"Kir'Shara" is the ninth episode of the
fourth season of the American
science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
''. It was writer
Michael Sussman's third episode of the season, while it was director
David Livingston
David Livingston is an American television producer and director. He is mostly known for his involvement in the writing and production of the various modern ''Star Trek'' franchises.
Livingston also has production credits on several episodes ...
's second. The episode was the third in a three-part story arc, following on from the episodes "
The Forge" and "
Awakening". The title "Kir'Shara" refers to a Vulcan religious relic, and the three part Vulcan story arc explored themes relating to the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
resulting in comparisons to books such as ''
The Da Vinci Code
''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Langdon ...
'' and ''
The Celestine Prophecy
''The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure'' is a 1993 novel by James Redfield that discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas rooted in multiple ancient Eastern traditions and New Age spirituality. The main character undertakes a journ ...
'', while the Kir'Shara itself was compared to the
Nag Hammadi library
The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the " Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels") is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945.
Thirteen leather-bound papyr ...
.
Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first
Starfleet
Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
starship ''
Enterprise
Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to:
Business and economics
Brands and enterprises
* Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company
* Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company
* Enterpris ...
'', registration NX-01. In this episode, ''Enterprise'' attempts to avert a war, and is caught in a crossfire between
Vulcan
Vulcan may refer to:
Mythology
* Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
and
Andorian
Andorians are a fictional race of humanoid extraterrestrials in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were created by writer D. C. Fontana. Within the ''Star Trek'' narrative, they are native to the blue icy Class M moon, ...
starships. Meanwhile. Captain
Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
, Commander
T'Pol
T'Pol () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', she is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship ''Enterprise'' (NX-01).
Concept and cr ...
, and
T'Pau aim to take the Kir'Shara to the Vulcan capital, and use it to reveal Administrator V'Las' plot to the rest of the
Vulcan High Command
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...
.
In addition to the guest stars returning from the previous arc episodes, or the episode "
Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
",
Jeffrey Combs
Jeffrey Alan Combs (born September 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for starring in horror films, such as ''Re-Animator'', and appearances playing a number of characters in the ''Star Trek'' and the DC animated universe television fra ...
returned as
Shran
This is a list of recurring characters from the live-action science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', which originally aired on UPN between 2001 and 2005. The television show takes place in the 22nd century of the ''Star Trek' ...
. The episode was shot across seven days using mostly standing sets, with only an Andorian
brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
built specifically for this episode.
"Kir'Shara" also saw the return of the
Vulcan lirpa, a weapon which had been first introduced in the ''
Star Trek: The Original Series
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...
'' episode "
Amok Time
"Amok Time" is the second season premiere episode of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, scored by Gerald Fried, and directed by Joseph Pevney, it first aired on Se ...
". The episode originally aired on December 3, 2004 on
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
. It received a
Nielsen rating
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 2.1/4 percent, which equalled the highest ratings seen during the fourth season. It was warmly received by critics who praised Combs' performance and noted that this episode was an indication of the improving quality of the series. However, there was mixed opinion regarding the ending of the episode.
Plot
''Enterprise'' heads to
Andoria
"Kir'Shara" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. It was writer Michael Sussman's third episode of the season, while it was director David Livingston's second. T ...
after Ambassador
Soval
This is a list of recurring characters from the live-action science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', which originally aired on UPN between 2001 and 2005. The television show takes place in the 22nd century of the ''Star Trek' ...
informs them that the
Vulcans
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the '' Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt t ...
believe they have been developing
Xindi weapon technology. Soval guides ''Enterprise'' to a nebula where the Andorian fleet is hiding. Commander
Shran
This is a list of recurring characters from the live-action science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', which originally aired on UPN between 2001 and 2005. The television show takes place in the 22nd century of the ''Star Trek' ...
is dubious, and abducts and tortures Soval. After believing him, ''Enterprise'' joins a fleet of six Andorian ships to intercept the Vulcans. Commander
Tucker
Tucker may refer to:
Places United States
* Tucker, Arkansas
* Tucker, Georgia
* Tucker, Mississippi
* Tucker, Missouri
* Tucker, Utah, ghost town
* Tucker County, West Virginia
Outer space
* Tucker (crater), a small lunar impact crater in the s ...
attempts to buy time by ordering ''Enterprise'' directly between the two fleets — this works for a while until Administrator V'Las orders them to be targeted too.
Meanwhile, at The Forge, Captain
Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
, Commander
T'Pol
T'Pol () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', she is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship ''Enterprise'' (NX-01).
Concept and cr ...
, and T'Pau, having found the sacred Kir'Shara (which the Syrrannites believe will usher a Vulcan enlightenment), endeavor to take it to the capital. En route, T'Pol and T'Pau discuss the
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
of
mind-melds, and T'Pau offers to mind-meld with T'Pol. She states the meld is safe when performed by those trained in the art, and that
Pa'nar Syndrome
"Stigma" is the fortieth episode (production #214) of the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', the fourteenth of the second season. This science fiction episode has a story about a spacecraft crew in the 22nd century, dealing with an alien ...
is merely the by-product of an improperly conducted meld. The trio are then attacked by Major Talok and Vulcan commandos, and T'Pol is captured while the others escape. She tells her captors that they are headed to
Mount Seleya in order to mislead them from their true destination.
She is then taken to the capital. Archer and T'Pau also arrive after T'Pol's husband, Koss, provides transporter security codes. They present the Kir'Shara to the High Command and reveal that the embassy bombing was merely a pretext to weaken the pacifist Syrrannites prior to the Andorian strike. Visibly angered, V'Las lunges for the Kir'Shara, but is stunned by High Minister Kuvak, who orders the fleet to stand down. ''Enterprise'' returns to Vulcan, and Koss visits to release T'Pol from their marriage. Meanwhile, the
Vulcan High Command
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...
is dissolved, granting Earth greater autonomy, and the
katra of
Surak is transferred to a Vulcan high priest. V'Las, relieved of his post, meets secretly with Talok, revealed to be a
Romulan
The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They first appeared in the series ''Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent ''Star Trek'' releases, including '' The A ...
agent, who states that the
reunification of their worlds is only a matter of time.
Production
Like "
Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
", "Kir'Shara" was written by
Michael Sussman and was his third script during the fourth season.
David Livingston
David Livingston is an American television producer and director. He is mostly known for his involvement in the writing and production of the various modern ''Star Trek'' franchises.
Livingston also has production credits on several episodes ...
directed the episode, which was his second episode of the season having previously directed "
Borderland". Most of the guest stars had appeared in the previous episode "Awakening", including Robert Foxworth as Administrator V'Las, Kara Zediker as T'Pau and John Rubinstein as Kuvak. In addition, Michael Reilly Burke resumes his role as Koss for the third time, having appeared in the role both in "Home" and "The Forge". Also appearing, having appeared in "Home", was Jack Donner as a Vulcan priest.
[ Donner appeared in ''The Original Series'' episode "]The Enterprise Incident
"The ''Enterprise'' Incident" is the second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by John Meredyth Lucas, it was first broadcast September 27, 1968.
I ...
" as the Romulan Commander Subcommander Tal. "Kir'Shara" also saw the return of Jeffrey Combs as the Andorian Commander Shran for the sixth time as well as Gary Graham as Ambassador Soval, who has appeared as a recurring character in ''Enterprise'' since the pilot episode " Broken Bow".
Filming began on October 4, 2004 and continued until October 12. Despite the desert locations, all filming took place on soundstages. These represented a variety of places throughout the Vulcan desert-like Forge. The remaining sets used were either standing sets, or those which had been constructed for the previous two episodes. The exceptions to that were two sets to represent scenes on board Commander Shran's Andorian vessel. The Andorian bridge set, which had been used previously in the series, had a single wall brought out of storage in order to appear as a backdrop for Shran when he appears on the ''Enterprise'' viewscreen. The Andorian brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
was built specifically for this episode for scenes with Shran and Soval.[
Re-appearing in "Kir'Shara" were the traditional Vulcan weapon, the lirpa, which was first introduced in ''The Original Series'' episode "]Amok Time
"Amok Time" is the second season premiere episode of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, scored by Gerald Fried, and directed by Joseph Pevney, it first aired on Se ...
". The lirpa is a long shaft with a crescent blade on one end and a spiked cudgel on the other. Brand new props were built for this episode, modifying the original design by making them more lightweight. They were wielded in "Kir'Shara" by Vulcan commandos, who were all played by stunt actors in non-speaking roles. Additional stunt doubles were required for Archer, T'Pol, T'Pau and Talok while two puppeteers were needed for the Andorian antennae seen on screen.
Themes
"Kir'Shara" followed up the events of the previous two episodes in the story arc as well some of the elements seen earlier in the season in the episode "Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
". " The Forge" sees Captain Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', where he is portrayed by Scott Bakula.
Archer is the commanding officer of the first starship ' ...
(Scott Bakula
Scott Stewart Bakula (; born October 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in two science-fiction television series: as Sam Beckett on ''Quantum Leap'' and as Captain Jonathan Archer on ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. For ''Quantum L ...
) and T'Pol
T'Pol () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', she is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship ''Enterprise'' (NX-01).
Concept and cr ...
(Jolene Blalock
Jolene Blalock (born March 5, 1975) is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing Vulcan first officer and science officer T'Pol on the UPN science-fiction series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Her other work includes guest-star ...
) travel into the Vulcan desert known as the Forge in order to find a renegade faction of Vulcans, known as the Syrrannites. During the journey, Archer has the katra of Surak transferred into him. In " Awakening", the duo meet the Syrrannites and find out they are peaceful. After ''Enterprise'' leaves orbit, the Vulcans start bombarding the caves where the Syrrannites are located, killing T'Pol's mother, T'Les (Joanna Cassidy
Joanna Cassidy (born Joanna Virginia Caskey, August 2, 1945 Brady, James"In Step With: Joanna Cassidy" ''Miami Herald'', November 25, 1990. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Born: Aug.2, 1944, in Camden, N.J.") is an American actress. ...
).
Speaking about "Awakening", show runner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...
Manny Coto
Manuel Hector "Manny" Coto (born June 10, 1961) is an American writer, director and producer of films and television programs.
Coto was the executive producer and showrunner of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' in its final season, and executive produc ...
had previously said that he envisaged the story arc to be about a Vulcan reformation as a metaphor to the real-world 16th century Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
with T'Pau playing the role of Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
. This view was supported by the 2010 book ''Star Trek As Myth'', which saw the original Vulcan religion prior to the Reformation arc seen from "The Forge" onwards as equating to the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
while the Syrannites were the Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
s.[ Kapell (2010): p. 173] In doing so, Administrator V'Las is therefore linked to the Antichrist
In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form) 1 John ; . 2 John . ...
in much the same way that the Protestant Reformation saw the Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
as the Antichrist. In this role, the Romulans in the story take the place of the subversive devils to form an unholy alliance.[ Kapell (2010): p. 174][
It was also suggested that the Kir'Shara itself was similar in context to the ]Nag Hammadi library
The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the " Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels") is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945.
Thirteen leather-bound papyr ...
,[ Kapell (2010): p. 172] which was a collection of thirteen codices
The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...
found in Nag Hammadi
Nag Hammadi ( ; ar, نجع حمادى ) is a city in Upper Egypt.
It is located on the west bank of the Nile in the Qena Governorate, about north-west of Luxor. It had a population of close to 43,000 .
History
The town of Nag Hammadi is name ...
, Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, in 1945 that date back to between the 2nd to 5th centuries. Unlike those codices, the Vulcan High Council attempts to suppress the revelation of the Kir'Shara in a similar manner to the Catholic Church's suppression seen in other fictional works such as Dan Brown
Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), ''In ...
's ''The Da Vinci Code
''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Langdon ...
'' or James Redfield
James Redfield is an American author, lecturer, screenwriter, and film producer. He is notable for his 1993 novel ''The Celestine Prophecy''.
Biography
Redfield grew up in a rural area near Birmingham, Alabama. He studied Eastern philosophie ...
's ''The Celestine Prophecy
''The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure'' is a 1993 novel by James Redfield that discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas rooted in multiple ancient Eastern traditions and New Age spirituality. The main character undertakes a journ ...
''.[
]
Reception
"Kir'Shara" was first aired in the United States on UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
on December 3, 2004. The broadcast saw the episode come in fourth place during the timeslot, with a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 2.1/4 percent. This means that it was seen by 2.1 percent of all households, and 4 percent of all those watching television at the time of broadcast. It gained higher ratings than The WB
The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...
, who aired '' What I Like About You'' and ''Grounded for Life
''Grounded for Life'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on January 10, 2001, as a mid-season replacement on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Created by Mike Schiff and Bill Martin, it ran for two seasons on the network until being cance ...
''. The ratings equalled the highest ratings of the season so far, which were previously achieved by "Borderland", "Cold Station 12
"Cold Station 12" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', the eighty-first episode overall. It was directed by Mike Vejar from a script by Alan Brennert, and aired on ...
" and "The Augments
"The Augments" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', the eighty-second episode overall. It is the last of a three-story episode arc, preceded by " Borderland", and ...
".
''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' listed "Kir'Shara" on its Hot List for the day. ''IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' gave the episode 4.5 out of 5 and said that the show "finally grows up and becomes a Star Trek series this week". It described "Kir'Shara" as "far from a perfectly executed Trek story but they get enough right to make it a lot easier to overlook the few things they miss." It said that there had been an overall improvement in the fourth season, and that "this could become some of the best Star Trek ever made". In Matthew Kappell's book ''Star Trek As Myth'', he said that he felt that the revelation that the previous Vulcan administration was working with the Romulans all along "suddenly makes sense of years of previously incomprehensible Vulcan policy" and linked to ''The Next Generation'' episode " Unification".[ Kapell (2010): p. 175]
Herc, in his review for Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proje ...
, praised the reliability of Jeffrey Combs as Shran, but thought that there were no major surprises. Herc did say that the biggest shock was the revelation that the Romulans were behind the bombing of the Human Embassy. He gave it a rating of three out of five. Michelle Erica Green reviewed the episode for TrekNation
TrekNation is a reference and community website for the ''Star Trek'' franchise. It also serves as a hub for its network websites: TrekToday, a news site updated nearly daily; The Trek BBS, which describes itself as the largest ''Star Trek'' ...
, calling it an "absolutely gripping episode" except for the "ludicrousness of the ending".[ She made the admission about the ending that, "I suppose the Romulans had to show up at some point, I guess Vulcan is as good a place as any."] She thought that the torture scenes were "pointless", but was pleased with the characterisation seen in Archer, T'Pol and Tucker. Jamahl Epsicokhan at his website "Jammer's Reviews
TrekNation is a reference and community website for the ''Star Trek'' franchise. It also serves as a hub for its network websites: TrekToday, a news site updated nearly daily; The Trek BBS, which describes itself as the largest ''Star Trek'' ...
" said that the episode was "not perfect, but good" with an "intriguing" ending. He also praised Jeffrey Combs as Shran, and thought that the torture scenes were potent but that the ending was rushed. He gave the episode a rating of three out of four.
In 2018, ''Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' praised casting actress Kara Zediker as the Vulcan character T'Pau. In 2020, James Whitbrook of ''Io9
''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...
'', highlighted this episode as a "must watch" episode of the series.
In 2021, ''The Digital Fix'' said this was the best episode in season 4 of show, calling it a "well-paced, satisfying resolution" to the Vulcan storyline in the series. They felt the episode successfully capitalizes on the story elements established the previous episode "The Forge".
Home media release
The first home media release of "Kir'Shara" was in the season four DVD box set of ''Enterprise'', originally released in the United States on November 1, 2005. The Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
edition was released on April 1, 2014.
Notes
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kir'shara
Star Trek: Enterprise (season 4) episodes
Vulcans
2004 American television episodes
Television episodes directed by David Livingston