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Table of Contents
Coventry
Plot
A joint period of rest-leave for the twin fleet is disrupted by an attack on the hub from an unexpected direction. With members of both crews stranded, they must band together and seek the aid of the Hub authorities to launch a rescue mission to the mysterious Coventry Zone.
Continuity
This episode introduces the new Moderators of the Hub, the Repentant, and MAVERICK, as well as the Coventry Zone. This is also the first episode to feature both crews of the Twin Fleet on a roughly equal basis.
Reference is made to the similarity with the recent events of Episode 2 and 3, as well as to the events of Episode 1x09 of TNG. The Flash-Bans also have similarities with the Crosstime-weapons of earlier seasons and may be a development of the technology.
The appearance of General Mung Beans as a villain in this episode makes him the first recurring villain to have the rather dubious honour of appearing in all 4 series- TOS, TNG, the Creepy-Teen Years and Enterprise.
This is one of the few episodes to take place largely on the Hub, and adds details of the 'city' element of that dimension.
Reception
The episode was well received, with elements such as the eerie character of the Coventry Zone, increased character development and comedic elements being praised. The utilisation of the different dynamic between the two fleets was also praised as was the inclusion of continuity nods to earlier series.
At one point in Act II 'SOVERIHN' mistakenly appeared as 'SULEMAIN', though this was quickly corrected.
Behind the Scenes
Alex's second episode of the show, and the last of what could be considered the 'introductory' episodes.
The idea of the Coventry Zone and having to mount a rescue mission there were among the earliest ideas in the series, with some preliminary notes written as early as February/March 2014. Writing began in earnest shortly after the completion of Episode 1, and the first draft was finished around April 2015. Some rewrites and additions were made in April/May to take into account developments in Episodes 2/3 and discussions between Alex and Petike on tweaks to the episode.
Several elements were cut out due to concerns about having a second two-part episode following after A Vexie-ing Acquaintance and difficulty in articulating the ideas. Among these were a more detailed and extended mental breakdown for MAVERICK with more musical cues, having Meerkat92's plotarc resolved in this episode and a climactic fight between CALBEAR and MAVERICK at the end of Act II mirroring the clash at the end of Act I.
Easter Eggs
The two biggest influences on the episode are the Phantom Zone of the Superman franchise- including a whole-sale pastiche of the Trial of Zod from Superman 2- and the style and tone of the Twilight Zone and similar programmes.