4.10: Daedalus

[Dave]

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The Enterprise will reportedly receive a visit from the creator of the transporter. While on board, he outlines his plans for a new long-range transporter that could revolutionise space travel.

[Dave]

from Trek Today

Bill Cobbs to play Transporter Creator

Veteran actor Bill Cobbs has reportedly been tapped to bring a pivotal figure in the history of Star Trek to life.

Cobbs is set to play Emory, the creator of the transporter device, in the tenth episode of season four, according to TrekToday sources. Entitled "Daedalus", the episode reportedly revolves around the visit of Emory to the Enterprise NX-01, where he reveals his plans for a new longer-range transporter (story).

The 69-year-old character actor has appeared in a wide range of film and television series, including the short-lived drama The Others. In the series, which also starred John Billingsley (Doctor Phlox), Cobbs played the medium Elmer Greentree. Cobbs also had regular parts on The Michael Richards Show and The Gregory Hines Show. His guest roles include appearances on I'll Fly Away, The Drew Carey Show, The West Wing and The Sopranos.

On the silver screen, Cobbs has featured in films such as The Bodyguard, in which he played the manager of Whitney Houston's character, The Hudsucker Proxy, Air Bud, Trading Places, and A Mighty Wind.

Manny Coto has said that he wants to do stories he himself would like to see, that ask the questions that he as a fan would like to ask. I guess this is a question he wanted to ask, but it had never occurred to me until now: if they have transporters, why do they need Starships at all?

The Star Trek TNG: Technical Manual does give a reason, but in reality it is just a plot device to prevent them being able to transport too far otherwise Starfleet would be mothballed. I'm interested in how this story will develop now.

[Mariel]

Emory has found a way to transport over long distances and Starfleet has decided he can perform his experements with the help of Enterprise. As it turns out he just needs a way to get to a region of space called the Barrens-an area with no stars. When he first developed the transporter, he allowed his son to be the first one to test it out. Something happened and his son was lost. He has finally found a way to get his son back and with Archer's help he does. His son is some kind of energy that floats around the ship, kills one crewman and damages the ship. I think the writers are still trying to find ways to put Trip and T'Pol together too. I enjoyed this episode.
:blpaw:

[Dave]

Manny Coto brought along Sarah from 'Odyssey 5'.

At least this was an episode without the reset button, but the Kir'Shara seems a too easy way to remove all the Vulcan nits, and T'Pol seems to try to much to be unemotional. All Spock needed was an eyebrow to move, but she has all kinds of twisted facial expressions where Trip is involved.

The story was as Mariel said, but there was an element of 'Heroes don't live up to their names' too. Emory was to Trip, as Cochrane was to Archer. It seemed like that part of the story was done before.

The Barrens is some kind of subspace loose end. They didn't explain why Quinn needed to stalk corridors and kill people though.

For me, it did not live up to my expectations.

[ray gower]

Originally posted by Dave
The Star Trek TNG: Technical Manual does give a reason, but in reality it is just a plot device to prevent them being able to transport too far otherwise Starfleet would be mothballed. I'm interested in how this story will develop now.

Never read the ST Technical Manual, but the biggest problem I can see with the transporters is concentrating the data to rebuild a body in something akin to one piece at the other end.

This ought to have been something of a character episode (certainly nothing being discovered for adventure), full of emotion, as they tried to come to terms with the hero/not such a hero/downright callous problems.

Unfortunately (for me), I watched it immediately after Doctor Who 'Father's Day'. So apart from noting that Archer had another character transplant, it fell decidedly flat.