One hundred light years from home NX-01 stumbles across a drifting weathered capsule. Retrieving it into the Launch Bay, after cutting inside Archer discovers a desiccated human corpse as a pilot. Trip and Malcolm further gut the groundscore and discover an other-dimensional gangway - this ship is "bigger on the inside." The Suliban show up, claim ownership, then attack Enterprise trying to steal it. Their attack is repelled and they escape, and the Vulcans are contacted to take the relic. In need of answers (and plot direction) the chastity belt comes off Daniels' quarters and the Omniscient HoloboxTM is consulted: Blah blah time ship big reset incoming.

Suddenly another claimant appears contesting ownership of the potato, the Tholians! They offer a warning about temporal radiation, attempt a brief theft themselves, but are also driven off. Trip works at repowering a component extracted from deep within the gangway; together with Malcolm he experiences a time hiccup while in proximity to the capsule. The Suliban return in force, demanding the vessel. Enterprise tucks tail and makes for the Vulcan ship, arriving only to find many Tholians surrounding their disabled salvation.

The Suliban suddenly crash the rendezvous and Archer most uncaptainly abandons his bridge (ever see Kirk do that in combat?) to repeat his "Minefield" performance with Reed (the other first contact episode this season) to attach a bomb to the capsule. The Tholians obliterate the Suliban ships and Archer lets them take the booby-trap which most undramatically does not function. Trip drops a battery into the beacon box and zip! It goes , the corpse goes, the capsule goes out from the Tholians - reset pressed.

Like the Romulans earlier this season, the refreshed Tholians largely (and happily) slide right into Archer's frame. Only establishing their species as another splasher in the Temporal Cold Bath sullies the soup; defeating all contemporary vessels they are obviously a capable adversary. The "new" Tholian ship design along "old" lines is quite awesome but sadly we saw no "new" Tholians themselves.

Plenty of other highlights include delicious moments regarding the Zephram Cochrane disappearance, and T'Pol's reaction to Archer commenting on pointed ears fresh after last week. (While at dinner Phlox mentions Denobulan first contact with "the Fesari" - as in the First Federation's flagship "Fesarius?") Too many players confuse the drama however, and this wasn't improved using an unoriginal padding device lifted from TNG's "Cause and Effect." The strong promise of a "ship with just a cockpit" simply sputtered into a cluttered resolution, spoiled by one too many spices.