Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More
Star Trek: Enterprise decides to take a trip into the past and show us how the series theme of beginnings applies to the human and Vulcan relationship. T’Pol tells Archer and Trip the story of how her ancestor crash landed in Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania and spent a few months living among humans. The stranded Vulcans hustle some pool, find some jobs, and try to make nice with the natives – without being found out by the humans in town. Over time, the Vulcans gain an appreciation for humanity and have to decide how they plan to live their lives if rescue never comes. But then it does come. So…
The Wikipedia plot summary for “Carbon Creek”:
Captain Archer, Commander Tucker and Sub-Commander T’Pol are having dinner in honor of the first anniversary of T’Pol’s assignment aboard Enterprise. During conversation, Archer asks why T’Pol traveled to Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, before she joined Enterprise. T’Pol reveals that, contrary to human belief that the first contact between humans and Vulcans occurred in the mid-2060s (as seen in Star Trek: First Contact), it actually occurred a century earlier. Tucker and Archer react incredulously to this claim, so T’Pol offers to tell them her great-grandmother’s story.
T’Mir is a member of a four-Vulcan crew studying Earth from orbit in 1957, when they witness the launch of Sputnik, the planet’s first artificial satellite. A mishap with their impulse manifold forces the craft to crash-land in Pennsylvania. The captain is killed and T’Mir, as second-in-command, takes charge. A distress signal is sent, but after more than two weeks no reply is received. From fear of starvation, Mestra and T’Mir enter the nearby town of Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania. Over the next few months the Vulcans successfully integrate themselves with the townsfolk, renting an apartment from Maggie, a tavern owner.
One day there is a firedamp explosion in the mine; Mestral helps rescue a dozen trapped miners by covertly blasting through a rock wall with a phaser. Eventually, a Vulcan vessel signals that it will arrive to retrieve the crew. Before leaving, T’Mir learns a human lesson in compassion, and travels by train to Pittsburgh where she “sells” the rights to Velcro. The money she receives is more than enough to pay for the college education of their landlady‘s son. As the Vulcan ship nears, Mestral announces that he intends to stay on Earth and observe the great advances he knows lie ahead. T’Mir reluctantly agrees, and tells the rescuers that Mestral had died along with the captain. The story ends with Archer and Tucker not sure whether to believe T’Pol’s story, but the final scene of the episode is of T’Pol returning to her quarters and retrieving T’Mir’s 1950s-era handbag.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay debate how much Carbon Creek is to Enterprise as The City on the Edge of Forever is to The Original Series. Plus! The guys talk about Vulcans in disguise, inventions you’d believe to be alien in origin, and the acting prowess of Jolene Blalock!