Enterprise Flashback: Dear Doctor

In the first season of Enterprise, John Billingsley's portrayal as Phlox quickly emerged as one of the stronger elements of the show. But it was used in relative moderation until the mid-season episode "Dear Doctor."

In a series of letters, Doctor Phlox relates life on the Enterprise back to a former colleague on Earth. What begins as a somewhat mundane account of the day-to-day turns more dire when Enterprise arrives at a planet with two sentient species. The more dominant species is in decline due to a global pandemic, and the question of whether to help -- at the expense of the more oppressed species -- weighs heavily on Archer and his crew.

The classic "epistolary novel" -- a story told through written letters -- is such an enduring narrative convention that it persisted even into television. Many series have done their version. Star Trek: The Next Generation did a particularly memorable one in "Data's Day," and while that wasn't among the very best episodes of that series, I feel it does cast something of a shadow that any subsequent Star Trek needs to work to get clear of. Like "Data's Day," "Dear Doctor" benefits from focusing on the fan favorite "outsider" character of its series. And as I said in my intro, John Billingsley is a strong performer, who here rises to the occasion when put at the center of the episode.

The story features a strong moral dilemma, that's ultimately all about the Prime Directive even if the actual tenet of "non-interference" doesn't yet have a name in this prequel series. Is it right to allow nature to take its course when you have the power to intervene? Is it one thing to "intervene" for yourself and another to intervene for somebody else? When you begin to examine the entire realm of information that might inform your decision, how far do you take that inquiry? This episode does a good job of putting all that into question, while still making the fact that lives are at stake feel more centered in the drama.

If anything, it's possible that these elements of the episode play more strongly today than they did when this episode was brand new. Over 20+ years, people have grown more cognizant about oppression, and can sympathize more with the plight of the second alien species in this episode. But also, we've gone through a global pandemic of our own, making the situation that the first alien species faces feel more immediate and personal. (Indeed, it seems wild that none of the doctors on this planet are taking any kind of PPE precautions as they work with patients.)

And yet, this foundational Star Trek ethical construction has to share space in this episode with Phlox's letter-writing framing device. And for me, that simply does not work at all. Phlox makes his position abundantly clear to Archer in dialogue; we really don't gain much by having him pre-state it in a letter to a character we've never met. (Data, in his episode, at least wrote to someone we had.)

Moreover, there's simply too much "cutesy" information about Phlox in this episode. He eats bugs -- the same ones he feeds his menagerie of Sickbay critters. Like all dentists, he's determined to engage you in conversation while stuffing tools into your mouth so you can't talk. His culture is polyamorous, and he specifically is married. His species also hibernates. It's all fun stuff to put in a "learn more about Phlox" episode -- yet the breezy tone clashes with the serious A plot. Each half of this episode really strains against the fact that the other half has a different narrative agenda.

But Billingsley is good (as ever) as Phlox, and there are some fun moments for other characters too. The movie For Whom the Bell Tolls makes Trip cry. T'Pol hates getting dental work as much as anyone. That's if you like the lighter part of the episode. If you're here more for the heavier part, then you see Archer having to experience the "shoe on the other foot," as he comes to appreciate the position of the Vulcans, judging whether a species is ready to handle warp travel. But again -- these two aspects of the episode really aren't playing well off each other.

Other observations:

• Phlox actually has to hit a switch to turn on the lights in Sickbay; no voice commands. Technology is always outstripping writers' ability to conceive of what's possible, of course. And yet, I'm pretty sure motion-activated lights were a thing even when this episode was created.

• The aliens in this episode have met the Ferengi. Put a pin in that for later in the season.
  

• Hoshi talks to Phlox in his own language... and makes quite a few mistakes. Now sure, credit for this being like her 30th language when I'm not even fluent in a second. Still, I have to ask: is Denobulan an especially complicated language, or does Hoshi make this many mistakes in all the languages she speaks? 

I think there are two very good episodes here: an examination of the best character on the show, and a great moral parable. But stuffing them in one episode is not a peanut-butter-and-chocolate situation; the two things do not go well together. I think the two halves of "Dear Doctor" drag each other down a bit, rendering the whole a B.