Dear Doctor

The episode "Dear Doctor" is the 13th episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, which aired on January 23, 2002, on UPN. The episode follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship Enterprise, registration NX-01, and introduces the concepts and motivations of the Prime Directive, a key principle of the United Federation of Planets. The episode centers around Doctor Phlox, who is faced with a difficult decision when a dying species, the Valakians, beg for help from the crew of the Enterprise. The Valakians are suffering from a genetic disease that is experiencing an accelerated rate of mutation, and Doctor Phlox discovers that the answer to a cure may lie in the Menk, a lesser-evolved yet unaffected species that lives alongside the Valakians. In the end, Captain Archer decides to provide the Valakians with medicine that will diminish their symptoms for a decade, anticipating the Menks' natural evolution and the new levels of understanding between them. The episode received a 6.6% drop in viewers compared to the previous episode, with 5.7 million viewers tuning in for its first broadcast.learn more on wikipedia