Star Trek: Enterprise was a controversial (for the time) prequel that established the first Starship Enterprise wasn't the Constitution Class vessel commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Instead, a century before Star Trek: The Original Series, the NX-01 led by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) was retconned as the first Enterprise to explore the galaxy. Enterprise's retcon included Subcommander T'Pol, who predated Spock as the first Vulcan to serve as Science Officer aboard the Enterprise. Yet other versions of T'Pol have also popped up on Enterprise and in the greater Star Trek franchise.
T'Pol In Star Trek: Enterprise
Subcommander T'Pol Was Retconned As Enterprise's First Vulcan Science Officer
Subcommander T'Pol served aboard the NX-01 Enterprise in the dual role of Science Officer and First Officer to Captain Archer. Although Star Trek: Enterprise only aired for four seasons, Archer's Enterprise was in service for 10 years, from 2151-2161, with T'Pol part of the crew for the duration. Originally a short-term liaison representing the Vulcan Science Council, T'Pol grew disillusioned with the corrupt Vulcan government and eventually aligned herself with her Starfleet crew mates aboard Enterprise.
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Star Trek: Enterprise Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: Enterprise introduced new faces to the prequel series set a century before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series.
Jolene Blalock was not in favor of T'Pol and Trip's love affair.
T'Mir In Star Trek: Enterprise Season 2
Jolene Blalock Played T'Pol's Ancestor, T'Mir
Jolene Blalock's first performance as a variant of T'Pol was playing T'Mir, T'Pol's second foremother (great-grandmother), in Star Trek: Enterprise season 2, episode 2, "Carbon Creek." Although T'Mir was T'Pol's ancestor, Blalock portraying T'Mir hints that the two Vulcans are physically similar, if not identical. T'Pol left Captain Archer and Trip the impression that her story was apocryphal, but Star Trek: Enterprise showing T'Mir's purse as T'Pol's heirloom indicates "Carbon Creek" happened as T'Pol described.
In Star Trek: Enterprise's "Cabon Creek," T'Mir was part of a Vulcan expeditionary ship that crash-landed near Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, in 1957, 106 years before Earth's official First Contact with the Vulcans. For months, the trio of Vulcan castaways lived among the humans and kept them aware they were aliens. When it came time to be rescued, T'Mir returned to Vulcan, but she also altered Earth history by selling humans the Vulcan technology of Velcro.
T'Pol In Star Trek: Enterprise Mirror Universe
T'Pol Was A Victim Of The Mirror Universe's Terran Empire
T'Pol warned Archer that the Terran Empire would ultimately pay for its arrogance, words that became prophetic when the Terrans were conquered by the Klingon and Cardassian Alliance by the 24th century.
Regardless, Commander Jonathan Archer made T'Pol his First Officer during his scheme to steal the 23rd century Constitution Class USS Defiant, which traveled to the Mirror Universe from Star Trek's Prime timeline and was held by the Tholians. T'Pol betrayed Archer, but he still needed her scientific expertise to help operate the Defiant. Mirror T'Pol was last seen as a prisoner of Archer and Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), who ordered the Vulcan's execution.
Commander Will Riker Consulted T'Pol In The Holodeck
In a pair of instances in Star Trek: Enterprise seasons 2 and 3, Jolene Blalock portrayed illusions of T'Pol. But in Star Trek: Enterprise's controversial series finale, Blalock played T'Pol as a hologram. Enterprise's series ender centered on Star Trek: The Next Generation's Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who consulted the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise in the USS Enterprise-D's holodeck to help him solve a moral dilemma. Enterprise's actors did not portray their flesh-and-blood characters in their own series finale.
T'Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise's finale was years removed from her romance with Trip Tucker, and she was winding down the NX-01 Enterprise's decades-long mission. Hologram T'Pol had touching scenes with Trip before his death, a heartfelt moment with Captain Archer before he helps found the United Federation of Planets, and amusing interludes with Riker posing as Enterprise's mystery chef. Still, Blalock publicly criticized Star Trek: Enterprise's finale, echoing fans' feelings.
T'Pol In Star Trek: Lower Decks
An Alternate Reality T'Pol Explores The Multiverse
Credited with only her first name, Jolene made a surprise comeback as T'Pol in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 9, "Fissure Quest." However, Jolene voiced T'Pol from an alternate reality where she had been married to Trip Tucker for decades. Star Trek: Lower Decks' variant T'Pol was the First Officer of Section 31's Defiant Class starship Anaximander commanded by Captain William Boimler (Jck Quaid). The Anaximander's mission was to find the culprit opening up Quantum Reality fissures throughout the multiverse.
Jolene Blalock hadn't portrayed T'Pol since Star Trek: Enterprise ended in 2005, but she picked up the Vulcan as if 19 years hadn't passed. In Star Trek: Lower Decks, T'Pol struck up a one-sided friendship with Curzon Dax (Fred Tatastciore). When Curzon was dying, T'Pol downloaded the Dax symbiont's memories into her brain via mind-meld, preserving Dax for its next host. Jolene's return as T'Pol in Star Trek: Lower Decks proved that time had not diminished fans' love affair with T'Pol.
