The Catwalk
| "The Catwalk" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Enterprise episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 12 |
| Directed by | Mike Vejar |
| Written by | Mike Sussman Phyllis Strong |
| Featured music | Jay Chattaway |
| Production code | 212 |
| Original air date | December 18, 2002 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Catwalk" (S02, E12) is the thirty-eighth episode (production #212) of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. The entire crew of the Enterprise is forced to shelter inside one of the starship's warp nacelles to survive a radiation storm that the Enterprise encounters. As the time passes tensions rise, and the motives and strange behaviour of the passengers they took on are questioned.[1]
This episode aired on December 18, 2002 on United Paramount Network (UPN).
Plot
Enterprise is hailed by a trio of aliens, who warn that a deadly neutronic wavefront, many light years across, is approaching at a speed close to warp 7. Since the ship is only capable of warp 5 ship and cannot outrun the storm, everyone must shelter in order to survive the storm's radiation.
Commander Tucker suggests that the one heavily shielded place on board that might suffice for the eight-day ordeal is the catwalk, a maintenance shaft that runs the length of each nacelle. Although he must take the main reactor offline, as the temperatures on catwalk can reach 300 °C (573 K) degrees (572 degrees F) when the warp coils are online.
With only four hours to prepare, everyone evacuates to the catwalk. The crew entertain themselves watching old western films, gathered around a small screen. The storm envelops the ship, and as the days wear on, nerves fray – particularly with the alien guests, who start up a barbecue near a flammable conduit. Tucker and Archer discover a problem in Engineering as the injectors have come online. Tucker must return to Engineering to shut them down again, and his EV suit will only protect him for 22 minutes. In Engineering, he discovers an alien ship has docked and intruders are interfering with the ship's systems. Doctor Phlox deduces that the aliens must be immune to the storm's radiation.
When confronted, the trio confesses that the other aliens are looking for them, explaining that they deserted from the Takret Militia, when they learned their commanders were capturing other ships and killing all onboard. T'Pol and Reed work to shut down the warp reactor, while Archer hails the alien leader, pretending to be the sole surviving crewmember. He demands they leave and threatens to destroy the Enterprise rather than let it be taken, and sends the ship straight for a plasma eddy. As the reactor shuts down, the intruders, abandon ship. When the Enterprise clears the storm and the crew return to their quarters, Tucker invites T'Pol to join their movie night every Tuesday, if she's interested. The trio of alien visitors apologize for the trouble they brought and depart.
Releases
The first home media release of "The Catwalk" was as part of the season two DVD box set, released in the United States on July 26, 2005.[2] A release on Blu-ray Disc for season two occurred on August 20, 2013.[3]
Jay Chattaway's music for the episode was released as part of the four audio disc box set Star Trek: Enterprise Collection on December 2, 2014, including the orchestral piece "Taking Back Enterprise / Captain A Captain / Core Is Down" on compact discs.[4]
Reception
"The Catwalk" first aired on UPN December 18, 2002. It had a 3.0 rating with a 5 share, and an audience of 4.73 million viewers.[5][6]
In a 2013 review of the season 2 Blu-ray box-set, The Morton Report felt this was one of the standout episodes of the season, and called it a "successful example of the writers combining a "ship episode" (lo-tech and talky) with a suspenseful, somewhat more action-oriented approach."[7]
In 2014, The A.V. Club noted this episode as one of ten of this series that epitomize what the show is about, with the crew "operating at the very edge of their knowledge and their technology" and praised its fascinating premise.[8]
In 2016, Vox rated this one of the top 25 essential episodes of all Star Trek. They describe the episode as "a fun look at the rough-and-tumble early days of Starfleet."[9]
In 2021, The Digital Fix said this episode was "entertaining", and one of the 'good episodes' from season two.[10]
References
- ^ Erdmann, Terry J. (2008-09-23). Star Trek 101: A Practical Guide to Who, What, Where, and Why. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-1787-3.
- ^ Ordway, Holly E. (August 7, 2005). "Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Second Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ "Enterprise Season: Two Blu-ray Available August 20". StarTrek.com. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on February 18, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ "Various – Star Trek: Enterprise Collection (Original Television Soundtrack)". Discogs. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ Caillan (29 December 2002). "Underwhelming Ratings For 'Cargo' & 'Catwalk'". Trek Today. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ Associated Press (December 25, 2002). "'Survivor' makes it an easy win for CBS". Calendarlive.com. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2002-12-30.
- ^ Lipp, Chaz (22 August 2013). "Blu-ray Review: Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Two". The Morton Report.
- ^ Wilkins, Alasdair (2014). "Enterprise was forever torn between our future and Star Trek's past". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ Siede, Caroline (2016-09-06). "Star Trek, explained for non-Trekkies". Vox. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- ^ Baz Greenland (2021-03-22). "Star Trek: Enterprise Revisited - A Look Back At Season Two". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 2021-04-01.