“Rogue Planet” is episode eighteen of season one of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Captain Archer is posing for a photograph Trip is taking; it’s going to be used for a painting at Starfleet Command. He asks T’Pol if Vulcan captains have their portraits at High Command. No; their accomplishments matter, not the way they look. Trip points out that the really important ones are mummified. Then Reed states there’s a small planet in their path. Not a system; just a planet. T’Pol states it’s a rogue planet; one that has broken out of orbit. Archer decides to take a look.
T’Pol states the planet supports a diverse animal population. Hoshi asks how that is possible and Travis thinks the surface should be frozen solid. T’Pol states hot gasses are being emitted from the planet’s interior; most lifeforms are concentrated around those areas. No signs of humanoid life. Reed has detected a power signature on the surface, a ship. It doesn’t respond to hails.
The captain, T’Pol, Reed and Hoshi head down in a shuttlepod. Archer and Reed talk about being Eagle Scouts. The captain has 26 merit badges; Reed, 28. The captain also thinks they could earn their exobiology badge. Reed has that one. They find a camp site and Reed and T’Pol continue on to the ship. Someone is watching them as they do. They hear something and T’Pol briefly gets a humanoid reading, then two people surprise them.
They are escorted back to the camp where there’s a third person, Damrus. The captain says the people are the Eska. Damrus says they have never seen other humanoid species here before. It’s not the Eska’s territory; just a special place for them. The captain asks if they could stay awhile, though they can find another landing site if needed.
Over dinner, Reed asks why their sensors didn’t spot the Eska. They use sensing cloaks to prevent the wildlife from spotting them. The three are hunters; their people have been coming here for nine generations. Hunting wild animals is part of their tradition. There are higher primates here; those are left alone. Archer says hunting went out of style on Earth. Reed thinks their equipment is elaborate for game animals. He’s told not to underestimate the animals. Reed would like to join them on a hunt; if the Eska are able to sneak up on the Enterprise crew whilst they’re wearing night vision, he’d like to see how they did it. He promises not to kill anything.
Hoshi and Reed head back to the ship for supplies and Trip; Hoshi is staying onboard. Whilst everyone is resting, the captain hears someone call his name and goes looking for them. He finds a woman, but she disappears. Archer returns to camp; the Eska say there are no other people, certainly not human females. Travis contacts the captain; no other ships in the area. Reed and the Eska find nothing and T’Pol suggests he was dreaming. Archer says he thinks he knew the woman as well. T’Pol wonders if the captain would be as interested if it was a scantily clad male.
The Eska have two days left for the hunt; their law is to hunt for four days each year. Whilst the Eska and Reed are hunting, the others will examine the volcanic vents. The captain asks Archer if he has ever known archer to do anything foolish. Well, there was this poker game at Jupiter Station. Archer says he walked into an alien jungle alone chasing a woman who couldn’t possibly be there. Trip admits that might qualify as foolish. The captain says it was if he had no control.
The Eska are hunting something else, something they call wraith, and they don’t seem to want Reed to know about it. Though they may have rules against hunting primates, it looks as if they don’t have them against other types of the most dangerous game.