“Breaking the Ice”: Variations on a Theme

            The wonderful thing about a literary education is that, assuming it is done right (an outcome that is far from certain), it improves one's ability to read any text, written or otherwise.  Read with a discerning literary eye, any text of any real value reveals meaningful symmetries, the discovery of  which greatly enhances the reader's—or viewer's—enjoyment of the text.

            This epiphany occurred to me once as I was watching an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise called "Breaking the Ice."  I had been teaching my students about the concept of theme, and how it is often reflected in the title of a story; so I decided to apply this principle to the episode I was watching and ask, "How, in this episode, is ice being broken?"  I was not disappointed with the results. 

            "Breaking the ice," of course, is an English idiom for easing the initial tension between two strangers, so that they might become better acquainted.  However, it becomes quickly evident in watching this episode that it is also meant, in this case, in a very literal sense: the episode begins as Enterprise encounters a comet, and sends two of its crewmen to gather samples from it.  The events surrounding this expedition bracket the other subplots of the episode, all of which involve "breaking the ice" in the idiomatic sense.

            When Enterprise arrives at the comet, they find themselves being observed by a Vulcan ship: sent to investigate, not the comet, but their interest in the comet; Vulcans, we are told, have very little interest in comets (Whereat we should recall that "Vulcan" was the Roman god of fire and forge).  Captain Archer decides to invite the Vulcan captain onboard for a dinner, figuring that "it's a good way to break the ice."  In that statement we see illustrated a principle I have repeatedly taught my students: often, a story contains a statement somewhere that sums up or refers to the theme of the story.

            Echoing Archer's attempt to improve human-Vulcan relations is a subplot involving Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker and Sub-commander T'Pol.    Trip's accidental discovery of a certain personal problem T'Pol is experiencing leads her to turn to him as a confidant, resulting in a slight warming of their relationship.

            The final subplot of the episode involves an exchange between Enterprise and a fourth-grade class from Earth.  The students send drawings and letters, while the crew records a message answering some of the students' questions.  One purpose of this subplot is to allow the crew to explain certain details of how the ship works (and we learn along with the students), but there is something else.  At least two of the drawings sent by the students are rather unflattering images of Vulcans, hinting at the less-than-cordial relations between the two races that will be addressed in the later parts of the episode.  Also, Captain Archer's nervousness in addressing the students foreshadows the later tension of the dinner with the Vulcan captain.

            And how does it end?  When the ship sent to the comet's surface is trapped in an ice fissure, beyond the reach of Enterprise's grappler, Captain Archer is forced to swallow his pride and accept the help of the tractor beam-equipped Vulcan ship.  The scene brings together strands from all the main plots: the comet exploration, the tension between the humans and the Vulcans, and the conversation between T'Pol and Trip (for it is she who advises accepting the Vulcans' help; and in doing so, she alludes to the very advice Trip gives her).

            My simple conclusion is this: "Breaking the Ice" is a well crafted episode that shows what careful artistry can be woven into a simple story, and what pleasure can be gained from discovering the pattern in the weave.