Dear Doctor

"Dear Doctor"
Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Episode no.	Episode 12
Directed by	James A. Contner
Written by	Maria Jacquemetton Andre Jacquemetton
Produced by	Dawn Valazquez
Production code	113
Original air date	January 23, 2002
Guest stars
Kellie Waymire David A. Kimball Chris Rydell Karl Wiedergott Alex Nevil
Episode chronology
← Previous "Silent Enemy" Next → "Sleeping Dogs"
List of Star Trek: Enterprise episodes

For the Rolling Stones song, see Dear Doctor (song). For the Japanese film, see Dear Doctor (film).

"Dear Doctor" is the twelfth episode (production #113) of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. Wherein Dr. Phlox faces a serious dilemma as a dying race begs for help from Enterprise.

Plot

An episode centred around Dr. Phlox, told in the form of a letter to Dr. Loukas, his partner on the Interspecies Medical Exchange. The subplots explore Phlox's interactions with the crew, especially Ensign Cutler, who has a romantic interest in him.

The Enterprise comes across a Valakian shuttlecraft, drifting in space. In Sickbay, Phlox revives the Valakian astronaut, who explains that he is searching for someone who can cure a devastating illness on his planet. When they arrive at the planet, they are met by Esaak, the Valakian director of a clinic, and Larr, a Menk orderly. Whilst Phlox is explaining a method to slow down the symptoms, Hoshi discovers that the Menk are a lesser-evolved species than the Valakians and haven't caught the disease.

Phlox discovers that the Valakian illness is genetic, and they will be extinct in less than two centuries. He also believes that the answer to a cure may lie in the Menk. Upon further investigation, he finds that the Valakians have been stifling the Menk and underestimating their abilities. Archer, meanwhile, is debating whether to provide the Valakians with Warp technology, ultimately deciding against it.

Phlox figures out that the illness is because the Valakian's gene pool has reached a "dead end" and that the Menk are undergoing an 'awakening process'. He has found a cure, but does not believe it would be ethical to administer. Archer ruminates on how a directive would be helpful, and provides the Valakians with medicine that will diminish the symptoms for a decade.

External links

• Dear Doctor at the Internet Movie Database
• "Dear Doctor" at TV.com
• Dear Doctor at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Dear Doctor at StarTrek.com
• Opinionated Enterprise Episode Guide: Dear Doctor