ENT: Oasis

         Of all the recent guest stars in ENT Rene Auberjonois is the most obvious, but also honestly the best. This episode has a bit of a strange premise and I couldn't help wonder for a while if they were secretly Changelings or something, but the hologram plot was interesting too. I actually wish they had played up the idea that Ezral had gone crazy a bit more, but it did still work for him to realize he was wrong in the end. It did make me wonder if he really could have just left much earlier when he only needed a few parts to get his ship moving, but that isn't a disaster. Also it seems odd to hide your life signs in a totally lootable ship and not have a plan to defend against actual looters. I guess a bunch of holograms with guns is a thing, but only if they don't just knock your power out.
         We open with the captain having dinner with Trip, T'Pol and some rockheaded trader. He is only interested in luxury goods but trades a tip on a wreck ship with the materials they need for a few pounds of coffee. He does warn them thought that the ship may be haunted. Archer decides to investigate any way and at first everything seems just as promised: wrecked ship, no life signs. But once they start poking around they discover there are a bunch of people on board, they just have cloaked life signs. Archer offers to help repair their ship and they agree but their leader named Ezral seems hesitant to let outsiders in, but he does badly need repairs. They claim to have been there for three years but things don't seem to check out. Ezral's daughter, Liana, works with Trip and the two really hit it off. He takes her up to Enterprise for some ice cream and heavy flirting but while they are up there they discover escape pods in orbit. When they bring one it they find it is the body of one of the guys Trip was just talking to. First T'Pol and then Trip are captured and forced to complete repairs. Archer sends a rescue team but they are overwhelmed by the invincible holograms. Liana has second thoughts though and disables all the holograms revealing only her and her father are real. Ezral explains he had no way to get out and wanted a community for his daughter to grow up in since they had actually been there 20+ years. In the end he agrees to leave though for Liana's sake.

         Review: In not for the guest star performance this might have been kinda drag, but Rene really helped make this one a bit more memorable than usual.

6 out of 10