Plot
In a desolate Arctic environment, a team of scientists discover remains of what appears to be a crashed spaceship, with several humanoid bodies frozen in the wreckage. The bodies are brought back to the scientists' compound, and are thawed out. The scientists do not know who or what these strange beings are. However, the episode strongly hints that they are survivors of the Borg sphere shot down in Star Trek: First Contact. The scientists are astonished at the level of technical sophistication present inside the bodies of each creature. However, mostly unbeknownst to the science team, the Borg drones' nanoprobes set to work quietly and efficiently repairing the damage to each drone's biological and artificial systems. Suddenly, much to the researchers shock and horror, their seemingly dead subjects reanimate and viciously attack them without provocation, assimilating them and their transport craft. Using the scavenged wreckage of the destroyed sphere to enhance the transport, they escape into space.
The newly assimilated transport craft, heads out into deep space with the Borg upgrading the low warp earth vessel with faster warp drive and weaponry. Enterprise is apprised of the situation and is ordered to intercept the craft and rescue the "kidnapped" researchers. They receive a distress call from a Tarkalian freighter, when they arrive they discover the ship under attack from the earth transport (now covered in borg technology).
Enterprise Captain Archer opens fire on the transport disabling their weapons, the ship jumps to warp speed and the captain chooses to help the Tarkalians rather than pursue their attackers. They find only two crew members left aboard and bring them to sickbay. They are showing early symptoms of borg assimilation. Archer finds their situation reminiscent of a story he attributes to Zefram Cochrane: Cochrane once told an audience at Princeton University the true story of what happened during first contact, mentioning cybernetic creatures from the future and a group of humans arriving to stop them (the exact events of Star Trek: First Contact). The Vulcan First Officer T'Pol dismisses this, citing that Cochrane was noted for his imaginative stories and his frequent inebriation.
Meanwhile the assimilated Tarkalians awaken in Sickbay and inject the ship's doctor, Phlox, with Borg nanoprobes, then they immediately escape into the crawl spaces of the ship. Security Officer Reed and Archer go in search of the aliens and find them modifying ship's systems. With their hand weapon ineffective, due to Borg personal shielding, the crew are forced to withdraw from the section of the ship and then open it into space. Reed begins upgrading the phase pistols in case they encounter more cybernetic people, while Phlox discovers a way to purge himself of his rapidly spreading infection. He subjects himself to a large dose of "omicron radiation" to destroy the nanoprobes and stop the assimilation process.
The Enterprise catches up with the assimilated Borg vessel, but the modifications made by the Tarkalian Borg activate and Enterprise is shut down as the alien ship attacks. Archer and Reed board the ship with explosives and upgraded pistols, shooting several cybernetic people including the science research team. They plant their bombs and beam out just as their weapons become ineffective. With the ship crippled, Chief Engineer Tucker removes the alien circuit from the ship, and Enterprise regains main power.
Archer finally realizes they cannot help the altered crew members, nor can they allow them to continue on their way. He orders the assimilated ship's total destruction. Phlox later informs the captain that while he was infected he kept hearing a repeating numerical sequence, reasoning it might be a distress signal. Archer later consults with Earth and discovers that the numbers were his home world's co-ordinates. T'Pol is not worried as the signal was sent into the Delta Quadrant and would take almost 200 years to reach its destination. Archer is not comforted as he believes they've only delayed the invasion until the mid-24th century.
Read more about this topic: Regeneration (Star Trek: Enterprise)
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“The plot was most interesting. It belonged to no particular age, people, or country, and was perhaps the more delightful on that account, as nobody’s previous information could afford the remotest glimmering of what would ever come of it.”
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
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Our bodies are weak and worn;
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—James Thurber (1894–1961)