Synopsis: Captain Archer and Ensign Mayweather are held in a detention complex after the shuttlepod they were in inadvertently enters a military zone.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of the concepts of cultural complexes. If a complex is created in an individual by a psychic wound and is an opportunity for self-knowledge, then a cultural complex is larger in scope, and is an opportunity for an entire society to work with an unconscious wound for cultural healing.
In “Detained” Captain Jonathan Archer and Ensign Travis Mayweather take a shuttlepod to explore an unusual energy reading and inadvertently enter an area of space where the Tandarans are at war with the Suliban Cabal. The shuttlepod was attacked by Tandaran forces because the Cabal Sulibans are genetically enhanced and can disguise themselves as any humanoid species. Archer and Mayweather are being held in a detention center for Suliban civilians until hostilities cease. Eventually the Enterprise crew comes to rescue Archer and Mayweather, but this is not enough for Archer. He helps the Suliban make it to vessels where they can escape the camp and head for safety. As they are making their escape, Mayweather asks Archer if he thinks that the Suliban will make it out of the military zone. Archer replies that he believes they will be able to make it to a safer area in space, but he does not know if they will be okay after that.
In this episode, there are several examples of cultural complexes. The Tandarans are at war with the Suliban Cabal because of murders they have inflicted on their population. In turn the Tandarans are creating cultural wounds on the Suliban civilians that they have imprisoned. Then there is Archer’s reaction to the situation, which is informed by his planet’s cultural wounds about having created internment camps during World War II. The complexes of all these societies inform the actions of the characters in this story. Archer is correct in believing that the Suliban detainees will be changed by their time in the detention complex. The question is whether any of the characters in this episode will use their experiences as opportunities to help heal their societies.
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