Star Trek: Enterprise's Best Episode Was Also Its Least Significant

In the "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode "A Night in Sickbay" (October 16, 2002), nothing of consequence happens. The Enterprise doesn't encounter a new life form, there are no reality-altering spatial phenomena, no new characters make their introductions, and no one dies. Even on an interpersonal level, nothing is broken down between the characters. No one begins dating, no one gets divorced, and no one bones. At most, Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) admits begrudgingly that he is sometimes physically attracted (and just physically) to his first officer T'Pol (Jolene Blalock). As soon as he admits it, though, he acknowledges that it would be the height of impropriety to ever mention it again. 

Most of the episode involves Archer, well, spending the night in sickbay after his beloved beagle Porthos becomes ill with a mysterious infirmity. Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley), a Denobulan, is upbeat, optimistic, and feels he can help Porthos, but admits he's not terribly familiar with the anatomy of Earth animals. Dr. Phlox has to cull together new remedies from the alien animal products — and the live animals — he keeps in his lab. While he does so, he and Archer converse about this and that. Phlox has multiple degrees in psychoanalysis, so the conversations occasionally get a mite intimate (see above). Then Archer tries to nap. He passes time in the ship's gym, then returns to Porthos' side.

In short, nothing of significance happens in "A Night in Sickbay." It may be the least "important" episode of the series. It's slow-moving and lacks incident.

And yet, it remains one of the best episodes of the series. Mostly because nothing of significance happens. "A Night in Sickbay" shows that life on a starship isn't just an endless string of adventures or crises. It's not all exciting exploration, and one hardly ever fights enemy vessels. Sometimes being a Starfleet officer involves a lot of waiting around. "A Night in Sickbay" makes "Star Trek" so much more human, relatable, and realistic.

My praise for "A Night in Sickbay" is predicated on the interpretation of "Star Trek" as a workplace drama above all else. When we see Starfleet officers in the bridge of a starship, they are all on the clock. The central relationships in "Star Trek" are professional ones, with fellow officers working together within a complex and stringently enforced command structure. There are managers, assistance managers, department heads, engineers, doctors. A "Star Trek" starship isn't too far from a traditional office building, and a captain is merely the boss. "Star Trek" is merely more exciting than an office job because of the exotic nature of their spacebound profession. 

And, as we all know, not every day at your job is the most exciting. Even high-pressure jobs have slow days. "A Night in Sickbay" may be one of the first episodes throughout the entire "Star Trek" franchise that shows what happens when nothing happens. Archer has a sick dog. He's still on the ship. No one is on shore leave, and they're simply sailing from one destination to the next. Because everything is so damned far apart in the galaxy, there will necessarily be a lot of downtime. There will be boredom. It's a refreshing change of pace. 

The boredom allows the characters — and, by extension, the audience — to wander around the hallways of a starship, taking in the details. Slow "bottle" episodes like this one make the Enterprise feel lived-in, functional, real. Not everyone can relate to a starship battle with a cloaked Romulan vessel. We don't all have experience with devious time travelers invading our ranks. We can all, however, relate to being bored at work, distressed by an ailing pet, or, in Archer's case, horny at inopportune times. 

"A Night in Sickbay" is also fun because we get to spend a lot of time with Dr. Phlox, maybe one of the best characters in "Star Trek." Phlox belongs to a lusty, jovial species and he's endlessly excited by his job. He has dark moments to be sure, but for the most part, he holds the spirit of "Star Trek" in his breast. He is excited to meet new people and learn new things. He has a passion for his profession, and is eager to share his findings. He is the very portrait of being open-minded. Also, he's clever and friendly and frank. When he and Archer begin discussing sexual matters, Phlox is happy to sit down and delve deeply into his captain's personal life. Phlox respects propriety, of course, but also understands that being frank is more productive. He's the kind of doctor you always hope you'll get. 

There is a subplot in "A Night at Sickbay," but it serves as a bookend for the episode. It seems that Porthos peed on a tree while on an away mission on the planet Kreetassa, creating a diplomatic incident. The tree was very sacred to the Kreetassans, and Captain Archer has deeply offended them. To make amends, he has to undergo a complex apology ceremony, common on the alien planet. The ceremony annoys Captain Archer, and part of his time in sickbay is fuming about diplomatic fineries and how annoyed he is by them. Sometimes a Captain hates his job. 

At the end, Archer performs the ceremony, a ritual that involves chanting, a special costume, and cutting a log with a chainsaw. During his downtime in sickbay, Captain Arhcer learns to cool off, reset, look at his job afresh, and begin to tackle it with more verve. Sometimes, in order to do our jobs better, we just need a night off. A night to do absolutely nothing but to gather our thoughts. A night to admit that our co-workers are hot, but that we have to be professional. 

"A Night in Sickbay" would help every single Starfleet officer.