040 - Stigma

2152: Mentre l'Enterprise è in visita in un pianeta in cui si sta tenendo una conferenza dell'Interspecies Medical Exchange, Phlox tenta di ottenere dalla delegazione vulcaniana il permesso di compiere una ricerca su una malattia terminale, senza però rivelare che T'Pol è stata colpita da questa malattia.

In questo episodio...

• All'inizio appare la scritta «In memory of the Columbia crew. You will always be an inspiration» per ricordare i sette astronauti morti nell'incidente del Columbia il 1 febbraio 2003.
• Viene diagnosticata a T'Pol la sindrome di Pa'nar, contratta l'anno precedente.
• Vediamo Feezal, una delle tre mogli di Phlox.
• Viene installato in infermeria un microscopio a neutroni, anche se hanno dato a Tucker le istruzioni in denobulano.
• Viene proiettato il film The Black Cat, con Boris Carloff e Bela Lugosi.
• Si sente parlare in denobulano.

Note

• Questo episodio e Dawn hanno avuto alcuni giorni in comune nelle riprese di alcune scene.
• La storia di questo episodio è stato il contributo della serie alla campagna della Viacom per la consapevolezza dell'AIDS. Al termine della prima programmazione di questo episodio è stato trasmesso un breve annuncio con le modalità per reperire più informazioni sulla malattia.
• Le scritte aliene che si vedono sulle pareti dell'edificio in cui si svolge la conferenza dell'Interspecies Medical Exchange sono sospettosamente simili alle scritte dei Vidiiani.

YATI

• Un Vulcaniano dice: «We take great pride in our ability to contain emotions». Peccato che l'orgoglio (pride) sia un'emozione.

Versione italiana

• In occasione della prima trasmissione in Italia, questo episodio è stato trasmesso senza i titoli di coda ed è stato unito a Cease Fire. Tra i due episodi, oltre la pausa pubblicitaria è stato trasmesso un breve stacco che mostra l'Enterprise mentre entra in curvatura e il logo «Star Trek Enterprise» accompagnati da un jingle tratto dalla sigla di apertura.
• La versione italiana di «melders» è «mentali».

Premi

• Nomination al premio SHINE del Media Project nel 2003. Il premio si propone di riconoscere chi, nell'industria dello spettacolo, lavora in modo esemplare incorporando una visione onesta ed accurata della sessualità.

Citazioni

Yuris: There's more intolerance today than there was one thousand years ago. It has to stop.
T'Pol: Why jeopardize your career to help someone you despise.
Yuris: If I despised you, I'd be despising myself. I'm part of the minority. [T:22:29]

T'Pol: We don't condone the... intimate acts that these people engage in. They defy everything our society stands for.
Archer: Intimate acts. You're talking about mind-melds.
T'Pol: We take great pride in our ability to contain emotions. Sharing them is offensive.

Archer: Tell them what happened. They won't do a thing to you once they know it was involuntary, that he did it against your will!
T'Pol: I won't do that.
Archer: Why the hell not!
T'Pol: I have Pa'nar syndrome. Does it make a difference how I contracted it?
Archer: It makes a lot of difference! You're not a member of this minority. He forced himself on you. You said it yourself.
Phlox: He's right, T'Pol. We should tell them
T'Pol: He's not right. If I use that as a defenses away to keep for being taking off Enterprise I'll be condoning that prejudice, and in the process... every member of the minority. I won't do that. [T:28:23]

Archer: You can't dismiss someone just because you don't agree with the way they conduct their personal lives.
Oratt: I am not dismissing T'Pol. I'm simply returning her to Vulcan. The High Command will decide whether she is fit for duty.
Archer: Fit! You're saying a single mind meld is enough to destroy her career? Or it is that she contracted the disease? That's why you're so hesitant to find a cure, isn't it? Why bother to help people you don't approve of.
Oratt: I'm sorry you don't understand the complexities of our culture, Captain. [T:29:47]

Oratt: The accusation against T'Pol stands. It's not open for debate.
Archer: Where I came from, everything is open for debate. And If I read these protocols correctly, so is the accusation you made against my Science Officer.
Oratt: You're wasting your time.
Archer: It's mine to waste! [T:30:56]

Tucker: She's trying to... She's, she's, um... making advances, if you know what I mean?
Phlox: Sexual advances?
Tucker: I'm afraid so.
Phlox: Has she offered to give you a rose petal bath?
Tucker: No, no, nothing like that.
Phlox: Oh, any man would be a fool to ignore the romantic offers of a healthy Denobulan woman. Don't you find her attractive?
Tucker: Oh, ah, sure! I mean, no: it's your wife!
Phlox: What has that to do with it?
Tucker: She's your wife?
Phlox: Oh, nonsense, nonsense! You're too concerned with human morality! I thought you wanted to learn about new cultures, isn't that why you joined Starfleet?
Tucker: Why, of course it is! But I was brought up believing you don't play around with another man's wife! I don't think I'm ever gonna change my mind about that.
Phlox: As you wish. Your loss... [T:33.49]

Tucker: «You Humans are too... volatile, too... irrational, too narrow-minded.» That's what I heard for years from every Vulcan I met. But we don't hold a candle to you, when it comes to narrow-minded.

Phlox: Commander Tucker assures me he'll keep your wonderful microscope in perfect running order.
Feezal: As his doctor I hope you'll keep Commander Tucker in perfect running order. Perhaps that will motivate me to visit more often.
Phlox: It's a shame you two didn't get to know each other better.
Tucker: Well... I've got to get back to my warp engine. The plasma is running a little hot.
Feezal: I know how it feels!
Tucker: Pleasure meeting you.
Phlox: Humans! [T:39:36]