Sent by Admiral Forrest to respond to an automated distress call, Enterprise intercepts the Earth cargo freighter Fortunate and finds it badly damaged and not responding to hails. Captain Archer leads an away team to board the vessel, and they are greeted by the freighter's acting commander, first officer Matthew Ryan. Ryan informs Archer that the Fortunate was attacked by Nausicaan pirates, who have been harassing freighters in the sector for years, including the one Ensign Mayweather grew up on. Claiming the distress call was a mistake, Ryan resists Archer's overtures of help, but Dr. Phlox insists on tending to the injured captain. Once Phlox determines that Captain Keene will need two or three days of treatment, Archer talks Ryan into letting Enterprise engineers come aboard the Fortunate to upgrade its defenses. This forces Ryan and another crewman named Shaw to take special precautions to hide their secret - they have a Nausicaan prisoner on board whom they are torturing for information.
Star Trek: Enterprise, a prequel set before the original series, follows the crew of Earth's first warp five starship. Lead by Jonathan Archer and his crew, the series follows their adventures as they explore never before seen parts of the galaxy, setting foot on new worlds and meeting new races, as well as some familiar ones.