Archer confronts the Xindi Council.
Summary
While Enterprise and Degra's shuttle are on their way to the Xindi Council planet, a shuttlepod containing Sub-Commander T'Pol, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, Ensign Travis Mayweather, and Corporal F. Hawkins heads off to investigate a sphere; T'Pol thinks they can access the redundant memory core and acquire some data on the Sphere Builders. After being confronted by a Sphere Builder concerned with his actions, Degra briefs Captain Jonathan Archer on the various members of the Xindi Council he will soon meet.
A fleet of Primate and Arboreal vessels escorts Enterprise into the security zone surrounding the Council planet. A few shots are exchanged between the escorts and Commander Dolim's flagship, but he is forced to let them in. Archer (assisted by Hoshi Sato, who translates) enters the Council chamber. The session does not go well; the Reptilians walk out.
In order to bring the Aquatics onto their side, Phlox and Commander Charles Tucker prepare a biometric hologram of the Sphere Builder test subject they encountered a few weeks ago. It works – the Aquatics see the resemblance between the test subject and their so-called "Guardians", and agree to delay the launch of the Xindi superweapon. Amazingly enough, so do the Reptilians.
Meanwhile, the away team manages to acquire the sphere's redundant memory core, but a gigantic claw emerges from the walls of the sphere. Hawkins defends the rest of the team as they get away and is vaporized in the attempt. The claw is destroyed by the shuttle as more claws converge on them; the team barely escapes and begins heading for Enterprise.
Dolim's conversion was nothing more than a ruse. He murders Degra, and then the Reptilians and Insectoids walk out on the Council; they launch the weapon. Enterprise, the Arboreals, and the Primates try to stop the weapon, but are not fast enough; it and its escorts enter a subspace vortex. Just before the Reptilians leave, they transport Hoshi Sato onto their ship.
Background Information
- This episode marks the deaths of Degra (Randy Oglesby) and Corporal F. Hawkins (Sean McGowan).
- Dolim and Jannar's names are revealed in this episode.
- Knowingly or not, the writers put a sentence from George W. Bush into Dolim's mouth: "Either you stand with us, or you stand against us. However, considering the line is an classic cliche, the nod to Bush is thin at best."
- T'Pol's words echo those of Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when she tells Reed about the Vulcan saying "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
- This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series but lost out to the episode "Countdown".
- Just before Dolim murders Degra, he reveals that he knew about the Reptilian ship being destroyed in "The Forgotten".
Links and references
Main cast
- Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer
- John Billingsley as Phlox
- Jolene Blalock as T'Pol
- Dominic Keating as Malcolm Reed
- Anthony Montgomery as Travis Mayweather
- Linda Park as Hoshi Sato
- Connor Trinneer as Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Guest stars
- Randy Oglesby as Degra
- Tucker Smallwood as a Xindi-Primate councilor
- Rick Worthy as Jannar
- Scott MacDonald as Dolim
- Josette DiCarlo as a Sphere Builder woman
- Sean McGowan as Corporal F. Hawkins
- Bruce Thomas as a Xindi-Reptilian soldier
- Andrew Borba as a Xindi-Reptilian lieutenant
- Mary Mara as a Sphere Builder presage
- Ruth Williamson as a Sphere Builder primary
Co-star
- Eric Lemler as a helm crewman
Uncredited co-stars
CGI co-stars
References
artificial intelligence; Bentley, Katy; biometric hologram; coil assembly; Degra's shuttle; Denaxian tapeworm; Enterprise-J, USS; EV suit; EVA; exhaust vent; Federation; headache; hologram; Ibix Dynasty; Klingon; Janus loop; medical doctor; memory core; osmotic eel; portable power cell; RCS inverter; security zone; sensor encoder, sonar; Sphere Builder transport pod; Temporal Cold War; trans-dimensional disturbance; transporter; V-probe; Xindi; Xindi Empire; Xindi-Arboreal; Xindi-Aquatic; Xindi-Avian; Xindi-Insectoid; Xindi-Insectoid language; Xindi mission; Xindi-Reptilian warship; Xindus
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Star Trek: Enterprise Season 3 |
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