Demons (episode)

A xenophobic faction of Humanity threatens to undermine talks to form a new coalition of planets. (Part 1 of 2)

Summary
January 19, 2155 – In the Orpheus mining facility on Luna, Earth's moon, Paxton and Mercer confer on the health of a baby girl – a Vulcan-Human hybrid. Meanwhile, on Earth, the Enterprise crew has been called home to appear at a meeting of Human and alien delegates discussing the formation of a "Coalition of Planets". Everyone applauds after a speech by Nathan Samuels, presiding over the convention – everyone except Trip Tucker, whom Jonathan Archer orders to clap. While Phlox remarks that he enjoyed Samuels' speech, the rest of the crew is dismayed by Samuels' failure to mention their contributions, without which the meeting would not be taking place. As the meeting adjourns and the crew begins to leave, Samuels compliments Hoshi Sato on improvements she made to the universal translator. Travis Mayweather is intercepted by Gannet Brooks, a reporter covering the event – an old flame who still expresses romantic interest. Across the room, T'Pol confides to Archer that Tucker had a point – the Enterprise crew was responsible for making the event possible – just before a medical technician, Susan Khouri, approaches and gives her a vial containing a hair follicle. Khouri warns "they're going to kill her", then collapses, fatally wounded from a phase pistol shot to the abdomen.

Archer, Tucker, T'Pol, and Malcolm Reed join Phlox in the Enterprise sickbay a while later, after Phlox has analyzed the hair follicle. DNA testing reveals that the hybrid child is Tucker and T'Pol's offspring. Shortly, T'Pol is meditating in her quarters when Tucker arrives to discuss the matter. T'Pol assures him she was never pregnant, yet somehow knows the child is theirs. Archer meets with Samuels elsewhere on the ship; Samuels refuses to let the news of the child out into public, afraid it will stir anti-alien sentiments which have been heightened since the Xindi attack the year before, and fuel such factions as the Terra Prime movement, which could hurt the burgeoning coalition. Samuels urges Archer to let Starfleet conduct the legal investigation. However, at Archer's request, Reed meets in San Francisco at night with Harris, the Section 31 agent, for information. Harris tells Reed that by agreeing to see him, Reed is acknowledging he still works for Section 31. According to Harris, Khouri was a member of Terra Prime, and if the crew can find the child, they'll find the answers to the mystery of its origin.

In Paxton's office on the moon, Paxton and Mercer discuss Khouri's – and Mercer's – allegiances where the child is concerned. Mercer is conflicted over Paxton's plans for the baby, but denies it. Paxton calls the child "an abomination" and claims "when the time comes, it will be treated as such". Paxton sends for Daniel Greaves after Mercer departs and tells him to put together "a team" and to meet him at the "third junction in one hour".

On Earth, Archer pays Samuels a visit in the delegates' conference hall, where the Coridan ambassador argues with the Earth statesman. The Tellarites have been pushing for a trade embargo against the Orions, who have supposedly been attacking Tellarite freighters, which the ambassador dismisses as "Tellarite slander", citing that Coridan has traded with the Orions for centuries, and warns that his people will never agree to such sanctions. As Archer joins them, Samuels introduces him to the ambassador, who excuses himself to go discuss diplomatic affairs with his government. The Starfleet chief investigator has rejected Archer's request for a case file; Archer asks Samuels to intervene. After Samuels initially refuses, Archer reveals that he has learned Samuels was once a member of Terra Prime himself, which Samuels calls a mistake of youth, blaming a Denobulan pilot for his father's death in a flight accident. Samuels realizes he underestimated Archer and agrees to get him the case file.

Brooks comes to see Mayweather in his quarters; she claims she's doing a story on Enterprise from the crew's perspective. They get into an argument over their past romantic relationship, but Mayweather agrees to give her a tour of the ship. In sickbay, Tucker discusses his doubts over whether T'Pol is telling the truth with Phlox, which Phlox dismisses as foolish. Tucker says his father always wanted a granddaughter, which he bugged Tucker's sister about constantly. Phlox points out that he got his wish.

In his lunar complex office, Paxton watches a video recording of Colonel Green, made three years after a cease-fire ended World War III. Greaves enters; they discuss the moral implications of Green's genocidal policies, before Greaves hands him a diskette containing a status report on the Vulcan-Human child's condition. After Greaves leaves, Paxton self-administers a hypodermic injection to his neck.

While Mayweather and Brooks tour the ship, rekindling their romance, elsewhere the crew discusses Khouri's autopsy from her case file. Phlox has found levels of growth hormone containing traces of myofibrilin, used in the Orpheus mining facility, a hotbed of Terra Prime activity. Reed says Mayweather has "a friend" in the Orpheus facility who may be able to smuggle in an undercover team; T'Pol and Tucker volunteer for the mission. At the same time, on the moon, miners remove rocks from what looks like a cave-in, and find Mercer's body buried beneath.

While Tucker and T'Pol search the mining tunnels, T'Pol informs him that she knows of his doubts. In Mayweather's quarters, his relationship with Brooks takes a steamy turn. They discuss goals; Mayweather considers settling down. On the bridge, Sato informs Reed of a glitch in the universal translator system. Back at Orpheus, Josiah introduces himself to Tucker and invites him to a Terra Prime assembly. T'Pol joins Tucker and tells him of Mercer's death. On the ship, Brooks is placed under arrest for spying – she's a member of Terra Prime.

Tucker and T'Pol's identities are discovered and they are taken hostage by members of Terra Prime. Paxton reveals that his mining facility is actually a warp-capable vessel when it launches, with Tucker and T'Pol held captive on board, and flies to Mars. Archer orders a pursuit course. Terra Prime seizes control of the verteron array on Mars, normally used to redirect comets, and uses it to fire a blast of verteron energy at Luna. Paxton issues a demand via subspace radio for all non-Humans to leave the Sol system.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Memorable Quotes
"Clap louder. That's an order!"
 * - Jonathan Archer

"How do you know?"

"I'm Vulcan."
 * - Tucker and T'Pol

"You know how you feel about space exploration? That it's the 'last vestige of colonial impulse.'"
 * - Travis, to Gannet Brooks

"You'll also be interested to know that she has your eyes...and T'Pol's ears."
 * - Phlox, to Trip about Elizabeth

"You're behind this!"

"Behind this? No, I lead this, and proudly."
 * - Tucker and John Frederick Paxton

"I have no intention of using this weapon again, provided that every single non-human on this planet leave immediately."
 * - John Frederick Paxton

"Terra Prime, forever."
 * - John Frederick Paxton

Background Information

 * This is the final Star Trek episode to be directed by LeVar Burton. He had previously directed episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.
 * Although Mars was previously seen from space, this is the first time that the surface of the planet is shown in Star Trek. A holographic version of the planet surface was seen in  in Star Trek: Voyager.
 * This is the third-to-last episode of Star Trek: Enterprises fourth season. Coincidentally, the third-to-last episode of Star Trek: Voyagers fourth season, aired exactly seven years earlier, was entitled.
 * Several costumes and props from this episode were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including a medical record data module and Scott Booker's costume which was previously used as a Kolaran costume in.
 * The events of this episode take place exactly a day after the events in.
 * Phlox's reference to a Klingon gene sequencing procedure refers to the events of the episodes Affliction and Divergence

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

 * Harry Groener as Nathan Samuels
 * Eric Pierpoint as Harris
 * Peter Mensah as Daniel Greaves
 * Patrick Fischler as Mercer
 * Adam Clark as Josiah
 * Steve Rankin as Phillip Green
 * Johanna Watts as Gannet Brooks
 * Tom Bergeron as the Coridanite ambassador

Special guest appearance by

 * Peter Weller as John Frederick Paxton

Co-star

 * Christine Romeo as Khouri

Uncredited co-stars

 * David Keith Anderson as an alien miner
 * Nancy Avila as a Starfleet commodore
 * Bill Blair as a miner
 * Jennifer Booker as a miner
 * Scott Booker as a miner
 * Daphney Dameraux as an alien ambassador
 * Melissa Gieringer as an alien ambassador
 * Steve D'Errico as an Earth Starfleet admiral
 * Amy Earhart as a Vulcan delegate
 * Evan English as an alien ambassador
 * Tarik Ergin as a Tellarite delegate
 * Nikki Flux as Denobulan ambassador
 * Glen Hambly as
 * Operations division ensign
 * Andorian delegate
 * Scott Hill as Ensign Hutchison
 * Dieter Hornemann as a Vulcan delegate
 * Michael Ivins as a miner
 * Jan Jones as a miner
 * Ricky Lomax as W. Woods
 * Andrew MacBeth as E. Hamboyan
 * Mark Major as Rigelian ambassador
 * Melissa O'Keeffe as an alien ambassador
 * Alexander Xavier Ponce-Bonano as an alien miner
 * Woody Porter as a Rear admiral
 * Jay Schwartz as a miner
 * Pablo Soriano as a Tellarite delegate
 * Trey Stokes as a Tellarite delegate
 * David Venafro as Andorian delegate
 * James Ward as an alien ambassador
 * Henry T. Yamada as a miner
 * Unknown performers as
 * Newspersons
 * Alien ambassador
 * Female Rigelian ambassador
 * One female and five male Human miners