Dead Stop

I have watched this episode several times, and I cannot understand how anyone could call this a "great" or "strong" ST storyline.

1 - Archer had no idea what he was dealing with. Looking for help, he acts like someone or something is out to get him. He's the one who reached out for help, and then he's going to bite at the hand that offered assistance? Horrible move.

2 - For those who think that Mayweather was "kidnapped",...really?! If not for Tucker and Reed (IMO, two of the absolute WORST characters ever written for a ST series, and that includes Neelix and Kim) going where they had no business being, messing around with another culture's effort to provide assistance to travelers in need, that is why the station took Mayweather!

3 - And lastly, if Archer was so suspicious, why even go through the process of accepting the assistance? He could have just left, limped back to Jupiter Station 10 years older, and not have left such a bad reputation behind them with whomever had built and ran the station.

This episode is only one of the many that really showed how ridiculous the series writers were in trying to conceive of the early years of Starfleet and the Federation.

This episode is a follow-up to the previous one. After the Enterprise is damaged by a Romulan mine, Trip is worried that they cannot repair the ship themselves and have to travel back to Earth space to fix the ship...a very long voyage considering that their warp speed is compromised. However, when they send out a distress call, the Tellerites respond--with an automated repair station. The repairs it can make are incredible and the cost seems extremely reasonable...but Archer is worried that it's all too good to be true. And, in the end, it turns out he's true...the computer system that runs the place is truly nasty and has a very hidden agenda.

This is a very good episode. It's not a great one but it is original and the hidden agenda is pretty creepy. Worth seeing.

Trip advises that the Enterprise needs to be repaired but he does not have the necessary components and parts. Archer releases a distress call and receives the coordinates of a fully automated repair facility. The Enterprise is scanned at its arrival, the dock station fits to her dimensions and the "compensation" informed is only 200 liters of plasma, including the repair of Reed's leg. Captain Archer's sixth sense tells him that something seems to be wrong. When Travis is found dead in a forbidden working zone, Archer unravels the secret of the repair station.

"Dead Stop" is another good episode of the second season of Enterprise, but there is a lack of imagination in the authors that resolve the mystery of the repair facility using a rip-off of the successful "The Matrix" (which uses the concept of the unknown "Abre los Ojos"). My conclusion: a good idea like Alejandro Almenábar and Mateo Gil had in "Abre los Ojos" should be patented in the world of cinema to make the authors rich, since many other writers will use it with some improvements and modification. Anyway, I liked "Dead Stop". My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Ponto Morto" ("Dead Spot")

After the damage caused in the 'Minefield' incident Enterprise stops at a repair station.

This is a good episode with an intriguing plot that makes you want to find out what is going on. I also like the concept of the Enterprise being the ship that sends out a distress signal as it makes sense that the crew would require help from time to time.

The story unfolds in a compelling way and other than one plot point that presents something to you that you know is going to turn out to be untrue, it all builds perfectly to a creepy conclusion.

There are some decent character moments for Trip, Reed, Dr Phlox and Archer, but some of the dialogue they are given to work with is not the best. Thankfully, this one is very much plot driven so it doesn't drag the episode down.

What is a bit of a let down, is that the repair station doesn't tie in with anything that has been introduced or referenced in the franchise previously. It doesn't make the story any less enjoyable, but I think the episode would have been a classic if they had connected it to something familiar, making the final reveal that much more impactful. Maybe a bit of Borg technology that ended up disconnected ending up in the alpha quadrant somehow. That for me would have been so much better.

Some elements of the episode clearly take inspiration from 2001: Space Odyssey and The Matrix, but they come across as a homage more than a rip-off. Well done to Roxanne Dawson for a well made episode and lending her voice to the station computer.

Interesting, unpredictable, and in keeping with the Star Trek theme of loyalty to crew. I'm glad the riders are starting to get it together to create interesting stories.