The Forge (episode)

When Earth's embassy on Vulcan is bombed, the investigation puts Archer and T'Pol on the trail of a Vulcan religious faction hiding in a treacherous desert.

Teaser
In 2137, a young Vulcan male wanders alone through a subterranean tunnel on the planet Vulcan. He finds a sculptured casing that is completely covered in dust. Using a brush, the young Vulcan wipes away the dust from the casing to reveal a symbol. He mutters a single word: "Surak".

Act One
In 2154, Admiral Forrest has traveled to Vulcan to learn of the Vulcan High Command's decision on whether to start conducting joint missions with Starfleet. At the embassy, Forrest discusses the matter with Ambassador Soval and is surprised to learn that Soval was not consulted by the council. Regarding the Vulcan reluctance to share technologies, Soval explains that Humans are confusing to them and that the fast progress of Human development in recent years concerns the Vulcans. Suddenly an explosion is heard by the two men and Forrest quickly pushes Soval to the ground as the embassy is engulfed in flames.

On the Enterprise, the senior officers are enjoying a spirited game of basketball. Phlox, who is exceptionally good and has to keep switching teams, likens the game to Octran fertility contests but with more clothing. T'Pol then summons Archer away from the game to give him the bad news.


 * "Captain's starlog: supplemental. Enterprise has arrived at Vulcan as ordered. Three days after the bombing of Earth's embassy, the death toll stands at 43 and I have lost my friend, Admiral Forrest.  Vulcan authorities still have no lead on who's responsible."

Archer is met by Administrator V'Las, head of the Vulcan High Command, along with Ambassador Soval and Stel, chief investigator of the Vulcan Security Directorate. After Archer rejects the suggestion that the bomb was planted by Andorians, Stel reluctantly reveals that Syrrannites are also under suspicion. Archer mistakes this as the name of another species but T'Pol corrects him, explaining that they are a small group of Vulcans who follow a "corrupted" form of Surak's teachings. The Syrranites' logical and peaceful nature make them unlikely candidates. When Archer asks if there is any evidence, Soval points out that the embassy is officially considered to be on Earth soil therefore placing any investigation of the crime scene under Starfleet jurisdiction.

Archer sends Reed and Mayweather down to investigate the blast site where they uncover an undetonated bomb. Reed scans the device and discovers Vulcan DNA on the controls. A closer scan triggers the device but the two officers manage to transport back to Enterprise, seconds before it explodes.

Act Two
Phlox's investigation matches the recovered DNA to T'Pau, a well known Syrrannite. When Archer attempts to pursue the leads further, however, Stel points out that T'Pau is Vulcan, that the overall investigation consequently now falls under Vulcan jurisdiction and that Starfleet assistance is not required.

Archer enters Enterprise's cargo bay, where the bodies of the Humans lost in the bombing are being held for transport back to Earth. While quietly reflecting over the coffin of Admiral Forrest, the captain is joined by Soval. The ambassador urges Archer not to leave the investigation in the hands of the Vulcan High Command but to question everything and go down to Vulcan.

Meanwhile, Koss visits T'Pol in her quarters. T'Pol is not particularly pleased to see her husband but he insists that a face-to-face meeting was necessary. He gives T'Pol an IDIC that T'Les, her mother, wanted passed along. Koss explains that the new security conditions on Vulcan, following the bombing, have forced T'Les into hiding because she is actually a Syrranite. T'Pol presents the IDIC to Archer, explaining that it has been modified, and activates it. The IDIC displays a holographic topographical map of Vulcan's Forge.

Against Tucker's warnings that the Forge is a "hell hole" with electrical sandstorms and geomagnetic instabilities that prevent the use of any technology, Archer decides to transport down to Vulcan with T'Pol in search of the Syrranites. Soval provides data on the gaps in Vulcan satellite surveillance, so that Archer and T'Pol's beam-in won't be monitored, but he remains aboard to assist Tucker with the investigation from orbit.

Act Three
Archer and T'Pol beam down to Gateway. T'Pol explains to the captain that it was here that Surak supposedly began his journey into the Forge. Archer questions T'Pol about her apparent lack of belief in some of the stories of Surak. She answers by telling him that Surak's writings from that period were lost and that the current copies of his teaching are open to interpretation – a fact Archer finds familiarly amusing. Their conversation is abruptly interrupted by a Sehlat screech. Fortunately, they are able to get to high ground before the creature reaches them.

On Enterprise, Phlox is examining the bomb to find other DNA traces. He discovers that the telomeres from T'Pau's DNA are too long to belong to the thirty-two year-old Vulcan, and concludes that someone falsified the evidence. From a recording Reed recovered from the embassy, they are able to pinpoint the moment at which T'Pau's DNA signature was recorded. They are not able to identify the suspect, but the guard on the recording seems to recognize the person. Coincidentally, that same guard is currently in the Enterprise's sickbay – in a coma.

On Vulcan, the Sehlat is driven away by a person named Arev, who claims to be on a pilgrimage. Archer pretends that he is also on a pilgrimage and asks if the three of them can walk together. Arev agrees, but not without saying that the Forge will be hard on the Human. As they walk through the desert, Arev asks some questions of the captain and comes to the conclusion that Archer and T'Pol are not really on a pilgrimage. Their discussion is interrupted by a sand fire storm.

Act Four
Aboard Enterprise, Tucker and Phlox speak to Soval, hoping he could find someone capable of melding with the comatose guard. what they have found. Given the taboo nature of the practice, Soval won't even consider their request – but as he turns to leave, Tucker reveals that the DNA evidence implicating T'Pau had been planted on the bomb. Assured by Phlox that the forgery could be proven, Soval, realizing that the tampering with the DNA records suggests a high-level conspiracy, offers to meld with the guard himself.

In the Forge, the three "pilgrims" find a shelter from the sand fire storm. After seeing T'Pol's IDIC, Arev says that he has respect for the captain's actions (regarding the P'Jem sanctuary, in particular) and agrees to bring them to the T'Karath Sanctuary when the storm is over. Archer then tells him the real reason they are there. Archer explains that the High Command claim the Syrannites believe in a corrupted version of Surak's teachings. To that, Arev answers that some say Surak's katra was found and is now carried by a Syrannite. According to the rumor, all who mind meld with him may touch Surak's mind.

On Enterprise, Soval, Phlox and Trip meet with V'Las and Stel. When they ask who the real culprit is, Soval reveals the truth – it is Stel. They claim to have an eyewitness who identified him as the one who planted the bomb in the embassy. When Stel and V'Las ask to speak with the witness, Phlox says that his patient is in a coma. After Soval admits to performing a mind meld, Stel protests, noting that telepathic evidence is inadmissible. V'Las informs the ambassador that he will be summoned to appear before the High Command to account for his actions.

Act Five
In the Forge, the storm is gaining in strength. T'Pol is hit by an electric discharge while trying to reseal the cavern entrance. Another discharge hits Arev, deadly this time. Just before dying, Arev mind melds with the captain saying that he must carry "it" to the sanctuary.

On Enterprise, Soval is going to turn himself in to the Vulcan High Command. When Tucker protests and accuses the ambassador of not trusting Humans, Soval responds "Peace and Long Life", suggesting that he has more respect for Tucker than the engineer realizes.

Archer is awakened by T'Pol. They agree to continue searching for the sanctuary, which is supposed to be nearby, after burying Arev. Archer has strange intuitions and finds the sanctuary easily. Inside, they are greeted by a group of armed Vulcans.

To be continued...

Memorable Quotes
"We don't know what to do about Humans. Of all the species we've made contact with, yours is the only one we can't define. You have the arrogance of Andorians, the stubborn pride of Tellarites. One moment you're as driven by your emotions as Klingons, and the next you confound us by suddenly embracing logic!"

"I'm sure those qualities are found in every species."

"Not in such confusing abundance."
 * - Soval and Maxwell Forrest, in the halls of Earth's embassy on Vulcan

"Ambassador... are Vulcans afraid of Humans?"


 * (Soval answers with a slight nod)

"Why?"

"Because, there is one species you remind us of."

"Vulcans."
 * - Forrest and Soval

"There are those on the High Command who wonder what Humans would achieve in the century to come, and they don't like the answer."

"We're not the Klingons. We only want to be your partners, to do what the nations of Earth have learned to do: to work together in common cause."
 * - Soval and Forrest, just before a bomb explodes in the embassy

"This is a most enjoyable sport – reminiscent of Octran fertility contests... except we're fully clothed, which is probably for the best!"
 * - Phlox, to Captain Archer, after winning another game

"Sounds like that Klingon Opera Hoshi made us listen to."
 * - Archer to T'Pol, referring to the cry of the sehlat

"Vulcans do not lie."

"I've dealt with the High Command. Vulcans can lie and cheat with the best of them."
 * - Arev and Archer

"I don't know if this has ever been attempted with a Human before."
 * - Soval, to Tucker, as he attempts a Vulcan mind meld with the comatose Corporal Askwith

"I'm good for a few more days."

"Captain, you're not Vulcan."
 * - Archer and T'Pol, as he turns down her offer of water

"A witness?"

"The guard recognized the person who brought in the bomb we found in the rubble..."

"The Syrranite woman - T'Pau..."

"No...it was you!"
 * - Stel, Tucker, and Soval

Background Information

 * In the scene when Forrest falls on Soval to save him, a slanting column can be seen at the edge of the screen. In the next scene this column falls on Forrest.
 * This episode marks the death of Maxwell Forrest. However, he dies off-screen, and his death is not apparent until Archer's log entry.
 * This episode reveals (or at least confirms) that there is a United Earth Government. Its Great Seal has already appeared in.
 * This is the only episode in the Vulcan Reformation trilogy that was shot on location, as scenes in the Forge were shot at an industrial site in Simi Valley, in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles. On the road leading there from the main street, the production staff were amused to see a coincidental sign for "Vulcan Materials Company".
 * Filming began on Tuesday, and ran for the usual seven work days through Wednesday.
 * Robert Foxworth previously played Admiral Leyton in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes and.
 * The script and production report at establish that the Earth embassy was in Shi'Kahr.
 * The questions that Arev asks Archer in the desert ("Who said 'Logic is the cement of our civilization, with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide'?" and "What is Kiri-kin-tha's First Law of Metaphysics?") are from, when the computer in the Vulcan temple asks them of Spock. The answers are "T'Plana-Hath, Matron of Vulcan Philosophy" and "Nothing unreal exists", respectively.
 * Arev/Syrran's transference of Surak's katra to Archer is an homage to Spock's transfer to Leonard McCoy in (revealed in ). As in the films, Syrran tells Archer to "remember," albeit in Vulcan.
 * After the Season 1 episode and Season 3's, this is the third and final episode in which no scene takes place on Enterprise's bridge.
 * The uniform type Archer wears in the desert has its rank pips on the collar, similar to TNG, DS9, and VOY style uniforms.
 * The security desk in the embassy was previously used as the Helm console on the USS Pasteur from.

Starring

 * Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer
 * John Billingsley as Doctor Phlox
 * Jolene Blalock as Commander T'Pol
 * Dominic Keating as Lieutenant Malcolm Reed
 * Anthony Montgomery as Ensign Travis Mayweather
 * Linda Park as Ensign Hoshi Sato
 * Connor Trinneer as Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III

Guest Stars

 * Robert Foxworth as V'Las
 * Vaughn Armstrong as Maxwell Forrest
 * Gary Graham as Soval
 * Michael Reilly Burke as Koss
 * And
 * Michael Nouri as Arev / Syrran

Co-Star

 * Larc Spies as Stel

Uncredited Co-Stars

 * Dionne Anthony as a Vulcan Syrrannite
 * Rafael Boza as Corporal Askwith
 * Michael Cassidy as an Earth embassy official
 * Jeff Doba as a Vulcan Syrrannite
 * Dieter Horneman as a Vulcan Syrrannite
 * Richard Kent as a Vulcan Syrrannite
 * John Jurgens as a Vulcan Syrrannite
 * Aouri Makhlouf as a medical crewman
 * Jennifer Nash as a Vulcan at embassy
 * Kara Zediker as T'Pau (still picture)
 * Unknown performers as
 * Eight Humans at Earth embassy
 * Female medical officer
 * Male Vulcan at embassy
 * Female science division officer
 * Three operations division officers
 * Vulcan Syrrannite

Stunt doubles and stand-ins

 * Bruce Barbour as stunt double for Vaughn Armstrong
 * Vince Deadrick, Jr. as stunt double for Gary Graham
 * Wade Kelley as photo double for Scott Bakula
 * Tim Sitarz as stunt double for Michael Nouri
 * Boni Yanagisawa as stunt double for Jolene Blalock