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Demons redirects here; for the TOS novel, please see Demons (novel).
For the VOY episode with a similar title, please see "Demon".

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

Summary[]

Teaser[]

In a corridor on the Orpheus mining facility on Luna, Earth's moon, Paxton and Mercer confer on the health of a baby girl – a Vulcan-Human hybrid. "She looks so innocent. It's almost possible to forget what she represents", Paxton notes.

Act One[]

"Captain's starlog, January 19, 2155. Enterprise has been called home for what could prove to be a pivotal moment in history."

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 louder than he currently is. 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 the recent improvements she made to the universal translator. Travis Mayweather is intercepted by Gannet, 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. Extensive DNA testing by Dr. Phlox 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 shadowy Section 31 agent, for information. Harris notes that Reed had asked him not to ever contact him again but Reed says he contacted him. 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".

Act Two[]

On Earth, Archer pays Samuels a visit in the delegates' conference hall, where the Coridanite 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 his youth, having blamed 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.

Gannet

Gannet Brooks

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 Phillip Green, made barely 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.

Mayweather and Brooks' tour ends up in launch bay 1. When asked by the reporter which of shuttlepod he used to penetrate a sphere in the Delphic Expanse, he replies that it was Shuttlepod 1. The two open the shuttlepod's hatch and go inside. Mayweather remarks that the crew is using the shuttlepods less and less due to everyone becoming comfortable with the use of the transporter. Mayweather remarks that when he saw Brooks at the conference earlier, he began to rethink some of the decisions he had made in his life. When she makes a joke about him now beginning to open up to her, he chides her for it. She tells him it is one of her bad habits and then suddenly kisses him. She admits another bad habit of hers is being unable to hide her attraction to someone. "You and your bad habits…", Mayweather remarks and then begins to passionately kiss her further.

While Mayweather and Brooks are 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.

Act Three[]

While Tucker and T'Pol search the mining tunnels on the Moon, T'Pol informs him that she knows of his doubts. Tucker assures her that he completely believes her. In Mayweather's quarters, his relationship with Brooks takes a steamy turn. In bed together, they discuss goals; Mayweather considers settling down, believing that another challenge for him to face may be staying in one place for a change.

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 and of his connection to Susan Khouri. On the ship, Brooks is placed under arrest for spying – Archer and Reed reveal to Mayweather that they have reason to believe that 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. Inside, in Paxton's office, he compares Tucker and T'Pol to Romeo and Juliet. He wonders if their "drama" will end happier than the suicide that Romeo and Juliet committed inside a medieval tomb. Tucker demands to know who Paxton is; he reveals that he is in charge of the facility and that he leads the Terra Prime movement. He tells Tucker and T'Pol that his ultimate goal is to return Earth to its "rightful owners". He declares "it is my life's work, it is what I was born to do, and there is no one, not an alien, not a Human, that will stop me from achieving it."

Act Four[]

Paxton orders Daniel Greaves to take the facility to launch mode. When Tucker asks Paxton where their destination is, he tells the engineer that "this will be like a walk across the street" for him. The enormous mining facility launches off of the Moon's surface.

Back on Enterprise, Brooks is being interrogated by Archer and Reed. Archer notes that her universal translator was reconfigured to record the alien delegates at the conference. Brooks denies doing anything wrong but Archer notes that, during a background check, they discovered that she had made three trips to the lunar colony in just the last month. She claims she was on assignment from her editor but Reed reveals that her editor never sent her there for a story. Archer asks her if she knows if Tucker and T'Pol are in danger; but she demands to speak to legal counsel. Archer angrily orders she be taken to the ship's brig and given whomever she requests. Archer tells a visibly hurt Mayweather that he's sorry. Just then, Archer is paged over the intercom. An officer tells the captain that the Orpheus mining facility has taken off of the surface of the Moon.

Afterwards, when the facility is in open space, Paxton reveals to Tucker and T'Pol that Orpheus is actually a warp-capable vessel. Tucker says they'll be lucky if the facility does not tear itself apart at warp but Paxton says he plans on luck. With that, the facility proceeds to warp and flies to Mars. Archer orders a pursuit course and tells Sato to inform Starfleet that Enterprise is going after it. The facility lands on the surface of Mars. Terra Prime seizes control of the verteron array on the red planet, normally used to redirect comets, and uses it to fire a blast of verteron energy at Luna as a demonstration. Paxton issues a demand via subspace radio for all non-Humans to leave the Sol system. "As of this moment, mankind casts off the shackles of alien interference and now determines its own fate… its own destiny. Terra Prime forever." Archer stares at the viewscreen, uncertain what to do next.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Log entries[]

"Captain's starlog, January 19, 2155: Enterprise has been called home for what could prove to be a pivotal moment in human history."

Memorable quotes[]

"It's estimated that there are at least five thousand unregistered aliens on Earth. Now, another study puts that figure at ten thousand. This insanity is the direct result of our government's policy and the enforcers of that policy, Starfleet! We need to send a message to the people in power. And there's someone here tonight who is going to help us do just that. Commander Tucker, of the Starship Enterprise!"

- Josiah


"You'll also be interested to know that she has your eyes… and T'Pol's ears."

- Phlox, to Tucker about Elizabeth


"In the shadow of this incalculable devastation, we find ourselves facing a colossal challenge. There's an entire world to rebuild. Not only our cities and homes, but mankind itself! Now is not the time for timidity and second guessing. We cannot afford to doubt ourselves. Unless we act decisively, we will pass on the scars of mutation and decay to future generations. For the sake of our children, and our children's children, we must reject the impure and cast it out!!"

- Colonel Green


"Come with us."
"Where?"
"What's going on?"
"She's not here to do a story on Enterprise, Travis."
"We have reason to believe that she's a spy for Terra Prime."

- Jonathan Archer, Gannet Brooks, Travis Mayweather and Malcolm Reed


"I'm returning Earth to its rightful owners. I am giving Earth back to Humanity, back to Human beings. It is my life's work. It is what I was born to do, and there is no one, not an alien, not a Human, that will stop me from achieving it."

- John Frederick Paxton


"I have no intention of using this weapon again, provided that every single non-Human on this planet leaves immediately."

- John Frederick Paxton


"A new era is at hand, an era that will expose the concept of interspecies unity as an absolute and vicious lie. An era that will witness the advent of a Human-centered consciousness that will place our world before all others. As of this moment, mankind casts off the shackles of alien interference and now determines its own fate… its own destiny. Terra Prime, forever."

- John Frederick Paxton

Background information[]

Continuity[]

Coridanite ambassador

The "new" Coridanites

  • The events of this episode take place exactly a day after the events in "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II".
  • 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 VOY: "Lifesigns".
  • The Coridanite ambassador seen in this episode has a very different appearance from that of Chancellor Kalev in season one's "Shadows of P'Jem" and Os'ir and Kal in DIS: "Far From Home". The Enterprise "relaunch" novel The Good That Men Do attributes this to a special diplomatic headdress worn by the Coridanites seen in "Demons". The novel describes the headdress as "a metallic material shaped into the stark features of a humanoid skull" with "overlapping bands of chitinous, lobster-colored fabric" that wraps around the cranium.
  • Phlox's reference to a Klingon gene sequencing procedure refers to the events of the earlier fourth season episodes "Affliction" and "Divergence".

Links and references[]

Starring[]

Guest stars[]

Special guest appearance by[]

Co-star[]

Uncredited co-stars[]

References[]

47; Andorians; Antares-class (unnamed); autopsy; background check; bad habit; blood oxygenation; Coalition of Planets; clap; clinic; Colorado Center of Geo-Medical Research; comet; Coridanites; Coridan; Denobulans; Denobulan freighter pilot; DNA; DNA identification protocol; editor; embargo; engineer; fever; Fleet Operations Center; generation; genocidal; genotype; growth hormone; grubber; hair follicle; here and now; Holt-Roberts Procreational Center; hybrid; interspecies unity; intravascular pressure; Klingon; leader; Luna; Lunar Mining Systems; madman; Mars; medical facility; metallic compound; meter; Milky Way Galaxy; mining facility; myofibrilin; Neo-Life Assistance Center; non-Human creature; Orions; Orpheus Mining Complex; Pence Association for Genotype Diversity; radiation damage; reparations; research associate; Rigelians; Rigelian language; Samuels' father; San Francisco; sanction; science officer; second-class citizen; Section 31; shock; Shuttlepod 1; Shuttlepod 2; spotlight; Stanford University School of Medicine; Starfleet Command; Starfleet Intelligence (division head); Starfleet Medical; Terra Prime; Tellarites; Tellarite freighter; Tucker, Charles II; Turner; ultimatum; United Earth Space Probe Agency; universal translator; vein; verteron; verteron array; Vulcans; worker; World War III; xenophobia; Xindi; Xindi attack; Yeager, Chuck

Directory placard references[]

ACO; ADCO; AHNA; Agalsoff, G.; Agalsoff, J., Jr.; Alvarez, G.; Anderson, D.; Anderson, J.; APO; Arp, T.; Assembly and Checkout; Ayres, J.; B'KR; Baillargeon, P.; Baker, D.; Bakula, S.; Ballard, K.; Baskin, D.; Berman, R.; Betts, B.; BFETT; Billingsley, J.; Blackman, B.; Blackwell, C.; Blalock, J.; Booster Systems; Bormanis, A.; Bozeman, M.; Braga, B.; Brill, S.; Brookshire, F.; Brown, J.; Bunch, R.; Burdette, G.; Burton, L.; Butler, P.; Canamar, V.; Calvaruso, R.; Candy, N.; CAPCOM; Castro, L.; CATO; Chakarian, V.; Chattaway, J.; Chavez, T.; Chief of Staff; Christenberry, I.; Clark, C.; Clark, K.; Clark, L.; Cobb, T.; Codron, A.; Cole, L.; Communications; Connolly, L.; Cooper, R.; Corcoran-Woods, P.; Curry, D.; D'Errico, S.; Data Processing; Deadrick, V., Jr.; DeMeritt, M.; Deperna, R.; Devlin, J.; Djanrelian, J.; Dominguez, A.; Dominguez, R.; Dorton, L.; Dressor, E.; Drozdowski, D.; Duder, D.; Dukes, L.; Eaves, J.; ECLSS; Edelman, G. ; EECOM; EGIL; Ellis, E. ; Engineering; Environmental Control; EVA; Eyslee, R.; Farrell, J.P.; Fernandez, J.; Fisher, J.; Flight Activities; Flight Director; Flight Dynamics; Flight Operations; Flight Surgeon; Foster, W.; Fredricks, V.; Fredrickson, A.; Fukai, A.; Fusco, C.; Geary, A.; Goddard, R.; Graber, J.; Ground Control; Guidance and Navigation; Gullesserian, M.; Harris, J.; Harvey, G.; Haselbusch, J.; Heidemann, B.; Hester, R.; Hoffman, M.; Howard, M.; INCO; Instrumentation and Control; Jacobson, P.; Jierjian, H.; Johnson, D.; Kelly, E.; Kelly, M.; Killpack, R.; Kitchen Goddess; Knapp, D.; Kobayashi, A.; Koeppel, D.; Kunz, C.; Lambert, A.; Lauritson, P.; Lawrence, R.; Leasure, F.; Lederman, B.; Lehrhoff, D.; Levy, A.; Lewis, J.; Look, B.; Lopez, G.; Mach, R.; Matalas, T.; Mayer, W.; Matsumoto, E.; Mazurov, S.; McCarthy, D.; McCoy, P.; McMeikan, J.; McMeikan, L.; McWade, P.; Meadows, T.; Medina, G.; Mees, J.; Mertz, T.; Meyers, R.; Millar, M.; Mirabello, D.; Mission Operations; MMACS; Montgomery, A.; Moore, J.; Moore, M.; Moore, R.; Nesterowicz, J.; Nomura, R.; Nygren, J.; ODIN; O'Halloran, M.; O'Hea, F.; O'Neil, K.; Okuda, D.; Okuda, M.; Olgyay, Z.; Onboard Data; OP; Operations; Operations Plan; Operations Support; Orbital Mechanics; ORC; Ortiz, L. ; OSO; Pacheco, S.; Packard, A.; Palazzo, T.; PAO; Park, L.; Payload Deploy; Payloads; PDRS; Peets, B.; Petrus, C.; Peyser, J.; PHALCON; Pizston, J.; Pondella, D.; Propulsion Systems; Purser, T.; Quinonez, J.R.; Raineri, B.; Range Safety; Rarick, J.; Ratliff, R.; Rayburn, R.; Reeves-Stevens, G.; Reeves-Stevens, J.; Regan, E.; Reilly, M.; Robotic Systems; Roddenberry, E.W.; Rossi, D.; Rowe, R.; Rowe, S.; RSA; Rudolph, J.; Rush, M.; Russell, C.; Russo, C.; Safety; Sanders, J.; Sarabia, R.; Sarstedt, R.; Sayadyan, A.; Science; Scott, T.; Security; See Yuen, M.; Sena, L.; Shimizu, S.; Siegel, T.; Simonson, A.; Simonson, R.; Slechta, K.; Spacecraft Analysis; Sperber, D.; Sussman, M.; Tachell, G.; Tagamolila, J.T.; Takemura, D.; Tactical; Telemetry; TELMU; Test conductor; Thermal Operations; Thomas, J.; Thoms, W.; THOR; Top Gun; Trajectory Operations; Treuherz, N.; Trinneer, C.; Triphon, J.; Trotti, D.; Van Over, J.; Velazquez, D.; Viramontes, F.; Walter, D.; Ward, L.; Welke, S.; Westmore, M.; Williams, E.; White, K.; Wischnack, J.; Wolfe, W.; Yacobian, Brad; Yee, S.; Zerkel, A.; Zimmerman, F.; Zimmerman, H.

External links[]

Previous episode:
"In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"
Star Trek: Enterprise
Season 4
Next episode:
"Terra Prime"
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