Similitude (Star Trek: Enterprise)

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"Similitude"
Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Connor Trinneer.jpg
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 10
Directed byLeVar Burton
Written byManny Coto
Featured musicVelton Ray Bunch
Production code310
Original air dateNovember 19, 2003 (2003-11-19)
Guest appearances
  • Maximillian Orion Kesmodel - Sim-Trip at 4
  • Adam Taylor Gordon - Sim-Trip at 8
  • Shane Sweet - Sim-Trip at 17
Episode chronology
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"North Star" 		Next →
"Carpenter Street"
Star Trek: Enterprise (season 3)
List of episodes

"Similitude" is the tenth episode from the third season of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. It first aired on November 19, 2003 and was the sixty-second episode of the series. Captain Archer orders a short-living clone of Trip Tucker to be made in order to save Tucker. This episode won an Emmy for musical composition.

When the series was reappraised ten years after its initial broadcast, "Similitude" along with "Dear Doctor" was noted by some reviewers as one of the most thought provoking episodes of Enterprise. In particular, they highlighted the examination of ethics on Enterprise, especially the questionable decisions Archer makes in Season 3.[1]

Plot[]

Commander Trip Tucker, while endeavoring to increase the stable speed of Enterprise to Warp 5, becomes comatose when the engines destabilize and explode. Doctor Phlox suggests a radical and controversial procedure to save him — growing a mimetic symbiote as a neurological donor. Archer, concerned with the overarching goal of their mission, gives the order to do so. The symbiote, with a natural life-span of two weeks, is then injected with Tucker's blood and is soon born. Phlox names him "Sim", and as he develops rapidly, Tucker's memories and personality begin to express themselves, including an interest in engineering, and a romantic attraction to Sub-Commander T'Pol.

The window of time approaches when Phlox must perform the transplant, which turns out will unfortunately be fatal to Sim-Trip. Sim, having now 'met' himself in sickbay, reveals knowledge of an experimental procedure that might allow for a significant extension of his lifespan. Archer learns that Phlox was aware of this procedure, but concealed his knowledge of it due to its highly experimental and poorly researched nature. Sim then expresses a strong desire to live — Tucker's own life notwithstanding— through the rest of his natural life. Later, a tired-looking Archer, angered at finding Sim in Tucker's quarters, states he would rather Sim voluntarily submit to the fatal procedure than be forced to do so.

Sim planned an escape but resigned himself to the transplant, after contemplating the death of his sister due to the Xindi attack on Earth. He realizes his and the crew's options are limited. Before leaving for Sickbay, T'Pol arrives and gives him a kiss. Sim thanks Phlox for being a good father to him. With the medical procedure successful, Archer honors his sacrifice in the presence of part of the crew, including Trip. The episode begins and ends with the funeral and burial of Sim in space.

Character Development[]

Returning from the opening credits, the story begins with another Trip and T'Pol Vulcan Neuro-Pressure session. After Trip casually admits he is sleeping better, T'Pol responds that there are more advanced techniques as the scene ends with a very sexually suggestive position (which neither of the two acknowledges). The episode then displays a series of interactions between T'Pol and "Sim" that have more honesty[2][3] than the "original" pair have previously shared. "Sim" comes to T'Pol's quarters and asks about Trip and T'Pol's relationship because Sim tells her that he "thinks about you all the time." Sim wants to know if these are "his" thoughts or Trip's. After Sim resigns himself to his fate, Sim reports to engineering two hours before his coming life-taking operation. He runs into T'Pol, who wonders if this is the best place for him to spend the waning moments of his life. He responds "I'm here with my two favorite things on Enterprise." Back in his quarters, Sim is about to go to sickbay, when T'Pol arrives. She says that the crew is going to miss him and "I am going to miss you," and then she kisses him, with Sim responding "I couldn't have asked for a better going away present."

Production[]

Connor Trineer who plays Commander Tucker is cloned in this episode

This was the first episode written by Manny Coto. Coto was the creator of the science fiction series Odyssey 5. Scott Bakula called it "one of our best scripts in three years."[4][5][6] Coto was proud of how "Similitude" turned out, especially as the first episode he wrote, and thought it was a good premise for a Star Trek episode: "it's actually the question of "What if an individual can be grown in seven days? And what if that individual could then be harvested to help another individual?" I thought it presented a fascinating dilemma and a great opportunity for drama."[7]

The episode is a bottle show set on the ship and using only existing sets, although it does feature guest cast portraying the younger versions of Commander Tucker. The newborn clone "Sim" was played by a set of eight-week-old triplets, and the eight-month-old baby was portrayed by twins. Maximillian Kesmodel was the four-year-old and Shane Sweet played seventeen-year-old version. who previously played young Trip in The Xindi, returned as eight year old Sim, and worked for four of the seven days of production.[5]

"Similitude" is the sixth episode of Enterprise to be directed to by LeVar Burton.[5]

Reception[]

The episode first aired on UPN on November 19, 2003. It saw increased Nielsen ratings earning a 3.0/5 total rating share.[8][9] This means that approximately 3% of American households were tuned to UPN, while "North Star" was viewed by 5% of households at the time. This translated to an average audience of 4.59 million viewers, the most viewers the show had achieved for an episode since Future Tense in February 2003.[10][11]

Herc of Ain't It Cool News gave the episode 3.5 out of 5. He praised the casting of the various versions of Trip, the "intellectual and, yes, emotional journey" of T'Pol, and appreciated the emphasis on "solidly paced, thought-provoking science fiction" although he was critical of the contrived circumstances needed to setup the moral dilemma.[12] Michelle Erica Green of TrekNation thought the ending was a cop out, and that like the Voyager episode Tuvix, the character being murdered was "far more than the sum of his parts". She continued "I didn't have to feel this way, because it's not only a question of ethics but a question of plot holes" and she thought it would have been better if Sim had taken Tucker's place.[13]

In 2009, Den of Geek ranked this the ninth best episode of this television series.[14] In 2012, TechRepublic included the episode on its list of the 5 best episodes of Enterprise.[15]

In 2014, The A.V. Club include this episode on their list of 10 episodes that best represented the series, and called it a "contender for the best episode of Enterprise".[16]

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed various cast and production crew of the Star Trek franchise to determine the "100 Greatest Episodes" from across the five series, and rated "Similitude" the 85th best episode of all Star Trek episodes.[17]

In 2016, Vox include this on their list of the 25 essential episodes of Star Trek.[18]

In 2017, Vulture listed this episode as one of the best of Star Trek: Enterprise.[19]

John Billingsley said "Similitude" was probably the best episode of the series, for several reasons: "Everyone in the cast was involved and everyone had an emotional through-line. Some episodes, of any show, actors are used to convey information or they’re shunted aside. That episode, I thought it was the best of our ensemble pieces and it did what Star Trek does best, which is to deal with a topical question that has some sociological significance in a way that brings humanist values into play."[20]

Awards[]

Composer Velton Ray Bunch won an Emmy for musical composition, for this episode.[21] Bunch had previously received two Emmy nominations, for the television series Quantum Leap and the television film both featuring Scott Bakula, and in his acknowledgments Bunch thanked Bakula "who has been a fan and so loyal to me over the years."[22]

See also[]

  • "Tuvix" (VOY S2E24, airdate May 6, 1996; another episode with the Trolley Problem)
  • "The Child" (TNG S2E01, air date Nov 21, 1988; another episode with a rapidly aging child)

References[]

  1. ^ Star Trek: The Human Frontier By Duncan Barrett, Michèle Barrett (Page 262)
  2. ^ "Gender and Laughter: Comic Affirmation and Subversion in Traditional and Modern Media", Scheck, Bohn etc, p. 114-117
  3. ^ Pailer, Gaby; Böhn, Andreas; Scheck, Ulrich; Horlacher, Stefan (2009). Gender and Laughter: Comic Affirmation and Subversion in Traditional and Modern Media. ISBN 978-9042026728.
  4. ^ "Scott Bakula Chat Transcript". StarTrek.com. 2003-01-10. Archived from the original on 2003-10-04.
  5. ^ a b c "Production Report: Clone Question Considered in "Similitude"". StarTrek.com. 2003-10-10. Archived from the original on 2003-12-03.
  6. ^ "The Trek BBS: John Billingsley Interview". The Trek BBS. Archived from the original on 2006-06-26. They got a new guy writing for them, Manny Coto, who has really raised the bar for the entire writing staff. He's got a wit and style about him that really makes some of it punchier. I think 'Similitude' was one of the strongest episodes this season.
  7. ^ STARTREK.COM STAFF (April 26, 2014). "Meet Manny Coto, The Man Behind Enterprise". StarTrek.com.
  8. ^ Michelle (November 21, 2003). "'Similitude' Scores Improved Total Ratings". TrekToday.
  9. ^ "Episode List: Star Trek: Enterprise". TVTango. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  10. ^ Kissell, Rick (2003-11-20). "'Bachelor' boosts ABC as CBS rolls on". Variety. strongest numbers since February
  11. ^ Marc Berman (2003-11-20). "Programming Insider". Mediaweek.com. Archived from the original on 2003-11-23. HH: 3.0/ 5 (#6), Viewers: 4.59 million (#6)
  12. ^ Hercules Strong (November 19, 2003). "Herc's Seen New STAR TREK!!". Aint It Cool News. Archived from the original on 2003-12-05. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  13. ^ Michelle Erica Green (November 20, 2003). "Similitude". The Trek Nation. TrekToday.com.
  14. ^ James Hunt (November 4, 2009). "Top 10 Star Trek: Enterprise episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  15. ^ Jay Garmon (July 12, 2012). "The five best Star Trek: Enterprise episodes of all time!". TechRepublic.
  16. ^ Wilkins, Alasdair (2014-08-06). "Enterprise was forever torn between our future and Star Trek's past". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  17. ^ Couch, Aaron; McMillan, Graeme (2016-09-08). "'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles: Valence Media. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  18. ^ Siede, Caroline (2016-09-06). "Star Trek, explained for non-Trekkies". Vox. Vox Media. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  19. ^ Bastién, Angelica Jade (September 25, 2017). "A Beginner's Guide to the Star Trek Universe". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-25.
  20. ^ "John Billingsley Answers Fan Questions - Part 1". StarTrek.com (Interview). August 17, 2010.
  21. ^ "Outstanding Music Composition For A Series Original Dramatic Score Nominees / Winners 2004". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  22. ^ "Two Emmys Go to Enterprise; First for Shatner". StarTrek.com. 13 September 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-09-14.

External links[]

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