By Steve Krutzler / 13:56, 28 January 2005 / Enterprise

More plot details for STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE's third-to-last episode of the season have surfaced, according to TrekWeb sources. As reported yesterday, "Demon" will take the Enterprise home where she'll encounter old friends and a shadowy plot involving a seemingly Human-Vulcan hybrid child.

In new details, we learn that the episode opens with an historical event that may prove to be the first step toward an actual formation of the United Federation of Planets, the organization governing Starfleet in all the other STAR TREK series. At Starfleet headquarters, various alien representatives are among those gathered to witness an address by a politician. He outlines plans for a "Coalition of Planets" for purposes of trade, peacekeeping, and exploration, and sets an ambitious goal of crafting a charter in just six weeks.

A new universal translator has even been perfected with the help of 'Hoshi Sato', helping the Minister communicate with all those assembled. But the Enterprise crew has been recalled not only to take part in this ceremony, but help with a secret investigation related to the part-Vulcan infant seen elsewhere in the episode (see earlier spoilers). The Minister warns that post-Xindi xenophobia on Earth hasn't entirely vanished and making news of the child public, even in trying to generate leads, could be disastrous for efforts to forge the alliance.

None of this information has been confirmed, but producer Manny Coto has said numerous times that the founding of the Federation would be pursued this season, and that we would see the origins of the covert operations unit Section 31, which was featured in DEEP SPACE NINE. Could "Demons" be paving the way for both? Treat everything as rumor until officially confirmed.