Cogenitor

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

Not sure why he is so popular

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?

This was a really interesting idea, and a neat little compact morality play.

The idea of three genders was an interesting, one, and it shows that we shouldn't consider everyone is like us.

There were lots of interesting themes in this ep, and the ending was unexpected.

Rather than take a particular predicatable line, the story showed that things don't always work out how you expect them to... and sometimes there are unforseen consequences of ones actions.

I thought the cogenitor role was great, but also it was good that the crew encountered a race that were happy and wanted to assist.

However, probably the best thing was trip getting dressed down - showing the crew aren't all perfect and do make mistakes.

Great episode, said by the actor who plays Malcolme Reed as his favorite.

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.

I thought this was quite a provocative episode. Archer is being seen by some as lacking in concern for human rights and almost Hitler like. Unfortunately, he is between a rock and a hard place here. He is thrilled that a friendly species has hooked up with Enterprise and is interested in sharing what they have. The problem is that while he is having a great time, Trip is back at the ship, trying to teach a creature whose sole purpose in life is to aid in reproduction. When he realizes that she/he/it has potential to be more than a facilitator of producing children, he disobeys his captain. The problem is that many see Archer as a sellout because he has been rebellious in the past. I think the problem here is the speed with which everything happens. No study of the culture. No more deliberation before entering on disruption. Archer is on a short leash. One thing no one mentions is that without the cogenitor, this race dies. Another question is, give a little negotiating time, perhaps there could be a cogenitor that has other possibilities other than the primary role. Just food for thought.