Dear Doctor
- Episode aired Jan 23, 2002
- TV-PG
- 45m
Phlox is asked to save the Valakians from annihilation by disease. However, he discovers something unusual about the Menk, another humanoid race on the planet.Phlox is asked to save the Valakians from annihilation by disease. However, he discovers something unusual about the Menk, another humanoid race on the planet.Phlox is asked to save the Valakians from annihilation by disease. However, he discovers something unusual about the Menk, another humanoid race on the planet.
- Sub-Cmdr. T'Pol
- (as Jolene Blalock)
- Female Crewmember
- (uncredited)
- Ensign Billy
- (uncredited)
- Crewman
- (uncredited)
- Engineer Alex
- (uncredited)
- Ensign Tanner
- (uncredited)
- Valakian Doctor
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
First of all, to the criticism of many commentators: NO, this is not about genocide and the crew of the Enterprise is certainly not committing genocide! Genocide is the deliberate killing of large numbers of people of a particular nation or ethnic group. Intentionally, actively and with the aim of extinguishing these people. What the crew is doing here is simply not interfering with a normal biological process of development or degeneration of a species. Enterprise, Starfleet and later the United Federation of Planets are not the Salvation Army of the Galaxy. Their goal is not and never has been to help every species from the outside and, so to speak, to shape them and pave the way for them.
This episode is basically the starting point of the Prime Directive. The basic guidelines that we will encounter again and again in Star Trek. If you don't approve of this episode, you should avoid Star Trek, because Star Trek is basically all about when and whether one civilization should interfere in the fortunes of another civilization. And Star Trek has always raised the warning finger that no good deed goes unpunished. The message has always been that a species, a culture, a civilization must develop itself and chart its own path into the future and must also make mistakes in order to learn and develop morally.
This episode is interesting because it's told from the Doctor's perspective. In addition to the main plot there are some interesting subplots involving romance in the air for the Doc as well as his learning that the Captain is actually a far more capable man than he'd assumed.
With an insidiously beautiful and subtle musical score, and central character John Billingsley's voice-over narration and bemused acting style, the episode personalizes theoretical issues. His relationship to his human crewmates, especially the platonic romantic interest well-played by Kelly Waymire, makes the notion about interspecies relations more palpable and personal.
Unlike literary science fiction, where concepts are paramount, movie (and TV) examples in the genre tend to be biased in favor of "action movie" cliches & SPFX. This episode is a thinking person's show in the genre, and packs a wallop.
"Dear Doctor" presents a good discussion of ethical and moral concerns. The story is centered in the pleasant Denobulian Dr. Phlox, who is totally integrated to the human style of life but still have doubts related to relationship between male and female. The advice of T'Pol is very funny and logical, since she does not understand the matters of heart and love. The excerpts of "For Whom the Bell Tolls", showing the gorgeous face of Ingrid Bergman with about twenty-seven years old, is a plus in this great episode. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Caro Doutor" ("Dear Doctor")
Did you know
- TriviaFirst indirect mention of the not yet existing "Prime Directive". This episode foreshadows more directly the concept, expanding upon brief mentions from Civilization (2001) and other episodes.
- GoofsWhen discussing Phlox's marital situation at the Menk camp, Ensign Cutler mispronounces Denobulans as 'Denoblians.'
- Quotes
Captain Jonathan Archer: Someday... my people are going to come up with some sort of a doctrine, something that tells us what we can and can't do out here, should and shouldn't do. But until somebody tells me that they've drafted that directive... I'm going to have to remind myself every day... that we didn't come out here to play God.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Atop the Fourth Wall: Star Trek Special: Flesh and Stone (2016)
- SoundtracksWhere My Heart Will Take Me
Written by Diane Warren
Performed by Russell Watson
Episode: {all episodes}
Details
- Runtime
- 45m
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1