“Horizon” is episode twenty of season two of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Travis is sitting in the ‘sweet spot’ when Hoshi contacts him and tells him the captain wants him to report to the bridge. Admiral Forrest called and they’re reversing course. T’Pol briefs everyone; the orbit of a planet has shifted and it’s passing between two gas giants. The core is overheating and it’s expected the planet will be covered in erupting volcanoes by the end of the week. It’s 30 lightyears behind them, but they change course.
The captain is in his ready room when Travis arrives. They’re going to be passing close to his family’s ship, the Horizon, and he’d like to visit. Enterprise will still get to the planet with time to spare and Travis can be picked up on the way back. Travis’s father has been ill for a few months, but his mother said he’d be fine. She’s the ship’s medic. The captain thought she was the engineer. That, too. His grandfather had five jobs. Captain Archer thought about joining the cargo service, before Starfleet was chartered. It’s a long story why he didn’t. He’ll send Phlox over to check on Travis’s father, too.
T’Pol arrives in engineering and Trip fills her in on the progress made with scanners and relays. He’s also planned something special for movie night. Given that T’Pol enjoyed the Western, the three greatest horror movies ever made will be shown. Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein. Maybe Abbot and Costello as well. Despite T’Pol’s reservations, Trip talks her into it.
Travis is talking to Reed in the mess hall. Reed’s last family reunion was almost a decade ago. Travis suggests putting families on starships. No-one would get homesick. Reed would need a psychologist as well, if his parents were along. Well, now that you mention it… Then Hoshi contacts Travis; his mother has responded from the Horizon.
The captain finds Travis in the sweet spot again. It’s seems Travis’s father has died; his mother sent a message to Starfleet six weeks ago. Travis regrets not comming his father a few months back; he was unhappy when Travis joined Starfleet, as Travis was being groomed to be captain of the Horizon. Captain Archer knows Travis’s father was proud of him. Travis isn’t so sure. However, when the captain was looking for a helm officer, there were a few candidates and so he wrote to their previous COs. Travis’s father sent the shortest reply and it convinced the captain. Travis just wishes his father had told him he was proud.
T’Pol is in sickbay, hoping to be too ill to watch Frankenstein. No such luck. Phlox is going, but he’s rather more enthusiastic.
When Travis boards the Horizon, it seems that his mother knows rather more about the events of “Minefield” and “The Catwalk” than Travis bothered to tell her. He’s got his old room back, too, for the stay, along with some of his things. Travis’s brother, Paul, is the acting captain; Paul doesn’t need Travis to work, but he does suggest he change out of his Starfleet uniform.
Enterprise arrives in orbit around the planet and Trip asks if T’Pol is coming to movie night. T’Pol says that Frankenstein is based on a work of literature, and suggests a dramatic reading instead of the film. Trip does not feel that would go down well. The captain is going and he suggests T’Pol go; it might be fun. Fraternising with the crew might help. T’Pol doesn’t see how sitting silently in a darkened room is fraternising. The captain says they can have dinner in his mess, then go to the film. She can be his date. T’Pol looks horrified. If she doesn’t like it, he’ll never ask her to sit through another movie.
Travis is having a few problems on his family’s ship, mostly with his brother. It probably didn’t help that Paul is new to the job, Travis altered the ship’s systems without asking for permission and the fact that the ECS is losing crew to Starfleet, as mentioned in “Fortunate Son”, doesn’t help. T’Pol’s reaction to Frankenstein is likely not what Trip or the captain were expecting.