“Dear Doctor” is episode thirteen of season one of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Dr Phlox enters sickbay and feeds his livestock. Later, Hoshi arrives and tells him people are getting jealous; he’s getting more letters from home than anyone on the ship. What’s her name? Phlox explains that they are from Jeremy Lucas, a human doctor who’s part of the Interspecies Medical Exchange and is serving on Denobula. He helped Phlox get settled in San Francisco; Phlox is returning the favour. Phlox listens to the message and most of the episode is framed around his own reply.
After treating an injured man in engineering, Phlox dictates that the crew is getting accustomed to an alien doctor. He wasn’t planning to stay this long, but the chance to observe humans is too much to pass up. It can be daunting to socialise with the crew and form friendships, but the nature of their profession means that, sooner or later, everyone comes to see them. Including Captain Archer with Porthos. Phlox finds it surprising how humans bond with lesser species.
Later, Phlox is watching a film with the crew, along with Elizabeth Cutler. Phlox is looking around; Cutler says they can leave if he’s bored. Phlox isn’t bored; he’s just watching the crew, not the film. Denobulans had something similar, but they lost their appeal when people discovered their real lives were more appealing. It’s odd how even fictional characters elicit human emotion. After the film, Phlox is quizzing Cutler on her knowledge of the cardiopulmonary system. Cutler had fun and invites Phlox to another film next week. She touches him on the shoulder, then apologises as Denobulans don’t like to be touched. Phlox says he’s trying to shed his cultural inhibitions. So, Cutler kisses him on the cheek. Phlox then tries to work out of Cutler is romantically interested in him; the pheromones of human females aren’t as potent as Denobulans.
The Enterprise encounters a drifting ship; there’s an M-class planet less than a lightyear away. The ship isn’t answering hails but there are two faint lifesigns onboard. The ship is brought in and one of the crew is revived in sickbay. After some work on the translator, the alien asks if they are on a warp-capable ship. They and three other ships left their planet a year ago. The doctor must have detected the reason. Yes; an illness. One that has killed 12 million Valakians in the year before they left. Their own doctors can’t cure it; they hope more advanced people will. They’re already met the M’klexa and the Ferengi. T’Pol hasn’t heard of them. The alien wants to know if Phlox will be allowed to help. T’Pol states that the Valakians did come looking for them and have met two other warp-capable species. Risk of contamination is acceptable.
In the mess hall, Phlox is talking to Hoshi, who is practicing her Denobulan. The conversation moves onto Cutler; Hoshi tells Phlox there are ways you can tell if a woman is interested, and explains what they are.
They arrive at the Valakian homeworld; there are a lot of space craft and artificial satellites. They head down to the planet and Phlox is filled in by a Valakian doctor. T’Pol wants to guard Phlox and their equipment; Archer isn’t sure they are needed. Hoshi is trying to talk to a Valakian about the patient they brought in, but not getting anywhere. She can’t translate the language. The Valakian doctor explains that he is a Menk, a second humanoid species, not as evolved as theirs. Two sentient species on the same planet is unusual; one normally exterminates any others. The Menk are immune to the disease, but they are physically incompatible.
The primary thread of the episode is the Valakian illness, which leads to more moral quandaries that Archer still doesn’t know how to deal with. He hopes that at some point, there will be something, a directive, say, that will make this easier. The minor thread is Phlox and Cutler. Phlox seeks advice from the one person onboard who might understand the situation, T’Pol. Whilst doing dental work on her. T’Pol says humans are infatuated by the new, and to be careful.