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The characters turning into aliens has been a stock Star Trek plot for decades. “Identity Crisis” and “Threshold” are two famous examples. Star Trek: Enterprise takes a swing at it with “Extinction” and the results might have led to an evolutionary dead end. When the crew of the Enterprise discovers a planet with a crashed Xindi ship, an investigation leads to no insight into the Xindi. Instead, Archer, Reed, and Sato are transformed into aliens who have a single drive: to find home.
The Wikipedia plot summary for “Extinction”:
On Enterprise, Sub-Commander T’Pol is called to the command center by Captain Archer. Archer tells her that he has located a nearby planet that the Xindi recently visited. Both then travel down to the surface with Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato. They discover a Xindi shuttle along with two dead crewmembers, one of whom has been incinerated. With little warning, Archer, Sato and Reed suddenly begin to very quickly transform physically and mentally into a new species. Within seconds they are fully changed. T’Pol, however, is only mildly affected physically, appearing somehow resistant to the mental changes.
After a physical altercation with the newly transformed crew, T’Pol is able to communicate with Archer after gaining use of the universal translator. She learns they have been overcome with an overwhelming instinct to reach a city called “Urquat”, the homeland of their species. Meanwhile, Commander Tucker and an away team of MACOs, equipped with biohazard suits, manage to capture and return Reed to the ship. Archer and Sato flee and T’Pol opts to stay with them. Doctor Phlox soon determines that they were infected by a mutagenic virus, and concludes that T’Pol’s Vulcan genetics rendered her partially immune.
Two “containment ships” soon arrive, demanding access to Enterprise in order to stop the virus that killed millions of their people 60 years ago. Tucker refuses, but invites their leader, Tret, aboard. Tret explains that the original inhabitants of the planet, the Loque’eque, created the virus in an effort to continue their species. Believing it impossible to cure, he sends a team to the planet’s surface to neutralize Archer and Sato. Archer leads Sato and T’Pol to Urquat, but they find it in ruins. Tucker then beams down with a team of MACOs and rescues them. Enterprise then warps away, but the alien ships pursue and attack the ship. Tucker asks Tret to allow Phlox more time to synthesize an antidote, but Tret refuses. Before he can board the ship, Phlox arrives with Archer and Sato—now mostly restored—and promises Tret a sample. Later, as Phlox plans to destroy the last vial of the virus, Archer tells him to keep it as a legacy of the now-extinct species.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Extinction” and Enterprise returning to its roots – and not in a good way. Plus! The guys talk about easy solutions, final scenes, and cheap paper towels.