See Also: 'Azati Prime' Episode Guide

Archer faces his most difficult challenge when he locates the Xindi superweapon on Azati Prime, and realizes that destroying it will be a suicide mission.

StarTrek.com revealed the details for "Azati Prime," the eighteenth episode of Star Trek: Enterprise's third season, and the first to be filmed in 2004. According to the production report, Archer and the crew journey to the red giant Azati Prime after learning that the Xindi superweapon is almost completed. They discover the weapon underwater on an ocean planet. When Archer learns that destroying it will require the ultimate sacrifice, he insists on being the one to do it. But then Daniels shows up, with different plans in mind.

"Azati Prime" is scheduled to air on March 3rd, 2004. It will be the first episode to air after February sweeps, coming after "Hatchery", which airs on February 25th.

"Azati Prime" was written by Manny Coto, based on a story developed by him and Enterprise co-creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. Manny Coto has written several episodes for the third season, including "Similitude" and "Chosen Realm".

The episode was directed by Allan Kroeker. Kroeker has directed both the first and second season finales ("Shockwave, Part 1", "The Expanse") as well as the corresponding season openers ("Shockwave, Part 2", "The Xindi"). He has also directed episodes of Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

The guest actors in the episode were all playing recurring characters. Matt Winston returns as Daniels, last seen in "Carpenter Street". Randy Oglesby's Degra, the Xindi weapon designer, is back, as are Xindi council members Tucker Smallwood (Xindi-Primate), Rick Worthy (Xindi-Sloth) and Scott MacDonald (Xindi Reptillian).

Production kicked off on Monday, January 5th, after a two week holiday break. In addition to sets aboard the ship, the set of the Xindi-Insectoid shuttle from "Hatchery" was utilized, as well as a future ship for the scenes with Daniels. The Bridge and Engineering took heavy damage, and at one point a crewmember (doubled for by stunt coodinator Vince Deadrick, Jr.) was engulfed in flames. "Azati Prime" wrapped on Wednesday, January 14th, though its final two days of production overlapped with the first two of the next episode, "Damage". "Damage" will pick up where "Azati Prime" leaves off.

To read the original production report, visit it here at StarTrek.com!

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