ENTERPRISE SCRIPT DIFFERENCES
Desert Crossing
Trip/Archer
This scene was completely changed when it was filmed. What we saw on screen had no roast rat or reminiscing. Instead, we saw Jon boiling water, trying to get Trip to drink, and playing games with him to keep him awake.
In this earlier version we get backstory, lending it a much more personal touch. We learn that Trip likes his steak well done, and that Zephram Cochrane visited 9 M-class planets before he disappeared. We have more of the guys teasing each other, emphasizing their comfortable friendship.
The highlight is the diving story, which was first written into the script of Shuttlepod One. However, it was cut and so the writers used it in this episode. Unfortunately, it was cut from Desert Crossing as well. We wonder if it will be used in some future episode.
DESERT CROSSING
ACT THREE
INT. ABANDONED ALIEN FORTRESS - NIGHT
MOONLIGHT shines through the cracks in the ceiling. A small FIRE,
surrounded by a few large rocks, is burning in the corner of the room.
Sitting on the edge of one of the rocks is a ceramic BOWL containing water
that Archer is heating. Trip sits against a wall, his eyes barely open, as
Archer ENTERS, the alien weapon in one hand, something dark and hard to
see in the other. Trip turns toward Archer.
TRIP: When we get to Risa, the first thing I'm going to do is jump into
the deepest swimming pool I can find.
ARCHER: I may join you.
As Archer moves to the fire, we see he's carrying the CARCASS of a small
alien animal. Keeping it out of Trip's view, he skewers the animal on a
stick and places it over the fire. Trip reacts to a slight pain in his back, adjusts his position.
TRIP: (sarcastic) This place is almost as comfortable as that Vulcan monastery on P'Jem.
ARCHER: P'Jem... that almost seems like another lifetime.
TRIP: We have covered some territory, haven't we?
ARCHER: It's not ever a fraction of what's out here.
TRIP: What was that statistic from our astrophysics course? (recalling)
Even if you could visit one star system a second, it would still take you
over ten thousand years to travel to every star in the Milky Way.
ARCHER: (wry) I wish we'd traveled past this one.
TRIP: I can think of one or two others we could've skipped...
ARCHER: Me too (beat) But all in all, there isn't much I'd change about the last nine months.
TRIP: (nods) It's been some ride.
Another quiet beat as Archer continues to cook the animal meat.
TRIP: Did we finish the last of the rations?
ARCHER: I'll have something ready for you in a few minutes...
Trip reaches down to his stomach, suddenly feeling nauseous.
TRIP: I'm not sure I can eat.
ARCHER: What's wrong?
TRIP: (woozy) I'm feeling kind of... nauseous...
Archer quickly plants the skewer in the ground and heads over to Trip, checks his pulse.
ARCHER: Your pulse is racing...
We can see that Trip's face is red, flushed.
ARCHER: (concerned) I need to get you another cold compress.
Archer moves back toward the cistern.
TRIP: (slightly disoriented) What?
ARCHER: (soaking a cloth) You're showing the first signs of heat stroke.
Trip takes this in, weekly shakes his head.
TRIP: I hate the desert...
OFF Trip, his condition growing serious...
(this is how act three ends in the script)
ACT FOUR:
INT. ABANDONED ALIEN FORTRESS - NIGHT
Archer is heating more water and cooking alien MEAT over a small fire. Trip
lies nearby, in bad shape. Both men are exhausted, but Trip is suffering to
a greater degree from their ordeal in the desert. Archer takes a tentative
bit of the cooked meat. From his reaction we gather it's not very
appetizing, but he tries to cover. Trip glances over.
TRIP: What's that?
ARCHER: (wry) Just a little something I whipped up...
TRIP: You said you weren't going to make me eat snake meat.
ARCHER: It's not snake meat.
TRIP: Then what is it?
ARCHER: Some kind of rodent, I think.
TRIP: Great. Roast Rat.
ARCHER: (light) Barbecued to perfection.
Archer brings the meat over to Trip. He takes a whiff of it, reacts.
TRIP: Smells like charcoal.
ARCHER: (wry) You always order your steak well done
Trip hesitates.
ARCHER: You need to eat.
TRIP: How do you know it's not poisonous?
ARCHER: I'm pretty sure Zobral fed us some of the same thing yesterday.
Trip tentatively takes a bite, reacts to the foul taste.
TRIP: You obviously didn't get the recipe.
After a beat, Trip grows a little woozy, starts to drift off.
Archer gently shakes him.
ARCHER: Hey...
Trip comes around a little.
ARCHER: Stay with me. (light) Your dinner's getting cold.
Trip forces down another bite.
TRIP: If the desert doesn't kill us, your cooking will.
ARCHER: When we get back to the ship, I'll be sure to have Chef bake you a pecan pie.
TRIP: Pecan pie... what I wouldn't give for a slice of that right now.
Archer leans back, takes another bite of meat.
He notices Trip starting to drift off again...
ARCHER: Sixteen.
TRIP: (comes around) What?
ARCHER: The number of Minshara-Class planets we've been to so far.
Sixteen, if I'm not mistaken.
TRIP: Huh. How many did Cochrane go to?
ARCHER: Nine, before he disappeared.
TRIP: So I guess we hold the record. For humans, anyway. (beat) Won't be
too long before the next warp five ship come along, sets a new record...
ARCHER: You really think I'd let them catch up to us?
TRIP: Assuming the "great hero of the galaxy" can figure out how to get us
back to Enterprise.
Archer is feeling a little guilt about insisting that Trip come to this planet.
ARCHER: I'm sorry I didn't take "no" for an answer when you said you didn't
want to come down here.
TRIP: It's all right, Captain. (beat) If I remember correctly, I didn't
take "no" for an answer when I tried to convince you to learn how to dive.
ARCHER: (thinking) I really didn't want to do that, did I?
TRIP: I had to ride you for a month just to get you to try on a pair of
flippers. (beat) Something I later came to regret.
ARCHER: (puzzled) You're sorry you taught me how to dive?
TRIP: You were the most annoying student I ever had.
Archer reacts.
ARCHER: I thought I was pretty good, for a beginner.
TRIP: Pretty good? You were absolutely great. Remember when I showed you
how to clear your mask?
ARCHER: Yeah...
TRIP: You got it exactly right, first time. You even re-filled it, just to
clear it again. Everybody else I've ever taught hates learning how to clear
their mask.
ARCHER: That bothered you?
TRIP: I was the instructor - - you were the student. But Mister Starfleet
had to do everything faster and better than me. (beat) You didn't even
flinch when I introduced you to Old Waldo.
ARCHER: (reacts) You set that up?
TRIP: (admitting) I knew he lived down in that hole...
ARCHER: He must have been three meters long!
TRIP: Moray eels can get pretty big in the Florida Keys...
ARCHER: That thing could've killed me!
TRIP: You were wearing titanium mesh. I figured the worst that could happen
is Old Waldo would give you a good scare. (light) At the time, I thought
you deserved to have a little of the piss taken out of you.
Archer takes this in.
ARCHER: Do you still feel that way?
TRIP: (consider) If I did, do you really think I would've signed onto your crew?
ARCHER: I guess not.
