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Is the fourth season of Enterprise improving by leaps and “Bound”? This week finds the crew in a very TOS adventure, with plenty of sexiness and green skin to go around. But, as always, when Enterprise tries to model itself after TOS it can lead to an unfortunate blending of ethics that come out confused. And “Bound” is a notorious example of that – but is it justified?
The Wikipedia plot summary for “Bound”:
Enterprise is en route to the Berengarius system, one of the proposed locations for a Starfleet starbase, when it is approached by an Orion Syndicate vessel. Captain Archer is invited to visit the Orion ship by its captain, Harrad-Sar. During the visit, Archer and Lieutenant Reed are entertained by three Orion dancers, Navaar, D’Nesh, and Maras. Archer negotiates with Harrad-Sar and they agree to a joint magnesite mining operation, and at Harrad-Sar’s insistence, the three slaves are given to him. They return to Enterprise with the slaves and set a course to survey the planet.
En route, the presence of the Orions begins having an effect on the crew: men become increasingly aggressive, while women increasingly suffer from headaches. Navaar focuses her attentions on Archer, while D’Nesh seduces Commander Kelby. Arriving at the planet, a sluggish Archer orders Reed to destroy another ship, but he refuses and it escapes. Kelby meanwhile sabotages the warp drive before Commander Tucker can physically stop him. Afterward, Doctor Phlox determines that the Orions are producing pheromones, causing the crew’s adrenaline levels to spike. Only Commander T’Pol and Tucker remain unaffected since she is Vulcan and he shares her immunity because of their psychic bond.
The Orions are placed under guard in the decontamination chamber. Harrad-Sar returns in his vessel and attacks the now disabled Enterprise, and then begins to tow it away. He reveals that, in fact, the Syndicate seeks Archer’s head, and in this matter he is the slave and the Orion women are his masters. The Orions escape and travel to the Bridge, as do T’Pol and Tucker. Navaar tells Archer to arrest T’Pol, but Tucker stuns all the male crew-members with his phaser, and Tucker and T’Pol disable the Orion ship with a pulse sent from Enterprise‘s deflector dish. They send the Orions back to their ship, and T’Pol finally admits she would personally like Tucker to return, and he replies that he has already requested a transfer back to Enterprise.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Bound” and why it’s similar to “Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night”. Plus! The guys chat about third-wave feminism, the definition of “reactionary”, and myopic stories.