|
<< Previous Episode - Season One Index - Next Episode >>
Enterprise Episode Guide - Season One Episode: 4
Strange New World
While en route to explore a nebula, Enterprise NX-01 discovered a beautiful Earthlike planet that proved to be more alien in nature than it first appeared. Scans showed the planet to be uninhabited, so Captain Archer immediately led a survey team to the surface to explore the virgin world and study its native plant and animal life. At day's end, several crewmembers were granted permission to stay overnight, but after they retired, a fierce windstorm kicked up that destroyed their camp, forcing them to seek shelter in a nearby cavern. During the ensuing confusion the crewmembers started seeing humanoid figures, even though scans showed no other such lifeforms, and they began experiencing growing fear and panic. Crewman Novakovich became so irrational he ran out and got himself lost in the dangerous storm. Archer and Lt. Reed attempted a shuttlepod rescue, but the winds were too strong for the craft to land. Novakovich's life was at risk, so Archer ordered Reed to attempt a bio-transport, and the crewman materialized aboard Enterprise with debris from the storm fused into his body. Dr. Phlox was able to save Novakovich, and also learned that his bloodstream was filled with a potent psychotropic compound that he apparently contracted from the local pollen, which explained the hallucinations and strange behavior on the surface. But Phlox also determined that the compound breaks down into a deadly toxin in the blood, so the crewmen's lives were in imminent danger.
Archer attempted to communicate the findings to T'Pol, who was in charge of the landing party, but by then Commander Tucker's own paranoia had grown to a point where he was accusing T'Pol of treason and threatening her with a phaser pistol. Archer had to strategically play into Tucker's delusions to convince him to lower his weapon. Once that situation was diffused, T'Pol retrieved medication from Dr. Phlox that was transported to the cave, and inoculated the affected crew. They were then safe to wait out the storm until morning, when a shuttlepod was able to land and retrieve them.
Episode info from: www.startrek.com
|
