Jeffrey Combs is back and he's bluer than ever in "Proving Ground," the 13th episode of Season 3 which completes the first half of the production year.

Combs dons the white hair, blue face and remote-controlled antennae for the fourth time as "Shran," a commander in the Andorian Imperial Guard who's had a roller-coaster relationship with the pinkskin Captain Archer. That relationship is furthered in "Proving Ground," written by co-executive producer Chris Black, which sees Shran bring his Andorian ship into the Delphic Expanse and catch up with Enterprise (thanks to their considerably faster warp engines). In a show of moral superiority to the Vulcans, Shran tells Archer he's there to help an ally, and together the two ships locate a system where the Xindi are testing their new planet-destroyer.

Completion of this episode last Friday marks the halfway point of the season, with 13 episodes shot in 19 weeks. This schedule began Thursday, October 30, and ran for seven days, taking place entirely inside the three Paramount soundstages the show normally occupies. The first day was devoted to Xindi Council Chamber scenes, putting several recurring Xindi characters — first established in "The Xindi" — back into their costumes and makeup. That included Randy Oglesby as "Degra" and Tucker Smallwood as another Xindi-Humanoid (or "Xindi-Primate" per "The Shipment"), Scott MacDonald as the Xindi-Reptilian council member and Rick Worthy as the Xindi-Sloth. Then on Halloween day, the Andorians started walking around (but without trick-or-treat bags, darn it). One was a tall, striking woman with flowing white hair named "Talas," played by newcomer Molly Brink, who forms an uneasy collaboration with Malcolm Reed. There was also an "Andorian General," played by Ted Sutton, doing shots against a simple background which will be used in later scenes on a monitor.

Combs reported to the set on Monday for the entire week. He participated in scenes on the NX-01 Bridge, Captain's Mess, Command Center and Ready Room. He also got to sit in his own Captain's Chair, in our first look at the inside of an Andorian ship. Those swing sets consisted of the Andorian Bridge and Shran's Ready Room. Besides Talas, there were three other (non-speaking) Andorian crewmen occupying the Bridge. Also present, off-camera, were two "puppeteers" controlling the movements of the Andorian antennae by remote. (Andorian actors have small electronic units planted on the back of their heads under their hairpieces.)

Oglesby returned at the end of the schedule to do more scenes in Degra's Ship, where the character runs the weapon tests. Other sets used included the Mess Hall, Engineering and the Armory, the latter having sparks work and other general mayhem at play.

Post-production visual effects work will include the Andorian ship, Xindi ships, the Xindi test weapon, more anomaly wave distortions and more spectacular explosions.

This segment is directed by David Livingston, one of Trek's most accomplished directors. It's his second episode of the season, after "Impulse," and tenth overall for Enterprise. Black last wrote the well-received "The Shipment," and has numerous prior writing credits on the show. And of course, you know Combs as one of the most versatile and interesting actors in Star Trek annals, having played "Weyoun," "Brunt" and other characters including "Krem" in "Acquisition."

"Proving Ground" is tentatively scheduled to air January 21 on UPN. More information about this show can be found at its Episode Detail page.

Please note: All production, story and scheduling information is subject to change.