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As Sham 69 said, if the Federation is “United” they will never be divided! The Romulan threat has become a unifying force for the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. But even though they share a common enemy, will the Federation founders be able to get past their own petty gripes? Or will tradition and vengeance be their undoing? Being a prequel, I guess we already know the answer, but how do we get to the end point we all know?
“United” continues from the events in “Babel One“. On Romulus, Admiral Valdore (Brian Thompson), Romulan scientist Nijil (J. Michael Flynn), and their pilot continue to control the mysterious “marauder”, cloaking it to look like Enterprise and then using it to destroy a Rigelian vessel. Despite this success, Senator Vrax (Geno Silva) chastises them for losing full control of their drone since Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III (Connor Trinneer) and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) are still on board. Valdore and Nijil then work to trap Tucker inside a service junction as he attempts to divert power. After incapacitating him with leaked radiation coolant, Valdore then orders Reed to re-establish the damaged warp matrix on the drone or see his crewmate die. Reed complies in order to rescue Tucker.
Meanwhile, aboard Enterprise, Commander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) and Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) devise a surveillance grid that will require the coordinated effort of 128 spaceships. After seeking help from Earth and Vulcan, Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) realizes that he will need to obtain Andorian and Tellarite support too. Archer’s attempt hits a snag when Lieutenant Talas dies from the phaser wound sustained earlier. A devastated Commander Shran (Jeffrey Combs) openly challenges Naarg (Kevin Brief) to a blood-duel using Ushaan-Tor, an Andorian ice-miner’s tool. Realizing that a death will derail trade negotiations, Archer announces himself as the Tellarite’s substitute. The duel proceeds and Archer is fortunately able to win, and spares Shran’s life after severing an antenna.
With the duel completed, Shran promises continued Andorian support for the grid, and the Tellarite’s Ambassador Gral (Lee Arenberg) does the same. Enterprise, as a flagship, soon relocates and re-engages the drone. Reed and Tucker, caught in the crossfire and unable to be transported out, narrowly escape death by ejecting themselves into open space. A mixed fleet of “allied” vessels then arrive, forcing Vrax and Valdore to recall the drone at warp speed to Romulan space. Archer then invites the Andorians and the Tellarites to begin their negotiations early. On Romulus, the drone’s pilot is revealed to be an Aenar, another species of the Andorian race.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay analyze “United” the origins of what will eventually become the Federation. Plus! The guys chat about the definition of a loophole, speaking in subtle code, and condensing complexities into simplicity.