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Troubled Earth Faces 'Terra Prime'

By Michelle
March 2, 2005 - 9:28 PM

See Also: 'Terra Prime' Episode Guide

Though the action moves from Earth to Mars, it's Starfleet Command that's facing extermination in "Terra Prime", the next-to-last episode of Enterprise's fourth season.

A production report at StarTrek.com details the sequel to "Demons", in which isolationist John Frederick Paxton, following methods and ideology learned from the vicious Colonel Green, takes over the verteron array on Mars designed to protect Earth from comets and turns the particle cannons on San Francisco, threatening to destroy Starfleet Command unless all non-humans leave the solar system. Archer, Reed and Mayweather plot to infiltrate Paxton's base of operations, but discover that there may be a Terra Prime operative aboard Enterprise.

The episode's teleplay was written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Manny Coto from a story by the Reeves-Stevenses and Andre Bormanis. Marvin V. Rush, Enterprise's director of photography, directed "Terra Prime.

The official site posted the following brief synopsis:

A human isolationist leader threatens to destroy Starfleet Command unless all aliens leave Earth immediately.
The unofficial guest cast list for the episode is as follows:
  • Peter Weller as John Frederick Paxton
  • Harry Groener as Nathan Samuels
  • Eric Pierpoint as Harris
  • Gary Graham as Soval
  • Johanna Watts as Gannet Brooks
  • Peter Mensah as Greaves
  • Adam Clark as Josiah
  • Derek Magyar as Kelby
  • Joel Swetow as Thoris
Weller, Groener, Mensah, Clark and Watts return from the prequel "Demons", while Pierpoint and Kelby reprise the roles they created in "Affliction" and Graham follows up multiple appearances over the course of the series in this penultimate episode. Mensah and Clark play henchmen of Weller's, while Watts appears as Travis Mayweather's onetime lover and a current news reporter. Swetow, as Andorian Ambassador Thoris, returns to STar Trek after appearances on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine as well as in video games. The Vulcan-human baby discussed in "Demons" appears in "Terra Prime", played by six-month-old twins who were not required to wear actual Vulcan ears; computer graphics supply the actual points.

"Terra Prime" filmed from February 15th through the 25th, during the "Save Enterprise" rally outside Paramount's main gate. Many of the same sets were used as in "Demons", including the Paramount Theater lobby that stood in for an entrance hall at Starfleet Command. A shuttlepod was set on tubes to create motion simulating the rocky ride which makes Reed spacesick in the storyline. Some Mars sets were created out of existing standing walls, and Paramount's Wood Mill was used as in "Demons" as an alley in San Francisco where Reed meets Harris.

"Terra Prime" is scheduled to air Friday, May 13th at 8 p.m., to be followed immediately by the series finale at 9 p.m. For the original production report, visit this page on the official Star Trek site.

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Find more episode info in the Episode Guide.

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