First 'Sleeping Dogs' Plot Details

See Also: 'Shadows of P'Jem' Episode Guide

Klingon warriors and Orion Whiskey will turn out to be an unlucky combination for the crew of the NX-01 in one of the first Enterprise episodes during next year's February sweeps.

Sources were able to provide some early plot information on 'Sleeping Dogs,' an episode of which previously only the title was known. As it turns out, the episode will feature Captain Archer's third encounter with the Klingon Empire, following 'Broken Bow' and 'Unexpected'. But this time, the Enterprise won't have to face a far stronger Bird-of-Prey.

Instead, 'Sleeping Dogs' will see the Enterprise encountering a Klingon Raptor-class scout ship drifting through the outer layers of a gas giant. Archer decides to board the ship, and discovers that all the Klingons aboard are unconscious, infected by a virus.

Archer decides to try and help the Klingons, but he is hindered every step of the way in this by the only Klingon who managed to avoid being infected by the virus: the ship's cook, a woman named Bu'kaH. She is the embodiment of Klingon paranoia, deeply mistrusting Archer and accusing him of being the one who infected the crew with a toxin. While she is brought back to the Enterprise, she does manage to trap Trip, Reed and Hoshi aboard the Klingon ship before that.

This adds an extra sense of urgency to Archer's mission to find a solution, as the three Enterprise crew members begin to suffer from the virus as well, and the Raptor itself is sinking further and further away into the gas giant. But the three also help to uncover the reason the Klingon ship was infected, when they discover how to play the ship's logs. On the monitor, they see the Klingon captain tell of a battle the ship won at an Orion trading outpost, followed by a recording of a victory celebration where the Bloodwine and Orion Whiskey flowed liberally.

This gives Phlox a clue, and he discovers that the virus was spread through alcohol - the Klingons were deliberately effected by the Orions. Phlox manages to synthesise an anditodte, and applies it to Bu'Kah, who has also begun to fall ill. She is still suspicious of Archer, but with great difficulty T'Pol manages to persuade her to give them the information necessary to get the antidote to the Klingon ship and cure the unconscious warriors.

As the episode concludes, the now-revived Klingon captain shows his 'gratitude' to Archer by agreeing not to blow the Enterprise out of space right now, but still advises him to get the hell out of there before the Klingon Birds-of-Prey arrive who have been sent to do exactly that. As the Enterprise flies away, we move to the decon chamber, where Trip, Reed and Hoshi are relaxing in this clean, safe environment, and letting all the the stress from the past few days slide off them...

More information about 'Sleeping Dogs' can be found here in the Trek Nation Episode Guide. Please note that our source was able to provide information based only on part of the script, and elements of the story may still change before the final broadcast. Also please be aware that Paramount has released no official information on 'Sleeping Dogs' yet, and therefore this should be treated as you would any rumour.

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