3x17 Hatchery

[Dimitris]

Episode No: 069
Air Date: 02.25.2004

Archer goes to extreme lengths to save an abandoned nest of Xindi-Insectoid eggs ready to hatch.


Synopsis

When Enterprise stumbles upon a damaged Xindi-Insectoid ship on a barren planet, Archer and the crew search the ship and discover a cache of several dozen Insectoid eggs, but with the nursery's bio-support failing, Archer becomes fiercely determined to help his enemy's offspring hatch. As Mayweather and Tucker attempt to learn all they can about the alien ship, Archer becomes consumed with saving the Xindi hatchlings, causing the crew to start raising questions about Archer's judgment.


www.startrek.com

[Dimitris]

12.23.2003
Production Report: Creepy Crawlies in "Hatchery"

An eerie look inside a Xindi-Insectoid ship and how they breed their young defines "Hatchery," the 17th episode of the season and the last to be shot in 2003.
In the script written by Andre Bormanis and Mike Sussman, Enterprise discovers a Xindi-Insectoid ship crashed on a small barren planet, its crew dead. Upon investigation, it's learned they weren't killed in the crash, but rather they intentionally suffocated so all life support could be transferred to an incubation chamber on the ship holding several dozen Insectoid eggs. The eggs are trying to hatch, but their bio-support is failing, and Archer seems determined to help the offspring survive.

The Insectoid sets and set dressings created by Herman Zimmerman's production design crew, along with special effects makeup from Michael Westmore's team, made for a creepy immersion into the world of the overgrown bugs. In the dimly-lit "hatchery," we'll be seeing egg sacs suspended from organic-looking tendons, with insectoid "fetuses" inside. The lighting crew also utilized smoke works to create a thick, humid haze in the Hatchery chamber set.

Most of the shooting during the seven-day schedule, however, took place on standing ship sets such as Sickbay, Crew Quarters, Mess Hall, Armory and Bridge. A portion of a day was spent in an Insectoid Shuttle, then a full day was devoted to the Hatchery set. The final shooting day covered other portions of the Insectoid ship, including Corridors and an Airlock. About half of those scenes will be enhanced with optical effects in post-production, including some live "hatchlings."

The MACOs once again play a prominent role in the story, led by Steven Culp as "Major Hayes" — he was on set for five full days. Daniel Dae Kim also returned as "Corporal Chang," as did Sean McGowan as "Corporal Hawkins." The other MACOs were stunt players — including Dorenda Moore (seen prominently in "North Star " ), Justin Sunquist, Kevin Derr and Jason Collins — and several background extras.

Production wrapped last Friday, Dec. 19, in time for a two-week holiday break. (The cast and crew had their Christmas party after work on Wednesday at the Paramount Commissary.) Filming resumes January 5, for the last seven episodes of the season.

"Hatchery" is directed by Michael Grossman, a newcomer to the Trek scene. Grossman worked his way up through the ranks as first assistant director and second-unit director in both TV and film to become a full-fledged director, and has helmed such genre fare as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly, along with the Sci-Fi Channel's The Invisible Man.

This episode is tentatively scheduled to air February 25. More information can be found at its Episode Detail page.


www.startrek.com

[Dimitris]

After discovering the adults dead on a crashed Xindi Insectoid ship, Archer decides to try to save the eggs of the Xindi Insectoids in the upcoming Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Hatchery."

StarTrek.com revealed the details for the seventeenth episode of Enterprise, which is the final episode filmed in 2003. According to the production report, the Enterprise crew discovers the remains of the adult Xindi Insectoids aboard the crashed ship. Surprisingly, the Xindi Insectoids didn't die in the crash; rather, they intentionally suffocated so that they could keep their offspring alive. The ship's life support was transferred to an incubation chamber housing dozens of Insectoid eggs. The incubation period for the eggs is almost over, but the bio-chamber is failing. Archer decides to help the baby Insectoids.

"Hatchery" is currently scheduled to air on February 25th, 2004, making it the final episode of February sweeps. It will follow up the episode " Doctor's Orders ", the episode in which Phlox is forced to put the human crew in comas to allow them to survive a spacial disturbance.

"Hatchery" was written by Andre Bormanis and Mike Sussman. This season, Andre Bormanis wrote "Extinction", and Mike Sussman penned "Anomaly" and "Twilight".

The episode was directed by Michael Grossman in his first Trek outting. His previous directing credits include episodes of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly.

The actors playing the MACOs made up the guest star roster for this episode. Steven Culp's Major Hayes was back, as was Daniel Dae Kim as Corporal Chang. Also returning was Sean McGowan, who plays Corporal Hawkins.

The seven day shoot for the episode began on December 11th and wrapped on December 19th. Much of the action took place on board the Enterprise, on the bridge, in sickbay, crew quarters, the armory, and the mess hall. Shooting in the hatchery, which contains egg sacs suspended from organic tendons in a smokey, humid-looking environment, took a day. Another day was devoted to filming on the Insectoids' shuttle.

During the filming of "Hatchery," the cast and crew enjoyed a Christmas party before beginning their two week long holiday vacation. Production on the final seven episodes of the season resumes January 5th.


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