Stigma

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Enterprise visits the planet Dekendi III hosting an Interspecies Medical Exchange conference. Dr. Phlox requests the Vulcan delegation provide him with the latest research on a terminal neurological disease called Pa’nar Syndrome without revealing that T’Pol is infected. Pa’nar Syndrome is a rare illness associated with mind melders, a sect ostracized by Vulcan society. A forced mind meld against her will infected T’Pol in the episode Fusion. She tries to keep her disease a secret while Dr. Phlox researches treatment methods. Meanwhile, one of Phlox’s wives, Feezal, visits Enterprise to install a neutron microscope and begins flirting heavily with Trip. He is uneasy that a colleague’s wife is making overt sexual advances toward him.

Our Take

A well-intentioned AIDS allegory that leans hard on its message, sometimes at the expense of subtlety. Jolene Blalock does strong work with T’Pol’s quiet humiliation, and the Vulcan prejudice angle gives the episode real teeth, but the B-plot with Phlox’s wife feels like filler. Worth watching for the character work, just don’t expect a subtle hand with the parallels.