As we near the end of the season, I have to say that I'm kind of disappointed in the way they've used the MACOs. I thought it was a pretty good idea to bring on board this military force that may view things differently than the Starfleet personnel who up to now have been primarily explorers not warriors. But, other than the pissing contest between Reed and Hayes, that really hasn't panned out. In fact, other than Hayes, the MACOs have been relegated to the background. The only episode where they really took advantage of the MACOs as a different organization with a different perspective and possibly a different agenda was 'The Hatchery' and that was neatly wrapped up by the end of the episode. I doubt that there will be any more inter-ship conflict episodes as the focus should now be on concluding the Xindi arc.

At the beginning of the season they made a point of having a scene where Hoshi is introduced to several MACOs and then having them do a spectacular attack on the work-prison with one female MACO getting an extended fight scene. It seemed then that they were going to make them a bit more integral to the plot than they have actually turned out to be. I know there is only so much airtime per episode and that some of the regulars don't get enough to do as it is, but it seemed that they at least could have followed up on the Hoshi thing by showing a scene here and there implying that she became more than friends with one of the MACOs. It would have given her character some screen time and reminded us that the MACOs exist. But apparently we were only allowed one couple this season and it was Trip/T'Pol.

I think my favorite MACO has been Corporal Hawkins. I liked the scene in 'Impulse' when he apologizes to T'Pol for trying to kill the Vulcans and he earnestly asks her why the Vulcans are behaving so emotionally when they don't have emotions. Yes, I know that Hawkins was just a way for the writers to explain this to the audience, but I still think it was a good scene which showed that he wasn't just a gung-ho jarhead. I hope we see more of Hawkins this season.

I've also been underwhelmed by the use of the MACOs. I'm not sure why they were put on the ship in the first place. Other than "The Xindi", I don't think we've really seen them doing what they were supposed to do, so I'm starting to wonder what it is that they're supposed to do.

I wonder if there were some more MACO-heavy plot lines that got bulldozed when the season was reduced. That said, yeah, the MACOs have been woefully under-used. Where were they in "Azati Prime"?

I don't think they had anything to do in "Azati Prime". They're not pilots, so they're not flying the recon or suicide missions. The ship didn't get boarded, so they were reduced to essentially passengers during the big fight (and probably suffered a casualty or two).

Right, but they could have gone down to the recon station on that moon and secured it and kept it working, as opposed to blowing the place to smithereens, which eventually lost the ship its cover. Not that that was a perfect solution to the problem, but... eh, I dunno.

Considering how long it would have taken them to go by shuttle, I think their presence would have been detected (and they'd possibly be blown out of the sky if the post had ammo) long before they got there.

Yeah, but someone in the episode thread suggested the transporter. I know it's better when they don't rely on the transporter, but that situation sure seemed to call for it. Beam in, take over, install Hoshi's translator, and keep sending out "Everything's OK!" status reports to the Xindi.

Probably a tactically better decision than nuking the site from orbit. And, it would have given the MACOs something to do.

I would have thought there'd be a shield up that they couldn't transport through.

Ah, fanwanking. An activity I know well. True. A shield would pretty much stop that plan cold.

Still, here's hoping they put the MACOs to good use soon.

It would make sense for the Xindi to put a sheild up if they knew someone was going to try and beam in, and that a sheild could stop such a beaming, but... do they know that? I can't recall the Enterprise using the transporter against the Xindi before.

I just assume that they're paranoid and would have a shield up at all times at a security outpost.

I had no need whatsoever to fanwank my way through the outpost problem. I just remembered how completely ineffective the MACO's were against Xindi boarders on the Enterprise. How much hope would they have against Xindi on their own turf? "Fall back, fall back!" I just assumed Archer decided that an attempt on the outpost would have cost even more lives.

You have 2 options: Nuke 'em [the Xindi] from space, or devote time, men, and materials to a pointless raid. Archer did the wise thing.

Just reread this thread. Wow there was a lot of Fuller discussion! So does anybody know of a site similar to this one that compiles all mentions/images of the lesser crewfolk for Enterprise? (I can't believe someone watched frickin' Voyager enough to make that list!) Do we even know the actual crew/MACO compliment anymore? I remember some disagreement elsewhere, Starfleet 101 maybe.

belsum, I have this site in my bookmarks, The MACOs, but that, obviously, only covers the MACOs.

I find I've developed a fondness for the small, black haired female MACO. Evidently the actor's (actually she appears to be mostly a stuntperson) name is Dorenda Moore. And at this point, she's the only MACO I focus on/care about in the fighty fight scenes (At least until Daniel Dae Kim comes back). She gets no lines, but I guess I like that she seems so..utilitarian? So many of the other MACOs seem to me like they're people pulled from a gym to stand around and look physically fit. Meanwhile she just kind of does her shooting, punching thing.

It is... possible that Daniel Dae Kim is one of the dead/unaccounted for. Remember- we don't know who those three bodies flying off were.

Well, Stephan Culp, the Maco leader, was killed on Enterprise on Wednesday. Then, on Friday, his recurring character on JAG was killed off. This could be the first time that an actor was killed off two different shows in one week (when they are recurring parts, not just a one episode guest stars)

Is Culp related to Robert Culp? They have similar jaw-lines.

Very sad to see Hayes die. I came to like Hayes much better than Malcolm.

On the mission to rescue Hoshi, the female MACO (named Parsons I think) is wounded. She was the only MACO other than Hayes who was injured during the rescue. But when Malcolm goes to tell the MACO team about Hayes' death, he mentions that Sgt Kemper will be okay. Wasn't Sgt Kemper the male MACO from Duluth who Hoshi chatted with way back in 'The Xindi'? Did I miss a male MACO getting wounded or did the writers just screw the names up?


They do look a bit alike but there isn't any mention of it in Stephen Culp's bio.

If I recall correctly, Parsons, is actually a different MACO. She is the taller one with dark hair who was injured boarding the alien ship in "Damage" as well as one of the MACO's who joined Hayes in his last stand on the bridge in "Hatchery". She does look vaguely similar to Kemper, so that may be the source of the confusion.

All I know is Hayes called the injured Uh-Oh this week "Kelly."

Kelly was the male MACO who beamed back with Hoshi. Hayes shouted his name when he ordered him to take Hoshi back. Hayes never referred to the female MACO by name.


The female MACO in 'Countdown' is the same one who was in 'Damage' and 'Hatchery' and also in 'North Star' and 'Rajiin'. She's played by a stuntwoman named Dorenda Moore and she is listed in the production report for each of those episodes as a 'stunt MACO'. The only time she was referred to by name was by Archer in 'Damage' and that name was not Kemper. Sgt Kemper was definitely a guy played by Nathan Anderson at the beginning of the season.

I remember there was a Crewman Fuller who was referred to as a she in early episodes then later as a he. Maybe Phlox is doing sex changes on the side. Yeah, that could explain everything! Or maybe I'm just thinking too much about this.

He just did a chat over at startrek.com, in which someone asked him this. He said absolutely not.

According to various MACO-dedicated websites, the third female MACO's name is "S. Money." Closeups of her nametag, on her left upper arm, bear this out.

Heh. S'Money.

Webb died?!

This is what happens the one time I don't set the VCR on Friday.

Man, this means I'll have to keep watching West Wing to see Hayes/Webb/Haffley.

So is Ensign Masaro (the Terra Prime spy), the last "red shirt"? He even killed _himself_, which just made it kinda poetic.

Trip DOES have the red sholder linings...

Yeah, technically, but I think we may have actually seen Trip in an episode or two before that...on the other hand, it was a pointless death, so I guess it depends on which "red shirt" criteria you focus on....