I didn't find too many X-Files references though...
It was basically a Star Trek episode in a western setting. But not an imaginary western setting like "specter of the gun", The premise of this would probably be "what if people from the 1800s were uprooted from earth and then brought to an alien planet"?
Unfortunately an alien planet that looked more like Westworld... there should have been alien beasts. A few are referenced, but not shown.
Apparently a group of aliens called The Skagarans kidnapped the wrong people from Tombstone... and the whole thing backfired on them.
This plotline is similar to the Star Trek Voyager episode "the 37s", where more intelligent people had been taken during World War II, including Amelia Earhart. So this episode of Enterprise in the Delphic expanse is a contrast to the episode of Voyager, on the other side of the galaxy in the Delta quadrant.
It is as if these people in the town of Northstar decided to continue living in the 1800s, this is a completely non-progressive society. All of their laws are intended for suppression and for keeping status quo and preventing any kind of progress from occurring. Whereas in "the 37s", the progressive descendants of those kidnapped by aliens for practically the exact same purpose, lived in "three beautiful cities". It is a good contrast to show: similar origins, different fates. Watch both episodes and compare. And it makes you wonder: the aliens in "the 37s", were those also Skagarans, but with a different name? Because the backstory between the two episodes is practically identical.
Archer meets some interesting people, first off there is Deputy Bennings (James Parks, Son of Michael Parks, "Edger McGraw" from Quentin Tarantino films).
That was perfect casting right there. Of course this was another opportunity for Glenn Morshower to play a sheriff.
And Emily Bergl (From the Spielberg-Produced mini series "Taken"), as a girl who does not know her own heritage.
Although this episode does not progress the Xindi story, it is a typical Star Trek episode, Archer finds something on a planet that is offkilter and he figures out a way of making it right without interfering too much.
Except for the gun fight involving the MACOs and Benning's deputies... but that was also good contrast, one group using pistols, the other group using phase pistols and phase rifles with a sniper scope... Shades of Unreal Tournament!
