:: Star Trek 1964 - Today ::

:: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 ::

In the history of Star Trek Surak and T'Pau are the most senior and most revered of Vulcans. Spock, the most famous of Star Fleets alumni is related to both of them. The three episodes I am about to review cover the early part of Spocks family around the time of his Grandfather Skon, yet the produscer, directors and writers have chosen to keep him out of it. Perhaps having two new figures (T'Pau and Surak) in the script was enough, I don't know. Perhaps in a future episode they can include him, before the birth of Sarak in 2164.

The three episode spread in Enterprise was:

• The Forge
• Awakening
• Kir'Shara

These episodes together give you the equivalent of a movie or mini-series and are a great history fold-back for the whole Star Trek Fantasy. It all starts with a terrorist explosion at the Earth Embassy on Vulcan, where Admiral Forest is killed and Ambassador Soval is injured along with a large fatality rate amongst locals and Humans. So far the story is keeping contemporanious with the real world terrorist threat. Enterprise is sent post haste to assist in finding out who and why, as well as the indentity of the dead and management of the injured. Such an event on Vulcan, is certainly illogical and the High Command makes an initial accusation that the Andorians did it. Reminiscent of the initial reaction from the government of Spain at the syncronised train bombings (basq separatists) and the US at 911 (Iraq), both of which turned out to be false, being Al Qaida in both instances. Late on a second suspect is found from DNA evidence which Soval suggests, needs to be doubted. Phlox studies the evidence and finds it is a planted sample of T'Pau when she was a baby.

T'Pau is a young woman in this episode, even though she is around 80 earth years. In the past we know her as a High Prietess of Vukcan Logica, the one that officiated at Spock's marriage to T'Pring in Amok Time where she is certainly an old and repected Vulcan. Here she concedes to a request for a battle to the death from T'Pring in her devious attempts to gain power in the Vulcan political world, but rather than choosing Stronn, her secret lover as her defender, she chooses James T Kirk to fight Spock. Such a fight is doomed to failure because of the unequal nature of the combatants and the thin atmosphere on Vulcan. Kirk is killed and transported by a grieving McCoy back to the Enterprise, followed by Spock, clearly affected by what has transpired.

T'Pring is found out for her manipulation of things and Spock finds out his good friend Kirk is safe and unaffected, certainly not dead. Later on we find T'Pau in the attempt to re integrate Spocks katra with the boy found on Genesis planet. There you have T'Pau in a nutshell, it is possible the character pops up in the novels of one kind or the other that have sprung up about then series, I have only read a couple of them, so I can't comment about that side of things.

In the 22nd century we find T'Pau is part of n underground Syrranite faction, one that believes that the Vulcan High Command and all of Vulcan have strayed far from the teachings of Surak. They live in the desert, the Forge and are by the nature of their belief in Logic and the way of Surak non-violent. T'Pol is the first to notice the logical inadequacies of the Vulcan High Commands suspisions, and leads the Enterprise to questioning them about their claims, but not before T'Pol and Archer are on their way into The Forge.

Deep in the Vulcan Desert called "The Forge" Archer is exposed to the intense heat, and the reflective nature of the sand. After offering water to T'Pol, Archer is advised that being Vulcan she wouldn't probably need a drink for anothet three days. After offering shade for her eyes, Archer is informed that Vulcans have internal second eyelids, that they had evolved on Vulcan, putting Archers gallantry in its place.

They meet up with Kuvak a Syrannite who helps them avoid some unfriendly creatures

More tomorrow at the next post.

:: Clifford 9:47 pm [+] ::
... (0) comments

While Enterprise Saves Earth. We Save Enterprise. Join the cause! www.saveenterprise.com