Hatchery (Star Trek: Enterprise)

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Star Trek: Enterprise episode
"Hatchery"
Episode no.	69
Prod. code	069
Airdate	February 25, 2004
Writer(s)	André Bormanis Michael Sussman
Director	Michael Grossman
Year	January 8, 2154
Episode chronology
Previous	"Doctor's Orders"
Next	"Azati Prime"

"Hatchery" is the title of a Star Trek: Enterprise television episode from season three. In it, Captain Archer discovers an insectoid egg hatchery on a downed Xindi ship and becomes obsessed with protecting the eggs. "Hatchery" first aired on February 25, 2004.

[edit] Plot summary

Major Hayes stands guard while T'Pol considers the captain's orders.

Enterprise discovers a damaged Xindi-Insectoid ship on a barren planet. Archer beams down with an away team and discovers that the crew cut off their own life support and suffocated in order to save a cache of several dozen Insectoid eggs in the ship's hatchery. Archer is sprayed by one of the eggs and returns to the Enterprise, but Phlox concludes it was a defense mechanism and treats it with an analgesic.

When it is discovered that the nursery's bio-support is failing, Archer orders the crew to repair the ship's power supply by linking it to Enterprise's own power system. Incompatibilities in the systems cause an overload, prematurely hatching one of the eggs. Archer conspicously declares a medical emergency, but Phlox cannot save the organism.

At this point, Archer, who has been awake for several days, orders the transfer of one-third of Enterprise's Antimatter supply to the Xindi ship so that its power can be restored. When T'Pol refuses to carry out his order in front of the crew, he relieves her of duty and confines her to quarters.

Soon after, Malcolm Reed, whom Archer put in control of the bridge, destroys a Xindi ship that shows up and attacks the Enterprise. Archer responds by relieving and confining him as well, saying that the ship and its crew could have been used to save the eggs in the hatchery.

Archer then stations MACOs throughout the ship and promotes Major Hayes to first officer, leaving him in control of the ship. Trip Tucker and Phlox realize something is wrong, but a covert medical diagnosis reveals nothing. Despite this, they decide that a mutiny is in order, and they free T'Pol and Reed to assist in the task. After a tense battle against the MACOs in which Travis Mayweather tackles Hayes, the Enterprise crew capture the bridge and Hayes gives up command.

After the crew retrieves Archer, Phlox determines that the eggs had sprayed him with a substance that led him to believe he was their caretaker. As such, he became focused on preserving them and ensuring their safe hatching. In the end, Archer is returned to normal and a large number of the eggs survive.