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Enterprise visits a Vulcan monastery, only to find that it is in the midst of being taken over by the Andorians. The Vulcans and the Andorians are neighboring species that have very different philosophies on life. While the Andorians are militant and aggressive, the Vulcans are peace-seeking and non-violent to a fault. The Andorians believe that the Vulcans are spying on them and have raided the temple in order to obtain proof of their deception. It’s “The Andorian Incident”!
“Captain Archer tells Sub-Commander T’Pol that he had found a remote outpost on a planet a few light years off their current heading, and that he would like to visit this 3000-year-old Vulcan monastery, called P’Jem. En route, T’Pol describes it as an ancient retreat, a place for kolinahr and peaceful meditation. She also explains the strict visit protocols—they should not speak to anyone unless spoken to first, nor touch any relics. Arriving at P’Jem, a Vulcan elder tries to send the away team away, but Archer notices the reflected form of an armed intruder. Although they manage to subdue him, they are quickly captured by a larger group of armed Andorian Imperial Guards, led by Commander Shran.
Shran interrogates Archer, asking if they have brought more surveillance equipment for the Vulcans. The Andorians lock up the away team with the Vulcan monks, who explain that the Andorians, neighbors of Vulcan, believe that P’Jem holds a long-range sensor array, and the arrival of T’Pol and Enterprise has unfortunately amplified their suspicions. When Enterprise attempts to contact the away team, Shran warns them not to interfere and destroys their communicators. During interrogation, wrongly disbelieving Archer’s protestations of ignorance, the Andorians beat him.
Seeing Archer, the monks relent and take Commander Tucker to an ancient transmitter in the catacombs. After repairing the device, Archer manages to send a signal to Enterprise to tell them to wait. Soon, Lieutenant Reed and a security team transport into the tunnels, taking out most of the Andorians with explosive charges and phaser fire. Shran escapes into the Reliquary, where a fire-fight reveals a large modern door. Archer manages to open it, revealing a high-tech sensor chamber. With the Vulcan deception exposed, Archer lets the Andorians go with T’Pol’s palm scanner as evidence of the installation. Shran remarks that he is now in Archer’s debt.”
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “The Andorian Incident” and how the blue-skinned race fits into Star Trek. Plus! The guys discuss boring competence, why Shran is no Weyoun, and Archers plan with that figurine.