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Context Recap / StarTrekEnterpriseS02E017Canamar

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1The ''Enterprise'' finds Shuttlepod 1 in space with no lifesigns or working power. They play back the captain's log and hear Archer describe a successful first contact and a sporting match. Phlox does a forensic analysis and finds Archer and Trip's blood. This leads the crew to conclude that they were abducted and T'Pol orders a course set for Keto-Enol.
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3Meanwhile, Archer and Trip are shackled to benches on a spaceship. Archer tries to get the guard's attention, but the guard gives him an electric shock instead. Another prisoner, named Kuroda Lor-ehn, tells him not to ask the guard questions, so Archer asks the prisoners his question instead: where are they going? The other prisoners tell Archer and Trip that it's a penal colony named Canamar, and that they were accused of smuggling and are going to be unfairly tried.
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5The prisoners are fed, but Trip hates his food. A Nausican wants some, and so he and Trip fight over it, until the guard shocks the Nausican. One of the prisoners, Zoumas, asks Trip what he and Archer smuggled and doesn't believe him when he says they're innocent.
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7T'Pol contacts the Enolian authorities, and an official says that they're busy but willing to help, accepting a description of Archer and Trip. He then boards the ''Enterprise'' and confirms that Archer and Trip were found and charged with smuggling contraband, and they're now on a prison ship. She explains the situation, and the official promises to release Archer and Trip and inform the transport crew.
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9The guards are ordered to release Archer and Trip, but the other prisoners object, with one of them freeing himself, attacking a guard, and freeing the Nausican. The two escaped prisoners shackle the guard and draw out the other one, who Lor-ehn stuns. The pilot tries to close the door to the cockpit, but the Nausican jams it and knocks him out. Lor-ehn then has Archer pilot the ship at gunpoint to a binary star system.
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11''Enterprise'' detects a distress signal, which the Enolian official recognises the frequency of, and starts to contact Enolian patrol ships. Meanwhile, Zoumas yaks away to a bored Trip and Lor-ehn tries to find out about Archer. Soon, they are found, making Lor-ehn suspicious that Archer activated the transceiver before it was off. Lor-ehn wants to fight, but Archer thinks that would be too risky, and instead has Trip release plasma into a cloud. This knocks out the ships' propulsion systems and Lor-ehn wants to destroy the ships, but Archer says no, since that would be murder. Now that the Enolian authorities have determined that Lor-ehn is involved, they want to destroy the ship, which T'Pol disapproves of.
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13Lor-ehn appreciates Archer's resourcefulness and invites him to join him, to which Archer plays along. Lor-ehn goes on, revealing that he got into crime by being wrongfully sentenced and hanging out with other prisoners as a teenager. They arrive at their rendezvous point, a planet called Tamaal, and Archer asks what the plan is. Lor-ehn replies that the plan is to put the ship in a decaying orbit to make it look like it crashed.
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15''Enterprise'' finds the transport. The Enolian official explains that Tamaal is a very busy trading post, and they can't use the transporter since the transport ship is heavily shielded. They then detect a smaller ship with Enolian life signs, which the official confirms isn't theirs.
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17Archer, realising that he needs to take over the ship, frees Trip to fix the docking hatch. There, Archer tells Trip about his plan and Trip knocks out the Nausican. However, when he goes to knock out Lor-ehn, a still-suspicious Zoumas warns Lor-ehn before he can do it. Lor-ehn stuns Trip and tries to do the same to Archer, but then Archer points out that Lor-ehn needs him to fix the hatch.
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19As Archer fixes the hatch, Trip wakes up shackled. A team from ''Enterprise'', led by Malcolm, comes out of the hatch and stuns Lor-ehn and his friend. They proceed to free the prisoners and put them and the Enolians onto a shuttle, but Lor-ehn wakes up and fights with Archer, saying he'd rather die than go to Canamar, so Archer leaves without him. Back on ''Enterprise'', the official tries to apologise to Archer, but Archer's still a bit sulky.
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21!!Tropes in this episode include:
22* BigShutUp: [[MotorMouth Zoumas]] gets this a few times from both Kuroda and Trip.
23* ContinuityNod: The alien sitting next to Archer is of the same species as the two who mugged Trip and Malcolm on Risa in "Two Days and Two Nights."
24* ElectricTorture: The Enolians can electrify the rowdy prisoners' handcuffs to subdue them. Becomes a ChekhovsGun when Archer uses it as an ImprovisedWeapon against Kuroda.
25* FaceDeathWithDignity: Kuroda refuses to AbandonShip, preferring to risk a fiery death in the atmosphere to imprisonment on Canamar. When he examines the controls and confirms that he's doomed, he leans back in his seat and braces for the inevitable.
26* GrudgingThankYou: The Nausicaan gives Trip a sarcastic "Thanks" after he helps save the prison transport and is promptly re-cuffed.
27* HadToComeToPrisonToBeACrook: Kuroda explains this in his backstory. He was blamed for stealing a latinum brace and spent five years in prison. After he left, he became a hardened and ruthless criminal.
28* HellholePrison: Canamar is heavily implied to be one, hence Kuroda's refusal to ever go back.
29* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Kuroda forces Archer to put the transport in a decaying orbit around Tamaal as part of his escape plan. Guess who ends up being the only fatality when it burns up?
30* ISurrenderSuckers: Part of Archer's plan to escape the patrol ships, leading up to WeaponizedExhaust.
31* JerkAss: One of the guards zaps Archer when he starts asking questions, and later Trip for no good reason.
32* KangarooCourt: What apparently awaits anyone who gets arrested.
33--> '''Trip:''' Is this how your justice system works? Ship people off to prison without a trial?\
34'''Zoumas:''' There's a processing station in orbit. You'll be tried, sentenced, and sent down to the surface.\
35'''Trip:''' What if you're not guilty?\
36'''Zoumas:''' We're all guilty as far as they're concerned.
37* MotorMouth: Much to Trip's (and everyone else's) annoyance, Zoumas never shuts up (though he claims that this is only because he's nervous).
38* NeverGoingBackToPrison: Kuroda chooses to remain on the transport as it's burning up rather than go back to Canamar.
39--> '''Archer:''' Kuroda! It's over!\
40'''Kuroda:''' I WON'T GO BACK!
41* NeverTrustATrailer: A {{Downplayed}} example compared to many others, but the trailer makes it look like Archer and Trip are imprisoned on the titular penal colony (which is never actually shown), rather than a PrisonShip headed for said colony.
42* ObstructiveBureaucrat: {{Subverted}} with the Enolian official, who proves reasonably helpful.
43* PragmaticVillainy: Archer gives this as the reason why he doesn't destroy the disabled Enolian patrol ships.
44--> '''Kuroda:''' As soon as they repair the damage, they'll come after us again!\
45'''Archer:''' Do you think the Enolians are just going to give up if we destroy two of their ships? All I'm wanted for is smuggling. I don't need to add murder charges to it. Let me get us out of here.
46* PrisonShip: Archer and Trip are put on one. It's promptly taken over by an escaped con and his Nausicaan accomplice.
47* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Archer gives one to the Enolian official--and, by extension, the entire Enolian justice system:
48--> "I'll give you [a report] right now. Kuroda's dead; the other eleven prisoners are under guard. ''As you're aware'', my engineer and I were falsely arrested! We almost wound up in Canamar! Makes me wonder how many others don't belong there! You wanted a report? You got one."
49* SaveTheVillain: ''Enterprise'' rescues almost all the prisoners (though how many of them are ''actually'' villains is unclear) and the transport crew. Kuroda, however, decides on GoingDownWithTheShip.
50* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Archer tells Kuroda that this is why he's suddenly innocent.
51--> '''Archer:''' I have friends who wanted to keep doing business with me. They made a few discreet payments and now...I'm innocent.
52* TapOnTheHead: Trip knocks out the Nausicaan with a wrench during the attempted mutiny against Kuroda.
53* WeaponizedExhaust: To get away from the Enolian patrol ships, Archer dumps a bunch of plasma exhaust in their faces and then ignites it. The ships are disabled but not badly damaged.

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