Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series) The Augments (2004) User Reviews

Superior Ability Breeds Superior Ambition

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 19 October 2009]

Dr. Soong and the Augments heads to Briar Patch, a spot hidden by clouds of radiation in the Klingon space, to raise the embryos and Malik hides a great quantity of lethal pathogens in the Bird of Prey. Meanwhile Captain Archer, his crew and the scientists are rescued from the contaminated Cold Station 12. The scientists ask to return to disinfect the station while the Enterprise chases the Bird of Prey. When Malik discovers the pacific intentions of Dr. Soong, he leads a mutiny and imprisons his "father" in his quarters. Then he plots to bomb a Klingon colony with the pathogens to provoke a war to distract the Starfleet.

"The Augments" is a great conclusion to the story of The Augments. Brent Spiner is fantastic in the role of a dreamer and his character is finally convinced by Captain Archer that superior ability breeds superior ambition. However, he intends to dedicate the period of reclusion to develop artificial intelligence and cybernetics and certainly will be the "father" of one ancestral of Data. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Os Superiores" ("The Superiors")

End of a fairly entertaining trilogy

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 30 November 2020]

Conclusion to the trilogy of episodes involving the Augments attempts to realise their ambitions.

I enjoyed this episode and the previous two parts of the trilogy, for it's connections to the Original Series, The Next Generation and the presence of Brent Spiner.

Star Trek Enterprise went massively off track with franchise continuity and this trilogy feels like it's trying to make up for it with a bit of fan service. I found the concept pretty plausible, particularly the actions of Dr Soong. It has a compelling plot that carried me through to the end. Some of it was predictable, but not enough to frustrate me personally.

Character wise I found it a bit hit and miss. Spiner is great as Soong and his involvement in Enterprise for me is quite bittersweet. He does much to lift the charisma levels, but at the same time highlights the short-comings of the regular Enterprise characters. Malik is an okay villain, but I don't think the part was written strongly enough to work as the Khan homage that it tries to be. Also I found Alec Newman to be too baby-faced and one-dimensional when comparing (as is natural) to the presence of Ricardo Montalban.

The ending is fun and should satisfy Star Trek fans who don't take things too seriously.

Good conclusion to a three part story

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 6 June 2010]

This episode concludes the three part story about Doctor Soong and the Augments. Having fled CS12 with the remaining Augment embryos and a large stock of biological weapons they head deep into Klingon territory where Dr Soong plans to go to a planet hidden in a nebula where the embryos can be grown. Malik however has other ideas; he plans to use the bio-weapons to attack a Klingon settlement hoping to trigger a war between the Klingons and Earth. Soong objects but finds himself locked in his quarters he is helped by another Augment and escapes in an escape pod. He is picked up by the Enterprise and convinces them that he is willing to help them catch the Augments.

As in the previous two parts this episode was stolen by Brent Spiner who excelled as Doctor Soong, a role that gave in the opportunity to show he has an emotional acting range he obviously couldn't show when playing Data in 'The Next Generation'. Talking of Data it was nice to hear Soong musing about creating androids rather than working on genetic engineering. The story had a good conclusion which showed that Malik was clearly psychotic, happy to kill fellow augments as well as wanting to wipe out a colony and start a war. One minor criticism though; I'm not sure it was really necessary for female Augment Persis to be wearing only a skimpy top and knickers when she fights Malik, it seemed like blatant fan service.

The Conclusion...

[fischcj · 27 January 2006]

Star Trek: Enterprise's Augments trilogy is a highlight in the many episodes of Star Trek. The three Episodes "Boarderland", "Cold Station 12" and "The Augments" are among my all-time favorites. The trilogy combines 2 elements of lore that fans will love: The Eugenics Wars and Brent Spiner. Spiner steals the show in all three episodes. Basic plot of this episode: Ties between Soong (Brent Spiner) and his children become foul. Did he try to save them for nothing? Who can he turn to for help? Are his only possible allies his current worst enemies? Finally, can the STARSHIP ENTERPRISE save the day and avert a major war?

If you're new to Star Trek, definitely catch this trilogy first

Great Trilogy of Episodes

[Hughmanity · 9/10 · 27 May 2021]

I really enjoyed the three episodes culminating in this one with guest star Brent Spiner. He is such a good actor and steals every scene he is in, reminded me of the good old Next Gen days when fine actors like Spiner, Patrick Stewart and Marina Sirtis could be counted on to deliver great performances. Scott Bakula is ok but plays too many moments as just angry and it's not great. He could learn from Spiner who shows how a role can be played with nuance and verve.

But I digress - this trilogy of episodes is a lot of fun with Spiner's Doctor Soong charging around the galaxy with his band of Augments. Malik is essentially a young Khan and they even reference the Botany Bay (Khan's ship) as being lost.

"Superior intellect breeds superior ambition" is the line that sums up the plot, and Malik-Khan shows us how far superior ambition will allow a person to go, and how many people can be killed in service to that ambition.

Yes, there are plot holes and crazy contrivances as there always are in Trek. How does Malik suddenly show up on the Enterprise at the end after destroying his ship? That made zero sense and didn't seem to serve any plot purpose other than giving Archer a chance to shoot him personally. Also the Augments shabby-chic clothing with the holes in it is ridiculous. And they're all in black but when they get down to their undergarments suddenly it's all bright colors, with no holes? Strange contrast.

But that's what makes Trek fun and I don't understand any poor reviews of these particular episodes, unless they think this entire series is trash in which case why are they watching?

Long live the legacy of the Eugenics Wars and keep giving us Khan prodigies as fun villains!

The "Arguments"

[XweAponX · 8/10 · 9 June 2013]

Despite my complaints against Ent as a Show, these Three Eps are one of the better offerings of the series, but there is still something artificial when watching this series.

Because, the special Effects are many times better than in all of the 90's Treks, but the Scenes on the Bridge, in Waiting Rooms, on Sets, there is some quality that disturbs me, it's like you can tell for the first time, that these are actors acting and Playing on a Set. Maybe it was the way the HD was filmed. Watching TOS, the Movies of the 80's - TNG, DS9 - It always FELT real, it always LOOKED real. But here, some artificial, forced quality exists.

The more I explore Enterprise, the better I will understand why this is. I know how TNG and DS9 were filmed, but this show is almost virtually completely CGI'd - Which is great for Space but not so great for the scenes with People.

After escaping Cold Station 12, the "Arguments" - I call these kids "The Arguments" because that is all they do, they argue with themselves, with Soong, and with Everyone else- The ARGUMENTS are now in Klingon Space.

Which is no problem for them, as they can fake any Klingon ships out with fake Klingonese. But the NX01, this is a Big Problem. A Big Problem fixed by using a common solution used in too many DS9 Eps and Voyager Eps. The NX01 "copies the warp signature of the Klingon Ships" and this gets them into Klingon Space, Scott Free, for a while.

But then the Mullet Kids pull out another 24th century Conundrum - They do some 24th century Fiddling with their Warp signature, and are totally CLOAKED. Too Bad the Klingons never see this and copy it, eh?

Alec Newman becomes fed up with Soong and wants to kill him now. So once again he takes over the Ship except for one person. The One Person helps Soong get away.

But after Alec has sex with this person, he figures out they she let Soong loose so he kills her as well.

Soong helps Ent kill the Bird of Prey and prevents a genetic bomb from blowing up over a Klingon Planet - Thus saving Starfleet from starting another war with Klingons - For the time being.

But somehow, Alec Newman either JUMPS through space onto the Ent, or beamed himself over in the last second - He tries to kill Soong again.

But this time, he can't dodge Archer's Laser, and a huge hole is drilled through his gut.

I hope they saved his blood, so they cold use it to bring people back to life 100 years later... But this will not happen until "Into Darkness"

And Arik Soong, back in his cell, decides to drop BioEngineering, and pick up - Robotics.

So, one of these days, he'll get let out of the hoosegow, and he'll have a few kids who eventually will make DATA.

Regardless of my scathing comments, I actually enjoyed this last installment, which Geordi (Levar Burton) directed.

I have always thought, making a show that goes BACK to the beginnings of Starfleet and The Federation was not the right kind of show for the times - Three Shows had been made about a future Way beyond that.

But Braga treated the whole Enterprise series as IF it were The Next Generation.

It's not that I don't enjoy watching some of this show, but I always set this show aside - It is NOT canon. Neither are the two new JJ Abrams films, but the reason for that is that Canon was CHANGED- Because when JJ does a Time Paradox, things get changed and they STAY that way.

But the whole series of Enterprise describes a "Past" for Star Trek, Original Series- A "Past" that does not Jibe with the Future of that "Universe" or "Timeline" - So, I can enjoy it, if it is another Alternate Timeline of Trek. But I cannot enjoy it as a Past History of Trek, because it is not.

Or Maybe Nero's Pollution of the Timeline in 2009's Trek film, has ripples gong back even to this series. This is the ONLY way I can enjoy this series at all.

Gene had a simple "gauge" for Stories, Scripts, Ideas, races, events: "Is it Star Trek?" In Enterprise Star Trek? That is the question you have to answer yourself, because I won't do it for you, I can only do it for myself.

Some significant flaws in an episode that nonetheless works well

[sogoodlooking · 8/10 · 24 September 2020]

Well written in many ways, but the series continues to be ridiculous in the matter of Trip and T'Pol. The idea that this combative Southerner would be nothing other than perfectly understanding regarding (never mind having voluntarily attended) her sudden marriage to another being is perfectly absurd.

In addition, Malik is too much the full-fledged sociopath to be anything like as interesting as Ricardo Montalban's Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek, The Original Series. Still, Malik's sociopathy is believable as one likely end result of believing all too completely in your own superiority to every other being, which keeps him from turning too entirely into a cartoon villain despite such antics as kissing his lover as she dies in his arms--immediately after he fatally stabs her.

In addition, Brent Spiner keeps the episode nicely grounded as the proud papa scientist who comes to realize that he hasn't created a race superior to humanity, but rather a race just as pathological as humanity at its very worst.

The writers also even manage to end this genuinely tragic episode on a light note--too light, perhaps, given the numerous deaths in addition to the near death of millions of Klingons--with Spiner alone in his cell and in consideration of his failure to successfully improve the human race, mulling over the possibility of going instead in the direction of cybernetic evolution. (Hey, Data!)

Missing character in full cast description.

[keananersdc · 10/10 · 24 October 2019]

Udar (aka Smike) played by Kaj-Erik Eriksen is missing in this specific cast listing.

Yes, It Was as Predicted

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 28 March 2017]

While this was entertaining, we know the bad guys will get theirs eventually. The augments have the usual failings that lead to their destruction. Soong caused them to be flawed and the flaw was a psychotic genome. The Enterprise continues to wait until it is practically disabled to fire on another ship. If there is doubt as to whether the craft is benevolent or not, that's fine, but here there is no doubt. If it's the Klingons themselves coming toward them, or the commandeered ship with the augments, let's face it, they mean to destroy you. Get in the first licks at least. The conclusion was awfully predictable. If you can't win, kill yourself. I still liked the episode. I also appreciated the Dr. Soon's quick departure from concern for his offspring, recognizing the fallibility of humans. So he grabs a piece of paper and begins to chart out artificial life forms. Gee, I wonder what he had in mind or if he ever succeeded in creating such a thing.

Third Part of Trilogy Falls Apart

[Samuel-Shovel · 4/10 · 27 February 2018]

In "The Augments", we arrive at the conclusion of this trilogy's story arc. The Augments are attempting to release a bio-weapon on a Klingon colony in order to incite a war between the Klingons & humans. The Enterprise must stop them to prevent an all out bloodbath. The Augments, led by Malik, perform a mutiny against their creator Dr. Soong. Soong escapes and assists the Enterprise in stopping the Augments, destroying his creations in the process. Soong ends the episode by heading back into prison for his crimes. He considers alternatives to genetically-enhanced humans.

This story had real potential of being an exciting trilogy. The build up in the first two episodes was done competently enough to really bring some stakes to the finale. But everything comes tumbling down in this one as it ends very flatly.

Besides the predictable ending, this episode has a lot of issues. I do not understand how Malik could have possibly A) survived the Bird-of-Prey explosion B) made it to the Enterprise and C) gotten aboard undetected. I was so thrown off by the whole thing that I asuumed that it was a Soong dream sequence. I thought "he must be having a nightmare about his dead son". But no, we cut away and it turns out all that actually happened. I almost lost my mind.

There are other things about this trilogy that I let slide up to this point that I ignored because I was enjoying the ride but, alas, no longer... The Augments' outfits are terrible. Why would they dress in this Mad Max aesthetic? Also their relationships are very strange. They regard themselves as siblings and yet Malik & Persis have a sexual relationship. I suppose when there are only 20 or so of you this is an unfortunate necessity to your kind's existence but if they are formed artificially in embryonic form, why do they need to be sexualized at all?

I also still have no idea how the Grappler successfully disabled the Klingon ship. That whole sequence was a mystery to me.

And that ending with Star Trek winking to the camera about Soong starting the creation of Data. We get it! I wanted to throw up. That's how hard Star Trek was elbowing us in the stomach with that reference.

I enjoy these multiple episode story arcs but when you build up to something without any solid payoff, it really makes the entire ride feel a bit useless.

Parts 1 and 2 were unfortunately weak...what about the finale?

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 14 April 2015]

The Dr. Soong trilogy from "Star Trek: Enterprise" had a lot of promise. Too bad that plot problems make parts 1 and 2 pretty clichéd and annoying. Is this third, and final, episode any better?

Unfortunately, episode three is also filled with odd plot holes which should have been filled. First, the stolen Klingon ship is full of evil, psychotic super-humans who have already murdered and show a STRONG desire to rule the galaxy--and Enterprise has a chance to blow up the ship, they contact these augments and let them take the first shot?! Second, when they are just about to blow up the augment's stolen ship, the augments panic and throw a prisoner onto an escape pod and jettison it--and Enterprise abandons their mission to save the single person in the pod--allowing the psychos to escape! All in all, the humans seem like real potato-heads when dealing with this super- serious threat to mankind. And what is the result? Yup, Malik takes control of the ship away from Soong and plans on a little genocide--releasing a deadly planet-killing virus onto a Klingon colony in order to provoke galactic war! Hello, Captain Archer...think maybe you should have killed these freaks when you had a chance?!?!

On the positive side, lovers of "Paradise Lost" will appreciate the ending! Otherwise a neat idea hindered by indifferent writing.

Points off for the cheap Wrath of Khan ripoff at the end

[phenomynouss · 2/10 · 13 October 2010]

The entire three-part story arc involving the augments had potential, yet I appear to have overestimated Enterprise after the stellar season 3 and season 4 openers. It was subpar, though clearly not as awful as the style of writing and storytelling in seasons 1-2.

Still, the plot involving Dr. Soong and the Augments is just painfully predictable. There's the group of genetically-engineered superhumans who are apparently all siblings, raised by Dr. Soong for ten years, and then spent ten years raising themselves when he was caught and imprisoned. Now they appear, as adults, and attempt to seek freedom by stealing a Klingon Bird of Prey.

This, unfortunately, causes an incident, as Humans were involved, and the Klingons, this still being Enterprise, are far more stupid than they were in the TNG era, and so Archer has to take Soong and stop the Augments.

This was spread across three episodes, including a side-track to the Orion Syndicate where Enterprise crewmembers are stolen and sold as slaves, only to be rescued by Archer. This took up the ENTIRE first episode, along with side-longs to the Augments.

The Augment dynamic is cliché' and obvious. There's the tyrannic leader of the group who is betrayed and overtaken by his brother, who becomes even more tyrannic, while taking the brother's girlfriend as his own. When the Father (Dr. Soong) returns, he is disappointed with the leader, and the leader is disappointed at the Father for being so soft, leading eventually to the Father being deposed, escaping, and helping Archer to stop his children, while the leader kills the girlfriend because she helped Soong escape.

While references are made to Khan Noonien Singh and the Botany Bay, the end becomes a terrible ripoff of the end of Wrath of Khan, where the Augments' ship is attacked by the Enterprise, all but the leader dies, the leader's face is half-burnt, and he examines a dead friend, then crawls over to a console to trigger his ship's self-destruct, though he's ultimately averted.

👎👎👎

[chiguy17 · 1/10 · 24 August 2019]

For the most part, I loved this version of Star Trek, but this story arc (and this episode in particular) had the worst writing and acting I've seen since the original version.

Cliché to the MAX

[THines01 · 1/10 · 9 October 2020]

This episode, and the two leading up to it are so cliché they make my head hurt. After many attempts, I was finally starting to enjoy STE, but this writing, and acting makes me furious. Why would AUGMENTS not actually look, act, think, lead, and rule like AUGMENTS? This was the weakest concept I have seen so far in the series.