One of the best star trek episodes ever produced. The pathos the episode is capable to transmit is at very high level, making it very close to episodes like "the best of both worlds" in TNG or "Angels' Sacrifice" in DS9. The episode is a turning point of the whole season, things will happen differently and faster after it. Emotions, honor and battle are the main topics of the episode, and some stress-driven decisions will hit the spectators for the lack of humanity, a concept often shown during season three of Enterprise. 40 minutes of pure star trek style that are likely to be the most remembered of the series. One certain thing is that you won't be able to wait for the following episodes after seeing at this one.
11 Reviews
Negotiation and Attack
claudio_carvalho3 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The Enterprise arrives in Azati Prime and finds that the location is protected by an impenetrable and complex security grid. Trip and Mayweather propose to use the Insectoid shuttle to cross the grid and investigate the exact location of the Xindi weapon. They find the compound underwater and return to the Enterprise where Archer assumes the responsibility to make a trip without return with the shuttle loaded with two torpedoes to destroy the facility. However, the time agent Daniels brings Archer to the future and tells him that the enemies of the Xindi are the trans-dimensional beings and Archer should convince the Xindi that humans are not the menace to their planet. Archer does not accept the argument, travels to Azati Prime but is captured and tortured. Without any other alternative, he manages to convince Degra and two other members of the council that he might be telling the truth, while the Enterprise is attacked by the Xindi reptiles.
The tense and dramatic "Azati Prime" is one of the best episodes of the Fourth Season, with Archer trying to negotiate with the Xindi instead of attacking. It seems that the Xindi breeds begin to understand who their real enemies are. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Azati Prime"
The tense and dramatic "Azati Prime" is one of the best episodes of the Fourth Season, with Archer trying to negotiate with the Xindi instead of attacking. It seems that the Xindi breeds begin to understand who their real enemies are. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Azati Prime"
Captain Archer is a big pig-headed in this one...and it's the mother of all confrontations!
planktonrules9 April 2015
The trail leading to the Xindi weapon has taken the Enterprise right to the planet, Azati Prime, where the planet-killing device is being made. Along the way, they've picked up a Xindi insectoid ship and Archer plans on flying the ship on a suicide mission to blow up the super weapon. However, the recurring character of the galactic time cop brings Archer 400 years into the future and tells him NOT to fly that mission--he's needed to meet with the Xindi and make them his new BFFs. But Archer inexplicably decides to fly the mission anyway--and you KNOW it's going to fail...but he does it anyway. What's next? Lots of violence and chaos and action and stuff...
This is a very good episode for anyone who is tired of all the episodes leading up to the Xindi confrontation, as it's now here and the show is one crazy action scene after another. You know that the crew MUST survive all this because the other Trek shows all occur AFTER this one...but how?!
This is a very good episode for anyone who is tired of all the episodes leading up to the Xindi confrontation, as it's now here and the show is one crazy action scene after another. You know that the crew MUST survive all this because the other Trek shows all occur AFTER this one...but how?!
Archer's Self-Sacrifice
Samuel-Shovel7 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In "Azati Prime", the Enterprise finally discovers the location of the weapon and Archer goes on a suicide mission in a shuttlepod full of explosives to destroy it. After getting caught, he must resort to Daniels' strategy of negotiation to try to stop the weapon's implementation; his unknown knowledge of Degra assists in this. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is being overwhelmed by Reptilian Xindi ships and must fight for survival.
This episode really packed a punch! I don't even like Archer that much but really felt for him as he gave his goodbye speech (even though we all knew there was no way he'd die in this fashion). The finally images of Enterprise being destroyed really added to the dire mood of this episode, the bodies being sucked out into space by the holes in the hull. This felt like a season finale yet we still have a handful of episodes left to go.
This episode really packed a punch! I don't even like Archer that much but really felt for him as he gave his goodbye speech (even though we all knew there was no way he'd die in this fashion). The finally images of Enterprise being destroyed really added to the dire mood of this episode, the bodies being sucked out into space by the holes in the hull. This felt like a season finale yet we still have a handful of episodes left to go.
Time Travel, torture, comedy and a lot of action
bitomurder11 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Here we have the preculmination to the season three Xindi arc that leads us on a wild ride and leaves us with a crazy wild conclusion. This episode takes all the information that we have been accumulating for the last ten episodes and gives us an action packed thrill ride that would have been a satisfying season finale. "Azati Prime" runs the gambit giving us further developments on several main and secondary characters, time travel, torture, comedy, and a lot of action.
The episode begins slowly, but once it kicks in it goes full steam ahead. Early on we are treated to splendid character development of our main characters Archer and T'Pol along with my second favorite Enterprise secondary character, Degra. We get to see what this mission to save humanity has done to Archer as we see him killing three Xindi without provocation and later the emotional toll that his decisions previously in the season have made him willing to stop the killing by sacrificing himself. We get to see the emotional problems T'Pol is facing after her Trellium-D exposure and losing her Captain and friend. Although we are treated to some of Degra's misgivings about this mission in the previous episode "Strategem", it comes back full circle and explains his decision to finally help Archer. Degra's emotional state is reminiscent of atomic scientists after their construction of the atom bomb. After this great character development we are given some great action only compared to by a few movies and DS9 that ends this episode on a high note and sets up the remainder of the Xindi arc. This one is a wonderful episode that relies on many different story telling elements to give us a fun and dramatic ride.
The episode begins slowly, but once it kicks in it goes full steam ahead. Early on we are treated to splendid character development of our main characters Archer and T'Pol along with my second favorite Enterprise secondary character, Degra. We get to see what this mission to save humanity has done to Archer as we see him killing three Xindi without provocation and later the emotional toll that his decisions previously in the season have made him willing to stop the killing by sacrificing himself. We get to see the emotional problems T'Pol is facing after her Trellium-D exposure and losing her Captain and friend. Although we are treated to some of Degra's misgivings about this mission in the previous episode "Strategem", it comes back full circle and explains his decision to finally help Archer. Degra's emotional state is reminiscent of atomic scientists after their construction of the atom bomb. After this great character development we are given some great action only compared to by a few movies and DS9 that ends this episode on a high note and sets up the remainder of the Xindi arc. This one is a wonderful episode that relies on many different story telling elements to give us a fun and dramatic ride.
At War!
Hitchcoc26 March 2017
It has become a one-way mission, a kind of kamikaze attack on the Xindi weapon. Archer decides to fly it himself because he feels he can't be responsible for any more killing. Unfortunately, he is captured before he can deliver the payload. Prior to his departure he receives a visit from Andrews who tells him that he must not die on this mission. The future would be changed with horrible results. He must survive and he must negotiate. Archer won't buy this and goes off. He has been given artifact from the future to negotiate with. The warm blooded Xindi are somewhat receptive because they are analytical, but the reptilian seem to control things. As the episode ends, the Enterprise comes under deadly attack with great loss of life and damage. Certainly, one of the most exciting episodes in Star Trek history.
Nearly a great episode
snoozejonc15 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Enterprise locates the Xindi weapon and finds it heavily protected.
I enjoyed this and would have considered a great episode had it not been for one or two little wrinkles.
There is an exciting mission involving Archer being (yet again) captured and violently interrogated. At the same time the Xindi give the Enterprise somewhat of a battering which is all very exciting to watch.
I particularly enjoyed the exchanges between Archer and his captors. Scott Bakula does fortitude in the face of torture very well. Randy Oglesby is also excellent in all his scenes, producing what is easily the best performance of the episode.
One of the wrinkles comes from T'Pol. Her behaviour (which is explained during the next episode) and Jolene Blalock's performance don't work at all for me. Enterprise depiction of Vulcans has been mostly poor throughout the series and this is another example. You have to ask yourself if the writers keep having to make excuses for showing Vulcan emotion, why just not bother having so much focus on Vulcan characters.
Also the whole fuss made over Archer's suicide mission is pointless. We know he's not going to die so why waste screen time on all the melodrama surrounding this situation?
Overall a pretty strong episode that ends on a solid cliffhanger that made me need to see what happens next.
I enjoyed this and would have considered a great episode had it not been for one or two little wrinkles.
There is an exciting mission involving Archer being (yet again) captured and violently interrogated. At the same time the Xindi give the Enterprise somewhat of a battering which is all very exciting to watch.
I particularly enjoyed the exchanges between Archer and his captors. Scott Bakula does fortitude in the face of torture very well. Randy Oglesby is also excellent in all his scenes, producing what is easily the best performance of the episode.
One of the wrinkles comes from T'Pol. Her behaviour (which is explained during the next episode) and Jolene Blalock's performance don't work at all for me. Enterprise depiction of Vulcans has been mostly poor throughout the series and this is another example. You have to ask yourself if the writers keep having to make excuses for showing Vulcan emotion, why just not bother having so much focus on Vulcan characters.
Also the whole fuss made over Archer's suicide mission is pointless. We know he's not going to die so why waste screen time on all the melodrama surrounding this situation?
Overall a pretty strong episode that ends on a solid cliffhanger that made me need to see what happens next.
Jonathan "wait until the last minute" Archer. A terrible leader.
wwcanoer-tech4 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
They've had a Xindi insectoid ship in their cargo bay for 2 or more weeks but only decide to try to fly it AFTER they arrive at their Xindi destination?! They should have been taking that out and actually flying it around long before this! What value is yet another scene of them bumbling around in an alien ship? Have Mayweather say that "It flies like a sports car, I can thread a needle with it."
Or, if they wanted to show this preparation work, then have them be 1 day away from their destination with Archer anxious for them to be ready for anything when they arrive. We see them plan their best and then something will throw them a curve ball into the unexpected. (i.e. Something that the audience wouldn't have expected.) They should first approach the planet in the Xindi ship with Enterprise safe but nearby.
Normally, I would have expected communications and approval to pass through a defense grid, but let's ignore that. Ah, a scout ship does query them, but no clearance codes required for the super-secret weapons facility. Any random Xindi ship can fly right in.
How implausible that a place with a massive satellite detection grid would have an sensing post on a moon that cannot communicate when faced away from the planet. There would be another satellite in place to relay the signal. If Archer is concerned about the lives of the three Xindi on the station then he could only knock out all antennae or beam them to enterprise and place them in holding. Then he could talk to them. But whatever he does, as soon as they lose contact, their command base will be on high alert, so it should only give them a few extra minutes of safety. (Later we find that Enterprise just sat there in the same place! What kind of strategy is that?!)
It's tiresome that the Captain needs to be the one to do all of the most dangerous missions. Mayweather is clearly the one to pilot the suicide mission to destroy the weapon. The Captain can go with him if he wants. Of course, no guarantee that they make it past the patrol next time. Then Daniels reminds Archer that he alone can save the human race, so he can't die now. Pig-headed Archer ignores that and pilots the suicide mission. It makes no sense. No wars would ever be won if the generals did the most dangerous missions. It's annoying to watch. The fate of humanity rests on a pig-headed impulsive angry egotistical man who's blundering his way through space.
"I won't order anyone else to die." Then you're not fit for command. Absolutely stop executing people, but you can't take the risk for everyone. You die now and someone else will die later in the next skirmish. You won't really have saved them.
Daniels was the first to finally say what most of the audience has been thinking all season "destroying this weapon won't stop the threat" but Archer ignores it and then gives a going away speech to the crew that he hopes that they will be able to return to exploration. No, they will be locked in war with the Xindi. The Xindi don't need a weapon to wage war. Their ships far outnumber Earth's.
So, turns out that Captain Archer had to be the lone person in the attack ship because he needed to be captured alone in order to talk to Degra and tell him that they're fighting the wrong war. If Archer succeeded in blowing up the weapon then the evidence from the future and Degra would have been obliterated and there would be no way to stop the ensuing war. Then the Xindi says that they've moved the weapon, and Enterprise didn't notice.
Why is it that Enterprise couldn't have contacted Degra without having to be captured first?
When the writers want Enterprise to lose a battle, the crew does nothing right. What would you do if four approaching ships were charging weapons? Well, Enterprise just sits there, like they had no plan. They know how to destroy some of the ships, so why not have Enterprise focus on the most vulnerable ship and eliminate it. Make it a decent fight.
Of course, it usually makes more sense in a situation like this to have a two-pronged approach. Mayweather is in the insectoid ship to blow up the weapon while Archer tries diplomacy. If diplomacy, is failing, then you threaten to destroy the weapon, or just blow it up. You can still have Mayweather captured and interrogated and that disrupts the diplomacy.
Ah, here we are, Archer didn't want to send one man to his death, so dozens died instead and he's lost his ship. A great leader. Not.
They had how many months to plan a strategy? The MACOS were focused on training hand-to-hand combat when the really decisive battles are ship-to-ship. Where was the preparation for that battle?
We leave with a disabled Enterprise being pummeled. Time for some time travel to restore them? We know that it will be restored somehow.
Or, if they wanted to show this preparation work, then have them be 1 day away from their destination with Archer anxious for them to be ready for anything when they arrive. We see them plan their best and then something will throw them a curve ball into the unexpected. (i.e. Something that the audience wouldn't have expected.) They should first approach the planet in the Xindi ship with Enterprise safe but nearby.
Normally, I would have expected communications and approval to pass through a defense grid, but let's ignore that. Ah, a scout ship does query them, but no clearance codes required for the super-secret weapons facility. Any random Xindi ship can fly right in.
How implausible that a place with a massive satellite detection grid would have an sensing post on a moon that cannot communicate when faced away from the planet. There would be another satellite in place to relay the signal. If Archer is concerned about the lives of the three Xindi on the station then he could only knock out all antennae or beam them to enterprise and place them in holding. Then he could talk to them. But whatever he does, as soon as they lose contact, their command base will be on high alert, so it should only give them a few extra minutes of safety. (Later we find that Enterprise just sat there in the same place! What kind of strategy is that?!)
It's tiresome that the Captain needs to be the one to do all of the most dangerous missions. Mayweather is clearly the one to pilot the suicide mission to destroy the weapon. The Captain can go with him if he wants. Of course, no guarantee that they make it past the patrol next time. Then Daniels reminds Archer that he alone can save the human race, so he can't die now. Pig-headed Archer ignores that and pilots the suicide mission. It makes no sense. No wars would ever be won if the generals did the most dangerous missions. It's annoying to watch. The fate of humanity rests on a pig-headed impulsive angry egotistical man who's blundering his way through space.
"I won't order anyone else to die." Then you're not fit for command. Absolutely stop executing people, but you can't take the risk for everyone. You die now and someone else will die later in the next skirmish. You won't really have saved them.
Daniels was the first to finally say what most of the audience has been thinking all season "destroying this weapon won't stop the threat" but Archer ignores it and then gives a going away speech to the crew that he hopes that they will be able to return to exploration. No, they will be locked in war with the Xindi. The Xindi don't need a weapon to wage war. Their ships far outnumber Earth's.
So, turns out that Captain Archer had to be the lone person in the attack ship because he needed to be captured alone in order to talk to Degra and tell him that they're fighting the wrong war. If Archer succeeded in blowing up the weapon then the evidence from the future and Degra would have been obliterated and there would be no way to stop the ensuing war. Then the Xindi says that they've moved the weapon, and Enterprise didn't notice.
Why is it that Enterprise couldn't have contacted Degra without having to be captured first?
When the writers want Enterprise to lose a battle, the crew does nothing right. What would you do if four approaching ships were charging weapons? Well, Enterprise just sits there, like they had no plan. They know how to destroy some of the ships, so why not have Enterprise focus on the most vulnerable ship and eliminate it. Make it a decent fight.
Of course, it usually makes more sense in a situation like this to have a two-pronged approach. Mayweather is in the insectoid ship to blow up the weapon while Archer tries diplomacy. If diplomacy, is failing, then you threaten to destroy the weapon, or just blow it up. You can still have Mayweather captured and interrogated and that disrupts the diplomacy.
Ah, here we are, Archer didn't want to send one man to his death, so dozens died instead and he's lost his ship. A great leader. Not.
They had how many months to plan a strategy? The MACOS were focused on training hand-to-hand combat when the really decisive battles are ship-to-ship. Where was the preparation for that battle?
We leave with a disabled Enterprise being pummeled. Time for some time travel to restore them? We know that it will be restored somehow.
Stars Wars copy - nothing more
smileyill16 February 2020
This episode is nothing more than nearly an exact copy of Star Wars. The "weapon" looks almost exactly like a Death Star and the idea of a catastrophic train reaction explosion from torpedoes is also almost the same - so is the idea of a suicide mission.
I would not be surprised if Disney or Lucas Films files a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
I would not be surprised if Disney or Lucas Films files a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
Soooooo boring.
shimmycat16 April 2021
I'm trying so hard to give this series another chance, but it's just sooooo boring. When there is more action / violence than actual story, I just start nodding off.
As an Original Series fan, I feel quite offended that the franchise has been degraded in this way.
I find myself asking the question WWJKD (what would Jim Kirk do)? The answer would take one episode and leave some humour time at the end for Jim, Spock and Bones. In 'Enterprise' it takes a whole *&^k$%g series.....🤦♀️ Scott Bakula was so miscast in this. I love him in NCIS New Orleans.
As an Original Series fan, I feel quite offended that the franchise has been degraded in this way.
I find myself asking the question WWJKD (what would Jim Kirk do)? The answer would take one episode and leave some humour time at the end for Jim, Spock and Bones. In 'Enterprise' it takes a whole *&^k$%g series.....🤦♀️ Scott Bakula was so miscast in this. I love him in NCIS New Orleans.
Let me through, I'm a captain and I know exactly what to do... sort of
tomsly-400157 April 2024
Just when you thought that the worst captain in the history of Star Trek couldn't sink any lower, Archer proves you wrong again and even tops himself. Because he no longer wants to be responsible for the deaths of crew members under his command, he simply carries out the suicide mission himself - and thus accepts that his ship and his crew will be leaderless and thus possibly exposed to even greater danger (incidentally, exactly what happens a short time later). Somehow Archer doesn't seem to have understood what the job of a spaceship captain is and what responsibility he has for the ship, the crew and the missions.
He is also stubborn as ever. Even agent Daniels' facts don't dissuade him from his stupid plan. And then he carries out this plan poorly: either the mission is to destroy the weapon or it is to start diplomatic talks with the enemy. Even the Xindi point out to Archer that it is strange that he initially wants to destroy and kill the weapon and the Xindi there, but then suddenly wants to talk after he is captured.
Archer lacks strategic vision. He actually only acts out of anger and instinct and not based on a well-thought-out plan. It's downright painful to watch - especially as he becomes increasingly emotional, loud and selfish in his speeches to his officers. I had a brief hope that he might somehow blow himself up and then T'Pol would take over as captain for the rest of the series. But that would have been too good to be true.
He is also stubborn as ever. Even agent Daniels' facts don't dissuade him from his stupid plan. And then he carries out this plan poorly: either the mission is to destroy the weapon or it is to start diplomatic talks with the enemy. Even the Xindi point out to Archer that it is strange that he initially wants to destroy and kill the weapon and the Xindi there, but then suddenly wants to talk after he is captured.
Archer lacks strategic vision. He actually only acts out of anger and instinct and not based on a well-thought-out plan. It's downright painful to watch - especially as he becomes increasingly emotional, loud and selfish in his speeches to his officers. I had a brief hope that he might somehow blow himself up and then T'Pol would take over as captain for the rest of the series. But that would have been too good to be true.
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