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“The Augments” is the concluding episode of Enterprise’s first mini-arc that will dominate the fourth season. What does this episode bring to the table, and how might it be reflective of the remaining episodes in the series run? And what is Arik Soong’s motivation, exactly?
The Wikipedia plot summary for “The Augments”:
At the end of “Cold Station 12“, Doctor Arik Soong and the Augments he secretly raised depart the space station, taking with them 1,800 frozen Augment embryos preserved from the time of the Eugenics Wars. Malik also steals pathogen samples from the station and sets the containment fields to fail. In “The Augments”, Captain Archer restores stasis around the central compound, and is beamed from space to safety, with the Enterprise in pursuit of Soong, Malik, and the Augments on their stolen Bird of Prey. Soong and the Augments arrive in Klingon space where he shares his plan: Soong intends to hide out in a region (the Briar Patch) where Starfleet would have trouble tracking them down. Malik objects to Soong’s plan, noting that Khan Noonien Singh also ran away on the SS Botany Bay.
In pursuit of the Augments, Enterprise arrives in Klingon space having faked a Klingon warp signature. Soong releases a hostage on a Denobulan shuttle into a gas giant, forcing the Enterprise to abandon their pursuit and mount a rescue operation. Escaping, Malik proposes a new plan: trigger a war between Starfleet and the Klingons as a distraction by firing a pathogen-filled torpedo at a Klingon colony. He reasons that Starfleet will be too busy fighting the Klingons to hunt down the Augments. Soong will have nothing to do with Malik’s genocidal proposal. On the Enterprise, Commander T’Pol asks Commander Tucker about the distance between them after her recent arranged marriage[2], and he tells her he has come to terms with their new relationship.
Back on the Bird of Prey, Soong works on a way to remove aggressive behavior from the unborn Augment embryos. Malik, concerned by Soong’s plan to hide from Starfleet and his tampering with the embryos, leads a mutiny which confines Soong to his quarters. With the help of Persis, Soong leaves the ship in an escape pod. Enterprise, once again in pursuit, detects the pod and brings Soong on board. Heading towards the Klingon colony in high warp in an attempt to stop Malik’s plan, the Klingons detect their ship. Enterprise is forced to disable a Klingon cruiser when it tries to board. Malik kills Persis for her betrayal, and continues with his plan to attack the Klingons. Scans of the Qu’vat colony reveal three main population centers; the torpedo is armed with pathogens and prepared for deployment.
The Enterprise arrives late, just after Malik fires the torpedo, but Enterprise destroys it, saving the Klingon colony. Soong helps disable the Klingon ship, hoping to save some of the Augments. However, Malik scuttles the Klingon ship, killing the remaining Augments and the embryos, and transports himself onto Enterprise in an attempt to kill Soong in revenge, but Archer manages to kill Malik first. The Klingons call off their retaliation against Earth, and Soong returns to the Starfleet Detention Center. In custody, he begins to doubt the feasibility of genetically engineering humans and wonders if perfecting artificial life has better prospects for the future.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “The Augments” and the conclusion to the first mini-arc in Enterprise’s fourth season. Plus! The guys talk about Soong’s motivations, cutting out scenes on the BBC, and heavy-handed references.