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We have arrived at the fireworks factory! “Azati Prime” beings the crew of the Enterprise to the location of the Xindi super-weapon and a desperate ploy to stop the destruction of Earth is initiated. Archer decides to sacrifice himself but is captured and interrogated, T’Pol gets extremely weepy while dealing with command, and the ship gets beat up.
The Wikipedia plot summary for “Azati Prime”:
Enterprise approaches Azati Prime where the Xindi are constructing their superweapon. Captain Archer sends Commander Tucker and Ensign Mayweather on board a Xindi shuttle they had just captured to investigate the planet. Working their way past security, they approach the weapon, which is being built underwater. Meanwhile, Archer orders Enterprise to destroy a Xindi detection facility on the planet’s moon to prevent it from signalling the ship’s presence. The shuttle returns with scans of the weapon, and Archer designates himself to pilot a suicide mission to destroy it. The crew try to talk him out of it but he is resolute.
Archer then finds himself 400 years in the future on board the USS Enterprise-J, alongside Temporal Agent Daniels. They are at the battle where the Sphere Builders (the alien species first seen in episode “Harbinger“) are defeated, and Daniels gives Archer an initiation medal from a Xindi who had joined Starfleet as temporal evidence. Back on his Enterprise, Archer rejects the notion of a Human-Xindi détente, and leaves on the shuttle. He arrives at the superweapon construction site but finds it gone, and is rapidly captured by the Xindi Commander Dolim.
The Reptilians begin to interrogate Archer, who then asks to speak to Degra, the Primate scientist from episode Stratagem. Using Daniels’ medal, Archer tries to convince Degra that the Reptilians cannot be trusted, but Dolim arrives with armed colleagues and takes the Primates away. Meanwhile, Sub-Commander T’Pol, now in command of Enterprise, displays signs of an emotional breakdown. She also decides to go on a mission, to negotiate a peace, and reacts angrily when Tucker tries to stop her. An attack from four Xindi ships follows, and the episode concludes with a cliffhanger, as Enterprise is left severely damaged.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Azati Prime” and the upsetting return of Temporal Agent Daniels. Plus! The guys chat about getting to know the Xindi, torture cliches, and the importance of emotional memory.