"Vanishing Point"

[ensign_beedrill 0]

Excerpted from the magazine, Star Trek Communicator, issue 145. From the article titled "Enterprise Season Two Review/Preview" by Matthew Saunders. Page 26.

 

Hoshi then took center stage in "Vanishing Point," which further explored the character's insecurities following her first trip through the transporter. While fan response was rather negative, [brannon] Braga strongly supports the episode.

 

"It was a great exploration of Hoshi's character, her insecurities and what she fears most, which is being insignificant," Braga says. "That's something a lot of people can relate to. It was also a tribute to 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,' but with a transporter, which I thought was a great twist. Some people saw it as a cop-out. But if you watch the episode, there are almost too many clues that this is in her mind."

 

Before I read this, I didn't connect "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" with the episode at all. I had read the story earlier, but I didn't even think about it. Now that I've read this, I see that it sort of is the same thing, only with a transporter. I liked this episode before I knew this, but know that I know it, I have an even greater appreciation for it. I think that the whole twist is very neat.

 

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a short story by Ambrose Bierce. It's very interesting and it's a great story. If you want to read it, it can be found at this page. It shouldn't take long to read. It's very short. The following is a summary.

 

Click for Spoiler:

 

WARNING! If you haven't read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" but were planning to, I highly recommend you read the story before you read the summary. It'll ruin the entire story if you read the summary first.

 

The story is set in the South during the American Civil War. There is a man, Peyton Farquhar, who would very much like to be in the army to defend his land and his views but, for unexplained reasons, can not. He does whatever he can to help the soldiers, though. Thus, when he hears word of the North's advance, he hurries off to burn down a nearby bridge. (Supposedly so that the North's forces will have trouble crossing the river which runs under the bridge.) However, he is caught by northern solders who decide to hang him over the bridge. When Farquhar drops, he swings around for a bit and then the rope holding him up breaks. He falls and splashes into the river below. He manages to wriggle his hands free of the rope that binds them and then he throws off the noose that was around his neck. He swims to the surface and discovers that his senses are heightened. He can see and hear and feel much more clearly than before. Apparently, having a near death experience will do that. He swims downstream, dodging bullets fired from the soldiers by diving deep underwater. He then swims to the shore and starts toward his home. He walks all through the night and, tired after walking, he reaches his house. His wife appears in the doorway and he runs to her and right before he reaches her to bring her into a hug, he feels a sharp pain on the back of his neck. He hangs, dead, from Owl Creak Bridge.

 

As it turns out, he imagined the whole escape in the few seconds that he was falling to his death.

 

 

Interesting, isn't it? Do you see the connection between the story and "Vanishing Point?"

 

The article mentioned that many fans were disappointed in this episode or did not like it. If you are one of those people, has your opinion changed knowing what you know now? If you did like it, do you like it more or less now that you know it was a tribute to this story? How many of you knew about this before you read the article (either here or in the magazine)?

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I had never heard of the story and I doubt many people had - unless its required reading in school these days. Vanishing point just played into Hoshi's incessant whining. They could have found a better story to emulate.

[LadyNarana 0]

"Occurance," is, indeed, required reading in many English courses. It's not one of my favorite stories, but very well-written, and highly effective.

 

Click for Spoiler:

It reminds me of the song "The Green, Green Grass of Home."

 

 

Think I'll have to see that ep now...

[A l t e r E g o 9]

I never have read 'Occurence...' but I did like VP right from the start. After reading BB's remarks above I see that my views of what VP was supposed to be about were correct and I remember trying to convince naysayers at st.com of those very things. This episode marked a turning point for Hoshi, ever since those events she has been becoming stronger and less whiny. It's as if that episode represented her going to a shrink and being put on a road to recovery. Long live ENT.

[Syperphobia 0]

I havent read the story either, but sometimes story plots can cross over, who hasnt heard of that? What fans should start doing is start likeing the episode of what it is, a thing of entertainment instead of analyzing it to the details. Once you analyze it would not be fun anymore.

 

:) Bel Ami

[A l t e r E g o 9]

:) Sp, I for one derive my greatest enjoyment of the show from nit-picking the details (the positive ones mostly.) If we aren't here to pick it apart for better or for worse then why are we here at all. If what you say were true, all that ever needs to be said could be said with a simple "I liked it" or "it sucked", that would make for boring STMB's.

[Captain Bolivar 0]

Yeah, it did add to the constant whining of her character. Hopefully, she will soon have a character change... kind of like Troi did in the last season or so of TNG.

[ensign_beedrill 0]

Vanishing point just played into Hoshi's incessant whining.

Yeah, it did add to the constant whining of her character.

 

I disagree. She did whine a little, but she was just scared. Wouldn't you be a little upset if you started to disappear and people couldn't see you? In the end, Hoshi came over her fears and took a jump into the unknown, all for the safety of Enterprise. I think she really grew as a character and I agree with Alterego in that it marked a turning point for her. She really is getting stronger.

 

Instead of adding to Hoshi's whining, this episode detracted from it, because as she grows more and more steady, she won't be prone to it was much.

[Kyalia 0]

VP reminded me of the TNG episode where Geordi & Ro (I think, been awhile since I last saw that one) were thought to be dead, but they just couldn't interact with the stuff around them-- no one could see them, that sort of thing.

I think it involved a transporter as well.