Introduction
“Demons” is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise.
“Demons” is the first part of a two part story, concluding with “Terra Prime“.
In this episode, the crew returns to Earth to participate in a conference to set up a trade coalition of alien races. While there they discover a plot involving a xenophobic human organisation called “Terra Prime”.
Peter Weller, who later appeared in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), guest-starred as John Frederick Paxton, and other guest stars included Harry Groener, who had previously appeared in episodes of both The Next Generation and Voyager. Filming of the episode overlapped with that of several other episodes, and sets included both the standing sets and an alleyway on the Paramount lot which was previously used in the Deep Space Nine episode “Little Green Men” (S04E08).
The critical response to the episode was mostly positive with one reviewer stating that the two-parter posed similar ideological questions to those seen in The Original Series.
Outline
Enterprise returns to Earth in order to attend the formation of a “Coalition of Planets”. Nathan Samuels, a United Earth government minister, gives a speech, but he fails to mention the contribution they made to get the aliens to work collaboratively. A woman, later identified as Susan Khouri, staggers over to T’Pol and produces a vial containing a hair follicle, before collapsing and dying from a phaser wound. Back on board Enterprise, Doctor Phlox examines the hair’s DNA, learning it is from the child of Commander T’Pol and Commander Tucker, but T’Pol denies ever being pregnant.
Captain Archer meets with Samuels, who is concerned that news of the child will stir xenophobic sentiment. Lieutenant Reed is ordered by Archer to liaise with Harris of Section 31. He is informed that Khouri was a member of Terra Prime, an anti-alien movement. Meanwhile, in the Terra Prime headquarters on the Moon, John Frederick Paxton and Doctor Mercer discuss the child. After Mercer leaves, Paxton sends for Daniel Greaves and tells him to deal with Mercer. On Earth, Archer tells Samuels that he knows that the minister was a former member of Terra Prime and convinces him to provide a case file on Khouri. Meanwhile, Ensign Mayweather gives his reporter ex-girlfriend, Gannet Brooks, a tour of the ship.
On the Moon, Paxton watches footage of Colonel Phillip Green (“The Savage Curtain”). Greaves enters and updates Paxton on the status of the child, and Paxton injects himself in the neck with an unknown substance. Phlox then reports that Khouri’s body contained traces of a substance used in a zero-gravity mining facility. T’Pol and Tucker volunteer for an away mission to the Moon. Disguised as miners, they are quickly detained after Brooks apparently leaks details of the mission. Paxton reveals that the entire complex is a warp capable ship, and the vessel travels to Mars where it takes control of the verteron array, which normally protects the Earth from comets. He uses the array to fire a warning shot and issue an ultimatum – that all non-humans must immediately leave Earth.
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Production & Filming Details
- Director(s): LeVar Burton.
- Writer(s): Manny Coto.
- Release Date: 06 May 2005.
- Running Time: 45 minutes.
- Country: US.
- Language: English.
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