| CONTRIBUTE |
VOX SOLA
“As soon as you give up, the game is lost.” – Jonathan
Archer
Episode: 1.22 Original Airdate: 05/01/2002
Mission Date: Unknown
“As soon as you give up, the game is lost.” – Jonathan
Archer
Episode: 1.22 Original Airdate: 05/01/2002
Mission Date: Unknown
| SEASON 1 |
SYNOPSIS
During a failed first contact with the Kreetassan race, a strange symbiotic alien creature boards the Enterprise
and takes up residence in a cargo bay. But upon the stowaway’s discovery, Archer and several of the crew are
absorbed into the creature to help it survive. With the captured crewmembers' lives in jeopardy, T’Pol, Hoshi ,
Phlox and Malcolm must all work together to find a way to safely communicate with the lifeform to return it home
and save the cocooned officers.
EPISODE DATA ANALYSIS
Alien Species: Kreetassans, Neethian Cradle Fish, Unknown Symbiotic Lifeform
Stellar Phenomenon: Unknown Planet
Technology Encountered: Docking Port, Starfleet Force Field Emitter
Historical Facts:
The Kreetassans, the race that the Enterprise crew inadvertently offends, view the consumption of food a socially
private event, similar to how we view a sexual encounter. This offers the viewer an interesting look into the
cultural differences that humans might encounter in an alien species. Even though we may see certain everyday
tasks as normal social activities they may not be looked at in the same way by an alien culture. The Kreetassans
and their “odd” social behavior would be seen again in the second season episode “A Night in Sickbay”.
This episode gives us some interesting information about the Enterprise. We learn that the ship’s internal
sensors have the ability to monitor the life signs of specific crewmembers. Trip also mentions a game of nine-
ball so one would assume the designers of the NX-01 have included an area for pool tables somewhere
onboard. We also find out that the ship is not equipped with a swimming pool even though Archer wishes there
was one despite the “complications” it might cause.
Even though we don’t see them at work, we learn that Doctor Phlox has a standby medical team in case of an
emergency. Even though we never see anyone permanently stationed in Sickbay, it could be theorized the
emergency team is made up of members of the life sciences department aboard ship. Since many of the
members of NASA’s shuttle crews are cross-trained in multiple scientific fields it would only make sense that the
Enterprise crew would be as well.
This episode marks the first use of a force field by Starfleet. It would seem that this concept was purely
theoretical until Lt. Reed miraculously accomplished it in this episode.
We also have another reference to the great Zephram Cochrane.
The movie the crew is trying to watch is The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la Peur, France, 1953), a film about a
group of men hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock’s French rival, Henri-Georges Clouzot, this film was the first to win both the Golden
Palm at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Production Facts:
The episode title is latin for "Lone Voice".
Richard Corso, a two time Olympic Water Polo Team Coach, was used as a consultant for Archer’s (and Scott
Bakula’s) obsession for the sport. Along with his National Team duties, Corso has been head water polo coach
at the Harvard Westlake School in North Hollywood, CA for more than a decade. His coaching skills have led the
team to win several indoor and outdoor national championship titles.
Joseph Will also starred in Star Trek: The Experience - Borg Invasion 4D as a security officer and as Kelis the
Poet in the Voyager episode “Muse”. He would reprise his roll as Rostov again later in the first season.
Renee Goldsberry also guests in this episode as Crewman Kelly. Though she is primarily a theater actor
featured in several Broadway shows such as the Lion King, Goldsberry is best known for her role as one of
Vonda Shepard’s backup singers on Ally McBeal.
We also have the versatile Vaughn Armstrong guest starring as the Kreetassan Captain. This would be the last
new character role Armstrong would play in the series. He would reprise this role again in the second season
episode “A Night in Sickbay”.
The alien symbiotic creature was created using a combination of techniques. Its basic structure was constructed
using large sheets of flexible plastic shaped into a “web” with heat guns then attached to roping and secured to
the set walls. The ensnared actors were outfitted by the wardrobe department in special easy-to-wear costumes
designed to include “alien webbing” and suspension harnesses. Once the actors were hoisted above the floor
and married into the larger alien web, everything (and everyone) was covered in a nontoxic slimy goo and subtly
animated by production crew. To add a bit of movement and give the creature a way to trap its victims, computer
generated tendrils were added in post production.
It is interesting to note that the Enterprise’s cargo bay is a redress of the Armory. With the launch platform
removed and the torpedo magazines hidden behind removable walls, the Armory set can be transformed easily
into several different rooms on the ship. Production also extended the corridors surrounding the Engineering set
and connected them to the Armory to complete the illusion.
And for you production trivia fans, the forcefield devices that Malcolm Reed uses were built from the same parts
used for the alien probe device seen in “Silent Enemy”. They also included several replicas of the earpieces
used by Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek as field emitters.
During a failed first contact with the Kreetassan race, a strange symbiotic alien creature boards the Enterprise
and takes up residence in a cargo bay. But upon the stowaway’s discovery, Archer and several of the crew are
absorbed into the creature to help it survive. With the captured crewmembers' lives in jeopardy, T’Pol, Hoshi ,
Phlox and Malcolm must all work together to find a way to safely communicate with the lifeform to return it home
and save the cocooned officers.
EPISODE DATA ANALYSIS
Alien Species: Kreetassans, Neethian Cradle Fish, Unknown Symbiotic Lifeform
Stellar Phenomenon: Unknown Planet
Technology Encountered: Docking Port, Starfleet Force Field Emitter
Historical Facts:
The Kreetassans, the race that the Enterprise crew inadvertently offends, view the consumption of food a socially
private event, similar to how we view a sexual encounter. This offers the viewer an interesting look into the
cultural differences that humans might encounter in an alien species. Even though we may see certain everyday
tasks as normal social activities they may not be looked at in the same way by an alien culture. The Kreetassans
and their “odd” social behavior would be seen again in the second season episode “A Night in Sickbay”.
This episode gives us some interesting information about the Enterprise. We learn that the ship’s internal
sensors have the ability to monitor the life signs of specific crewmembers. Trip also mentions a game of nine-
ball so one would assume the designers of the NX-01 have included an area for pool tables somewhere
onboard. We also find out that the ship is not equipped with a swimming pool even though Archer wishes there
was one despite the “complications” it might cause.
Even though we don’t see them at work, we learn that Doctor Phlox has a standby medical team in case of an
emergency. Even though we never see anyone permanently stationed in Sickbay, it could be theorized the
emergency team is made up of members of the life sciences department aboard ship. Since many of the
members of NASA’s shuttle crews are cross-trained in multiple scientific fields it would only make sense that the
Enterprise crew would be as well.
This episode marks the first use of a force field by Starfleet. It would seem that this concept was purely
theoretical until Lt. Reed miraculously accomplished it in this episode.
We also have another reference to the great Zephram Cochrane.
The movie the crew is trying to watch is The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la Peur, France, 1953), a film about a
group of men hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock’s French rival, Henri-Georges Clouzot, this film was the first to win both the Golden
Palm at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Production Facts:
The episode title is latin for "Lone Voice".
Richard Corso, a two time Olympic Water Polo Team Coach, was used as a consultant for Archer’s (and Scott
Bakula’s) obsession for the sport. Along with his National Team duties, Corso has been head water polo coach
at the Harvard Westlake School in North Hollywood, CA for more than a decade. His coaching skills have led the
team to win several indoor and outdoor national championship titles.
Joseph Will also starred in Star Trek: The Experience - Borg Invasion 4D as a security officer and as Kelis the
Poet in the Voyager episode “Muse”. He would reprise his roll as Rostov again later in the first season.
Renee Goldsberry also guests in this episode as Crewman Kelly. Though she is primarily a theater actor
featured in several Broadway shows such as the Lion King, Goldsberry is best known for her role as one of
Vonda Shepard’s backup singers on Ally McBeal.
We also have the versatile Vaughn Armstrong guest starring as the Kreetassan Captain. This would be the last
new character role Armstrong would play in the series. He would reprise this role again in the second season
episode “A Night in Sickbay”.
The alien symbiotic creature was created using a combination of techniques. Its basic structure was constructed
using large sheets of flexible plastic shaped into a “web” with heat guns then attached to roping and secured to
the set walls. The ensnared actors were outfitted by the wardrobe department in special easy-to-wear costumes
designed to include “alien webbing” and suspension harnesses. Once the actors were hoisted above the floor
and married into the larger alien web, everything (and everyone) was covered in a nontoxic slimy goo and subtly
animated by production crew. To add a bit of movement and give the creature a way to trap its victims, computer
generated tendrils were added in post production.
It is interesting to note that the Enterprise’s cargo bay is a redress of the Armory. With the launch platform
removed and the torpedo magazines hidden behind removable walls, the Armory set can be transformed easily
into several different rooms on the ship. Production also extended the corridors surrounding the Engineering set
and connected them to the Armory to complete the illusion.
And for you production trivia fans, the forcefield devices that Malcolm Reed uses were built from the same parts
used for the alien probe device seen in “Silent Enemy”. They also included several replicas of the earpieces
used by Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek as field emitters.
Teleplay By: Fred Dekker
Story By: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Fred Dekker
Directed By: Roxann Dawson
GUEST CAST
Vaughn Armstrong Kreetassan Captain
Renee Goldsberry Kelly
Joseph Will Rostov
Story By: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Fred Dekker
Directed By: Roxann Dawson
GUEST CAST
Vaughn Armstrong Kreetassan Captain
Renee Goldsberry Kelly
Joseph Will Rostov
| MAIN PAGE |
| SEASON 1 |
| APPENDIX |
| SEASON 2 |
| SEASON 3 |
| SEASON 4 |