Azati Prime - Plot

Plot

The starship Enterprise approaches the location where the Xindi are constructing a large weapon of mass destruction. After deliberating with his senior officers, Captain Archer decides to use a small Xindi vessel they had previously captured to covertly obtain information about the weapon. Ensign Mayweather operates the vessel's navigational controls, while Commander Tucker collects the information. Ensign Sato familiarizes herself with the language of the insectoid Xindi.

On the mission, they are hailed by the Xindi and Tucker explains that they were off course due to a navigational error, and that it is corrected now. They find the weapon in a vast underwater city. Meanwhile, Enterprise discovers a small facility on the moon, containing three Xindi, unable to communicate with their home planet due to the moon's rotation. He has the facility destroyed in order to keep the ship hidden.

When Tucker and Mayweather return, Archer decides to go on a suicide mission to destroy the weapon. He says goodbye to Porthos, learns how to fly the Xindi vessel and addresses the crew. However, before he can embark, Archer unexpectedly finds himself on board the Enterprise-J, in the company of Temporal Agent Daniels, 400 years in the future.

Outside the ship, a great space battle rages, as Daniels finally informs Archer about the nature of the United Federation of Planets. He explains that they are witnessing the final battle of a war in which the Federation defeats the Sphere Builders and drives them back into their transdimensional realm. Daniels then tells Archer that he believes it is imperative that he convince the Xindi of two things; that humans do not pose a threat to them, and that in the future, they will be their only hope of survival. Archer is unequivocally opposed to the idea. However, in the hope Archer would change his mind, Daniels gives him an artifact that belonged to a Xindi serving aboard the Enterprise-J. Supposedly, this artifact could be useful when Archer attempts to make his case to Xindi.

Archer returns to the present and departs for his mission to destroy the Xindi weapon. As he approaches the "underwater city," he is captured. While being interrogated by Commander Dolim, a Reptilian Xindi, Archer manages to only talk about trivial matters. Archer asks to speak to Degra, a primate Xindi with whom he is familiar, and uses his knowledge of this primate's personal life to get his attention.

Meanwhile, Sub-commander T'Pol, now in command of Enterprise, has experienced an emotional breakdown. She decides to go on a suicidal mission to rescue Archer, and reacts with anger when Tucker tries to stop her. An attack from Reptilian Xindi forces preempts this, though. As the episode concludes, Enterprise is sustaining heavy damages from the enemy vessels.