TWITrek Character Insight No. 11: T'Pol

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight!  This week, our subject is Subcommander T'Pol from Enterprise




T'Pol served as first officer and science officer aboard the Enterprise, similar to the role Spock played in the original series. T'Pol is the first Vulcan to serve an extended portion on an Earth vessel and it takes a long time for the crew to become fully acclimated to her.

T'Pol served an important role as an expert in alien cultures such as the Klingons for the crew of Enterprise. Her telepathic abilities and different physiology helped save the human crew on many occasions during the ten year mission of the ship.

Right before coming aboard Enterprise, T'Pol found that she liked chaotic jazz music so much that it would elicit an emotional response from her. Although it takes longer for Trip to convince her to watch movies with the crew, she eventually attends a movie night and enjoys the film Frankenstein.

T'Pol is a vegetarian, but that does not stop her from sampling all kinds of human dishes, including some of Trip's favorites in Georgia Peaches and popcorn. Speaking of Trip, T'Pol shares a long romance with the commander that is the primary romance of the Enterprise series. T'Pol and Trip have a baby thanks to genetic engineering by Terra Prime, but the baby dies due to genetic engineering mistakes.. 

In a new twist for Star Trek fans, T'Pol appears without clothing in multiple episodes. Even when clothes are present, the subcommander keeps changing the game with a total of 48 different outfits worn during the less than 100 episodes of the show.

Our notable quote comes from Horizon in season 2:

Sub-Commander T'Pol: I don't understand why Humans would feel compelled to frighten themselves.
Captain Jonathan Archer: Gets the heart pumping.
Sub-Commander T'Pol: Cardiovascular activity would be more efficient.


Actor: Jolene Blaylock played T'Pol and it has been her only high profile role in 14 years of acting. Her minor appearances include Stargate SG-1, CSI Miami (yow!), and House.

Until next time, live long and prosper...