by Archerite » Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:35 am
I enjoyed the Archer/T'Pol relationship as presented in the series because I saw it as the prototype for the Human Captain / Vulcan XO pairings that are a Trek classic, culminating of course in Kirk/Spock. The in-universe 'how it was made' bits of Enterprise are one of my favorite things about this series. I loved watching them both overcome their prejudices against each other and move towards genuine friendship and loyalty. Their friendship is to me the most important aspect of their relationship and, in my view, that friendship, along with their responsibilities as captain and first officer, take precedence over any romantic feelings they may have for each other. And that's what attracts me to the Archer/T'Pol ship: the fact that they work so well together, and yet they can't really give in to their personal wishes, at least not while their mission together lasts.
I really loved the way "Twilight" handled this matter. After they had both been more or less forced to give up their positions on the Enterprise, they become involved on a more personal level. Sure, Archer never remembers anything, but T'Pol is free to allow her feelings to evolve into something more than just camaraderie. The bittersweet implication that T'Pol has had to deal with this growing attraction, while Archer's impaired memory has made it impossible for him to respond to her feelings is something that highly stimulates my creative side. I'd love to do something with that.