“The Forge” is episode seven of season four of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Vulcan, 17 years ago, and a Vulcan is exploring some old chambers. He finds a stone box with a head and brushes away dust from a symbol on it. He says ‘Surak.’
Vulcan, the present day, and at the United Earth Embassy Ambassador Soval and Admiral Forrest are talking. The admiral is looking forward to conducting joint missions with the Vulcans, if the High Command agrees. Soval doesn’t know what the High Command is planning. Soval admits Vulcans don’t know what to do about humans. Of all the species they’ve met, humans are the one they can’t define, with qualities of every other species. Forrest asks if Vulcans are afraid of humans. Soval nods. Forrest asks why. Because there’s one species humans do remind them of. Forrest realises it’s Vulcans. Soval says they had devastating wars like humans. Logic saved them. It took them 1m,500 years to rebuild their world and travel to the stars. Humans did it in less than a century. The High Command is worried what humans might do in another century and they don’t like the answer. There’s an explosion, followed by more and Forrest lunges for Soval to protect him.
On Enterprise, the captain is playing basketball – Phlox has perfect aim – when T’Pol enters. She’s spoken to Starfleet Command.
Enterprise is in orbit around Vulcan, three days after the bombing. The death toll is 43, including the admiral. Archer and T’Pol are heading to the airlock; he apologises for keeping her from her family, but he needs her for the investigation. This is where T’Pol would rather be and she can’t contact her mother anyway; not unheard of. Her arrangement with her husband remains unchanged. The airlock opens and T’Pol introduces Administrator V’Las, head of the High Command, who introduces Chief Investigator Stel. A battered Soval is with them.
Stel suspects the Andorians. Archer thinks this is nonsense – probably with good reason. T’Pol asks about other suspects and Stel mentions the Syrranites, a group of Vulcans who follow a corrupted version of Surak’s teachings. According to Stel, over the past year their leader, Syrran, has become a dangerous zealot. There have been instances of violence against non-Vulcans. The Vulcans haven’t investigated the bombing; the embassy is Earth soil so they’ve just preserved it for the captain to investigate.
Travis and Reed are inside the ruins. Reed finds a recorder; Travis a bomb that hasn’t gone off. Reed calls for an emergency transporter lock, then goes to scan the bomb. Which is dangerous; he would have rigged such to go off when scanned. He finds Vulcan DNA on the controls but when he boosts the resolution, the bomb activates and they quickly beam out.
Archer, T’Pol and Stel arrive in sickbay. Phlox has identified the DNA; T’Pau (yes, that T’Pau from “Amok Time”). All Vulcans have their DNA recorded at birth. Stel says the Security Directorate will take over now; this is a Vulcan matter. Help is not required and he will inform Ambassador Soval of anything that concerns the captain.
Archer is with Forrest’s coffin amidst all the others when Soval finds him. No, Soval is not lost. Forrest saved Soval’s life when he could have saved himself. The captain says Forrest always put the mission first. Soval mentions that Forrest was anticipating joint missions; the captain says they have to make that possible. Despite the High Command. Soval tells the captain that the Syrranites make no sense as the perpetrators. As for the DNA; recheck everything, question everything. Don’t let them keep Archer on Enterprise. However far Archer wants to take the investigation, he has Soval’s support.
Koss finds T’Pol in her quarters. He has brought a gift from her mother because private channels are no longer private. And T’Pol’s mother has gone into hiding. She’s a Syrranite.
T’Pol tells the captain. But her mother wants T’Pol to find her. The item Koss brought has been modified; it projects a map of the Forge, a desert Syrranites go to to follow the route of Surak. Koss was told this was a family heirloom. T’Pol has never seen it before.
Trip is left in charge of Enterprise and the captain tells him to continue the investigation and not to trust the Vulcans. Except Soval. Soval has details for them to beam down to the edge of the Forge. Once inside, technology won’t work and it’s an unpleasant place. And dangerous.
It’s clear someone is trying to stir up problems; it also turns out that Surak’s original teachings were lost. His followers made copies. The story continues in the next episode, “Awakening”.