Cogenitor

While preparing the sensors to observe a hyper-giant that will be transformed in a supernova, the Enterprise makes first contact with the amicable and highly developed Vissians. The race of explorers is invited to visit the Enterprise and the crews exchange information about each civilization. Trip is intrigued about the third gender of the Vissians, necessary for their reproductive process, and Dr. Phlox explains that there are many races with more than two genders and T'Pol asks him to not interfere with the Vissian culture. When Trip finds that the Cogenitor, who does not have a name, is illiterate and treated like and object, has the same level of intelligence of the males and females of its race, he decides to secretly encourage it to learn how to read and expand its culture, tragically affecting the relationship between humans and Vissians.

"Cogenitor" is original, dramatic and tragic, and certainly the best episode of the Second Season up to now. The story is important to show that there are different cultures where the concepts of what seems to be right or wrong are different from the standards of others and must be respected, no matter in deep space or on Earth. In Brazil we have a saying that could be translated as follows: "the hell is full of people with good intentions". Trip seems to have learned the lesson through the most difficult way when he sees the consequences of his action. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Cogenitor"

When Enterprise is up close examining some cool space phenomenon, they meet up with a new species, the Vissians. These Vissians are very friendly, more advanced and seem like neat new friends. However, one thing about them really intrigued Trip--that they have THREE genders. There are men and women but to actually reproduce, they have a third gender. This is pretty strange but Trip's interest goes much further. He notices that people talk about this third gender more like it's a pet or slave and accord it a much lesser status. These beings are not taught to read or write, have interests of their own and are more like tools than anything else. Trip ascribes human standards to this and sees the third gender as being enslaved and that it is basically unfair. On his own and with no blessing from the Captain, Trip takes it on himself to meet one of these beings and teach it to read and think for itself. Not surprisingly, this ends up causing HUGE problems.

This is a very good episode, as it really pushes the idea that other cultures are not necessarily good or bad--just different and interfering could cause HUGE problems. Very interesting--one of the better episodes.

By the way, my daughter is sitting next to me and going crazy because in the show, they were playing the Chinese game, GO. And, they were playing it all wrong!! She was incensed and I thought this was freaking hilarious! Apparently other fans noticed this as well and their identical rant can be found at http://en.memory- alpha.org/wiki/Cogenitor_%28episode%29

We have to remember this was 2003 - 17 years ago - and I hope a different time than today (heavy emphasis on HOPE). The lost potential here was to really make a statement about GENDER. What if the performer cast to play the Cogenitor was a cis-gendered male actor? (This could be seen as an allegory for transgender rights as well, so what about a transgendered actor?) How would that have changed the dynamic of Trip trying to "rescue" the Cogenitor? T'Pol asked Archer the same question in Rogue Planet (2002). How would the story change if it were played by a male actor? Consider, The Outcast (1992), what if Soren was played by a male actor? That would have made for an interesting twist and would make the conversation much more relevant. The other reviewers have mentioned the dubious morality of Archer and that is not my issue here (as I agree with the double standards he sets for Trip). What do you think?

LeVar Burton's directing and J. P Farrell's writing help to give this excellent example of Enterprise an edge which was lacking in most of the series' episodes. The Enterprise is involved in a first contact with some kindred spirits - explorers whose technology is about a thousand years ahead of Star Fleet's. Everything is going along fine as earth culture and Vissian culture begin to interact. The Vissian's share technology and more with the Enterprise crew.

This episode's theme is, once again, the prime directive. Since Star Fleet's prime directive did not exist in Archer and company's time, we are seeing one of what must have been dozens of first contact incidents which went wrong. I was only a little annoyed by the Vissians' willingness to share their advanced warp drive technology but rather strident insistence that earthlings not be permitted to interfere with their culture.

Eventually, it is revealed that the Vissians have three sexes - male female and cogenitor. All three are required for sexual reproduction, and the cogenitor sex is very rare and - therefore somewhat oppressed, valuable and treated as a commodity. Unfortunately, the writers use the word "gender" to describe this, as opposed to sex. Since gender is a social construct and social/sexual identity, connected to, but not defined by sexual reproductive organs, this is a systematic error.

Trip befriends the cogenitor and decides to clandestinely educate it in order to help it liberate itself from its bondage. This backfires when the cogenitor asks for asylum on the Enterprise. To this point, only the directing and the originality of the alien species set this episode apart from the typical Enterprise episode, however, the drama steadily mounts toward the end as the series does something with this conclusion which it had never attempted before.

Trip proving again what a liability he is. Chief engineer should be locked in engineer room

Not sure why he is so popular