The Expanse ( episode ) After a devastating attack on Earth by an alien probe of unknown origin , " Enterprise " is recalled and sent into a strange expanse on a new , more vital mission . ( " Season finale " ) Summary . Teaser . High above the planet Earth , an alien probe seemingly appears out of nowhere . The probe descends toward the planet below and comes to a stop above Earth ' s atmosphere . It fires an energy blast at the western continents from Florida , North America , to Venezuela , South America that cuts a swath of destruction across the planet ' s surface . When its task is complete , the probe self - destruct s , with one component falling towards Earth . Act One . On the Klingon homeworld , Qo ' noS , in an organized gathering inside the Klingon High Council Chamber , the Council meets with Duras , son of Toral . The Klingon Chancellor is infuriated that Duras allowed Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer to escape from imprisonment on two occasions . As a result of his failure to permanently secure Archer , Duras was dishonored by the Klingon Empire . When the Chancellor informs Duras that the High Council is providing him with a chance to regain both his command and his honor , Duras assures the Council he will succeed . In the briefing room aboard , Archer solemnly tells his senior staff the news that a probe has attacked Earth and cut a swath 4 , 000 kilometer s long between Florida and Venezuela . " Enterprise " has been recalled by Starfleet Command . Although the journey back to Earth will be long , Helmsman Travis Mayweather complies with Archer ' s instruction to set a course for the planet at maximum warp . Worried about his younger sister , Elizabeth , an architect who lives in Florida , Chief Engineer Charles " Trip " Tucker enters the Captain ' s ready room . Unfortunately , Archer has not been told the specific areas of the American state the probe attacked . Sub - Commander T ' Pol enters the room and reports that a Vulcan transport found a pod from the alien probe in central Asia . The transport brought the pod to Starfleet Headquarters , where it was studied . Starfleet has discovered that the probe was operated by an unidentified pilot , who was killed on impact . While the officers continue to discuss the situation , eight Suliban vessels approach " Enterprise " at high warp and surround the ship . On the bridge , Lieutenant Reed activates the tactical alert , but three Suliban soldiers board " Enterprise " and kidnap the Captain . They take him to one of their ships , where Archer meets with his arch - nemesis , Silik . Archer accuses him of the attack on Earth , but the Suliban agent claims he was not involved and has no knowledge of the incident . Instead , Silik takes the Captain to his leader – a man from the future who can only project his image through time and not participate in events directly . In a temporal chamber , the figure claims that the alien probe was launched by a race known as the Xindi , who were told that their homeworld would be destroyed by Human s four hundred years in the future . The figure explains that the Xindi were informed of their planet ' s annihilation by another faction in the Temporal Cold War that can communicate through time . According to the mysterious figure , the probe was only a prototype for a much bigger and more powerful weapon that the Xindi are currently building . They plan to use the weapon to destroy Earth and eradicate the Humans before they can cause the destruction of the Xindi planet . The figure implies that , in his time period , history does not record Earth ' s destruction in the 22nd century . However , if the planet is destroyed , the disaster will contaminate the timeline . The Captain is soon returned to his ship , where he tells T ' Pol of the figure ' s story . The Vulcan doubts the recounted explanation but Archer asks for her support . He fears that her skepticism could lead him to mistrust the man , who might be telling him the truth . On " Enterprise " s bridge , Ensign Mayweather sees Earth ' s sun , Sol , on the main viewscreen . He shows Archer the spectacle shortly before Lieutenant Reed notes that a ship has dropped out of warp nearby . T ' Pol is unable to identify the craft , which opens fire on " Enterprise " . In space , a continues its attack as it swoops over the Starfleet vessel ' s hull . Act Two . As the battle proceeds , T ' Pol finally identifies the attacking ship . Since " Enterprise " loses both forward phase cannon s , Archer orders the deployment of spatial torpedo es but the weapon s cause insignificant damage . The Klingon ship retaliates with a destructive volley of torpedo es that detonate on contact with " Enterprise " s starboard nacelle , causing plasma to leak out into space . When the Klingon ship sends a message to " Enterprise " demanding Archer ' s personal surrender so that honor may be regained , the captain realizes that Duras is commanding the Bird - of - Prey . Suddenly , a series of explosions erupt on the Starfleet vessel ' s bridge as the ship ' s nacelles are crippled . Seizing his opportunity to secure Archer , Duras issues orders to stop the attack and to prepare a boarding party . However , three Earth vessels , including the starship " Intrepid " , suddenly appear and destroy the Klingon ship ' s third and fourth disruptor banks . In furious frustration , Duras reluctantly withdraws from the battle . The " Intrepid " s commanding officer , Captain , contacts " Enterprise " and welcomes the crew home , implying that he feels sorry the situation is so bleak . As " Enterprise " orbits Earth , T ' Pol , Hoshi Sato , Mayweather , Archer , and Reed contemplate the devastation that the alien probe caused . The officers gaze dishearteningly at the burned zone on the main viewscreen . Commander Tucker , wracked with worry , diverts his attention away from the image . In Starfleet Headquarters on Earth , Admiral Forrest and Vulcan Ambassador Soval notify Archer that both Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command doubt the mysterious figure ' s story . The Captain urges Forrest to assign " Enterprise " the mission of searching for the Xindi . However , Soval reveals that the Xindi ' s homeworld is in the Delphic Expanse , a dangerous region of space where many Vulcan ships have gone missing . Archer likens the area to Earth ' s Bermuda Triangle , but Soval adds that the region is also rumored to hold several hostile alien species and inexplicable phenomena , and that in some areas of the expanse , even the laws of physics do not apply . The Vulcan is definite in his belief that the mission should not be authorized . When Forrest suggests that sufficient evidence may persuade Starfleet to authorize Archer ' s plan , the captain admits that the mysterious figure provided him with proof . The three men enter another room , where the wreckage of the alien probe remains . The captain removes a concealed component from the rubble and uses the quantum dating function of two scanner s to demonstrate that the component is from the future . Although Soval is unwilling to acknowledge the evidence , as Vulcans do not believe time travel is possible , Forrest states that he plans to talk with Starfleet Command , apparently believing the captain ' s proof . With Forrest ' s authorization , Archer walks over to a secured freezer unit and looks inside . The unit contains a frozen alien corpse that the captain analyzes with a scanner . When Soval asks Archer if he believes the alien is a Xindi , the captain replies that he intends to find out . While " Enterprise " is docked in one of Earth ' s orbital drydock facilities , Archer enters sickbay . There , Dr . Phlox introduces the captain to a male Vulcan doctor named Fer ' at . The Vulcan is apparently present to analyze Archer ' s exposure to traces of pyritic radiation found in the alien probe . As Fer ' at questions the captain , Phlox uses a nearby console to access the Vulcan database . He is enraged when he learns that Fer ' at is actually a psychiatric analyst sent to examine Archer ' s mental state , in hopes of discrediting his theory . Following Archer ' s instruction , Phlox leaves sickbay with Fer ' at and accompanies the Vulcan to an airlock . Meanwhile , Reed and Tucker visit the site of the alien attack . The two officers look out across a narrow valley where " the house " once stood . Tucker shows Reed where a nearby movie theater was , and recalls that he used to take Elizabeth there when she was a baby . Tucker solemnly states that Elizabeth would have contacted someone if she were still alive , believing that the fact she hasn ' t is proof that she died in the attack . Act Three . Inside an inspection pod , Archer and Forrest survey the starship " Columbia " , the second spacecraft to be built . Incomplete , the vessel is docked in one of Earth ' s orbital drydock facilities . Forrest hopes that " Enterprise " will have returned long before " Columbia " s launch in fourteen months . The Admiral notifies Archer that the new vessel will have the same armament as " Enterprise " , once the prototype " NX " - class starship is completely retrofitted . Archer reveals that he notified his crew of their new mission in the morning , although several officers have decided to leave the ship . When the Captain admits that he spoke to General several hours ago , Forrest remarks that he was surprised at Archer ' s request for military personnel . The Captain responds that he doesn ' t have a problem with non - Starfleet officers and that security will be of vital importance in the Delphic Expanse . Although Forrest worries that the mysterious figure did not reveal where to look in the Delphic Expanse , or when the alien weapon will be ready , Archer believes that the figure warned him because " Enterprise " still has enough time to stop the aliens from destroying Earth . Aboard " Enterprise " , T ' Pol enters sickbay and finds Doctor Phlox . She asks whether he is sure of his decision to remain aboard the ship . According to the Vulcan , Crewman just informed her that a shuttle carrying two hundred snow beetle s is on its way . Although Phlox suggests that the beetles might be for his replacement , T ' Pol is certain that any doctor in Starfleet would be completely unsure of how to use them . The Denobulan smiles and asks T ' Pol if she will also be staying on the ship . She replies that the Vulcan High Command has forbidden her from entering the Delphic Expanse . When Phlox asks T ' Pol what she wants to do , the Vulcan states that she must obey the High Command . However , the Doctor reminds her that she has not always acted in accordance with the High Command ' s orders . Phlox contemplates their decision of whether to leave the ship , revealing that he found the choice an easy one to make . He believes that T ' Pol will have greater difficulty in deciding whether to leave , as her choice will indicate her allegiance to Archer or to the Vulcan High Command . A female ensign enters sickbay , moving a large white case into the room . T ' Pol thanks Phlox for his help and follows the ensign out of sickbay . In the starship ' s armory , Reed shows Commander Tucker a stack of photonic torpedo es , advanced weaponry installed for the vessel ' s change of mission . The torpedoes have a variable yield and a range fifty times greater than the old spatial torpedoes . Reed tells Trip that three teams of security officers are working on adapting the torpedo tube s and have promised that they will have completed the task by the time " Enterprise " leaves spacedock . The lieutenant adds that he has to start integrating the weapons into the vessel ' s power grid . He then leaves the armory with Tucker . Back in San Francisco , Soval shows Forest , Archer and T ' Pol disturbing imagery from a previous Vulcan mission to the Delphic Expanse . Grainy imagery from the " Vaankara " shows Vulcans that lost control of their emotions . They are savagely attacking each other with their bare hands . Soval says that less than an hour after the transmission were recorded , the ship was destroyed , without " indication of malfunction or an attack " . Despite Starfleet ' s acquiescence to Archer ' s new mission , Soval remains firm in his opposition . Outside fleet headquarters , Soval has a private conversation with T ' Pol . He discusses her imminent assignment at the Ministry of Information on . He assumes that because the Vulcan High Command has opposed Starfleet in this matter , she has been " de facto " recalled . T ' Pol , however , reacts strongly against being pulled from " Enterprise " . She argues that there is still a need for Vulcan assistance . As her words fail to sway Soval , she flirts with insubordination , saying that it should be up to her whether or not to stay on " Enterprise " . After returning to " Enterprise " , Archer has one last conversation with Forrest . He informs the Admiral that Soval has given him permission to take T ' Pol back to Vulcan on the way to the Delphic Expanse . Forrest wishes Archer luck on his mission . A few hours later , " Enterprise " departs spacedock with her repairs and upgrades complete . Meanwhile , Duras detects " Enterprise " heading for Vulcan and tells his weapons officer to " charge weapons , and prepare to bring them online " . Act Four . As " Enterprise " hurtles towards Vulcan , Tucker and his Captain are sleepless in the middle of the night . They are sharing a drink to the past and future . They toast Henry Archer and his warp engine , which is now the major technology standing between the Xindi weapon and Earth ' s future . As they imbibe more , though , the conversation turns increasingly dark . They briefly touch on how much they ' re going to miss T ' Pol , but Tucker quickly sees the virtue of her absence . No longer will they be tied to " that non - interference crap T ' Pol ' s always shoving down our throats " . Tucker and Archer agree that they ' ll do " whatever we have to " to spare Earth from annihilation by the Xindi . Duras interrupts their discussion with a second attack . As Archer reaches the bridge , he gives Reed the green light to use the new photonic torpedoes . An initial , low - yield hit fails to shake their pursuers , so Archer tells Reed to bring up the yield . This second volley temporarily disables the Klingons . Archer believes that " Enterprise " now has the ability to make it to Vulcan space before the Klingon ship can catch up with them . He hopes that the threat of Vulcan reinforcements will be enough to make Duras break off his attack . As " Enterprise " continues on course to Vulcan , T ' Pol has a conversation with Archer in his ready room . He tries to remind her of all the problems she ' s had adjusting to life on board a Human vessel , but she dismisses his attempts to cheer her about the virtues of returning home . Ultimately , she announces that she intends to resign her Vulcan commission , and asks to remain aboard " Enterprise " . Archer is surprised , and wonders why she would be willing to throw away her career for " Enterprise " . She insists that he needs her at the science station . Archer considers her statement silently , then exits to the bridge . There , he moves to his command chair and orders Mayweather to alter course to the head directly to Delphic Expanse . The bridge officers understand this means no stopping at Vulcan ; T ' Pol will remain a part of the Enterprise crew . The " Enterprise " is now close to the border of the Expanse . The size of the Expanse , however , makes the area seem much closer than it really is . At a million kilometers distance ( only seconds away at warp speed ) , Archer orders Mayweather to enter the thermobaric cloud s which mark the border at a slow impulse speed . After travelling inside the clouds for six hours , the crew begins to express impatience at not making contact with anything on the scanners . Suddenly , they pick up three distinct signals , belonging to Duras ' three ships . They open fire on " Enterprise " , but have difficulty hitting the ship due to interference from the clouds . Duras orders his ship to get closer to " Enterprise " to give his targeting scanners a better chance of success . As the shots now begin to hit " Enterprise " , Tucker notes that Archer had said the Klingons wouldn ' t enter the Expanse . Archer points out that they aren ' t actually " in " the Expanse yet . He then puts the ship at full impulse to evade their pursuers . Tucker objects , citing the stress the clouds are putting on the intake manifold s . Archer overrules him . Duras hails and orders " Enterprise " to come about and prepare to be boarded . Archer cuts the communication . T ' Pol announces that she detects clear space close by . Because he now understands that Duras wanted " Enterprise " to come about to avoid entering the Expanse , Archer repeats his order to increase speed . Archer then wonders why the new photonic torpedoes aren ' t having the same effect they did in the earlier battle . Reed notes that Duras has changed the configuration of his deflector shield s such that they ' re all concentrated on the forward section of his ship . Archer then orders Mayweather to perform an L - 4 maneuver , so that they can orient " Enterprise " toward the unprotected part of Duras ' ship . In the meantime , two of the three Klingon vessels break off their attack for fear of entering the Expanse . Now with just one Bird - of - Prey in pursuit , Mayweather is able to do a hard vertical roll , which neatly places " Enterprise " aft of Duras . Reed concentrates his torpedoes on the unprotected part of the Klingon vessel , and the craft is easily destroyed . " Enterprise " emerges from the thermobaric clouds at about the same time , whereupon Archer gives a final order : " " Straight and steady , Mr . Mayweather . Let ' s see what ' s in there . " " Memorable quotes . " " Our Science Directorate has determined that time travel is impossible . " " " " To Henry Archer . I wonder what he would have thought if he knew his engine was going to help save the Human race ? " " " " When I got this job , commanding the first warp five ship was about as big a responsibility as I could have imagined . Then we began running into so many . . . bad guys , and I had to start thinking more about the safety of 83 people . " " " " And now the stakes have gotten a lot bigger . " " " " Weight of the world , Trip . " " " " Literally . " " " " It ' s not my place to disobey the High Command . " " " " Nonsense . You ' ve done it before . " " " " It ' s interesting , you and I , the only aliens on board this vessel . To go or to stay . For me it was a simple question of loyalty towards the captain , and the sad realization that he will need me now more than ever on such crucial mission . But for you , it ' s a more difficult decision . Does your allegiance lie with the High Command or with Captain Archer ? " " " " I ' m gonna need all the muscle I can get when we cross into the Expanse . " " " " You need me , Captain . " " " " It would seem we ' re not going to Vulcan . " " " " Sure you still want to tag along ? " " " " It ' s only logical . " " " " Surrender or be destroyed . " " " " Go to hell ! " " " " You ' re outnumbered and outgunned , Archer . Come about and prepare to be boarded . If you don ' t obey my orders , I ' ll – " " " " Straight and steady , Mr . Mayweather . Let ' s see what ' s in there . " " Deleted scenes . Scenes 43 - 44 . Archer walks the streets of San Francisco and enters a Chinese Restaurant . Talking with the maitre d ' , Tommy , he notices that the place is a little empty because people are preferring to stay home since the Xindi Attack . Archer then asks about a woman , Tommy says that she is here but he is late . Archer apologizes to her about his delay and she asks if he is on Earth because of the attack . Archer says nothing but she understands that the attack is the reason he ' s on Earth , and asks how long he will be home . He replies that he wishes the time was longer because was hoping to spend some time with her . She asks if Starfleet knows the identity and the reasons of the attacker . Archer says that little is known but not enough , and because of the attack , he will probably be gone for a long time – and reveals the name of the lady : Becky . Becky says that he has been gone for a long time before , and what she will do if she finds out that he has a girl in every spaceport – but before she can finish , Archer strokes her cheek and they share a kiss . She says that he supposes that she will invite him to her apartment . Archer asks how his chances are . She opens a fortune cookie and says that he is lucky . Scene 44A . Archer enters Sato ' s quarters and notices that she is dressed in civilian clothes and packing up some things . He asks how the talk with her folks went . Sato says she thinks that she needs to brush up on her Japanese . Archer doubts that and notes that " Enterprise " got new upgrades for the universal translator . Sato replies that it can make things a lot easier . Archer says that the universal translator will never replace a linguist with a magic al ear , but Sato replies that her ear is not so magical . Archer , feeling embarrassed , says that is a matter of opinion . Sato puts a book on the shelf , " Languages of the Sub - Sahara " , and Archer is surprised that she will leave that one here . Sato says she has not read it yet , and Archer asks why she ' s not taking it with her . Sato replies that she ' s sending the packed books to her mother to give her more shelf space because a lot has been written about alien languages since they left Earth , and the clothes are also going back to her mother because she thought it was time to upgrade her civvies . Archer laughs and reveals that he was thinking that she was leaving " Enterprise " before the Xindi Mission . Sato asks why , and Archer replies how she is more of an academic teacher . She interrupts and asks if that means that she is not capable of handling herself during the new mission . Archer tells her that was not was what he meant . Sato replies that she does not know what is inside the Delphic Expanse , but she thinks to have proven that she can handle herself in difficult situations and that she can provide some help along the way , if Archer wants her . He smiles and tells her he wouldn ' t want it any other way . Links and references . References . Unreferenced material . apartment ; automobile ; Becky ; Chinatown ; Chinese ; civvies ; ear ; earring ; folks ; fortune cookie ; " Languages of the Sub - Sahara " ; linguist ; " Long Life " ; maitre d ' ; menu ; San Francisco ; Sato ' s mother ; scotch ; spaceport ; Starfleet Language Conference ; teacher ; tea pot ; Tommy ; tree