corridor, he has this goofy smirk on his face. A female crewmember passes him and he snarls. He then follows another female into the turbolift, and is very inappropriate with her. He leers at her, and asks if she is female. He then says that he is male. The female holds her own and says that she has noticed that. Malcolm then goes on to talk about the anatomical differences, but she gets off.

~T’pol’s quarters~

T’pol is sitting on her bed in her silky mint green PJ’s reading a book, when the door chimes. In walks Malcolm with that sly look on his face (I love that look. . . it is almost evil, and yet sexy. . . I know this is a Trip site, but I do love Malcolm as well!!!!)

T’pol: “Is there something I can do for you?”

Malcolm: “You are very beautiful. Are you aware that you are the most attractive woman aboard this ship?”

T’pol: “Do you think that it is appropriate for you to be here at this hour?”

Malcolm: “Would you mind taking off your clothing?” {I nearly coughed up a lung at this point!} “I’d like to learn more about your anatomy.”

T’pol stares at him while she cautiously rises from the bed. “Have you been drinking?”

Malcolm: “If we are going to engage in mating, it would be easier if you were to disrobe.”

T’pol goes to the comm. and calls Archer to bring a security team.

Malcolm approaches her, and asks if she is afraid of him. He then asks her what it’s like to be a female. He tries to convince her to accept a ‘crossing’ so that she could learn what the difference is between being a male and a female. That she could get anything that she wishes for. He slowly gets closer to her, bringing his hand up to her face. Just then Archer storms in, asks when Malcolm is going to be returned. The ‘wispy’ Malcolm says that that depends. Archer decides to lock him into Malcolm’s quarters for the time being.

~Engineering~

Trip is working with Rostov to get the engines back on line. He is contacted by Archer to tell him that Malcolm has been taken. (Trip is genuinely concerned). Rostov goes off-screen for a moment, then you hear him yell commander. Trip goes to see, and Rostov is dumbfounded – he has been ‘crossed’. Trip calls Archer, to send a security team.

~Bridge~

Archer asks Hoshi to get a security team to pick up Rostov. She says that they have been getting reports from all over the ship of people acting strangely. Archer responds that they will need more than one security team. Travis asks how will they know if the security teams are not affected. Archer sends T’pol to Sickbay to work with Phlox to figure out a way to detect the ‘crossed’ crewmen.

~Bridge~

Hoshi is getting paranoid about what is going on – what is keeping the wisps from taking over all of them. Trip then calls up to say that engines are on line. Archer asks to have them ready on his command. Hoshi is worried that they are not leaving right away. Archer will not leave without Malcolm and the rest of them.

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

~The action flips around a lot from place to place~

In Sickbay, T’pol, Phlox and Archer are talking about how they have figured out that there are elevate neurotransmitter levels in the ‘crossed’ people. Of course, Phlox is pretty please with himself.

Then,Trip calls up to the bridge to ask Travis to give him a hand, and sends him to the catwalk to do something with the nacelles.

Phlox and T’pol are scanning for ‘crossed’ crewmembers in the messhall. They find two, and have security come get them.

Then we see Travis climbing up the ladder into the catwalk area. A wisp comes up behind him, but he is able to climb fast enough that he makes it into the catwalk closing the hatch behind him. The wisp is not able to follow. After speaking with Archer and Trip, they figure out that the wisps can not penetrate the extra casing in the catwalk and plan to send all un-‘crossed’ crew there. Phlox stays out of the catwalk, as he is not affected.

Archer asks Hoshi to contact everyone, to tell them the plan. Hoshi unfortunately has been ‘crossed’ and tries to convince Archer to go along with them. He has her sent to her quarters.

~Catwalk~

T’pol informs Archer that 24 crewmen are locked in their quarters, and the remaining are now on the catwalk. She wants to learn more about the aliens intentions – she plans to leave the catwalk and allow one of the wisps to take cross with her. Then, using her superior Vulcan mental capacity she would fight them off, hopefully being able to determine their true intentions while doing this. Archer argues with her, but she finally makes him agree.

~Elsewhere~

‘Wispy’ Hoshi contacts Phlox to say that Hoshi’s body has been injured and that she does not know how to repair the damage. Phlox goes to Hoshi’s quarters, armed with a phase pistol. He enters to find her sitting on the floor, looking quite apathetic. He scans her, realizes that she is faking it. A tussle ensues. (actually pretty comical) but in the end Phlox wins by sedating her with a hypospray.

Archer contacts Phlox to tell him that T’pol will need his help. T’pol is now walking the hallways, eventually finding a wisp and allows it to ‘cross’ with her.

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

Phlox finds T’pol standing, unresponsive in the corridor. He contacts Archer to tell him that she has been found. Phlox is to bring her to her quarters, but the wisp exits her. T’pol announces that they are lying to them, and that she has to get back to the captain.

Archer, Travis, and T’pol are in the command center (as per the other ‘Catwalk’ episode). T’pol explains that the aliens’ vessel is deteriorating, and that they can not exist in space. The plan is that 81 of the aliens are planning on taking over each crewmember, in order to assure their survival. T’pol seems to get distracted when she realizes that Trip is not around. They send Travis to find him.

T’pol suggests that Trip find a way to polarize the entire hull such that no more wisps can board and then go to warp. Archer refuses to allow 1/3 of his crew to be lost, and that they will have to find another way.

Archer, together with T’pol and Phlox, come up with a plan to send out carbon dioxide via the ventilation system so that the ‘crossed’ crewmen almost die, and forcing the aliens to leave them since they require living hosts. Phlox is getting suited up in an EV suit while they discuss the plan.

Meanwhile, Travis is scouring the catwalk looking for Trip. Travis reports back that he can’t find him. Archer tells him to look again.

Phlox is somewhere in the ship now, looking for the panel that houses the atmospheric control thingy’s. He is being directed over the comm. by T’pol and Archer. {Back in the catwalk command center, we see an eerie site of Trip standing very still in the background, listening to what is going on - there is almost a Hitchcock-like feel to the scene. . . eeek! He then is seen leaving}

Travis finally finds Trip who is tinkering with a panel in the catwalk. He cheerfully asks Trip how he is, but Trip remains silent. He then tries to leave, but Travis figures out that he has been ‘crossed’. Trip runs away, pushing crew out of the way. A fight ensues with Trip punching Travis, and leaving the catwalk.

Phlox is now at a different panel, and has to open it up (very difficult for him). Archer finds out that Trip has been taken, so warns Phlox that Trip may be on his way. Archer tells Phlox to hurry. Archer and T’pol continue to direct him through the complicated things that he needs to do for venting the gas.

Just as he is about the finish the process, Trip arrives and pushes him out of the way. Phlox fights back, and actually head butts Trip wearing the EV helmet, which knocks him out only momentarily, although it is enough time for the venting to work. As Trip tries to reverse the process, he is too late and passes out. The wisp is seen exiting his head. We also see the remaining crewmembers passing out with the wisps leaving.

Phlox then reverses the venting process. Archer orders Enterprise to go to full impulse. The alien ship pursues, but Enterprise wins by shooting weapons, and destroying the vessel.

Back in the hallway, Trip walks up and asks Phlox what was going on. Phlox tells him to breath deeply.

Trip: “I was just at a barbeque. I’ve never seen so many ribs!”

Phlox ignores this, telling Trip to come along, as they have many doors to unlock.

The End

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