Major Trip Moments

Major Trip Moment #1 - Dog Quip and Camera Play

The survey team have just arrived on the planet. The Shuttlepod lands in a green grassy idyllic meadow and Porthos romps off across the grass towards the edge of the clearing, clearly about to lift his leg as he sniffs a tree. In a third quip in almost as many screen minutes, Trip amuses the team with "where no dog has gone before".

Soon the survey team is posing as Trip records an image. "Be sure and give a copy of that to the Vulcan High Command" says Archer in a friendly attempt to tease T'Pol about her earlier caution. Trip, lowering the camera, gives a combination cute sideways lip curl, grimace and head nod to indicate his amusement. This is an early glimpse of the famous Trip mobile features, and a major Trip moment.

Major Trip Moment # 2 Being Silly Yet Charming During the Ghost Stories

Mayweather tells a boomer ghost story - the story of one George Webb, a friend of his uncle, who was an assistant engineer on a cargo freighter. George meets a sad end in a life pod, of course. "And sometimes…", Travis concludes, "when all is quiet, comm officers can still hear the echo of George's distress call in subspace…. beep…beep… "

"Oooooo" moans Trip, curling his mobile lips, breaking the tension and laughing. T'Pol, who has been ignoring the story and working with her scanner, looks unamused, saying that it is highly doubtful the distress beacon could function for 63 years. "Let me guess, no ghost stories on Vulcan" says Trip in another major Trip moment.

Major Trip Moment # 3 The Trouble with Bugs

We're in Trip and Travis's tent, and Trip is having a lot of trouble with a bug.

"Ah son of a bitch! There's something in my bag!" exclaims Trip, jumping up as a fairly large scorpion -like centipede scuttles hurriedly away. Travis has jumped up too and Trip holds his shoulder saying "give me your boot". "What for" replies Travis. "So I can squash it" says Trip with the 'squash' taking on that uniquely southern sound, just like 'bug' did when he said it earlier. Travis responds with "Are we allowed to squash alien life forms". "If it's in your sleeping bag" retorts Trip in a high pitched worried, not completely losing it but almost, kind of way.

It's clear Trip is not at all keen on 'bugs', and is probably suppressing a fairly deep fear.

The opening 'son of a bitch' is a magnificent Trip swear and Trip's touch on Travis's shoulder in a moment of need is, well, touching, and also possibly the fuel for a whole new Trip/Travis ship for those so inclined. As Miss Thang once commented, silly Travis for wanting to sleep in that tent! This scene is pure Trip magic punters - Trip appears vulnerable, charming and sexy, even in his moments of distress.

Major Trip Moment # 4 The Trouble with Vulcans

In the cave, while the Shuttlepod is unsuccessfully attempting to rescue Novakovich, the first serious tension between Trip and T'Pol develops. Trip says they've all seen the rock people and sounds a little strident as he asks T'Pol why she keeps denying their existence. T'Pol remains impassive and says she can't explain what they've seen and that she's not holding anything back. Trip retorts that he'd like to believe her but that "You Vulcans don't exactly have a spotless record when it comes to being honest with us". "Your point" dead pans T'Pol. In reply. Trip continues that the Vulcans have held things back before and that she might be doing it again. The tension is interrupted by Trip's comm.

Another Trip moment ensues with Trip looking stern but still concerned, with his face slightly downward and his eyes looking slightly upward - a most endearing expression, even in this moment of tension. "Tucker here" says Trip into the comm as he looks directly into T'Pol's eyes.

Major Trip Moment # 5 The Gloves Are Off Part One

Trip is standing as he addresses T'Pol, who is sitting with her back to him. He wants to know about the aliens so he can tell Archer, but T'Pol is tight lipped. "We're stuck down here, for all we know aliens could be staring from the walls. Not to mention there's a crewman out there who may not survive the night. Beginning to see my point. I need to know what's going on" says Trip. In a quiet, calm, caring and quite rational manner T'Pol replies "I share your concern about crewman Novakovich. Trip's getting quite emotional now, because he feels responsible for Novakovich. "You couldn't care less about him or any of the rest of us. That requires some of those useless human emotions." T'Pol retorts calmly "Your emotions are beginning to affect your judgement. You're becoming irrational". Trip is almost threatening as he replies "you haven't seen me irrational". The scene ends with Trip pointing his phase pistol at T'Pol while removing T'Pol's pistol from her belt telling her to "Sit Down!".

Major Trip Moment # 6 The Gloves Are Off Part Two - Touché T'Pol!

Trip and T'Pol are still getting on badly. Trip is pacing back and forth. T'Pol is sitting operating her scanner. They continue their verbal duel, with Trip accusing T'Pol of being in on a Vulcan plot to ensure the survey team end up dead at the hands of the aliens. Trip really gets in T'Pol's face in this scene, angry and paranoid, as he says that the Vulcans "won't say" but that they would know exactly what attacked the humans. Throughout this aggressive tirade T'Pol continues to give Trip 'the look' but says nothing.

Suddenly, Trip looks up to the cave ceiling and shouts "we know you're there", waving his pistol loosely, "show yourselves". T'Pol tells him there's no one there. Maybe T'Pol is waiting for the others to come down so she could kill them all, says an increasingly irrational Trip. Finally, T'Pol loses it back, as she ejaculates, strident and angry "all I see is a delusional engineer". Gentle readers, it was really quite shocking for this reviewer to see a Vulcan losing it like this, even if it is for just a moment, and nothing compared to Trip's state. (And Blalock's 'voice of Satan' is quite remarkable).

However, at T'Pol's outburst, Trip turns, looking surprised and quizzical and says "sounds like you're getting a little volatile yourself, sub-commander". Even under pressure Trip still has his humour.

Major Trip Moment # 7 Pistols before Dawn

Trip goes off at T'Pol again accusing her of "doing things" to Travis, and that it's second nature to Vulcans to go sneaking around. T'Pol replies in Vulcan "Par shin zu rarts". This sets Trip off again and he points the pistol at T'Pol, shouting at the unseen aliens that it's a mistake working with 'her' and that they can settle this peacefully if they come out. When he gets no response Trip shoots at the wall wildly. Then Trip is hallucinating badly, talking to no body 'what are you doing here. I understand but I gotta protect my crew ". Trip whirls to point his pistol at T'Pol again to find her pointing one at him too. "Moro pha-SAR" says T'Pol, presumably "[give me] your phaser". Trip 'eyes' her. It appears a complete stalemate but at the same time the height of this episode's long building dramatic tension - either one could shoot or be shot.

Major Trip Moment # 8 A Very Meaningful Trip/Archer Moment

There's a close up on Trip's sweating irrational 'lost it' face as he shouts, shockingly, at T'Pol "Say one more word of that gibberish and I'm going to split you in two". Archer tries to explain to Trip that T'Pol is reverting to her native tongue because of the effects of the pollen then tries to appeal to Trip's trust by reminding him of the omega training mission on Titan where Trip's EV pack froze, and Trip had tried to take off his helmet because of nitrogen narcosis. "I told you not to take off your helmet. You obeyed that order because you trusted me" says Archer. Close up on a confused, eye blinking Trip. Such tenderness and caring in this most meaningful of Trip/Archer moments, readers, that it is hard for this reviewer to go on.

"I'm asking you to trust me now. Take the injection" continues Archer.

But Trip 'sees' two rock people stand up from the cave floor and tells Archer it's too late, that's he's not going to die with a hypo spray in his hand, training his pistol on T'Pol again.

Major Trip Moment # 9 A Scared, Boyish and Trusting Trip

Archer has finally convinced Trip to lower the pistol he is pointing at T'Pol. Trip lowers the phase pistol, little by little, looking up, scared, boyish and cute. T'Pol fires her phase pistol as soon as Trip's pistol is lowered enough. A phaser bolt hits Trip in the stomach and he grunts as he gets thrown backwards against the cave wall before sliding to the floor unconscious.

Major Trip Moment # 10 The Resolution

It's morning in the cave, and the vaccine has taken effect. A slowly awakening Trip is holding his head. T'Pol offers him a drink which he accepts. T'Pol tells him and Cutler that there were no rock people, that it was hallucinations. What about talking to them Trip asks and T'Pol replies that "the captain felt if I played along, it might help you lower your weapon. "You'd grown increasingly irrational and violent."

At this comment from T'Pol, Trip hangs his head in a slightly ashamed more hung-over kind of way that is none the less right up there with the cutest of other cute Trip moments in this episode. "Something about splitting me in two" continues T'Pol as Trip retorts "pretty good performance". Trip pauses, recovers himself and says most disarmingly 'I know I shot my mouth off last night" followed by "challenge your preconceptions or they'll challenge you". T'Pol looks confused. "Something Mr. Velik used to say continues Trip. Mr. Velik, it transpires, was Trip's 10 grade biology class teacher who was also a Vulcan. Mr. Velik used to "scare the hell out of me" concludes Trip. "Perhaps it's not too late to follow his advice" says T'Pol and an introspective looking Trip nods.