1.26 "Shockwave: Part I" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tetrazine

Often, "Star Trek" episodes introduce technobabble to support their plots and make things sufficiently futuristic. In this case, however, tetrazine is a true unstable gaseous compound used in energetic chemistry.

In the case of Paraagan II, the tetrazine is a mining byproduct that sits in the atmosphere at a height of 45 to 50 kilometers above the surface. Unfortunately, it is highly reactive to electro-plasma, which means that descending shuttles must follow very specific procedures to ensure that no plasma exhaust is released.

Answer: Lieutenant Reed

Everyone is shocked and devastated by the disaster (seemingly) caused by Lieutenant Reed while piloting the shuttlepod through the tetrazine layer, but none moreso than Reed, himself. He insists that he did nothing wrong, and that he followed all of the protocols to the letter, yet still feels at fault for the destruction of the colony.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was portrayed by Dominic Keating.

Answer: True

News of the Paraagan II colony's destruction gives the Vulcan High Command the excuse they need to end the Enterprise's mission. Admiral Forrest gives Archer the heartbreaking news, and orders the Enterprise to rendezvous with a Vulcan ship in three days to deliver T'Pol and Phlox before returning to Earth. Forrest also relays that Vulcan Ambassador Soval will call for a 10 to 20 year timeline before attempting another such mission.

Scott Bakula played Captain Jonathan Archer, while Admiral Maxwell Forrest was played by Vaughn Armstrong.

Answer: Crewman Daniels

When Crewman Daniels revealed himself to be a temporal agent in "Cold Front" (episode 11), he was apparently killed when the Suliban Silik shot him with a particle weapon. At his reappearance to Captain Archer, however, Daniels gives no explanation as to how he is still alive. What he does do, however, is convince the captain that what has happened is not part of the true timeline, and that they must undo the damage done.

Crewman Daniels was played by Matt Winston.

Answer: The Suliban

With Crewman Daniels' information, the Enterprise crew are able to find Suliban technology on the exterior of the ship, which caused the tetrazine reaction that destroyed the colony. But in order to have enough evidence to prove their innocence, they also have to acquire three data disks from a Suliban cruiser that prove who actually was responsible.

Answer: Sub-Commander T'Pol

According to T'Pol, the Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that time travel is impossible. In the face of Archer's inexplicable knowledge of the Suliban's presence, the means to construct a device to pierce their cloaking technology, and the location of the Suliban cruiser (and where to find the data disks on said cruiser), T'Pol is hard pressed to come up with an alternative explanation.

Sub-Commander T'Pol was portrayed by Jolene Blalock.

Answer: In a nearby asteroid field

Crewman Daniels provides Captain Archer with the information he needs to construct a quantum beacon able to pierce the Suliban cloaking technology, and also tells him where to find the hidden Suliban cruiser. The schematics for the cruiser are also made available through the futuristic database device that Daniels left behind after his apparent death.

Answer: Archer, Tucker and T'Pol

It always seems unlikely to me that all of the most senior officers of a Starfleet ship would go on such a dangerous mission together, but that is exactly what happens here. Archer, Tucker and T'Pol make a precision strike on the Suliban cruiser, retrieving the data disks and escaping quickly, with a little help from a well-placed phase cannon shot from the Enterprise to discourage pursuit by the Suliban crew.

Connor Trinneer played the role of Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III.

Answer: False

As they race to meet with the Vulcan ship, the Enterprise begins to have trouble maintaining their warp field. Archer suspects the reason and has Reed focus the quantum beacon on the space around the ship, where it reveals a number of Suliban pods surrounding them. They are then hailed by Silik, their previous foe, who orders Captain Archer to turn himself over to them, in order to spare the Enterprise.

When Lieutenant Reed confirms that the Enterprise could not successfully defend itself against so many Suliban pods, Archer agrees to Silik's demands.

Silik was played by John Fleck.

Answer: 31st

Crewman Daniels takes a more active role in matters, stealing Archer away to his own time. But something is very wrong. Instead of a 31st century Earth of gleaming towers and amazing technology, Daniels and Archer find themselves in a destroyed city, with no means of returning to Archer's time.

To be continued...