Trip & T'Pol: The Good That They Do

[Pensive]

tennisgirl said:
Hi there, Pensive. Welcome to the TnT thread! We love Trip, we love T'Pol, and we love them even more when they're together.

Oh, and we do not stop plot bunnies here. We encourage them. Plot bunnies rock, you know? [image]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/randomtennisgirl/sassyhare.gif[/image]

Thank you for the welcome! I agree, TnT are perfect for each other

Just as soon as I was about to start fleshing out my plot bunny, I fell under the weather and had to attend a friend's funeral. I'm plumb tuckered! (pun intended)

As I regain my strength, I'll try to start on it. One question though: what should the timeframe be?

 

[tothebridge]

Hello and welcome, Pensive.

If you're planning a meditation vignette, how about early season 3 as a timeframe? Maybe T'Pol was teaching Trip some meditation techniques as well during those neuropressure sessions. And here're a couple of caps to inspire you....

(I think T'Pol's trying to get Trip to keep his head still in this one. Not sure why Trip needed to take his shirt off to meditate, though. )

unchienne said:
Any fics developed along these lines?

1. T'Pol perfecting the Valandrian Circle's theories in order to bring her man back

2. Old T'Pol and Trip seeing each other on E2

Re: number 1, I don't think I'm familiar with those theories -- do they have something to do with some type of resurrection? If so, I don't recall reading any T/T fics with that premise. Some of the finale fixes I've seen (and can remember) involve Trip surviving serious injuries (sometimes with help of a meld with T'Pol), Trip's death being faked or mistakenly recorded, a timeline reset involving Daniels, Q, or someone else, etc.

I have read at least one fic which involves Trip meeting old T'Pol -- think it's called "Promise Me You'll Remember." There may be a few others around as well but I can't remember the titles. Maybe someone else here does....

Also, I've been renting Enteprise through Netflix just for the bonus materials and I'm really surprised (pleasantly) at how much info they give on the TnT relationship. It seems that almost everyone involved really liked the story arc. I especially loved hearing how Lorian got his name and T'Pol's underlying reason for turning to Trellium. Very shippy.

Which bonus features have you seen? It's been a while since I watched some of them, and I can't always remember which ones have the T/T related material.



OK, I'm nearing the end of my T/T screencapping odyssey. Here are a few from "Terra Prime."


Mommy T'Pol

From the "I am your mother" scene.

Travis comes to rescue T'Pol, who is worried because baby Elizabeth is very ill

The proud parents....

Phlox delivers some very bad news

And Trip and T'Pol look at baby Elizabeth

The last T/T scene in "Terra Prime" is still to come.

I also have some TATV caps to post but will give fair warning for those who don't care to see them.

 

[Pensive]

Those caps are FANTABULOUS,tothebridge , thank you!

*wheels begin to turn*

 

[unchienne]

I might be spelling it totally wrong since I never got around to watching Similitude with the captions on, but the Valanderan Circle were/are the radical group of Lycerian scientists who experiemented with an enzyme to stop the rapid aging of Lycerian desert larvae clones. I once read a Bradbury book (I think it was him) where a woman cloned her dead husband and actually tried to create a similiar, though accelerated, upbringing (a la The Truman Show or The Village) to recreate his personality and reunite with him. The structure of the story always stuck with me throughout the years though the details are lost because I always felt so sorry for her in her desperation. It still makes me sad whenever I think about it. Silly, I know. With the Lycerian method the memory recreation wouldn't be important since they are carried over in the dna. Rather, T'Pol's only problem would be stopping the aging, and considering this is the same woman that helped come up with a plan to disable the spheres, I figured it'd only take her a few decades or so. I'm very tempted to write this as I can see the interplay in my head, but I suck at writing dialogue. I've been re-reading The Expanse to try and get a feel for it.

The extras from the dvd that I loved the most were the Easter Egg discussion about E2 and how Lorian was named after an Elvish city in Lord of the Rings. The writer surmised that Trip would be a fan of movies like that and when presented with a child with pointy ears...it just made sense to go with it.

The other thing I liked was Connor's interview. Though I disagree with him in one respect: I liked the catfish and pie references and didn't at all think they "dumbed" down his character. Weird, isn't it, that even the foods we eat have stereotypes attatched to them. Jean Luc was thought of as "refined" and "classy" because of his penchant for Earl Grey tea while Trip's culinary choices had even the actor thinking he was a...what did he call him...oh yeah...a hayseed. Tsk, tsk.

 

[JohnV]

Is the idea that Lorian was named after the forest in Lord of the Rings mentioned in a deleted scene?

I have seen it in fanfiction, but I didn't know whether it originated elsewhere.

And are there deleted scences that give more insight into T'Pol's use of Trellium?

Are they deleted scenes or interviews with actors and writers and producers or all of the above? I haven't seen any of the dvd's.

Sounds interesting, though.

 

[Reanok]

The stuff about Lorian comes from Manny Cotto's podcast Interview on teh season 3 dvd about Trip's likng Tolkeins books and naming his son Lorian thwere's also a deleted scene with Trip & Lorian where he talks about the relationship his parents had and that trip died when Lorian was 14.The dvds have alot of interesting commentaary and yes there are sevearal interviews that mention different things that happened in season 3 about T'Pol taking Trellium d getting addicted while she was affected on the Seleya.And also alot of other interesting comments about how T'Pol developed romantic feelings for Trip was about how she developed an attachment to him because of all the time they spent together on duty and off as well.

 

[unchienne]

I didn't know it appeared on a podcast by Manny as well. That's interesting. I found in on an Easter Egg on the last dvd in the Season 3 series (thank you Netflix). One interesting thing, if you're curious about the Trellium arc, is that the writer of Damage (and I don't know how backscene motivations play in the whole cannon thing and really don't want to go there) stated that one reason T'Pol started using Trellium was because she wanted to get closer to Trip but didn't know how. Which sorta makes sense but doesn't. It's been hinted at onscreen (I think Phlox made the comment about Trip after T'Pol said she liked how the Trellium made it easier to deal with the crew) but the deeper romantic development between these two was so underdevloped and wishy-washy at this point that I don't know how much this sentiment bears out. And in the commentary of Similitude, Manny Coto made some statements that led me to believe it was Sim's revelation of Trip's feelings (and he did specifically say that Trip was in love with her) that got T'Pol thinking about him as more than a friend. LOL It's like the chicken and the egg theory all over again. Did Trellium and Trip's feelings get T'Pol thinking of him...or did T'Pol turn to Trellium because of her feelings for Trip? Who knows, but I'd like to think there was an attraction early on.

 

[Pensive]

Malcolm made a comment (in Shuttlepod 1 I think) about science fiction, which makes me wonder: wouldn't it be funny if Star Trek existed in the ST universe? Trip could have named the boy Spock or something [/silliness]

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

Lovely caps as always, tothebridge.

JohnV said:
Is the idea that Lorian was named after the forest in Lord of the Rings mentioned in a deleted scene?

I have seen it in fanfiction, but I didn't know whether it originated elsewhere.

I remember that there was a discussion going on at the HoTBBS several months before the Season 3 DVD's came out, about what the name Lorian might mean... "the fourth", perhaps. persianmouse theorized that it might be a LOTR reference. I researched it (I hadn't read any of the books) and it worked for me. Then, lo, the DVD's come out and there's the Easter Egg discussion of E2 saying that Lorian was named after L'orién from LOTR. That pmouse is a sharp one.

 

[JohnV]

Easter Egg discussion?

I'll have to get those dvd's one of these days.

 

[Reanok]

I remember that discussion about Lorian and Persiam Mouse guessing correctly it was Lorien from LOTR at that time I had recently read that trilogy of books and thought the same thing whenit came to E-2 .The dvds have some great interviews and the easter eggs give you alot of insight into certain episodes and Trip & T'Pol's relationship.

 

[Captain X]

Howdy folks! Isn't it amazing what boredom will drive someone to do?

 

[Pensive]

Okay... Trip moment of honesty here... I came into ENT somewhere in the middle of S3, so there are some eps I missed here and there. Somehow, cruel fate arranged that I miss not only Similitude but Harbinger as well(don't kill me?!?!). I decided to cheat a little on my rule to follow the series as it airs on SciFi and not skip ahead. It's more of a guideline, really...

AND HOLY WOW.

Similitude -- too much *squee* for one night! The look on Sim's face when T'Pol made the move...LOOKITHISEYEBROWSOMG. That was so sweet, I melted into a puddle of Pensive-goo! I wonder if Connor does that when he kisses IRL

Spoiler

stopitPensivehe'smarried

*pantpantpant*

and Harbinger -- besides my sadistic giggling @ Malcolm and Hayes beating the crap out of each other (but that is OT ), I gotta say the situation started out good, sagged a little in the middle, then picked back up at the end. MEANING:they did a good job of making T'Pol jealous, but it would have been better with a running start (Amanda+Trip outta nowhere? PUHLEAZE). When she seduces Trip, I thought they started to lead up to that pretty well with the banter, but after she got nekkid and leaned in to kiss him, couldn't we have at least seen them making out for a second while they decide which part of her quarters to "proceed" in (bed, floor...)? But please pardon that last bit, I guess that's what fanfic is for :thumbsup: The day-after convo in the mess hall was great emotionally, and well-acted by CT and JB. Trip seems so bouncy and ready to start developing something, then as T'Pol gets so cold (defense mechanism on her part?) and basically makes him feel used, he closes up and you can see that look flash across his face: "Dammit Trip, you knew this wouldn't work out. She's a VULCAN. What a fool..." *cue sad panda*

Good thing Trip's such a suave space-pimp, cos he at least got her to agree to more neuropressure heheeee

Damn, it's 3:30, I really should sleep...where's Trip with my neuropressure?

This entry brought to you by tothebridge, who suggested a timeframe for my meditation plot-bunny and thus set me on a course straight for this fangirl madness....

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

Aw, don't be so shy and reserved, Pensive. C'mon and tell us how you really feel.

Hey, tothebridge, I figure you have amassed the best T/T screencap collection of anybody around--much more complete than TrekCore for Trip and T'Pol goodness, and great quality. You might consider putting them all on a website... y'know, "tothebridge's Shipperiffic T/T Screencap Extravaganza[/b]." With a subsection for the T/T Standing Together Collection. Just a thought.

 

[tennisgirl]

I second HR's idea, ttb. I speak for the fans and TnTers who'd benefit from your collection. :thumbsup:

Wow, Pensive, so you had never watched those? Similitude is one of the best ENT episodes, and Harbinger is just a very important TnT moment. About Harbinger, you'll find that there's all sorts of opinions going around, even between the TnT 'shippers. My personal reaction to the episode (my ENT guilty pleasure) is somewhere between OMG, T'Pol totally wants Trip!!! Squeee!!! and Why oh why is this happening like this, all of a sudden, and this way?. But I still enjoy it in all its TnT glory...

 

[Captain X]

I found Harbinger to be very immature myself. And I definately could've done without the chat in the mess hall afterwards.

 

[unchienne]

Aw...the mess hall scene was the best part in some ways: great acting, great facial expressions, bit of humor, and tons of cuteness, but I didn't like T'Pol's "denial" of events. Two steps forward and three steps back.

Yes, it was a bit juvenile, but most fledgling (and even some veteran) relationships are. Why else would any grown man/woman condescend to being called things like "Pookie" and "Honeybear"?

 

[Captain X]

I didn't like the denial of events which made the whole deal a one-night stand, which frankly doesn't fit in with either of their characters, IMO. T'Pol's coyness rubbed me the wrong way too. If it'd been me, I'd have gotten mad at her and left the room without saying another word.

 

[Pensive]

HopefulRomantic said:
Aw, don't be so shy and reserved, Pensive. C'mon and tell us how you really feel.

LOL... yeah, that entry was sponsored by my ovaries, waddnit?

Captain X said:
I didn't like the denial of events which made the whole deal a one-night stand, which frankly doesn't fit in with either of their characters, IMO.

See I agree, I mean the scene was acted well but was totally out of character. My personal reaction, tennisgirl, is something akin to SQUEE THEY FINALLY DID IT and WTF SHE JUST USED HIM FOR HIS BODY!? For her to be jealous for him and try to bind him to her with sex, then turn around and hurt him like that when he wears his heart on his sleeve (Just look at him say hello to her in the mess hall *le sigh*), I found myself going PFFFT

Captain X I CAN'T QUIT STARING AT YOUR ICON sadjf;lk

 

[boushh]

While I have my own problems with "Harbinger", I never really took that last scene as out of character, because I think it's a scene that has layers to it... It isn't something to be taken just for the dialogue alone. IMHO, anyway...

My take, and what I think was the intention of the scene, especially considering what followed this episode:

She's afraid and uncomfortable with what she's feeling (lines from old T'Pol in E2 confirm it) so she tries to play things so as to ensure that she succesful pulls away and he's hurt because she just played down the whole thing, but starts to see through it a bit and tests the waters at the end, whether it be for their friendship, the NP, or something more... so it ends on a lighter note.

I never took it as a one night stand, because of all of the stuff that came after it. If it was a one night stand, there wouldn't have been over a year's devolopment for this relationship that followed. If nothing had happened afterwards then I would have been forced to think it wasn't more than a one night stand, but there was an aftermath...

My two cents, though I'm quite tired and probably not being as clear as I could be.

Oh and Pensive, that icon you like is from art located here:

Enterprise Oddities

Not sure if it's been posted recently, but there you go.

Oh and I third or fourth a web page for ttb's screen cap collection... especially the standing together bit.