The Forge ( episode ) When Earth ' s embassy on Vulcan is bombed , the investigation puts Archer and T ' Pol on the trail of a Vulcan religious faction hiding in a treacherous desert . Summary . Teaser . In 2137 , a young Vulcan male wanders alone through a subterranean tunnel on the planet . He finds a sculptured casing that is completely covered in dust . Using a brush , the young Vulcan wipes away the dust from the casing to reveal a symbol . He mutters a single word : " Surak " . Act One . Seventeen years later , in 2154 , Admiral Forrest has traveled to Vulcan to learn of the Vulcan High Command ' s decision on whether to start conducting joint missions with Starfleet . At the embassy , Forrest discusses the matter with Ambassador Soval and is surprised to learn that Soval was not consulted by the council . Regarding the Vulcan reluctance to share technologies , Soval explains that Human s are confusing to them and that the fast progress of Human development in recent years greatly concerns the Vulcans . Suddenly an explosion is heard by the two men and Forrest quickly pushes Soval to the ground as the embassy is engulfed in flames . On the , the senior officer s are enjoying a spirited game of basketball in launch bay two . Phlox , who is exceptionally good and has to keep switching teams , likens the game to Octran fertility contest s but with more clothing . T ' Pol then summons Archer away from the game to give him the bad news . Archer is met by Administrator V ' Las at " Enterprise " s airlock . V ' Las is the head of the Vulcan High Command . He is joined by Ambassador Soval and Stel , chief investigator of the Vulcan Security Directorate . After Archer rejects the suggestion that the bomb was planted by Andorian s , Stel reluctantly reveals that Syrrannite s are also under suspicion . Archer mistakes this as the name of another species but T ' Pol corrects him , explaining that they are a small group of Vulcans who follow a " corrupted " form of Surak ' s teachings . The Syrranites ' logical and peaceful nature make them unlikely candidates . When Archer asks if there is any evidence , Soval points out that the embassy is officially considered to be on Earth soil therefore placing any investigation of the crime scene under Starfleet jurisdiction . Archer sends Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Mayweather transport down to investigate the blast site where Mayweather uncovers an undetonated bomb . Reed scans the device and discovers Vulcan DNA on the controls . A closer scan triggers the device but the two officers manage to transport back to " Enterprise " , seconds before it explodes . Act Two . Phlox ' s investigation matches the recovered DNA to T ' Pau , a well known Syrrannite . The Captain asks if she has a previous criminal record , but T ' Pol explains that the DNA of every Vulcan is recorded at birth . When Archer attempts to pursue the leads further , however , Stel says that since T ' Pau is Vulcan , the overall investigation consequently now falls under Vulcan jurisdiction and that Starfleet assistance is not required . He will have Soval inform them of anything they need to know , much to Archer ' s chagrin . Archer enters " Enterprise " s cargo bay , where the bodies of the Humans lost in the bombing are being held for transport back to Earth . While quietly reflecting over the coffin of Admiral Forrest , the captain is joined by Soval who notes that the Admiral died saving his life when he could have saved his own instead . Soval makes clear there is no reason or evidence to suggest the Syrranites are responsible for the bombing , and does not understand why they are being accused . He urges Archer not to leave the investigation in the hands of the Vulcan High Command but to question everything and go down to Vulcan , while also promising the captain his full support . Meanwhile , Koss visits his wife T ' Pol in her quarters . T ' Pol is not particularly pleased to see her husband but he insists that a face - to - face meeting was necessary . He gives T ' Pol an IDIC that T ' Les , her mother , wanted passed along claiming it was a family heirloom . Koss explains that the new security conditions on Vulcan , following the bombing , have forced T ' Les into hiding because she is actually a Syrranite . Act Three . T ' Pol ( having never seen the supposed heirloom before ) presents the IDIC to Archer , explaining that it has been modified , and activates it . The IDIC displays a holographic topographical map of Vulcan ' s Forge . Against Tucker ' s warnings that the Forge is a " " hell hole " " with electrical sandstorms and geomagnetic instabilities that prevent the use of any technology , Archer decides to transport down to Vulcan with T ' Pol in search of the Syrranites . Soval provides data on the gaps in Vulcan satellite surveillance , so that Archer and T ' Pol ' s beam - in won ' t be monitored , but he remains aboard to assist Tucker with the investigation from orbit . Archer and T ' Pol beam down to Gateway . T ' Pol explains to the captain that it was here that Surak supposedly began his journey into the Forge . Archer questions T ' Pol about her apparent lack of belief in some of the stories of Surak . She answers by telling him that Surak ' s writings from that period were lost and that the current copies of his teaching are open to interpretation – a fact Archer finds familiarly amusing . Later , at night , their conversation is abruptly interrupted by a Sehlat screech . Fortunately , they are able to get to high ground before the creature reaches them . T ' Pol tells him about the domesticated sehlat Vulcan children keep as pets , and says that the wild one may keep them trapped there for several days . On " Enterprise " , Phlox is examining the bomb to find other DNA traces . He discovers that the telomere s from T ' Pau ' s DNA are too long to belong to the thirty - two year - old Vulcan , and concludes that someone has falsified the evidence . They must have been taken from her infant DNA in the Vulcan database . From a recording Reed recovered from the embassy , they are able to pinpoint the moment at which T ' Pau ' s DNA signature was recorded . They are not able to identify the suspect , but the guard on the recording seems to recognize the person . Coincidentally , that same guard , Corporal Askwith , is currently in the " Enterprise " s sickbay – in a coma . On Vulcan , the Sehlat is driven away by a person named Arev , who claims to be on a pilgrimage . Archer pretends that he is also on a pilgrimage and asks if the three of them can walk together . Arev agrees , but not without saying that the Forge will be hard on the Human . As they walk through the desert , Arev asks some questions of the captain and comes to the conclusion that Archer and T ' Pol are not really on a pilgrimage . Their discussion is interrupted by a sandfire storm . Act Four . Aboard " Enterprise " , Tucker and Phlox speak to Soval , hoping he could find someone capable of melding with Askwith , the comatose guard . Given the taboo nature of the practice , Soval won ' t even consider their request – but as he turns to leave , Tucker reveals that the DNA evidence implicating T ' Pau had been planted on the bomb . Assured by Phlox that the forgery could be proven , Soval , realizing that the tampering with the DNA records suggests a high - level conspiracy , offers to meld with the guard himself . In the Forge , the three " pilgrims " find a shelter from the sandfire storm in a cave . After seeing T ' Pol ' s IDIC , he realizes who she is . Arev says that he has respect for the captain ' s actions ( regarding the P ' Jem sanctuary , in particular ) and agrees to bring them to the T ' Karath Sanctuary when the storm is over . T ' Pol ' s mother is hiding there with the other Syrannites . Archer then tells him the real reason they are there . Archer explains that the High Command claim the Syrannites believe in a corrupted version of Surak ' s teachings . To that , Arev answers that some say Surak ' s " katra " was found and is now carried by a Syrannite . According to the rumor , all who mind meld with him may touch Surak ' s mind . Looking at T ' Pol , Arev says that Surak said the mind meld was the heritage of all Vulcans , whether they believe in it or not . On " Enterprise " , Soval , Phlox and Trip meet with V ' Las and Stel . When they ask who the real culprit is , Soval reveals the truth – it is Stel . They claim to have an eyewitness who identified him as the one who planted the bomb in the embassy . When Stel and V ' Las ask to speak with the witness , Phlox says that his patient is in a coma . After Soval admits to performing a mind meld , Stel protests , noting that telepathic evidence is inadmissible . V ' Las informs the ambassador that he will be summoned to appear before the High Command to account for his actions . Act Five . In the Forge , the storm is gaining in strength . T ' Pol is hit by an electric discharge while trying to reseal the cavern entrance . Another discharge hits Arev , deadly this time . Just before dying , Arev mind melds with the captain saying that he must carry " it " to the sanctuary . On " Enterprise " , Soval is going to turn himself in to the Vulcan High Command . When Tucker protests and accuses the ambassador of not trusting Humans , Soval responds " Peace and Long Life " , suggesting that he has more respect for Tucker than the engineer realizes . Archer is awakened by T ' Pol . He says Arev said something to him , which turns out to be the Vulcan word for " Remember , " but neither Archer nor T ' Pol understand what it means . They agree to continue searching for the sanctuary , which is supposed to be nearby , after burying Arev . Archer has strange intuitions and finds the sanctuary easily . As they enter through a disguised portal , Archer tells T ' Pol not to resist . Inside , they are seized by a group of armed Vulcans . To be continued . . . Memorable quotes . " " We don ' t know what to do about Humans . Of all the species we ' ve made contact with , yours is the only one we can ' t define . You have the arrogance of Andorian s , the stubborn pride of Tellarite s . One moment you ' re as driven by your emotions as Klingon s , and the next you confound us by suddenly embracing logic ! " " " " I ' m sure those qualities are found in every species . " " " " Not in such confusing abundance . " " " " Ambassador . . . are Vulcans afraid of Humans ? " " " " Why ? " " " " Because , there " is " one species you remind us of . " " " " Vulcans . " " " " There are those on the High Command who wonder what Humans would achieve in the century to come , and they don ' t like the answer . " " " " We ' re not the Klingons . We only want to be your partners , to do what the nations of Earth have learned to do : to work together in common cause . " " " " This is a most enjoyable sport – reminiscent of Octran fertility contests . . . except we ' re fully clothed , which is probably for the best ! " " " " Sounds like that Klingon Opera Hoshi made us listen to . " " " " You have Porthos . " " " " Porthos doesn ' t try and eat me when I ' m late with his dinner . " " " " Vulcan children are never late with their sehlat ' s dinner . " " " " Vulcans do not lie . " " " " I ' ve dealt with the High Command . Vulcans can lie and cheat with the best of them . " " " " I don ' t know if this has ever been attempted with a Human before . " " " " I ' m good for a few more days . " " " " Captain , you ' re not Vulcan . " " " " A witness ? " " " " The guard recognized the person who brought in the bomb we found in the rubble . . . " " " " The Syrranite woman - T ' Pau . . . " " " " No . . . it was " you ! " Links and references . References . Andoria ; Andorian ; basketball ; battery ; candle ; coffin ; coma ; dampening field ; dissident ; DNA ; domestication ; Earth ; Earth Starfleet ; emergency transporter lock ; Gateway ; geomagnetic interference ; gravity switch ; IDIC ; inner eyelid ; junction room ; " katra " ; katric ark ; Kiri - kin - tha ; Klingon opera ; Klingon ; meditation lamp ; metaphysics ; meter ; morgue ; Mount Seleya ; ; P ' Jem ; Plain of Blood ; Porthos ; retinal imaging scan ; sandfire storm ; secondary security bank ; sehlat ; standard year ; Starfleet Command ; sunglasses ; Surak ; surveillance recorder ; Syrrannite ; Tellarite ; telomere ; Time of Awakening ; T ' Karath Sanctuary ; ; T ' Pol ' s sehlat ; United Earth Diplomatic Corps ; United Earth Embassy ; Vulcan ' s Forge ; Vulcan Genome Registry ; Vulcan ; ; Vulcan High Command ; Vulcan mind meld ; Vulcan Security Directorate ; zealot