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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox television episode
| image =
| caption = 
| series = [[Star Trek: Enterprise]]
| season = 3
| episode = 18
| production = 318
| airdate = {{Start date|2004|03|03}}
| story = 
* [[Rick Berman]]
* [[Brannon Braga]]
* [[Manny Coto]]
| teleplay = [[Manny Coto]]
| director = [[Allan Kroeker]]
| music = [[Jay Chattaway]]
| guests = 
* [[Matt Winston]] as Temporal Agent [[Daniels (Star Trek)|Daniels]]
* [[Randy Oglesby]] as [[Degra]]
* [[Scott MacDonald (actor)|Scott MacDonald]] as Commander [[Dolim]]
* [[Tucker Smallwood]] as [[Mallora|Xindi-Primate Councilor]]
* [[Rick Worthy]] as [[Jannar]]
* Christopher Goodman - Thalen<ref name="radiotimes">{{cite news |title=Star Trek: Enterprise Series 3 - 18. Azati Prime |newspaper=Radio Times |url-status=dead |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/8p2b/star-trek-enterprise--series-3---18-azati-prime |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123002554/http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/8p2b/star-trek-enterprise--series-3---18-azati-prime |archive-date=November 23, 2012 |access-date=April 1, 2021 }}</ref>
| prev = [[Hatchery (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Hatchery]]
| next = [[Damage (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Damage]]
| episode_list = List of Star Trek: Enterprise episodes
| season_article = Star Trek: Enterprise season 3
}}
"'''Azati Prime'''" is the eighteenth episode of the [[Star Trek: Enterprise season 3|third season]] of the American science fiction television series ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'', the 70th overall. The episode aired on [[UPN]] on March 3, 2004. The episode was written by [[Manny Coto]] from a story developed by Coto, [[Rick Berman]] and [[Brannon Braga]]. It was directed by [[Allan Kroeker]], his second of the season. The episode featured several guest actors, including those playing members of the [[Xindi Council]], as well as [[Matt Winston]] who reprised his role of Temporal Agent [[Daniels (Star Trek)|Daniels]] for the second time this season.

Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first [[Starfleet]] starship ''[[Enterprise (NX-01)|Enterprise]]'', registration NX-01. Season three of ''Enterprise'' features an ongoing story following an attack on Earth by previously unknown aliens called the [[Xindi (Star Trek)|Xindi]]. In this episode, the crew track a Xindi superweapon down to a planet and Captain [[Jonathan Archer]] ([[Scott Bakula]]) seeks to destroy the weapon in a suicide attack. He is captured, and the ''Enterprise'' is seriously damaged after an attack by four Xindi vessels.

The USS ''[[Starship Enterprise#Alternate Timelines|Enterprise]]''-J appeared in this episode, based on designs by [[Doug Drexler]]. The ship was from 400 years in the future from the timeframe that the series is set in, and the bridge set was created mostly using [[green screen]]. [[John Eaves]] also created several designs of aquatic Xindi vessels for this episode. "Azati Prime" received [[Nielsen ratings]] of 2.6/4 percent. Critical reaction was mostly positive, with praise directed at the pacing of the episode and the plotting of the overall arc.

==Plot==
''Enterprise'' approaches Azati Prime where the Xindi are constructing their super weapon. Captain [[Jonathan Archer|Archer]] sends Commander [[Trip Tucker|Tucker]] and Ensign [[Mayweather]] on board the Xindi shuttle they had captured, to investigate the planet. Working their way past security, they approach the weapon, which is being built underwater. Archer orders ''Enterprise'' to destroy a Xindi detection facility on the planet's moon to prevent it from signalling the ship's presence. The shuttle returns with scans of the weapon and Archer decides to pilot a suicide mission to destroy it. The crew try to talk him out of it but he is resolute.

Archer then finds himself 400 years in the future on board the USS ''[[Starship Enterprise#Alternate Timelines|Enterprise]]''-J, alongside Temporal Agent [[Daniels (Star Trek)|Daniels]]. They are at the battle where the [[Xindi (Star Trek)#Sphere Builders|Sphere Builders]] {{Efn|the alien species first seen in episode "[[Harbinger (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Harbinger]]"}} are defeated by the Federation, preventing an invasion. The builders have the technology to view alternate timelines, and have been manipulating the Xindi to prevent the Federation from forming. Daniels gives Archer an initiation medal from a Xindi who had joined [[Starfleet]] as temporal evidence. Back on his ''Enterprise'', Archer rejects the notion of a Human–Xindi [[détente]] and leaves on the shuttle. He arrives at the super weapon construction site but finds the weapon is gone, and is rapidly captured by the Xindi Commander [[Dolim]].

The Reptilians begin to interrogate Archer, who then asks to speak to [[Degra]], the Primate scientist from episode [[Stratagem (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Stratagem]]. Using Daniels' medal, Archer tries to convince Degra that the Reptilians cannot be trusted but Dolim arrives with armed colleagues and takes the [[Xindi (Star Trek)#Xindi-Primates|Primates]] away. Sub-Commander [[T'Pol]], in command of ''Enterprise'', displays signs of an emotional breakdown. She also decides to go on a mission, to negotiate a peace and reacts angrily when Tucker tries to stop her. An attack from four Xindi ships follows, and the episode concludes with a [[cliffhanger]], as ''Enterprise'' is left severely damaged.

==Production==
"Azati Prime" was the first episode of ''Enterprise'' to be filmed in 2004, starting on January 5. Filming took eight days, concluding on January 14. The eighth day overlapped with the production of the following episode, "[[Damage (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Damage]]". The story was developed by [[Manny Coto]] alongside [[Rick Berman]] and [[Brannon Braga]]. Coto developed it into a script, his third of the series. The director of the episode was [[Allan Kroeker]], who also directed "[[The Xindi]]" earlier in the season as well as the final episodes of both ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''.<ref name=prodreport>{{cite web|title=Production Report: Kroeker Directs Pivotal "Azati Prime"|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/ENT/article/4189.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040407221759/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/ENT/article/4189.html|archive-date=April 7, 2004|publisher=Star Trek.com|date=January 15, 2004|access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref> The episode featured a number of guest stars, including Smallwood, Oglesby, MacDonald and Worthy, who appeared in their recurring roles on the Xindi council. Winston appeared as Daniels for the second time during season three,<ref name="prodreport"/> having made his debut in season one's "[[Cold Front (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Cold Front]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=Cold Front|url=http://www.startrek.com/database_article/cold-front|publisher=Star Trek.com|access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref>

The Xindi shuttle set had been constructed for "[[Hatchery (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Hatchery]]", while a new set was constructed for the bridge of the ''Enterprise''-J, which consisted mostly of a [[green screen]].<ref name=prodreport/> The future ''Enterprise'' was designed by [[Doug Drexler]], who drew the first design only two days prior to the production meeting for the episode. The computer generated model was created in a few hours, and Drexler later said that they would have finished it differently.<ref>{{cite web|last=Drexler|first=Doug|title=Enterprise J Sketchbook|url=http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/enterprise-j-sketchbook/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126214009/http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/enterprise-j-sketchbook/|archive-date=January 26, 2013|publisher=The Drex Files|date=June 27, 2010|access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref> He imagined that the vessel was so large that there would be universities and entire parks on board, with the [[Elevator|turbolifts]] replaced by short range [[Transporter (Star Trek)|transporters]]. More than one design was created, with the final version created with elements from different designs.<ref name=search>{{cite web|last=Drexler|first=Doug|title=Enterprise J Search|url=http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/enterprise-j-search/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117224511/http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/enterprise-j-search/|archive-date=November 17, 2011 |publisher=The Drex Files|date=February 16, 2009|access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref> One of the elements incorporated into the version seen on screen was a reduction in the size of the warp nacelle supports as Drexler said that he did not like that they had increased in size.<ref>{{cite web|last=Drexler|first=Doug|title=Enterprise J Search Redux|url=http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/enterprise-j-search-redux/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126213941/http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/enterprise-j-search-redux/|archive-date=January 26, 2013|date=March 29, 2009|publisher=The Drex Files|access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref> [[John Eaves]] also created a number of designs for aquatic Xindi vessels for use in the episode, as well as a rejected design for the superweapon.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eaves|first=John|title=Azati Prime Episode #70|url=http://johneaves.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/azeti-prime-episode-70/|publisher=Eavesdropping|date=August 5, 2009|access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref>

==Reception==
"Azati Prime" was first aired in the United States on [[UPN]] on March 3, 2004. It received a 2.6/4 percent share among adults. This means that it was seen by 2.6 percent of all households, and four percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. ''Enterprise'' was the sixth most watched program in the time slot, behind ''[[Smallville]]'' on [[The WB]].<ref name=ratings>{{cite web |title=Wednesday's Ratings 'Kingdom' Split Three Ways |url=http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,272_617%7C86707%7C1%7C,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050418071601/http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1%2C1002%2C272_617%7C86707%7C1%7C%2C00.html |publisher=Zap2it |archive-date=April 18, 2005 |date=March 4, 2004 |access-date=September 28, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was estimated that "Azati Prime" was watched by 4.02 million viewers, which was less than recent episodes had received.<ref>{{cite web |last=Krutzler |first=Steve |title="Azati Prime" Regains Some Ground, Sweeps Round-up Shows ENT Held Steady in Ratings |url=http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=404756a8a1232 |publisher=TrekWeb |date=March 4, 2004 |access-date=September 28, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051205130247/http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=404756a8a1232 |archive-date=December 5, 2005 |df=mdy }}</ref>

Michelle Erica Green of [[TrekNation]] compared elements of the episode to the ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise, such as the Xindi super-weapon standing in for the [[Death Star]]. She found the pacing made the episode "engrossing" and thought that the action sequences would qualify it for technical [[Emmy Awards]]. She said that the one flaw in the episode was the characterization of Archer and T'Pol, as she felt that some of their actions were implausible.<ref name="greenreview">{{cite web |date=March 4, 2004 |last=Green |first=Michelle Erica |title=Azati Prime |url=http://www.trektoday.com/reviews/enterprise/azati_prime.shtml |publisher=[[TrekNation]] |access-date=September 28, 2013 }}</ref> Jamahl Epsicokhan on his website ''[[Jammer's Reviews]]'', gave "Azati Prime" a rating of three and a half out of four. He thought it was compelling and was impressed with how elements of earlier episodes were brought together, also saying that it was "possibly the most entertaining episode of ''Enterprise'' yet this season".<ref>{{cite web |last=Epsicokhan |first=Jamahl|title=Star Trek: Enterprise "Azati Prime"|url=http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/azati.php |publisher=[[Jammer's Reviews]] |access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref> ''[[Aint It Cool News]]'' gave the episode a rating of 3.5 out of five, and generally praised the episode, but complained that Archer found himself in a prison cell yet again.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 3, 2004 |author=Hercules Strong |title=Hercules Has Seen The Last STAR TREK Of Sweeps!! |url=http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/17109 |website=[[Aint It Cool News]] }}</ref> Film and television critic [[Jordan Hoffman]] gave the episode four out of five, and said that the Xindi story-line was reaching a peak.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Jordan |author-link=Jordan Hoffman |date=October 31, 2010 |title=Azati Prime, ENT 3 |url=http://jordanhoffman.com/2010/10/31/azati-prime-ent-3/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212203038/http://jordanhoffman.com/2010/10/31/azati-prime-ent-3/ |archive-date=December 12, 2013 |access-date=September 28, 2013 |publisher=JordanHoffman.com}}</ref>

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James Gray writing for ''The Digital Fix'' said "Azati Prime" was probably the best episode in the series yet, and had the best space battle scene of all ''Star Trek'' television and movies up to that time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-10-22 |author=James Gray |title=Star Trek: Enterprise Season Three Review {{!}} DVD Video Review |url=https://www.thedigitalfix.com/film/dvd-video-review/star-trek-enterprise-season-three/ |website=The Digital Fix |access-date=2021-04-22 }}</ref> ''[[Io9]]'' ranked the spacecraft design shown in this episode, the ''[[Enterprise-J]]'', as the eleventh best version of the starship ''Enterprise'' in the ''Star Trek'' franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/all-11-versions-of-the-u-s-s-enterprise-ranked-1823170805 |title=All 11 Versions of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Ranked |last=Whitbrook |first=James |website=io9 |date=February 21, 2018 |access-date=2019-07-09 |archive-date=July 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709231459/https://io9.gizmodo.com/all-11-versions-of-the-u-s-s-enterprise-ranked-1823170805 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Home media release==
The only home media release of "Azati Prime" has been as part of the season three [[DVD]] box set, released in the United States on September&nbsp;27, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|last=Douglass Jr. |first=Todd |title=Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete 3rd Season |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/17900/star-trek-enterprise-the-complete-3rd-season/ |publisher=DVD Talk |access-date=September 28, 2013 |date=September 27, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062219/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/17900/star-trek-enterprise-the-complete-3rd-season/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> The [[Blu-ray]] release of ''Enterprise'' was announced in early 2013 and season three is expected to be released in January 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Enterprise Trekking To Blu-ray; Fans Helped Pick Covers |url=http://www.startrek.com/article/enterprise-trekking-to-blu-ray-fans-helped-pick-covers |publisher=Star Trek.com |access-date=October 16, 2013 |date=January 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330222620/http://www.startrek.com/article/enterprise-trekking-to-blu-ray-fans-helped-pick-covers |archive-date=March 30, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lambert |first=David |title=Star Trek: Enterprise - 'Season 3' Blu-ray Announced: Date, Cost, Package, Extras |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Enterprise-Season-3/19073 |publisher=TVShowsonDVD.com |date=October 14, 2013 |access-date=October 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016152010/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Star-Trek-Enterprise-Season-3/19073 |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb episode|id=0572177}}
* {{Memory Alpha|Azati Prime (episode)|"Azati Prime"}}
* {{StarTrek.com|azati-prime|"Azati Prime"}}

{{Star Trek: Enterprise episodes|3}}
{{Star Trek time travel episodes}}

[[Category:Star Trek: Enterprise season 3 episodes]]
[[Category:2004 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by Allan Kroeker]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Rick Berman]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Brannon Braga]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Manny Coto]]
[[Category:Television episodes about time travel]]
[[Category:Star Trek time travel episodes]]