Forgotten Villains: Star Trek Enterprise’s Dolim

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Photos copyright Paramount Pictures

I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.

Time itself was changed in season two of Star Trek Enterprise. Earth is attacked by an alien weapon that cuts through Florida killing seven million people including chief engineer Trip Tucker’s (Connor Trinneer) sister Elizabeth. Originating from an area of space called the Expanse, the Enterprise led by Captain Archer (Quantum Leap’s Sam, Scott Bakula) must track down and prevent a second weapon being launched by this new mysterious enemy called the Xindi.

The third season would be a continuing story as the crew race to save Earth. It had massive balls with Archer going against everything he believed in to ensure the mission succeeds, Trip’s breakdown over the murder of his sister and T’Pol becoming addicted to Trellium D.

It also took the enemy in a new unexpected direction. The Xindi were not a singular species but a conglomerate of several species; the aquatics, the extinct avians, the humanoids/primates, the arboreals, the Insectoids and the reptiles. They have been lied to by interdimensional aliens called the sphere builders aka the Guardians. These aliens have built massive spheres all through the Expanse which generate matter and mind altering random anomalies. They can destroy a ship and at one point cause Archer to lose his long term memory in Twilight where the Xindi have reduced humanity to several thousand hiding refugees.

The sphere builders have convinced the Xindi council that Earth will wipe them out in the future and they must strike first. Degra, the humanoid that built the weapon has doubts as he wonders how many of the dead were children as his own third child died of a disease. However before Archer manages to convince them that the spheres will actually destroy the Expans leaving the Xindi dead and their space terraformed to allow the the sphere builders to live there, they are united in their decision to destroy Earth. They do not believe that their home will be turned into a transdimensional wasteland. As Archer points out later, the sphere builders, the Guardians, have not shown them where the new Xindi homeworld will be.

Commander Dolim leader of the reptilians is the most stoic in protecting their heritage against the humans. He picks one of his own men to pilot the first weapon that kills seven million, something he is proud of; a suicide mission. The reptilians are more powerful physically than humans and their hatred for them knows no bounds. In Carpenter Street Archer and T’Pol are sent back to present day Detroit by time agent and former crew member in the Temporal Cold War Daniels.

The reptilians have sent back a squad with the help of the sphere builders to take samples of all human blood types in order to release a virus that will destroy a percentage of the human race so they cannot destroy the Xindi in the future. It is certain Dolim has known about this operation and fully endorsed it. While Dolim believes his resilience is a testament to reptilian loyalty to the Xindi legacy, it actually shows how easily the sphere-builders can manipulate him. All they need to do is feed his fear about losing everything they hold dear and they will do anything to ensure their own interests are maintained even if that means the genocide of an entire species. Nor does he have any qualms about murdering any Xindi that waver in the face of killing all humans. They are not held back by doubts like Degra is. Dolim is ensuring that no children of the reptilians or any of the other Xindi are killed under the heel of human brutality.

In Twilight we see what happens when the Xindi weapon succeeds in destroying Earth. All human colonies are wiped out by the Xindi forces leaving just a few thousand in hiding. The Xindi have been relentless in eradicating the humans while keeping peace with the likes of the Vulcans and Andorains.

There is no doubt Dolim led these forces keeping his promise to kill all humans no matter where they were. In Azati Prime Archer goes to face the Xindi and plead his case. Daniels showed him the future where the Xindi are part of the Federation and fighting the treacherous sphere builders. He gives Archer a Xindi badge from the future that will sway them to his cause that the sphere builders have lied all along. Tortured and beaten, Archer manages to persuade the other council members that he is telling the truth and finally the pieces begin to fall into place to the Xindi about the sphere builders. All that is but Dolim who has ordered an all out attack on the Enterprise. In a stunning sequence and cliffhanger, the Enterprise is reduced to a damaged hulk with critical losses. Dolim’s brutal treatment and questioning of Archer brings the other Xindi to stand against Dolim’s methods and override his orders. His assurances are dismissed as his previous behaviour has shown otherwise. This defiance only fires Dolim’s determination to destroy Earth. He sees his fellow species falling under the influence of Archer especially Degra but Dolim refuses to believe the evidence shown to him which even carbon dating proves is genuine. The false future shown to him by the sphere builders is one step closer to happening. It is not surprising Dolim fears it and will do whatever he takes to save his society.

He murders Degra for treason and takes control of the launch of the weapon. Dolim defies the other council members and launches the weapon. He steals Hoshi (Linda Park) from the Enterprise to use her linguistic abilities to complete the weapon’s codes. Again her treatment shows Dolim’s brutality as she is nearly mentally fried. He orders her operated on seeing her strong will as something of a challenge to be conquered. She is injected with parasites that will reconfigure her brain and Dolim actually thanks her for her assistance before she spits in his face. Dolim is a master strategist and with the insectoids on his side, his plan is close to succeeding. The reptilians are as ruthless in battle as he Jem’Hadar were in Deep Space 9. They will stop at nothing to succeed. He has risked civil war between the Xindi without a care for the consequences. It is something he throws in the sphere builder’s face when he challenges her just how convenient her ability to see timelines are whenever it suits her. Despite his suspicions given Archer’s evidence, Dolim is still intent on his mission. It seems by his very nature he covers all bases regardless of other Xindi’s voices.

With such seething hatred for humans and especially Archer, Dolim is on board the weapon as it finally comes in range of Earth while the captain sabotages the weapon before it can fire. Facing an enemy like Dolim brings to the surface in Archer his own base urges. He can no longer maintain a Starfleet standard while fighting Dolim. They go hand to hand but Dolim is bigger and more powerful than his human foe. The fight is bloody and brutal but Dolim’s arrogance quickly dissolves as he realises he has underestimated Archer. The captain cannot defeat the reptilian with force so slips a magnetic bomb on his armour. Dolim is blown apart moments before his moment of glory realising that his glory is now like him; in pieces.

Scott McDonald played Dolim and has appeared in Deep Space 9’s first season as Tosk (Captive Pursuit), a Romulan, a Jem’Hadar and was able to appear with no makeup in Voyager’s pilot, Caretaker. While Tosk is his most sympathetic role in Star Trek and a great partner for Miles O’Brien, Dolim is the most ruthless of all. But every villain is more than just a one dimensional character. Dolim is just someone that is protecting everything he holds dear and being a being of duplicity and doubt, he sees it everywhere. Even when the evidence indicates otherwise, there is still a chance things could go wrong. He sees anything that can derail his plans as interference and if necessary blow it out of existence before it impairs him. As we learn throughout the season, there was a great war in which the reptilians lost their homeworld and saw the airborne avians as their brothers. Dolim has always believed the reptilians should have been the dominant species in Xindi culture so he is pleased the sphere builders have chosen them to carry out the destruction of Earth. With that world destroyed the reptilians will head a brand new Xindi empire led by Dolim. Plus any species that eats mice live is never ever to be trusted; yes I’m talking to you Diana and co over at V the mini series.

Dlim was a great villain especially in one of the most pivotal and successful seasons of Star Trek. It’s a fitting he died as any return would have eventually diminished the power of his status as one of the best villains in Star Trek history.