Star Trek Enterprise: Season 2
The second season of Star Trek: Enterprise continues the early exploration of the NX-01 crew in the Alpha Quadrant. A bit of a slog to get through but there were some interesting episodes and concepts. There was more social commentary-type episodes in this season and more "future-lore" being introduced (think of the Ferengi in the previous season, even though they were introduced in TNG). Here are some episodes I find are noteworthy.
"Carbon Creek": Captain Archer, Commander Tucker and Sub-Commander T'Pol are having dinner in honor of the first anniversary of T'Pol's assignment aboard Enterprise. During conversation, Archer asks why T'Pol traveled to Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, before she joined Enterprise. T'Pol reveals that, contrary to human belief that the first contact between humans and Vulcans occurred in the mid-2060s (as seen in Star Trek: First Contact), it actually occurred a century earlier. Tucker and Archer react incredulously to this claim, so T'Pol offers to tell them her great-grandmother's story. T'Mir is a member of a four-Vulcan crew studying Earth from orbit in 1957, when they witness the launch of Sputnik, the planet's first artificial satellite. A mishap with their impulse manifold forces the craft to crash-land in Pennsylvania. The captain is killed and T'Mir, as second-in-command, takes charge. A distress signal is sent, but after more than two weeks no reply is received. From fear of starvation, Mestral and T'Mir enter the nearby town of Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania. Over the next few months the Vulcans successfully integrate themselves with the townsfolk, renting an apartment from Maggie, a tavern owner. One day there is a firedamp explosion in the mine; Mestral helps rescue a dozen trapped miners by covertly blasting through a rock wall with a phaser. Eventually, a Vulcan vessel signals that it will arrive to retrieve the crew. Before leaving, T'Mir learns a human lesson in compassion, and travels by train to Pittsburgh where she "sells" the rights to Velcro. The money she receives is more than enough to pay for the college education of their landlady's son. As the Vulcan ship nears, Mestral announces that he intends to stay on Earth and observe the great advances he knows lie ahead. T'Mir reluctantly agrees, and tells the rescuers that Mestral had died along with the captain. The story ends with Archer and Tucker not sure whether to believe T'Pol's story, but the final scene of the episode is of T'Pol returning to her quarters and retrieving T'Mir's 1950s-era handbag. This scene suggests a potential plot twist: that T’Pol, and not her great-grandmother, was the Vulcan who crash landed at Carbon Creek.
"Minefield": The episode begins with Archer in the captain's private mess, trying, unsuccessfully, to get to know Lieutenant Reed better. Meanwhile, Enterprise nears an uncharted and seemingly uninhabited planet for closer observation. Its proximity, however, triggers a cloaked mine, heavily damaging the ship and flooding Sickbay with injured crew members. Soon, another cloaked mine is detected as it attaches itself to the hull, but it doesn't immediately detonate for some reason. With the core already damaged, it is feared that a further detonation will totally disable the vessel. Reed then goes EV to try to disarm it. As a backup plan, Archer orders Tucker to prepare to detach and jettison the affected section of hull plating. Initially Reed's efforts seem to be working, but an alien vessel suddenly decloaks, and fires warning shots at the ship. Ensign Mayweather assumes manual control and steers the ship carefully out of the minefield. During the maneuvers, however, a jolt accidentally activates another magnetic grappling arm that impales Reed's leg before attaching itself to the spaceship's hull, thus pinning him down. Archer also dons an EVA suit and attempts to disarm the mine under Reed's direction. Enterprise then makes first contact with the Romulan Star Empire when two Warbirds decloak and demand that they jettison the mine with Reed attached. Knowing that any attempt to cut the arm would set off the mine, Reed becomes insistent on sacrificing himself to save Enterprise. Archer returns to the ship and requests two shuttle hatches from a puzzled Tucker, also ordering him to detach the hull plate as planned. As the plates and the attached mine float off, he severs the spike holding Reed. This arms the mine, but Reed and Archer are also able to shield themselves from the resulting explosion. Enterprise then collects the crewmen before warping away from the secretive Romulans.
"Precious Cargo": Firek Goff, the captain of a Retellian cargo vessel, docks and asks Archer for help; a passenger-carrying stasis pod is malfunctioning. Archer then offers Trip's services, while also extending an offer of Enterprise hospitality to both the captain and his brother, Plinn. When Tucker enters the cargo hold inside Goff's ship, he notices a beautiful female alien beneath the stasis canopy. Goff tells him that she is a passenger traveling home from a planet where she was studying medicine. He explains that because his ship can't travel over warp 2.2, she has to be kept in stasis because there is not enough food to support them all. As Tucker starts working on the stasis pod, it begins to fail, and fearing that the occupant will suffocate, he releases her. Tucker is then knocked unconscious by Goff, who then flees from the faster Enterprise by disabling her engines and ionizing its warp trail, but Plinn is left behind. The female passenger, Kaitaama, is initially hostile. However, Tucker uses the translator Sato left with him, and he learns she is a high-ranking soon-to-be First Monarch being held for ransom. Tucker has a plan for escape, and though she believes that her status will keep her safe, she joins Tucker in an escape pod. Meanwhile, Archer and T'Pol use a ruse similar to "good cop/bad cop" to persuade Plinn to tell them how to locate Goff's ship. The plan works and Plinn reveals the warp core's signature frequency. After finding an island on the planet, Tucker and Kaitaama soon set up camp in a swamp, and their mutual antipathy eventually gives way to burgeoning sexual tension. But Goff soon locates them using the homing beacon on the escape pod. Tucker and Goff fight until the latter is subdued by Kaitaama, just as an Enterprise rescue team also arrives. Kaitaama is later collected by a battle cruiser from her home world of Krios Prime (which fans may remember from the TNG episode "The Perfect Mate"), and suggests she will invite Tucker to visit her in the future when she is in power.
"The Catwalk": Enterprise is hailed by a trio of aliens, who warn that a deadly neutronic wavefront, many light years across, is approaching at a speed close to warp 7. Since the ship is only capable of warp 5 ship and cannot outrun the storm, everyone must shelter in order to survive the storm's radiation. Tucker suggests that the one heavily shielded place on board that might suffice for the eight-day ordeal is the catwalk, a maintenance shaft that runs the length of each nacelle. Although he must take the main reactor offline, as the temperatures on catwalk can reach 300 °C (573 K) degrees (572 degrees F) when the warp coils are online. With only four hours to prepare, everyone evacuates to the catwalk. The crew entertain themselves watching old western films, gathered around a small screen. The storm envelops the ship, and as the days wear on, nerves fray - particularly with the alien guests, who start up a barbecue near a flammable conduit. Tucker and Archer discover a problem in Engineering as the injectors have come online. Tucker must return to Engineering to shut them down again, and his EV suit will only protect him for 22 minutes. In Engineering, he discovers an alien ship has docked and intruders are interfering with the ship's systems. Phlox deduces that the aliens must be immune to the storm's radiation. When confronted, the trio confesses that the other aliens are looking for them, explaining that they deserted from the Takret Militia, when they learned their commanders were capturing other ships and killing all onboard. T'Pol and Reed work to shut down the warp reactor, while Archer hails the alien leader, pretending to be the sole surviving crewmember. He demands they leave and threatens to destroy the Enterprise rather than let it be taken, and sends the ship straight for a plasma eddy. As the reactor shuts down, the intruders, abandon ship. When the Enterprise clears the storm and the crew return to their quarters, Tucker invites T'Pol to join their movie night every Tuesday, if she's interested. The trio of alien visitors apologize for the trouble they brought and depart.
"Stigma": Doctor Phlox tells T'Pol that his treatment of her potentially fatal disease, Pa'nar Syndrome, is losing effectiveness, so he would like to make confidential inquiries with Vulcan doctors attending an interspecies medical exchange on the planet Enterprise is now orbiting. T'Pol resists, but Phlox chooses to go anyway. Before he does, his second wife, Feezal, arrives to help install a new microscope, and she soon begins making amorous advances on Tucker. A confused Tucker cannot quite wrap his mind around polygamy, which, in Denobulan culture, is quite a normal practice (LOL!). On the planet, Phlox's inquiries with the Vulcans yields little information. When the Vulcans request to visit and interview Phlox and T'Pol, it is clear that the subterfuge had failed, since the Vulcans trick T'Pol into providing a medical sample, which confirms their suspicions. Pa'nar Syndrome is only transmitted via mind-meld, a practice which is considered taboo on the Vulcan homeworld. Archer is upset to learn about T'Pol's condition from the Vulcans. Archer then pays his own visit to the Vulcans - a visit which is no more fruitful than Phlox's first. One of the doctors, Yuris, sets up a secret meeting with T'Pol to give her the information she seeks. He reveals a closely guarded secret: he himself is a mind-melder. T'Pol tells Yuris that the meld which gave her the disease was forced on her (from last season's episode "Fusion"). Yuris begs her to tell the others before the Vulcan High Command is informed of her condition, but she declines. It then comes out that T'Pol could lose her commission since Pa'nar is a stigmatized disease. Archer uses a loophole in Vulcan protocol to force a hearing. T'Pol remains silent, but Archer stands by his science officer, all the while resisting the Vulcan doctors. Yuris then reveals his status as a melder, and exposes T'Pol's secret. As a result, he is suspended, but T'Pol is allowed to remain on Enterprise. She continues to stand her ground and states her intent to inform the High Command of recent events, hoping to defend Yuris and encourage others to challenge prejudice.
"Cease Fire": The Andorians and the Vulcans are locked in battle over a planet situated on the frontier between their two systems. The Andorians call it "Weytahn," and the Vulcans "Paan Mokar", and it is claimed by both sides. Andorian Commander Shran, however, has broken the treaty and reoccupied a settlement. With the Vulcans calling for a cease fire, Shran seeks Archer's help with negotiations. Vulcan Ambassador Soval is reluctant to bring Archer in as mediator, but three Vulcans have been taken hostage, and Shran only trusts Archer (particularly since the events of "The Andorian Incident"). Archer and T'Pol head down the planet for a meeting with Shran. His lieutenant, Tarah, is especially wary of T'Pol, but Archer manages to convince Shran to release one of the hostages as a sign of good faith. Soval then agrees to negotiations, but remains skeptical. Meanwhile, Shran has a tense moment with Tarah, who objects to his attempts to negotiate with the Vulcans. She would rather fight to reclaim the planet for the Andorians. As the shuttlepod nears the planet, it is fired on and forced to crash-land. Soval suggests the Andorians are trying to sabotage the peace talks, but Archer doesn't believe Shran would resort to such tactics. Shran is furious that Archer's shuttle was downed, but Tarah claims that it was the Vulcans trying to frame the Andorians. Meanwhile, on Enterprise, Tucker must keep the Vulcan and Andorian vessels from firing on each another. To do so, he maneuvers between the two groups. Down on the surface, Archer, T'Pol, and Soval are attempting to make their way to Shran's location, when Soval is shot. Archer discovers that renegade Andorians are behind the attack, and captures Tarah. She initially denies involvement, but eventually confesses, and angrily informs Shran that there are others who feel the same way. With the situation under control, and with Archer's help, the two sides agree to a ceasefire and continued peace talks.
"Future Tense": The discovery of a derelict pod with a long-dead human pilot opens up a mystery. Some of the crew speculate he is the first human to invent warp drive technology, Zefram Cochrane, but DNA profiling reveal the remains are not his. Tucker and Reed examine the mysterious pod and discover, via a floor panel, that it is larger on the inside than the outside. They also recover a device from the core which still has a weak energy signature. Shortly afterwards, a Suliban ship arrives and claims salvage rights, but Archer refuses to yield it without explanation. They open fire, and beam in a boarding party, but are finally repelled. Undaunted, Enterprise then sets course to rendezvous with Tal'Kir, a Vulcan ship. Phlox's scans reveal the dead pilot has multi-generational DNA fragments from several alien species including Vulcan, Terrelian, and Rigelian. Seeking answers, Archer and T'Pol enter time-traveller Agent Daniels' cabin, and they learn from his enclyopedic database that the pod is from the 31st century. Meanwhile, Tucker and Reed, on returning to the pod, get stuck in a recurring time-loop. This heightens T'Pol's concerns and she discusses the situation with Archer, who feels they must have more information on the Temporal Cold War. Tholians arrive, demanding the pod and warning Enterprise of temporal radiation. Again, Archer refuses, and they leave after he threatens to destroy it. The crew, reaching the rendezvous destination, discover that the Tholians have disabled the Tal'Kir, and soon disable Enterprise as well. The Suliban arrive and a battle ensues between them and the Tholians. The Tholians succeed in destroying the Suliban ships. After working through another time-loop, Archer and Reed booby-trap the pod and send it out into space, but the Tholians immediately disarm the device. Tucker then gets the temporal distress beacon to power up, and soon the future ship and its contents dematerialize. The Tholians leave, and Enterprise assists the Vulcan ship, becoming Archer's olive branch to the Vulcan High Command for their support and help.
"Canamar": Upon leaving the Enolian homeworld, Archer and Tucker are mistakenly identified as smugglers and arrested. They are placed on a prison transport headed for the penal colony known as Canamar. Among their fellow prisoners is a man named Kuroda, and a hulking Nausicaan. Back on Enterprise, T'Pol, having found the abandoned shuttlepod, manages to convince an Enolian official that Archer and Tucker are innocent. Just as they are about to be released, however, Kuroda breaks free and takes down the guard and pilot. When the vessel comes under attack from Enolian patrol ships, Archer convinces Kuroda to allow Tucker to assist them. Tucker manages to create a plasma cloud diversion, allowing the transport to jump to warp. Kuroda is impressed with Archer's ploy. In fact, Kuroda has come to respect Archer and asks him to join him on his next endeavor. As the two men talk, Kuroda reveals that he was 14 when he first spent time in a penal colony. He was innocent, but he still spent five years in prison, and started making a living as a criminal after he was released. Kuroda also finally reveals that they will rendezvous with another ship at Tamaal and destroy the transport. Archer, determined to save the other prisoners, enlists Tucker's aid. Tucker is freed under the pretence of fixing a docking hatch, and manages to render the Nausicaan unconscious, but draws the attention of Kuroda, who realizes that Archer has been plotting against him all along. The transport soon docks, but when the doors open, Reed and Mayweather appear. The crew evacuate the transport, which is now in a decaying orbit, but Kuroda refuses to leave. Back on Enterprise, the Enolian official demands a report for his superiors. Archer tersely informs the official that he and Tucker were falsely arrested, and wonders how many others on their way to Canamar do not belong there.
"Judgment": Archer finds himself in the witness stand of a Klingon tribunal (it's not mentioned, but it is on colony Narendra III, which was an important plot point in the Star Trek: TNG episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise") where he's charged with both aiding rebels opposed to the Empire and of attacking a Klingon ship. In his cell, under the pretext of needing to be checked for contagion, Archer is visited by Doctor Phlox, who gives Archer an update that efforts to have him released are under way. Archer tells Phlox to relay a message, that no matter what the outcome, T'Pol will leave orbit and keep the Enterprise's crew safe. In the chamber, the prosecutor, Orak, faces off against Archer's advocate, a veteran of the courts named Kolos. Orak calls as his first witness Second Weapons Officer (formerly Captain) Duras to testify-a process in which Archer is not allowed to interject. Duras then relates a biased tale of himself confronting a belligerent Archer, who supposedly fires on the Klingon ship first. Archer cannot hold his tongue, and is quickly silenced with pain sticks by the tribunal guards. Back in the cells, Kolos is tasked with offering Archer a deal. Rather than plea bargain, Archer insists that Kolos actually work harder to put up a valid defense. In response, Kolos relates how the judiciary used to be about the law and honor, but more recently the warrior mindset meant that victories became the accepted norm. Kolos re-enters the court and advocates for Archer's right to testify based on an archaic judicial charter. Archer is permitted to relate his tale of helping the neglected refugees and merely damaging the Klingon warship, giving Kolos the chance to relate the numerous times Archer has helped the Empire in the past. Archer is still found guilty and sentenced to life on the Klingon dilithium mining planet of Rura Penthe (which was where Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy were sentenced to in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) . Kolos protests, and is himself sentenced to a year at Rura Penthe. Meanwhile, T'Pol uses irregular back-door diplomatic channels and bribes to arrange to get the captain back. Kolos remains, deciding to obey the law he has served for so long with honor.
"The Breach": At the request of the Denobulan Science Academy, Enterprise goes to extract a group of three geologists from a planet where xenophobic militants have taken charge and decreed that all off-worlders must evacuate. Being experienced with caving, Mayweather is chosen to lead Tucker and Reed on the underground rescue mission. They have only three days to return to the surface with the scientists before the negotiated government ceasefire expires. As the Enterprise nears the planet, it comes to the aid of an alien evacuee transport, suffering from a dangerous radiation leak. The most seriously injured of the various aliens brought aboard is Hudak, an Antaran, whose species has a centuries long history of conflict and animosity with the Denobulans. Though suffering from a fatal case of radiation poisoning, and being the first time the two species have interacted in generations, he immediately refuses help from Phlox. Archer orders Phlox to treat him, but he reluctantly declines, since Denobulan medical ethics places the patient's wishes above all other considerations. Underground, the crew make good progress, but Mayweather injures his leg. Leaving him behind, Reed and Tucker soon locate the Denobulan geologists, who are happily engaged in recording the various rare and precious geological features of the cavern. With time running out, Tucker is insistent the group departs, while the scientists downplay the level of the threat, but finally assent. Back on the ship, using tact and diplomacy of his own, Phlox endeavors to help Hudak, but his initial attempts end in failure. Phlox, for his part, is also upset at the mutual hatred between the two species - but since Hudak refuses to be treated, Phlox must wait. Eventually, Hudak reflects on Phlox's words and agrees to the lifesaving procedure. An agreement is then reached in which the three Denobulans are granted passage home aboard the same transport as Hudak.
"Cogenitor": While exploring a hypergiant star, Enterprise makes first contact with an advanced and very friendly alien race known as the Vissians. The two starships' crews are happy to intermingle. Tucker becomes intrigued when he meets a Vissian couple in the mess hall accompanied by a third member of their race, and learns that the being, which has no name, is a "cogenitor" - a third gender in Vissian biology. Cogenitors are needed to complete reproduction: they do not genetically contribute to offspring, but supply an enzyme required for fertilization. Since cogenitors only constitute 3% of the population, Vissians must apply to have a cogenitor assigned to them when they intend to conceive a child. Cogenitors are considered mentally deficient, and are not citizens on equal terms with men and women. Elsewhere on the ship, Reed finds himself the romantic focus of a female Vissian crewmember - their tactical officer. Archer bonds with the alien captain while on a three-day reconnaissance of the star in a small probe. Tucker becomes increasingly intent on the rights of the cogenitor and learns, with the help of Phlox, that they are actually equally intelligent. On the alien vessel, without the couple's knowledge, Tucker secretly encourages the cogenitor to learn to read, while building a friendship with them. Despite having a near-total lack of education available, she is an insatiable learner. Soon learning the importance of names, she asks to be called Charles (Commander Tucker's own first name). Tucker entertains her on the Enterprise, showing her the 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. 'Charles' soon realizes that future life in Vissian society would be unfulfilling. She requests political asylum. Archer now returns to find himself in the middle of a first contact diplomatic crisis, with the Vissians confused and defensive at Tucker's interference in their traditions. Tucker appeals to Archer's sense of justice, but he sides with the Vissians. With the cogenitor returned, the Vissians hope good relations with the humans can continue. Later communications reveal that Charles has committed suicide, thereby delaying the birth of the Vissian's child, and straining the relations between the two species. Archer summons Tucker and severely reprimands him for his lack of professionalism and judgment.
"Regeneration": A team of researchers discover remains of a crashed spaceship in the Arctic Circle, finding two humanoids with cybernetic implants frozen in the wreckage. The bodies are taken to a nearby compound to be studied. The scientists marvel at the nanoprobes that begin to repair the long dead aliens. One of the seemingly dead subjects attacks the scientists, assimilating them. Using scavenged parts from the wreckage of the Borg ship to enhance the transport, they escape into space, upgrading it with a faster warp drive and weapons. Admiral Forrest orders Enterprise to rescue the "kidnapped" researchers. They soon receive a distress call from a Tarkalean freighter, and they arrive to discover the ship under attack from the enhanced transport. Archer tries to disable their weapons, but the ship jumps to warp speed. Archer brings the survivors to Sickbay, and finds their situation reminiscent of a Zefram Cochrane story he remembers (relating to the events of Star Trek: First Contact). The assimilated crew soon awaken, and in the ensuing melee Phlox is infected with nanoprobes. They escape, and Reed then finds them modifying ship's systems, and learns that the Enterprise's phase pistols are ineffective against them. Archer, left with no other options, orders the section to be de-pressurized. Reed then begins upgrading the pistols, while Phlox treats himself with "omicron radiation" to destroy the nanoprobes. Enterprise again catches up with the transport, but the recent modifications suddenly activate and shut down weapons and propulsion. Soon after the aliens hail Enterprise and say, "You will be assimilated, resistance is futile". In response, Archer and Reed board the ship with upgraded pistols, plant explosives, and beam out. Tucker troubleshoots the alien modifications thereby restoring main power to Enterprise. With the transport crippled, Archer realizes the altered crew members are too far gone and orders the transport's destruction. Later, a recovering Phlox informs Archer that while infected he kept hearing a repeating numerical sequence - Earth's coordinates sent somewhere into the Delta Quadrant. T'Pol states it would take almost 200 years to reach its destination, but Archer remains troubled.
"First Flight": As Enterprise is about to investigate a dark matter cloud, Archer is informed by Admiral Forrest that his former Starfleet colleague, Captain Robinson, has died in a rock climbing accident. Archer, seeking solitude, desires to travel into the nebula in a shuttlepod armed with spatial charges to excite the dark matter. T'Pol, noting that captains are prohibited from traveling off-ship unaccompanied, joins him and convinces him to tell the story of his friend Robinson and the Warp 5 program. In a series of flashbacks, Commander Archer meets with Commodore Forest, and is informed that although he excelled in simulations, his colleague Commander Robinson has been awarded the test ship, the NX Alpha. Disappointed, Archer goes to the 602 Club, a local bar, bumping into Robinson there. Later, Robinson takes the scheduled flight aboard the NX Alpha, breaking the warp 2.0 barrier. He refuses a command from Forest to stop and instead increases speed; the craft soon destabilizes and is destroyed as it approaches warp 2.2, but Robinson escapes. The Vulcans argue that the warp program should be postponed, but Archer wants the program, and his father's engine research, to continue. Archer, and his new friend Lieutenant Tucker, then go to the 602 Club to discuss the problem. Robinson arrives and blames Archer's father, and he and Archer end up in a fist fight. The next day Archer discovers Robinson packing up the contents of his locker. He concedes that it is primarily an intermix problem, but that the engine could still work. Archer and Robinson then steal the NX Beta, with Tucker in flight control, but it starts to suffer the same issues as the Alpha. As Starfleet security detains Tucker, Archer and Robinson coax the engines to warp 2.5. Archer and Robinson are reprimanded, and the program is grounded for a year, but they have proved that his father's design was sound. Archer launches his final two charges into the cloud, and a breathtaking nebula slowly reveals itself. Archer calls T'Pol to watch the actual nebula with her eyes, rather than monitor it through the sensors. T'Pol mentions the human tradition of first discoverers of astronomical phenomena having naming rights. Archer makes a sarcastic crack about calling it the "T'Pol/Archer Nebula". T'Pol gently responds that she was thinking Archer could name it the "Robinson Nebula", after his friend.
"Bounty": An okay episode, but do find the Tellarite to be quite woofy.
"The Expanse": In April 2153, an alien probe attacks Earth, cutting a destructive swath 4,000 km long, from Florida to Venezuela, killing millions, including Tucker's younger sister, Elizabeth. Enterprise is recalled to Earth by Admiral Forrest. On the way, Archer is kidnapped by the Suliban Cabal. He accuses the Suliban leader, Silik, of being responsible for the Earth attack, but Silik professes ignorance. The Cabal's sponsor, a vague and shadowy holographic human from the distant future, informs Archer about the Temporal Cold War and the Xindi, the race that attacked Earth. He claims the Xindi have been told by another Cold War faction that their home-world will be destroyed, in 400 years, by Humans. Enterprise is again ambushed, attacked by a Klingon Bird of Prey commanded by Captain Duras at the behest of the Klingon High Council. Fortunately, three other Starfleet vessels arrive, forcing it to retreat. Archer relates his encounters to Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command, and it is clear that the Xindi of the present are pre-empting the destruction of their home-world in the future. Ambassador Soval is dubious of Archer's temporal war argument, and tries to dissuade him from venturing into the Delphic Expanse, a dangerous section of space that once destroyed the Vulcan ship Vaankara. Archer, acting on advice from the shadowy informant, scans the crashed probe, revealing a component with an unmistakable date stamp placing the date of construction at 420 years in the future. Starfleet orders Archer to take Enterprise to the Expanse to try to stop the Xindi. Starfleet refits the Enterprise with improved weapons, shields, and a detachment of MACOs (Military Assault Command Operations soldiers) are stationed aboard for the mission. Soval informs T'Pol that her assignment on Enterprise has been terminated by the High Command, who deem this to be purely a human matter. T'Pol logically points out that if they needed a Vulcan on the Enterprise before, they are in greater need now, so her assignment should be continued. She debates, but does not disobey. Enterprise begins their journey towards the Expanse, and to return T'Pol to Vulcan. They are again attacked by Duras, but Archer retaliates using his new torpedoes at 10% and then 50% strength. The Klingon warbird limps away. T'Pol reveals she has resigned from the Vulcan High Command and wishes to stay on the ship. After she tells Archer that "you need me", the detour to Vulcan is cancelled. After a three-month journey, Enterprise nears the Expanse and are again attacked by Duras. Archer decides to use the 100% setting on his torpedoes, and Duras' ship is destroyed. The Enterprise continues on into the Delphic expanse.
Looks like we have a big story arc for the rest of the series. I'm going to break away a bit to watch season 3 of Discovery and give a quick review in possibly my next monthly entry for July. Once it is done, I will return for season 3 of Enterprise.
"Carbon Creek": Captain Archer, Commander Tucker and Sub-Commander T'Pol are having dinner in honor of the first anniversary of T'Pol's assignment aboard Enterprise. During conversation, Archer asks why T'Pol traveled to Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, before she joined Enterprise. T'Pol reveals that, contrary to human belief that the first contact between humans and Vulcans occurred in the mid-2060s (as seen in Star Trek: First Contact), it actually occurred a century earlier. Tucker and Archer react incredulously to this claim, so T'Pol offers to tell them her great-grandmother's story. T'Mir is a member of a four-Vulcan crew studying Earth from orbit in 1957, when they witness the launch of Sputnik, the planet's first artificial satellite. A mishap with their impulse manifold forces the craft to crash-land in Pennsylvania. The captain is killed and T'Mir, as second-in-command, takes charge. A distress signal is sent, but after more than two weeks no reply is received. From fear of starvation, Mestral and T'Mir enter the nearby town of Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania. Over the next few months the Vulcans successfully integrate themselves with the townsfolk, renting an apartment from Maggie, a tavern owner. One day there is a firedamp explosion in the mine; Mestral helps rescue a dozen trapped miners by covertly blasting through a rock wall with a phaser. Eventually, a Vulcan vessel signals that it will arrive to retrieve the crew. Before leaving, T'Mir learns a human lesson in compassion, and travels by train to Pittsburgh where she "sells" the rights to Velcro. The money she receives is more than enough to pay for the college education of their landlady's son. As the Vulcan ship nears, Mestral announces that he intends to stay on Earth and observe the great advances he knows lie ahead. T'Mir reluctantly agrees, and tells the rescuers that Mestral had died along with the captain. The story ends with Archer and Tucker not sure whether to believe T'Pol's story, but the final scene of the episode is of T'Pol returning to her quarters and retrieving T'Mir's 1950s-era handbag. This scene suggests a potential plot twist: that T’Pol, and not her great-grandmother, was the Vulcan who crash landed at Carbon Creek.
"Minefield": The episode begins with Archer in the captain's private mess, trying, unsuccessfully, to get to know Lieutenant Reed better. Meanwhile, Enterprise nears an uncharted and seemingly uninhabited planet for closer observation. Its proximity, however, triggers a cloaked mine, heavily damaging the ship and flooding Sickbay with injured crew members. Soon, another cloaked mine is detected as it attaches itself to the hull, but it doesn't immediately detonate for some reason. With the core already damaged, it is feared that a further detonation will totally disable the vessel. Reed then goes EV to try to disarm it. As a backup plan, Archer orders Tucker to prepare to detach and jettison the affected section of hull plating. Initially Reed's efforts seem to be working, but an alien vessel suddenly decloaks, and fires warning shots at the ship. Ensign Mayweather assumes manual control and steers the ship carefully out of the minefield. During the maneuvers, however, a jolt accidentally activates another magnetic grappling arm that impales Reed's leg before attaching itself to the spaceship's hull, thus pinning him down. Archer also dons an EVA suit and attempts to disarm the mine under Reed's direction. Enterprise then makes first contact with the Romulan Star Empire when two Warbirds decloak and demand that they jettison the mine with Reed attached. Knowing that any attempt to cut the arm would set off the mine, Reed becomes insistent on sacrificing himself to save Enterprise. Archer returns to the ship and requests two shuttle hatches from a puzzled Tucker, also ordering him to detach the hull plate as planned. As the plates and the attached mine float off, he severs the spike holding Reed. This arms the mine, but Reed and Archer are also able to shield themselves from the resulting explosion. Enterprise then collects the crewmen before warping away from the secretive Romulans.
"Precious Cargo": Firek Goff, the captain of a Retellian cargo vessel, docks and asks Archer for help; a passenger-carrying stasis pod is malfunctioning. Archer then offers Trip's services, while also extending an offer of Enterprise hospitality to both the captain and his brother, Plinn. When Tucker enters the cargo hold inside Goff's ship, he notices a beautiful female alien beneath the stasis canopy. Goff tells him that she is a passenger traveling home from a planet where she was studying medicine. He explains that because his ship can't travel over warp 2.2, she has to be kept in stasis because there is not enough food to support them all. As Tucker starts working on the stasis pod, it begins to fail, and fearing that the occupant will suffocate, he releases her. Tucker is then knocked unconscious by Goff, who then flees from the faster Enterprise by disabling her engines and ionizing its warp trail, but Plinn is left behind. The female passenger, Kaitaama, is initially hostile. However, Tucker uses the translator Sato left with him, and he learns she is a high-ranking soon-to-be First Monarch being held for ransom. Tucker has a plan for escape, and though she believes that her status will keep her safe, she joins Tucker in an escape pod. Meanwhile, Archer and T'Pol use a ruse similar to "good cop/bad cop" to persuade Plinn to tell them how to locate Goff's ship. The plan works and Plinn reveals the warp core's signature frequency. After finding an island on the planet, Tucker and Kaitaama soon set up camp in a swamp, and their mutual antipathy eventually gives way to burgeoning sexual tension. But Goff soon locates them using the homing beacon on the escape pod. Tucker and Goff fight until the latter is subdued by Kaitaama, just as an Enterprise rescue team also arrives. Kaitaama is later collected by a battle cruiser from her home world of Krios Prime (which fans may remember from the TNG episode "The Perfect Mate"), and suggests she will invite Tucker to visit her in the future when she is in power.
"The Catwalk": Enterprise is hailed by a trio of aliens, who warn that a deadly neutronic wavefront, many light years across, is approaching at a speed close to warp 7. Since the ship is only capable of warp 5 ship and cannot outrun the storm, everyone must shelter in order to survive the storm's radiation. Tucker suggests that the one heavily shielded place on board that might suffice for the eight-day ordeal is the catwalk, a maintenance shaft that runs the length of each nacelle. Although he must take the main reactor offline, as the temperatures on catwalk can reach 300 °C (573 K) degrees (572 degrees F) when the warp coils are online. With only four hours to prepare, everyone evacuates to the catwalk. The crew entertain themselves watching old western films, gathered around a small screen. The storm envelops the ship, and as the days wear on, nerves fray - particularly with the alien guests, who start up a barbecue near a flammable conduit. Tucker and Archer discover a problem in Engineering as the injectors have come online. Tucker must return to Engineering to shut them down again, and his EV suit will only protect him for 22 minutes. In Engineering, he discovers an alien ship has docked and intruders are interfering with the ship's systems. Phlox deduces that the aliens must be immune to the storm's radiation. When confronted, the trio confesses that the other aliens are looking for them, explaining that they deserted from the Takret Militia, when they learned their commanders were capturing other ships and killing all onboard. T'Pol and Reed work to shut down the warp reactor, while Archer hails the alien leader, pretending to be the sole surviving crewmember. He demands they leave and threatens to destroy the Enterprise rather than let it be taken, and sends the ship straight for a plasma eddy. As the reactor shuts down, the intruders, abandon ship. When the Enterprise clears the storm and the crew return to their quarters, Tucker invites T'Pol to join their movie night every Tuesday, if she's interested. The trio of alien visitors apologize for the trouble they brought and depart.
"Stigma": Doctor Phlox tells T'Pol that his treatment of her potentially fatal disease, Pa'nar Syndrome, is losing effectiveness, so he would like to make confidential inquiries with Vulcan doctors attending an interspecies medical exchange on the planet Enterprise is now orbiting. T'Pol resists, but Phlox chooses to go anyway. Before he does, his second wife, Feezal, arrives to help install a new microscope, and she soon begins making amorous advances on Tucker. A confused Tucker cannot quite wrap his mind around polygamy, which, in Denobulan culture, is quite a normal practice (LOL!). On the planet, Phlox's inquiries with the Vulcans yields little information. When the Vulcans request to visit and interview Phlox and T'Pol, it is clear that the subterfuge had failed, since the Vulcans trick T'Pol into providing a medical sample, which confirms their suspicions. Pa'nar Syndrome is only transmitted via mind-meld, a practice which is considered taboo on the Vulcan homeworld. Archer is upset to learn about T'Pol's condition from the Vulcans. Archer then pays his own visit to the Vulcans - a visit which is no more fruitful than Phlox's first. One of the doctors, Yuris, sets up a secret meeting with T'Pol to give her the information she seeks. He reveals a closely guarded secret: he himself is a mind-melder. T'Pol tells Yuris that the meld which gave her the disease was forced on her (from last season's episode "Fusion"). Yuris begs her to tell the others before the Vulcan High Command is informed of her condition, but she declines. It then comes out that T'Pol could lose her commission since Pa'nar is a stigmatized disease. Archer uses a loophole in Vulcan protocol to force a hearing. T'Pol remains silent, but Archer stands by his science officer, all the while resisting the Vulcan doctors. Yuris then reveals his status as a melder, and exposes T'Pol's secret. As a result, he is suspended, but T'Pol is allowed to remain on Enterprise. She continues to stand her ground and states her intent to inform the High Command of recent events, hoping to defend Yuris and encourage others to challenge prejudice.
"Cease Fire": The Andorians and the Vulcans are locked in battle over a planet situated on the frontier between their two systems. The Andorians call it "Weytahn," and the Vulcans "Paan Mokar", and it is claimed by both sides. Andorian Commander Shran, however, has broken the treaty and reoccupied a settlement. With the Vulcans calling for a cease fire, Shran seeks Archer's help with negotiations. Vulcan Ambassador Soval is reluctant to bring Archer in as mediator, but three Vulcans have been taken hostage, and Shran only trusts Archer (particularly since the events of "The Andorian Incident"). Archer and T'Pol head down the planet for a meeting with Shran. His lieutenant, Tarah, is especially wary of T'Pol, but Archer manages to convince Shran to release one of the hostages as a sign of good faith. Soval then agrees to negotiations, but remains skeptical. Meanwhile, Shran has a tense moment with Tarah, who objects to his attempts to negotiate with the Vulcans. She would rather fight to reclaim the planet for the Andorians. As the shuttlepod nears the planet, it is fired on and forced to crash-land. Soval suggests the Andorians are trying to sabotage the peace talks, but Archer doesn't believe Shran would resort to such tactics. Shran is furious that Archer's shuttle was downed, but Tarah claims that it was the Vulcans trying to frame the Andorians. Meanwhile, on Enterprise, Tucker must keep the Vulcan and Andorian vessels from firing on each another. To do so, he maneuvers between the two groups. Down on the surface, Archer, T'Pol, and Soval are attempting to make their way to Shran's location, when Soval is shot. Archer discovers that renegade Andorians are behind the attack, and captures Tarah. She initially denies involvement, but eventually confesses, and angrily informs Shran that there are others who feel the same way. With the situation under control, and with Archer's help, the two sides agree to a ceasefire and continued peace talks.
"Future Tense": The discovery of a derelict pod with a long-dead human pilot opens up a mystery. Some of the crew speculate he is the first human to invent warp drive technology, Zefram Cochrane, but DNA profiling reveal the remains are not his. Tucker and Reed examine the mysterious pod and discover, via a floor panel, that it is larger on the inside than the outside. They also recover a device from the core which still has a weak energy signature. Shortly afterwards, a Suliban ship arrives and claims salvage rights, but Archer refuses to yield it without explanation. They open fire, and beam in a boarding party, but are finally repelled. Undaunted, Enterprise then sets course to rendezvous with Tal'Kir, a Vulcan ship. Phlox's scans reveal the dead pilot has multi-generational DNA fragments from several alien species including Vulcan, Terrelian, and Rigelian. Seeking answers, Archer and T'Pol enter time-traveller Agent Daniels' cabin, and they learn from his enclyopedic database that the pod is from the 31st century. Meanwhile, Tucker and Reed, on returning to the pod, get stuck in a recurring time-loop. This heightens T'Pol's concerns and she discusses the situation with Archer, who feels they must have more information on the Temporal Cold War. Tholians arrive, demanding the pod and warning Enterprise of temporal radiation. Again, Archer refuses, and they leave after he threatens to destroy it. The crew, reaching the rendezvous destination, discover that the Tholians have disabled the Tal'Kir, and soon disable Enterprise as well. The Suliban arrive and a battle ensues between them and the Tholians. The Tholians succeed in destroying the Suliban ships. After working through another time-loop, Archer and Reed booby-trap the pod and send it out into space, but the Tholians immediately disarm the device. Tucker then gets the temporal distress beacon to power up, and soon the future ship and its contents dematerialize. The Tholians leave, and Enterprise assists the Vulcan ship, becoming Archer's olive branch to the Vulcan High Command for their support and help.
"Canamar": Upon leaving the Enolian homeworld, Archer and Tucker are mistakenly identified as smugglers and arrested. They are placed on a prison transport headed for the penal colony known as Canamar. Among their fellow prisoners is a man named Kuroda, and a hulking Nausicaan. Back on Enterprise, T'Pol, having found the abandoned shuttlepod, manages to convince an Enolian official that Archer and Tucker are innocent. Just as they are about to be released, however, Kuroda breaks free and takes down the guard and pilot. When the vessel comes under attack from Enolian patrol ships, Archer convinces Kuroda to allow Tucker to assist them. Tucker manages to create a plasma cloud diversion, allowing the transport to jump to warp. Kuroda is impressed with Archer's ploy. In fact, Kuroda has come to respect Archer and asks him to join him on his next endeavor. As the two men talk, Kuroda reveals that he was 14 when he first spent time in a penal colony. He was innocent, but he still spent five years in prison, and started making a living as a criminal after he was released. Kuroda also finally reveals that they will rendezvous with another ship at Tamaal and destroy the transport. Archer, determined to save the other prisoners, enlists Tucker's aid. Tucker is freed under the pretence of fixing a docking hatch, and manages to render the Nausicaan unconscious, but draws the attention of Kuroda, who realizes that Archer has been plotting against him all along. The transport soon docks, but when the doors open, Reed and Mayweather appear. The crew evacuate the transport, which is now in a decaying orbit, but Kuroda refuses to leave. Back on Enterprise, the Enolian official demands a report for his superiors. Archer tersely informs the official that he and Tucker were falsely arrested, and wonders how many others on their way to Canamar do not belong there.
"Judgment": Archer finds himself in the witness stand of a Klingon tribunal (it's not mentioned, but it is on colony Narendra III, which was an important plot point in the Star Trek: TNG episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise") where he's charged with both aiding rebels opposed to the Empire and of attacking a Klingon ship. In his cell, under the pretext of needing to be checked for contagion, Archer is visited by Doctor Phlox, who gives Archer an update that efforts to have him released are under way. Archer tells Phlox to relay a message, that no matter what the outcome, T'Pol will leave orbit and keep the Enterprise's crew safe. In the chamber, the prosecutor, Orak, faces off against Archer's advocate, a veteran of the courts named Kolos. Orak calls as his first witness Second Weapons Officer (formerly Captain) Duras to testify-a process in which Archer is not allowed to interject. Duras then relates a biased tale of himself confronting a belligerent Archer, who supposedly fires on the Klingon ship first. Archer cannot hold his tongue, and is quickly silenced with pain sticks by the tribunal guards. Back in the cells, Kolos is tasked with offering Archer a deal. Rather than plea bargain, Archer insists that Kolos actually work harder to put up a valid defense. In response, Kolos relates how the judiciary used to be about the law and honor, but more recently the warrior mindset meant that victories became the accepted norm. Kolos re-enters the court and advocates for Archer's right to testify based on an archaic judicial charter. Archer is permitted to relate his tale of helping the neglected refugees and merely damaging the Klingon warship, giving Kolos the chance to relate the numerous times Archer has helped the Empire in the past. Archer is still found guilty and sentenced to life on the Klingon dilithium mining planet of Rura Penthe (which was where Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy were sentenced to in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) . Kolos protests, and is himself sentenced to a year at Rura Penthe. Meanwhile, T'Pol uses irregular back-door diplomatic channels and bribes to arrange to get the captain back. Kolos remains, deciding to obey the law he has served for so long with honor.
"The Breach": At the request of the Denobulan Science Academy, Enterprise goes to extract a group of three geologists from a planet where xenophobic militants have taken charge and decreed that all off-worlders must evacuate. Being experienced with caving, Mayweather is chosen to lead Tucker and Reed on the underground rescue mission. They have only three days to return to the surface with the scientists before the negotiated government ceasefire expires. As the Enterprise nears the planet, it comes to the aid of an alien evacuee transport, suffering from a dangerous radiation leak. The most seriously injured of the various aliens brought aboard is Hudak, an Antaran, whose species has a centuries long history of conflict and animosity with the Denobulans. Though suffering from a fatal case of radiation poisoning, and being the first time the two species have interacted in generations, he immediately refuses help from Phlox. Archer orders Phlox to treat him, but he reluctantly declines, since Denobulan medical ethics places the patient's wishes above all other considerations. Underground, the crew make good progress, but Mayweather injures his leg. Leaving him behind, Reed and Tucker soon locate the Denobulan geologists, who are happily engaged in recording the various rare and precious geological features of the cavern. With time running out, Tucker is insistent the group departs, while the scientists downplay the level of the threat, but finally assent. Back on the ship, using tact and diplomacy of his own, Phlox endeavors to help Hudak, but his initial attempts end in failure. Phlox, for his part, is also upset at the mutual hatred between the two species - but since Hudak refuses to be treated, Phlox must wait. Eventually, Hudak reflects on Phlox's words and agrees to the lifesaving procedure. An agreement is then reached in which the three Denobulans are granted passage home aboard the same transport as Hudak.
"Cogenitor": While exploring a hypergiant star, Enterprise makes first contact with an advanced and very friendly alien race known as the Vissians. The two starships' crews are happy to intermingle. Tucker becomes intrigued when he meets a Vissian couple in the mess hall accompanied by a third member of their race, and learns that the being, which has no name, is a "cogenitor" - a third gender in Vissian biology. Cogenitors are needed to complete reproduction: they do not genetically contribute to offspring, but supply an enzyme required for fertilization. Since cogenitors only constitute 3% of the population, Vissians must apply to have a cogenitor assigned to them when they intend to conceive a child. Cogenitors are considered mentally deficient, and are not citizens on equal terms with men and women. Elsewhere on the ship, Reed finds himself the romantic focus of a female Vissian crewmember - their tactical officer. Archer bonds with the alien captain while on a three-day reconnaissance of the star in a small probe. Tucker becomes increasingly intent on the rights of the cogenitor and learns, with the help of Phlox, that they are actually equally intelligent. On the alien vessel, without the couple's knowledge, Tucker secretly encourages the cogenitor to learn to read, while building a friendship with them. Despite having a near-total lack of education available, she is an insatiable learner. Soon learning the importance of names, she asks to be called Charles (Commander Tucker's own first name). Tucker entertains her on the Enterprise, showing her the 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. 'Charles' soon realizes that future life in Vissian society would be unfulfilling. She requests political asylum. Archer now returns to find himself in the middle of a first contact diplomatic crisis, with the Vissians confused and defensive at Tucker's interference in their traditions. Tucker appeals to Archer's sense of justice, but he sides with the Vissians. With the cogenitor returned, the Vissians hope good relations with the humans can continue. Later communications reveal that Charles has committed suicide, thereby delaying the birth of the Vissian's child, and straining the relations between the two species. Archer summons Tucker and severely reprimands him for his lack of professionalism and judgment.
"Regeneration": A team of researchers discover remains of a crashed spaceship in the Arctic Circle, finding two humanoids with cybernetic implants frozen in the wreckage. The bodies are taken to a nearby compound to be studied. The scientists marvel at the nanoprobes that begin to repair the long dead aliens. One of the seemingly dead subjects attacks the scientists, assimilating them. Using scavenged parts from the wreckage of the Borg ship to enhance the transport, they escape into space, upgrading it with a faster warp drive and weapons. Admiral Forrest orders Enterprise to rescue the "kidnapped" researchers. They soon receive a distress call from a Tarkalean freighter, and they arrive to discover the ship under attack from the enhanced transport. Archer tries to disable their weapons, but the ship jumps to warp speed. Archer brings the survivors to Sickbay, and finds their situation reminiscent of a Zefram Cochrane story he remembers (relating to the events of Star Trek: First Contact). The assimilated crew soon awaken, and in the ensuing melee Phlox is infected with nanoprobes. They escape, and Reed then finds them modifying ship's systems, and learns that the Enterprise's phase pistols are ineffective against them. Archer, left with no other options, orders the section to be de-pressurized. Reed then begins upgrading the pistols, while Phlox treats himself with "omicron radiation" to destroy the nanoprobes. Enterprise again catches up with the transport, but the recent modifications suddenly activate and shut down weapons and propulsion. Soon after the aliens hail Enterprise and say, "You will be assimilated, resistance is futile". In response, Archer and Reed board the ship with upgraded pistols, plant explosives, and beam out. Tucker troubleshoots the alien modifications thereby restoring main power to Enterprise. With the transport crippled, Archer realizes the altered crew members are too far gone and orders the transport's destruction. Later, a recovering Phlox informs Archer that while infected he kept hearing a repeating numerical sequence - Earth's coordinates sent somewhere into the Delta Quadrant. T'Pol states it would take almost 200 years to reach its destination, but Archer remains troubled.
"First Flight": As Enterprise is about to investigate a dark matter cloud, Archer is informed by Admiral Forrest that his former Starfleet colleague, Captain Robinson, has died in a rock climbing accident. Archer, seeking solitude, desires to travel into the nebula in a shuttlepod armed with spatial charges to excite the dark matter. T'Pol, noting that captains are prohibited from traveling off-ship unaccompanied, joins him and convinces him to tell the story of his friend Robinson and the Warp 5 program. In a series of flashbacks, Commander Archer meets with Commodore Forest, and is informed that although he excelled in simulations, his colleague Commander Robinson has been awarded the test ship, the NX Alpha. Disappointed, Archer goes to the 602 Club, a local bar, bumping into Robinson there. Later, Robinson takes the scheduled flight aboard the NX Alpha, breaking the warp 2.0 barrier. He refuses a command from Forest to stop and instead increases speed; the craft soon destabilizes and is destroyed as it approaches warp 2.2, but Robinson escapes. The Vulcans argue that the warp program should be postponed, but Archer wants the program, and his father's engine research, to continue. Archer, and his new friend Lieutenant Tucker, then go to the 602 Club to discuss the problem. Robinson arrives and blames Archer's father, and he and Archer end up in a fist fight. The next day Archer discovers Robinson packing up the contents of his locker. He concedes that it is primarily an intermix problem, but that the engine could still work. Archer and Robinson then steal the NX Beta, with Tucker in flight control, but it starts to suffer the same issues as the Alpha. As Starfleet security detains Tucker, Archer and Robinson coax the engines to warp 2.5. Archer and Robinson are reprimanded, and the program is grounded for a year, but they have proved that his father's design was sound. Archer launches his final two charges into the cloud, and a breathtaking nebula slowly reveals itself. Archer calls T'Pol to watch the actual nebula with her eyes, rather than monitor it through the sensors. T'Pol mentions the human tradition of first discoverers of astronomical phenomena having naming rights. Archer makes a sarcastic crack about calling it the "T'Pol/Archer Nebula". T'Pol gently responds that she was thinking Archer could name it the "Robinson Nebula", after his friend.
"Bounty": An okay episode, but do find the Tellarite to be quite woofy.
"The Expanse": In April 2153, an alien probe attacks Earth, cutting a destructive swath 4,000 km long, from Florida to Venezuela, killing millions, including Tucker's younger sister, Elizabeth. Enterprise is recalled to Earth by Admiral Forrest. On the way, Archer is kidnapped by the Suliban Cabal. He accuses the Suliban leader, Silik, of being responsible for the Earth attack, but Silik professes ignorance. The Cabal's sponsor, a vague and shadowy holographic human from the distant future, informs Archer about the Temporal Cold War and the Xindi, the race that attacked Earth. He claims the Xindi have been told by another Cold War faction that their home-world will be destroyed, in 400 years, by Humans. Enterprise is again ambushed, attacked by a Klingon Bird of Prey commanded by Captain Duras at the behest of the Klingon High Council. Fortunately, three other Starfleet vessels arrive, forcing it to retreat. Archer relates his encounters to Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command, and it is clear that the Xindi of the present are pre-empting the destruction of their home-world in the future. Ambassador Soval is dubious of Archer's temporal war argument, and tries to dissuade him from venturing into the Delphic Expanse, a dangerous section of space that once destroyed the Vulcan ship Vaankara. Archer, acting on advice from the shadowy informant, scans the crashed probe, revealing a component with an unmistakable date stamp placing the date of construction at 420 years in the future. Starfleet orders Archer to take Enterprise to the Expanse to try to stop the Xindi. Starfleet refits the Enterprise with improved weapons, shields, and a detachment of MACOs (Military Assault Command Operations soldiers) are stationed aboard for the mission. Soval informs T'Pol that her assignment on Enterprise has been terminated by the High Command, who deem this to be purely a human matter. T'Pol logically points out that if they needed a Vulcan on the Enterprise before, they are in greater need now, so her assignment should be continued. She debates, but does not disobey. Enterprise begins their journey towards the Expanse, and to return T'Pol to Vulcan. They are again attacked by Duras, but Archer retaliates using his new torpedoes at 10% and then 50% strength. The Klingon warbird limps away. T'Pol reveals she has resigned from the Vulcan High Command and wishes to stay on the ship. After she tells Archer that "you need me", the detour to Vulcan is cancelled. After a three-month journey, Enterprise nears the Expanse and are again attacked by Duras. Archer decides to use the 100% setting on his torpedoes, and Duras' ship is destroyed. The Enterprise continues on into the Delphic expanse.
Looks like we have a big story arc for the rest of the series. I'm going to break away a bit to watch season 3 of Discovery and give a quick review in possibly my next monthly entry for July. Once it is done, I will return for season 3 of Enterprise.