Harbinger (episode)

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

For the Vanguard novel, click here. For the DS9 video game, click here.

This article is written
from the Real World
point of view

"Harbinger"
ENT, Episode 3x15 Production number: 067 First aired: 11 February 2004
←	66th of 97 produced in ENT	→
←	66th of 97 released in ENT	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 97 released in ENT Remastered
←	695th of 726 released in all	→

Teleplay By Manny Coto Story By Rick Berman & Brannon Braga Directed By David Livingston
December 27, 2153
	Arc: {{{wsArc0Desc}}} ({{{nArc0PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc0PartCount}}})
	Arc: {{{wsArc1Desc}}} ({{{nArc1PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc1PartCount}}})
	Arc: {{{wsArc2Desc}}} ({{{nArc2PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc2PartCount}}})
	Arc: {{{wsArc3Desc}}} ({{{nArc3PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc3PartCount}}})
	Arc: {{{wsArc4Desc}}} ({{{nArc4PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc4PartCount}}})

The Enterprise rescues an alien from a massive spatial anomaly, but its lone pilot refuses to explain why he was there. Reed and Hayes confront each other over their roles on the ship.

1 Summary
2 Background
3 Links and References

[edit] Summary

[edit] Teaser

Commander Tucker is in his quarters, practicing Vulcan neuropressure on someone's foot. The camera angle changes, and reveals it to be Corporal Amanda Cole, rather than his usual partner, T'Pol. After completing a few other pressure points, Cole turns round, and stares at Trip. She kisses him, and then walks out, leaving him looking surprised, but happy.

[edit] Act One

Captain Archer calls Lieutenant Reed to his ready room to discuss training sessions with the MACOs. Major Hayes has already discussed including the senior officers in the training sessions, but Reed has some objections to taking orders from the Major. However, he accepts his orders.

On the bridge, Ensign Mayweather comments that the stars directly ahead appear to be shifting positions. The Enterprise proceeds to investigate the phenomenon. They arrive to find that it is a convergence of a large number of spatial anomalies. Ensign Sato picks up a weak transmission coming from within the disturbance. T'Pol identifies its source as a small pod containing one humanoid life sign. Captain Archer instructs Lieutenant Reed to deploy the grappler, and they attempt to remove the pod. Upon trying to pull the pod out, the disturbance suddenly expands and envelops the primary hull. Small spatial disturbances begin forming on the bridge, disrupting a few systems, and ammonium sulfide starts accumulating in the atmosphere. The captain orders full reverse from the engineering crew, and the Enterprise manages to escape, along with the pod. Dr. Phlox asks T'Pol to join him in sickbay to discuss Corporal Cole. She has been to see the Doctor because of headaches, which Phlox associates with the neuropressure sessions she'd been receiving from Commander Tucker. Phlox recommends that T'Pol should try to remedy the situation by conducting further sessions with the Corporal, and that Trip should be discouraged from continuing with her.

In the shuttlebay, Archer, Reed and Trip open the pod, and discover a humanoid inside, alive, with many electrodes connecting him to the pod.

[edit] Act Two

They take him to sickbay, where Phlox tries to revive the alien. In the Command Center, T'Pol has been working on the readings from the disturbance, and has gathered some interesting data. She has deduced that the disturbance is located exactly in the center of five spheres. Archer hypothesizes that the spheres are the cause of the disturbance.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Reed and Major Hayes argue over the timing of the training sessions, much to the Major's exasperation. Reed is unhappy about the Major going over his head with his recommendation to the Captain. The Captain wants the Doctor to revive the alien but Phlox states that's unethical. Archer says they're going to have to bend a few ethics.

[edit] Act Three

In T'Pol's quarters, she is conducting a neuropressure session with Cole. They discuss Cole's apparent attraction to Tucker, which she admits to, much to the surprise of T'Pol.

The Doctor confirms to Archer that the alien is dying, but not just dying – he is disintegrating. There isn't much that Phlox can do to stop the alien's demise.

In one of the cargo bays, Major Hayes has set up a session of hand-to-hand combat, and the MACOs and the senior officers are paired up against each other. Both groups appear to be equally matched, much to Reed's relief. The session goes well, until one of the MACOs goes over the top with Mayweather. Travis seems to not be too badly hurt, but Reed stops the session, and demands that the Major keeps control of his soldiers.

The alien's condition continues to deteriorate, and he continues to demand to be returned to the disturbance site. However, Archer is adamant that he needs more answers about why he was there. He reveals that he is from a trans-dimensional realm, and then experiences a further development - his hand starts to phase.

Hayes sets up a weapon targeting session as part of his new training regime. Reed doesn't score very high in his first attempt, much to his disappointment, and he isn't consoled by the Major's comments. Afterwards, in the crew's mess, Tucker engages Reed in discussion concerning the training sessions. Reed doesn't wish to discuss Major Hayes, but is more interested in the rumors of a relationship between Cole and Tucker. Trip is equally not keen to discuss this conversation.

Tucker goes to see T'Pol for his neuropressure session, and discusses his situation with Cole with her. T'Pol learns that Trip is attracted to her, and quickly kisses him before taking off her clothes and kissing him again...

In sickbay, the Doctor talks to the steadily sickening alien about Denobula and Earth. As the Doctor turns away to consult a medical screen, the alien attacks him, knocking him unconscious, before discovering that he can pass through solid walls - he walks through the sickbay wall.

[edit] Act Four

The alien's passage through the ship causes ship-wide power failures that T'Pol notes are a way to track his progress. Meanwhile, Reed and Hayes' conflict has escalated, and they are in the middle of a big fight, when they are called to duty to attempt to track down the alien. They intercept him, but their weapons have no effect.

In engineering, Tucker encounters the alien, but is knocked unconscious seconds before the MACOs and Reed arrive. The alien then pushes his hand into the warp core, destabilizing the magnetic seals. With Hayes' help, Reed is able to reverse the polarity of the field coils, and this repels the alien.

Hayes and Reed are called to the Captain's ready room for a dressing down because of the wounds they inflicted on each other during their fighting. He orders their dispute to be ended right now, though Reed and Hayes confirm that the dispute has already been settled.

Back in sickbay, the alien deteriorates further, and disintegrates completely, but not before telling Archer that his people are involved with the Xindi plan to destroy Earth.

"When the Xindi destroy Earth, my people will prevail."

Tucker and T'Pol discuss their intimacies over coffee in the crew's mess. T'Pol attempts to dismiss the event as an "Exploration of Human sexuality". They both agree to keep their secret between themselves.

[edit] Background

A controversial scene in which T'Pol's naked posterior appears.

As originally filmed, the infamous "love scene" between Trip and T'Pol featured a look at actress Jolene Blalock's naked posterior. Two versions of this scene exist, however, depending on where and how the episode is watched: US audiences watching the original broadcast on UPN (or later on SciFi Channel) were shown a version in which the frame was "enlarged", enabling the network to crop the picture just above Blalock's bare bottom. Canadian viewers, however, were treated to the scene as it was originally shot -- with Ms. Blalock's bottom shown (see the picture to the right). The "unedited" version of this scene is intact on Paramount's "Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Third Season" DVD release and HDNet's broadcast. It has been speculated that this was due to a recent uproar involving nudity on television.