T'Pol

T'Pol is a Vulcan who served in the Vulcan High Command, as a representative of the Vulcan people on the Enterprise on its mission to explore space.

Early Life
During her early career, T'Pol operated as an agent with the Ministry of Security. Through this work, she often contacted Klingons within the Klingon Empire who, years later, would help her locate a Klingon penal colony, Rura Penthe. One of T'Pol's first assignments for the Ministry was to retrieve seven rogue agents who refused to return to Vulcan. Managing to capture five of the seven she was assigned to locate, T'Pol tracked agents Jossen and Menos to Risa in 2135. There, she killed Jossen but was unable to capture Menos. T'Pol thereafter underwent the Fullara ceremony at the sanctuary of P'Jem, which erased her memory of having killed Jossen, along with any associated emotions.

Later in her life, T'Pol served the Vulcan High Command's Science Council aboard the starship Seleya. She acted as the ship's deputy science officer, working under Captain Voris and alongside Chief Engineer Commander Solin. T'Pol also worked with the Vulcan military during the Tomed mission, at which Talok was under her command, as well as for the Ministry of Information on Vulcan.

In 2149, T'Pol was assigned to Earth, both as an ambassador to the United Earth government and as an aide to Ambassador Soval. She resided in the Vulcan Compound in Sausalito, where she formed a strong working relationship with Soval. Like him, she believed that Humans were too "volatile" and "provincial" to leave their existing solar systems and colonies.

By that time, she had already been on thirty-six different Minshara class planets.

One night in 2150, T'Pol left the Vulcan Compound and went south to stroll the streets of San Francisco. Overhearing "unusual, chaotic" jazz music piqued her curiosity, so she entered the Fusion restaurant, where the music was being performed, and listened to the saxophonist there. The experience elicited an emotional response that she subsequently never forgot. Sometime during her stay on Earth, T'Pol took a five-day leave to visit Carbon Creek and see it for herself.

Enterprise, 2151
After Earth accidentally made first contact with the Klingon courier Klaang in April 2151, T'Pol was reassigned to the Earth Starfleet vessel Enterprise, with the rank of sub-commander. She acted as "chaperone", in exchange for the Vulcan provision of star charts and the Klingon linguistic database, but was not immediately accepted by the crew. She was referred to as a "spy" by the ship's chief engineer, Commander Charles Tucker III. During an ensuing mission to return Klaang to his homeworld, however, T'Pol accompanied Captain Jonathan Archer and an away team to a trade complex on Rigel X. There, she used her prior experience with alien cultures to lead the Humans through much of the investigation. She subsequently took command of Enterprise, when Archer was incapacitated, and anticipated the captain's wishes, pursuing the investigation despite her personal belief that it was a "foolish mission." Upon the captain's recuperation, T'Pol aided Archer both in uncovering a plot by the Suliban Cabal to destabilize the Klingon Empire and successfully returning Klaang to his people. T'Pol was persuaded by Archer to remain aboard, following the conclusion of the mission, at which time she took the position of science officer and the title of first officer of Enterprise. Her quarters aboard Enterprise were located on B Deck.

In her first capacity as a member of the crew, T'Pol led a survey team in exploring an uninhabited M-class planet not far from Earth, a world which was later named Archer IV. She and her team were exposed to a powerful hallucinogenic toxin from the local plant life and consequently began to experience severe paranoia. Taking refuge from a powerful storm, she maintained much of her composure as her Human companions became lost in delusion. In communication with Archer aboard Enterprise, T'Pol used playacting to get numerous members of her team – namely, Commander Tucker, Ensign Travis Mayweather, and Crewman Elizabeth Cutler – through the night, though she was forced to use a Vulcan nerve pinch on Ensign Mayweather.

As Enterprise continued to explore space, the Vulcan High Command assigned at least one vessel to monitor the ship's activities. One of those vessels, the starship Ti'Mur under the command of Captain Vanik, began secretly transmitting personal messages to T'Pol, regarding her betrothal to Koss and obligation to return to Vulcan. During a "comet walk" on the surface of Archer's Comet, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed and Ensign Mayweather were trapped in an ice collapse. After persuading Archer, T'Pol contacted the Ti'Mur and enlisted the aid of Captain Vanik, to whom she declared her intention to stay aboard Enterprise.

On June 19, 2151, T'Pol accompanied Archer and Tucker on a visit to the Vulcan monastery at P'Jem. Finding it overrun by Andorian commandos under Thy'lek Shran, T'Pol and the two other officers from Enterprise were taken hostage. Shran insisted that the Vulcan High Command was hiding a sensor array in the monastery to spy on Andoria and refused to release his prisoners. During a firefight in the reliquary, T'Pol uncovered a hatch leading to a secret facility, unknowingly exposing the Vulcans' duplicity. She was instructed by Captain Archer, who was incensed by the deception, to hand her scanning device – which contained detailed scans of the array – over to the Andorians, who proceeded to destroy the sanctuary. Following the destruction of the monastery, the Vulcan High Command chose to blame T'Pol and ordered that she be recalled to Vulcan, dispatching the starship Ni'Var under the command of Captain Sopek. During what would have been her final mission, T'Pol and Archer were captured by Coridan rebels but escaped in time to prevent the death of Sopek. T'Pol was injured, during a fire fight, so she returned to Enterprise while Sopek departed to dissuade the High Command of their initial orders.

It was at this time that T'Pol decided to let her hair grow long to 'fit in' with the humans, despite the illogic of the decision in the opinions of the Vulcans on Earth. Her initially negative opinions of the crew began to change around this point, at which time she began cultivating actual friendships with the senior crew. During one of the 'movies nights' she noted with favorability the heroism of General Patrick Cleburne, portrayed by Colin Firth, in "The Irish Confederate."

Retirement
At the age of 205, T'Pol was present for the launch of the Enterprise-B, under the command of Captain Harriman, and its return from its first mission.

In recognition for her efforts in service to Starfleet and the Federation, T'Pol was given one of the NX-Class ships to act as her own personal transport in 2176, with a newer computer to automate most functions, and retrofitted with shields, a tractor beam, and bearing the registry SS Surak NX-24.

Death
T'Pol died on Vulcan in 2306, after a visit to Paris the previous year, where her daughter had informed her about a winery called Chateau Picard that she wanted to visit.

Family
T'Pol's 'daughter' Elizabeth was named for Charles Tucker's sister, whom he believed to be dead in 2153, but had been kidnapped by a Xindi agent. She is a clone of T'Pol, but with blonde hair and green eyes. She decided to take the surname Archer, in honor of her mother's captain on the Enterprise, and entered Starfleet after Spock did in 2250.

Her 'sister,' cloned from her own DNA by the Orions, attempted to infiltrate the Enterprise to disable it so the Orions could use it in an attack on one of the nearby Earth colonies. She replaced T'Pol for a short time on the ship, but was disabled when Tucker, Phlox, and Hoshi realized her behavior and attitudes didn't match the true T'Pol's behavior, as she was displaying outright racist attitudes against humans. Once the real T'Pol was rescued, it was her 'sister' who helped in rescuing her, receiving a nearly fatal wound in the process.

After that mission, her 'sister' too the name of T'Lar, her first foremother, and vowed to atone for her actions against her. The cloning process was not perfect, as T'Lar's hair was red, not brown like T'Pol's, so she dyed it to match her 'sister.'

Service

 * 2151-2161: SS Enterprise, NX-01
 * 2161-2166: Ambassador from Vulcan to Earth
 * 2166-2176: Representative to the UFP House of Planetary Representatives
 * 2176-2188: Senator to the UFP Interstellar Senate
 * 2188-2215: Retired
 * 2215-2225: Vulcan Ambassador to Earth (Succeeded by Sarek)

Voss
At an early age, T'Pol was arranged to be married to Koss, who became an architect. In 2151, she was instructed (in a message relayed by the Ti'Mur) to return to Vulcan, in order to marry Koss. However, she received advice from Commander Tucker that she had the right to remain unmarried if she so decided. It was after this that she opted not to journey back to Vulcan to marry Koss, instead choosing to stay aboard Enterprise. (ENT: "Breaking the Ice") After her return to Vulcan following the Xindi incident, T'Pol still refused to marry him. Koss visited her and admitted that he wanted to marry her. He attempted to persuade her by offering to let her resume her career if she spent one year with him on Vulcan. He also offered to help her mother regain her position at the academy from which she had been dismissed because of T'Pol's involvement with the incident at P'Jem. Koss and T'Pol were finally married in 2154. Later that year, Koss ended his marriage with T'Pol after the death of her mother, T'Les. Shortly thereafter, their marriage was officially dissolved. Despite their marriage having been arranged, Koss genuinely cared for T'Pol, giving Archer his transporter codes so he and T'Pau could reach the Vulcan High Command. He later told T'Pol that he had done this because Archer had told him T'Pol had been in trouble and that providing the codes was how he could help her.

V'Lar
While in her early schooling, T'Pol traveled a great distance to see distinguished Vulcan ambassador V'Lar at Vulcana Regar. During a recess of the second Ka'Tann Conference, T'Pol questioned the ambassador about her negotiating tactics. V'Lar later recalled those questions to have been "presumptuous" but also key in having made her reconsider some of her previous positions. Likewise, T'Pol credited V'Lar for having inspired her career path, leading to her work with the Science Council and eventually to her work with Starfleet. On December 9, 2151, T'Pol reunited with the ambassador when Enterprise was ordered to escort V'Lar from the planet Mazar to Vulcan. Finding her to have changed since their initial meeting, T'Pol was surprised at V'Lar's levity and willingness to explore Earth culture. T'Pol was at first disappointed with her second interaction with the ambassador but came to once again respect V'Lar as a personal hero. V'Lar's decision to attempt to understand and fit in with the human culture influenced T'Pol's decision not to cut her hair, and allow it to grow long.

Jonathan Archer
Although there was some tension when the two first met in 2151, T'Pol and Captain Jonathan Archer eventually became lasting friends, with a bond of trust and friendship between them. Though she may not have always agreed with the captain's style of command, she came to respect his judgment. Initially, Archer held a grudge against T'Pol, believing that she would be just like all other Vulcans and that her only goal would be to hold Humanity back. She was also not particularly fond of his pet cat, Sally. On the mission to Qo'noS, T'Pol's actions of assuming command and leading Enterprise in anticipation of the wishes of Captain Archer, who had been wounded and rendered unconscious for several hours, ultimately afforded Archer a newfound respect for her. T'Pol ultimately became the captain's trusted and able first officer, second in command, and one of his most trusted advisers during the problems they faced during their missions. The emotional strength of her bond of friendship with Archer was made clear in many instances during their ten years together on Enterprise.

Early in their professional relationship, T'Pol earned more of Archer's respect, when she didn't turn a blind eye to the revelation of the secret Vulcan surveillance listening post beneath the monastery at P'Jem and instead helped Archer expose the spy station to the Andorian Imperial Guard.

One of the first situations that demonstrated the captain's trust, respect, and his willingness to show T'Pol the same respect as any officer under his command was in his response to Tolaris having forced a mind meld onto T'Pol, essentially assaulting her. Archer, in turn, was angry and protective of T'Pol, and made Tolaris betray his volatile emotional state. When Ambassador V'Lar visited Enterprise in 2152, she sensed a great bond between Archer and T'Pol, of "trust... and friendship." T'Pol received support from Archer when she was sent on the emotionally troubling mission of apprehending Menos for the Vulcans. Archer accompanied her in an attempt to help her overcome her feelings of self-doubt, and the incident solidified the trust between the two.

T'Pol, in turn, was there for him when a good friend and former rival of his, A.G. Robinson, died. She listened to Archer tell a story about the two of them and figuratively offered him a shoulder to lean on.

Archer routinely tried to persuade T'Pol to interact with the crew. At the captain's suggestion, she even attended one of the ship's movie nights, which were held regularly. She was fond of the film Frankenstein, as it reminded her of first contact with Humans. Another example of T'Pol's friendship with Archer was when she resigned her commission with the Vulcan High Command to accompany him and the rest of Enterprise's crew on the Xindi mission, to spite the insistence of her superiors that she be recalled and reassigned.

Yet another demonstration of her bond with the captain was when Archer turned over command of Enterprise to T'Pol and then left on what everyone aboard the ship, including him, considered a suicide mission to Azati Prime, to finally stop the Xindi weapon. T'Pol, unable to control her emotions, hurriedly gave Commander Tucker the conn and went alone to the captain's ready room, where she started crying. T'Pol was with Archer even years later, as he prepared to make a speech at the signing of the Federation Charter. Overcome with emotion, Archer embraced T'Pol backstage before giving his speech.

After the signing of the charter, T'Pol took on the role of the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth for five years before being chosen to act as the Vulcan Representative in the Federation House of Planetary Representatives for ten years, then the Vulcan Senator in the Federation Interstellar Senate for two terms. She retired for a time, acting in a private capacity as an advisor to various human and Vulcan colony worlds, helping improve trade routes and acting on the behalf of various colonies in settling diplomatic disputes, before being asked to act as the Vulcan ambassador to Earth. In 2251, she was given an honorary rank of captain in the Federation Starfleet in recognition of her centennial of having served with Captain Archer.

Romance
In 2152, Jonathan Archer began harboring an attraction to his science officer. Any romantic aspect of this relationship was never pursued; T'Pol let the captain know that they could not "hypothetically" allow any attraction between themselves to become realized, indicating a reminder to him that he was her superior officer. The realization came to a head during a mission where a group of human colonists were kidnapped by the Orions to be sold as pleasure slaves, and T'Pol was captured to try to free the humans; she was injected with a serum that heightened her sensitivity to human pheromones and enhanced her own pheromones. She came on to the captain and while escaping and hiding out in the mountains on Xikara II, the two shared an "intimate moment." The Enterprise was able to rescue them the next morning, when the Challenger and Columbia caught up with them, scaring off the Orion vessel in orbit. Phlox was unable to reverse the changes to T'Pol, but was able to give her a stronger nasal numbing agent and deodorant to try to dull her pheromones and response to human pheromones.

Charles Tucker
In the beginning, T'Pol's relationship with Tucker was cordial, even though neither seemed to have much sympathy for the other. Upon their first meeting, T'Pol refused to shake hands with him, and Tucker once mentioned to Crewman Elizabeth Cutler – who was trying to be nice to T'Pol – that she'd have "better luck making friends with a housefly."

Their initial relationship was rocky at best, with continual barbs back and forth at each other based on many initial preconceptions of each others' races by the other. For much of their first year together, the two officers continued their bantering back and forth, but over time both grew to have a professional respect for one another, and would even save each others' lives on several different missions near the end of 2151 and in early 2152, when their banter took on a friendlier tone, and the two often took to admitting respect for the abilities of the other.

There was a chance during 2153 of the two exploring a romantic relationship, however, when it was realized that T'Pol's Pon Farr cycle was being artificially induced due to a reaction to an alien infection, she and Tucker decided to remain friends as the emotions she was experiencing were induced, not natural.

Phlox
T'Pol occasionally joined Denobulan Doctor Phlox for dinner at the mess hall aboard Enterprise NX-01. In June of 2151, Phlox reminded her about their mission aboard Enterprise, "to make contact with those whom Humans consider new life and new civilizations." Phlox also told T'Pol that their mission is comparable to the introduction of T'Pol's new crew to her people, a cultural exchange.

Sarek
T'Pol was an acquaintance of Skon, Sarek's father, for some time, when his son was born. Sarek saw firsthand how T'Pol worked with humans and she was able to tutor him in interspecies relations, which is how Sarek grew to respect humans early on, seeing the Vulcan relationship with humans as mutually beneficial.

Robert April
Having long since retired from active duty, T'Pol was acting as a diplomat to Earth when she attended the commissioning ceremony of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Robert April. She had long since given the role of ambassador to Sarek, but would often act as a scientific advisor to Starfleet.

Under T'Pol's influence, Spock was the first Vulcan to enter the Federation Starfleet, and would be the first of many Vulcans to enter Starfleet, including an all-Vulcan crew of the USS Intrepid, many of whom were commissioned through rank equivalency from the Vulcan fleet's ships, and supervised the refit of Intrepid from a Saladin-Class. A number of Vulcans entered the Starfleet Academy on Earth, New India, and Illyria.

Spock
T'Pol met Spock while growing up on Vulcan, having occasional meetings with the young Vulcan. She would talk to him of serving with humans and the difficulties she faced at that time with the then-current ruling class of Vulcan, similar to those Spock was having being a half-Vulcan. Sarek blamed T'Pol for Spock going into Starfleet instead of the Vulcan Science Academy and did not talk to her for 18 years until he reconciled with Spock.

Christopher Pike
She initially met Captain Pike while he was serving as Robert April's first officer, and recommended him for promotion to captain of the Enterprise, noting how he reminded her of Captain Archer, which Pike took as a compliment.

James T Kirk
T'Pol was present at the ceremony for the appointment of Captain Kirk as Captain of the Enterprise. She remarked that he was 'quite human,' which Kirk didn't know how to take, but she assured him that it was a compliment. Kirk spoke to her intermittently during his five-year mission, and she was kept abreast of the actions of the Enterprise, and the first officer, Spock.

When she was 183 years old, T'Pol was there for the rushed launch of the Enterprise after her refit under the supervision of Commander Montgomery Scott.