The Catwalk ( episode ) When a deadly neutronic storm threatens the ship , the crew must take refuge for eight days inside the maintenance shafts of the warp nacelles . Summary . Teaser . Captain Archer prepares to lead an away team consisting of Commander Tucker and Ensign Mayweather to survey a planet that Archer describes as " teeming " with plant and animal life . Archer and Tucker talk excitedly about the mission as they board " " . Tucker remarks that there is a gorge on the planet five times deeper than the Grand Canyon , and suggests " a little river rafting . " He adds that there will be plenty of day light , because there are only four days of night in an entire month due to the planet ' s binary sun s . Archer estimates the survey will take at least a week , adding that there should be time for some R & R . T ' Pol contacted from the bridge that an alien vessel has approached and is hailing . Rellus Tagrim appears on the ' s display , introduces himself , and asks permission to come aboard as soon as possible , because a neutronic storm is " almost here . " Tucker checks the " Enterprise " sensor s , which do not detect anything . Rellus says that the sensors won ' t detect the wave for a while as it ' s traveling at high warp speed , and recommends going to warp 7 as soon as he and his crew are aboard . Archer informs Rellus that their top speed is warp 5 . Act One . T ' Pol announces that the wavefront spans more than half a dozen light year s , and tells of a Vulcan starship that encountered a similar class 5 storm over a century ago and was nearly destroyed . " Enterprise " has four hour s until the arrival of the storm . Reed claims that with the proper reinforcement the ship can survive , but Doctor Phlox warns that the crew will not , as the storm is saturated with deadly radiolytic isotope s . He suggests sheltering in sickbay as it ' s the most heavily shielded section , but it ' s not big enough to hold the entire crew . Tucker reminds the senior staff about the catwalk in the warp nacelle s , one of the most shielded areas of the ship , with the caveat that when the warp coil s are on - line the temperature in the area can reach over 300 degrees . Archer orders the evacuation of all personnel to the catwalk . Archer goes to sickbay to speak with the visitors once they ' re on board , and mentions that he understands they ' re from Takret , a distant system . Rellus says that their work often takes them far from home , and his partner says that they ' re a group of stellar cartographer s . Archer asks if they could help to update " Enterprise " s star chart s after the storm . Rellus readily agrees . In all areas of the ship , the crew starts moving essential equipment to the catwalk . T ' Pol goes to sickbay to see why Phlox is behind schedule . The doctor says she has allotted him fifteen cubic meter s for medical supplies , which means there ' s only enough space for two - thirds of his animal cage s . When the sub - commander suggests that some of the creatures share the cages , he replies it ' s impossible as they ' ll eat each other . Phlox says that the creatures are vital to both his work and the health of the " Enterprise " crew , and although unaccustomed to making emotion al appeals , he urges that T ' Pol not ask him to choose between them . She allots him an extra five cubic meter s of space , for which the doctor thanks her on behalf of his Edosian slug s . Already in the nacelles , Tucker apologizes to Rellus ' group that the accommodations are not first class . Rellus says he and his group are grateful for the hospitality . After Tucker leaves , one of Rellus ' partners , Guri , tells him that he doesn ' t know anything about stellar cartography , and won ' t know how to answer if the Human s start asking questions on the subject . Archer is packing his bags when he sees the approaching storm through the window . T ' Pol enters his quarters and he tells her that he didn ' t expect it to be beautiful , expressing regret that there will not be time to take scan s of it . She points out that as they will be in the catwalk for nearly eight days , it ' ll be possible to take as many scans as he wants . She also mentions that Lieutenant Reed has completed his modifications , and Archer confesses to being a little nervous about shutting down the power grid . T ' Pol replies that a single neutronic surge could overload the grid and damage critical systems . Archer tells her that he ' s done some research in the Vulcan database , and has learned that when the Vulcan ship " T ' Plana " encountered a class 5 storm a century before , it resulted in the loss of its entire crew , contradicting T ' Pol ' s account . T ' Pol simply says that she must have remembered incorrectly . Archer enters the bridge to transfer the main systems controls to the temporary command post at the nacelles . Tucker gives the green light and the captain does so . He also orders to Reed to shut off the main power . After seeing the bridge with the lights off , Archer leaves to the nacelles . Once in the temporary command post , he checks if the entire crew is safe , and make a brief speech to his subordinates " " All hands , this is the captain . This catwalk is going to be our home for a while . A week , maybe more . You may not be comfortable , but you ' ll be alive . We have the best crew in the fleet and the sturdiest ship . I promise you , we ' ll get through this . " " With the hull plating polarized , " Enterprise " turns around and heads directly into the wavefront , immediately encountering high turbulence . After Mayweather engages the ship ' s stabilizers , things get smoother and the crew expects the worst has passed . Act Two . Archer passes through the catwalk to check how his crew is dealing with the situation . First he helps a third class crewman with her crossword puzzle – the question is " " who was the first Vulcan ambassador on Earth , " " and he guesses that the answer is Solkar . He then talks to Ensign Sato , and opines that this experience should cure anyone of claustrophobia . He finally reaches where their guests are , covered with several clothes , right at the side of Commander Tucker ' s place . Archer asks him how the visitors are doing . Tucker says he doesn ' t know ; one of them came out a few hours before to complain about the " Enterprise " crew making too much noise . The captain suggests giving them a little time to adjust to the situation . Reed approaches Phlox hesitantly , and asks if he can depend on doctor - patient confidentiality . Phlox asks if this has anything to do with gastrointestinal distress , as he saw an annotation about an unfortunate incident during zero g training in Reed ' s file . Reed tells him that was the EV simulator at Lunaport , also known as " the Vomitorium . " The doctor says there is nothing to be embarrassed about , as he has already treated a number of crewmen for motion sickness , and applies a hypospray that should last about twelve hours . Reed thanks him and leaves the " sickbay , " as the captain arrives . Archer says to Phlox that some of the equipment in his area could be relocated , but the doctor says there ' s no need since he finds close quarters rather comforting . It reminds him of conditions on Denobula , where twelve billion people share a single continent . On the temporary bridge , Mayweather informs Archer a cluster of plasma eddies are ahead , but that he ' ll be able to avoid them . Archer lies down on a mattress , with T ' Pol opposite him . He starts to watch a water polo game but stops when this bothers her and tries to sleep . T ' Pol continues to use a PADD , which in turn is a little distracting to Archer , and she stops too . Archer tells her that the situation has a bright side , as it ' ll bring the crew closer together , almost like a camping trip , and asks if she has ever gone camping . She tells him about the " kahs - wan " ritual when she was taken to the desert and left to survive for ten days . He comments that she hasn ' t left the command area all day and suggests that she might want to get to know the crew , beyond simply knowing their names . He considers it would be good for her to fraternize a little . T ' Pol asks if that ' s an order ; she is not skilled in fraternizing . Archer thinks she now has a chance to learn . Mayweather , Sato , Reed , and Tucker play card s , and discuss the need of a shower which , in Reed ' s view , was neglected by Tucker , and about the movie that will be shown on movie night . Meanwhile Mayweather smells something burning , and Tucker angrily finds Rellus and his fellows cooking on top of a plasma manifold . Rellus apologizes and tells him they ' ve had trouble digesting Human food . Tucker says that he ' ll see if can cook their own food for them . Archer requests Tucker ' s presence at the temporary bridge . Once there , Archer notifies him of a potential problem in engineering . The antimatter injector s have come online , but Tucker thinks that could be a glitch . While checking the systems , he complains to the captain about Rellus and his partners ' behavior , but Archer points out that " Enterprise " owes them for the warning about the storm . Tucker realizes that the matter and antimatter injectors are online , which removes the possibility of a glitch , and the only way to shut them down is by going to engineering . Tucker puts on an EV suit that will protect him for only 22 minute s ; in engineering , he notices some odd things and hears noises , hiding himself afterwards . Act Three . While Tucker is hiding out in engineering he sees some people walking by . When the intruders pass he leaves , spotting more of them on the way . He manages to get into T ' Pol ' s quarters and sees the docking port , where a ship is docked with " Enterprise " . Tucker accesses the camera on the bridge , where there are aliens making a mess . He makes a close - up of one of them and is able to see that he is from same species as Rellus . The aliens ' leader is reading the " Enterprise " crew profiles in the captain ' s ready room , when Lieutenant Paltani informs him they can ' t find any sign of the fugitives , and that the " Enterprise " crew appear to have deserted . The leader believes that Archer may have taken refuge in a nearby system with the intention of returning . He asks about the status of the warp engine s , and is told there is some difficult to them with the dilithium matrix . Paltani leaves to continue working on the ship ' s systems , and his captain starts listening to more of Archer ' s starlogs . In the catwalk , Phlox ' s examination confirms that Rellus ' species are immune to radiolytic isotopes and therefore the storm was never any threat to them . Archer asks Rellus who the intruders are and what they ' re doing on " Enterprise " . Rellus tries to deny any connection between his group and them , but the whole situation is too full of coincidences for this to be true . Guri gives up and says that the aliens are officers of the Takret Militia , who ' ve been pursuing them for weeks . The trio had hoped to evade them by hiding aboard " Enterprise " but the officers must have detected their vessel in the launch bay . Archer asks why they are in pursuit , and Renth continues the explanation . They were members of the Militia ' s lower ranks , but they realized that the commanding officer s were corrupt , seizing alien vessels without provocation , murder ing the crews and taking anything of value . Rellus ' group tried to resign to their commissions but the Militia wouldn ' t allow it , forcing them to desert . Rellus says they ' d have told Archer the truth but were unsure if he would help . Guri says that if the Militia find him and his partners , they ' ll be executed . Rellus apologizes , but warns the captain that if the officers find them they won ' t leave , and have captured less impressive vessels than " Enterprise " . Reed tells the captain that the Militia officers are trying to re - initialize the warp reactor , which shows that they ' ve already decided to help themselves to " Enterprise " . T ' Pol says that the intruders aren ' t aware that the crew is in the catwalk , but if they find out the crew will be in danger . In engineering , Paltani tells his captain that the dilithium matrix is active and the warp reactor is ready to initialize . The Takret captain orders him to bring the warp engines on - line , but Paltani can ' t manage the helm control s as the navigation relay s aren ' t responding . Back in the catwalk , T ' Pol observes that the crew may have the Militia outnumbered , but they currently have only three EV suits . Reed recommends leading a security team to get more , but Tucker doubts he ' d get far as there are several Takret in the launch bay . Suddenly the warp engines come on - line , and Tucker says it ' ll take no more than twenty minutes for the warp coil s to charge and the nacelles to superheat . Act Four . A suited team of T ' Pol , Reed , and Archer prepares to go down , and receives a briefing from Tucker and Sato . On the bridge , the Takret captain asks about the helm controls , but his officers had not yet make any progress , and recommends leaving " Enterprise " taking what they can as their own ship could be lost the storm . The Takret captain sternly orders him to get helm control . The team splits up , with the captain going to the galley where he starts to use some panels . Meanwhile T ' Pol and Reed arrive in a maintenance corridor and are instructed by Tucker about how to shut off the injectors . On the bridge , the Militia is hailed by someone inside the ship : Archer . He tells the Takret captain that his crew was killed by the storm and he is the only survivor , and demands that the intruders leave " Enterprise " . The Takret captain says he ' s detected the three fugitives ' vessel in the launch bay . Archer says he ' s been watching the Militia seize " Enterprise " , and refuses to let it happen . The Takret captain replies that " Enterprise " has been impound ed under the authority of the Takret Militia , and once they return to their homeworld Archer will be charged with criminal conspiracy . Archer says he only recognizes the authority of Starfleet Command and has orders to stop any attempt at an enemy takeover , and to that end he ' ll destroy " Enterprise " . The Takret captain sneers that he doesn ' t believe he ' ll do anything to Earth ' s first warp 5 starship , driven by his father ' s engine . Archer defiantly tells his counterpart that he ' d be surprised , and closes the channel . In the temporary bridge , Archer tells Mayweather to change course towards a plasma eddy . While heading back to the catwalk , the captain is intercepted in the galley by the aliens who start shooting at him . He takes cover and returns fire . On the other side of the bridge , T ' Pol and Reed are having trouble to disarm the engines , but the nacelles ' temperature continues to increase . On the real bridge , the Takret realize that " Enterprise " is heading for the plasma eddy with an ETA of about eight minutes . The Takret captain wants the helm control , but Paltani doesn ' t think they can regain control in time and recommends that they leave . The Takret captain still thinks that Archer is bluffing . T ' Pol finally manages to shut down the warp reactor . Under intense turbulences , the Takret captain is forced to order his soldiers to retreat . They quickly go to the docking hatch , and leave . In the temporary bridge , the crew are still far from safe as " Enterprise " approaches the eddy . Archer informs his officers that the intruders have gone , and tells Mayweather to break course for calmer space . Later , still in the catwalk , the crew is watching a western . Tucker is puzzled why one of the characters shoots one of his own men , but T ' Pol explains that the dead man was secretly working for Sheriff Boggs , which she considered obvious . Archer tells the crew that Mayweather ' s pilot ing has gotten " Enterprise " out of the storm sooner than expected . Tucker invites T ' Pol to join the next movie night . While everyone is getting out of the nacelles , Rellus apologizes to the captain for the trouble and tells him that he and his fellows intend to go to the Gyrannan system , where they should be safe . Archer wishes them good luck , and after his crew has left the catwalk , he and T ' Pol make their way back as well . Memorable quotes . " " New planet , new aliens . Banner day . " " " " The neutronic wavefront . It ' s almost here . " " " " Nothing on sensors . " " " " You should detect the storm in a few minutes . It ' s traveling at high warp . Once we ' re aboard , I suggest that you go to warp " seven " immediately . " " " " Our top speed is warp " five . " " " Sickbay is the most heavily shielded section . It ' s possible that some of the crew could survive there . " " " " We can ' t fit 83 people into sickbay – and I ' m not about to draw lots ! " " " " You ' re proposing we take refuge in a crawlspace ? " " " " Would you like to try out the captain ' s chair ? " " ( " Camera cuts to a cargo container " ) " " Maybe later . " " " " You ' re the captain . Can ' t you order the storm to calm down a little ? " " " " I ' ll see what I can do . " " " " I didn ' t realize space was at a premium on Denobula . " " " " Twelve billion people sharing " one " continent . " " " " I understand we ' re explorers and we ' re supposed to keep an open mind about different cultures , but these guys are driving me crazy . " " " " What I wouldn ' t give for a shower right about now . When this hand ' s over , maybe you can look into building one . " " " " Would you like a sauna while I ' m at it ? " " " " You knew we ' d be stuck in here for over a week . You might have given a little thought to making it tolerable . " " " " I only had four hours , Malcolm . You ' re lucky we ' ve got a toilet ! " " " " Well I obviously underestimated your people ' s abilities when it comes to indoor plumbing . " " " " You want to take a shower ? Build one yourself . " " " " Did that guy shoot one of his own men ? " " " " It ' s hard to tell them apart in those ridiculous hats . " " " " The dead man was secretly working for Sheriff Boggs . " " " " How do you know that ? " " " " Isn ' t it obvious ? " " Links and references . 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