- Hawk, after the team are told they have been 'expected' by a hovering eye in the sky
Mysteriously high energy readings in the area prompt Power and the team to stop and investigate. Having disguised the Jumpship with a Holo-Field, they proceed to the area only to be ambushed by troopers, ready and waiting for them.
The team dispatch the troopers rapidly and head to the source of the high energy readings, deep inside a cave. They find themselves in an underground commune, called 'Haven' led by a man called Miles Williamson and his lovely kimono clad assistant, Chelsea Chandler. 'Haven' Williamson explains is a get away for those people who wish to find a safe and secure place to stay until the crisis is over.
As Williamson speaks to Power, Scout is clearly attracted to his lovely assistant, and promptly declares himself interested in a tour around the commune. Power lets Scout go, while he and the rest follow Williamson to the central control room. Williamson explains to them that 'Haven' is completely self sufficient, drawing energy from geothermal plants and water from underground rivers.Williamsone extends an invitation to Power and his team to stay, but Power declines, stating that he cannot passively sit back and wait for the war to end.
Williamson leaves to attend to other business and Pilot reports that the geothermal plants are producing excess energy far beyond the needs of the commune. This arouses Power's suspicions - he sends Pilot and Tank to snoop around 'Haven'.
Meanwhile, Scout has completed his tour of Haven with Chelsea, who invites him to stay. Scout declines, despite his obvious attraction for Chelsea. Williamson appears and informs Scout that Power has asked him to join them. After Scout leaves, Williamson tells Chelsea he has to stall and keep the Power team in Haven. Chelsea nods but seems reluctant to go along with his scheme.
Pilot and Tank meanwhile discover a 'locked door in paradise' and are even more suspicious. Pilot takes a moment to open the door with her proton spanner and the two discover inside the room, barrels marked with the Dread Empire emblem. But before they can inform the Captain of their findings, they are caught.
Scout returns to the central control room where Power and Hawk are waiting. Williamson enters shortly and Power explains that they must leave immediately. Williamson states that he understands and informs Power [knowingly] that Tank and Pilot will be along shortly. The doors hiss open and Pilot and Tank enter, escorted by a battalion of Bio-Mechs. A holographic Dread appears and gloats that Power has been so easily lured into his grasp. Williamson explains to Power that 'Haven' only survives because he has cooperated with Dread.
The stalemate doesn't last for long and thanks to a distraction by Tank, the team manage to power up and overpower the Bio-Mechs. Dread is unfazed and sends in his newest weapon, Blastarr, whom the team has yet to encounter. Informed by Tank of the presence of the barrels and the knowledge that 'Haven' is crawling with troopers, Power decides that Haven must be destroyed. He implores Chelsea to help them and finally she agrees. Chelsea orders the evacuation of Haven, and the team split up with Tank and Chelsea proceed overload the geothermal plants by sabotaging them, and the rest to deal with the troopers.
Blastarr arrives as the troopers are being defeated. Williamson scrambles to Blastarr to implore him to save 'Haven' but Blastarr digitises him instead.Power attempts to subdued Blastarr but everything he throws at the Bio-Dread seems to have no effect. As the warning sounds of the imminent explosion, Power beats a hasty retreat. Blastarr follows them through the caves to the emergency exit ladder where a it requires a combination of Haven's exploding geothermal plants and the team's grenades to stop Blastarr.
Outside, the survivors of Haven are loaded onto the Junkship. Chelsea and Scout share a fond farewell while Tank hands to Pilot the plague with the inscription from the Bible which they both admired. He had removed it from the wall on his way out from Haven.Hawk and Power watch the explosions continue from the overloading geothermal plants and Hawk wonders if they have managed to stop Blastarr. Power shakes his head but remarks that perhaps they have, but only for awhile. Power is right as the episode concludes with Blastarr, roaring frustration amidst the flames of Haven.
Comment:
This is the only 'Scout' episode we see and even then, it's a rather weak episode for a character. Perhaps the writers felt that since Hawk had his little romance of the season, Pilot and Power had each other, they had to write something in for Scout. It's not a very effective romance episode for Scout and he only has one short scene together with Chelsea which does not further the romance in any way [if, it can be called a romance - it had a slightly desperate feel to it] even if Chelsea and Scout are holding hands. Maybe the viewers were expected to assume that things were happening behind the scenes while we focused on the main 'Dread-traps-Power' plot.
The episode tries to do too much and spreads too thinly amongst the characters so no character really gains any development. There are some curious plot shortcomings - for example, surely having been ambushed at the entrance to the cave, Power would be suspicious. After all, why were the troopers conveniently there at the same spot? And yet he still chose to enter the caves.I'm surprised he didn't yell 'It's a set up'.The Japanese touch was nicely done though why is it that there's always ONE episode in sci-fi which has Japanese cultural referances?
Steigers: The title, "And Study War No More," may seem a bit cryptic. However, it is indicative of the attention to detail and thoughtfulness of the writers who created the Captain Power Universe. In Isaiah's time when that book of the Bible was written, a pseudo-similar world crisis was occurring. Isaiah's nation was also being threatened, yet men went around drunk; women cared more about their clothes than about their neighbors' hunger, etc. The Israelites of Isaiah's time also contemplated choosing an (evil) empire as an ally. Isaiah's words were strong for their time and he often stood alone in his desire to change things (like Captain Power) fighting against a tide of optimism (the Haven rationale). Isaiah was killed by a King who sawed Isaiah's body in half. But who remembers King Manasseh? Isaiah endures as one of the great authors of all time. Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword.
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