Robert Fox Special Ambassador Robert Fox was a male Human civilian in the 23rd century . He was an experienced Earth diplomat and skilled Federation negotiator . In 2267 , he was assigned a diplomatic mission to the planet Eminiar VII by Federation Central . His goal was to obtain a treaty port for the Federation . Over a period of twenty years , thousands of lives had been lost in the quadrant . Fox believed that if the Federation had had a port , those lives would not have been lost , so he was determined to get that port . He was transported to the principal planet in the quadrant , Eminiar VII , by the . After sending a message to Eminiar VII , the " Enterprise " received an answer from the planet . Eminiar VII issued a Code 710 – stay away from the planet – Fox ignored it and ordered the " Enterprise " to approach . The worst happened when the " Enterprise " assumed orbit and became a legitimate target in the computerized war Eminiar was fighting with Vendikar . Vendikar launched a successful attack against the starship , and her crew became casualties , required to report to the disintegration station s on Eminiar so their deaths could be recorded , and Eminiar would remain in compliance with the treaty that governed the war . Kirk and Spock , on the planet below , were hostage to the crew ' s compliance , leaving Montgomery Scott in charge . Scott ' s caution saved the crew from a tricky attempt to get them to the surface , and his foresight prevented the ship from being destroyed by an attack from the planetary defenses . Despite these acts of overt hostility , Fox attempted negotiations , and Anan 7 , High Councilor of the planet , took advantage of his credulousness . He assured Fox the attack was a misunderstanding , and invited him to the surface . Fox , as a gesture of goodwill , ordered Scott to assume a peaceful posture – including lowering the shields . Despite Fox ' s threats , Scott refused this order , insisting the shields be left up ; as Anan 7 had intended to resume firing the moment the shields dropped , this act of insubordination saved the " Enterprise " from destruction . Arriving at the Division of Control , Fox and his attaché were immediately rounded up and herded towards a disintegration station . Only with his death imminent did Fox begin to understand the nature of the Eminian Union . Fortunately , just as they reached the chamber , Spock ( who had been able to contact the ship and discover that Fox was on the planet ) intervened before the ambassador could be reduced to atoms , and took him to the war room , where Kirk was being held . After Kirk and Spock ended the war by destroying the computers that ran it , Fox offered to remain as a negotiator , to help the two rivals hammer out a peace treaty . ( ) The Federation transport was later named in honor of Ambassador Fox . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Robert Fox was played by actor Gene Lyons . He was described in the final draft of the script as " " wearing essentially the same clothing worn by Commissioner [ sic ] in " " [ sic ] . A career diplomat , he has a short temper and a very high regard for his own importance . " " Apocrypha . Robert Fox appeared in novels including " The Rift " by Peter David , as the ambassador sent to open peace talks with the reclusive Caligar race , and the " Rihannsu " novels " Swordhunt " and " Honor Blade " at the failed peace talks with the Romulan s . In the DC Comics " Who Is Enigma ? " issue he encountered his daughter as he tried to save peace negotiations between the Klingon Empire and the Federation , and he assisted in the evacuation of reluctant inhabitants of the doomed planet Aleriad in the FASA RPG scenario " Denial of Destiny " . According to " " , Ambassador Fox devised the idea of cooperating with the Klingon and Romulan Empire s in colonizing Nimbus III .