Breaking the Ice (Star Trek: Enterprise)

Enterprise is investigating a comet, and Sub-Commander T'Pol learns that the comet contains eisilium, a rare mineral which Vulcan chemists have not previously studied in detail. An away team consisting of Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Mayweather is sent to collect samples. Meanwhile, a Vulcan starship, Ti'Mur, under Captain Vanik suddenly appears and, after Captain Archer suggests parties from each ship study the comet, Captain Vanik stated his members would just prefer to "observe." Captain Archer is not happy about Vulcans looking over his shoulders but, in the interest of cooperation, he agrees.

The Vulcans then send an encrypted message to T'Pol, which Commander Tucker intercepts, and Archer orders Ensign Sato to decrypt. Tucker is the only one to actually read it, and learns that it is not a message about Enterprise, but learns that it regards her arranged marriage – a personal item that no one else on Enterprise is aware of. Tucker apologizes to T'Pol for having read her message. She asks him to keep the contents of the letter confidential. Later, she confesses to Doctor Phlox that she has been having trouble sleeping, and he suggests that it might help if she confide in someone. She decides to consult Tucker, who does not share her views on Vulcan culture and customs, or even that she must leave – pointing out that her seeking advice shows that she is open to choice over tradition. Eventually, she decides to forgo her Vulcan traditions and fulfill her duties aboard Enterprise.

Archer decides to "break the ice" between their races and invites Captain Vanik for dinner aboard Enterprise. It is not successful, however, as the Vulcan is unresponsive and dismissive regarding human behavior. Archer concludes the meal by accusing the Vulcan of spying on Enterprise and then asks him to leave. Afterwards, Archer notes that an explosion on the surface of the comet has altered the comet's rotational axis. When the sun rises, Mayweather and Reed begin to have difficulties as the ice begins to crack. They attempt to use the shuttlepod to leave, but it falls into a chasm. Archer eventually swallows his pride and negative feelings toward Vulcans by allowing Vanik to help rescue the shuttlepod.

A revised version of the script was submitted two days after the final draft, on 31 August 2001. Previously the script referred to the Vulcan ship as being of the "Surak class", the revised final draft categorised the type of ship as "Suurok class". This is the first episode of Star Trek: Enterprise which did not have Rick Berman or Brannon Braga writing the episode or its story, according to the credits of this instalment and the previous episodes in the series. However, Braga once referred to the idea of depicting people walking on a comet as an ambitious challenge that came about as a result of him continually trying to push the limits of what the series' creative staff could do.[1]

The incidents on the comet's surface in the last section of the episode depend on events that would be impossible on the surface of any comet or asteroid. The spacecraft would not have been damaged by slipping down the chasm. Travis could not have hurt himself by slipping or had difficulty limping back to the spacecraft since the gravity level on a comet is too low for the forces shown in the story which presume the operation of much stronger effects as on Earth.

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