While orbiting a hypergiant NX-01 meets the Vissians, a technologically sophisticated gang of homebodies. At the invitation of their nameless captain - whom we'll call "G'Kar" - Archer takes a long explorer's weekend to surf around the stellar surface. Meanwhile Trip gets into a mess when he educates a "cogenitor" - whom we'll call "Charles" - the third reproductive sex from their weird culture, in which Charles is treated like … well, like an enslaved minority if not an outright object. Trip's merciful attention enlightens Charles so much that it seeks asylum from Archer; gutlessly he Dred Scotts it back to G'Kar where it kills itself rather than re-submit to forced neglect. (But it did get to see "The Day the Earth Stood Still.")

Eating stinky food (more fragrant, whatever) during a thousand years at warp has clearly left the Vissians a psycho race headed for breakdown. Not even naming an important segment of their species betrays incredible senselessness despite their advances. At 3% of the population cogenitors would be a rare precious resource, so it's highly unlikely (in a reasonable culture) they'd be treated so callously. (Why not haul a cogenitor around in techno-chains or just kept in a dark box?) It's pleasant to think the example of Charles could stir a revolution of sorts among the cogenitors. Foreshadowed by the nova perhaps, in a hundred years the Vissians might not be around anymore, flamed by their own folly.

Director Levar Burton pulls excellence out of crew and guests alike. The story is delightfully derivative-free even if it seemed to skip a few crucial scenes. Uber-star Andreas Katsulas needs more lines to exercise those impressive tones of his voice! (Even over an intercom they're unmistakable.) The stratopod zipping around stellar flares were great, as was the Vissian ship inside and out (despite shaky science about natural elements and radiation "inoculation"). And ha! Phlox doesn't know everything he should, too caught up in his porn collection to value intelligence.

WWKD if not also P? Archer's lack of compassion ("above all else…") proves his self-accusation of a bad example right - especially at the end, when driven insane with guilt he blames Trip. T'Pol acts no better (not Blalock, who acted well), blindly supporting the cruelty of her superior and inordinately chewing out her subordinate. The early predictions of a "peaceful first contact" or "beginning of a beautiful relationship" resolved into a deep dramatic dose of tension between Enterprise's captain and her chief engineer. We'll be talking about this one for awhile.