t'pol and trip mate episode

Dr. Plastic Picker

The star trek enterprise romance of t’pol and trip: i’m going to give them the ending they deserve.

May 23, 2020 | Dr Plastic Picker | Posted in COVID-19 , Mr. Plastic Picker (My Real Life Romance) , Star Trek/ Philosophical Tangents

May 23, 2020

by drplasticpicker

I’m not sure how you have been dealing with the COVID-19 quarantine, but I have been watching Star Trek. I mean A LOT of Star Trek. I grew up watching reruns of the original Star Trek. Spock, the Vulcan Science Officer, spoke to me. Even then, the action scenes were corny and the alien world settings unrealistic – but the storylines and the pseudophilosophical delvings into space and time and logic, touched something in my teenage heart. Then Star Trek the Next Generation ran 1987-1994, right during my middle school and high school years, I watched that too. I became a big fan of Captain Jean Luc Picard and his Shakepearan take on a Starship Captain. But there was not a great Vulcan on the show, so I have always been more of an Original Star Trek fan and of course Spock.

Right after Star Trek the Next Generation ended, I graduated from High School. I was Valedictorian of my high school class and my Star Trek adoration (which was common among the Academic League and Science Fair kids) was well known. I had many classmates and teachers request that I not talk about Star Trek during my Valedicctory address. The past several Valedictorians had referred to Star Trek extensively during their speaches. The Valedictorian right before me somewhat alienated the audience with the extensive Star Trek references, but he returned to our community and founded a very successful biotech company so I think he did okay. I gave my commencement speach without any Star Trek references and it went over well. I had been a state level speech competitor and always did well in the Impromptu category. But I slipped into the end of the speech “As promised, I did not make any Star Trek references” which got some laughs.

For the next 25 years, I was busy with college and life and was anchored firmly in the real world. In fact, I now realize that I got my happy ending and married the man who combines the very best of Spock and Captain Jean Luc Picard. Mr. Plastic Picker is not a trekkie at all. But he actually looks more like a Vulcan than not and studied Shakepeare in college – so gives him the essence of Captain Jean Luc Picard.

When the COVID-19 quarantine descended upon us about three months ago, Mr. Plastic Picker signed me up for CBS All Access commerical free (totally worth the extra $2 since I’ve been watching so much). I finished Star Trek Picard (2 seasons), Star Trek Discovery (2 seasons), and then I settled into Star Trek Enterprise (4 seasons). Star Trek Enterprise ran from 2001-2005, right during the time I was in medical school and residency. I honestly was so busy with actual life, that I don’t think I watched actual TV for that entire time. So the actors and I are the same age as Mr. Plastic Picker and I.

I finished the last episode last night, and I was disappointed. I had been drawn into the the relationship of T’Pol, the Vulcan science officer, and Trip Tucker, the chief engineer. I fell in love again while they were falling in love. Dr. Plastic Picker is a sucker for romances. But the ending was awful. I even started watching some fanfiction montage videos and was searching for fan fiction on them last night, to salvage the storyline. I can honestly say of all the Star Treks, I have come to love Star Trek Enterprise right after S tar Trek the Original albeit the last episode. The actors that played both T’Pol and Trip really did not end up doing much more work outside of this series, and both went on to have happy marriages thus far with other people and have healthy children. For that I am so grateful.

I honestly needed the distraction these last three months, and had the right mindset to accept new characters into my heart. And so I will always love T’Pol and Trip and Star Trek Enterprise and that they helped me get through the last three months. I remember reading all of Victor Hugo the summer after college while my sister and I were traveling through Europe on one of those pre-packaged budget bus tours. It was the right time and right author. The summer after senior year of high school, I read all of Charles Dickens. I remember being enraged while reading Tale of Two Cities. And now my daughter is twelve, and we’ve begun reading my old time favorites outloud together from Madeleine L’Engle. We are midway through Arm of a Starfish. And the first three months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, I watched all of Star Trek Enterprise.

But I wanted to write this post to give Trip and T’Pol the ending they deserved. I wanted to write this post to wipe away the travesty of the last episode.

This is my ending for them. T’Pol and Trip finished serving on the Starship Enterprise together for the full 10 years. On the show they had two children on the show, Baby Elizabeth who was a baby cloned by the human terrorist faction Terra Prime. Baby Elizabeth was cloned from stolen DNA from the human Trip and Vulcan T’Pol. She died because the terrorist scientist had made a error in the process to clone her, and therefore died of genetic instability. But Doctor Phlox had told Trip that there was no reason to believe a half Vulcan and half Human baby could not exist. Spock who was born Stardate 2230 about 100 years later is proof of that. Trip and T’Pol also had also a son Lorian in an alternate universe that was formed when Star Trek Enterprise entered into the Expanse and was loss in a vortex.

In my ending, those above scenarios happened. But T’pol and Trip finished servings for the full 10 years but remained together after Baby Elizabeth (the cloned one) died. T’Pol continued to have more emotions than other Vulcans due to the neurological damange she sustained from the Trellium, but her relationship with Trip helped her manage her emotions. They married and were given larger quarters from Captain Archer. I think he probably gave them adjoining quarters and they were the first married couple on a Starship. Captain Archer allowed Trip to just put a door between two single rooms so they could have larger quarters. I think they married on the Enterprise maybe 2-3 years after the Cloned Baby Elizabeth episode. Captain Archer presided over the weeding, and Lietenant Reed was the best man and Ensign Soto was the bride attendant. But then Vulcan Ambassador to Earth Soval found out, and they had a special second ceremony on Vulcan.

T’Pol would have been careful, and she asked Doctor Phlox to research more to make sure the Vulcan DNA and Human DNA would combine. T’Pol would have been smart, and would not have wanted to have children on a Starship. Trip lived and survived and was not killed off in the last episode, and he and T’pol would have been married about 5-6 years after Star Trek Enterprise ended it’s last mission.

T’Pol and Trip would have had contact with Trip’s parents who were still alive in Mississippi. Remember Florida was destroyed during the Xindi attack on earth, when 7 million people died including Trip’s sister Elizabeth. T’Pol and Trip maintained two homes, one in Mississippi near Trip’s parents and one on Vulcan that T’pol rented out as an Air B’nb. Perhaps her former husband Koss helped maintained it for them. Remember T’Pol and Koss were bonded as children, married but never really had relations. He loved her too, because how can anyone not love T’Pol.

T’Pol and Trip had two children. The oldest was a girl, who looked very much like Elizabeth. I believe they named her T’Les Elizabeth Tucker. T’Les after T’Pol’s mother, and Elizabeth also after Trip’s sister. And they had a little boy they named Johnathan after Captain Johnathan Archer. Both children were healthy and Vulcan DNA and Human DNA combined just fine and T’Pol had natural childbirth and fully vaccinated her children and raised them vegetarian. T’Pol and Trip became academics and diplomats and concentrated on raising their two children between Mississippi and Vulcan. The children were beautiful with Vulcan ears, and Trip’s hair and eyes. They smiled like Trip but had their mother’s beautiful posture. They both were very intelligent and accepted to Starfleet Academy.

Trip and T’pol, this is the ending you deserved. You had two beautiful children, half Vulcan and half Human. And with that my heart is full.

And below is my happy ending. I’ve been living in this Star Trek Enterprise world and curled most of the time in bed, watching it on my iPhone. I’ve been making random nonsensical comments to Mr. Plastic Picker who has been sitting at his work station mostly reading xrays from home, and does not understand any of the Star Trek references. I look over to him and he’s my real life Vulcan come to life.

I had a decently busy day at work yesterday and was pretty tired. I just wanted to feed the kids a quick pizza and watch some more Star Trek. But I walked in and Mr. Plastic Picker had purchased this outfit and the kids were in on it too, without my knowing. And I laughed and I laughed, and it was one of the best days of my life.

I got my happy ending, and I live the “happily every after” every day at home. I am happy I was able to give T’Pol and Trip their happily every after. I think they probably had a dog too, that would hang out with Captain Archer’s Porthos.

Live Long and Prosper my blogfriends. Live your authenic self.

LOL. I just submitted this blogpost to several of the Star Trek top fan sites. We’ll see if they pick it up.

For those that also have come to love T’pol and Trip, this is the best FanFiction continuation I have read. Its a really fun read and several chapters. Excellent writing. http://guardian-of-forever.scifi-online.org/fics/ENT/alelou_commander_tucker_proposes_ch1.php

Tags: Dr. Plastic Picker drplasticpicker Star Trek Enterprise

44 thoughts on “The Star Trek Enterprise Romance of T’Pol and Trip: I’m going to give them the ending they deserve”

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Fascinating history you’ve added to this epic. Trip reminds me of George W Bush who took on challenges and gave hope when all seemed lost.. Plenty people remember 9/11 and Enterprise was a ship of inspiration which many of us do remember. T’pol strips and Trip is hypothesised by her beauty which I expounded about in 2007 – Star Trek Fun Facts Part2 not that I was digressing butt the point being stories and characters are well scripted in Star Trek and conversely unscripted.

Thank you spacerguy for stopping by the blog! This was one a blogpost near and dear to my heart, and to have a bonafide trekker/trekkie blogger stop by and comment – is a dream come true! I have bragging rights now to a certain fellow pediatrician who works one hallway over! Thank you thank you. I’m rewatching Enterprise yet again, and enjoying the evolution and Trip and T’pol’s relationship in a more subtle way. So many layers to their relationship. I’m thinking of making a trashart piece ode to vulcans soon with ocean platsic pollution. Love your blog and thank you for compiling all this trekker/trekkie. I’m a trekkie for sure, old school.

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I so agree! I was so very upset with the ending. I do not know why they wanted that ending. I kept thinking I know they get married because of the episode of the future when we saw T Ppl old and her and Trip’s son a grown man! That was NOT the episode of the alternate timeline. Thanks for your ending.

I am truly honored that you read my alternate ending! It’s not the typical fanfiction but it helped me put that storyline to rest. I am also hoping that at some point they revisit it!!!

I am new to the Enterprise. What a miss I had over the years!

I watched all of the episodes in about 3weeks. I feel very upset now… T’pol and Trip didn’t deserve such an end… I searched everywhere to see if they would come together and have a Vulcan-Human family with cute kids. I can’t find much info other than some hinting… I guess your version is the one I could accept…till we get something better, if ever…Sad…

I felt the same way! As a fellow Trip and T’Pol fan, I am honored that you read my alternate ending.

I am so glad you wrote an alternate ending for Trip and T’Pol! I loved it!! And I loved your background history on yourself – thank you for providing that. I’m a MAJOR fellow Trek fan, myself being 69 and in high school when the original Star Trek series came out. Always being a sci-fi lover, I was immediately hooked and have seen every incarnation of the Star Trek franchise (plus movies). I always loved Roddenberry’s vision for humanity – he promoted women before anyone else, valued animals; in general he always saw the best that the human species could be. I hope someday we actually live up to what he thought we were worth. My favorite of all the series was probably TNG, but I came to really love Enterprise for being what seems like a very accurate envisioning of the first foray into space. Of course, I’m in love with Discovery too, for boldly going where no franchise has gone before! At any rate, kudos for providing the ending Trip and T’Pol SHOULD have had. Reminds me of the ending that the creator wrote after the series ended, for Susan Ivanova and Marcus Cole in Babylon 5 (another huge favorite of mine that I highly recommend if you never watched!)

The enterprise should totally continue. I too watched it during quarantine for the first time, cried over baby Elisabeth as intended, but that last episode just did not make any sense on any level. The way they killed off Trip was game of thrones level senseless… Thanks for this ending, I especially liked the airbnb house on Vulcan and the vaccinated half-half kids 🙂

It made absolutely no sense. This was partly due to the internal strife going on at Paramount and CBS in 2004/2005. UPN network was going bankrupt and they axed Enterprise announcing it’s cancellation after the mirror mirror episodes if i remember correctly.

Halfway through season 3 Manny Coto took over writing and production from Berman and Braga both of whom were producer and writer for TNG (really their best work), DS9 (2nd best), Voyager (very distant 3rd) and initially Enterprise.

Unfortunately, Berman and Braga took almost no risks in seasons 1 and 2 of Enterprise despite having all kinds of directions they could have gone with the episodes and stories given where this series took place in the Star Trek universe, long before the Original Star Trek Series.

But no they didn’t take ANY risks and wasted almost 2 full seasons recreating Voyager like episodes that went nowhere and were sooo slow. Don’t get me wrong, some of the material was good but it was very Voyager like and it drove fans away in droves due to shear boredom. The temporal cold war episodes were agonizing.

As a result of their lack of preparedness and refusing to bring in fresh writers the ratings flatlined at the end of season 1 heading into 2 and that’s when Paramount and CBS really started to take notice that things were not going well. They began pushing for changes and everyone started pointing fingers at one another. At one point they wanted to get rid of Bakula (Archer) blaming him for the lackluster ratings when it fact it was poor writing, uninspiring stories, etc. of Berman and Braga who had clearly run out of ideas from writing and producing soooo many Star Trek series. This really was evident in the last 4 years of Voyager but Paramount kept going with it despite the mehhh ratings.

All that said, Paramount eventually forced them to hand over writing and production to Manny Coto midway through the Xindi story arc and he made some major adjustments that really started to turn the series around. Unfortunately, it was too late and Enterprise was going up against reality TV which which became all the rage in the early 2000’s and the show got cancelled despite the pleas of Manny. He even brought in concept scripts for season 5 episodes that outlined episodes about the Earth Romulan War, etc., but Paramount wasn’t interested and had made up their mind. I think a lot of it had to do with UPN going bankrupt. You can see midway through season 4 that despite having great material from Manny that the episodes are rushed and the budget got cut almost in half. Watch the camera action in the Romulan drone episodes where the camera is jumping around like crazy.

Once it became evident that the show was cancelled Terra Prime was partially rewritten to have Trip and T’Pols baby die (that was not the plan had a season 5 happened). The final scene of them holding hands in her quarters in a moment of grief was meant to be the final scene of the series, implying that despite the tragedy there was hope for the two of them and the future of humanity and vulcans together after Phlox’s findings that human and vulcan DNA was in fact compatible.

Unfortunately Berman and Braga were not happy with this being the final episode and intervened despite the vehement protests of Coto. They insisted on an episode reliving Berman’s TNG glory days and wrote that final horrible episode “these are the Voyages Episode” that blew up the whole Trip T’Pol relationship and killed off a major character (something Berman had become obsessed with doing during season 3 of Enterprise but Paramount refused to let him do for whatever reason). Years later both Berman and Braga admitted that they had made a huge mistake in that final episode and openly apologized to Trek fans about it in conventions, etc. They realized just how badly they screwed up that episode and the series early one.

What a shame. Enterprise had a great cast, good chemistry (actually the best out of all five series to that point if you read some of the accounts of DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise actors and actresses) and they messed it all up. Makes me more angry thinking about it. Enterprise was such a squandered opportunity. Sigh

I’ve been a Trekkie my whole life but never really knew the details like that. OMG that helps explain so much. That there was possibly going to be an Earth Romulan War arc and that Trip and T’Pok’s baby wasn’t always intended to die, that is just tragic. Are the scripts for Manny Coto’s other 5 episodes available to read at all? Wow. Thank you thank you. Answers so many questions and leaves so many unanswered.

Glad to offer the perspective. I pieced together this information from many sources that would be too difficult to outline here, but essentially that is what happened in a nutshell.

Manny Coto spilled much of the beans about what happened in that final season because he was at odds with Braga and Berman later on in season 4 as they continued to interfere with his vision for the series despite Paramount forcing Berman to turn over the reigns to him and them essentially checking out of everyday writing and producing duties by season 4. I always avoid watching “These are the Voyages” because it has Braga and Berman’s finger prints all over it (surprisingly they did take responsibility for that horrible episode which really soured fans view of the whole series in ST conventions) and acknowledged it was a colossal mistake on their part based on the fan’s reaction. They just ruined the T’Pol Trip relationship. Blalock and Trinneer both commented that they never could decide what exactly to do with Trip and T’Pol after season 3, “are they a romantic couple or not.”

Really “These are the Voyages” was Berman’s last hurrah (he retired in 2005). Braga should never have been involved in writing Enterprise. He later let slip that he actually totally opposed to the Enterprise series saying Paramount should have waited 5 or 6 years before another writing and filming another series after the conclusion of Voyager, but instead the dove right into another Trek series immediately. If it had been up to him Enterprise would never have been filmed so i guess we are lucky we got 4 seasons of Enterprise in hindsight.

I really really wish they would bring this series back for a reboot to conclude the story. ST Discover and ST Picard are doing TERRIBLE and have horrible fan ratings low 40’s uper 30’s which is much much lower than Voyager and even Enterprise back in the day both of which were in the low 70’s for fan approval. Bakula is not involved in any projects now too as NCIS has concluded and he is looking for work. He’s a great actor that just loves acting. They could easily retconn Trip back in (who also loved the series) based on Kate’s post and it would totally make sense given the upcoming Earth Romulan conflict that was hinted at several times in season 4 and the fact that “These are the voyages” was technically just a made up holodeck scenario in the TNG universe based on second hand accounts of what happened 100 years later and Riking’s own limited understanding of what happened.

Earlier this year I DID HEAR that Paramount was talking to Bakula (which is great news) about returning to the Trek franchise in some capacity but i have no idea how far that conversation has gone or what capacity they had in mind. Paramount has done this before to gauge interest in characters and strategize upcoming series and no doubt they’ve noticed that Enterprise has been at the top of Netflix scifi series for months and months during the pandemic and that no doubt has piqued their interest. When can only hope it leads to something else hint hint Paramount. I encourage everyone to write to CBS and Paramount. Yes it takes some time and effort, but fan campaigns have succeeded in the past.

In fact from what i’ve read and heard in videos the ENTIRE cast is willing to come back albeit they would be much older (still doable but they are quickly running out of time), but sadly it appears that Blalock is totally disinterested in a reboot (she is very reclusive from what i’ve read) and has more or less retired from acting and has also said she is only interested in doing movies. Understandable i guess considering she is married, has kids, and is deeply invested in her charity. She also had a very contentious relationship with Berman and Braga throughout the Enterprise series and was constantly at odds with them about how to portray T’Pol which might have soured her viewpoint on doing future Star Trek roles. It’s really a shame because i thought she did a wonderful job in the role.

I miss Enterprise.

I forgot to answer your question regarding the concept scripts. I’m not sure if they were ever made available to the public but i’ve heard they did exist for a time, but it’s also been 16 years since the show was cancelled so your guess is as good as mind as to whether or not they are still around. I also don’t know if they were full episode scripts (probably unlikely) or just outlines. TV Show writers will often do episode outlines with some character lines in them to sell the concept to the producer and the executives so it’s hard to say how far Manny got with them.

I just hope that if by some slim chance this series is EVER revised that they bring back Coto to write and produce it and keep it away from Alex Kurtzman who has totally butchered ST Discovery (just my opinion) and that he is not involved at all in writing and production.

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I also fell in love again when I started watching T’pol and Trip romance on Enterprise, grew up watching The original Star Trek and think that CBS should bring Enterprise back to conclude the story. According to the ENT books Trip did not die. Thanks for your post.

“Bring Back Enterprise” thank you for reading my post and creating your youtube channel. Just watched a few and I am absolutely a fan. I’m there to bring back enterprise and give it the ending it deserves. Thank you for existing out on the virtual universe.

hi, i also saw Enterprise in quarantine, and i loved the trip and t’pol couple !! For me the last chapter does not exist, it was horrible that they canceled the series just when it got so interesting … I loved your ending, I hope that with the new series strange new Worlds they could mention something and save that ending. As a separate note, there are some books that talk about the Romulan wars and why Trip Fake hola dearh and they suggest that in the end the two of them stay together. I have not read all the books yet but I recommend the good that man do.

Agee the ending was entirely unsatisfying and yours is immensely better but in my version there are modifications 😉

1. They start having children fairly quickly because after seeing baby Elizabeth they understand the joy of children and that tommow is not a promise. Though they can’t replace her, their loss begins healing once they recognize the void she leaves and they decide to build a family. They end up with four beautiful children.

2. Though all the children long for plomeek broth when ill, they enjoy a good steak with their salad on occasion.

For those who just cannot get enough of Trip, T’Pol, and other ENT characters, there are ENT relaunch novels. The storyline is that Trip’s death was faked so that he could become a spy. The denouement of their relationship is the realization that years later he is gardening at T’pol’s home on Vulcan (she is now an ambassador,) and he, T’Pol, and their two nearly grown children sit down to share a meal.

Omg really??!!! Do you have the titles? I will need to buy Stat! The best news is that one of my patients has a role in Star Trek Picard! I’m trying to finagle myself on set! I’ve been their pediatrician since she was in kinder!

The book titles are: 1. The Good That Men Do. 2. Kobayashi Maru. Then there is the 2 part “Romulan War” series of books: 3. Beneath the Raptor’s Wing 4. To Brave a Storm.

These 4 books are all connected and are best read in order. Imo, they are fantastic! You can find them all on the Amazon Kindle app.

There are also 5 additional “Rise of the Federation” novels by a different author, also on Kindle, which are worth reading for Enterprise fans, but imo not as good as the first 4 named above.

Please let us know where to find the relaunch novels Phoenixvoice! 🙂

If you find out about where to get those novels, please let US know!!

THANK YOU so much for this awesome ending! I’ve now watched every Star Trek series (except for the 60’s original) am absolutely appalled they ended this series-long love affair the way they did. Makes zero sense for them to build it up the entire time for nothing, very frustrating so it’s really great to read the rightful ending they should’ve been given…well done! 🙂

Katie K! I’m so glad you could share in my alternate ending! I’m rewatching Enterprise right now too. I’m going to look for those novels as well. Hopefully they have it online!

I just absolutely ADORE your version of their ending. You are SO right – T’Pol and Tucker deserved so much more than they got on Enterprise. I also agree with you – Right behind Star Trek: TOS stands Enterprise!! LLAP

Trish, thank you so much for reading this piece. It’s actually one of my biggest joys in life to know that this gave some of us out on the Star Trek fan world some closure!

People need to write CBS and Paramount to do this. It’s really the only way to get their attention. They might be receptive to it assuming the cast is interested in coming back, but the fans have to push for it. It will take a lot of coaxing to bring back Blalock from what i understand though.

I actually read your blog before watching the end of Star Trek Enterprise I was worried something like that would happen thank you so much for your ending I think I will stick with that one

I also only “met” Trip and T’Pol last year, during lockdown. I wasn’t taken by “Enterprise” at first, but I really got into it as it progressed, and bought in to the characters it portrayed. Like you, I was devastated that the story ended where it did – I just watched “Terra Prime” again tonight, and even though I knew the last scene by heart, it still moved me to tears. I have never watched the final episode. But I really appreciate your take on “what really happened” as it were…and it’s much more satisfying! Thank goodness for imagination!

Ruth, thank you for reading! I’m so glad to be able to share it with others.

Well it was interesting and quite funny with the whole vaccinated part though I’m not sure how that set in with star trek in anyway lol which is what made it interesting and funny

i liked the way it rewritten trip lives and married t’pol had kids better then the sucky end they did killing trip was because director didn’t like trip that why he was killed off, The ending sucked all why till the end

Sitting here this evening, I have Star Trek on while I’m working. It’s the episode that includes T’Pol and Trip’s cloned baby girl. This reminded me of how things ended for them when the series ended. That prompted me to do a quick search for alternate endings and I found your blog post here. First of all, I absolutely love your alternate ending for T’Pol and Trip! Secondly, I laughed out loud when I read, “…. and one on Vulcan that T’pol rented out as an Air B’nb. Perhaps her former husband Koss helped maintained it for them.”

Thank you Tiffany for reading! I’m so happy this blogpost has brought smiles to many people’s faces.

Even though I’m an old guy (81) I am a sucker for a good love story. I just finished Lucifer and then fell in love with the Trip/T’Pol love story on Enterprise. As an old Trekkie from the 60s I think Enterprise was the best of all the Star Trek shows except for the lousy ending. For all you folks who have written such excellent stories to follow up the ending of Enterprise Thank you. Thank you..

Anyone who wants a better story for Trip, T’Pol, Lorian, and Karyn, should read all the Enterprise stories by HopefulR on FanFiction .net; they essentially add up to a 2 part novel. Soval & Archer get their own storylines too. HopefulR went on to write a few official Enterprise novels but I don’t know what they are called; the first one is mentioned on her old website in the notes to a few of her stories.

Screen Rant

T'pol's 10 best star trek enterprise episodes.

The Science Officer and First Officer of the NX-01 Enterprise, T'Pol shines in episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise that challenge her Vulcan values.

T'Pol's connection to humanity serves as a bridge between cultures, helping to form the United Federation of Planets.
T'Pol's adaptability and scientific ingenuity shine through in challenging situations, showcasing her growth and determination.
T'Pol's internal conflict between Vulcan tradition and human values reveals her transformation into a trailblazing and emotionally connected first officer.

Star Trek: Enterprise introduced Subcommander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), who shined in some of the prequel series' best episodes. At the time of Enterprise in Star Trek 's chronology, the United Federation of Planets has yet to be founded, Starfleet's ships have a maximum warp factor of five, and the Vulcans are monitoring humanity's development. One way they do this is by assigning their own representative, T'Pol to serve as the Science Officer aboard the NX-01 Enterprise commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula).

The Vulcan High Command expects T'Pol to guide Enterprise's crew with their own brand of pure logic, but in serving with humans she grows to understand them better than most other Vulcans of her time. T'Pol's connection to humanity, which she initially dismissed as mere fascination, serves as a bridge between the two cultures that eventually help form the United Federation of Planets. These 10 episodes bring out the best of this unusually adaptable Vulcan.

10 "Singularity" (Enterprise Season 2, Episode 9)

En route to a black hole, Enterprise 's crew members begin exhibiting increased irritability and erratic behavior. Due to her Star Trek Vulcan physiology , T'Pol is the only one immune from the effects of a nearby radiation field, and it falls on her to save the crew more or less alone, with only a semi-coherent Archer to assist her. While most of the episode focuses on the crew's obsession with trivial tasks, like Lt. Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) inventing the "Reed Alert" or Ensign Hoshi Sato (Linda Park) perfecting her family's recipe, the final act shines a spotlight on T'Pol's scientific ingenuity and sheer determination.

9 "Twilight" (Enterprise Season 3, Episode 8)

In an alternative future where a parasitic anomaly renders Captain Archer unable to form new memories, the Xindi have destroyed Earth and decimated the human race. A softer, more emotionally-connected T'Pol has grown attached to Archer over the twelve years since his initial infection, and taken it upon herself to become his caretaker, no matter what she must sacrifice for him. That includes working with Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) to develop a treatment that cures Archer, even if it erases her current timeline from existence. It's a solid sci-fi premise that doubles as an interesting character study of T'Pol in particular.

8 "Shadows of P'Jem" (Enterprise Season 1, Episode 15)

After the destruction of Vulcan sanctuary and surveillance station P'Jem, the Vulcan High Command blames humans for the attack and recalls T'Pol from her assignment aboard Enterprise . On the last away mission before her departure, T'Pol and Captain Archer are captured by anti-Vulcan terrorists. T'Pol believes her time among humans has compromised her logic, but it's her quick thinking and deception that allows her and Archer to survive until their rescue. This episode also marks T'Pol's choice to stay aboard Enterprise of her own volition, instead of just being placed there by the Vulcan High Command, which allows her to integrate into the crew more readily.

7 "The Seventh" (Enterprise Season 2, Episode 7)

On a classified mission to complete an unfinished assignment from the Vulcan Ministry of Security, T'Pol experiences the emergence of memories that she'd intentionally repressed using the Vulcan fullara ritual. She discovers that there were seven fugitives in her previous mission, not six, and her relentless pursuit of the seventh led to his death at her hands. Moreover, there's reason for her to believe that the seventh wasn't as guilty as she initially believed. Since she can no longer hide her own guilt from herself, Archer tells her that she must learn to live with it, as humans do. It's another way she starts to incorporate emotion instead of fully repressing it.

6 "E²" (Enterprise Season 3, Episode 21)

While T'Pol is dealing with the unwanted emotions associated with her covert use of trellium and subsequent withdrawal symptoms, Enterprise encounters a version of itself that was flung into the past via a temporal anomaly. This ship is inhabited by descendants of the original crew members, including one much older T'Pol and the son she had with Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer). The second Enterprise offers a look into a potential future for T'Pol and Trip at a time when she's trying to deny her feelings for him, which encourages her to consider pursuing a genuine romantic relationship with him.

5 "Kir'Shara" (Enterprise Season 4, Episode 9)

Captain Archer, T'Pol, and legacy Star Trek character T'Pau (Kara Zediker) work together to recover the Kir'Shara, a lost artifact that has the potential to redefine Vulcan civilization by restoring the teachings of Surak. After reuniting with and subsequently losing her mother, T'Les, T'Pol shares a tender moment with T'Pau, who offers memories of T'Les via a properly-executed mind meld. The meld proves healing for T'Pol, eradicating the Pa'nar Syndrome that she contracted several years ago. The mission as a whole goes well, not just recontextualizing Vulcan society by ousting conspirators, but also paving the path for the development of the Vulcans as they're seen in future incarnations of Star Trek .

4 "Fusion" (Enterprise Season 1, Episode 17)

Tolaris (Enrique Murciano), the captain of a ship crewed by unusually emotional Vulcans known as V'tosh ka'tur , takes a special interest in introducing T'Pol to his "alternative interpretation" of Surak's teachings. As the Vulcan equivalent of a "bad boy," he tests her boundaries by encouraging her to forego meditation and experiment with emotions, and ultimately forces her to engage in a then-forbidden mind meld, which goes horribly wrong. T'Pol immediately shuts Tolaris down and evicts him and his crew from Enterprise, proving that her curiosity won't be a tool others can use against her. "Fusion" lays the groundwork for T'Pol's search for a balance between the repressive culture she grew up with and the emotions she genuinely wants to experience.

3 "Stigma" (Enterprise Season 2, Episode 14)

This follow-up episode to Enterprise season 1's "Fusion" sees T'Pol seek treatment for Pa'nar Syndrome, which she contracted as a result of the mind meld with Tolaris. Vulcan society, however, has placed a strict taboo on mind melding, because it's an intimate act that goes largely misunderstood by the dominant culture. While T'Pol could save her own reputation by publicly stating she was coerced, doing so would also reinforce the Vulcans' widespread belief that all mind melders are immoral. The allegory isn't subtle, so it's not surprising that T'Pol refuses to uphold the prejudice and identify herself as someone who will stand for marginalized groups, even when it bucks tradition.

2 "Carbon Creek" (Enterprise Season 2, Episode 2)

T'Pol recounts the story of her great-grandmother, T'Mir, whose surveillance team made the real First Contact between Vulcans and humans when they crashed on Earth in 1957. In order to survive, T'Mir and her team must learn how to blend in and work with the local population, not unlike T'Pol with Archer's crew. While it isn't about T'Pol directly, "Carbon Creek" works as an excellent parallel between the past and present that gives context to T'Pol's affinity for humans, marking it as more of a family tradition than a quality unique to her. It's also one of the best episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise , and shouldn't be missed.

1 "Home" (Enterprise Season 4, Episode 3)

During a visit back home, T'Pol's inner conflict between Vulcan tradition and human values comes to a head in a series of conversations she has with her mother and her betrothed, who are both disappointed in how human-like she's become. T'Pol must choose whether to honor her mother's wishes and avoid bringing further shame to her family, or follow her heart and carve her own path. The contrast between present and past is on full display, with T'Pol's romantic partner Trip Tucker and her Vulcan fiancé, Koss, each personifying paths she could take. This episode offers a look into the culture that T'Pol has been internally battling throughout the run of the series and really highlights just how far she's come in only four years.

By the end of Enterprise season 4, T'Pol is far from the same detached character who was first assigned to Archer's crew. T'Pol's best episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise show how the ideals of tradition and ingenuity work together to make her a trailblazing early First Officer of the Starship Enterprise .

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Recap / Star Trek Enterprise S 03 E 15 Harbinger

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Trip is having a neuropressure session, but it's with Amanda Cole instead of T'Pol. Amanda then looks at him, kisses him, and leaves. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is on its way to the red giant star in search of the Xindi weapon. Archer calls Malcolm to his ready room to discuss training with the MACOs. Malcolm is none too keen about taking orders from Major Hayes, but accepts.

On the bridge, Travis notices that the stars appear to be moving. They check it out and find that it's a bunch of spatial anomalies, which Hoshi detects a transmission coming from. T'Pol identifies its source as a pod with a humanoid life sign on it. As they try to pull the pod out of the anomalies with a grappler, the disturbance expands and anomalies begin appearing on the Enterprise , but they manage to escape with the pod.

Phlox tells T'Pol that Amanda has been having headaches, which he thinks is because of Trip's neuropressure, and suggests that T'Pol do the neuropressure on Amanda and stop Trip from doing it. Meanwhile, Malcolm and Hayes argue over the timing of the training sessions. Later, Archer, Malcolm, and Trip open the pod to find an unconscious alien man who is connected to the pod with electrodes.

They take him to sickbay, where Phlox attempts to treat him, and T'Pol determines that the disturbance is in the centre of five spheres. Archer thinks maybe the spheres are what is making the disturbance. Hayes sets up a training session in the cargo bay, which initially goes well, until one of them goes too far with Travis, causing another argument between Malcolm (who thinks Hayes should control his soldiers better) and Hayes (who doesn't see a problem).

T'Pol and Trip find evidence that the pod is associated with the makers of the spheres. She tells Archer, who wonders if the alien man was sent to the anomaly as a test subject. Phlox then reveals that he can't wake the alien without causing him pain, making him reluctant to wake him, but Archer insists.

In T'Pol's quarters, she does neuropressure on Amanda and asks if she's attracted to Trip and Amanda affirms. Meanwhile, Phlox determines that the alien man is dying, even disintegrating, and he can't save him. Malcolm has another training session with Hayes, but doesn't do very well. In the mess hall, Trip wants to talk about the training sessions and Malcolm wants to talk about Trip and Amanda, but that just leaves both feeling awkward.

Archer interrogates the alien, who reveals that he's from a "trans-dimensional realm". They resume course for the red giant, and Trip goes to T'Pol for neuropressure. She denies that she's jealous, he admits he finds her attractive... and then she jumps his bones!

In sickbay, the alien talks with Phlox for a bit, then knocks him out. Afterwards, the alien's hand passes through Phlox's neck. Realising that he's intangible now, the alien walks through the sickbay wall and around the ship. He creates "localised failures" which T'Pol tracks, then Malcolm and Hayes's arguing escalates into a physical fight. Their fight is broken up when they're asked to track down the alien. They fire at him, but the blasts go right through.

The alien arrives in engineering and knocks out Trip, then Malcolm and the MACOs enter. The alien sticks his hand into the warp core, disabling the magnetic seals. Luckily, Malcolm and Hayes manage to reverse the polarity of the field coils, repelling the alien.

Tropes in this episode include:

All Myths Are True : Archer and T'Pol discuss the Triannon creation myth again, and begin to wonder if it has a basis in fact.
Bathos : Archer has just finished dressing down Malcolm and Hayes in a big What the Hell, Hero? moment when he's suddenly called to sick bay and leaves the room. Malcolm and Hayes continue standing at attention for an extra five seconds in silence. Malcolm: ... Think we're dismissed?
Canary in a Coal Mine : Archer compares the alien in the pod to a canary and explains the analogy to T'Pol.
Distracted by the Sexy : T'Pol sees Amanda slap Trip's ass during the sparring session, which distracts her long enough for her partner to deck her.
Explosive Instrumentation : Bizarrely crossed with Bullet Time —the helm sends out a burst of sparks in slow motion when Enterprise is in the Negative Space Wedgie .
For Science! : Discussed when T'Pol claims that she had sex with Trip as a way of exploring sexuality. Trip is unhappy with this idea, since he doesn't want to be a "lab rat".
Greater-Scope Villain : This episode formally introduces the Sphere Builders as the true villains of the Xindi arc.
Green-Eyed Monster : T'Pol is clearly jealous of Trip and Amanda, despite trying to deny it, with her squeezing Amanda's shoulder hard while giving her neuropressure when she tells T'Pol that Trip has nice hands.
Hypocrite : T'Pol insists that her objection to the amount of time Trip and Cole are spending together is that it's inappropriate for a senior officer to fraternize with a subordinate... and then she has sex with Trip herself, despite being his superior.
Inappropriately Close Comrades : T'Pol says that Trip and Corporal Amanda Cole are this. Trip counters by saying that since Cole's a MACO and not Starfleet, it's okay.
Interservice Rivalry : Things come to a head between Malcolm and Hayes. Malcolm even tries to say that the MACOs' combat experience comes from simulator training on Earth, ignoring that they have fought numerous skirmishes against the Xindi.
It Has Only Just Begun : Before disappearing, the alien test subject gives a last message to Archer: "When the Xindi destroy Earth, my people will prevail!"
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique : Downplayed —rather than actively cause him pain, Archer makes Phlox hold off on giving pain meds to the patient to make him start talking.
Loophole Abuse : When T'Pol objects to Trip's potential relationship with Amanda on the grounds of Starfleet officers being barred from fraternising with subordinates, Trip points out that the MAC Os aren't Starfleet.
Making Love in All the Wrong Places : Trip and T'Pol have sex in her living room.
No-Sell : Energy weapons are useless against the alien.
Red Alert : An alarm is sounded when the Tactical Alert is activated, something that hasn't happened before or since.
Relationship Upgrade : Trip and T'Pol finally become an item after a few episodes of him crushing on her.
Remember the New Guy? : Amanda Cole had never appeared before. Some fans speculated that she was supposed to be the same character as the female MACO who had appeared several times, but she's played by a different actress.
Reverse Polarity : Malcolm and Hayes do this on the warp core to stop the alien from destroying it since everything else phases through him.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here : A Downplayed version — a Red Shirt happens to walk down the corridor where Malcolm and Hayes are fighting. Malcolm tells him "As you were" * military shorthand for "Ignore me and continue what you were doing." before taking a punch from Hayes. The crewman winces and goes back the way he came.
Sexy Discretion Shot : T'Pol strips and kisses Trip, then the scene changes. Later, it's implied that they went all the way.
That's an Order! : A pissed-off Archer orders Malcolm and Hayes to settle whatever problem they have with each other. "Settle it! That's an order! "
Three Lines, Some Waiting : There are three distinct plot threads in this episode: Archer and Phlox trying to solve the mystery of the alien test subject, Trip and T'Pol having a love triangle with Corporal Cole, and Malcolm and Hayes coming to blows over their rivalry.
Unwanted Rescue : The alien in the pod, who starts dying just after his rescue. Though it ends up being subverted , as it turns out he was sent to sabotage Enterprise before they can find the Xindi weapon.
Wham Episode : The Sphere-Builders make their debut, and Trip and T'Pol finally hook up after half a season of Unresolved Sexual Tension .
What the Hell, Hero? : Archer chews out Malcolm and Hayes for fighting. Archer: (to Malcolm) Doctor Phlox says you have a detached retina. (to Hayes) A bruised left kidney. We're in a dangerous region of space. We're trying to stop an alien race from destroying Earth. We face attacks from all sides, enemies everywhere we go. The last thing I need is to hear that two of my senior officers have been admitted to Sickbay because they suddenly regressed to the level of five-year-olds ! Malcolm: Captain— Archer: DON'T TRY TO TELL ME WHO STARTED IT! I don't know what the problem is between you two, and to tell you the truth I don't care, but I want it settled right now ! (gets in their faces) Settle it! That's an Order! ! (Malcolm and Hayes glance at each other) Malcolm: There's no problem, Captain. Hayes: It's settled, sir.
With Due Respect : Hayes uses this line on Malcolm, who does not consider his behavior very respectful.
Star Trek Enterprise S 03 E 14 Stratagem
Recap/Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek Enterprise S03 E16 "Doctor's Orders"

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