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Commander T'Pol is a fictional character played by Jolene Blalock in . She is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the Starship Enterprise. Born in 2088, T'Pol is the first Vulcan officer to ever serve a prolonged term on a human vessel. She was stationed aboard the Enterprise (NX-01) at the insistence of the Vulcan High Command in April 2151, with the rank of Sub-Commander. In a time when most Vulcans viewed humans with arrogant disdain, and some humans distrust Vulcans, T'Pol has remained aboard Enterprise despite several attempts by her superiors to recall her to Vulcan. T'Pol's decision to remain aboard Enterprise has brought considerable scrutiny upon her from her superiors, and increasing support for her from her captain; she was given the Starfleet rank of Commander after resigning from the Vulcan High Command and accepting a commission with Starfleet.
T'Pol is considerably more emotional than most other Vulcans. This is in part due to circumstances that befall her (see below) but her mother states that T'Pol's emotions have always resided close to the surface.
Originally viewed by her crewmates with resentment and suspicion, T'Pol has been forced to earn the trust of fellow officers. The character of T'Pol has developed from that of a "broken record" spouting the dogma of the Vulcan Science Council to that of a questioning scientific mind. Though she does not openly defy or reject the rulings of the Vulcan Science Council, her experiences on Enterprise have proven to her that they can be wrong.
T'Pol serves as an icon of Vulcan integrity. Her willingness to question the stale, self-serving decisions of her superiors, and her respect for Captain Archer position her at the fulcrum of human/Vulcan relations.
Approximately 16 years before joining the crew of Enterprise, T'Pol was an agent for Vulcan's intelligence service. During a mission to apprehend a pair of rogue Vulcans, she was forced to shoot and kill one of them. This act caused her to suffer a form of nervous breakdown which led to her undergoing a procedure that erased all memory of the incident. This "memory cap" inadvertently came off when she was briefly reactivated as an agent during 2152 in order to capture the last of the rogue Vulcans, and she experienced an emotional collapse. Captain Archer helped her through the experience, an act that cemented the bond of trust between them. Given the option to once again suppress her memory of killing, she chose to live with it instead. (episode, "The Seventh")
T'Pol has Pan'aar Syndrome , an incurable condition caused by a mind-meld that was forced upon her by another Vulcan (during a form of date rape). This condition, which has parallels with HIV, is kept in check with medication. The episode in which T'Pol's condition was revealed ("Stigma") revealed that she is incapable of performing mind melds herself.
In 2153, T'Pol resigns her commission to the Vulcan High Command to accompany the crew of Enterprise into the Delphic Expanse to find the Xindi, a mysterious race accused of killing seven million humans on Earth. Despite being technically a civilian, she remains as first officer of Enterprise and the crew continues to refer to her by her High Command rank of Sub-Commander during the mission.
While aboard the Vulcan ship Seleya, T'Pol experienced the side-effects of Trellium-D, losing control of her emotions. Later, for three months before the Enterprise reached Azati Prime, T'Pol secretly injected herself with small amounts of Trellium-D that she liquidated, as though it were a narcotic. After a devastating Xindi attack near Azati Prime, T'Pol confessed to Dr. Phlox. In Harbinger, perhaps due to the effects of the substance, T'Pol entered into a taboo-breaking sexual relationship with chief engineer Charles Tucker which she later tried to dismiss as an experiment. An encounter with an older version of herself, in E-Squared, from more than a century in the future revealed to her that she married the Earthling.
A complex (and somewhat contradictory) character, T'Pol has also grown very close to Capt. Jonathan ArcherCaptain Jonathan Archer ( Scott Bakula) is the fictional captain of the starship Enterprise (NX-01) in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise''. He was born in upstate New York and spent many years of his life in San Francisco, California. His father, to the point of entering a deep depression on two occasions during the Xindi mission when she believes he has been killed (the first occasion may or may not have contributed to the Enterprise's near destruction at Azati Prime). In one alternate timeline (depicted in "Twilight"), T'Pol devotes her life to caring for Archer when parasites rob him of his short-term memory and it is made clear that she loves him. In the current timeline (particularly in the first two seasons of the series) there have been signs that their relationship has the potential to become more than simply that between a captain and science officer, however this now appears to have been preempted by Archer's dedication to complete the Xindi mission, and T'Pol's blossoming relationship with Tucker.
Near the end of the Xindi mission, T'Pol confesses to Archer and Tucker that she is considering enlisting in StarfleetIn the Star Trek fictional universe, Starfleet is the paramilitary exploration force of the United Federation of Planets. Starfleet Headquarters is located in San Francisco, California, Earth, Sol System, Sector 001, in the Alpha Quadrant. This organizati. (Some fans have suggested that this violates Trek canonCanon can mean: A rule adopted by an ecumenical council of the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. From the Greek kanon for rule or measure. See canon law. A list of books accepted by an ecclesiastic communion as authoritative or divinely inspired. which many feel suggests that Mr. SpockThis article is about the Star Trek character Mr. For the pediatrician Dr. Spock, see Benjamin Spock. For the Swedish synthpop band, see S. For the asteroid, see 2309 Mr. One of the most famous characters from the original Star Trek television series is t was the first Vulcan in Starfleet. However, in fact, there is actually no reference anywhere in Star Trek canon to suggest that Spock was the first Vulcan in Starfleet, though there are suggestions he was the first to attend Starfleet AcademyIn the Star Trek television series and its spinoffs, the fictional Starfleet Academy is the military academy where the future members of Starfleet learn the skills required for their jobs. The main campus of the Academy is located near Starfleet headquart, which T'Pol does not do.)
T'Pol, who holds the record for the longest time a Vulcan has spent serving with humans (the previous record was two weeks, compared to T'Pol's now serving for more than three years), has demonstrated her ability to adapt. Originally, she required a form of medication in order to tolerate the odors given off by humans and Capt. Archer's pet dog PorthosPorthos is a fictional dog in the Star Trek: Enterprise universe. He is the pet of Captain Jonathan Archer, and an English Beagle. He is named after the fictional character Porthos, one of The Three Musketeers''. He is also a connoisseur of fine cheeses, (due to Vulcans having a sensitive sense of smell). Eventually, she stopped using the medication. She has also demonstrated a sophisticated sense of humor. And, in a case of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," she has also begun eating some types of foods (fruit, popcorn) with her hands, breaking a long-standing Vulcan taboo in the process. (This last has never been explained fully on screen, however it is strongly implied by her frequent mention of having adapted to living with humans).
T'Pol's age was kept a closely guarded secret until the end of the third season when she revealed that she is 65 years old.
T'Pol was engaged to marry a Vulcan named Koss prior to the start of Enterprises mission, but elected to delay her marriage indefinitely (due in part to a cultural requirement that would have forced her to stay on Vulcan for a year after the marriage). The fourth season episode "Home" saw T'Pol having to deal with the consequences of her decision, when she chooses to marry Koss in order to save the reputation of her mother. This decision is made more difficult by her growing feelings for Tucker, though she appears to be unaware that he has fallen in love with her (although in "The Augments" it is clear that she is beginning to realize the depth of his feelings towards her). Soon after her marriage, she chooses to join Starfleet as a commissioned officer, having negotiated her way out of the customary one-year residence on Vulcan that newlywed Vulcan females must undertake. These events coincide with an apparent decline in her health; during her visit to Vulcan she appears gaunt and sunken-cheeked; she states that she has been ill, though it is not stated explicitly whether she is referring to her Trellium-D addiction or her Pan'aar Syndrome. In subsequent episodes she appears to be in better health.
In May 2154, T'Pol officially assumed duties as a Starfleet officer, with the rank of Commander. However, as she does not wear a standard Starfleet uniform, it is suggested that her relationship with the organization is a unique one. (There is precedent for a Starfleet officer to not wear a regulation uniform: Deanna Troi in never wore a regular uniform until the last couple of seasons of that series.)