Warp Five 263: I Think I'm a Clone Now / by C Bryan Jones

“Similitude” 20th-anniversary reflections

Running Time: 45 minutes 19 seconds
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Sexy time with T'Pol turns into a brainstorming session for Trip Tucker, but the neuropressure-induced euphoria won't last long. When he attempts to pull off his plan to improve engine performance, he is critically injured. Without Trip, the Enterprise has little chance of successfully completing its mission, so Doctor Phlox proposes a bold resurrection plan: growing a symbiont to harvest its tissue. As the clone rapidly matures from silent embryo to Southern drawl, it experiences a rapid ride through Trip's life, putting Archer, T'Pol, and others in a difficult position.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Similitude” as we discuss the importance of Trip to the mission, the ethics of Archer's decision, Sim's sacrifice, and, of course, compare and contrast with Voyager's "Tuvix."

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)
The Irreplaceable Trip Tucker (00:02:38)
Ethical Nuance (00:12:07)
Sacrificial Love (00:16:20)
Putting Archer in a Vise (00:27:10)
Sim's Sacrifice (00:33:42)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:36:15)
Closing (41:47)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

Featured
Warp Five 263: I Think I'm a Clone Now
Warp Five 263: I Think I'm a Clone Now

“Similitude” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss the importance of Trip to the mission, the ethics of Archer's decision, Sim's sacrifice, and, of course, compare and contrast with Voyager's "Tuvix."

Warp Five 262: Arrested Development
Warp Five 262: Arrested Development

“North Star” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss the story's classic roots, its message about prejudice and isolation, and how it works as a breather within the Xindi arc.

Warp Five 261: Shacking Up to Save History
Warp Five 261: Shacking Up to Save History

“Twilight” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss Mike Sussman‘s clever concept, the story’s Voyager origins, and how it raises the stakes for the rest of the season.

Warp Five 260: Leaning into Trust
Warp Five 260: Leaning into Trust

“The Shipment” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the episode quickly pushes the Xindi story forward, its nuanced look at conflict and trust, and a fun science fiction take on alien tech.

Warp Five 259: I Only Wear My Sexiest Dresses in Exile
Warp Five 259: I Only Wear My Sexiest Dresses in Exile

“Exile” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss Star Trek's attempt to do Beauty and the Beast in space.

Warp Five 258: Tap Two Times on the Bulkhead
Warp Five 258: Tap Two Times on the Bulkhead

“Impulse” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the story flips the Human–Vulcan narrative and accelerates T'Pol's character development.

Warp Five 257: Tricorder Hands
Warp Five 257: Tricorder Hands

“Rajiin” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss Xindi motivations, Rajiin's reality, Archer's hard knocks journey, and how this installment advances the overall story.

Warp Five 256: Silk Worm Floss
Warp Five 256: Silk Worm Floss

“Extinction” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss the quiet exasperation we feel while watching Archer, Hoshi, and Malcolm crack open a grub-filled coconut.

Warp Five 255: Thousand-Year-Old Storage Unit
Warp Five 255: Thousand-Year-Old Storage Unit

“Anomaly” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the Expanse changes people, the mystery of the spheres, and more.

Warp Five 254: A Trellium-D Pickle
Warp Five 254: A Trellium-D Pickle

“The Xindi” 20th-anniversary reflections. We warp into Season 3 as we discuss how the series takes a dark turn with a new mission, sexy character tension, and an upbeat retooling of everyone's favorite theme song.

Warp Five 253: Bringing It All Together (to Tear It All Apart)
Warp Five 253: Bringing It All Together (to Tear It All Apart)

“The Expanse” 20th-anniversary reflections. We close out Season 2 by saying bye-bye to Duras and hello to bigger fish as we discuss how the story sets the show on a new course.

Warp Five 252: Bitten by the Love Bug
Warp Five 252: Bitten by the Love Bug

“Bounty” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the story marks the end of the show’s original concept, sets a course for serialization, adds texture to pon farr, and proves that Tellarites are terrible travel guides.

Warp Five 251: Proof of Concept
Warp Five 251: Proof of Concept

“First Flight” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the story serves as a resounding proof of concept for the original idea for the series, meeting Trip, how Archer’s experiences with AG Robinson prepared him to be a leader, and more.

Warp Five 250: Popsicle Drones
Warp Five 250: Popsicle Drones

“Regeneration” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss using the Borg at a time long before they were known to Starfleet, how to do a prequel right, how the story sets up Archer and his crew for the challenges of Season 3, and more.

Warp Five 249: Linguistic Games
Warp Five 249: Linguistic Games

“Cogenitor” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss first contact, equal rights, cultural relativism, missed opportunities, and why we wish this important story had been expanded and revisited.

Warp Five 248: Bad Blood
Warp Five 248: Bad Blood

“The Breach” 20th-anniversary reflections. We explore caves and discuss lingering animosity, overcoming preconceived notions, Archer as the voice of reason, adding depth to Denobulans, and that very special guest star.

Warp Five 247: The Other Side of Life
Warp Five 247: The Other Side of Life

“Horizon” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss  family dynamics, what could have been for Travis, Archer’s leadership, T’Pol's book club, and the unxpected connection between the Mayweather and Janeway families.

Warp Five 246: Challenging the Empire
Warp Five 246: Challenging the Empire

“Judgment” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the story revisits The Undiscovered Country, works to maintain continuity, and challenges the concept of Klingon society..

Warp Five 245: A Slice of White Bread
Warp Five 245: A Slice of White Bread

“The Crossing” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss the story’s promising start, the Wisps, Archer’s actions, and missed opportunities to really explore the heart of Star Trek.

Warp Five 244: ’Tis a Scary Place
Warp Five 244: ’Tis a Scary Place

“Canamar” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss the frightening encounters humans have with aliens during these early days of deep space exploration, how the story came to be, and what it has to say about attempts to control people and curb crime in real world societies.

Warp Five 243: Stop Messing with Time!
Warp Five 243: Stop Messing with Time!

“Future Tense” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the story reminds viewers that the Temporal Cold War storyline still exists while saving itself from filler status by delivering important chartacter growth for T’Pol, plus some fun with time along the way.

Warp Five 242: Toward the Federation
Warp Five 242: Toward the Federation

“Cease Fire” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the story brings the Federation’s founding worlds closer together through a growing relationship and trust among unlikely players.

Warp Five 241: An Element of Ignorance
Warp Five 241: An Element of Ignorance

“Stigma” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how this story, which aired during Viacom’s HIV awareness campaign in 2003, advances the development of Vulcan society while deftly balancing serious and comedic stories to make a strong statement about cultural differences and unfounded prejudice.

Warp Five 240: Darmok Lite?
Warp Five 240: Darmok Lite?

“Dawn” 20th-anniversary reflections. We ask whether this story is just an attempt to recreate the magic of “Darmok,” a clone of the film Enemy Mine, or something much more.

Warp Five 239: Deep-Fried Crew
Warp Five 239: Deep-Fried Crew

“The Catwalk” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how a bag of Star Trek tropes is reassembled into a story which only this series could tell, and how the situation brings the whole crew together for the better.

Warp Five 238: It Happened One Night
Warp Five 238: It Happened One Night

“Precious Cargo” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss why the story is perfect for Trip’s character, try to explain away Padma Lakshmi’s cardboard delivery, revel in bad cop T’Pol, and consider why the creators themselves see this as one of the worst episodes they ever produced.

Warp Five 237: Eight Seconds of Insanity
Warp Five 237: Eight Seconds of Insanity

“Vanishing Point” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the mind plays tricks on us, boogeymen in the transport beam, and how the story’s mystery unfolds. We also debate what Mr. Sato’s confusion over physics and family says about how Hoshi views her dad.

Warp Five 236: This Old Chair
Warp Five 236: This Old Chair

“Singularity” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss discuss a story that’s been told many times before and ask how well it works this time around. We also search for the ideal klaxon, the perfect soup, and one kick-ass chair.

Warp Five 235: Peel-Off Prosthetics
Warp Five 235: Peel-Off Prosthetics

“The Communicator” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss how the story takes a throwaway ending to an Original Series episode and addresses the real-world repurcussions of leaving technology behind on a less-advanced planet.

Warp Five 234: Secret Agent Pants
Warp Five 234: Secret Agent Pants

“The Seventh” 20th-anniversary reflections. We discuss what the episode has to say about Vulcan society, how it connects to the world 20 years after it was written, what is does for the Archer–T’Pol relationship, and more.

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