Enterprise Episode Guide
SEASON THREE
(2153)
#53 “THE XINDI”
Directed by Allan Kroeker
Written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Guest Cast:
Steven Culp as Major Hayes
Richard Lineback as Kessick
Stephen McHattie as Alien Foreman
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Scott MacDonald as Xindi-Reptilian
Marco Sanchez as Corporal Romero
Daniel Dae Kim as Corporal Chang
Nathan Anderson as Sergeant Kemper
Chris Freeman as Alien Head Guard
Adam Taylor Gordon as Young Trip
Airdate 09.10.03
Six weeks into the Delphic Expanse, Captain Archer and his crew are still searching for clues regarding the mysterious Xindi. They're also adjusting to the newest members of the crew, a squad of Military Assault Command Operation soldiers (MACOs), led by Major Hayes. The crew learns of a Xindi working at a mining complex, and set out to track him down. Once they reach the complex, Archer and Reed head down to the grimy mine and meet with the alien Foreman. The Foreman offers a severed finger that he claims belongs to the Xindi worker. In exchange for a meeting with the worker, the Foreman demands a half liter of liquefied platinum. Back onboard, Phlox analyzes the finger and confirms that it is from a Xindi — however, it bears some intriguing variations from the Xindi corpse that was recovered on Earth. The corpse, Phlox explains, was reptilian. The finger is not.
Meanwhile, Trip labors to strip some of
Back on Enterprise, T'Pol is contacted by the Foreman, who informs him that Archer and Trip have been delayed. Suspicious, T'Pol orders Reed to devise a plan to recover the two officers, and to have Major Hayes assist him. Hayes and Reed clash, however, when the major suggests that Reed's team is too valuable to put in the line of fire, and that the MACOs should handle the mission instead. Reed is irritated, but finally agrees. Still, he insists on leading the mission himself.
Meanwhile, Kessick leads Archer and Reed through a sewage tunnel to a plasma duct. As the three men climb through the plasma duct, the Xindi reveals more about his people, telling Archer that there are five distinct species, all in conflict with one another. Unfortunately, the Foreman is wise to Archer's escape attempt, and orders the plasma re-routed through the duct. Archer, Trip and Kessick struggle to reach the closest maintenance hatch — but once they do, the guards are waiting for them. Kessick tries to pretend that he is an innocent prisoner of Archer, but the guards drag all three men to the Foreman, who orders them killed. Suddenly, Reed and the MACOs burst onto the scene, intent on rescuing Archer and Trip. An intense fire fight ensues, and Kessick is hit and knocked unconscious. Everyone manages to make it back to the shuttlepods and return safely to Enterprise. Just as the warships are about to catch up with it, Enterprise jumps to warp. With everyone back onboard, Phlox attempts to treat the wounded Kessick, but the Xindi is badly hurt and dies. With his dying breath, he gives Phlox the Xindi homeworld coordinates to pass on to Archer.
Meanwhile, Trip is having trouble sleeping, and has been having recurring nightmares about the death of his sister. Phlox recommends that T'Pol try treating the commander with Vulcan neuro-pressure, a somewhat intimate method that is supposed to be highly effective. After much urging, Trip finally submits to the treatment, and is surprised to find that it works very well.
Unbeknownst to the crew, the Xindi council is monitoring their actions and some factions believe that Enterprise is only the first ship of an Earth invasion. The Xindi-Insectoids wants to destroy Enterprise, but the Xindi-Humanoids believe that it is best to keep hidden until the new weapon is complete. Also locked in conflict are the other factions of the species: Xindi-Sloths, Xindi-Reptilians and Xindi-Aquatics.
Once Enterprise reaches the coordinates of the Xindi homeworld, the crew is surprised to find that there is only a large field of debris — the remains of a planet. The world has been gone for over a hundred years. T'Pol deduces that the new weapon must be being developed in the same location as the probe that attacked Earth. Considering this, Archer orders Mayweather to take them deeper into the Expanse.
#54 “ANOMALY”
Directed by David Straiton
Written by Mike Sussman
Guest Cast:
Robert Rusler as Orgoth
Nathan Anderson as Sergeant Kemper
Julia Rose as McKenzie
Sean McGowan as Corporal Hawkins
Kenneth A. White as Engineering Crewman
Ryan Honey as Guard
Ken Lally as Security Guard
Airdate 09.17.03
As Enterprise ventures deep into the Expanse, the ship is rocked by inexplicable, destructive spatial anomalies that distort the laws of physics. The anomalies take most of the ship's primary systems off-line, leaving Enterprise without weapons or warp capabilities.
Meanwhile, Mayweather notices that there is a ship nearby, adrift in space. No bio-signs are detected, so Archer, Reed and several of the MACOs take a shuttlepod to the derelict ship in order to ascertain what happened to the aliens onboard. The alien crewmembers are all dead, their corpses floating through the air. Further study reveals that most of them died when life support ran out, but some of them were killed by particle weapons. Concerned that whoever attacked the alien ship could come after Enterprise, Archer orders Mayweather to resume course — the crew will have to make repairs on the move.
As Trip struggles to create a stable warp field, another vessel approaches Enterprise and a group of alien marauders beam onboard, stealing weapons, food and precious supplies. Trip, Reed and other crewmembers manage to fend them off, but one crewman is killed in the chaos. The aliens also leave behind one of their own, an individual named Orgoth. Phlox recognizes him as an Osaarian, a species not originally from the Expanse. Archer hopes to track the Osaarian ship and recover the stolen items, but the Osaarians have masked their ion trail. Archer, however, is determined to find them.
Hoping to glean more information, Archer confronts Orgoth, now imprisoned in the brig. Orgoth won't reveal much — he's more interested in observing Archer, and notes that the captain seems quite "civilized" and "moral," and that he must be new to the Expanse. Orgoth explains that his people were forced to resort to desperate measures because of the conditions in this perilous region of space. The Osaarians entered the Expanse as merchant ships looking for new trade routes. After the first wave of anomalies hit them, they wanted to return home, but were unable to because of the thermobaric clouds around the perimeter. One of the Osaarian ships was destroyed attempting to exit the Expanse — the other one turned to piracy. Orgoth adds that he doesn't see Archer as someone who is ready to kill or torture just yet. Archer claims that he's willing to do anything to find the Osaarian ship.
Using data recovered from the derelict ship, Enterprise is able to track the Osaarian vessel. As the crew follows the trail, they suddenly find themselves in the middle of a bizarre cloaking field, which wracks the ship with distortion waves. As they emerge on the other end of it, they find a large sphere constructed out of a single alloy. Archer and several crewmembers take a shuttlepod into the sphere and discover a series of habitat modules containing most of the goods stolen from Enterprise. The crew also finds a cargo manifest. Upon translating the manifest, Hoshi learns that the Osaarians recently attacked a Xindi ship.
Intrigued, Archer once again confronts Orgoth, demanding to know everything the Osaarians have learned about these mysterious aliens. Orgoth claims not to know anything, but Archer isn't ready to let him off the hook. The captain drags the Osaarian to an airlock hatch, locking him in and initiating the decompression cycle. Realizing that the captain is willing to kill for this information, Orgoth finally relents, revealing that the Osaarians took more than food and supplies from the Xindi — they downloaded the Xindi database. Orgoth also provides the access codes to the Osaarians' main computer.
With Enterprise's systems back online, Archer prepares to engage the Osaarian ship. As the two vessels battle it out in a fire fight, Mayweather maneuvers Enterprise close enough for Hoshi to access the Osaarians' computer. She manages to download the bulk of the Xindi database and Enterprise successfully defeats the Osaarian vessel. Since Orgoth assisted the crew, Archer sends him back to the Osaarians. Orgoth, however, cannot help but taunt Archer as he leaves, noting that mercy will not serve the captain well in the Expanse.
Having gained a wealth of new information on the Xindi, Archer settles in, preparing to study it all. The search for these mysterious aliens continues...
#55 “EXTINCTION”
Directed by LeVar Burton
Written by Andre Bormanis
Airdate 09.24.03
Guest Cast:
Roger Cross as Tret
Daniel Dae Kim as Corporal Chang
Troy Mittleider as Palmer
Philip Boyd as Com Officer
Brian J. Williams as Alien Decon Agent
In scanning the Xindi database obtained from the marauder ship, Captain Archer manages to discern that the Xindi recently visited a nearby planet, and plans to see if it will provide any more clues regarding the mysterious species.
Once there, Archer, T'Pol, Hoshi and Reed head down to
explore the jungle-like world. They discover a Xindi landing pod, which appears
to be damaged by weapons fire. They also find some alien remains, though they
don't appear to be Xindi. As the four officers continue to explore, strange
changes begin to take place. T'Pol, separated from the others, notices that she
is developing bizarre alien characteristics. She goes in search of the others,
and finds that they have completely mutated into alien beings — they don't seem
to recognize her and are speaking in a strange language. T'Pol manages to communicate
briefly with
T'Pol nabs Hoshi's universal translator and uses it to
communicate with the others. The alien Archer, Reed and Hoshi all seem intent
on returning to their homeland, which they call Urquat. T'Pol tries to convince
them to return to
Back on
Before Trip can ponder this much further,
Down on the Loque'eque planet, Archer has a dream about
Urquat. With renewed passion, he attempts to find this place, claiming that it
is underground. He leads T'Pol and the alien Hoshi to some underground tunnels
... but once they reach what is supposed to be Urquat, all they find is ruins,
a devastated civilization that obviously hasn't been inhabited for many years.
Suddenly, they hear Tret's men approaching. They manage to escape to the
surface, but more of Tret's officers are waiting for them. Luckily, Trip and
the MACOs arrive just in time to save them, and take them back to
Tret's ships fire on
#56 “RAJIIN”
Directed by Mike Vejar
Teleplay By: Brent V. Friedman and Chris Black
Story By: Paul Brown and Brent V. Friedman
Guest Cast:
Nikita Ager as Rajiin
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Scott MacDonald as Xindi-Reptilian
Steve Larson as Zjod
Dell Yount as B'Rat Ud
B.K. Kennelly as Alien Merchant
Ken Lally as Security Guard
Airdate 10.01.03
As
Meanwhile, the crew of
Back on Enterprise, Archer tells the woman that Enterprise can return her to her home planet. The woman, who is called Rajiin, expresses her gratitude. Though she seems sincere, Rajiin also appears to have a few secrets. She visits Archer one night in his quarters, and he finds himself inexplicably mesmerized by her. As she seduces him, Rajiin runs her hands over his face and body, illuminating his physiology and anatomy — she appears to be taking some sort of scan. When she's finished, Archer snaps out of his trance and appears to have no memory of what has just occurred.
While Rajiin explores the ship, T'Pol and Trip attempt to synthesize trellium-D using the recipe from the chemist. In its liquid form, trellium-D is extremely volatile, so the duo has to be careful to follow the protocols exactly. Their first attempt ends with an explosion, so T'Pol suggests they get some rest before going back to work. Back in her quarters, T'Pol is surprised to find Rajiin, who performs the same strange scans that she performed on Archer. As she has a highly disciplined Vulcan mind, T'Pol is able to resist somewhat, and Trip shows up just in time to save her. Rajiin escapes and attempts to transport off the ship, but Archer catches her and sends her to the brig. Archer interrogates her, but Rajiin will only say that he is in danger and she does not want to see him harmed.
Just then, Reed alerts Archer to two Xindi-Reptilian vessels approaching. Archer deduces that they were the ones who sent Rajiin, and she insists that she had no choice. As the Xindi-Reptilians prepare to board Enterprise, Rajiin finally breaks down and tells Archer that she was sent to collect information about the humans for a bio-weapon the Xindi are building. A Xindi boarding party, consisting of both Reptilians and Insectoids, engages in battle with the Enterprise crew, who do their best to fend them off. Amidst the chaos, the Xindi take Rajiin back to their ship and one of the Xindi-Reptilians dies and is left behind. Archer attempts to pursue the Xindi ships, but they disappear into some kind of vortex. Frustrated, Archer can only order an analysis of the Xindi-Reptilian corpse and all the other data that's been gathered.
When the Xindi convene again, the other factions are furious with the Reptilians and Insectoids for their renegade actions. The Reptilians bring in Rajiin, who is able to provide the council with the biometric scans she took on Enterprise. With this new information, the Xindi now have the information they need to construct a deadly bio-weapon.
#57 “IMPULSE”
Directed by David Livingston
Teleplay By: Jonathan Fernandez
Story By: Jonathan Fernandez & Terry Matalas
Guest Cast:
Sean McGowan as Hawkins
Airdate 10.08.03
Enterprise picks up a distress call from a Vulcan ship, the Seleya, which T'Pol recognizes as a ship she once served on. The ship is located in a somewhat treacherous asteroid field — the asteroids are moving in a chaotic, unpredictable pattern due to the Expanse's spatial anomalies.
Archer, Reed, T'Pol and Corporal Hawkins set out for the ship in a shuttlepod and are encouraged when there appear to be bio-signs onboard. Once they board the Seleya, however, it appears eerily deserted. Apparently, the Vulcans were attempting to line the ship with trellium, but didn't get very far. As the team continues to explore the ship, they are surprised by several homicidal, zombie-like Vulcans who attack them. The crew manages to fend them off, but the strangely altered Vulcans block them from the airlock, cutting off their escape route to the shuttlepod. What's worse, T'Pol seems to be suffering from the same symptoms as the crew of the Seleya.
Meanwhile, Trip and Mayweather are attempting to mine some of the asteroids for trellium ore, which they can use to protect Enterprise from the spatial anomalies. They start by beaming aboard various debris and then decide to take a shuttlepod to one of the larger asteroids. While attempting to collect the trellium, they are nearly crushed by a massive asteroid and barely manage to escape with their lives. The shuttlepod also takes some damage, and the two officers pilot it back to Enterprise for repairs.
On the Seleya, T'Pol's condition continues to deteriorate — she is becoming paranoid and is having a difficult time controlling her emotions. Once the team reaches an auxiliary control room, Archer contacts Enterprise and tells Trip to initiate a rescue attempt. Archer also transmits some scans of the altered Vulcans back to Phlox, hoping for some clue as to what caused their condition. T'Pol and Reed, meanwhile, work to gain control of the ship and un-block the path back to their shuttlepod. T'Pol, however, is becoming more emotional and paranoid by the second, and even accuses Archer of trying to kill all of the Vulcans onboard. She pulls a phase-pistol on him, but he manages to wrestle it away from her.
On Enterprise, Phlox is getting some idea as to why the Vulcans on the Seleya have become violent. Apparently, trellium-D is a potent neuro-toxin to the Vulcan nervous system and causes them to lose control of their emotions. Phlox contacts Archer and tells the captain that he can still treat T'Pol, but he needs to start as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the other Vulcans have been exposed for too long — their neurological damage is irreversible.
Suddenly, the com system on the Seleya is shut down — the altered Vulcans have turned it off and are now flooding the auxiliary control room with hexaflourine. Luckily, the officers manage to escape, but T'Pol is now completely delusional and resisting Archer every step of the way. Archer and the others make a break for the shuttlepod, fending off murderous Vulcans along the way and crossing a treacherous chasm in order to reach their ship. Archer finally stuns T'Pol with his phase-pistol, carrying her the rest of the way. Once the team reaches the shuttlepod, they are unable to release the docking clamps. Luckily, Trip arrives in Shuttlepod Two, and blasts apart the clamps, freeing the other pod. The two shuttlepods manage to escape just as the Seleya explodes. Back on Enterprise Phlox treats T'Pol successfully. When she realizes that trellium was the source of her condition, she tells Archer to leave her on the next hospitable planet and continue his mission. Archer, however, refuses — he asks Trip to store the trellium they've collected in a bio-hazard locker and informs T'Pol that he won't leave any of his crew behind.
#58 “EXILE”
Directed by Roxann Dawson
Written by Phyllis Strong
Guest Cast:
Maury Sterling as Tarquin
Philip Boyd as Com Officer
Airdate 10.15.03
Hoshi is in her quarters one night when she hears whispering and spies a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows. She alerts Reed, but when she turns back to the figure, it has disappeared. Reed scans for intruders, but nothing turns up. Later, as Hoshi attempts to translate some of the Xindi database, she once again hears voices and sees the mysterious figure. She also has a vision of being in a strange alien sanctuary. Alarmed, Hoshi visits Phlox, who examines her but doesn't find anything out of the ordinary. As they talk, the mysterious alien presence once again visits Hoshi — in the form of Phlox. He tells her that he's been studying her mind for several days and that he has a form of telepathy that only works in rare instances. He also tells her that he knows Enterprise is on an urgent mission and would like to talk to her about it.
Meanwhile, T'Pol has been studying the locations where Enterprise has encountered spatial anomalies, as well as the sensor logs from the Xindi ship. Her analysis implies that there is another sphere just like the one Enterprise encountered previously. Both spheres emit gravimetric waves — the anomalies occur where the waves intersect. Archer realizes that Enterprise may be able to use this information to predict where they will run into the anomalies. In order to do this, they need precise measurements of the second sphere's gravimetric fields, so Archer sets a course for its location.
Later, Hoshi confers with Archer about her encounters with the alien presence. She tells him that the alien is willing to use his abilities to help the crew find the Xindi. She believes he's sincere, but Archer is skeptical. Still, the captain agrees to take a slight detour and visit this mysterious alien's homeworld. Once Enterprise arrives, Archer, Hoshi and Reed head down to the surface. They are a bit unnerved when they see that the alien, Tarquin, appears to be the only inhabitant of the planet. Tarquin believes he can aid in finding the Xindi and the weapon they're building, but he will need an object associated with them. He also has one condition: he wants Hoshi to stay with him while he's working. Archer is reluctant, but Hoshi agrees to the terms.
Archer brings back the piece of debris from the Xindi probe for Tarquin to study. Tarquin uses this — along with a small, sphere-shaped object that allows him to extend the range of his telepathy — to gather information on the Xindi. As he works on this for the next few days, he attempts to endear himself to Hoshi. He serves her favorite foods, gives her a book written in a dead alien language and even shows her how to use the telepathic amplifier. He also notes that he has learned much about Hoshi from studying her memories, and believes they have much in common. Mostly, they are both familiar with solitude. Tarquin reveals that he is one of the few telepaths among his people, and was therefore sent to live out his life in exile. Hoshi is touched, but can't help but feel uneasy about Tarquin's intense focus on her
Meanwhile, Enterprise has reached the location of the second sphere and is being hit by a wave of anomalies. These anomalies are much stronger than the ones Enterprise encountered before and threaten to tear the ship apart. Archer tells Trip to insulate a shuttlepod with trellium-D and the two men take it in closer to the sphere. The shuttlepod experiences quite a jolt as it passes through the cloaking barrier, however, and the sensor relays are damaged, forcing Archer and Trip to land on the sphere to make repairs. They encounter more difficulties when Trip accidentally triggers the propulsion system, causing the shuttlepod to lift off by itself. The two men manage to shoot it down and get all the scans they originally came for.
Back at Tarquin's sanctuary, Hoshi wanders the grounds, exploring. She is surprised to discover a small group of graves. Upon finding her outside, Tarquin angrily confronts her, but she demands to know who is buried on his grounds. Tarquin reveals that these were his former companions. He sought them out just as he sought out Hoshi, and they lived in solitude with him, one after the other. Tarquin, however, has a very long lifespan, and is destined to outlive anyone he might bring into his realm. Hoshi says she is grateful for his help, but she has no desire to become his next companion. Tarquin persists, saying that no one can understand her the way he can, but Hoshi remains unmoved.
Later, Archer arrives on the planet to collect Hoshi. Hoshi is eager to return to Enterprise, and happily greets Archer when he arrives. The captain says that Tarquin was able to give them a lot of information on the Xindi weapon, and has offered to keep supplying them with data. There is, however, one condition — Hoshi must stay with him while he continues his work. Archer asks Hoshi to consider his request. She's about to relent, but suddenly realizes that Archer is actually Tarquin appearing to her as the captain. Hoshi confronts him, but Tarquin gives her an ultimatum — stay, or he will use his telepathic powers to destroy Enterprise. Hoshi responds by making her own threat. Seizing his telepathic amplifier, she threatens to destroy it if he doesn't allow her to return to Enterprise. Tarquin realizes that without the amplifier, he won't ever be able to find another companion once he out-lives Hoshi. Defeated, he allows her to go.
Back on Enterprise, Archer and T'Pol are analyzing the data collected from the second sphere. They are surprised to learn that the locations of the anomalies don't necessarily correspond with the two spheres. Thus, there must be more than two. In fact, T'Pol deduces that there must be at least fifty. Perplexed, Archer wonders if whoever built these spheres did so to create the Expanse.
As for Hoshi, she is contacted one last time by Tarquin. He promises that it is the last time and gives her the information he collected regarding the Xindi — a set of coordinates for a Xindi colony, where the species is building part of the weapon.
#59 “THE SHIPMENT”
Directed by David Straiton
Written by Chris Black & Brent V. Friedman
Guest Cast:
Steven Culp as Major Hayes
John Cothran Jr. as Gralik
Randy Oglesby as Degra
John Eddins as Xindi-Reptilian
Jack Alsted as Sloth #2
Sam Witwer as Sloth #3
Airdate 10.29.03
On a tip from Hoshi's telepathic admirer, Tarquin, Archer and the crew head to a nearby planet, hoping to learn more about the mysterious Xindi weapon. Archer, Reed and Major Hayes embark on a reconnaissance mission and discover that the sparsely-populated planet is home to an elaborate Xindi-Sloth manufacturing plant producing canisters of a substance called kemocite. The team manages to swipe one of the canisters, which is then transported onboard Enterprise for analysis. Unbeknownst to the Enterprise crew, Degra, one of the Xindi-Humanoids, is close to testing the weapon and needs only one more shipment of kemocite to do so.
Archer and the others manage to track down Gralik, the Xindi-Sloth in charge of the plant. Gralik answers Archer's questions about kemocite, but claims not to know about the Xindi weapon. Meanwhile, T'Pol has identified the imprint on the canister — it matches the signature of the Xindi probe that attacked Earth. Also, Trip has found the same imprint on a Xindi-Reptilian rifle and asks permission to take it apart for further investigation. Archer agrees and tells Reed to prepare to destroy the kemocite plant.
Archer confronts Gralik again, this time showing him the fragment of the Xindi probe and explaining that it killed seven million people on Earth. Upon examining the probe further, Gralik notes that the kemocite used in the probe definitely came from his facility. Sadly, Gralik realizes that Archer is telling the truth — Degra is using the current shipments of kemocite to build a larger, more deadly weapon. He reveals to Archer that there used to be a sixth species of Xindi — the Avians — but they were killed off during the same war that destroyed the Xindi homeworld. The other five species are scattered across the Expanse. Most of them, says Gralik, live peaceful lives — but obviously not all.
Meanwhile, on Enterprise, Trip and Phlox run tests on the Xindi rifle. Trip's scans show that the rifle has organic compounds — a pair of worm-like components with reproductive capabilities. Phlox notes that the worms' neural pathways modulate the rifle's power — an extremely sophisticated example of bio-mechanical engineering. Phlox attempts to break down the creatures' immune systems, eventually succeeding by using delta radiation. Trip notes that portable EM emitters might be able to knock out these Xindi rifles, giving the crew better defensive capabilities in the event of an attack. Trip and Phlox decide to test this theory out, even though T'Pol cautions that it might be dangerous. When they attempt to fire the weapon, however, it begins overloading and triggers a countdown — it's booby-trapped. Luckily, Trip manages to transport the rifle off the ship before it explodes.
Back on the planet, T'Pol alerts Archer to an approaching vessel. It's the Xindi-Reptilian ship that previously attacked Enterprise. Degra and his Reptilian cohorts have arrived ahead of schedule for their shipment of kemocite. Gralik offers to speak with Degra and obtain information for Archer — he's upset that his work is being used to build such destructive weapons. Archer, however, isn't sure if he can trust Gralik. In the meantime, Degra and the others have noticed that Gralik is missing, and send bio-mechanical drones known as Seekers to search for him. After out-running the Seekers, Archer and the others take cover in some nearby caves. Archer tells Gralik that he doesn't wish to harm the people of the colony, who had nothing to do with the attack on Earth. The captain finally decides he can trust Gralik, and devises a plan.
While Gralik stalls for time by running more tests on the kemocite shipment, Archer has the canister of kemocite that was sent up to Enterprise beamed back down to the planet. He then sneaks into the Xindi shuttle and replaces one of the canisters onboard with the one from Enterprise. Now, Enterprise will be able to track the canister ... and the Xindi.
After Degra leaves, Archer visits Gralik to say good-bye, and warns that Degra will eventually discover that the kemocite was sabotaged. Gralik, however, only hopes that he has delayed progress on the weapon and wishes Archer success in the mission. He also hopes that the captain will remember that not all Xindi are the enemy.
#60 “TWILIGHT”
Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill
Written by Michael Sussman
Guest Cast:
Gary Graham as Soval
Brett Rickaby as Yedrin Koss
Richard Anthony Crenna as Security Guard
Airdate 11.05.03
Twelve years in the future, Archer finds himself living in a modest home on a desolate planet with T'Pol as his caregiver. The last thing he remembers is walking down a corridor on his way to the Bridge. T'Pol explains that an anomaly hit the ship, and Archer knocked her out of the way of a distortion wave just in time. The wave rendered him unconscious, and when he awoke, Phlox had troubling news: Archer was infected with several clusters of parasites, which prevented him from forming long-term memories. Over the next few months, Phlox searched for a cure, but was unsuccessful — the organisms are from a domain outside of normal space-time, and none of his treatments had any effect. Meanwhile, T'Pol was granted a field commission and promoted to captain. After several months of searching, the crew learned where the Xindi weapon was being constructed — but the Xindi caught wind of it and sent ships to intercept Enterprise. The ensuing battle left Enterprise heavily damaged, and though the crew eventually located the facility where the weapon was being constructed, it had already been launched. Earth was destroyed. T'Pol relates to Archer that the Xindi also managed to destroy every human outpost they could find — only 6,000 humans are left.
After this devastating turn of events, a planet was located for the survivors. T'Pol resigned from Enterprise and went to live there as Archer's caregiver, leaving Trip in command. T'Pol tells Archer that Enterprise is currently in orbit of the planet, patrolling the system. As Archer takes all of this in, he receives a visitor: Phlox. Phlox reveals that he's been on Denobula, researching a cure for Archer's condition. After nearly a decade, he believes that he finally has the technology to destroy the parasites that have crippled Archer. He explains that the procedure requires a great deal of energy, which can only be provided a warp-capable starship: Enterprise.
Onboard the battle-scarred ship, Archer experiences an emotional reunion with his former crew. Trip has been in command for nearly a decade, while Reed has just been promoted, and will be taking over the starship Intrepid. After catching up with his old crew, Archer joins T'Pol and Phlox in Engineering, where they prepare for the first step of the operation. After removing the first cluster of parasites, they notice a surprising discrepancy: the parasites have disappeared from all of Phlox's scans, even the ones taken 12 years ago. T'Pol and Phlox realize that if they eliminate all the parasites, they could undo the events of the past 12 years, altering history and possibly saving Earth and humanity.
Unfortunately, Enterprise has other problems: the Xindi have tracked down the humans and are fast approaching. Trip insists that he can't spare any of the ship's power for Archer's operation — he needs it all to fend of the Xindi. T'Pol, however, knows that the key to saving humanity is to eliminate the parasites once and for all. As Enterprise is attacked from all sides, she and Phlox head to Engineering to complete the operation. Unfortunately, their equipment has been damaged in the battle. Archer, however, remembers Phlox saying that the parasites could be destroyed by a subspace implosion and suggests they try to create one. T'Pol notes that they will need to overload three plasma injectors to do so. It will destroy the ship, but it may be their only shot. As the trio works to create the implosion, the Xindi board Enterprise and continue to attack. Phlox and T'Pol are both killed, but Archer manages to ignite the implosion. As Enterprise erupts in a massive antimatter annihilation, Archer and the rest of the crew suddenly find themselves 12 years in the past with no memories of what has transpired. The parasites have been eliminated — Archer has been injured by the distortion wave, but will recover. T'Pol visits Archer in Sickbay and chastises him for putting himself in danger in order to save her. Still, the captain can see that she's grateful. As she leaves, Archer can't help but tell her — half-jokingly — that she would make a great nurse.
#61 “NORTH STAR”
Directed by David Straiton
Written by David A. Goodman
Guest Cast:
Emily Bergl as Bethany
Glenn Morshower as Sheriff MacReady
James Parks as Deputy Bennings
Paul Rae as Bartender
Steven Klein as Draysik
Gary Bristow as Stablehand
Mike Watson as Skagaran
Alexandria M. Salling as Skagaran Girl
Jon Baron as Skagaran Boy
Jeff Eith as Cowboy #1
Cliff McLaughlin as Cowboy #2
Tom Dupont as Cowboy #3
Dorenda Moore as MACO #1
Kevin Derr as MACO #2
Airdate 11.12.03
The crew of the Enterprise discovers about 6,000 humans on a Delphic Expanse planet living in settlements that are similar to those of the Old West. Archer, T'Pol and Trip disguise themselves and head down to observe, hoping to learn how these settlements came to be. Reporting from Enterprise, Reed notes that scans indicate that there's also a nearby settlement of aliens.
Observing the town, Archer manages to learn that there's long-standing animosity between the humans and the aliens, the Skagarans (called "Skags" by the humans). In particular, the malicious Deputy Bennings seems to be set on persecuting the "Skags" any way he can. For their part, the Skagarans are treated like slaves by the humans. Archer befriends the local schoolteacher, Bethany, who seems to be the only human with compassion for the Skagarans. In fact, she is secretly teaching Skagaran children at night, even though it's illegal. Intrigued, Archer accompanies her to one of her lessons. Meanwhile, T'Pol and Trip have discovered what appears to be the remains of a spacecraft. They retrieve some data chips from the wreckage and head back to Enterprise to analyze them.
As Archer observes Bethany's lesson, she is suddenly interrupted by Bennings and his men. The deputy followed Bethany and the captain to the Skagaran settlement, and now he's prepared to arrest them for teaching the aliens. In jail, Bethany tells Archer more about the planet's history. Three hundred years ago, the Skagarans used their spacecraft to bring humans to the planet, using them as slaves to build new colonies. One man, Cooper Smith, staged a rebellion, burning the Skagaran ship, destroying the Skagaran weapons and killing many of the aliens. Smith eventually wrote laws keeping Skagarans from going to school, owning property and marrying. Now, the Skagarans are essentially slaves.
Bethany's story is interrupted when Archer is summoned by the town sheriff, MacReady. MacReady is a more reasonable man than Bennings, but he believes that protecting the humans means keeping the Skagarans subservient. He tells Archer to leave town. Archer agrees, but first he breaks Bethany out of jail. As they attempt to escape, Bethany is shot and critically wounded, forcing Archer to beam her up to Enterprise with him in front of the confused townspeople.
On Enterprise, Phlox tends to Bethany and makes a startling revelation: she's one quarter Skagaran. Having studied the data chips, Hoshi adds that they confirm Bethany's story. While Archer doesn't want to just leave the humans to this planet, he knows that they can't bring them back to Earth until the Xindi have been dealt with. Determined to come up with a solution, he heads back down to the planet with Reed, T'Pol and a team of MACOs. The townspeople are shocked to see a shuttlepod, but Archer manages to have a peaceful meeting with MacReady. MacReady believes Archer's story and the two men seem to be in agreement. Just as Archer is preparing to take MacReady up to Enterprise, Bennings and his men attack, wounding the sheriff and staging an all-out brawl with the Enterprise crew. Luckily, the crew manages to fend them off and Archer subdues Bennings.
With MacReady ready to make changes to the town, Bethany returns from Enterprise. Using a Starfleet PADD, she teaches all that she's learned from Archer to a classroom of humans and Skagarans.
#62 “SIMILITUDE”
Directed by LeVar Burton
Written by Manny Coto
Guest Cast:
Adam Taylor Gordon as Sim-Trip (Age 8)
Shane Sweet as Sim-Trip (Age 17)
Maximillian Orion Kesmodel as Sim-Trip (Age 4)
Airdate 11.19.03
During a test on the warp engine, Trip is seriously injured and falls into a coma. His heroic actions do save the ship from a breach, but Enterprise sustains damage and is left drifting in a dangerous polaric field. Phlox is concerned that Trip may not survive, and poses one potentially controversial alternative: using one of his creatures, a Lyssarrian Desert Larvae, Phlox could clone Trip with a simbiot, then use its neural tissue for a transplant. The simbiot would have Trip's genetic make-up, but it would grow old and die in a span of 15 days. Archer is uneasy about this plan, but he eventually decides that he has no choice: he must complete his mission and he needs Trip to do so.
Phlox acts as a surrogate father to the simbiot, dubbing him "Sim" and caring for him as the baby quickly matures to a boy, a teenager and an adult over just a few days. Despite having his own life, Sim retains all of Trip's memories. Eventually, Archer has to inform him of his true purpose. Sim seems to take it all in stride, though the strangeness of his situation begins to have an effect on him as he matures into adulthood. As he grows up, Sim finds himself becoming part of the Enterprise crew.
As Phlox and Sim wait for the proper time to perform the operation, Enterprise faces yet another crisis. The ship, still stuck in the polaric field, is covered in nucleonic particles. The particles are continuing to accumulate and are having a negative effect on Enterprise — if the ship remains adrift much longer, every system will soon be off-line. Archer and the others are stumped, but Sim offers a solution: use the two shuttlepods (with some engine modifications) to "tow" Enterprise out of the field.
Archer agrees to Sim's plan, and initiates it from the bridge, with Mayweather and Reed piloting the shuttlecrafts. Just as their systems overload and it seems as if the plan is a failure, the shuttlepods manage to coax Enterprise into moving — Sim's plan is a success. Sim, however, is having some personal difficulties. For one, he has begun to have romantic feelings for T'Pol, and can't figure out if they're his own feelings or Trip's. Also, Phlox has some grim news: Sim will not survive the transplant.
Sim, however, believes that he knows of an experimental enzyme that will enable him to live beyond his 15 day lifespan. Phlox counters that there's no proof that the enzyme works. Besides, if Sim lives, Trip won't. Upset that his life seems to mean so little, Sim attempts to steal a shuttlepod and escape. He decides against it at the last minute, though. He tells Archer that he's realized his purpose in life is to help Trip, thereby helping Enterprise and all of Earth. Before he goes in for the operation, T'Pol bids him farewell, telling him that his absence will affect her and even giving him a good-bye kiss.
After Phlox successfully performs the operation, Archer conducts a funeral service for Sim, noting that the entire crew is grateful for the contributions he made in his short lifetime.
#63 “CARPENTER STREET”
Directed by Mike Vejar
Written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Guest Cast:
Leland Orser as Loomis
Matt Winston as Daniels
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Xindi-Reptilian #1
Michael Childers as Strode
Donna DuPlantier as Prostitute #2
Billy Mayo as Officer #1
Dan Warner as Officer #2
Erin Cummings as Prostitute #1
Airdate 11.26.03
Archer receives a surprise visit
from Daniels, the mysterious time traveling operative who has aided him in the
past. Daniels tells Archer that three Xindi-Reptilians have somehow
traveled back in time 150 years to Detroit, Michigan. He wants to send Archer
and T'Pol back in time to
investigate. He also gives Archer temporal tags to bring back
anything that doesn't belong in the 21st century. After disguising them in
clothing from the proper time period, Archer and T'Pol successfully travel 150
years in the past, arriving at night on a Detroit City street.
Using a hand scanner, they find a car to use and take cash
from an ATM. T'Pol uses her scanner to search for Xindi bio-signs, and the duo
winds up at an abandoned factory on Carpenter Street. T'Pol also notes
that there are several humans in the building. T'Pol and Archer search the
area and detect a neutronic power source. They also observe a man, Loomis, arriving. When he
emerges from the building, Archer and T'Pol follow him to his apartment and
apprehend him.
Loomis assumes they are police officers, so they question
him and manage to learn more about the Xindi operation. Loomis is a blood bank
worker who has been procuring human victims for the Xindi, one for each blood
type. He renders them unconscious and delivers them for a fee. He has
no idea as to the exact nature of his "employers," though, as they
always appear in the shadows. Loomis tells them that he has delivered six of
the eight blood types and only needs two more — B-negative and AB-positive.
Hearing this, Archer devises a plan — he will pose as the B-negative victim.
Loomis agrees, thinking that T'Pol and Archer will cut him a deal for helping
them.
Loomis takes Archer — who is pretending to be unconscious —
to the factory. Once the Xindi take his blood and leave him alone, he explores
the operation and contacts T'Pol with his findings. Their worst suspicions are
confirmed: the Xindi appear to be constructing some kind of bio-weapon using
the human blood samples. Apparently, they have traveled through time to use the
past as a hiding place for the weapon. Archer considers taking out their
bio-reactor, but realizes that if he does, he will spread the virus out into
the city. T'Pol suggests he try finding and destroying their temporal beacon,
to prevent them from returning to the future. Archer succeeds in locating and
taking out the temporal beacon and kills one of the Xindi. The other two
escape, taking a canister of the deadly virus with them.
Meanwhile, T'Pol subdues Loomis after he spots the
Reptilians and tries to attack her. Archer takes down one of the Xindi, and he
and T'Pol chase the remaining Reptilian to the rooftops. A fire fight ensues,
but Archer manages to corner the Xindi just in time and stops him from
releasing the virus. Archer and T'Pol then use the temporal tags to take the
three Xindi bodies and the Xindi equipment back to Enterprise.
Back in Detroit, Loomis awakes to find himself being
arrested by the police, who have connected him to the six unconscious bodies in
the abandoned factory. Loomis tries to explain about the "lizard
people" and their "ray-guns," but to no avail.
#64 “CHOSEN REALM”
Directed by Roxann Dawson
Written by Manny Coto
Guest Cast:
Conor O'Farrell as D'Jamat
Vince Grant as Yarrick
Lindsey Stoddart as Indava
Tayler Sheridan as Jareb
David Youse as Nalbis
Gregory Wagrowski as Ceris
Matt Huhn as Triannon
Kim Fitzgerald as Crewman
Airdate 01.14.04
After coming to the aid of a crippled alien vessel, Captain Archer brings the ship's
crew onboard Enterprise for medical
attention. The aliens are a deeply religious people known as the Triannons, and
Archer invites their leader, D'Jamat, to dinner. D'Jamat explains that the
Triannons regard the Delphic Expanse as the
"Chosen Realm" and the mysterious spheres are sacred objects created
by god-like beings known as the "Makers." The spatial anomalies,
D'Jamat says, are merely "the Makers' breath."
The Triannons' presence seems fairly benign — until D'Jamat
approaches Archer and reveals that Enterprise is about to embark on a
"glorious mission." D'Jamat explains that his crewmen have taken up
positions throughout Enterprise and that their bodies are armed with organic
explosives. With a single command, D'Jamat orders one of his minions to
detonate his explosive. In doing so, the Triannon sacrifices his life, damages
part of the ship and kills one of Enterprise's crewmen. D'Jamat tells Archer
that two of his men are positioned next to the ship's warp reactor — the
Triannons are hijacking the ship and plan on taking it back to their homeworld.
Once there, D'Jamat will use Enterprise's weapons to attack the group of
"heretics" that his sect has been fighting for a century.
The situation is dire, but it's about to get even worse:
after reviewing Enterprise's records, D'Jamat realizes that Archer and the crew
have committed acts of "desecration" by flying through the cloaking
barriers of several spheres. In addition to wiping out all of Enterprise's
research on the spheres, D'Jamat insists that Archer select one crewmember to
be put to death. Sensing an opportunity, Archer selects himself, but insists
that D'Jamat execute him in the customary way — via the transporter. Now that
the Triannons believe Archer is dead, the captain is able to counter their
attack. He disrupts the ship's power and covertly contacts Phlox, who
formulates an airborne agent that will neutralize the Triannons' organic
explosives. Archer also manages to get through to one of D'Jamat's men,
Yarrick. Yarrick's wife is expecting a baby and Yarrick has come to realize
that going along with D'Jamat's plan means sentencing both his wife and future
child to death. Yarrick agrees to help Archer, and the duo manages to assist
Phlox in delivering the explosive-neutralizing agent.
Meanwhile, a convoy of Triannon vessels commanded by
D'Jamat's enemies approach Enterprise, poised to attack. As D'Jamat engages the
ships in battle, Archer locates Reed and the MACOs and prepares
to re-take the ship. Archer and his team manage to overpower the Triannons in
Engineering, and Archer reroutes command functions and takes the ship's weapons
off-line. Archer contacts D'Jamat on the Bridge and demands that the Triannons
stand down. Even though their organic explosives have been neutralized, D'Jamat
is not ready to surrender. As the situation grows more volatile, Reed and the
MACOs storm the Bridge and defeat the Triannons in a firefight. Archer rushes
to the Bridge and asks D'Jamat's enemies to end their attack. Once they see
that D'Jamat has been defeated, they move off.
Later, Archer takes D'Jamat and his followers back to
Triannon. Sadly, they are in for a devastating sight. Though D'Jamat truly
believed that his plan would bring peace to his homeworld, it appears that war
has already taken its toll. The fighting has decimated both sides, destroying
all major cities and leaving millions dead.
#65 “PROVING GROUND”
Directed by David Livingston
Written by Chris Black
Guest Cast:
Jeffrey Combs as Shran
Molly Brink as Talas
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Scott MacDonald as Xindi-Reptilian
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Sloth
Granville Van Dusen as Andorian General
Josh Drennen as Degra's Assistant
Airdate 01.21.04
Mission Date Dec. 6, 2153
When Hoshi identifies a signal that
matches the kemocite Archer planted on a Xindi ship, the captain realizes
that this could lead Enterprise closer to the Xindi
weapon. He orders T'Pol to set a course. The
course, however, requires Enterprise to navigate a dense field of spatial
anomalies and the ship sustains heavy damage. Just as it looks like Enterprise
may not emerge intact; the ship is hauled out by an Andorian vessel helmed by
Commander Shran, who has had dealings with
Archer in the past. Shran offers assistance to Enterprise, claiming that the
Andorians wish to help the humans in their quest for the Xindi. Though T'Pol is
suspicious of the Andorians' motives, Archer accepts. Shran sends his tactical
officer, Lieutenant Talas, to assist Reed in repairing Enterprise's
weapons. Like T'Pol, Reed is skeptical of the Andorians, but he soon finds
himself bonding with Talas — the two have similar backgrounds.
Enterprise and the Andorian vessel head out toward the
signal, which leads them to a star system ... and four Xindi vessels. Archer
comes to the conclusion that the Xindi are running tests on their weapon at
this location. He's correct — as the Xindi Council looks on, Xindi-Humanoid Degra prepares to launch a
prototype of the weapon that the council hopes will decimate Earth. Archer
decides that he needs to get a better idea of what's going on, so he, T'Pol and
Shran take the Andorian ship in closer. The Xindi detect the vessel, and a
puzzled Degra halts the test and hails Shran. Shran claims that he's part of
the "Andorian Mining Consortium" and is searching for the rare
element known as "Archerite." Naturally, the Andorians are really
attempting to scan for data on the Xindi weapon.
After returning to Enterprise, T'Pol studies the
information the Andorians have gathered. She notes that the device they scanned
has the same quantum signature of the probe that attacked Earth — it's the
weapon. Archer hatches a bold plan: he wants Enterprise to take the weapon from
the Xindi. When the Xindi launch the weapon, its power is undeniable — but it
still falls short of expectations. Archer notes that Gralik, the Xindi-Arboreal
from the kemocite plant, must have kept his word to sabotage Degra's efforts.
Archer wants to retrieve the weapon before the Xindi get to it, but T'Pol notes
that it's still emitting high levels of radiation. Shran offers a solution: the
Andorian ship is better equipped to withstand the radiation. It can capture the
device and then transfer it to Enterprise. Archer, however, insists on
commanding the mission. Shran reluctantly agrees.
As Archer and Shran prepare to seize the weapon, Enterprise
is detected by the Xindi and engages the Xindi ships in battle. The Andorian
ship successfully retrieves the weapon and both ships jump to warp. Archer
orders the Andorian crew to contact T'Pol and have her meet them at the
rendezvous point. To his surprise, Shran has other ideas — the Andorian
commander has been ordered to take the weapon back to Andoria and use it to
keep the Vulcans from invading. He releases Archer in an escape pod and sets
off for his homeworld. He does, however, feel conflicted about betraying
Archer.
Back on Enterprise, Archer tracks down the Andorian ship
and hails Shran. He explains that when the Xindi tested the weapon, Enterprise
intercepted the activation codes. Archer is prepared to activate the weapon
unless Shran hands it over. Shran refuses, but Archer's not bluffing — the weapon
begins to arm itself. A stunned Shran manages to jettison the weapon right
before it explodes.
Later on, Hoshi informs Archer that Enterprise has received
a transmission from the Andorian ship. The message, which was sent in a clandestine
manner, contains detailed scans the Andorians took of the Xindi weapon. Archer
realizes that, in a small way, Shran ended up helping him after all. With this
new information, the crew will be able to learn more about the threat they're
up against.
#66 “STRATAGEM”
Directed by Mike Vejar
Teleplay By: Michael Sussman
Story By: Terry Matalas
Guest Cast:
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Josh Drennen as Thalen
Airdate 02.04.04
Mission Date Dec. 12, 2153
Upon returning to the Xindi weapon test site, the crew
of Enterprise detects a Xindi ship
in the area. They attack and board the ship, taking its occupants prisoner.
Among the prisoners is Degra, the Xindi-Humanoid who is
also the mastermind behind the superweapon. Unfortunately, the Xindi ship's
databanks have been mostly erased and Degra and his men are less than helpful. Phlox, however, has discovered
an interesting wrinkle in Xindi neurophysiology — it's possible to erase their
most recent memories. Archer formulates a plan that
involves Phlox erasing Degra's memories and Trip building a small mock
shuttlecraft that will be housed on Enterprise.
When Degra awakens onboard the mock shuttlecraft, Archer
tricks him into believing that the two men shared a cell in a Xindi-Insectoid
prison for the last three years and have recently escaped. Archer explains that
the Xindi were successful in deploying their weapon and destroying Earth, but
the victory only led to infighting amongst the various Xindi species. The
Insectoids attacked the other Xindi colonies and killed thousands of Degra's
people. Degra is suspicious of Archer's assertions, but as the two men spend
more time together, he has no choice but to believe the captain. Archer seems
to be aware of many personal details of Degra's life, including the names of
his wife and children. Of course, the whole thing is a ruse — Archer knows
these details because some of Degra's personal information was still available
in the Xindi ship's database. He continues to try and win the Xindi's trust,
hoping that Degra will reveal the location of the superweapon.
Thanks to further subterfuge from the Enterprise crew,
Degra comes to believe that his family is still alive and located at the colony
of Azati Prime. Archer suspects that Azati Prime may be the location of the
weapon. He finally convinces Degra to enter the coordinates into the mock
shuttle's computer. Degra, however, seems to be growing more suspicious of
Archer. When Archer can't answer a personal question about Degra, the Xindi
realizes that he must be part of a set-up and attacks the captain. Trip, Mayweather and the MACOs storm
the mock shuttle and drag Degra back to the brig.
Now that he knows he's been tricked, Degra tries to
convince Archer that Azati Prime is not, in fact, the location of the weapon.
Archer is unsure, so he stages yet another ruse, and tricks Degra into thinking
that Enterprise has already arrived at Azati Prime. A desperate Degra blurts
out that the ship will never get past the Xindi defense perimeter — just the
confirmation that Archer was looking for. Confident that the superweapon is
located on Azati Prime, Archer has Phlox wipe Degra's memory clean once again,
so the Xindi will not remember his encounter with Enterprise. After returning
an unconscious Degra and his men to their ship, Archer sets a course for Azati
Prime, hopeful that this will be the last phase of Enterprise's quest for the
Xindi weapon.
#67 “HARBINGER”
Directed by David Livingston
Teleplay By: Manny Coto
Story By: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Guest Cast:
Steven Culp as Major Hayes
Noa Tishby as Amanda Cole
Thomas Kopache as The Alien
Airdate 02.11.04
Mission Date Dec. 27, 2153
As Enterprise heads for the red
giant star that Archer believes to be the
location of the Xindi weapon, the ship encounters a massive spatial distortion.
They discover a small craft within the anomaly and pull it to safety. Inside
the craft, they find an unconscious alien being hooked up to monitoring
equipment. The alien, notes Phlox, is suffering from rapid
cellular degeneration. Once revived, the alien insists on being returned to his
ship, but Archer can't help but be suspicious of his motives.
T'Pol and Trip study the alien's
pod and come to the conclusion that the alien was placed in the spatial anomaly
so that someone could keep track of his exposure to the environment — he's a
test subject. The pod's hull also contains the same combination of alloys found
in the surface of the Expanse's mysterious spheres. As
the mystery grows, Archer insists on questioning the alien further. The alien,
however, won't reveal much and just claims he is from a trans-dimensional realm
and that he's a prisoner participating in an experiment he knows nothing about.
Meanwhile, long-simmering tensions among the Enterprise
crew begin to boil over. T'Pol learns that Trip has been holding Vulcan
neuro-pressure sessions with MACO Amanda Cole and is surprised to find herself
distracted by the situation. When she confronts Trip about it later, the two
finally give in to their mutual attraction and consummate their relationship.
Also, Major Hayes convinces Archer to
allow the MACOs to put the ship's security team and senior officers through a
series of training drills. Reed, who has resented Hayes'
presence from the beginning, feels that his authority is being challenged. The
two become increasingly combative during the training sessions and end up
engaging in a full-out brawl.
Back in Sickbay, the alien's condition seems to be taking a
turn for the worse. As soon as Phlox turns his back, however, the alien attacks
him and disappears through the wall, into the ship. As the alien disrupts
systems throughout the ship, the crew frantically attempts to track him down.
They eventually realize that he's headed for Engineering. Reed and Hayes —
putting aside their differences for the moment — race to Engineering and find
the alien plunging his arm into the warp reactor. The two men work together to
trigger a feedback response that blasts the alien, and he is knocked to the
ground, unconscious.
Later on, Archer chastises Hayes and Reed for their juvenile
behavior. The two men seem to have come to a sort of understanding, however,
having worked together so successfully to stop the alien. Meanwhile, T'Pol and
Trip are forced to deal with the awkwardness that follows their intimate
encounter. T'Pol coolly thanks Trip for his help in her "exploration of
human sexuality" and the two agree to forget that it ever happened. They
do, however, decide to continue their neuro-pressure sessions.
In Sickbay, the alien is drawing his final breaths. Archer
demands to know why the alien tried to destroy Enterprise, but the alien can
only offer cryptic, chilling last words: when the Xindi destroy Earth, he says,
his people will "prevail." With that, he disappears, leaving Archer
with even more questions than before.
#68 “DOCTOR'S ORDERS”
Directed by Roxann Dawson
Written by Chris Black
Airdate 02.18.04
En route to Azati Prime, Archer and his crew encounter
another roadblock: a trans-dimensional disturbance. To pass through it could
prove deadly for the crew, but going around it means another two-week delay.
Luckily, Phlox has a solution. He will
place each crewmember in a comatose state, so as to protect their neocortexes
while they traverse the anomaly. Because Phlox's Denobulan physiology is immune
to the effects of the disturbance, he plans to remain conscious and watch over
the ship and crew. As there's no way of knowing what effects the disturbance
will have on Enterprise's warp drive, Trip
recommends leaving the ship at impulse, meaning Phlox will have to keep the
crew sedated for at least four days. Phlox is briefed on how to perform various
tasks in case of an emergency — Mayweather gives him a quick
helm tutorial while Trip instructs him on checking
the warp engines. Various crewmembers express their concern about Phlox running
the ship, because he lacks Starfleet training, but Archer is confident the
doctor can handle things.
After Phlox renders the crew unconscious, he enjoys
wandering the halls of the silent ship, taking the time to go for walks with Porthos and write a letter to
his good friend Dr. Lucas. Still, the doctor can't help but find his
circumstances a bit eerie and isolating. This feeling is compounded when he
starts to hear strange noises. While trying to determine the source of the
noises, he runs into T'Pol. Apparently, Vulcans are immune to the
disturbance's effects as well. T'Pol has been enjoying the solitude of their
current situation, but Phlox needs social interaction, so T'Pol agrees to spend
more time with him.
As time progresses, Phlox continues to hear strange noises
throughout the ship. T'Pol, however, thinks he's just imagining things. But
then, during his rounds, Phlox hears noises coming from Hoshi's quarters.
Inside, he witnesses a gruesome sight: a Xindi-Insectoid lurking
menacingly over the comatose Hoshi. Phlox bolts and manages
to escape the Insectoid, but he insists on searching every level of the ship to
find the intruders. T'Pol is still skeptical and believes the doctor may just
be in need of sleep.
Still, Phlox continues to have disturbing experiences. At
one point, he hears Hoshi over the com and races to her quarters. The ensign
appears to be disintegrating before his eyes, but a few minutes later, the
horrific vision is gone. Hoshi is safely incapacitated in her bunk. Realizing
that the disturbance is affecting him as well, Phlox asks T'Pol to put him into
a coma until they've cleared the area. T'Pol, however, has disturbing news of
her own: she's started to feel as if she's losing control of her emotions, which
means the disturbance is affecting her as well. It appears that they will both
have to remain conscious.
Then, Phlox and T'Pol make another frightening discovery:
apparently, the reconfigured area of space has expanded and Enterprise won't be
able to clear it in time. T'Pol and Phlox decide that they must take the ship
to warp, despite the danger. The duo heads down to Engineering, but T'Pol is
finding it difficult to focus and doesn't seem to remember anything about the
warp engines. With help from the ship's database, Phlox manages to successfully
take the ship to warp and Enterprise clears the disturbance.
As he awakens the crew, Phlox makes one final startling
discovery: T'Pol has been in a comatose state this whole time, along with the
rest of the crew. Apparently, she was one of his hallucinations — and oddly
enough, one Phlox is very grateful for.
#69 “HATCHERY”
Directed by Michael Grossman
Teleplay By: André Bormanis
Story By: André Bormanis & Mike Sussman
Guest Cast:
Steven Culp as Major Hayes
Daniel Dae Kim as Corporal Chang
Sean McGowan as Corporal Hawkins
Paul Eliopoulos as Crewman #1
Airdate 02.25.04
Mission Date Jan. 8, 2154
On the way to Azati Prime, Enterprise discovers a damaged Xindi-Insectoid vessel with no
bio-signs onboard. Archer, Reed, Trip, T'Pol and Major Hayes board the vessel,
hoping to learn more. They discover a pair of Insectoid corpses, a small
assault vehicle and an eerie hatchery containing Xindi eggs, some of which are
still viable. As the team explores the ship, Archer is suddenly spattered by a
strange liquid that spews from one of the egg sacs.
Back on Enterprise, Phlox determines that Archer was
hit by a mild neuro-toxin — most likely a defense mechanism. Later on, Trip
reports that when the ship crashed, the Insectoid crew transferred their life
support to the hatchery in an attempt to save their offspring. Hearing this,
Archer orders Trip to assign a team to repair the hatchery — he notes that the
Xindi want to destroy Earth because they think humans are ruthless. This would
show them otherwise. Some crewmembers are puzzled by the captain's choice, but
Archer stands firm. As time progresses, the captain's behavior becomes more
erratic — he seems devastated by the death of one of the hatchlings, even going
so far as ordering Hoshi to research Xindi burial
rituals. When Trip tells him that the Xindi ship is in need of antimatter,
Archer declares that Enterprise should transfer its antimatter to the vessel.
He fervently insists that no more hatchlings are going to die.
This transfer, however, will severely deplete Enterprise's
reserves and affect the crew's ability to carry out their mission. When T'Pol
questions the captain's judgment, he relieves her of duty and confines her to
quarters. Though Archer tries to brush off his increasingly strange decisions,
Trip and the other officers can't help but be suspicious of Archer's obsession
with the Insectoid eggs. Trip later manages to meet secretly with T'Pol to
share his concerns.
Meanwhile, Reed, currently in command on the Bridge,
encounters another Xindi-Insectoid vessel. The ship fires on Enterprise, but
Reed manages to out-maneuver and destroy it. This infuriates Archer, who storms
onto the Bridge and insists that the Xindi-Insectoids might have been able to
care for the eggs. He stuns the crew by relieving Reed of duty and placing
Major Hayes in command. He also asks Hoshi to transmit a distress call in the
Insectoid language, a dangerous move that could very well put Enterprise in
jeopardy.
As Archer prepares to head back to the hatchery, Trip and
Phlox approach him and ask the captain to submit to a medical exam. Archer
insists that it wait until he's back from the Xindi vessel. Given the captain's
irrational behavior, Trip finally decides that it's time to take matters into
his own hands. He, T'Pol, Reed and Phlox set out to stage a mutiny. While Trip
and a crewman beam down to the Xindi ship to retrieve the captain, Reed, T'Pol
and their team storm the Bridge. With help from Hoshi and Mayweather, they manage to wrest
control from Hayes and the MACOs. Trip, meanwhile, has found the captain, who
is treating the hatchlings with a bizarre maternal affection. Trip finally uses
a phase-pistol to render the distracted Archer unconscious, and takes him back
to Enterprise.
Back on the ship, Phlox finds an explanation for Archer's
strange behavior. When the captain was sprayed by the egg sac, a neurochemical
in the substance infiltrated his synaptic pathways, causing him to believe that
he was the hatchlings' caretaker. Though Trip feels guilty about betraying the
captain, Archer assures him that it was for the good of the mission. With the
mystery solved, Enterprise resumes its course to Azati Prime.
#70 “AZATI PRIME”
Directed by Allan Kroeker
Teleplay By: Manny Coto
Story By: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga and Manny Coto
Guest Cast:
Matt Winston as Daniels
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Scott MacDonald as Reptilian Commander
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Christopher Goodman as Thalen
Airdate 03.03.04
Enterprise has finally reached
Azati Prime, the site of the Xindi superweapon. Unfortunately,
Reed can't find any weak spots
in the Xindi's formidable detection grid. Archer suggests utilizing the
Insectoid shuttle the crew recently salvaged to sneak past the grid and locate
the weapon — perhaps they will be able to blend in. After learning how to
operate the craft, Mayweather and Trip take it into Xindi
territory, hoping to scan the weapon. They clear the detection grid and find
that the planet is largely oceanic. They detect what could be the weapon, so
they take the shuttle underwater. Once there, they find what they're looking
for: the weapon is massive, a truly impressive and horrific sight. They take
their scans and head back to the ship. Meanwhile, Enterprise is detected and
scanned by a Xindi monitoring facility on the moon's surface. Archer, worried
that the facility will alert the rest of the Xindi, is forced to destroy it.
With Trip and Mayweather safely back onboard, Archer
studies their scans and hatches a bold plan. One crewmember will need to take
the Insectoid craft, armed with torpedoes, back to the site of the weapon and
blow it up. The trip, however, will be one-way, a suicide mission — and Archer
wants to be the one to carry it out. The crew objects, but the captain's
decision is final.
As he prepares for the mission, Archer is confronted by the
mysterious time-traveling operative known as Daniels. This time, Daniels brings
Archer four hundred years into the future to the Enterprise-J. Daniels
illuminates the mystery behind the Expanse's sphere-builders. The
sphere-builders are trans-dimensional beings — the test subject Enterprise
recently encountered belonged to the same species. As Archer suspected, these
beings are reshaping the Expanse to make it habitable for their species. It is,
Daniels notes, a prelude to an invasion. In the future, the
"Federation" Daniels keeps mentioning — which humans are an integral
part of — drives these trans-dimensional beings back into their own realm. The
beings, who are able to examine alternate timelines, have seen this future and
are determined to change the outcome. They are the ones who convinced the Xindi
that humanity needed to be destroyed. In fact, Daniels says, humans will one
day protect the Xindi from the sphere-builders.
Daniels insists that Archer needs to contact the Xindi and
come to a peaceful resolution — the captain must not sacrifice himself. Archer,
however, is determined to carry out his plan. Daniels finally gives him a medal
that belongs to a Xindi crewmember of the Enterprise-J. This, he hopes, will
prove useful.
After bidding an emotional farewell to his crew, Archer
heads down to Azati Prime. But when he arrives at the weapon site, the weapon
is gone. Archer is discovered and taken prisoner. He is then tortured by the
Xindi-Reptilians, who want him to reveal information about Earth vessels in the
Expanse. The Reptilian commander threatens him, saying that they know where
Enterprise is and can easily destroy it. Archer relents — but he will only talk
to Degra, the Xindi-Humanoid
Enterprise has encountered in the past. Using the information and the Xindi
medal from Daniels, Archer attempts to convince Degra that deploying the
superweapon will lead to the extinction of both their species. Archer is able
to make inroads with Degra and some of Degra's Xindi allies, but the impatient
Reptilian commander returns and orders Archer taken away for more questioning.
He also reveals that Enterprise is under attack. Degra angrily insists the
Reptilian call off the attack, but the Reptilian merely has Degra escorted back
to his ship.
And indeed, Enterprise is weathering what may be the worst
battle its crew has ever faced. The Xindi have managed to brutally damage the
ship and the crew is valiantly struggling to stay alive...
#71 “DAMAGE”
Directed by James L. Conway
Written by Phyllis Strong
Guest Cast:
Casey Biggs as Illyrian Captain
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Scott MacDonald as Reptilian Commander
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Josette DiCarlo as Sphere-Builder
Airdate 04.21.04
As Enterprise continues to endure
the brutal Xindi attack, the crew struggles
to hold the ship together. Suddenly, the Xindi ships cease firing and begin to
move off. The crew is relieved, but Enterprise has sustained heavy damage and
will require extensive repairs before the mission can continue. Meanwhile, Archer has been released from
his imprisonment by the Xindi-Reptilians and is returned to Enterprise in a
Xindi-Aquatic escape pod. Archer isn't sure why the Xindi returned him to his
vessel, but he believes he may have gotten through to Degra. As Archer briefs T'Pol on his ordeal, he can't
help but notice that she's acting somewhat strangely — her emotions seem close
to the surface and her hands appear to be shaking uncontrollably. There's no
time to dwell on this, however — Enterprise still requires a lot of work in
order to be fully operational.
As the crew works to repair the ship, Enterprise receives a
distress call from a heavily damaged alien vessel. Believing that perhaps the
two ships can help one another, Archer meets with the vessel's captain. Archer
proposes a trade with the captain — Enterprise will provide this species, the
Illyrians, with trellium-D in exchange for a warp coil. The Illyrian captain
says that this is the one thing his ship can't spare. Without a warp coil, it
will take those three years to return to their home system, and they simply
don't have the resources for such a long journey. Archer is frustrated, but the
Illyrian captain is firm — he cannot provide them with a warp coil.
Meanwhile, Hoshi Sato and Mayweather have completed their
analysis of the Aquatic escape pod — it contains a document with an encrypted
message from Degra. Upon further analysis, T'Pol discovers a set of coordinates
and stardate hidden in the document — it appears that Degra wants to meet with
them. Unfortunately, Enterprise isn't running well enough to reach the
rendezvous point in time. Archer, realizing that he's run out of options, comes
up with a desperate plan — he will lead a boarding party to the Illyrian vessel
and take their warp coil by force. The other crewmembers are wary of this plan,
but there doesn't appear to be any choice. T'Pol objects most forcibly,
surprising Archer with an angry outburst. She apologizes, but Archer can't help
but be puzzled by her bizarre behavior.
As Enterprise heads out for its showdown with the Illyrian
ship, T'Pol pays a visit to Dr. Phlox and reveals a
troubling secret — she's been experimenting with trellium, injecting small
doses into her bloodstream in order to access certain emotions. Trellium
exposure is deadly to Vulcans, but T'Pol thought it
would be safe in small amounts. Initially, she was able to control the
emotions, and her interactions with the crew even improved. Recently, however,
she's been having difficulties, and has realized that she is addicted to the
substance. Phlox agrees to help her break her addiction and promises to keep
the matter confidential. Relieved, T'Pol returns to her duties.
Meanwhile, Degra and his allies — the Council's
Xindi-Humanoid and Xindi-Arboreal — are meeting with one of the mysterious
trans-dimensional beings in secret. They confront her with the information
Archer gave them about the Reptilians building a bio-weapon. She confirms that
it's true, but claims that it was for the good of the Council. Degra asks if
it's also true that her species built the Delphic Expanse's spheres, but
she refuses to answer, and angrily tells them not to summon her again unless
all of the Xindi Council is present. As she disappears, Degra ponders the
situation, wondering if what Archer told him is true.
Back on Enterprise, the crew grimly prepares for the
mission ahead. Archer leads a boarding party to the Illyrian vessel, but once
there they encounter an obstacle: the warp coil is protected by a force field. On
the bridge, T'Pol and the others engage in a fire fight with the Illyrian ship,
and T'Pol and Reed manage to target their power junction. This causes a power
drain, which gives Trip enough time to procure the warp coil. With their
mission accomplished, the team returns to Enterprise. Archer leaves the
Illyrians with trellium, food and supplies, but the Illyrian captain is still
angered and perplexed by the captain's audacity.
Back on Enterprise, Archer reflects on his decision. Trip
assures the captain that he did the right thing, but Archer can't help but
brood about the moral gray areas he continues to encounter on this mission.
#72 “THE FORGOTTEN”
Directed by LeVar Burton
Written by Chris Black & David A. Goodman
Guest Cast:
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Bob Morrisey as Reptilian Captain
Seth MacFarlane as Engineer
Kipleigh Brown as Crewman Taylor
Airdate 04.28.04
Enterprise is still undergoing
repairs, but Captain Archer is determined to
make it to Degra's rendezvous point on
time. The crew, however, is still reeling from the loss of the 18 crewmen who
died during the Xindi attack. The loss seems to
be hitting Trip especially hard,
particularly when Archer orders him to write a letter of condolence to an
engineering crewman's family. T'Pol, meanwhile, is dealing
with problems of her own — she's coping with the lingering effects of her
trellium addiction, and is finding her emotions difficult to control. Phlox points out that the
addiction caused serious damage to her neural pathways. She may have to learn
to live with these emotions.
Enterprise finally meets up with Degra, who leads them inside
a nearby Sphere cloaking barrier. He then invites Archer onto his ship to meet
with him and the Xindi-Arboreal from the Council. Degra explains that he was
the one who arranged for Archer to be returned to Enterprise. He also called
off the Xindi attack on the ship. Degra goes on to reveal that the Xindi weapon
is set to be launched in a matter of days — if the Xindi are to believe
Archer's story, they need proof and they need it soon. Archer brings Degra and
the Arboreal onboard Enterprise and shows them his evidence — the
Xindi-Reptilian corpses he and T'Pol recovered from their time travel mission
to Detroit, as well as a sample of the toxin the Reptilians planned on using
against Earth's population. He also shows them the information Enterprise collected
on the bizarre trans-dimensional "test subject" they encountered —
which Archer believes was of the same species as the Sphere-Builders. Archer
uses the evidence to deliver his point: humans and Xindi are destined to form
an alliance to stop the Sphere-Builders. If the Xindi attack Earth, it will
never happen. Both species will be destroyed.
Meanwhile, the ship's hull has ruptured and is spewing a
steady stream of plasma. To repair it, Trip and Malcolm Reed don EV suits and
head out to the hull, hoping to get close enough to the malfunction to fix it.
They're successful, but Reed collapses from the heat. Phlox rushes him to
Sickbay and Degra, who has been observing, expresses concern for the injured
officer. Trip, who has barely been containing his resentment towards Degra and
the other visiting Xindi, lashes out — the Xindi had no problem killing seven
million humans, he says, but one is more than they can handle? Trip continues
his tirade, but Archer steps in and orders him to cool off.
Later, Degra and Archer discuss their respective research
on the Delphic Expanse's Spheres. Archer
apologizes for Trip's behavior, but Degra assures the captain that he
understands. The two continue to talk, and seem to be forging a bond. Degra
expresses hope that Enterprise will one day be able to return to its mission of
exploration.
Suddenly, Enterprise is approached by a Reptilian ship —
somehow, they've found Degra. Enterprise can't beat the Reptilian ship alone,
so Archer insists that Degra has to help them. Degra is aghast at the idea of
attacking other Xindi, but he knows their ship's vulnerabilities and realizes
it has to be done. He assists Enterprise in disabling the Reptilian vessel ...
and then fires again and obliterates it. Archer is somewhat shocked by this,
but Degra tells him the action was necessary — otherwise, the Reptilians would
have contacted the Council and the alliance he has forged with Archer would
have been lost.
Later, back on Enterprise, Degra comes up with a proposal:
Archer must speak to the Xindi Council. He believes that Archer's evidence will
force the Council to take him seriously. He gives Archer the coordinates of the
Council chamber, but since it would take Enterprise weeks to get there, he also
provides the location of a subspace corridor that can serve as a shortcut. In
the meantime, Degra (who has a much faster ship) will do everything he can to
stop the launching of the weapon. Cautiously hopeful, the two men shake and
agree to meet in three days.
Meanwhile, Trip is struggling with the losses he's
experienced. He tells T'Pol that even though he's supposed to be writing a
letter to the family of Crewman Taylor, he can't help but dwell on Elizabeth,
his kid sister who was killed in the Xindi attack on Earth. T'Pol manages to
comfort him and helps him come to terms with the difficulty of the past few
months. Later, Trip is able to write the letter, and in doing so, finally says
good-bye to his sister.
#73 “E2”
Directed by Roxann Dawson
Written by Michael Sussman
Guest Cast:
David Andrews as Lorian
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Tess Lina as Karyn Archer
Tom Schanley as Greer
Steve Truitt as Crewman #1
Airdate 05.05.04
As Enterprise heads toward its
rendezvous with Degra and a fateful meeting with
the Xindi Council, the crew faces a
dangerous trek. To reach their destination, they must enter a subspace corridor
guarded by the Kovaalans, a species that isn't very tolerant of trespassers. As
Archer attempts to devise a game
plan, the crew detects another ship. Strangely enough, it's an NX-class
Starfleet vessel ... and as it approaches, it becomes apparent that its
designation is Enterprise NX-01!
The ship's captain, Lorian, hails Enterprise and tells them
to alter their heading. He then comes aboard Archer's Enterprise and tells the
captain that the current mission will not be successful. If Archer takes his
ship into the subspace corridor, it will be thrown back in time 117 years.
This, Lorian says, is what happened to his Enterprise. His ship has been in the
Delphic Expanse for over a
century and he's here to prevent it from happening again. Lorian goes on to
explain that his crew attempted to destroy the first Xindi probe, but were
unsuccessful. Now, he wants to make sure Archer reaches his rendezvous with
Degra and prevent the second attack from happening. Lorian's plan is to modify
Enterprise's injector assembly using alien technology to enable the ship to
reach high warp speeds for brief intervals. That way, Enterprise will be able
to avoid the subspace corridor altogether.
Archer wants to believe Lorian, but he can't help but be
skeptical. Lorian and his first officer, Karyn Archer, have Phlox confirm that
they are indeed descendants from the original crew — Karyn is Archer's
great-granddaughter and Lorian is the son of T'Pol and Trip. Archer decides to proceed
with Lorian's plan.
As the two crews work together to modify the current
Enterprise, everyone learns a little bit about their future selves. Trip enjoys
bonding with his half-Vulcan son, but is unsettled to
learn that he died when the boy was a teenager. Hoshi learns that she had two
children, while Mayweather finds out that he
ended up with MACO Corporal McKenzie. Reed is somewhat disappointed to
learn that he remained a bachelor. On the other end of the spectrum, many of
the crew are descendants of Phlox, who had nine children.
Archer, meanwhile, enjoys some quality time with his great-granddaughter, who
reveals that Archer's wife was an Ikaaran woman named Esilia, whom he rescued
from an anomaly field. Karyn also has another surprise for Archer — she leads
him to a senior officer's quarters on her ship, where someone wants to say
hello. Inside the quarters, Archer is shocked to find an elderly T'Pol. The
elderly T'Pol has apparently been influenced by her time living with humans —
she embraces Archer and remarks that it's good to see him. She also hands him a
PADD and asks him to give it to
her younger self.
The younger T'Pol examines the PADD and explains that her
older self doesn't think Lorian's plan will work. She's discovered a
discrepancy in her son's calculations, and is afraid there's a chance that
Enterprise could be destroyed if it exceeds a certain warp speed. The elderly
T'Pol believes Enterprise should try the subspace corridor — it may be possible
to reconfigure the impulse manifolds, which should prevent the corridor from
destabilizing and history from repeating itself.
Archer tells Lorian that he's going to proceed with the
elderly T'Pol's plan. Lorian, however, is unconvinced it will work and is
afraid that Archer is just dooming Enterprise and humanity all over again.
Lorian secretly forms an alternate plan — he will forcibly take the injectors
from Archer's ship so that he can reach the rendezvous point and meet with
Degra himself. Lorian takes the injectors, but Archer's on to him and the two
Enterprises engage in battle. Lorian is ready to do whatever it takes to
accomplish his mission, but Karyn Archer makes him see reason — the people on
the other Enterprise are family. She won't allow Lorian to kill them. Finally,
Lorian stands down.
Back on the current Enterprise, Archer confronts Lorian
about his actions. The captain of the future Enterprise finally reveals the
reasons behind his intense devotion to this mission. He devoted his entire life
to preventing the Xindi probe from launching, but in the end, his only option
was to send Enterprise on a collision course with the probe. His emotions took
over — he couldn't sentence his crew to death. The Xindi probe launched all
over again and seven million lives were lost. Archer sympathizes with Lorian,
but tells him that all that matters now is what they do next. Archer wants to
take Enterprise into the subspace corridor and complete his mission. It will be
a lot easier if the two crews work together.
As both Enterprise crews get to work, T'Pol finally has an
encounter with her elderly self. The older T'Pol tells her that the emotions
she accessed with her trellium experimentation will never fully go away. She
must learn to embrace them and live with them. The elderly T'Pol also hints
that there's someone onboard who can help the younger T'Pol with these emotions
— Trip. The younger T'Pol is a bit uncomfortable with this idea, and says that
she doesn't know what she wants. The elderly T'Pol, however, assures her that
she will someday.
Once the modifications to the current Enterprise are
complete, the two ships head for the subspace corridor, with Lorian's vessel
shadowing Archer's. Working together, the two ships manage to fight off the
Kovaalan vessels, but as the Kovaalans re-group, Lorian tells Archer to head
for the rendezvous. His ship will distract the Kovaalans, engaging them in
battle, and he will follow Archer as soon as he can. Archer agrees and
successfully navigates his way through the corridor. Once he's on the other
side, however, he doesn't hear from Lorian's ship again. T'Pol speculates that
the other Enterprise did not survive the battle, but Archer isn't so sure.
Perhaps the fact that Enterprise successfully made it through the corridor
means that history has corrected itself, and Lorian's Enterprise never existed.
But that poses the question: why would they remember them?
Before they can dwell on this for too long, Enterprise is
hailed — it's Degra. The time to face the Xindi Council has finally arrived.
#74 “THE COUNCIL”
Directed by David Livingston
Written by Manny Coto
Guest Cast:
Randy Oglesby as Degra
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Scott MacDonald as Reptilian Commander
Josette DiCarlo as Sphere-Builder Woman
Sean McGowan as Hawkins
Bruce Thomas as Reptilian Soldier
Andrew Borba as Reptilian Lieutenant
Mary Mara as Sphere-Builder Presage
Ruth Williamson as Sphere-Builder Primary
Eric Lemler as Helm Crewman
Airdate 05.12.04
With Degra's help, Captain Archer prepares to meet
with the Xindi Council. As they go over
their plan, Degra offers a little background on the Sphere-Builders'
involvement with the Xindi. After the Xindi homeworld was destroyed, the
Sphere-Builders began appearing to the survivors, guiding them to habitable
planets and valuable resources. Because of this, the Sphere-Builders are worshipped
by the Xindi and are referred to as "the Guardians." This belief,
Degra explains, is what Archer's up against.
Flanked by a flotilla of Primate, Aquatic and Arboreal
ships, Enterprise enters Xindi space.
Archer, Degra and a skittish Hoshi Sato head down to the
Council chamber, located in an ancient stronghold built by the extinct
Xindi-Avian race. Finally facing the Council, including the hostile Reptilians
and Insectoids, Archer explains that the Sphere-Builders have manipulated the
Xindi — they are really just preparing the Delphic Expanse for
colonization. Someday, he says, Earth will lead a battle that will defeat the
Sphere-Builders. They know this, and that's why they tricked the Xindi into
attacking humanity. The Xindi-Primates, Arboreals and Aquatics seem open to
Archer's findings, but the Reptilians and Insectoids refuse to believe him,
claiming that Archer must have fabricated the data. As the debate grows more
heated, the Council meeting dissolves into chaos.
Later, the Reptilian commander, Dolim, meets with one of
the Sphere-Builders. The Sphere-Builder insists the Reptilians and Insectoids
act together to secure the Weapon. This might mean civil war for the Xindi,
Dolim points out. But the Sphere-Builder makes a guarantee that Reptilians will
dominate the other Xindi species ... if they successfully deploy the Weapon and
eradicate humankind.
Back on Enterprise, Archer and Degra work on their
strategy. They need three of five votes to sway the Council, and Degra believes
the key is to get the indecisive Aquatics on their side. The Aquatics respond
to visuals more than words, so Degra cooks up a plan. Using data from
Enterprise's encounter with one of the trans-dimensional beings, Degra
constructs a biometric hologram of the being. The hologram effectively
demonstrates the Sphere-Builders' previous presence on Enterprise. Intrigued,
the Council is finally open to hearing more.
Meanwhile, T'Pol, Reed, Mayweather and MACO Corporal
Hawkins are headed to a nearby Sphere in a shuttlepod. Hoping to gather more
information on the Sphere-Builders, they plan to extract the Sphere's memory
core. T'Pol discovers that part of the Sphere's surface is actually a hologram
— the shuttlepod passes right through and T'Pol, Reed and Hawkins don their EV
suits and head for the memory core. T'Pol manages to extract the memory core,
but the Sphere has a spider-like defense mechanism that activates, putting the
team in danger. They manage to fend it off, but Hawkins is killed during the
fight.
On Enterprise, Degra approaches Archer with good news.
Archer's presentation convinced the Council and they have the three votes they
need! In fact, the Reptilians agreed to delay the deployment of the Weapon.
Archer and Degra are overjoyed at this development, pleased that they've formed
what seems to be a lasting alliance. Later on, however, Dolim approaches Degra
in a room near the Council chamber. The Reptilian reveals that he knows about
Degra destroying his scout ship. Degra tries to tell the commander that he had
no choice, but Dolim won't listen — he stabs Degra.
Archer is devastated to learn of Degra's murder and the
Reptilians' betrayal sparks further dissension among the Xindi Council. The
Reptilians and Insectoids withdraw from the Council — they plan on stealing the
Weapon and launching it after all. The Weapon, however, can only be launched
with three of the necessary codes. The Reptilians and Insectoids only have two.
But Dolim appears to have at least one more trick up his sleeve.
As the Insectoid and Reptilian ships prepare to steal the
Weapon, they engage in battle with Enterprise and the other Xindi ships. Then,
to Archer's horror, Hoshi is beamed off the bridge — the Reptilians have
kidnapped her. And then the Weapon and escorting ships disappear into a
vortex...
#75 “COUNTDOWN”
Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill
Written by André Bormanis & Chris Black
Guest Cast:
Steven Culp as Major Hayes
Scott MacDonald as Reptilian Commander
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Josette DiCarlo as Sphere-Builder Woman
Bruce Thomas as Reptilian Soldier
Andrew Borba as Reptilian Lieutenant
Mary Mara as Sphere-Builder Presage
Ruth Williamson as Sphere-Builder Primary
Paul Dean as Reptilian Technician
Airdate 05.19.04
Mission Date Feb. 13, 2154
The Xindi-Reptilians have kidnapped Hoshi, hoping that she will be
able to decipher the Aquatics' launch code. This will give them the three codes
they need to deploy the superweapon and destroy Earth. Hoshi refuses to
cooperate, so Commander Dolim has her injected with parasites that invade her
neocortex and render her more compliant.
Meanwhile, Archer meets with Trip and T'Pol to go over strategy. Using
the memory core that T'Pol retrieved from one of the Spheres, they determine
that four of the dozens of Spheres are integral to the subspace energy grid
that connects them all. The closest is Sphere 41 — if they can damage it, it
might disrupt the entire grid, putting the Sphere-Builders' plans in jeopardy.
Archer knows that time is of the essence — Enterprise needs to stop the
Reptilians and Insectoids from launching the weapon. The Primates and Arboreals
are already on his side, but he needs more firepower. With his Xindi allies by
his side, Archer makes a plea to the leaders of the Xindi-Aquatics: help
Enterprise stop the Reptilians, and he will disable the Spheres. After all, the
Spheres are turning the Expanse into a trans-dimensional wasteland — unless
they are destroyed, the Xindi will not survive. After much deliberation, the
Aquatics finally agree to assist Enterprise.
Meanwhile, on the Reptilian ship, the parasites that were
injected into Hoshi have done their job and she has decrypted the third launch
code. Triumphant, the Reptilians prepare to arm the weapon. On Enterprise, MACO
leader Major Hayes assembles a boarding
party to rescue Hoshi. Reed discusses the plan with
Hayes, and shares that he regrets he was unable to save Corporal Hawkins, who
died while under his command. Hayes, however, knows that Reed did all he could.
He assures Reed that his team will bring Hoshi back safe and sound.
Flanked by Aquatic, Arboreal and Primate vessels,
Enterprise is finally ready to take on the Reptilians and Insectoids. As they
engage in battle, Hayes and the MACOs transport to Dolim's vessel to rescue
Hoshi. They manage to locate her, but there's a problem with Enterprise's
transporter, and the team must be beamed out only two at a time. Hayes is the
last to go and he's fatally shot right before he's beamed back. As a devastated
Reed looks on, Hayes dies in Sickbay.
As the fight rages on, the Sphere-Builders observe from
their trans-dimensional realm. Noting that the weapon is about to be destroyed,
they use one of the Spheres to create a barrier of anomalies around the weapon.
The Enterprise crew tries to penetrate the barrier, but the Reptilians manage
to arm the weapon and enter a subspace vortex. They're headed for Earth. Inside
the vortex, the Insectoid captain hails Commander Dolim. After observing how
the anomalies worked to their advantage, he can't help but be suspicious that
Archer's claims are true — that the Xindi "Guardians" control the
Spheres and are merely manipulating the Xindi. Sensing dissension in the ranks,
Dolim destroys the Insectoid ship.
Back on Enterprise, Archer must develop another plan. Since
Degra's old ship is the only vessel that will be able to catch up with the
Reptilians in time, the Xindi-Primates will take Archer, Reed and a team from
Enterprise to the weapon. Once there, the team will board the weapon and
disable it from the inside. Archer knows that he must also take Hoshi with him,
as only she can decipher the encrypted schematics for the weapon. The ensign is
in no shape to go anywhere after her ordeal, but Archer believes it's the only
way.
Archer and company board Degra's ship, while T'Pol and Trip
prepare to lead Enterprise toward Sphere 41 and disable it. As the two teams
head off on their respective missions, the senior officers wish each other
luck. Both plans must go off without a hitch.
#76 “ZERO HOUR”
Directed by Allan Kroeker
Written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Guest Cast:
Scott MacDonald as Reptilian Commander
Rick Worthy as Xindi-Arboreal
Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Humanoid
Josette DiCarlo as Sphere-Builder Woman
Bruce Thomas as Reptilian Soldier
Andrew Borba as Reptilian Lieutenant
Matt Winston as Daniels
Mary Mara as Sphere-Builder Presage
Ruth Williamson as Sphere-Builder Primary
Jeffrey Combs as Shran
Gunter Ziegler as Doctor
J. Paul Boehmer as Officer
Zachary Krebs as Andorian
Airdate 05.26.04
Mission Date Feb. 14, 2154
Aboard Degra's ship, Archer, Reed and Hoshi work with the Arboreals
and Primates to stop the Xindi weapon from launching.
Archer plans to destroy the weapon from the inside by overloading the power
systems, but he needs Hoshi to decrypt the weapon schematics. A ragged Hoshi is
still recovering from her ordeal with the Reptilians, but she's determined to
help. Despite her condition, Archer plans to take her with him when he boards
the weapon. As Archer outlines his plan, he suddenly finds himself transported
to a futuristic council hall — he's face-to-face with Daniels, the mysterious
time-traveling operative he's encountered many times before. Daniels tells
Archer that he's going to be a crucial part of forming the "United
Federation of Planets" that Daniels has spoken of before. He urges Archer
not to go on this mission and to send Reed or someone else. Others are not
crucial to the future of mankind — Archer is. Archer, however, won't be swayed.
He's determined to complete the mission himself.
Meanwhile, T'Pol and the rest of the crew
are taking Enterprise to Sphere 41. They
hope to disable it and disrupt the entire Sphere network. The Sphere-Builders
have been observing Enterprise, and set about transforming the space around
Sphere 41. Phlox notes that entering this altered space will kill the entire
crew — however; he can synthesize a compound that will protect the crew for 15
minutes, giving them just enough time to disable the Sphere. As they enter the
dangerous area of space, Trip aims a deflector pulse at a
specific point on the Sphere. Suddenly, several Sphere-Builders appear in
Engineering and disrupt power. As the beings continue to interfere, Trip finds
it difficult to maintain the pulse. Luckily, Phlox remembers a few details
about trans-dimensional physiology, and tells the MACOs to alter their weapon
frequency to compensate. They manage to hold the Sphere-Builders off long
enough for Trip to restore the pulse and destroy the Sphere. As it implodes, it
sets off a chain reaction, destroying the rest of the Sphere network. As they
are no longer in altered space, the Sphere-Builders onboard Enterprise
disintegrate.
Finally, Degra's ship reaches the Xindi weapon. The weapon
is still being guarded by Commander Dolim's ship, and the Reptilian prepares to
engage Degra's vessel in battle. Suddenly, help comes from an unlikely source:
the Andorians, led by Commander Shran. The Andorian
ship takes on the Reptilian vessel, proving to be more than a match for it. As
the Andorians fire on the Reptilians, Shran tells Archer and the others to head
for the weapon — and also manages to mention that Archer now owes him one.
Archer, Hoshi, Reed and the MACOs transport to the weapon. While Reed and the
MACOs fend off the Reptilians, Hoshi uses the data she's decrypted to help
Archer overload the weapon. Once Archer is nearly finished with the job, he
sends Reed, Hoshi and the others back to Degra's ship.
Just as Archer is completing his task, Dolim beams aboard
the weapon and engages the captain in a brutal fight. Just as things look dire,
Archer manages to plant one of his explosive charges on the Reptilian, blowing
him up. Soon after, the weapon begins to overload. As explosions go off around
him, Archer runs for safety. In a matter of seconds, the weapon is destroyed
and Earth is saved ... but Archer's fate is uncertain.
Back on Enterprise, T'Pol and the others are waiting for
Degra's vessel at the rendezvous point. They are pleased to find that many of
the spatial anomalies in the area have vanished — the Expanse appears to be returning
to normal space. Finally, Degra's ship arrives and Reed, Hoshi and the MACOs
return to Enterprise. Archer, however, is not with them. Reed reveals that the
captain did not survive the mission.
As the crew tries to absorb this devastating turn of
events, T'Pol confers with the Xindi-Primate. He tells her that the Xindi
Council has reconvened, and that the Reptilians will most likely join them
eventually. Archer's sacrifice will not be forgotten.
After a long, difficult mission, the crew finally returns
to Earth ... but Starfleet isn't responding to their hails. T'Pol sends Tucker
and Mayweather down in a shuttlepod.
As they reach San Francisco, they're greeted with a bizarre situation: they're
being fired upon by a group of World War II-era planes!
Meanwhile, in a German hospital tent, a doctor is showing an
injured man to a trio of Nazi officers. The man has been badly burned and is
wearing a strange uniform ... it's Jonathan Archer! As the Nazi officers
contemplate Archer, one of them emerges from the shadows. He's definitely not
human...
Season One (2151) | Season Two (2152) | Season Three (2153) | Season Four (2154)
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All the images are © Paramount Pictures-Star Trek and
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Ritterson's Episode Guides 1998-2005
by Captain
Bill