Jolene Blalock played Subcommander T'Pol in all four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprisebut Jolene has also incorporated a handful of other variants of her Vulcan Science Officer. Introduced in EnterpriseIn the series premiere, Blalock had the unenviable task of developing a new Vulcan character in the shadow of Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock. Jolene rose to the challenge with a performance that paid homage to Nimoy's legendary Vulcan, while also transforming T'Pol into a singular Star Trek heroine who remains loved 20 years later Star Trek: Enterprise was cancelled.
Star Trek: Enterprise was a controversial (for the time) prequel that established that the first starship Enterprise was not the Constitution-class starship commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Instead, a century before Star Trek: The Original Seriesthe NX-01 led by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) was reconfigured as the first Enterprise to explore the galaxy. EnterpriseThe USS retcon included Sub-Commander T'Pol, who predated Spock as the first Vulcan to serve as a Science Officer aboard the Enterprise. However, other versions of T'Pol also appeared on the Enterprise and in most Star Trek franchise.
T'Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise
Sub-commander T'Pol was recalled as the Enterprise's first Vulcan science officer
Deputy Commander T'Pol served aboard the NX-01 Enterprise in the dual role of scientific 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 2151-2161with T'Pol as part of the crew throughout. Originally a short-term liaison representing the Vulcan Scientific Council, T'Pol became disillusioned with Vulcan's corrupt government and eventually aligned herself with her Starfleet crewmates aboard the Enterprise.
T'Pol's experience, intelligence, and logic proved invaluable to the Enterprise NX-01, especially in the tumultuous early part of Captain Archer's travels. It is logical to assume that the Enterprise would not have survived without T'Pol. However, T'Pol often got bogged down in stories that victimized her or showcased Jolene Blalock's sex appeal, which the actress criticized. Despite that, EnterpriseThe retcon means that T'Pol canonically laid the groundwork for Vulcans in Starfleet, from Spock to Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) in Star Trek: Voyager.
Jolene Blalock was not in favor of T'Pol and Trip's love affair.
T'Pol's romantic relationship with the Enterprise's chief engineer, Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), is undoubtedly Vulcan's lasting impression and legacy. The mismatched duo became fans' favorite odd couple, although Jolene Blalock was not in favor of T'Pol and Trip's love affair. Yet, T'Pol emerged as a Starfleet legend and a legend of equal magnitude to her real life Star Trek fans.
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 ancestor (great-grandmother), in Star Trek: Enterprise season 2, episode 2, “Carbon Creek.” Although T'Mir was T'Pol's ancestor Blalock portraying T'Mir suggests that the two Vulcans are physically similar, if not identical. T'Pol left Captain Archer and Trip with the impression that her story was apocryphal, but Star Trek: Enterprise showing T'Mir's bag as T'Pol's inheritance indicates that “Carbon Creek” happened as T'Pol described.
In Star Trek: Enterprise“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 first official contact with the Vulcans. For months, the trio of Vulcan castaways lived among humans and kept them aware that they were aliens. When it was time for him to be rescued, T'Mir returned to Vulcan, but she also altered Earth's history by selling Vulcan Velcro technology to humans.
T'Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise Mirror Universe
T'Pol was a victim of the Mirror Universe's Terran Empire
One of Jolene Blalock's most memorable T'Pols variants is her Vulcan's Mirror Universe counterpart. Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4's “In a Mirror, Darkly” introduced the 22nd century Terran Empire's ISS Enterprise, where Commander T'Pol served as Science Officer. Vulcans were a species conquered by Earthlings in the Mirror Universe, and T'Pol was hated and considered suspicious by her crewmates.
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 of Star Trekfrom the Prime timeline and was maintained by the Tholians. T'Pol betrayed Archer, but he still needed her scientific knowledge to help operate the Defiant. Mirror T'Pol was last seen as a prisoner of Archer and Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), who ordered Vulcan's execution.
T'Pol hologram in Star Trek: Enterprise's Finale
Commander Will Riker consulted T'Pol on the Holodeck
In some cases in Star Trek: Enterprise Seasons 2 and 3, Jolene Blalock portrayed T'Pol's delusions. But in Star Trek: EnterpriseIn the controversial series finale, Blalock played T'Pol as a hologram. Enterprise'series finale centered on Star Trek: The Next GenerationCommander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who consulted the NX-01 Enterprise crew on the USS Enterprise-D holodeck to help him resolve a moral dilemma. EnterpriseThe actors did not portray their flesh-and-blood characters at the end of the series itself.
T'Pol in Star Trek: EnterpriseThe ending was years after her romance with Trip Tucker, and she was ending the NX-01 Enterprise's decades-long mission. Hologram T'Pol had touching scenes with Trip before his death, a touching moment with Captain Archer before he helped found the United Federation of Planets, and fun interludes with Riker posing as the Enterprise's mysterious chef. Yet, Blalock publicly criticized Star Trek: Enterpriseending, echoing fans' sentiments.
T'Pol in Star Trek: Lower Decks
An alternate reality T'Pol explores the multiverse
Credited only with her first name, Jolene made a surprise return as T'Pol in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 9, 'Fissure Quest'. However, Jolene voiced T'Pol in an alternate reality where she was married to Trip Tucker for decades. Star Trek: Lower DecksThe T'Pol variant was the first officer of Section 31's Defiant Class starship Anaximander, commanded by Captain William Boimler (Jck Quaid). Anaximander's mission was to find the culprit who opened the fissures of Quantum Reality throughout the multiverse.
Jolene Blalock hasn't played T'Pol since Star Trek: Enterprise it ended in 2005, but she picked up the Vulcan as if 19 years hadn't passed. In Star Trek: Lower DecksT'Pol began a one-sided friendship with Curzon Dax (Fred Tatastciore). As Curzon was dying, T'Pol downloaded the Dax symbiote's memories into his brain via mind meld, preserving Dax for its next host. Jolene's return as T'Pol in Star Trek: Lower Decks proved that time has not diminished fans' love affair with T'Pol.