Similitude

***** (5 stars out of 5)
When Tucker is critically wounded, only a neural tissue transplant from himself could cure him. Can't be done, right? Wrong! It turns out Phlox can give us another Trip. It's a One Time Only magic space fantasy, but easy as peasy. Livin' greasy.

Lyssarrian Larvae are mimetic simbiots. If you give a taste of DNA to this little jellfish, it will become a copy, only with a mere 15 day lifespan. A being created solely to save the life of his donor. Right or wrong, (and since it's illegal and immoral, mostly wrong) morality is tossed aside by Archer to save his friend's life and thus, the mission, and thus, all life on Earth.

The replicant is named Sim and raised by Phlox, with an astonishing mind and a strong sense of Trip's memories.  He grows to love his fellow crew, (with a particular emphasis on one non-fellow), and he saves the ship from a magnetic rust storm with flair. But when it comes down to it, he'd rather live out his last week than die for the original. But will he force the others to murder him, or will he step up?

"Similitude" was the first written contribution Manny Coto made to Star Trek, and he's kind of my hero. Mr. Coto took the best approach I can imagine to writing for a show: he watched every previous Enterprise episode. Twice. Both his respect for the source material and an ability to raise the stakes brings one of the series' finest hours.

Rightful Heir

**** (4 stars out of 5)

What if God was one of us? Just a troglodyte like us? Just a stranger bringing his bat'leth on the bus?

Worf's missed his shift and gone cross-eyed from chanting and burning the midnight incense. Since failing to find his father, he's tried to fill the emptiness with faith. What does Worf worship, you ask?

Like Jesus, King Arthur, and Sir Charles of Sheen, Kahless the Unforgettable laid down the law and said he would return. Ever since Kahless died in 822 A.D., his people have tried to follow his path of honour. Klingon faithful await him on planet Boreth, orbiting a star he may once have pointed at.

Well, he's back now. In the gnarly flesh. He hopes to unite Klingons who have lost their way and get them to stop fighting among themselves. Great theory. Of course, one wonders who they'd fight if they ever did...

Worf is skeptical of this fully mortal Kahless, and Chancellor Gowron is downright pissed. Dr. Crusher confirms Kahless' blood matches that on a sacred artifact called the knife of Kirom. (They keep it in the Vault of L. Ron Hubbard next to the Shroud of Turin and the Majestic Q-Tips of Ferenginar.)

Somehow, Gowron thinks Worf still has influence in the Empire. Wasn't Worf kicked out again for refusing to kill the Duras kid? Kicked out BY Gowron, no less!

Whatever the case, Gowron questions Kahless's expounding on scriptural stories but inability to recall details. Then, far more damning, the Chancellor easily bests Kahless in combat. That's like a random monk outdoing the Buddha at koans and overeating!

Koroth the Cleric admits to Worf that their saviour was cloned and his memories were implanted.

But it turns out your average Klingon is o.k. with that. Clone Kahless becomes the first Emperor in 300 years, and a spiritual figurehead, but hella popular.

Still empty, Worf wonders if Sto-Vo-Kor (the afterlife) exists, and if Kahless is really there. The Emperor suggests that the teachings may be more important than the man.

"Rightful Heir" looks different to me now. Once blasphemous, now not secular enough. Changed impressions on subsequent viewings- doubtless the mark of a good story. Speaking of looking different, when we last saw Kahless in 'The Savage Curtain', he was a manifestation based on young Captain Kirk's take: the equivalent of Lincoln or Surak only deadlier and with a talent for voice impressions. It's fair to say Kirk had never seen a painting of Kahless, what with the lack of ridges and all.

A Man Alone

*** (3 stars out of 5)

Difficult as it might be to imagine, a Bajoran once murdered a Cardassian, so Odo sent him to prison. Now he's back, from outer space. He's called Ibudan.

Mischievous Nog and Jake release Garanian Bolites in the Replimat, which make Bajorans itchy and change colours. This may actually be the Bajorans' own fault: apparently there is nothing on Bajoran television.

Odo would have no one to watch it with: the Constable has never 'coupled' because he eschews compromise. Also, he sleeps in a pail and that was his only alibi when Ibudan was stabbed dead during a massage in Quark's holosuite.

(A holosuite is, I guess, a holodeck with a lock. Today the massage did not include a happy ending.)

Ben misses Guy Love with Curzon Dax, but he won't stand in Julian's way if he wants to romance Jadzia Dax. It's especially easy to say this since Jadzia wants nothing to do with the guy.

Bored Keiko O'Brien becomes a schoolmarm just because. A degree in botany is the same as a teaching certificate, right? Over the misogynist, culturally insular attitudes of Nog's father Rom the Pit Boss, Keiko even gets Nog into her school. This is a coup somehow.

Convicted in the court of wild speculation, Odo is chased by angry brick-tossers. (I choose to believe the brown cucumber-headed guy isn't there for the racist mob, he just thinks he's lining up for drinks.)

Dr. Bashir acquires DNA evidence and immediately starts growing it as though that made more sense than simply scanning it for clues. Congratulations: It's Floor Scrapings! And another Ibudan is born.

Spoliers: the victim did it. He was framing the Constable. As Odo puts it: "Killing your own clone is still murder."

New clone of Ibudan starts a new life while original Ibudan returns to original jail. (Is Doctor Bashir planning to put "Clobudan" through college? And if not, why did he grow him in the first place? Seems like a jerk move, Bashir.)

"A Man Alone" adds a few more problems to this little dystopia: racism, shoddy education, and the knee-jerk formation of lynch mobs. As a sidebar, Ibudan's logs mention he's been to Alderaan. So it could always be worse.