First Flight
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 14 May 2003
- ON
- UPN
- STARDATE
- None given
- DIRECTED BY
- LeVar Burton
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 050
WRITTEN BYWritten by John Shiban & Chris Black
News of an old friend's death leads Archer to tell T'Pol about his days as a test pilot in the race to break the warp two barrier.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
Archer learns that A.G. Robinson, a fellow officer from his test pilot days, has died in a climbing accident. While surveying a dark matter nebula in a shuttlepod with T'Pol, he tells her their story. Years earlier, both men flew for the warp programme, and Archer was passed over in favour of Robinson to pilot the NX-Alpha. Robinson broke the warp two barrier, but the ship was destroyed, and he blamed the engine designed by Archer's father. Their rivalry erupted into a fight at the 602 Club. After making up, Archer and Robinson, helped by a young Lt Tucker, stole the NX-Beta prototype and pushed it past warp two to prove the engine sound. They were reprimanded and the programme was grounded for a year, but the flight proved the design worked. Back in the present, Archer lights up the nebula to reveal its beauty, and at T'Pol's suggestion names it after Robinson.
- 01Captain Jefferies, Tucker's commanding officer, is named after Matt Jefferies, designer of the original Enterprise, who died two months after the episode aired.
- 02Three Sailors of the Year from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise appeared as extras and presented the cast with a flag flown on the ship.
- 03The 602 Club and its bartender Ruby appear here for the first time, having been mentioned in “Shuttlepod One”.