Dear Doctor

"Dear Doctor" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on January 23, 2002, on UPN. The episode was written by Maria and Andre Jacquemetton, and was directed by James A. Contner.

Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship Enterprise, registration NX-01. In "Dear Doctor", Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) faces a serious dilemma as a dying race begs for help from the crew of the Enterprise. The culture consists of two related races, but only the more genetically advanced race has been stricken by a planet-wide plague.

The episode is significant for introducing the concepts and motivations of the Prime Directive just prior to the founding of the United Federation of Planets. UPN requested that the ending of the episode be changed, something that Billingsley did not like. However, he and other members of the cast and crew approved of the final episode. Due to the subject matter and the ending, it is seen as a controversial episode critically and by audience response. Although "Dear Doctor" received the same audience share as the previous episode, there was a 6.6% drop in viewers to 5.7 million viewers for its first broadcast.