Star Trek: 10 Times Captains Lost Control
7. Archer Orders The Creation And Then Execution Of Trip's Clone
Archer's resolve to stop the Xindi War is seen in its most frightening aspect here. With the grave injury of Trip during a test to make the engines more stable at higher speeds, the ship is stuck. Phlox suggests a radical option: creating a short-lived clone of Trip as a neurological donor.
It sound like something from a H.P. Lovecraft novel - science and horror, combined in one. What makes the idea more disturbing is that Archer accepts with relatively little deliberation. His obsession to stop the disaster that is coming is driving him to greater lengths than he ever thought possible.
Sim, as he is dubbed, grows quickly, showing all of the signs of full sentience. He doesn't want to die, though the procedure will be fatal. He researches ways to extend his lifespan, though Phlox reveals he was aware of them - they are unresearched, and in the centre of the Expanse is certainly not the place to begin.
Archer speaks to Sim, telling him he would much rather Sim volunteer for the procedure, but leaving it very clear that there is no choice either way: Sim will be going through with it, even if that means Archer escort him with security personnel to the medical bay.
Even with this, Sim tries to escape, though in the end it is for naught. Archer 'rewards' him with a funeral service, though there is little shading the fact that this man was born to die - and Archer not only allowed it, but sped his passing.