Too Many Husbands

[Brandyjane]

I was watching an episode of Firefly the other night, and it got me thinking about what the dynamics would have been for Trip, T'Pol, and Archer if we'd gotten a realistic season five of Enterprise. In the episode of Firefly ("War Stories"), a character named Wash is upset that his wife Zoe, second-in-command of their ship, is a little too close to the captain. While they'd never been romantically involved, they had gone through a war and a lot of other dangerous missions together, were extremely close friends, and he felt like Zoe always unquestioningly agreed with the captain about everything. Wash says at one point that there was "one too many husband in this marriage."

That got me thinking about TT&A, and I could see a lot of parallels between the two groups.

Trip and Archer did have a history of close friendship, but by the third season, I think Trip was closer to Malcolm than to Archer. Archer seemed closer to T'Pol, to me. As far back as season two, Archer seemed to confide more in T'Pol than in Trip, and he seemed to seek her out and listen to her advice a lot more, too.

Throughout the series Archer and T'Pol went on several adventures that Trip really wasn't a part of. I know, the same could be said of Trip and Archer, but it seems to me like the adventures that Archer and T'Pol shared included more personal elements. In particular I'm thinking about all that went down in "The Seventh" and in the Forge during the Vulcan Trilogy. For example, Archer, not Trip, was there when she lost her mother.

Finally, as first officer, T'Pol outranks Trip and might have to side with the captain against Trip sometimes or order him to do something he doesn't want to do.

The question I'm throwing out there is, do you think Trip might be a little jealous of Archer's relationship with T'Pol? Or, do you think the bond would preclude that sort of thing since Trip would be able to sense that T'Pol's friendship with Archer didn't diminish how she felt for him? I'd like to think that the three of them could work out any issues like this, eventually, but it seems realistic to me that there might be some tension for a while as Trip and T'Pol learn to be a couple and Archer learns how to deal with that.

[Honeybee]

It's funny you should say that. When I was writing my E2 universe story - a big part of the dynamic was working all that out.

T'Pol and Archer very much developed a close "work spouse" relationship where they depended on each other - especially in light of how much they needed each other since they were isolated in The Expanse.

However, this was made a little easier by two factors. Trip was also close friends with Archer (unlike Wash and Mal) and he had the bond with T'Pol. He may have been a little jealous of her closeness with Archer, but he trusted his friend and he knew her esteem for him wasn't based on attraction thanks to the bond.

Meanwhile, T'Pol had some mental adjusting to do when Archer met his future wife. She wasn't sexually jealous and was find with another woman in Archer's bed - but she didn't want another woman advising Archer on matters concerning the ship.

The point is, the three of them working all this stuff out could have been very interesting to watch.

[Mistress Euclid]

I've been kicking around several ideas for a RU story. Once TnT are bonded, shutting out a man who had at various times been very close to both of them, it could get very interesting and dramatic.

[Aquarius]

Brandyjane--I think you and I are pretty much on the same page here. I see Archer as a third point in a triangle. Now, I'm one of those rare TnTers who isn't threatened by the notion that some of his feelings for her may still be romantic...but it's clear she wants Trip so any of those feelings would be unrequited.

But yes, there is also that "work spouse" thing, which would complicate things.

The only saving grace is that Trip is in a position of high responsibility on the ship himself, as well as being third in command, I think that would take some of the edge off any jealousy Trip may feel, as his duties may likewise "compete" with the relationship.

[Brandyjane]

I've been kicking around several ideas for a RU story. Once TnT are bonded, shutting out a man who had at various times been very close to both of them, it could get very interesting and dramatic.

Exactly! I want to think that Trip and T'Pol have each other after events of "Terra Prime," but where does that leave Archer? I have a really hard time seeing him find other friendships as deep and meaningful as the ones he had with Trip and T'Pol. He seems to want connections, but I think he has a really hard time letting people truly get close to him. (Hmm...It seems like every character on the show has that problem to one extent or another.) He shut everyone out during their time in the Expanse, but it seemed like in season four he was trying to repair some of the damage. But is it even possible for him to get that intimacy back when his two best friends are now a couple? No matter how close they are, he can't possibly be as close to either of them as they are to each other because of the bond, right? Can he live with that? These are the questions that are running around in my head right now as I chase plot bunnies everywhere.

Aquarius -- I've never been able to decide whether Archer's feelings for T'Pol are romantic or not. There are a handful of episodes where I really think Jon may have a non-platonic attachment to her. There are times when I would swear he's jealous for her attention.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have your real spouse work at the same place as your work spouse? I'm not even sure that it would make it that much easier if all three were good friends. It could really get tricky, particularly when one of the three disagrees with the other two.

Honeybee -- I need to read your E2 series. Your "Family Secrets" series is among my favorite fanfic ever.

[Honeybee]

Honeybee -- I need to read your E2 series. Your "Family Secrets" series is among my favorite fanfic ever.

Thanks! I'm actually planning of revisiting/revising the E2 story before I upload it on our new archive. So it will be nice and polished in a few weeks.

[Aquarius]

The friendship would definitely be a complicating factor. Trip and T'Pol are Jon's friends, but he's also their boss. Also, with Trip and T'Pol in a serious relationship, I see there being friction the moment it appears that Trip is going to choose T'Pol over Jon when the chips are down--do I stay at my post, or do I go rescue my woman

And then there's T'Pol--would she do the "logical" thing and stay at her post? Is she strong enough for that? Or would she go rescue her man? That would be a very sore point for Archer as well.

[Brandyjane]

I just feel sad for Archer. I like the character, but I have a really hard time imagining him turning out happy in a TnT world. I think he'd be happy for his friends, but if he harbors hidden, unrequited feelings for T'Pol (or Trip, as I'm starting to lean toward), then that's always going to be in the back of his mind, even if he gets over it and tries to move on.

[The Middleman]

I'm not really understanding the "the feeling sad for Archer" or the thought that Archer has unrequited feelings for T'Pol in a post "Terra Prime" world. I think we are forgetting the Erica Hernandez Factor in that post "Terra Prime" world. Also, the way I see the canon, IF Archer had any feelings for T'Pol (and I personally saw no canon evidence of it), "Home" and the episodes after it indicate that he has moved on. The "re-launch" books seem to confirm that, if you view them as an extension of the canon.

I think that TnT, as a couple, could and should have a close personal friendship with Archer and they all could live within that friendship without any tension (sexual or otherwise). This is how I view (would like to view) the maturity of characters. Now the working relationships ... that could be a whole different story! This would have been fun to see that aspect develop on screen.

[The Middleman]

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