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Star Trek: Enterprise, fresh off the Augment arc, decides to do another trilogy of episodes. This time, the show focuses its energies on the Vulcan homeworld, and the desert known as “The Forge”. An attack on the Earth embassy of Vulcan leads Archer and T’Pol to the planet’s surface to hunt down a renegade cult. Soval reveals a change of heart.
The Wikipedia summary for “The Forge”:
Enterprise is ordered to Vulcan after 12 Vulcans and 31 humans die in the bombing of the United Earth Embassy, including Vice-Admiral Forrest, who is killed saving the life of Ambassador Soval. Captain Archer meets with the head of the Vulcan High Command, Administrator V’Las, who concedes that the Syrrannites, a Vulcan faction, might have been responsible. This is possible since, although they claim peaceful tenets, they follow a “corrupted” form of the teachings of the Vulcan philosopher and father of Vulcan logic, Surak. Further, initial video and DNA evidence lead to a Vulcan named T’Pau, a known Syrrannite.
Koss arrives on board Enterprise to speak to his wife, T’Pol. He gives her an IDIC pendant from her mother, who he explains is also a Syrrannite. The pendant projects a map showing a path across a desert on Vulcan called “the Forge”, which Archer believes will lead them to both T’Pau and T’Pol’s mother. T’Pol and Archer leave the ship and begin to make the crossing, following the map. They soon encounter another traveller, calling himself Arev, who assists, but remains distrustful of them. A sand-fire storm kills Arev, but before he dies, he forcefully performs a mind meld with Archer to transfer his katra. After burying him, a focused Archer leads T’Pol directly to the concealed T’Karath Sanctuary, where they are quickly captured.
Back on Enterprise, Doctor Phlox discovers that the DNA was planted. Commander Tucker and he then examine security scans near a checkpoint in the embassy and single out a hooded man holding a suspicious package. Furthermore, they notice that the guard at the checkpoint seems to already know who the bomber is. Unfortunately, the guard is in a coma from the blast, and Archer and T’Pol are incommunicado. Though it violates standard Vulcan ethics, Phlox and Tucker consider a mind meld, and Soval decides to perform it himself. To his surprise, he discovers that the suspect is Stel, a Vulcan investigator attached to V’Las. Soval then resolves to inform the High Command.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “The Forge” and course-correcting the Vulcans. Plus! The guys chat about Soval’s abrupt change of heart, chasing away monsters, and frozen pizzas.