10 Most Frustrating Star Trek Moments Ever
5. Admiral Forrest Deserved Better
Star Trek: Enterprise, in its fourth season, delivers an
excellent three-part story that’s set on Vulcan. The Forge trilogy sees T’Pau
reintroduced to Star Trek, along with the gradual lessening of restrictions
around mind melds. This, in turn, leads to T’Pol being cured of Pa’nar
syndrome. So far, so good.
So, what’s wrong with this episode?
The opening chapter kicks into life with the bombing of the Starfleet embassy on Vulcan. In the course of saving Ambassador Soval’s life, Admiral Maxwell Forrest is killed. A heroic death for one of Archer, and Enterprise’s, greatest supporters. However, the way that it is handled is far from heroic, or even barely satisfactory.
For a start, though we see Forrest dive to protect Soval, we don’t actually find out his fate until it is discussed by Archer. That’s right – this character who had been with the show from the first episode was given an ignoble off-screen death. Adding insult to this, there is no memorial service for the man. Though Vaughan Armstrong would thankfully return later in the season as a mirror universe of the character, that was it for Admiral Forrest.
It just felt so rushed, and the emotional beats are missing entirely. Rather than feeling grief for this character, there is instead only a deep frustration to have removed a character so quickly, and coldly, from the show – without giving them anything like the appropriate respect or honours.
While THAT other death, from These Are The Voyages, might seem like a sure bet for an entry here, this one occurred within the established timeline of Enterprise. This is not to say, much as we don’t want to say it, that Voyages isn’t canon – but those events took place on a holodeck recreation that was being watched back. There’s even a scene with Trip after he ‘dies’.
There is no such moment with Forrest. He is simply a
semi-core player for three and a half years, then he’s gone.