The Enterprise encounters an Arkonian ship, the captain of whom (named Khata'n Zshaar) orders Archer to leave the area, but notes that he's also missing a scout ship. He's also suspicious of T'Pol, since Arkonians and Vulcans have had bad blood. Archer offers Khata'n Zshaar a bargain: they team up to find their missing crewmen, but he leaves immediately afterwards.
Trip observes the alien, who has made a camp complete with lasers but is worse off than Trip is. Then, Trip records his voice, distracting the alien and allowing him to get the transceiver back. Before Trip can leave, however, the alien finds him and triggers off his own laser alert. Trip jumps on the alien and takes his weapon, but the alien knocks him over, grabs the weapon back, and shoots him.
The alien then takes Trip prisoner and tries to use the transceiver, but unsuccessfully. Trip wakes up and they have a conversation (albeit hindered since the universal translator isn't working) in which the alien agrees to let Trip attempt repairs.
While T'Pol continues her search (and explains to Archer what the Vulcans and Arkonians' bad history was), Trip and the alien, whose name, as it turns out, is Zho'Kaan, exchange names. Trip asks for water, but Zho'Kaan can only offer a bad-tasting, brown liquid. Trip cuts himself and Zho'Kaan heals it with his spit. The two try to do their repair work, but it doesn't really work out, so Trip subdues Zho'Kaan in order to get back to his shuttle.
On Enterprise, T'Pol tells Archer that most of the moons have a temperature of about -10 degrees at night, but 170 degrees at night. Back on the moon, Trip has tied up Zho'Kaan and retrieves his food and water. As the sun starts to rise, Trip fixes the transceiver, but it doesn't work due to the volcanic activity. He unties Zho'Kaan and tries to get him to help him take the transceiver to a mountain, but he attacks him and they fight. They get tired due ot heatstroke, so finally, Zho'Kaan decides to cooperate. They climb the mountain and send a message, but it's garbled.
As the sun continues to rise, Zho'Kaan becomes weak, which Trip suspects is severe dehydration. Archer wants to beam them up since the atmosphere is dangerous for shuttles, but Phlox has determined that Zho'Kaan has a weak endocrine system that could kill him if he uses the transporter. Trip suggests that the Arkonians modify a shuttle, which Archer agrees to. After a suspenseful wait, Trip and Zho'Kaan get picked up.
Back on Enterprise, the Arkonian captain tells Archer that Zho'Kaan will be disciplined if he attacked Trip unprovoked. T'Pol thanks Archer for allowing her to make diplomatic progress with the Arkonians, and Trip and Zho'Kaan recover in sickbay.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Accidental Misnaming: When Trip says, "Dammit!", Zho'Kaan thinks that's his name.
- Attack Hello: Zho'Kaan fires on Trip as soon as their craft make visual contact.
- Bilingual Dialogue: Of a sort between Trip and Zho'Kaan before they can understand each other.Zho'Kaan: (cursing in alien language)
Trip: Yeah, same to you. - Captain's Log: Trip records his own log on the moon, even allowing Zho'Kaan to put in his two cents.
- Combat Breakdown: The fighting between Trip and Zho'Kaan becomes increasingly sloppy as they begin succumbing to heatstroke and dehydration, as well as the injuries they've already inflicted on each other.
- Continuity Nod: A sunburnt and dehydrated Trip reminisces on several previous episodes (as well as a Noodle Incident or two).Trip: I've seen things I could never imagine back home. I saw the Great Plume of Agosoria and I saw the ringed moons of Matalas Prime. And I stood on an asteroid crater twice as high as Everest, and went diving in the ice caves of Etheenia. Rode in a Suliban cell ship. Spent the night...I spent the night with a princess. Oh, and I even got pregnant once. Now there's a story. I'm sure you have stories, too. That's why we chose this life, right? See things we've never seen before. Hell of a ride, though. Hell of a ride.
- Enemy Mine: Trip and Zho'Kaan go from beating each other up to working together to survive.
- Fantastic Racism: Vulcans and Arkonians don't like each other. Captain Zshaar doesn't like Archer either, but still (begrudgingly) works with him.
- Humans Are Diplomats: Downplayed, as Zshaar still makes it clear he wants the Enterprise out of the system ASAP, but he seems to have developed a degree of respect for Archer.Archer: I guess we won't be adding the Arkonians to our list of friends.
T'Pol: The encounter was less volatile than I expected. You managed to establish better relations in a single day than the Vulcans have in a century.
Archer: Let's hope it stays that way. - Is That the Best You Can Do?: Trip asks this word-for-word after winning the final phase of his fight with Zho'Kaan.
- Must Have Caffeine: Trip when Zho'Kaan rudely wakes him up after stunning him:Trip: I'm no good until I've had my coffee.
- No One Gets Left Behind: When Enterprise locates Trip, they realize they can't use the transporters on Zho'Kaan. Trip refuses to leave until a way is found to evacuate both of them. This despite the fact that the two had been enemies very recently.
- Oh, Crap!: Archer when T'Pol tells him that the noonday temperature on the gas giant's moons can reach 170 degrees Celsius.note Archer: We'd better hope Trip landed on the night side.
T'Pol: And that we find him before the sun rises. - Pardon My Klingon: Inverted—the first word that Zho'Kaan learns in English is "dammit."
- Shout-Out: Trip's speech as he succumbs to heatstroke is very similar to Roy Batty's "Tears in the Rain" monologue from Blade Runner.
- Super Spit: Zho'Kaan has healing spit, which he uses when Trip lacerates his arm.
- Translation by Volume: Both Trip and Zho'Kaan.Trip: You wouldn't have a universal translator on you?
Zho'Kaan: Tnee'kha!
Trip: I don't understand a word you're sayin'! - Weird World, Weird Food: Played both ways. Trip can't drink Zho'Kaan's "brown stuff," and Zho'Kaan hates Trip's field rations.
- The World Is Just Awesome: Trip has no regrets over dying on an alien moon, after all the things he's seen.
