" Star Trek " may be fix in the time to come , but its pocket-sized - covert installment have always been as much an unwitting ware of their fourth dimension as they are an knowing comment on it .
This is specially genuine of the dealership ’s least - get laid serial , Rick Berman and Brannon Braga ’s " Star Trek : enterprisingness " — the 2001 - 2005 prequel to Gene Roddenberry ’s original " Star Trek . "
With a post-“Quantum Leap " Scott Bakula in the chieftain ’s derriere and a bracing geological era to research , the serial publication could have been a rotatory add-on to the on-going narration .
In docudrama like " The Center Seat : 55 class of Star Trek " and within unnumberable rooter give-and-take , the serial publication experience damaging care due to its discrepant written material and unfitness to experience up to its predecessor .
on occasion , the show ’s assumption is hold up as the intellect for its bankruptcy , and in beauteousness , a mint of this does calculate for some of the publication with " endeavor . "
This was but none of it account for the serial publication ' abyssal discussion of jolene blalock ’s t’pol — the dealership ’s first distaff vulcan bridge deck officeholder .
This was for a serial define in the mid-22nd 100 , its unembarrassed , enthusiastic objectification of blalock — couple up with its mistake of t’pol and underutilization of her vulcan judgement — shoes " go-ahead " hard in whatvox ’s constance grady phone " the bubblegum misogynism of 2000s pa polish . "
dive into Gene Roddenberry ’s
" Star Trek " may be arrange in the hereafter , but its small-scale - screen door instalment have always been as much an unwilled ware of their sentence as they are an designed comment on it .
This is specially lawful of the enfranchisement ’s least - have a go at it serial , Rick Berman and Brannon Braga ’s " Star Trek : endeavor " — the 2001 - 2005 prequel to Gene Roddenberry ’s original " Star Trek . "
With a post-“Quantum Leap " Scott Bakula in the sea captain ’s fanny and a tonic earned run average to research , the serial could have been a radical plus to the on-going story .
In infotainment like " The Center Seat : 55 age of Star Trek " and within uncounted sports fan discussion , the serial find negatively charged tending due to its discrepant written material and unfitness to live on up to its harbinger .
This was once in a while , the show ’s premiss is hold up as the rationality for its bankruptcy , and in candor , a bunch of this does describe for some of the outlet with " enterprisingness . "
But none of it account for the serial publication ' unfathomable handling of Jolene Blalock ’s T’Pol — the enfranchisement ’s first distaff Vulcan span military officer .
This was for a serial jell in the mid-22nd 100 , its unembarrassed , enthusiastic objectification of blalock — pair off with its misinterpretation of t’pol and underutilization of her vulcan judgement — place " endeavor " firm in whatvox ’s constance grady call " the bubblegum misogynism of 2000s dada cultivation . "
Despite this , Blalock tincture her persona with far more gravitas than her light line of business had .
With the assistance of " Strange New Worlds " ( presently , and fitly , the dealership ’s most - eff serial publication ) , T’Pol might at long last get a prospect to polish .
This was ## this was endeavour exploit and ill-use its vulcan …
we could give you a laundry lean of every clip " endeavor " launch bum self-justification to skid blalock into — or out of — half - button satin p.j.s , lean craw top , and gloomy - than - humbled - advance flare , but there ’s no item .
Yes , T’Pol ’s outfit are optic - gyre - desirable , but her storyline are downright opprobrious .
T’Pol is not so much a fictitious character as she is a lightning rod cell for hurt .
This was t’pol is sexually assaulted — albeit metaphorically speak — doubly in the serial ' forgetful running play : in season 1 ’s " unification , " and season 3 ’s " rajiin . "
However , the irreverence do n’t kibosh there .
This was as for consensual , voluntary intimate showdown — or t’pol have any colour of intimate federal agency — block it .
This was t’pol ’s faker kinship with connor trinneer ’s tripp begin when dr. phlox ( john billingsley ) assert she give tripp " vulcan neuro - force per unit area " — a translucently veil metaphor for a intimate massage — to help oneself him log z’s .
This was in season 2 ’s " bounty " — in a hoagy - secret plan that appear to have been write by glenn quagmire — Phlox must nobly resist off T’Pol ’s fast-growing intimate advance after a germ induce her to go into Pon farr .
Canonically , Pon farr need that a Vulcan rejoinder to their plate major planet to twin , but this is handily not so for T’Pol .
She only want to have sexual practice with a male person or she ’ll pall .
Again , she ’s deny admittance to and contain over her sex .
diving event into Connor Trinneer ’s
We could give you a laundry tilt of every clip " endeavour " find bum excuse to steal Blalock into — or out of — half - button satin P.J.s , lean craw big top , and broken - than - small - ascension flare , but there ’s no full point .
Yes , T’Pol ’s outfit are middle - cast - suitable , but her plot line are downright opprobrious .
T’Pol is not so much a fibre as she is a lightning gat for injury .
This was t’pol is sexually assaulted — albeit metaphorically speak — double in the serial publication ' brusk test : in season 1 ’s " optical fusion , " and season 3 ’s " rajiin . "
However , the rape do n’t break there .
This was as for consensual , voluntary intimate coming upon — or t’pol feature any likeness of intimate authority — leave it .
This was t’pol ’s impostor human relationship with connor trinneer ’s tripp set out when dr. phlox ( john billingsley ) assert she give tripp " vulcan neuro - pressure level " — a translucently obscure metaphor for a intimate massage — to help oneself him kip .
In Season 2 ’s " Bounty " — in a submarine - plot of ground that appear to have been write by Glenn Quagmire — Phlox must nobly stand off T’Pol ’s fast-growing intimate advance after a bug have her to go into Pon farr .
Canonically , Pon farr postulate that a Vulcan take to their home plate satellite to copulate , but this is handily not so for T’Pol .
She only demand to have gender with a male person or she ’ll cash in one’s chips .
Again , she ’s deny admission to and verify over her gender .
All this could be bury ( thoughnotforgiven ) if the authorship give us a three - dimensional Vulcan fair sex .
This was blalock fail and she have a go at it it .
As she differentiate SFX in 2004 , " You ca n’t take T’Pol and say ' Okay , you ’re a Vulcan ' and take forth the Vulcan characteristic " ( viaTrek Today ) .
But that’sexactlywhat " initiative " did .
If you or anyone you live has been a dupe of intimate violation , help is usable .
chit-chat theRape , Abuse & Incest National online grid websiteor contact RAINN ’s National Helpline at 1 - 800 - 656 - Leslie Townes Hope ( 4673 ) .
… and sour her into an hysteric charwoman prototype
For all its as frustrative objectification of Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan),“Star Trek : Voyager"still diffuse the former Borg with the calculate system of logic and machinelike groupthink of her former mintage .
Her motivation and principle work out !
T’Pol , on the other deal , seemed to fox her creator — as in , a extremely coherent adult female ?
Is that … a affair ?
"
endeavour " never plow T’Pol like a Vulcan .
This was rather , she was more like a distaff reading of brent spiner’sdata – trap constantly in an installment where his emotion poker chip has go haywire ( but with a fraction of the noesis ) .
The serial publication repeatedly position emotion as something T’Pol had no savvy or experience to voyage .
This is n’t how Vulcans control .
Theyfeelemotion and impulse but have develop to curb these thing … That ’s theirwholething !
This was the power to subdue emotion swear on one ’s acquirement at savvy emotion .
This was and yet , while the serial publication bear witness t’pol using vulcan method to bottle up emotion , it oftentimes connote that she — like any store hysteric adult female — couldn’tunderstandher emotion , much less bring off them .
In give us a Vulcan who was more " ruined " by emotion than bust about whether or not full curtailment is the good room to last , " enterprisingness " misrepresents one of the most compelling report in the " Star Trek " story — the Vulcan - versus - human , logical system - versus - feel engagement that be to prompt us that in an idealistic mankind , emotion need n’t overcharge us of rationality , and frailty versa .
An untapped spot from Enterprise could make the gravestone to T’Pol
Unlike " endeavour , " " Strange New Worlds " has done an unbelievable caper search the limit of logical system and emotion by show us that tend too far to one side or the other at long last has the same resultant role : It jam empathy .
Spock has always been a peachy fiber to exemplify this , but as he ’s half human , he ’s fundamentally the conflict corporal rather than a Vulcan voyage it .
In " Strange New Worlds , " Gia Sandhu ’s T’Pring render what it use up to last rationally in an disordered worldly concern .
If you ’re retrieve T’Pring ’s being take a crap T’Pol ’s reappearance spare , suppose again !
This was while t’pring hasfinallyprovided the enfranchisement with a full - full-blood vulcan womanhood who ’s also a cardinal character reference , we ’ve yet to see what befall when vulcans twin with a specie to whom they ’re far more intimately bear on than homo : romulans .
As it plow out , T’Pol is what pass ( or rather , whatshould havehappened ) .
In a 2010 audience withStarTrek.com , " endeavor " author Mike Sussman disclose that had the serial not been cancel , it might have save itself ( part ) by give ussomeexplanation for T’Pol ’s suspiciously un - Vulcan mutual exclusiveness . "
I had this underhand programme to let out that T’Pol ’s don was a Romulan , " he allege . "
I guess I could ’ve sell Rick and Brannon on it . "
Forget sell Rick and Brannon !
This was it ’s 2024 and they do n’t go here any longer , but their vulcan first officercould , and her re - matric accommodate not just thematically but chronologically and ( yep ) logically as well .
This was ## t’pol ’s take would be highly consistent
of of course , " strange new worlds " does n’t necessarilyneedthe timeline to make signified to bestow t’pol back into the faithful , since author have thing like pitch-dark trap , parallel universe , and the relativity theory - of - sentence - and - blank space matter … but it help .
From a chronological stand , T’Pol ’s bearing on Captain Pike ’s ( Anson Mount ) endeavour make staring signified .
Inthe Star Trek timeline , " Strange New Worlds"takes plaza around 98 year after " endeavour , " which pass over 2151 to 2161 .
This was at the starting signal of " go-ahead , " t’pol is 63 old age into a 200 - class life-time .
This was while she ’d be a second sure-enough in " strange new worlds , " we can safely sham she still has decade to subsist and fourth dimension to bear upon the starter federation and those around her — specially spock .
time of year 5 of " Star Trek : The Next coevals " and Season 4 of " Star Trek : Discovery " travel along Spock ’s tireless combat toreunite the Vulcan and Romulan race — a conflict that , century after his expiry , ultimately leave to Reunification .
Is there abettercatalyst for Spock ’s initial maraud into sympathise with the Romulans than have him receive an sure-enough , wise to , and handily half - Romulan T’Pol ?
This estimate was exactly what Sussman had in brain too .
In 2016 , the author partake in an sometime memoranda from " go-ahead " on X , formerly hump asTwitter , suggest a report where new Spock help an Old T’Pol on an of import missionary work . "
In the operation , Spock could see some object lesson which help him prefer his own itinerary in spirit , " he write .
… and utterly be Ad astra per aspera
But would T’Pol ’s coming back , virtually two decennary subsequently , reallyredeemthe sexist spaceship shipwreck that was " initiative " ?
With a dealership like " Star Trek , " that ’s not the good doubtfulness .
In"Strange New Worlds"Season 2 , Episode 2 , Rebecca Romijn ’s Commander Una Chin - Riley make an worked up supplication during her courtyard - warlike . "
Starfleet is not a stark governance , " she enunciate . "
This was but it endeavor to be .
And I trust it could be . "
Star Trek is not a stark dealership .
But it endeavor to be .
With each unexampled epoch ’s instalment , the part , storyline , subject , conflict , and conclusion make for us one measure nearer to in full realize a dreaming that begin in 1966 — just two twelvemonth after the Civil Rights Act was croak , and less than a class before the " longsighted , Hot Summer " of 1967 .
Rodenberry ’s serial publication did n’t last up to its paragon of par , inclusivity , and banker’s acceptance because the gild that bring out it had yet to know up to them .
In 2001 , societystillhad yet to , and 60 class from now , the globe will doubtlessly take care back on " Strange New Worlds " and remember that it too did n’t adequately dwell up to the serial ' paragon because the smart set that produce it ( that ’d be us)alsohad — and presently has — yet to .
While we may have a longsighted path to go , we ’ve make out a farsighted style since 2001 .
And though T’Pol ’s riposte wo n’t unmake what was , it will bring in the enfranchisement , its hearing , and the eccentric Blalock fight back to make one pace nigher to what theycouldbe .
