The Communicator ( episode ) During an investigation of a pre - warp alien planet , Reed accidentally leaves his communicator behind . When he returns with Archer to get the piece of technology , they are captured by soldiers who accuse them of being enemy spies . Summary . Teaser . Jonathan Archer , Malcolm Reed , and Hoshi Sato are back from a thrilling away mission in a pre - warp civilization . In decon , the crew takes off their prosthetics , and Reed suggests writing the report to Starfleet since it ' s his first time . Unfortunately , as Reed removes his gear , he realizes that he has lost his communicator . Act One . The three look everywhere in the room , the launch bay and in the – it ' s definitely on the planet . Reed knows he used it at the beginning of the mission , but not at any other point . Sato suggests using the ship ' s scanners , and , indeed , she pinpoints it to a few buildings and they recognize the area . T ' Pol stresses the importance of not contaminating a pre - warp culture , and Archer decides to head down with Reed to retrieve the communicator hoping it hasn ' t been found by someone else . During , Reed punishes himself but Archer notes it was just an accident . At the tavern they had been before , they sit at the same table and are approached by the same bartender . He remembers them , and T ' Pol , and suggests a certain food . They accept it so that he goes , but he discretely informs three people at another table that they are suspicious . Indeed , Reed tries to keep discrete in using a scanner , and finds the communicator in a room , obviously because someone found it . They go there , but it ' s locked and they need to wait for them to come out . However , this is the time that the three people get up and confront them . Archer starts a fight , but the two are soon subdued and brought in the back . There , they find it was a trap set by the local military and are questioned . This time , a lot of technology is found on them , including a phase - pistol and scanners . The leader there , Pell , orders a message to a general named Gosis , believing he has found two enemy spies for an enemy faction called the . Act Two . Tucker gets frustrated , and thinks something is wrong . T ' Pol agrees and sees the need to risk detection by hailing them . They don ' t respond , and Sato sees that they are a good deal away from the tavern . T ' Pol orders Sato to isolate their bio - signs as best she can . Archer and Reed have been brought to a detention center . Reed is further despondent on furthering the damage they ' ve done . He considers telling them the truth , since their current belief is pretty dangerous . The man they met before comes to bring them to an interrogation by Gosis . It appears that he heard T ' Pol ' s hail , and asks which of the two is " the captain . " Archer answers it , and that they are not from the military , but no questions about the devices . Gosis suggests they were there to assassinate chancellor Kultarey . While interrogating them , Archer is hit twice to the head , which damages the prosthetic and cuts him . When they see that their blood is red , Gosis orders they be taken to a doctor named Temec for a full examination . On " Enterprise " , Sato identifies the compound the two are at and a plan is made to rescue the captain and Reed . suggests using a to rescue them , but says that he will need a little time to get the cloak ing device working . T ' Pol agrees , and has Sato monitor communications in the meantime . While they try to identify the operation of the cloaking device , however , Tucker has a little accident in the process , and his forearm becomes cloaked . Act Three . Phlox tries to scan Tucker , but he can ' t get any information through the cloak . Tucker feels fine , just a little tingly . Phlox can only guess that he got a " long - term " dosage of whatever radiation the technology uses , and it will eventually regenerate on its own . He ' ll try scanning again in an hour . He brings him a glove and recommends a fresh uniform to work with . On the planet , Gosis confronts Archer and Reed again , now with disturbing information that their internal organs are very different from their own . Furthermore , their surveillance has captured a picture of their shuttle and found it traveling at very high speed . Archer and Reed manage to explain their situation without going out of the local social context ; they are spies , genetically enhanced prototypes and equipped with prototype devices as well . Gosis can ' t believe it , and has them taken back to the cell . Following that , Temec notes it ' s plausible and suggests killing them to study their enhanced organs in more detail . Mayweather and Tucker continue to work on the cell ship , with only steady progress . When she learns of the execution plan , T ' Pol decides to rush things a little and Trip has to finish his work on the cloak on their way to the planet . Meanwhile , back in their cell , Archer and Malcolm discuss the implications of their actions . Archer notes that T ' Pol will certainly be able to retrieve the technology and their bodies when they are dead . The two briefly entertain the idea of telling the truth , but Archer concludes that it is the wrong choice , even at the expense of their lives . Reed assures Archer he isn ' t afraid to die , but also expects a rescue at any moment . Act Four . T ' Pol , Mayweather and Tucker launch and are intercepted by three local aircraft when the warp power fails with transfer of power to weapon s , apparently an automatic action by the ship . Mayweather does his best to steady the ship as Tucker fixes the problem and the ship cloaks again . Meanwhile , Archer and Reed are taken to the hanging platform . Archer tries to plead for Reed ' s life , saying they don ' t need to kill them both , but Gosis doesn ' t respond and they ' re both taken up . They have the noose around their necks as everyone hears , but not sees , a ship descending . Tucker and T ' Pol jump out , stunning several of the aliens and , through the firefight , are able to untie their crew . However , Archer must go back to get their equipment . He successfully does so , as their weapons easily subdue most of the aliens . Archer finally joins the crew in the cell ship and they take off . Only Gosis stands now , in disbelief at what he is seeing . Back on the " Enterprise " , Archer and T ' Pol have a conversation about the recent events in which they both conclude that they contaminated the civilization no matter what they tried , making the faction they had contact with believe that their enemies were far more advanced than they were . T ' Pol also informs the captain she would not have expected them to sacrifice their lives to protect the inhabitants of the planet , suggesting that she is impressed by Archer ' s selflessness . Memorable quotes . " " My communicator . . . " " " " What about it ? " " " " It ' s gone . " " " " Captain , my carelessness was inexcusable . I ' m prepared for whatever reprimand you feel is appropriate . " " " " How about thirty years in the brig , or maybe a good flogging ? " " " " Sir . " " " " It was an accident , Malcolm . It could have happened to any of us . " " " " You won ' t be seeing your friends in The Alliance for a long time . " " " " We came down to retrieve my communicator . Now , we ' ve lost two of them . Not to mention my phase - pistol " and " a pair of scanners ! " " " " Visitors from another world ? There ' s no way to know how they ' d react . " " " " Someone calling herself T ' Pol seemed very concerned about her captain ' s well - being . " " " " You ' ve been surgically altered ! " " " " General , his blood - it ' s " red . " " " " " Guard towers , gun emplacements - it ' s not a hotel . " " " " Are you all right ? " " " " Ugh . Just got the wind knocked out of me a bit . " " " " Maybe a little more than that . . . " " " " Can you , uh , move your fingers ? " " ( Moves his invisible hand ) " " How ' s that ? " " " " You tell me . " " " " I ran every imaginable test . If I were to extract the organs , I could study them in more detail . " " " " You ' ll be in charge of the execution . I ' ll inform the prisoners . " " " " It might be helpful on movie night if you bring a date . . . " ( Tucker looks at him ) " In case you wanna steal some popcorn ! " " " " You don ' t have to leave technology behind to contaminate a culture . " " " " Dr . Temec has a theory about where you come from . I found it hard to believe until I saw this ; it was taken by one of our reconnaissance pilots early this morning . He said the craft was traveling at very high speed . " " " " None of the other planets in our system is capable of supporting life . Where do you come from ? " " " " Our scientists tell me it ' s unlikely a craft of this size could have traveled from another star system . They suspect a larger craft must be nearby , perhaps even orbiting our planet . TELL ME YOUR ORDERS ! Have you made contact with The Alliance ? " " Links and references . References . Allakas malt ; ; avian lifeform ; Battle of Britain ; biological weapon ; blood ; bloodhound ; blue giant ; car ; carrier wave ; chemical weapon ; ; city block ; cloaking device ; communicator ; computing instrument ; cultural contamination ; deformity ; diffraction relay ; district ; Earth ; Epsom salt ; flogging ; floor plating ; gallows ; genetic engineering ; Gosis ' species ; Gosis ' species homeworld ; gymnasium ; hemoglobin ; hotel ; immune system ; internal organ ; iron ; kidney ; kilometer ; Klaang ; Kultarey ; lung ; liver ; magician ; missing in action ; polarized hull plating ; pre - warp ; propaganda ; scar tissue ; " " ; " Shuttlepod 2 " ; Suliban ; Suliban cell ship ( spherical ) ; Suliban helix ; tavern ; thoracic vertebra ; train ; Vulcan ; World War II ; X - ray External links .