Genocide or not?

[Lucky]

I have never seen all of the Enterprise episode "Dear Doctor". I keep hearing conflicting information about the end of it.

On one hand you have people saying Archer with held the cure, and that he killed off and entire species by doing so.

On the other people say Archer just didn't want to make the choice, and gave the information to his superiors to choose what to do with it.

The only thing I can be sure os is that the writers didn't understand the science, and because of that really wrote a lot of stupid dialog.

[Mike DiCenso]

The only thing I can be sure os is that the writers didn't understand the science, and because of that really wrote a lot of stupid dialog.

Bingo!

Braga and Berman clearly did not understand the science and as a result, they wrote some crap dialog in what otherwise might have been a truly great story. I recommend that you watch the episode in full, and you'll understand that given the false dilemma situation that the writers put Archer in, that one way, Archer is condemmed to commit a kind of genocide, if he does nothing, but if he does give a cure to the Valakians, then he winds up being forced into having to force them (read blackmail) into sitting by and helping the Menk, that this weird evolutionary Catch-22 quirk is making into the dominant species over them, achive their destiny.

Anyhow, "Dear Doctor" at Chakoteya.net, aka Chrissie's Transcripts Site.
-Mike

[Lucky]

The only thing I can be sure os is that the writers didn't understand the science, and because of that really wrote a lot of stupid dialog.

Bingo!

Braga and Berman clearly did not understand the science and as a result, they wrote some crap dialog in what otherwise might have been a truly great story. I recommend that you watch the episode in full, and you'll understand that given the false dilemma situation that the writers put Archer in, that one way, Archer is condemmed to commit a kind of genocide, if he does nothing, but if he does give a cure to the Valakians, then he winds up being forced into having to force them (read blackmail) into sitting by and helping the Menk, that this weird evolutionary Catch-22 quirk is making into the dominant species over them, achive their destiny.

Anyhow, "Dear Doctor" at Chakoteya.net, aka Chrissie's Transcripts Site.
-Mike

From the looks of the script Archer gave them the cure while lying in front of the idiot doctor from his ship, or handed the real decision to his superiors.

[Mike DiCenso]

Archer gave the Valakians a partially "cure" or "treatment" that would buy them additional time until maybe they could find one of their own. But if the Valakians do find a cure based on the treatment-cure Archer gave them, then what happens to the Menk? Also, given the weird evolution of the Valakians, won't they just wind up as evolutionary dead-ends, who aren't dying off, but aren't advancing, either.... The Menk might wind up being stiffled as a result. Who knows?
-Mike

[Lucky]

Archer gave the Valakians a partially "cure" or "treatment" that would buy them additional time until maybe they could find one of their own. But if the Valakians do find a cure based on the treatment-cure Archer gave them, then what happens to the Menk? Also, given the weird evolution of the Valakians, won't they just wind up as evolutionary dead-ends, who aren't dying off, but aren't advancing, either.... The Menk might wind up being stiffled as a result. Who knows?
-Mike

For the Menk there is at worst no change, and always the possibility for change. They are not an issue one way or the other.

There really is no way to partially "cure" or "treatment" for a problem that is purely a genetic problem as far as I can see, and Archer had reasons to lie in front of his ships doctor.

Any thing Archer does is subject to review by his superior. We never see Archer's report.

Evolution does not follow a set path. The Valakians will continue to "advance" as will the Menk.

[KirkSkyWalker]

Did Archer have any official duty to save this or any other species? If not, it's not genocide-- it's just "Bad Samaritanism," as the law calls it.

In "Pen Pals" and "Homeward," Picard was required to let entire pre-warp civilizations go ka-boom, simply because of the Prime Directive; so if Archer didn't lift a finger to save a particular civilization, then that's just ol' Mr. Darwin playing his hand.

It's Star Trek, not Baywatch or Rescue 911.

[Praeothmin]

Exactly...
Genocide is when you try to willingly destroy, or eradicate, a living species or race.
Letting them die of their uncurable disease is just being an ass...
If he had agreed to letting the mensk become the source of the "cure", possibly causing the death of the Mensk race, then that would have been closer to Genocide...