The Lotus Eaters
From Hidden Frontier
| Star Trek: Odyssey episode | |
| "The Lotus Eaters" | |
| |
| Episode no. | 1.03 |
|---|---|
| Season | Season 1 |
| Release Date | March 2008 |
| Writer(s) | Eric Weaver |
| Story Elements by | Rob Caves and Eric Weaver |
| Director | David O'Neill |
| Year | 2384 |
| Stardate | 61306.3 |
| Episode chronology | |
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Contents |
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Episode Summary
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Synopsis
The Archein's relentless pursuit of the U.S.S. Odyssey starts to take its toll on the ship and crew, causing an internal debate amongst the senior staff concerning the manner in which they will survive in Andromeda. When a Starfleet distress signal is detected, Ro and the crew set aside the debate to save a race of people also hunted by the Archein.
Meanwhile, the Archein's internal power struggles escalate as an arrest warrant is issued citing damning evidence against Majan Seram.
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Background Information
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Memorable Quotes
- Panos: Our work?
- Achlys: There are more pressing matters.
- [Panos looks and sees the PLANET coming CLOSER and CLOSER.]
- Panos: Ohhh.
- Ro: You think we should have destroyed those two ships.
- T'Lorra: You do not take your heel off your enemy's neck just because it will bloody your boot.
- Ro: I'm not about to pick a fight with a superior force just to prove a point. This is about survival.
- T'Lorra: Survival is the elimination of all threats.
- Achlys: Someday you will learn that a marriage needs lies to survive as much as it needs the truth.
- Ro (to himself as much as her): Corey will love hearing that.
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Production Notes
- Matthew Montgomery was unavailable to shoot scenes as Dr. Vaughan. Some of his lines were given to the other members of the Away Team.
- The climactic exchange involving Ro, Panos & Achlys and Lokell was intended to be shot outdoors, but due to stormy weather conditions (uncommon in Los Angeles, even for January when the episode was shot) it was moved indoors.
- The episode title is a reference to the land of the Lotus Eaters, which Odysseus comes across in chapter nine of The Odyssey.
- This episode introduces Heather Ashleigh's Starfleet character, Ensign Kristen Laws.
- This episode introduces Beau Christian Williams' Archein character, Dagad.
- The character of Secretary Lokell was modeled after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and former top political advisor to the G. W. Bush White House, Karl Rove.
- Brandon McConnell, Michelle Laurent, Ryan Keating and Jacob Reitz all looped[1] their voices in the night scene on the refugee planet, where Ro and T'Lorra are tied to a tree.
- The Archein subplot was in the original pitch for this episode and remained virtually intact from first draft to production.
- Initially, executive producer Rob Caves wanted an AIDS allegory for the episode, but that direction was discarded in favor of an environmental angle. This came about from connections between the production and an outside organization that had access to former Vice President Al Gore. The thought was that he would speak either before or after the episode in a "very special message"-type moment. This direction, too, was discarded when the VP's appearance couldn't be secured, leaving behind the more thematically relevant (to the series, anyway) notion of the lengths we will go to survive.
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Cast
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Regular Cast
| Actor | Role |
| Brandon McConnell | Lieutenant Commander Ro Nevin |
| Michelle Laurent | Subcommander T'Lorra |
| Matthew Montgomery | Doctor Owen Vaughan |
| Julia Morizawa | Lieutenant Maya Stadi |
| Tim Foutch | Ensign Joshua Gillen |
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Guest Stars
| Actor | Role |
| Melodee M. Spevack | Doctor Achlys |
| Hal Alpert | Doctor Panos |
| Sharon Savene | Majan Seram |
| Adam Browne | Caecus |
| John Whiting | General Morrigu |
| Jennifer Cole | Grand Majan |
| Beau Williams | Lieutenant Dagad |
| Ryan Keating | Secretary Lokell |
| Jacob Reitz | President Melantko |
| Sam Bacsa | Lieutenant Alex Wozniak |
| Heather Ashleigh | Ensign Kristen Laws |
| Wayne Wilkening | Estime |
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