Star Trek Low end

[KSW]

Ok, my bad. I didn't mean the nuke.

I was under the impression that the invasion of Zeon was already underway, en route to Zeon, and that the Enterprise could only stop it by destroying the Elkosian invasion-ship.
Now I see that they were only planning the invasion, but hadn't actually launched it yet.

(I hadn't seen the episode in long time!)

Now I realize that Gill was trying to bring peace, not recall a ship.

Likewise, Kirk had to respect the Prime Directive, so he couldn't use the Enterprise's technology (though for some reason they could use it in "A Piece of the Action" despite that they were only 1920's gangsters not 1950-tech Nazis!).

[Mike DiCenso]

You're talking about two entirely different circumstances. I was refering to the nuke missile fired at the Enterprise in the opening teaser. And yes, Gill does recall a space fleet, not just a single ship:

GILL: We were betrayed by a self-seeking adventurer who has led us all to the very

brink of disaster. I order the immediate recall of the space fleet. This attack must stop. All units are to return to base. To Zeon I promise, this was not an aggression of Ekosian people. Only one evil man. Melakon Is a traitor to his own people and all that we stand for.

The thing is, without Gill's advanced technical knowledge, Melakon and Ekos would have still been planet-bound, which is why Kirk reacted to seeing the missile the way he did in the episode's begining.
-Mike

[Lucky]

The Claim
[quote=""The Dauphin," "] "DATA: Sir, sensors indicate the communication originated from a terawatt source on the planet.
RIKER: That's more power than our entire ship can generate.

DATA: It is what is needed to penetrate the atmosphere." [/quote]The claim is that the Enterprise can't generate even one terawatt.

What is ignored
[quote=""The Dauphin," "] [Engineering]

LAFORGE: Bridge, this is Engineering. 

PICARD [OC]: Yes, Lieutenant. 

LAFORGE: Now that we're out of warp, I'd like to use this time to make some routine adjustments on the deuterium control conduit. We're overdue.

[Bridge]

PICARD: How much time will these adjustments require, Lieutenant? 

LAFORGE [OC]: A couple of hours, sir. 

RIKER: Proceed, Lieutenant La Forge. Standard orbit, Ensign. [/quote]At the start of the episode Engineering starts working on parts of the reactors. Deuterium is used in the fusion reactors, and Warp Core as a reactant. They may have had to possibly shut down most of their reactors.
[quote=""Silent Enemy "] REED: This, ladies and gentlemen is a phase-modulated energy weapon. It's rated for a maximum power output of five hundred gigajoules. Enterprise was designed to carry three of them. We have one, and it's only a prototype. [/quote][quote=""Silent Enemy "] TUCKER: Have you still got those guns of yours hooked up to the impulse engines? 

REED: I'm just disconnecting them now. 

TUCKER: Hang on a minute. You're sure this'll work? 

REED: Yes, Commander, I am. 

TUCKER: Then based on the recommendation of the Armoury officer, the Chief Engineer finds the level of risk acceptable. 

REED: In that case, if the Chief Engineer wouldn't mind getting his hands dirty, I could use some help. [/quote][quote=""Silent Enemy "] REED: Check the cannons. Be careful down there. The blast yield was ten times what we expected. 

ARCHER [OC]: What happened? 

REED: Something overloaded the phase modulators. [/quote] The Impulse engines of the under powered NX-01 can generate more then one terawatt.

Logically Riker is either talking about what the Enterprise-D can do while being ajustments, or he is talking about the communication system.

They beam down later so the E-D has systems that can reach the surface.