In the mess hall, Hoshi introduces herself to some MACOs named Major Hayes, Sgt. Kemper, and Corporals Romero and Chang, and she impresses them by finding out from Kemper's accent that he's from Duluth. Chang asks where they're going, but Hoshi says that Archer will eventually tell them, and the MACOs leave for a briefing. Meanwhile, Trip shows Archer a strange problem in engineering: things are sticking to the walls even though the grav plating is working. T'Pol goes to see Phlox (who is studying the Xindi pilot's corpse) and asks why he requested her presence, and he reveals that he wants her to give Trip a type of therapy called "Vulcan neuro-pressure" to treat his insomnia, but he declined.
Enterprise reaches the mine and Archer and Malcolm talk to the foreman. He asks for some liquid platinum, but Archer demands to see the Xindi. However, the foreman then hands them the finger of the Xindi, claiming that an accident happened. Meanwhile, Trip has a nightmare about watching Elizabeth die. Phlox studies the finger and determines that he may be Xindi, but is certainly not Reptillian like the corpse was. Trip asks Phlox for "stronger" insomnia meds and tells Archer that he will strip the relays by the afternoon.
Archer goes to hand over the platinum, but the Xindi's work group is asleep. Archer tells the foreman to wake them up, so the foreman agrees to do so. He takes Archer and Trip down to a lower level and Trip asks what trellium-D is for. The foreman says that it's for insulation, then introduces him to the Xindi, Kessick, and leaves. Archer asks Kessick if he's Xindi and where their home world is and he offers to tell them but only if Archer helps him escape. Trip nearly attacks Kessick, only for Archer to stop him. T'Pol contacts Archer and tells them that three warships are approaching, then Archer and Trip try to leave but the door is locked, so Kessick offers to help them. The foreman contacts T'Pol and claims that Archer and Trip will be "slightly delayed" as they have to deionize the landing decks for the approaching ships. He claims they're just cargo ships and are armed because of the valuable trellium-D, but Malcolm doesn't believe him.
Archer, Trip, and Kessick wade through sewage and climb up an access port, while Malcolm, Hayes, and T'Pol discuss what to do. Hayes thinks that it would be safer if Malcolm's team defended the ship rather than going on the mission, and T'Pol agrees. Malcolm asks Hayes to select six of his men, but states that he (Malcolm) will lead the mission. When Hayes leaves, Malcolm grouses to T'Pol that Hayes probably just thought his team was superior to Malcolm's.
On the planet, a guard tells the foreman that Archer, Trip, and Kessick have escaped, so the foreman tells the guard to put a security force at the shuttlepod. As the escapees climb, Travis pilots a shuttlepod to the surface, and the foreman finds the escapees and has the guard fire plasma in their direction. The escapees slide to avoid the plasma, only to meet some armed guards.
They go to an open area, where the foreman threatens to kill them and they're about to get taken away, when the MACOs arrive and fight off the guards. After the fight, Kessick begs to be taken to Enterprise in exchange for the coordinates of the Xindi home world, and Archer agrees. The foreman attacks again and shoots Kessick, but Malcolm shoots the foreman down.
They go back to Enterprise and escape from the warship, but unfortunately, Kessick dies. However, he was able to give the coordinates before he died, then Phlox and T'Pol trick Trip into agreeing to a neuro-pressure session by injecting him with a placebo and having him give her bio-scans (Phlox) and pretending to be insomniac herself (T'Pol).
Enterprise reaches the coordinates, but there's no planet, causing Archer to believe Kessick lied. However, the others scan the area and conclude that there was a planet, but it's gone now. Thus, the Enterprise continues on, but the Xindi ominously discuss destroying it.
Tropes in this episode include:
- All There in the Manual: The novelization identified the other Xindi-Primate as Mallora.
- Apocalypse Wow: The Xindi homeworld has long since been destroyed, leaving behind an Asteroid Thicket.
- Artistic License – Biology: So a primate and a reptilian have DNA that are as close as humans and Neanderthals? Okay... though it should be noted that Phlox said the comparison was a reasonable analogy, he didn't necessarily say it was 100 percent correct one.
- Artistic License – Physics: Platinum is a liquid at 1800 degrees Celsius. At 30 C, it is neither liquid nor volatile.
- Bilingual Dialogue: The Humanoids, Arboreals, and Reptilians are heard in English (probably the Translation Convention), but the Insectoids and Aquatics use clicking and whalesong, respectively.
- Blatant Lies: T'Pol calls BS on every lie that the foreman tells her and has Malcolm prepare a rescue mission instead of waiting like the foreman suggests.
- Boom, Headshot!: The mine foreman is killed by a MACO this way.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Professional Space Marines vs. mine guards who've been breathing poisonous fumes is exactly as one-sided as one would expect.
- Dirty Coward:
- Kessick tries to sell out Archer and Trip when they're caught escaping. This earns him a phaser rifle to the face.
- When the MACOs attack, the foreman runs away while his men get their asses kicked.
- Downer Ending: After much trouble, Archer manages to get a lead on the location of the Xindi homeworld. However, when they arrive, they find that the planet was long destroyed, leaving them no closer to finding the weapon than they were before.
- Dramatic Irony: The Insectoid representative fears the arrival of Enterprise is just the first of a massive invasion that will be made up of hundreds of ships. They're all unaware that Earth only has one warp-5 ship in operation.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The Insectoid representative threatens to destroy Enterprise himself, whether the council agrees or not. The season would later have Dolim, the Reptilian, leading the cause for destroying Earth, though the Insectoids remain pretty militant.
- Exact Words: Archer asked Kessick for the location of the Xindi homeworld, which he provided with his dying breath. He didn't ask if the Xindi are actually still living there.
- Fast-Roping: The MACOs arrive on the scene by rappelling down during their Big Damn Heroes assault.
- Foil: Dolim and the Insectoid representative are both belligerent, but Dolim demonstrates a tactical sensibility (asking questions about the enemy ship in their region), whereas the Insectoid just wants to attack without delay.
- Foreshadowing: The crew learn the Xindi home world is already gone, but Archer will eventually be told the backstory.
- Gravity Screw: The containers in Cargo Bay 2 repeatedly fly from one wall to the other. It's hinted that something similar had already happened.
- Hyperspeed Escape: Enterprise manages to warp away from the mining planet before the foreman's ships arrive.
- The Insomniac: Trip can't sleep because he has nightmares of his sister dying. This prompts Phlox to prescribe Vulcan neuropressure.
- Instant Sedation: Averted for once in this franchise. Phlox has apparently been giving Trip time-delayed sedatives, but uses a placebo this time.
- Inter-Service Rivalry: Reed does not like Hayes. Not one bit.
- Interspecies Romance: Discussed when Trip, a human, wonders if T'Pol, a Vulcan, is coming onto him.
- It's Personal: Malcolm takes personal offense when Hayes suggests keeping his security team aboard Enterprise in case the warships arrive and send a boarding party. To him, this means Hayes doesn't think he's capable of rescuing the Captain and Trip.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Dolim chastises the other council members for naively thinking Enterprise entering the Delphic Expanse after Earth was attacked is merely a coincidence. He can't explain how the crew found out, but he knows a 50-lightyear trip wasn't just for the sake of it.
- Lured into a Trap: The foreman's dealings with Archer were all a setup to capture Enterprise and enslave the crew.
- Mistaken for Flirting: When T'Pol asks Trip to rub her back (actually to trick him into a neuro-pressure situation), he thinks she's making sexual advances.
- Nightmare Sequence: Trip has a nightmare about watching Elizabeth die at one point.
- No Name Given: Kessick, the Xindi miner, is never referred to by name.
- No OSHA Compliance: The atmosphere of the mine is full of toxic by-products. Not that a foreman who uses slave labor would give a damn.
- Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering: We are officially introduced to the Xindi Council at a moment of doing what they do best: argue amongst themselves.
- Oh, Crap!: The look on Kessick's face when he, Archer, and Trip are caught during their escape attempt.
- Properly Paranoid: Malcolm is suspicious of the freighter captain who told them about the mine, but Archer brushes him aside, saying they can't afford to be cautious anymore. However, Malcolm is later proven right; it was a ploy to enslave the crew.
- The Reveal: The Xindi come in five subspecies: Primates, Arboreals, Reptilians, Insectoids, and Aquatics.
- Sherlock Scan: Of an aural sort—Hoshi listens to Sergeant Kemper and determines that he's from Duluth, Minnesota.
- Shirtless Scene: T'Pol takes off her shirt for her neuropressure session. She's still covering her breasts, but they're still bringing in the fanservice.
- Space Marines: After Archer mentioned he was bringing aboard a contingent of soldiers, we meet Military Assault Command Operations (MACO) troops, lead by Majorly Awesome Hayes. Their first engagement in the Expanse is quite badass.
- Unobtanium: Trellium-D is introduced. It ends up playing a major role in future episodes.
- Villain Ball: Deciding that Archer and his crew are more trouble than they're worth, the mine foreman orders that they be taken to the surface and shot, rather than be shot now and tossed into the plasma.
- Wham Shot: Enterprise warps to the coordinates of the Xindi home world and finds a debris field. T'Pol surmises it was a planet.
