United

This Story: Season 4 Episode 13 (production code 189)
ENT Overall: Episode 89
Trek Overall: Story 678, Episode 717
Airdate: 4 Feb 2005
Story by Manny Coto
Written by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Directed by David Livingston

Notes

• The second of a three ep arc which seems to set up the Romulan War that was referenced in prior Trek series (mostly TOS).  As far as I can tell it’s not officially a three part story, but three episodes connected.  It really does feel like a three parter, though.
• The last episode of any incarnation of Star Trek directed by David Livingston.  All told he directed 2 of TNG, 17 of DS9, 28 of VOY, and 15 of Enterprise for a total of 62 episodes.
• The foundation of the Federation is laid here with the Humans, Andorians, Vulcans, & Tellarites agreeing to all work together.
• The second time the Remans appear in any incarnation of Star Trek, after having appeared for the first time in Star Trek: Nemesis.
• The model for the Tellarite ship was reused in both Season 2 as an Arkonian vessel, and in Season 3 as a Xindi-Arboreal ship.
• The detection grid reminds me an awful lot of the same one used in TNG’s “Redemption Part II“.
• Footage from this episode would get re-used in the alternate credits in “In a Mirror Darkly“.
• The remark that Shran makes about future ships being named after theirs is finally realized in the Star Trek Picard episode “The Last Generation” when we finally get a USS Kumari.
• The first of two episodes with Geno Silva as the Romulan Vrax.
• The first of two episodes with Scott Allen Rinker as the Aenar Gareb.  The character technically appeared in “Babel One” first, but their face was never seen, and that version was played by Glen Hambly (uncredited).

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