Star Trek Enterprise: Season 4
Last Monday as I came home from work and as my 41st birthday was about to end by midnight, I did a last hurrah by watching the end of Star Trek: Enterprise, the sixth series. I was sad that Enterprise ended at Season 4 and with only 98 episodes as the series had continued to have found its footing. This final season had some pretty good episodes of note, though I noticed that this season had a good handful of two and three parters. It seemed the writers really wanted to tell bigger stories before the controversial epilogue episode. Enterprise joined the ranks of The Original Series and The Animated Series in having less than 100 episodes in their run compared to other series in what we call "Old Trek" (if you were to combine both TOS and TAS, it would be 101 episodes). Here are some noteworthy episodes of Season 4.
"Storm Front Part 1": Following the events of "Zero Hour", Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III and Ensign Travis Mayweather survive the attacks by P-51 Mustangs on their shuttlepod and arrive back on Enterprise. Temporal Agent Daniels, near death, suddenly appears to Doctor Phlox in sickbay. He warns that an alien named Vosk, the leader of a faction of the Temporal Cold War, has altered the timeline with catastrophic consequences. Enterprise was brought to the mid-20th century to end the Temporal Cold War between several factions including the Federation. On Earth, Captain Jonathan Archer escapes from the Germans when American resistance fighters ambush his convoy. Wounded, he is taken to a Resistance safehouse in Brooklyn. With the Germans controlling the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, it is revealed that the aliens, known as the Na'kuhl, have sworn allegiance to Nazi Germany. Further, they are providing them with advanced weapons and technology in exchange for material and supplies to build a temporal conduit that will take them back to their own time period. Meanwhile, Silik, the leader of the Suliban Cabal, has boarded Enterprise and manages to steal a shuttlepod to fly to Earth. Tucker and Mayweather are then sent to find Silik along with the shuttlepod. Archer contacts Sub-commander T'Pol using a stolen communicator and is transported back to Enterprise. Before dying, Daniels asks Archer to stop the Na'Kuhl from using the conduit and becoming even more dangerous. On Earth, the landing party find and destroy the shuttlepod, but are captured and taken in for interrogation.
"Storm Front Part 2": Lieutenant Malcolm Reed finds the point of divergence in the timeline: the 1916 murder of Lenin, where witnesses claimed Lenin's killer "vanished into thin air." The removal of Lenin prevents the October Revolution from successfully taking place, causing Hitler to disregard Russia as a threat, and the full weight of the Nazi war machine is then directed at Western Europe and the United States. Vosk seeks an alliance with Enterprise, releasing Mayweather and Tucker in hopes of forging a new understanding with Archer. Medical scans soon reveal that Tucker is actually Silik in disguise and he and Archer realize they need each other's help. They enlist the help of the Resistance to destroy the shields of the Na'kuhl complex and to help rescue Tucker. Before they can complete the mission, Silik is killed by a guard near the conduit, and Archer is almost shot by a confused Tucker. With the alien shields down, Enterprise then completes an atmospheric entry, flying over New York City and destroying the alien facility with photon torpedoes. The episode ends with Daniels showing Archer the threads of the timeline resetting themselves back to normal, as the Temporal Cold War finally ends with the death of Vosk. Archer demands that Daniels should never visit or bother Enterprise again. With their mission completed, Enterprise finally arrives back in its proper time period, where the ship is escorted home by a mixed fleet of Starfleet and alien vessels.
"Home": Archer and the crew are welcomed back to Earth following the successful Xindi mission. As Enterprise undergoes repairs and refitting, Archer is reunited with a former girlfriend, Captain Erika Hernandez, who has been appointed to Starfleet's second Warp 5 starship, Columbia (NX-02). Archer is debriefed by Admiral Maxwell Forrest and Ambassador Soval. After reacting in anger when Soval asks pointed questions about the Seleya incident (from last season's "Impulse" episode), he is ordered by Forrest to take some relaxation leave. He chooses to go mountain climbing; to his initial annoyance, Hernandez invites herself along. That night, Archer dreams that he is attacked by Reptilians, and Hernandez tries to help him come to terms with his memories and new-found adulation. In return, Archer tries to caution her that space exploration is not as idealistic as she thinks it is. In spite of this, the two manage to rekindle their romance. Returning to Starfleet Command, Archer is able to keep his emotions in check, and ultimately receives an unexpected thanks from Soval who admits that he was wrong about humanity. Elsewhere, Phlox learns that some humans still hold a grudge over the Xindi attack, xenophobically blaming all aliens, and Phlox's presence in a bar results in a brawl. Meanwhile, T'Pol - who has been invited to accept a Starfleet commission - takes the opportunity to travel to Vulcan to visit her mother, T'Les. When Tucker mentions that he does not have a home to go to, T'Pol invites him along. On Vulcan, after a tense homecoming, she learns that her mother has resigned from the Vulcan Science Academy as indirect punishment for T'Pol's actions at the P'Jem sanctuary (from the season one episode "The Andorian Incident"). One logical way for T'Pol to restore her mother's position is to honor her engagement to Koss, a member of an influential family. Despite Tucker's feelings, who admits to T'Les' observation that he is in love with T'Pol, she consents to marry Koss. Just before the ceremony begins, however, T'Pol quickly kisses Tucker on the cheek.
"Borderland": The first of three parts. In May 2154, a pair of genetically enhanced humans, referred to as "Augments", leave their home planet and take control of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey warship after killing the crew. Amid threats and protests by the Klingons, Starfleet tasks the newly refurbished Enterprise to stop the culprits. Archer visits disgraced scientist Doctor Arik Soong (played by Brent Spiner!) imprisoned for stealing augmented embryos, and transfers him from a holding facility. On board, Soong soon recognises his augments are responsible for the actions on board the Klingon vessel, but does not know why. He convinces Archer that he will be able to order his "children" to stand down without a fight. Enterprise enters an area of space known as the "Borderland" between the territories of the Klingons and Orions. They are attacked by two Orion vessels and several crew members are captured, including T'Pol (newly granted the Starfleet rank of Commander). They are taken to a slave market (with WWE's Big Show playing the Orion Slaver - WOOF!) and Archer is forced to ask for Soong's assistance to rescue his crew. After entering the market, the ship is able to beam most of the crew back, but when they try to release T'Pol's restraints, all of the prisoners in the slave market are released and chaos breaks out. Soong also attempts to escape, but Archer quickly returns him to Enterprise, where he demands that Soong take him immediately to the Augments. Soong refuses. On board the Klingon vessel, it is clear that the Augments consider Soong to be their "father". In a power-play, the Augment leader, Raakin, is tricked by Persis (who had been pretending to be devoted to him) and killed by his "brother" Malik. The Bird-of-Prey approaches Enterprise, saving them from a second Orion attack. The ships dock, and Malik requests the release of Soong from the brig-Archer refuses, but Malik forces him to comply. With Enterprise disabled, Soong announces that they now need to go and retrieve the remaining thousands of Augment embryos.
"Cold Station 12": Part two of three. After the escape of Doctor Soong and the Augments, Archer and his crew proceed to the coordinates Soong had provided earlier in the mission. On Trialis IV, the away team find an abandoned building where the young Augments were raised and schooled by "father" Soong. They also capture a banished member of the Augments named Udar. Nicknamed "Smike" by his Augment siblings after a handicapped character from the comic novel Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, he is taken to Enterprise. Analysis reveals that although Udar's DNA is similar to the other Augments, he has none of their enhanced abilities (except for superior hearing). Meanwhile, Soong and the Augments capture Barzai, a Denobulan medical ship, and use it to enter the medical facility called Cold Station 12 (C-12). They soon overpower security and capture the scientists there, including its chief medical officer, Doctor Jeremy Lucas (Doctor Phlox's woofy Interspecies Medical Exchange counterpart). Due to security protocols, tensions begin to surface between Soong and Malik, as to how to coerce Lucas into divulging the entry codes. Malik convinces Soong to torture Lucas, and failing that, to expose a scientist to a deadly pathogen using a containment chamber. Enterprise approaches within transporter range, and beams a landing party (including Phlox) to the facility. They are soon detected, however, and imprisoned with the facility's staff. Meanwhile, T'Pol, having lost contact with the team, attempts to destroy the station, but the Klingon ship intervenes. Malik uses Phlox's friendship to finally coerce the security codes from Lucas (by threatening to expose him to a pathogen as well). Soong, who had previously stolen 19 genetically enhanced and frozen embryos from C-12, is now able to access the remaining 1,800, a carry-over from the Eugenics Wars. Soong and the Augments then escape, but not before Malik kills Smike, helps himself to a number of pathogen samples, and sets the viral containment fields to fail.
"The Augments": The final part of this 3-episode arc. Archer restores stasis around the central compound, and is beamed from space to safety, with the Enterprise in pursuit of Soong, Malik, and the Augments on their stolen Bird of Prey. Soong and the Augments arrive in Klingon space where he shares his plan: Soong intends to hide out in a region (the Briar Patch) where Starfleet would have trouble tracking them down. Malik objects to Soong's plan, noting that Khan Noonien Singh also ran away on the SS Botany Bay. In pursuit of the Augments, Enterprise arrives in Klingon space having faked a Klingon warp signature. Soong releases a hostage on a Denobulan shuttle into a gas giant, forcing the Enterprise to abandon their pursuit and mount a rescue operation. Escaping, Malik proposes a new plan: trigger a war between Starfleet and the Klingons as a distraction by firing a pathogen-filled torpedo at a Klingon colony. He reasons that Starfleet will be too busy fighting the Klingons to hunt down the Augments. Soong will have nothing to do with Malik's genocidal proposal. On the Enterprise, T"Pol asks Tucker about the distance between them after her recent arranged marriage, and he tells her he has come to terms with their new relationship. Back on the Bird of Prey, Soong works on a way to remove aggressive behavior from the unborn Augment embryos. Malik, concerned by Soong's plan to hide from Starfleet and his tampering with the embryos, leads a mutiny which confines Soong to his quarters. With the help of Persis, Soong leaves the ship in an escape pod. Enterprise, once again in pursuit, detects the pod and brings Soong on board. Heading towards the Klingon colony in high warp in an attempt to stop Malik's plan, the Klingons detect their ship. Enterprise is forced to disable a Klingon cruiser when it tries to board. Malik kills Persis for her betrayal, and continues with his plan to attack the Klingons. Scans of the Qu'vat colony reveal three main population centers; the torpedo is armed with pathogens and prepared for deployment. The Enterprise arrives late, just after Malik fires the torpedo, but Enterprise destroys it, saving the Klingon colony. Soong helps disable the Klingon ship, hoping to save some of the Augments. However, Malik scuttles the Klingon ship, killing the remaining Augments and the embryos, and transports himself onto Enterprise in an attempt to kill Soong in revenge, but Archer manages to kill Malik first. The Klingons call off their retaliation against Earth, and Soong returns to the Starfleet Detention Center. In custody, he begins to doubt the feasibility of genetically engineering humans and wonders if perfecting artificial life has better prospects for the future (Data and Lore! hint hint...).
"The Forge": The first part of another three part plot. Enterprise is ordered to Vulcan after 12 Vulcans and 31 humans die in the bombing of the United Earth Embassy, including Vice-Admiral Forrest, who is killed saving the life of Ambassador Soval. Archer meets with the head of the Vulcan High Command, Administrator V'Las, who concedes that the Syrrannites, a Vulcan faction, might have been responsible. This is possible since, although they claim peaceful tenets, they follow a "corrupted" form of the teachings of the Vulcan philosopher and father of Vulcan logic, Surak. Further, initial video and DNA evidence lead to a Vulcan named T'Pau, a known Syrrannite. Koss arrives on board Enterprise to speak to his wife, T'Pol. He gives her an IDIC pendant from her mother, who he explains is also a Syrrannite. The pendant projects a map showing a path across a desert on Vulcan called “the Forge”, which Archer believes will lead them to both T'Pau and T'Pol's mother. T'Pol and Archer leave the ship and begin to make the crossing, following the map. They soon encounter another traveller, calling himself Arev, who assists, but remains distrustful of them. A sand-fire storm kills Arev, but before he dies, he forcefully performs a mind meld with Archer to transfer his katra. After burying him, a focused Archer leads T'Pol directly to the concealed T'Karath Sanctuary, where they are quickly captured. Back on Enterprise, Phlox discovers that the DNA was planted. Tucker and he then examine security scans near a checkpoint in the embassy and single out a hooded man holding a suspicious package. Furthermore, they notice that the guard at the checkpoint seems to already know who the bomber is. Unfortunately, the guard is in a coma from the blast, and Archer and T'Pol are incommunicado. Though it violates standard Vulcan ethics, Phlox and Tucker consider a mind meld, and Soval decides to perform it himself. To his surprise, he discovers that the suspect is Stel, a Vulcan investigator attached to V'Las. Soval then resolves to inform the High Command.
"Awakening": Part two of three. Soval is summoned before V'Las and the High Council to face punishment over his use of a mind meld. Since the act is widely considered to be criminal by the Vulcan authorities, Soval is summarily dismissed from the Ambassadorial service. Meanwhile, Archer and T'Pol are questioned by the Syrrannites. After a short while, T'Pol is taken to see her mother, T'Les, and the two disagree about the tenets of the group - the Vulcan authorities call them extremists, a term T'Les disagrees with. Soon, Archer begins to see visions of an old Vulcan, and the dissidents determine that he had the katra of Surak transferred into him via mind meld. V'Las, now largely unopposed on the Council, becomes increasingly obsessed with decisively ending the Syrrannite threat once and for all. He postpones his plans to bombard the encampment, after delays in convincing Enterprise to leave orbit. He contacts Starfleet, and the Admiralty give Tucker direct orders, which he refuses to carry out. He attempts, with assistance from Soval, to send a rescue shuttlepod to "The Forge", but they are intercepted by Vulcan patrol vessels. V'Las then finally orders Vulcan warships to directly engage Enterprise, and Soval suggests that they should retreat before they are severely damaged. A ritual is performed to transfer the katra into the mind of T'Pau, but the attempt fails. Archer continues to see Surak, who informs him that he must find the relic known as the "Kir'Shara". The Vulcan military begin to bombard the complex. Archer, T'Pol, and T'Pau remain behind to search for the relic, and Archer is able to use his knowledge to unlock a door to reveal it. As they exit, T'Pol finds her mother, but she soon dies after being seriously injured in the attack. On Enterprise, Soval reveals that the Vulcans, despite the recent peace accord, are preparing a pre-emptive strike against the Andorians, and Tucker orders an immediate course at maximum warp.
"Kir'Shara": The final part of this 3-episode arc. Enterprise heads to Andoria after Soval informs them that the Vulcans believe they have been developing Xindi weapon technology. Soval guides Enterprise to a nebula where the Andorian fleet is hiding. Commander Shran is dubious, and abducts and tortures Soval. After believing him, Enterprise joins a fleet of six Andorian ships to intercept the Vulcans. Tucker attempts to buy time by ordering Enterprise directly between the two fleets - this works for a while until V'Las orders them to be targeted too. Meanwhile, at The Forge, Archer, T'Pol, and T'Pau, having found the sacred Kir'Shara (which the Syrrannites believe will usher a Vulcan enlightenment), endeavor to take it to the capital. En route, T'Pol and T'Pau discuss the taboo of mind-melds, and T'Pau offers to mind-meld with T'Pol. She states the meld is safe when performed by those trained in the art, and that Pa'nar Syndrome is merely the by-product of an improperly conducted meld. The trio are then attacked by Major Talok and Vulcan commandos, and T'Pol is captured while the others escape. She tells her captors that they are headed to Mount Seleya in order to mislead them from their true destination. She is then taken to the capital. Archer and T'Pau also arrive after T'Pol's husband, Koss, provides transporter security codes. They present the Kir'Shara to the High Command and reveal that the embassy bombing was merely a pretext to weaken the pacifist Syrrannites prior to the Andorian strike. Visibly angered, V'Las lunges for the Kir'Shara, but is stunned by High Minister Kuvak, who orders the fleet to stand down. Enterprise returns to Vulcan, and Koss visits to release T'Pol from their marriage. Meanwhile, the Vulcan High Command is dissolved, granting Earth greater autonomy, and the katra of Surak is transferred to a Vulcan high priest. V'Las, relieved of his post, meets secretly with Talok, revealed to be a Romulan agent, who states that the reunification of their worlds is only a matter of time.
"Daedalus": Old family friends of Archer, Doctor Emory Erickson and his daughter Danica, beam aboard Enterprise to test new sub-quantum transporter technology Erickson has developed. Catching up, Danica confides in Archer that her father has not been himself since the loss of her brother, Quinn, some 15 years ago in an early transporter experiment. After they arrive in "the Barrens" - a sub-space node void of starlight for a hundred light years - in order to test Erickson's new work, a strange anomaly is detected on the ship. Crewman Burrows is sent to investigate but is found dead, having been exposed to high levels of delta radiation. In the meantime, T'Pol takes time to rediscover herself in the light of recent events: the teachings of Surak held in the Kir'Shara; the death of her mother; the annulment of her marriage; her cure from Pa'nar Syndrome; and her relationship with Tucker. Tucker assists Erickson with the test, but is brushed aside when he seeks to learn more about the technology. Following a successful trial-run, which sets a new record for the longest transport ever conducted, Tucker confides in Archer that many of the upgrades and modifications to the ship's power systems were not necessary for the test. The "photonic ghost" reappears, and T'Pol manages to visually scan it, revealing that it is Erickson's long-lost son. Archer now realizes that his old family friends have misled him, and are simply using the ship to somehow rescue Quinn from the node. Erickson freely admits the deception, and asks Archer to trust and help him. Despite the deception, he agrees, aggressively ordering a reluctant T'Pol and a dissenting Tucker to comply. Finally, Tucker and Erickson manage to recover Quinn, but he suffers severe cellular degeneration in the process and dies soon after (such a sad scene!). Erickson, aware of the consequences he may now face, is happy to finally bring him home and put him to rest.
"Observer Effect": Reed and Mayweather play chess while serving as hosts to non-corporeal aliens known as Organians. Returning from an away mission on the planet below, Tucker and Sato soon exhibit symptoms of a strange disease. Upon examination by Phlox, it is found to be a highly contagious silicon-based virus - which carbon-based physiology cannot counteract. To pass the time, while isolated in Decontamination, Tucker and Sato try to learn more about each other. The Organians are keenly interested in examining the human response to this crisis, and compare notes to previous reactions by Klingons and Cardassians. They are members of an advanced species looking to make "first contact". For 800 years, the pair have been passively observing various space-faring species as they react to the pathogen, but no species has yet been deemed ready. Seeking a different view of the crew, they variably shift to the bodies of Archer, T'Pol and Phlox. The two Organians start to disagree: one seems determined to maintain their non-interference protocol, while the other feels the protocol is outdated and unnecessary. With time running out, Phlox and T'Pol find a way to disrupt the virus using deadly levels of radiation. Archer and Phlox, while wearing environmental suits, escort Tucker and Sato to Sickbay for treatment. Sato soon goes into cardiac arrest, and Archer removes his gloves and helmet to assist her, but she cannot be resuscitated. They then administer a dose of radiation to Tucker, but he dies too. Suddenly, the Organians possess Tucker and Sato, explaining the situation to a surprised Archer, including the unstoppable spread of the infection. Archer pleads on behalf of his crew, pointing out that the Organians have lost empathy, confusing non-intervention after-the-fact with a harmful choice to not post warnings about the virus. They decide to modify their protocol, choosing to resurrect and cure the infected crew members, when they previously would have left the entire crew to die. They erase the encounter from the crew's memory. Archer orders a warning beacon to be placed above the planet, and the Organians leave to begin planning first contact with humans 5,000 years in the future (in The Original Series first season episode "Errand of Mercy").
"Babel One": The first of a three-parter. It is November 2154, Archer and Sato spend time preparing for the arrival of Ambassador Gral and the Tellarite delegation, by practicing being blunt, complaining, and arguing. En route to the trade summit on "Babel One", they detect a distress call from the Andorian warship, Kumari, now under attack. Enterprise alters its course to assist, and arrives to find Commander Shran, Lieutenant Talas, and 17 other survivors in escape-pods. Archer goes to meet him in Sickbay, and an angry Shran claims that both the Andorian Ambassador's and his ship were attacked and destroyed by a powerful Tellarite vessel. Scans of the debris indicate Tellarite weapon signatures, and recovered sensor data shows a Tellarite vessel firing. With both delegations on board, and accusations of duplicity rising between the groups, Archer considers taking the Andorians to their homeworld. At full warp, Enterprise is suddenly attacked by an Andorian ship. When attempts at communicating fail, Archer demands that Shran intervene - he complies by explaining how to knock out its shields - but the attempt is ineffective. Enterprise is spared only when the attacking ship has to retreat because of a fluctuating power grid. T'Pol then notices that the "Andorian" and "Tellarite" ships have the same energy signature. The alien vessel is then tracked, and it appears to be capable of holographically disguising itself. Shran is unconvinced, and using Talas as a distraction, manages to escape and capture Gral, before order is restored. However, when Archer convinces Shran to examine the evidence, a member of the Tellarite delegation is able to wrest a weapon from Talas, and shoots her. Meanwhile, Tucker, Reed, and two MACOs beam aboard the ship, only to find it deserted and without life support. Although the MACOs are beamed back, the transporter is damaged before Tucker and Reed can be rescued. They are able to locate an oxygen supply within the ship's systems, but become stranded when the vessel warps away, and make their way to an empty bridge. On Romulus, it is revealed that the ship is actually a drone, controlled by a pilot under the command of Romulan Admiral Valdore, supported by a scientist called Nijil, in an attempt to prevent a regional détente.
"United": The second of three parts. On Romulus, Valdore, Nijil, and their pilot continue to control the mysterious "marauder", cloaking it to look like Enterprise and then using it to destroy a Rigelian vessel. Despite this success, Senator Vrax chastises them for losing full control of their drone since Tucker and Reed are still on board. Valdore and Nijil then work to trap Tucker inside a service junction as he attempts to divert power. After incapacitating him with leaked radiation coolant, Valdore then orders Reed to re-establish the damaged warp matrix on the drone or see his crewmate die. Reed complies in order to rescue Tucker. Meanwhile, aboard Enterprise, T'Pol and Mayweather devise a surveillance grid that will require the coordinated effort of 128 spaceships. After seeking help from Earth and Vulcan, Archer realizes that he will need to obtain Andorian and Tellarite support too. Archer's attempt hits a snag when Talas dies from the phaser wound sustained earlier. A devastated Shran openly challenges Naarg to a blood-duel using Ushaan-Tor, an Andorian ice-miner's tool. Realizing that a death will derail trade negotiations, Archer announces himself as the Tellarite's substitute. The duel proceeds and Archer is fortunately able to win, and spares Shran's life after severing an antenna. With the duel completed, Shran promises continued Andorian support for the grid, and the Tellarite's Ambassador Gral does the same. Enterprise, as a flagship, soon relocates and re-engages the drone. Reed and Tucker, caught in the crossfire and unable to be transported out, narrowly escape death by ejecting themselves into open space. A mixed fleet of "allied" vessels then arrive, forcing Vrax and Valdore to recall the drone at warp speed to Romulan space. Archer then invites the Andorians and the Tellarites to begin their negotiations early. On Romulus, the drone's pilot is revealed to be an Aenar, another species of the Andorian race.
"The Aenar": The third and final part. Vrax, fresh from the Romulan Senate, is disappointed that Valdore and scientist Nijil's drone program has failed to provoke a rift between Human, Andorian, Vulcan and Tellarite races as they had hoped. In fact, the opposite has happened - political discord throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants has declined. Now that a second drone vessel is ready to be launched, Valdore suggests a mission against the Enterprise in order to impress the Senate. Nijil argues that the pilot requires time to recover from his previous exertions, but Valdore insists and prioritizes the mission. On Enterprise, analysis of data gathered in the previous encounter with the Romulan ship reveals that the ship is being piloted telepathically by an Andorian. Shran explains that the data indicates that the pilot is probably a member of the Aenar, a white-skinned and blind Andorian sub-race. This, however, seems unlikely, since the Aenar are few in number, reclusive pacifists, and inhabitants of the isolated extreme northern polar region of their moon. Shran and Archer then beam down to contact the Aenar. The Aenar's spokesperson, Lissan, initially declines to assist as the Aenar do not want to get involved in a war. However, a young Aenar named Jhamel decides to help, since doing so may help locate Gareb, her missing brother. Meanwhile, Phlox, T'Pol, and Tucker work in Sickbay on their own "telepresence" unit to help counter the drone ship. T'Pol volunteers to test it, and a concerned Tucker finds it increasingly difficult to balance his duties and emotions. Jhamel then tests the unit, with better results. Later, when the drone ships reappear and attack, she is able to contact the drone pilot, and it is indeed her long-lost brother, who was tricked into working with the Romulans. Learning the deception of his "helpers", he turns the drones on each other and both are soon destroyed, and Valdore angrily kills him in retribution. With the threat resolved, the Andorians depart Enterprise and Tucker requests to leave the ship to join the Columbia.
"Affliction": Part one of two. This episode also has a cameo appearance of Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame as Ensign Rivers (pic above). Enterprise returns to Earth in time for the launch of the second NX class starship, Columbia, and Tucker prepares for his transfer. Meanwhile, Sato and Phlox are attacked in San Francisco, and Phlox is kidnapped. Archer and Reed investigate the scene, and Reed is given a secret assignment by a secretive agent that he seems to know. T'Pol, seeking information from Sato, conducts her first mind-meld, and the two realize that the attackers spoke Rigelian. They discover that a Rigelian freighter recently left orbit and head off in pursuit. On Columbia, Tucker ruffles a few feathers of his new team, and Captain Hernandez asks the reasons behind his transfer. Later, T'Pol, in her quarters, begins to meditate and mentally goes to her white cloud quiet place only to have a slightly confused, but still amused, Tucker show up there and start arguing with her. The moment of the shared vision (despite being on different ships) is broken when a disoriented Tucker appears to come out of a momentary daydream on Columbia. Enterprise locates a destroyed Rigelian ship, and while investigating, they are suddenly attacked and boarded. MACOs repel the attack and a captured alien is taken to Sickbay, where scanners show that despite his human appearance, he is in fact Klingon. Archer then discovers Reed's complicity in evidence tampering and confines him to the brig. Archer also learns that the boarders sabotaged the ship, and he orders maximum speed in order to prevent the warp core from overloading. The ship increases speed to warp 5.2, the fastest it has ever been. Phlox is taken to Qu'Vat, a Klingon colony where General K'Vagh and Doctor Antaak seek his help to cure a Klingon plague. To Phlox's horror, K'Vagh kills an infected Klingon so that an autopsy can be performed. Phlox determines that the victim's DNA has been supplemented with that of a genetically augmented human. Phlox also learns from Antaak that they experimented with augmented DNA (after the events seen in "Borderland"), but it self-mutated and escaped. Antaak and Phlox are told that they have five days to cure the outbreak before it is too late. Antaak suggests that the only course of action is to create stable augmented Klingons, but Phlox refuses to assist further.
"Divergence": Part two continuation. With the ship unable to decrease speed below warp 5, and the warp core reaching dangerous levels, Columbia and Tucker rendezvous to provide assistance. However the crew realise that the transporter cannot be used at warp, so the ships will need to maneuver in close proximity in order for Tucker to be transferred. Archer releases Reed from the brig to perform the transfer. Once on Enterprise, Tucker successfully performs a rapid non-standard cold boot on the warp engine, which purges the Klingon subroutines. Tucker then agrees to remain onboard temporarily to assist with repairs. Meanwhile, Antaak and a badly beaten Phlox update K'Vagh on their progress. K'Vagh contacts Admiral Krell, who tells him that if a cure is not completed soon, the facility will be eradicated in order to contain the disease. Back on Enterprise, Archer questions Reed about his recent actions, and is contacted by Harris from Section 31, a secretive agency within Starfleet. Harris reveals that Phlox is on an important mission and little else, but Reed reveals his location as Qu'Vat; Harris contacts Krell, to inform him that Enterprise is on the way, and Krell reveals that he used Harris. Enterprise arrives at the colony, and Archer beams down to the base with Marab to confront the Klingons and Phlox. Krell's Klingon battlecruiser and two Birds of Prey arrive in orbit and Krell orders the ships to destroy the colony. Enterprise attempts to intervene but is engaged by the Birds of Prey. Columbia arrives and joins combat with the two Birds of Prey, while Enterprise impedes the battlecruiser. Meanwhile, Phlox infects a voluntarily restrained Archer, as he needs human antibodies for the cure. Antaak then transports a canister of the virus onto the battlecruiser which infects the crew, including Krell. Needing the cure from Phlox, Krell stands down the attack and the Klingon High Council soon agrees to distribute the cure throughout the Empire. Harris contacts Reed, thanking him and confirming that the plan proceeded as per Section 31's projections, stabilizing the leadership of the Klingon Empire while scaring it off from augment experimentation.
"Bound": This episode was a kind of homage to the green-skin Orion slave girl that was first featured in the pilot episode "The Cage" in The Original Series. Instead of one, there are three in this episode. Not much else to say outside of the late-actor William Lucking playing the woofy Captain Harrad-Sar.
"In a Mirror, Darkly Part 1": The first of a two-parter that takes place in the Mirror Universe which even includes a new intro! In 2063, a Vulcan ship lands on Earth, making first contact with humans ( as seen in the film Star Trek: First Contact). Instead of peacefully greeting them, Zefream Cochrane shoots the lead Vulcan and the humans storm and loot the ship (didn't see that coming!). In 2155, Phlox and Major Reed demonstrate a new torture device to Captain Forrest and Commander Archer on the ISS Enterprise. Archer suggests to Forrest they travel into Tholian space, as he has heard rumors of technology they might wish to steal. The two argue, and Forrest returns to his quarters where he is comforted by Lieutenant Sato. When he leaves, he is ambushed by Archer and several MACOs and sent to the brig. Archer travels to the bridge and announces that he has taken command. After torturing a Tholian pilot for coordinates, he orders a change of course to the shipyard, and tells Commander T'Pol, whom he promotes to first officer, to install a Suliban cloaking device with Commander Tucker. Archer also appoints Sergeant Mayweather as his personal guard, and Sato proposes that she keep her job as Captain's woman. Archer has Sato send a message to Starfleet about their mission to raid the Tholian technology. Tucker is injured when the cloaking device is sabotaged. Archer questions Forrest, who denies all knowledge, and Reed tortures Tucker expecting him to be the saboteur. T'Pol leads a team to free Forrest and reclaim the ship, but Archer encrypts navigation control to prevent a course change. Forrest tortures Archer, but orders his release after he receives word that Starfleet agrees with Archer's plans. Archer shows images of an alternate universe vessel from the future named USS Defiant (a Constitution-class starship, last seen in The Original Series episode "The Tholian Web"), that has technology and power that is a century more advanced than ISS Enterprise. On arriving at the shipyard, Archer, T'Pol, and Tucker transport across, and Tucker begins powering up the vessel. Tholian vessels then attack, creating an energy web around Enterprise. Forrest orders the crew to abandon ship but remains behind as the ship is destroyed.
"In a Mirror, Darkly Part 2": Part two continuation with the same intro. Several Tholian ships create a web over the opening of the dock to prevent Defiant from leaving. T'Pol and Tucker restore power to the weapon systems, allowing Defiant to destroy enough enemy vessels to escape the trap. They recover 47 survivors from Enterprise, and Tucker is ordered to restore power to the warp drive. Sato goes to the captain's quarters and finds Archer perusing the ship's historical records, which includes parallel universe information about Starfleet, the United Federation of Planets, and their service records. Archer is surprised to learn his counterpart is an acclaimed and distinguished explorer, diplomat and politician. Ensign Kelby is killed trying to repair the warp drive, and the crew discover, from Tholian slaves left on board, that a Gorn named Slar has sabotaged the ship. Archer, after hearing voices telling him to achieve more fame and honor, decides to lead an assault team and kills the Gorn. Tucker is able to repair the warp drive and the ship then leaves to rendezvous with the ISS Avenger, arriving in time to save it from four rebel spacecraft. Avenger's commanding officer Admiral Black comes aboard for an inspection accompanied by his first officer, Soval. After Black refuses Archer's request for captaincy of the new ship, Archer disintegrates him with a phaser pistol. Archer gives a speech to the officers of both ships, saying that they should move against Starfleet and the Empire. Soval and T'Pol meet, contemplating a future where alien species are respected and treated as equals; they convince Phlox to join their movement and sabotage Defiant. As the sole alien allowed to remain on board, he succeeds in disabling the ship's systems. Soval, on Avenger, then attacks, but Tucker disables Phlox and restores power. Defiant destroys its attacker. When Sato and Archer celebrate in the captain's quarters, Archer dies after being poisoned by Sato and we see that Mayweather is now in league with Sato. Reaching Earth on the advanced and powerful Defiant, Sato contacts Admiral Gardner, demanding his surrender and declaring herself "Empress Sato". This was a great (and dark) two-parter with a good throwback of The Original Series' sets and costume designs. I did find the CGI to not be very good though, especially on the Gorn character.
"Demons": The first of a two-parter. Enterprise returns to Earth in order to attend the formation of a "Coalition of Planets". Nathan Samuels, a United Earth government minister, gives a speech, but he fails to mention the contribution they made to get the aliens to work collaboratively. A woman, later identified as Susan Khouri, staggers over to T'Pol and produces a vial containing a hair follicle, before collapsing and dying from a phaser wound. Back on board Enterprise, Phlox examines the hair's DNA, learning it is from the child of T'Pol and Tucker, but T'Pol denies ever being pregnant. Archer meets with Samuels, who is concerned that news of the child will stir xenophobic sentiment. Reed is ordered by Archer to liaise with Harris of Section 31. He is informed that Khouri was a member of Terra Prime, an anti-alien movement. Meanwhile, in the Terra Prime headquarters on the Moon, John Frederick Paxton and Doctor Mercer discuss the child. After Mercer leaves, Paxton sends for Daniel Greaves and tells him to deal with Mercer. On Earth, Archer tells Samuels that he knows that the minister was a former member of Terra Prime and convinces him to provide a case file on Khouri. Meanwhile, Mayweather gives his reporter ex-girlfriend, Gannet Brooks, a tour of the ship. On the Moon, Paxton watches footage of Colonel Phillip Green (from third season episode "The Savage Curtain"). Greaves enters and updates Paxton on the status of the child, and Paxton injects himself in the neck with an unknown substance. Phlox then reports that Khouri's body contained traces of a substance used in a zero-gravity mining facility. T'Pol and Tucker volunteer for an away mission to the Moon. Disguised as miners, they are quickly detained after Brooks apparently leaks details of the mission. Paxton reveals that the entire complex is a warp capable ship, and the vessel travels to Mars where it takes control of the verteron array, which normally protects the Earth from comets. He uses the array to fire a warning shot and issue an ultimatum - that all non-humans must immediately leave Earth.
"Terra Prime": Finishing off this two-parter, we reach the end of the series. T'Pol and Tucker remain captives of Paxton, who continues to broadcast his demand on all channels and frequencies. Paxton's action has an unsettling effect on the interspecies conference since it is clear that not all humans support it. On Mars, Paxton allows T'Pol and Tucker to see the baby, and T'Pol uses her scanner to learn that the child is unwell (and that Paxton has been using Rigelian gene therapy to treat himself). Seeking to fine-tune their attack, Paxton then threatens T'Pol in order to force Tucker to optimize the targeting system of the array. Enterprise is then ordered to Mars to destroy the array, but is turned away when a warning shot from the weapon damages the ship. Brooks, now in the brig, reveals to Mayweather she is a Starfleet Intelligence operative, and that Terra Prime probably has an operative aboard. Under the urging of Minister Samuels, the crew of Enterprise conceive a way to approach the deadly station undetected, using a shuttlepod hidden inside the tail of a comet. Archer elects to lead the away mission, along with Reed, Phlox, and Mayweather. En route, the shuttle's systems suddenly fail, nearly causing it to crash. Landing on Mars, the team then infiltrate Paxton's ship. Teaming up with Tucker, who has escaped his cell, they battle the Terra Prime followers in the control room. During the shootout, Paxton manages to lock the firing sequence - fortunately, Tucker has altered the targeting, and the beam misses. With Paxton under arrest, the hybrid child, named Elizabeth after Tucker's sister, is brought to Phlox, who unfortunately cannot do anything to save her (though this doesn't mean human/vulcan interbreeding is ruled out - Spock will be proof of this!). Investigations also reveal that Ensign Masaro was the spy, and he dies by his own hand. Back at Starfleet, Archer makes an impassioned speech to convince the delegates to explore the universe's mysteries together.
"These are the Voyages...": Final episode! In 2370, Commander William Riker, aboard Enterprise-D, is troubled by the events depicted in the Next Generation episode " The Pegasus", and seeks guidance. At Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi's suggestion, Riker sets a holo-program to the date 2161, some six years after the events of "Terra Prime", to a time when the original Enterprise (NX-01) is due to be decommissioned after ten years of active service. The starship and its crew are also returning to Earth for the signing of the Federation Charter, and Archer frets over the speech he will give to the assembled delegates. En route, Riker and Troi observe as Enterprise is contacted by Shran, a former Andorian Imperial Guard member whom Archer believed to be dead. Shran is married to Jhamel ("The Aenar"), and their young daughter has been kidnapped. He asks for Archer's help in rescuing her from Rigel X. Archer decides to assist, despite T'Pol's warning that they may be late returning for the ceremony. Riker joins the Enterprise crew as it assaults Shran's enemies and brings his daughter safely back. Troi also advises that Riker assume the role of ship's chef, hoping to earn the confidence of the simulated crew. As he prepares food with the crew, he learns more about their memories and impressions of Tucker. He also watches as the kidnappers board Enterprise, and how, in order to save Archer's life, Tucker overloads two conduits and dies after being mortally wounded (oh boy...). Riker notices that Archer is troubled that he must write a speech about how worthwhile their explorations have been, despite his friend's death, but T'Pol assures him Tucker would have considered it worthwhile. On Earth, Troi watches as Archer enters a crowded grand hall to give his speech and Riker joins her, now sure of what course he should take. The final shot of the episode is a montage of the ships named Enterprise: (NCC-1701-D, NCC-1701, and NX-01) as Captains Jean-Luc Picard, James T. Kirk, and Jonathan Archer recite the "Where no man has gone before" prologue.
Like Voyager's final episode of "Endgame", I know that "These are the Voyages..." was controversial to fans as Enterprise's goodbye to the series. I'll discuss my opinion on it in my upcoming final thoughts entry to close the series and saying goodbye to "Old Trek". This isn't a total goodbye though as I plan to go full circle and give one series a better review than when I first started back in March of 2010.
"Storm Front Part 1": Following the events of "Zero Hour", Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III and Ensign Travis Mayweather survive the attacks by P-51 Mustangs on their shuttlepod and arrive back on Enterprise. Temporal Agent Daniels, near death, suddenly appears to Doctor Phlox in sickbay. He warns that an alien named Vosk, the leader of a faction of the Temporal Cold War, has altered the timeline with catastrophic consequences. Enterprise was brought to the mid-20th century to end the Temporal Cold War between several factions including the Federation. On Earth, Captain Jonathan Archer escapes from the Germans when American resistance fighters ambush his convoy. Wounded, he is taken to a Resistance safehouse in Brooklyn. With the Germans controlling the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, it is revealed that the aliens, known as the Na'kuhl, have sworn allegiance to Nazi Germany. Further, they are providing them with advanced weapons and technology in exchange for material and supplies to build a temporal conduit that will take them back to their own time period. Meanwhile, Silik, the leader of the Suliban Cabal, has boarded Enterprise and manages to steal a shuttlepod to fly to Earth. Tucker and Mayweather are then sent to find Silik along with the shuttlepod. Archer contacts Sub-commander T'Pol using a stolen communicator and is transported back to Enterprise. Before dying, Daniels asks Archer to stop the Na'Kuhl from using the conduit and becoming even more dangerous. On Earth, the landing party find and destroy the shuttlepod, but are captured and taken in for interrogation.
"Storm Front Part 2": Lieutenant Malcolm Reed finds the point of divergence in the timeline: the 1916 murder of Lenin, where witnesses claimed Lenin's killer "vanished into thin air." The removal of Lenin prevents the October Revolution from successfully taking place, causing Hitler to disregard Russia as a threat, and the full weight of the Nazi war machine is then directed at Western Europe and the United States. Vosk seeks an alliance with Enterprise, releasing Mayweather and Tucker in hopes of forging a new understanding with Archer. Medical scans soon reveal that Tucker is actually Silik in disguise and he and Archer realize they need each other's help. They enlist the help of the Resistance to destroy the shields of the Na'kuhl complex and to help rescue Tucker. Before they can complete the mission, Silik is killed by a guard near the conduit, and Archer is almost shot by a confused Tucker. With the alien shields down, Enterprise then completes an atmospheric entry, flying over New York City and destroying the alien facility with photon torpedoes. The episode ends with Daniels showing Archer the threads of the timeline resetting themselves back to normal, as the Temporal Cold War finally ends with the death of Vosk. Archer demands that Daniels should never visit or bother Enterprise again. With their mission completed, Enterprise finally arrives back in its proper time period, where the ship is escorted home by a mixed fleet of Starfleet and alien vessels.
"Home": Archer and the crew are welcomed back to Earth following the successful Xindi mission. As Enterprise undergoes repairs and refitting, Archer is reunited with a former girlfriend, Captain Erika Hernandez, who has been appointed to Starfleet's second Warp 5 starship, Columbia (NX-02). Archer is debriefed by Admiral Maxwell Forrest and Ambassador Soval. After reacting in anger when Soval asks pointed questions about the Seleya incident (from last season's "Impulse" episode), he is ordered by Forrest to take some relaxation leave. He chooses to go mountain climbing; to his initial annoyance, Hernandez invites herself along. That night, Archer dreams that he is attacked by Reptilians, and Hernandez tries to help him come to terms with his memories and new-found adulation. In return, Archer tries to caution her that space exploration is not as idealistic as she thinks it is. In spite of this, the two manage to rekindle their romance. Returning to Starfleet Command, Archer is able to keep his emotions in check, and ultimately receives an unexpected thanks from Soval who admits that he was wrong about humanity. Elsewhere, Phlox learns that some humans still hold a grudge over the Xindi attack, xenophobically blaming all aliens, and Phlox's presence in a bar results in a brawl. Meanwhile, T'Pol - who has been invited to accept a Starfleet commission - takes the opportunity to travel to Vulcan to visit her mother, T'Les. When Tucker mentions that he does not have a home to go to, T'Pol invites him along. On Vulcan, after a tense homecoming, she learns that her mother has resigned from the Vulcan Science Academy as indirect punishment for T'Pol's actions at the P'Jem sanctuary (from the season one episode "The Andorian Incident"). One logical way for T'Pol to restore her mother's position is to honor her engagement to Koss, a member of an influential family. Despite Tucker's feelings, who admits to T'Les' observation that he is in love with T'Pol, she consents to marry Koss. Just before the ceremony begins, however, T'Pol quickly kisses Tucker on the cheek.
"Borderland": The first of three parts. In May 2154, a pair of genetically enhanced humans, referred to as "Augments", leave their home planet and take control of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey warship after killing the crew. Amid threats and protests by the Klingons, Starfleet tasks the newly refurbished Enterprise to stop the culprits. Archer visits disgraced scientist Doctor Arik Soong (played by Brent Spiner!) imprisoned for stealing augmented embryos, and transfers him from a holding facility. On board, Soong soon recognises his augments are responsible for the actions on board the Klingon vessel, but does not know why. He convinces Archer that he will be able to order his "children" to stand down without a fight. Enterprise enters an area of space known as the "Borderland" between the territories of the Klingons and Orions. They are attacked by two Orion vessels and several crew members are captured, including T'Pol (newly granted the Starfleet rank of Commander). They are taken to a slave market (with WWE's Big Show playing the Orion Slaver - WOOF!) and Archer is forced to ask for Soong's assistance to rescue his crew. After entering the market, the ship is able to beam most of the crew back, but when they try to release T'Pol's restraints, all of the prisoners in the slave market are released and chaos breaks out. Soong also attempts to escape, but Archer quickly returns him to Enterprise, where he demands that Soong take him immediately to the Augments. Soong refuses. On board the Klingon vessel, it is clear that the Augments consider Soong to be their "father". In a power-play, the Augment leader, Raakin, is tricked by Persis (who had been pretending to be devoted to him) and killed by his "brother" Malik. The Bird-of-Prey approaches Enterprise, saving them from a second Orion attack. The ships dock, and Malik requests the release of Soong from the brig-Archer refuses, but Malik forces him to comply. With Enterprise disabled, Soong announces that they now need to go and retrieve the remaining thousands of Augment embryos.
"Cold Station 12": Part two of three. After the escape of Doctor Soong and the Augments, Archer and his crew proceed to the coordinates Soong had provided earlier in the mission. On Trialis IV, the away team find an abandoned building where the young Augments were raised and schooled by "father" Soong. They also capture a banished member of the Augments named Udar. Nicknamed "Smike" by his Augment siblings after a handicapped character from the comic novel Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, he is taken to Enterprise. Analysis reveals that although Udar's DNA is similar to the other Augments, he has none of their enhanced abilities (except for superior hearing). Meanwhile, Soong and the Augments capture Barzai, a Denobulan medical ship, and use it to enter the medical facility called Cold Station 12 (C-12). They soon overpower security and capture the scientists there, including its chief medical officer, Doctor Jeremy Lucas (Doctor Phlox's woofy Interspecies Medical Exchange counterpart). Due to security protocols, tensions begin to surface between Soong and Malik, as to how to coerce Lucas into divulging the entry codes. Malik convinces Soong to torture Lucas, and failing that, to expose a scientist to a deadly pathogen using a containment chamber. Enterprise approaches within transporter range, and beams a landing party (including Phlox) to the facility. They are soon detected, however, and imprisoned with the facility's staff. Meanwhile, T'Pol, having lost contact with the team, attempts to destroy the station, but the Klingon ship intervenes. Malik uses Phlox's friendship to finally coerce the security codes from Lucas (by threatening to expose him to a pathogen as well). Soong, who had previously stolen 19 genetically enhanced and frozen embryos from C-12, is now able to access the remaining 1,800, a carry-over from the Eugenics Wars. Soong and the Augments then escape, but not before Malik kills Smike, helps himself to a number of pathogen samples, and sets the viral containment fields to fail.
"The Augments": The final part of this 3-episode arc. Archer restores stasis around the central compound, and is beamed from space to safety, with the Enterprise in pursuit of Soong, Malik, and the Augments on their stolen Bird of Prey. Soong and the Augments arrive in Klingon space where he shares his plan: Soong intends to hide out in a region (the Briar Patch) where Starfleet would have trouble tracking them down. Malik objects to Soong's plan, noting that Khan Noonien Singh also ran away on the SS Botany Bay. In pursuit of the Augments, Enterprise arrives in Klingon space having faked a Klingon warp signature. Soong releases a hostage on a Denobulan shuttle into a gas giant, forcing the Enterprise to abandon their pursuit and mount a rescue operation. Escaping, Malik proposes a new plan: trigger a war between Starfleet and the Klingons as a distraction by firing a pathogen-filled torpedo at a Klingon colony. He reasons that Starfleet will be too busy fighting the Klingons to hunt down the Augments. Soong will have nothing to do with Malik's genocidal proposal. On the Enterprise, T"Pol asks Tucker about the distance between them after her recent arranged marriage, and he tells her he has come to terms with their new relationship. Back on the Bird of Prey, Soong works on a way to remove aggressive behavior from the unborn Augment embryos. Malik, concerned by Soong's plan to hide from Starfleet and his tampering with the embryos, leads a mutiny which confines Soong to his quarters. With the help of Persis, Soong leaves the ship in an escape pod. Enterprise, once again in pursuit, detects the pod and brings Soong on board. Heading towards the Klingon colony in high warp in an attempt to stop Malik's plan, the Klingons detect their ship. Enterprise is forced to disable a Klingon cruiser when it tries to board. Malik kills Persis for her betrayal, and continues with his plan to attack the Klingons. Scans of the Qu'vat colony reveal three main population centers; the torpedo is armed with pathogens and prepared for deployment. The Enterprise arrives late, just after Malik fires the torpedo, but Enterprise destroys it, saving the Klingon colony. Soong helps disable the Klingon ship, hoping to save some of the Augments. However, Malik scuttles the Klingon ship, killing the remaining Augments and the embryos, and transports himself onto Enterprise in an attempt to kill Soong in revenge, but Archer manages to kill Malik first. The Klingons call off their retaliation against Earth, and Soong returns to the Starfleet Detention Center. In custody, he begins to doubt the feasibility of genetically engineering humans and wonders if perfecting artificial life has better prospects for the future (Data and Lore! hint hint...).
"The Forge": The first part of another three part plot. Enterprise is ordered to Vulcan after 12 Vulcans and 31 humans die in the bombing of the United Earth Embassy, including Vice-Admiral Forrest, who is killed saving the life of Ambassador Soval. Archer meets with the head of the Vulcan High Command, Administrator V'Las, who concedes that the Syrrannites, a Vulcan faction, might have been responsible. This is possible since, although they claim peaceful tenets, they follow a "corrupted" form of the teachings of the Vulcan philosopher and father of Vulcan logic, Surak. Further, initial video and DNA evidence lead to a Vulcan named T'Pau, a known Syrrannite. Koss arrives on board Enterprise to speak to his wife, T'Pol. He gives her an IDIC pendant from her mother, who he explains is also a Syrrannite. The pendant projects a map showing a path across a desert on Vulcan called “the Forge”, which Archer believes will lead them to both T'Pau and T'Pol's mother. T'Pol and Archer leave the ship and begin to make the crossing, following the map. They soon encounter another traveller, calling himself Arev, who assists, but remains distrustful of them. A sand-fire storm kills Arev, but before he dies, he forcefully performs a mind meld with Archer to transfer his katra. After burying him, a focused Archer leads T'Pol directly to the concealed T'Karath Sanctuary, where they are quickly captured. Back on Enterprise, Phlox discovers that the DNA was planted. Tucker and he then examine security scans near a checkpoint in the embassy and single out a hooded man holding a suspicious package. Furthermore, they notice that the guard at the checkpoint seems to already know who the bomber is. Unfortunately, the guard is in a coma from the blast, and Archer and T'Pol are incommunicado. Though it violates standard Vulcan ethics, Phlox and Tucker consider a mind meld, and Soval decides to perform it himself. To his surprise, he discovers that the suspect is Stel, a Vulcan investigator attached to V'Las. Soval then resolves to inform the High Command.
"Awakening": Part two of three. Soval is summoned before V'Las and the High Council to face punishment over his use of a mind meld. Since the act is widely considered to be criminal by the Vulcan authorities, Soval is summarily dismissed from the Ambassadorial service. Meanwhile, Archer and T'Pol are questioned by the Syrrannites. After a short while, T'Pol is taken to see her mother, T'Les, and the two disagree about the tenets of the group - the Vulcan authorities call them extremists, a term T'Les disagrees with. Soon, Archer begins to see visions of an old Vulcan, and the dissidents determine that he had the katra of Surak transferred into him via mind meld. V'Las, now largely unopposed on the Council, becomes increasingly obsessed with decisively ending the Syrrannite threat once and for all. He postpones his plans to bombard the encampment, after delays in convincing Enterprise to leave orbit. He contacts Starfleet, and the Admiralty give Tucker direct orders, which he refuses to carry out. He attempts, with assistance from Soval, to send a rescue shuttlepod to "The Forge", but they are intercepted by Vulcan patrol vessels. V'Las then finally orders Vulcan warships to directly engage Enterprise, and Soval suggests that they should retreat before they are severely damaged. A ritual is performed to transfer the katra into the mind of T'Pau, but the attempt fails. Archer continues to see Surak, who informs him that he must find the relic known as the "Kir'Shara". The Vulcan military begin to bombard the complex. Archer, T'Pol, and T'Pau remain behind to search for the relic, and Archer is able to use his knowledge to unlock a door to reveal it. As they exit, T'Pol finds her mother, but she soon dies after being seriously injured in the attack. On Enterprise, Soval reveals that the Vulcans, despite the recent peace accord, are preparing a pre-emptive strike against the Andorians, and Tucker orders an immediate course at maximum warp.
"Kir'Shara": The final part of this 3-episode arc. Enterprise heads to Andoria after Soval informs them that the Vulcans believe they have been developing Xindi weapon technology. Soval guides Enterprise to a nebula where the Andorian fleet is hiding. Commander Shran is dubious, and abducts and tortures Soval. After believing him, Enterprise joins a fleet of six Andorian ships to intercept the Vulcans. Tucker attempts to buy time by ordering Enterprise directly between the two fleets - this works for a while until V'Las orders them to be targeted too. Meanwhile, at The Forge, Archer, T'Pol, and T'Pau, having found the sacred Kir'Shara (which the Syrrannites believe will usher a Vulcan enlightenment), endeavor to take it to the capital. En route, T'Pol and T'Pau discuss the taboo of mind-melds, and T'Pau offers to mind-meld with T'Pol. She states the meld is safe when performed by those trained in the art, and that Pa'nar Syndrome is merely the by-product of an improperly conducted meld. The trio are then attacked by Major Talok and Vulcan commandos, and T'Pol is captured while the others escape. She tells her captors that they are headed to Mount Seleya in order to mislead them from their true destination. She is then taken to the capital. Archer and T'Pau also arrive after T'Pol's husband, Koss, provides transporter security codes. They present the Kir'Shara to the High Command and reveal that the embassy bombing was merely a pretext to weaken the pacifist Syrrannites prior to the Andorian strike. Visibly angered, V'Las lunges for the Kir'Shara, but is stunned by High Minister Kuvak, who orders the fleet to stand down. Enterprise returns to Vulcan, and Koss visits to release T'Pol from their marriage. Meanwhile, the Vulcan High Command is dissolved, granting Earth greater autonomy, and the katra of Surak is transferred to a Vulcan high priest. V'Las, relieved of his post, meets secretly with Talok, revealed to be a Romulan agent, who states that the reunification of their worlds is only a matter of time.
"Daedalus": Old family friends of Archer, Doctor Emory Erickson and his daughter Danica, beam aboard Enterprise to test new sub-quantum transporter technology Erickson has developed. Catching up, Danica confides in Archer that her father has not been himself since the loss of her brother, Quinn, some 15 years ago in an early transporter experiment. After they arrive in "the Barrens" - a sub-space node void of starlight for a hundred light years - in order to test Erickson's new work, a strange anomaly is detected on the ship. Crewman Burrows is sent to investigate but is found dead, having been exposed to high levels of delta radiation. In the meantime, T'Pol takes time to rediscover herself in the light of recent events: the teachings of Surak held in the Kir'Shara; the death of her mother; the annulment of her marriage; her cure from Pa'nar Syndrome; and her relationship with Tucker. Tucker assists Erickson with the test, but is brushed aside when he seeks to learn more about the technology. Following a successful trial-run, which sets a new record for the longest transport ever conducted, Tucker confides in Archer that many of the upgrades and modifications to the ship's power systems were not necessary for the test. The "photonic ghost" reappears, and T'Pol manages to visually scan it, revealing that it is Erickson's long-lost son. Archer now realizes that his old family friends have misled him, and are simply using the ship to somehow rescue Quinn from the node. Erickson freely admits the deception, and asks Archer to trust and help him. Despite the deception, he agrees, aggressively ordering a reluctant T'Pol and a dissenting Tucker to comply. Finally, Tucker and Erickson manage to recover Quinn, but he suffers severe cellular degeneration in the process and dies soon after (such a sad scene!). Erickson, aware of the consequences he may now face, is happy to finally bring him home and put him to rest.
"Observer Effect": Reed and Mayweather play chess while serving as hosts to non-corporeal aliens known as Organians. Returning from an away mission on the planet below, Tucker and Sato soon exhibit symptoms of a strange disease. Upon examination by Phlox, it is found to be a highly contagious silicon-based virus - which carbon-based physiology cannot counteract. To pass the time, while isolated in Decontamination, Tucker and Sato try to learn more about each other. The Organians are keenly interested in examining the human response to this crisis, and compare notes to previous reactions by Klingons and Cardassians. They are members of an advanced species looking to make "first contact". For 800 years, the pair have been passively observing various space-faring species as they react to the pathogen, but no species has yet been deemed ready. Seeking a different view of the crew, they variably shift to the bodies of Archer, T'Pol and Phlox. The two Organians start to disagree: one seems determined to maintain their non-interference protocol, while the other feels the protocol is outdated and unnecessary. With time running out, Phlox and T'Pol find a way to disrupt the virus using deadly levels of radiation. Archer and Phlox, while wearing environmental suits, escort Tucker and Sato to Sickbay for treatment. Sato soon goes into cardiac arrest, and Archer removes his gloves and helmet to assist her, but she cannot be resuscitated. They then administer a dose of radiation to Tucker, but he dies too. Suddenly, the Organians possess Tucker and Sato, explaining the situation to a surprised Archer, including the unstoppable spread of the infection. Archer pleads on behalf of his crew, pointing out that the Organians have lost empathy, confusing non-intervention after-the-fact with a harmful choice to not post warnings about the virus. They decide to modify their protocol, choosing to resurrect and cure the infected crew members, when they previously would have left the entire crew to die. They erase the encounter from the crew's memory. Archer orders a warning beacon to be placed above the planet, and the Organians leave to begin planning first contact with humans 5,000 years in the future (in The Original Series first season episode "Errand of Mercy").
"Babel One": The first of a three-parter. It is November 2154, Archer and Sato spend time preparing for the arrival of Ambassador Gral and the Tellarite delegation, by practicing being blunt, complaining, and arguing. En route to the trade summit on "Babel One", they detect a distress call from the Andorian warship, Kumari, now under attack. Enterprise alters its course to assist, and arrives to find Commander Shran, Lieutenant Talas, and 17 other survivors in escape-pods. Archer goes to meet him in Sickbay, and an angry Shran claims that both the Andorian Ambassador's and his ship were attacked and destroyed by a powerful Tellarite vessel. Scans of the debris indicate Tellarite weapon signatures, and recovered sensor data shows a Tellarite vessel firing. With both delegations on board, and accusations of duplicity rising between the groups, Archer considers taking the Andorians to their homeworld. At full warp, Enterprise is suddenly attacked by an Andorian ship. When attempts at communicating fail, Archer demands that Shran intervene - he complies by explaining how to knock out its shields - but the attempt is ineffective. Enterprise is spared only when the attacking ship has to retreat because of a fluctuating power grid. T'Pol then notices that the "Andorian" and "Tellarite" ships have the same energy signature. The alien vessel is then tracked, and it appears to be capable of holographically disguising itself. Shran is unconvinced, and using Talas as a distraction, manages to escape and capture Gral, before order is restored. However, when Archer convinces Shran to examine the evidence, a member of the Tellarite delegation is able to wrest a weapon from Talas, and shoots her. Meanwhile, Tucker, Reed, and two MACOs beam aboard the ship, only to find it deserted and without life support. Although the MACOs are beamed back, the transporter is damaged before Tucker and Reed can be rescued. They are able to locate an oxygen supply within the ship's systems, but become stranded when the vessel warps away, and make their way to an empty bridge. On Romulus, it is revealed that the ship is actually a drone, controlled by a pilot under the command of Romulan Admiral Valdore, supported by a scientist called Nijil, in an attempt to prevent a regional détente.
"United": The second of three parts. On Romulus, Valdore, Nijil, and their pilot continue to control the mysterious "marauder", cloaking it to look like Enterprise and then using it to destroy a Rigelian vessel. Despite this success, Senator Vrax chastises them for losing full control of their drone since Tucker and Reed are still on board. Valdore and Nijil then work to trap Tucker inside a service junction as he attempts to divert power. After incapacitating him with leaked radiation coolant, Valdore then orders Reed to re-establish the damaged warp matrix on the drone or see his crewmate die. Reed complies in order to rescue Tucker. Meanwhile, aboard Enterprise, T'Pol and Mayweather devise a surveillance grid that will require the coordinated effort of 128 spaceships. After seeking help from Earth and Vulcan, Archer realizes that he will need to obtain Andorian and Tellarite support too. Archer's attempt hits a snag when Talas dies from the phaser wound sustained earlier. A devastated Shran openly challenges Naarg to a blood-duel using Ushaan-Tor, an Andorian ice-miner's tool. Realizing that a death will derail trade negotiations, Archer announces himself as the Tellarite's substitute. The duel proceeds and Archer is fortunately able to win, and spares Shran's life after severing an antenna. With the duel completed, Shran promises continued Andorian support for the grid, and the Tellarite's Ambassador Gral does the same. Enterprise, as a flagship, soon relocates and re-engages the drone. Reed and Tucker, caught in the crossfire and unable to be transported out, narrowly escape death by ejecting themselves into open space. A mixed fleet of "allied" vessels then arrive, forcing Vrax and Valdore to recall the drone at warp speed to Romulan space. Archer then invites the Andorians and the Tellarites to begin their negotiations early. On Romulus, the drone's pilot is revealed to be an Aenar, another species of the Andorian race.
"The Aenar": The third and final part. Vrax, fresh from the Romulan Senate, is disappointed that Valdore and scientist Nijil's drone program has failed to provoke a rift between Human, Andorian, Vulcan and Tellarite races as they had hoped. In fact, the opposite has happened - political discord throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants has declined. Now that a second drone vessel is ready to be launched, Valdore suggests a mission against the Enterprise in order to impress the Senate. Nijil argues that the pilot requires time to recover from his previous exertions, but Valdore insists and prioritizes the mission. On Enterprise, analysis of data gathered in the previous encounter with the Romulan ship reveals that the ship is being piloted telepathically by an Andorian. Shran explains that the data indicates that the pilot is probably a member of the Aenar, a white-skinned and blind Andorian sub-race. This, however, seems unlikely, since the Aenar are few in number, reclusive pacifists, and inhabitants of the isolated extreme northern polar region of their moon. Shran and Archer then beam down to contact the Aenar. The Aenar's spokesperson, Lissan, initially declines to assist as the Aenar do not want to get involved in a war. However, a young Aenar named Jhamel decides to help, since doing so may help locate Gareb, her missing brother. Meanwhile, Phlox, T'Pol, and Tucker work in Sickbay on their own "telepresence" unit to help counter the drone ship. T'Pol volunteers to test it, and a concerned Tucker finds it increasingly difficult to balance his duties and emotions. Jhamel then tests the unit, with better results. Later, when the drone ships reappear and attack, she is able to contact the drone pilot, and it is indeed her long-lost brother, who was tricked into working with the Romulans. Learning the deception of his "helpers", he turns the drones on each other and both are soon destroyed, and Valdore angrily kills him in retribution. With the threat resolved, the Andorians depart Enterprise and Tucker requests to leave the ship to join the Columbia.
"Affliction": Part one of two. This episode also has a cameo appearance of Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame as Ensign Rivers (pic above). Enterprise returns to Earth in time for the launch of the second NX class starship, Columbia, and Tucker prepares for his transfer. Meanwhile, Sato and Phlox are attacked in San Francisco, and Phlox is kidnapped. Archer and Reed investigate the scene, and Reed is given a secret assignment by a secretive agent that he seems to know. T'Pol, seeking information from Sato, conducts her first mind-meld, and the two realize that the attackers spoke Rigelian. They discover that a Rigelian freighter recently left orbit and head off in pursuit. On Columbia, Tucker ruffles a few feathers of his new team, and Captain Hernandez asks the reasons behind his transfer. Later, T'Pol, in her quarters, begins to meditate and mentally goes to her white cloud quiet place only to have a slightly confused, but still amused, Tucker show up there and start arguing with her. The moment of the shared vision (despite being on different ships) is broken when a disoriented Tucker appears to come out of a momentary daydream on Columbia. Enterprise locates a destroyed Rigelian ship, and while investigating, they are suddenly attacked and boarded. MACOs repel the attack and a captured alien is taken to Sickbay, where scanners show that despite his human appearance, he is in fact Klingon. Archer then discovers Reed's complicity in evidence tampering and confines him to the brig. Archer also learns that the boarders sabotaged the ship, and he orders maximum speed in order to prevent the warp core from overloading. The ship increases speed to warp 5.2, the fastest it has ever been. Phlox is taken to Qu'Vat, a Klingon colony where General K'Vagh and Doctor Antaak seek his help to cure a Klingon plague. To Phlox's horror, K'Vagh kills an infected Klingon so that an autopsy can be performed. Phlox determines that the victim's DNA has been supplemented with that of a genetically augmented human. Phlox also learns from Antaak that they experimented with augmented DNA (after the events seen in "Borderland"), but it self-mutated and escaped. Antaak and Phlox are told that they have five days to cure the outbreak before it is too late. Antaak suggests that the only course of action is to create stable augmented Klingons, but Phlox refuses to assist further.
"Divergence": Part two continuation. With the ship unable to decrease speed below warp 5, and the warp core reaching dangerous levels, Columbia and Tucker rendezvous to provide assistance. However the crew realise that the transporter cannot be used at warp, so the ships will need to maneuver in close proximity in order for Tucker to be transferred. Archer releases Reed from the brig to perform the transfer. Once on Enterprise, Tucker successfully performs a rapid non-standard cold boot on the warp engine, which purges the Klingon subroutines. Tucker then agrees to remain onboard temporarily to assist with repairs. Meanwhile, Antaak and a badly beaten Phlox update K'Vagh on their progress. K'Vagh contacts Admiral Krell, who tells him that if a cure is not completed soon, the facility will be eradicated in order to contain the disease. Back on Enterprise, Archer questions Reed about his recent actions, and is contacted by Harris from Section 31, a secretive agency within Starfleet. Harris reveals that Phlox is on an important mission and little else, but Reed reveals his location as Qu'Vat; Harris contacts Krell, to inform him that Enterprise is on the way, and Krell reveals that he used Harris. Enterprise arrives at the colony, and Archer beams down to the base with Marab to confront the Klingons and Phlox. Krell's Klingon battlecruiser and two Birds of Prey arrive in orbit and Krell orders the ships to destroy the colony. Enterprise attempts to intervene but is engaged by the Birds of Prey. Columbia arrives and joins combat with the two Birds of Prey, while Enterprise impedes the battlecruiser. Meanwhile, Phlox infects a voluntarily restrained Archer, as he needs human antibodies for the cure. Antaak then transports a canister of the virus onto the battlecruiser which infects the crew, including Krell. Needing the cure from Phlox, Krell stands down the attack and the Klingon High Council soon agrees to distribute the cure throughout the Empire. Harris contacts Reed, thanking him and confirming that the plan proceeded as per Section 31's projections, stabilizing the leadership of the Klingon Empire while scaring it off from augment experimentation.
"Bound": This episode was a kind of homage to the green-skin Orion slave girl that was first featured in the pilot episode "The Cage" in The Original Series. Instead of one, there are three in this episode. Not much else to say outside of the late-actor William Lucking playing the woofy Captain Harrad-Sar.
"In a Mirror, Darkly Part 1": The first of a two-parter that takes place in the Mirror Universe which even includes a new intro! In 2063, a Vulcan ship lands on Earth, making first contact with humans ( as seen in the film Star Trek: First Contact). Instead of peacefully greeting them, Zefream Cochrane shoots the lead Vulcan and the humans storm and loot the ship (didn't see that coming!). In 2155, Phlox and Major Reed demonstrate a new torture device to Captain Forrest and Commander Archer on the ISS Enterprise. Archer suggests to Forrest they travel into Tholian space, as he has heard rumors of technology they might wish to steal. The two argue, and Forrest returns to his quarters where he is comforted by Lieutenant Sato. When he leaves, he is ambushed by Archer and several MACOs and sent to the brig. Archer travels to the bridge and announces that he has taken command. After torturing a Tholian pilot for coordinates, he orders a change of course to the shipyard, and tells Commander T'Pol, whom he promotes to first officer, to install a Suliban cloaking device with Commander Tucker. Archer also appoints Sergeant Mayweather as his personal guard, and Sato proposes that she keep her job as Captain's woman. Archer has Sato send a message to Starfleet about their mission to raid the Tholian technology. Tucker is injured when the cloaking device is sabotaged. Archer questions Forrest, who denies all knowledge, and Reed tortures Tucker expecting him to be the saboteur. T'Pol leads a team to free Forrest and reclaim the ship, but Archer encrypts navigation control to prevent a course change. Forrest tortures Archer, but orders his release after he receives word that Starfleet agrees with Archer's plans. Archer shows images of an alternate universe vessel from the future named USS Defiant (a Constitution-class starship, last seen in The Original Series episode "The Tholian Web"), that has technology and power that is a century more advanced than ISS Enterprise. On arriving at the shipyard, Archer, T'Pol, and Tucker transport across, and Tucker begins powering up the vessel. Tholian vessels then attack, creating an energy web around Enterprise. Forrest orders the crew to abandon ship but remains behind as the ship is destroyed.
"In a Mirror, Darkly Part 2": Part two continuation with the same intro. Several Tholian ships create a web over the opening of the dock to prevent Defiant from leaving. T'Pol and Tucker restore power to the weapon systems, allowing Defiant to destroy enough enemy vessels to escape the trap. They recover 47 survivors from Enterprise, and Tucker is ordered to restore power to the warp drive. Sato goes to the captain's quarters and finds Archer perusing the ship's historical records, which includes parallel universe information about Starfleet, the United Federation of Planets, and their service records. Archer is surprised to learn his counterpart is an acclaimed and distinguished explorer, diplomat and politician. Ensign Kelby is killed trying to repair the warp drive, and the crew discover, from Tholian slaves left on board, that a Gorn named Slar has sabotaged the ship. Archer, after hearing voices telling him to achieve more fame and honor, decides to lead an assault team and kills the Gorn. Tucker is able to repair the warp drive and the ship then leaves to rendezvous with the ISS Avenger, arriving in time to save it from four rebel spacecraft. Avenger's commanding officer Admiral Black comes aboard for an inspection accompanied by his first officer, Soval. After Black refuses Archer's request for captaincy of the new ship, Archer disintegrates him with a phaser pistol. Archer gives a speech to the officers of both ships, saying that they should move against Starfleet and the Empire. Soval and T'Pol meet, contemplating a future where alien species are respected and treated as equals; they convince Phlox to join their movement and sabotage Defiant. As the sole alien allowed to remain on board, he succeeds in disabling the ship's systems. Soval, on Avenger, then attacks, but Tucker disables Phlox and restores power. Defiant destroys its attacker. When Sato and Archer celebrate in the captain's quarters, Archer dies after being poisoned by Sato and we see that Mayweather is now in league with Sato. Reaching Earth on the advanced and powerful Defiant, Sato contacts Admiral Gardner, demanding his surrender and declaring herself "Empress Sato". This was a great (and dark) two-parter with a good throwback of The Original Series' sets and costume designs. I did find the CGI to not be very good though, especially on the Gorn character.
"Demons": The first of a two-parter. Enterprise returns to Earth in order to attend the formation of a "Coalition of Planets". Nathan Samuels, a United Earth government minister, gives a speech, but he fails to mention the contribution they made to get the aliens to work collaboratively. A woman, later identified as Susan Khouri, staggers over to T'Pol and produces a vial containing a hair follicle, before collapsing and dying from a phaser wound. Back on board Enterprise, Phlox examines the hair's DNA, learning it is from the child of T'Pol and Tucker, but T'Pol denies ever being pregnant. Archer meets with Samuels, who is concerned that news of the child will stir xenophobic sentiment. Reed is ordered by Archer to liaise with Harris of Section 31. He is informed that Khouri was a member of Terra Prime, an anti-alien movement. Meanwhile, in the Terra Prime headquarters on the Moon, John Frederick Paxton and Doctor Mercer discuss the child. After Mercer leaves, Paxton sends for Daniel Greaves and tells him to deal with Mercer. On Earth, Archer tells Samuels that he knows that the minister was a former member of Terra Prime and convinces him to provide a case file on Khouri. Meanwhile, Mayweather gives his reporter ex-girlfriend, Gannet Brooks, a tour of the ship. On the Moon, Paxton watches footage of Colonel Phillip Green (from third season episode "The Savage Curtain"). Greaves enters and updates Paxton on the status of the child, and Paxton injects himself in the neck with an unknown substance. Phlox then reports that Khouri's body contained traces of a substance used in a zero-gravity mining facility. T'Pol and Tucker volunteer for an away mission to the Moon. Disguised as miners, they are quickly detained after Brooks apparently leaks details of the mission. Paxton reveals that the entire complex is a warp capable ship, and the vessel travels to Mars where it takes control of the verteron array, which normally protects the Earth from comets. He uses the array to fire a warning shot and issue an ultimatum - that all non-humans must immediately leave Earth.
"Terra Prime": Finishing off this two-parter, we reach the end of the series. T'Pol and Tucker remain captives of Paxton, who continues to broadcast his demand on all channels and frequencies. Paxton's action has an unsettling effect on the interspecies conference since it is clear that not all humans support it. On Mars, Paxton allows T'Pol and Tucker to see the baby, and T'Pol uses her scanner to learn that the child is unwell (and that Paxton has been using Rigelian gene therapy to treat himself). Seeking to fine-tune their attack, Paxton then threatens T'Pol in order to force Tucker to optimize the targeting system of the array. Enterprise is then ordered to Mars to destroy the array, but is turned away when a warning shot from the weapon damages the ship. Brooks, now in the brig, reveals to Mayweather she is a Starfleet Intelligence operative, and that Terra Prime probably has an operative aboard. Under the urging of Minister Samuels, the crew of Enterprise conceive a way to approach the deadly station undetected, using a shuttlepod hidden inside the tail of a comet. Archer elects to lead the away mission, along with Reed, Phlox, and Mayweather. En route, the shuttle's systems suddenly fail, nearly causing it to crash. Landing on Mars, the team then infiltrate Paxton's ship. Teaming up with Tucker, who has escaped his cell, they battle the Terra Prime followers in the control room. During the shootout, Paxton manages to lock the firing sequence - fortunately, Tucker has altered the targeting, and the beam misses. With Paxton under arrest, the hybrid child, named Elizabeth after Tucker's sister, is brought to Phlox, who unfortunately cannot do anything to save her (though this doesn't mean human/vulcan interbreeding is ruled out - Spock will be proof of this!). Investigations also reveal that Ensign Masaro was the spy, and he dies by his own hand. Back at Starfleet, Archer makes an impassioned speech to convince the delegates to explore the universe's mysteries together.
"These are the Voyages...": Final episode! In 2370, Commander William Riker, aboard Enterprise-D, is troubled by the events depicted in the Next Generation episode " The Pegasus", and seeks guidance. At Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi's suggestion, Riker sets a holo-program to the date 2161, some six years after the events of "Terra Prime", to a time when the original Enterprise (NX-01) is due to be decommissioned after ten years of active service. The starship and its crew are also returning to Earth for the signing of the Federation Charter, and Archer frets over the speech he will give to the assembled delegates. En route, Riker and Troi observe as Enterprise is contacted by Shran, a former Andorian Imperial Guard member whom Archer believed to be dead. Shran is married to Jhamel ("The Aenar"), and their young daughter has been kidnapped. He asks for Archer's help in rescuing her from Rigel X. Archer decides to assist, despite T'Pol's warning that they may be late returning for the ceremony. Riker joins the Enterprise crew as it assaults Shran's enemies and brings his daughter safely back. Troi also advises that Riker assume the role of ship's chef, hoping to earn the confidence of the simulated crew. As he prepares food with the crew, he learns more about their memories and impressions of Tucker. He also watches as the kidnappers board Enterprise, and how, in order to save Archer's life, Tucker overloads two conduits and dies after being mortally wounded (oh boy...). Riker notices that Archer is troubled that he must write a speech about how worthwhile their explorations have been, despite his friend's death, but T'Pol assures him Tucker would have considered it worthwhile. On Earth, Troi watches as Archer enters a crowded grand hall to give his speech and Riker joins her, now sure of what course he should take. The final shot of the episode is a montage of the ships named Enterprise: (NCC-1701-D, NCC-1701, and NX-01) as Captains Jean-Luc Picard, James T. Kirk, and Jonathan Archer recite the "Where no man has gone before" prologue.
Like Voyager's final episode of "Endgame", I know that "These are the Voyages..." was controversial to fans as Enterprise's goodbye to the series. I'll discuss my opinion on it in my upcoming final thoughts entry to close the series and saying goodbye to "Old Trek". This isn't a total goodbye though as I plan to go full circle and give one series a better review than when I first started back in March of 2010.