Boldly Going: “Demons” and “Terra Prime”

After the season-long arc of the Xindi attack in season 3 of Star Trek Enterprise, season 4 followed with several two and three-part stories. Thanks to a change in showrunner, season 4 saw more stories connected to TOS as a spiritual ancestor. One of the main threads of the final season was establishing long-term peaceful relations with not just the Vulcans, but Tellarites and Andorians as well. Together the four species founded the United Federation of Planets in 2161.

In 2155, several species arrive on Earth to discuss the potential of forming a Coalition of Planets. The Enterprise is recalled to assist and the crew are in attendance for Minister Nathan Samuels opening speech. They’re interrupted by a woman who presses a vial of hair into T’Pol’s hand before collapsing. The hair belongs to someone who has both T’Pol’s Vulcan and Tucker’s human DNA, which is impossible because T’Pol has never been pregnant. Archer vows that they will get to the bottom of this mystery. 

Boldly Going: “Congenitor”

Near the end of the second season, the Enterprise crew discover a hypergiant star. Thanks to primitive shielding, they can only investigate from a safe distance before the heat damages the ship. But they make first contact with an alien species who developed advanced technology and shielding to allow them to explore stars much closer. The Vissians are very friendly and Captain Archer invites them over to Enterprise for dinner and a cultural exchange.

The Vissian captain dines with Archer, while the crew mingles with the rest of the Vissian delegation in the Mess Hall. Lieutenant Malcolm Reed meets the Vissian tactical officer and the two compare notes while flirting. Commander Trip Tucker introduces himself to the Vissian chief engineer who is there with his wife. The couple brought their ‘cogenitor’ with them because they want to have a child. Trip is intrigued, as he’s never encountered a species with a third gender before. He asks Doctor Phlox about it as he gets inoculated against omicron radiation. The Denobulan doctor doesn’t seem phased by the third gender.

 

Trip introduces himself to the cogenitor.