Judgment (episode)

Archer is charged by a Klingon tribunal for helping rebels try to escape the Empire.

Teaser
On Narendra III, a Klingon court magistrate commands that the prisoner be brought in. That prisoner is Captain Jonathan Archer. He is informed that he stands accused of conspiring against the Klingon Empire. Responding that he is not guilty, he is informed that the following day he will be given a chance to prove his innocence, and that if he cannot, there is only one punishment.

Act One
In his cell, the captain contemplates his prison ration of targ flesh when Dr. Phlox is shown into his cell for five minutes by the guard. The doctor proceeds to check the captain for xenopolycythemia, commenting both on how contagious the disease is and how surprised he is that Archer has not been placed in isolation.

Once the guard has retreated to a safe distance, Dr. Phlox quietly informs Archer that it has taken T'Pol two days to convince the Klingons to allow the visit due to his "condition". Phlox further informs him that both Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command are doing everything possible to get him released.

Archer then informs Phlox that when the case is over, he is relying on T'Pol and Tucker to get out of Klingon territory.

A Klingon then arrives, and once informed that the "patient" is not contagious, tells the doctor to return to his ship. He introduces himself as Kolos, his advocate and that the tribunal is about to begin.

Archer protests that they have not discussed the case, but Kolos assures him that he is familiar with the charges.

In the tribunal, Prosecutor Orak calls Duras, the former captain of the battle cruiser. Duras explains to the court that Enterprise was holding Klingon fugitives, and was fired upon when he requested that Archer surrender them. He then declares that Archer is a conspirator and therefore an enemy of the Empire.

Act Two
In his cell, the captain contemplates his prison ration of targ flesh once again, trying some and spitting it out immediately.

Archer is joined by Kolos who explains to him that the magistrate will be willing to spare the captain's life if he revealed the location of the fugitives. Archer refuses and asks that he be allowed to defend himself. When Kolos displays reluctance at the idea, Archer gets angry.

Kolos tells Archer that there once was a time when everyone was tried fairly, but there was now no honor in a justice system that favored the warrior class.

Later, Kolos convinces the magistrate to allow Archer to recount events from his point of view; by stating that the Judicial Charter of Koloth states that a Advocate has the right to challenge the charges at any point during the tribunal, and since the time of Kahless that their courts have always stood for honor. Archer then explains that they found a small starship adrift in space, and when the aliens were brought aboard, found that the refugees aboard were from a colony which had been 'annexed' by the Klingon Empire only to be abandoned when they were of no further use. When Duras arrived with the Bortas, Archer refused to hand over the refugees. Duras grew angry and fired upon the Enterprise.

Kolos now turns the court's attention to how Archer had assisted the Empire in the past, such as exposing the Suliban plot and rescuing a Klingon ship, the, caught in the dense atmosphere of a gas giant.

Act Three
Kolos and Archer await the decision of the magistrate. Kolos offers Archer bloodwine to make the wait more pleasurable. They discuss Kolos' career and history, and the way the warrior class has risen to dominance in Klingon affairs. The magistrate agrees to spare Archer's life on the grounds of his deeds, and instead of death, he sentences him instead to life imprisonment in the dilithium mines on Rura Penthe.

Kolos loudly objects to this sentence, demanding that Archer be treated with honor, and pointing out that being sent to Rura Penthe is a death sentence. Kolos is promptly sentenced to one year at Rura Penthe for speaking out of turn.

Aboard the Enterprise, T'Pol informs the bridge crew that they must now leave Klingon territory, and that a rescue attempt is not an option. However she also reveals that she has dealt with several Klingon bureaucrats in the past and that they can be "persuaded."

Act Four
On Rura Penthe, Archer and Kolos work at the mine, and Archer defends Kolos from being kicked after being knocked down by the guards. He comments that it's an old Earth axiom, and Kolos responds by inquiring if all Humans are so "stupid". New arrivals appear and, surprisingly, Malcolm Reed is one of them, there to rescue the captain. Lieutenant Reed explains that T'Pol had found a few Klingon officials to bribe. Archer offers Kolos a chance to come along, but he refuses, explaining that he wanted to restore honor to his people but that he could not do so as a fugitive. While the captain points out the statement made at the trial, that most prisoners at Rura Penthe don't survive a year there, Kolos smiles and responds that those people, for the most part, don't have anything to live for, and that's not the case with him. Archer bids him well, and leaves the mine with Reed.

Memorable Quotes
"Identify yourself!"

"Captain Archer of the battle cruiser Enterprise."


 * - Klingon Captain Duras and Archer, according to Duras' recollection of events



"What is it?"

"Blood wine. It should help make the wait more pleasant."

Archer considers the flask, drinks from it, then tries to control his negative reaction.

"What's it the blood of?"

Kolos chuckles.

"Don't feel badly if you can't stomach it."

"I didn't say that!"


 * - Archer and his Klingon advocate, Kolos, awaiting the return of the verdict

"You didn't believe all Klingons were soldiers?"

"I guess I did."

"My father was a teacher. My mother, a biologist at the university.  They encouraged me to take up the law.  Now, all young people want to do is to take up weapons as soon as they can hold them.  They're told there is honor in victory – any victory.  What honor is there in a victory over a weaker opponent?  Had Duras destroyed that ship, he would have been lauded as a hero of the Empire for murdering helpless refugees.  We were a great society, not so long ago.  When honor was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed."

"For thousands of years, my people had similar problems. We fought three world wars that almost destroyed us.  Whole generations were nearly wiped out."

"What changed?"

"A few courageous people began to realize... they could make a difference."


 * - Kolos and Archer

"Perhaps I spent too much time in the law library and not enough in the battlefield."


 * - Kolos

"Our ships run on dilithium, not talk!"


 * - Rura Penthe guard, insisting that Kolos and Archer get back to work

Story and production

 * This episode features several, obviously intentional, parallels to : the captain of the Enterprise being tried in a Klingon court for crimes against the Empire, the appearance of the courtroom, the judge's talon-like glove and sphere-shaped gavel, a ruthless prosecutor (though Orak at least wasn't prosecuting someone else for his own crime, unlike Chang), an honorable defense advocate (played by an actor better known for playing another Klingon), and the captain being convicted but having his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment on Rura Penthe. There are also many parallels to DS9's, with Kolos taking the place of Odo and Archer taking the place of Miles O'Brien.
 * Asahf's species was revealed in a StarTrek.com to be called the Arin'Sen.
 * This episode's final draft script was submitted on.

Performers

 * J.G. Hertzler (Kolos) and John Vickery (Orak) previously appeared in and  together. They played Martok and Rusot, respectively. Daniel Riordan (Duras) previously played a Bajoran guard in.

Continuity

 * Duras, son of Toral, is an ancestor of 24th century Klingons Ja'rod, Duras, Lursa, B'Etor, and Toral, all of whom were considered traitors to the Empire. The 22nd century Duras' pattern of forehead ridges are identical to those of his 24th century namesakes.
 * Ty'Gokor, from, is mentioned. J.G. Hertzler also appeared in that episode, playing a Changeling posing as Martok, and James L. Conway directed both that episode and this one.
 * Kolos mentions Archer's good deeds towards the Klingon Empire, as seen in the first season episodes and.
 * This is the first time in the Star Trek chronology that painstiks and bloodwine are seen.
 * Of all the episode's references to past Star Trek productions, the script notes only that the set of the Klingon tribunal chamber of this episode is "similar to the one in Star Trek VI".

DVD releases

 * As part of the ENT Season 2 DVD
 * As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Captain's Log collection, chosen by Scott Bakula as his favorite episode

Starring

 * Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer
 * John Billingsley as Doctor Phlox
 * Jolene Blalock as Subcommander T'Pol
 * Dominic Keating as Lieutenant Malcolm Reed
 * Anthony Montgomery as Ensign Travis Mayweather
 * Linda Park as Ensign Hoshi Sato
 * Connor Trinneer as Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III

Guest stars

 * J.G. Hertzler as Kolos
 * John Vickery as Orak
 * Granville Van Dusen as the Klingon magistrate
 * Daniel Riordan as Duras
 * Victor Talmadge as Asahf
 * Helen Cates as the Klingon first officer

Co-stars

 * D.J. Lockhart as the cell guard
 * Danny Kolker as the guard

Uncredited co-stars

 * Joe Billington as a Klingon Guard
 * Solomon Burke, Jr. as Billy
 * Sean Dye as a Klingon Guard #14
 * Evan English as Tanner
 * Dieter Hornemann as a Klingon prisoner
 * Juan Mabson as a Klingon Guard
 * Marti Matulis as unknown
 * Michael Papajohn as a Klingon Guard #2
 * John Reyes as a Klingon Guard #11
 * Lidia Sabljic as a command division crewman
 * Unknown performers as:
 * a female Arin'Sen refugee
 * a male Arin'Sen refugee
 * Klingon Court Attendees

External link


Judgment Das Urteil (ENT) Judgment Judgment ja:ENT:反逆の法廷 Judgment