Trip Tucker
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Charles "Trip" Tucker III, portrayed by
Connor Trinneer Connor Wyatt Trinneer (born March 19, 1969) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Charles "Trip" Tucker III on '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', Michael on the series ''Stargate Atlantis'', and Professor ...
, is a fictional character in the
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
'' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Tucker was the chief engineer on the ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'' and also briefly served in the same role aboard at the Enterprise's sister ship '' Columbia''.


Biography

Tucker was born in 2121. His nickname "Trip" is short for "Triple", as he is the third generation of his family to be named Charles Tucker. He joined the United Earth
Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduct ...
in 2139 and first met
Jonathan Archer Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. He is one of the protagonists of the television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', where he was portrayed by Scott Bakula. Archer was the commanding officer of the fir ...
around 2143, a decade prior to the launch of ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
,'' when the two worked together on an early warp 2 prototype vessel using the warp engine designed by Archer's father, Henry Archer. While a knowledgeable engineer, Tucker can be rash and "illogical", an opinion that early on causes friction between ''Enterprises Vulcan science officer,
T'Pol T'Pol () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', she is a Vulcan (Star Trek), Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship ''Enterprise (NX-01 ...
, and him. During the first year of ''Enterprise'''s mission, he finds himself coping with situations with which no
Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduct ...
engineer has ever coped, and is a key player in the vessel finally achieving maximum speed at warp 5. Tucker also enjoys occasional romantic relationships, including one with an exotic alien engineer in the episode " Unexpected". When challenged about these relationships, his stock phrase is, "I was a perfect gentleman". He is statistically the greatest charmer aboard the ''Enterprise,'' and he has gone down in ''Star Trek'' history as the first human male ever to be pregnant and the first human male ever to be in a relationship with a member of another species. In the last episode of the second season, Earth was attacked by an alien race called the Xindi. The attack was made by a prototype weapon that struck from
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
crossing into
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, over the Caribbean Sea, and caused the deaths of 7 million people, including Tucker's sister. This left Tucker emotionally scarred and unable to sleep without experiencing vivid
nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...
s. At the request of Dr.
Phlox ''Phlox'' (; "flame"; plural "phlox" or "phloxes", ) is a genus of 68 species of perennial and annual plants in the family Polemoniaceae. They are found mostly in North America (one in Siberia) in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open ...
, Tucker agreed to undergo Vulcan neuropressure treatments with T'Pol. Although the treatments required very intimate contact between the two, no signs were seen at first of anything beyond a professional relationship developing between the officers. At a crucial point during the Xindi mission, Tucker suffered a potentially fatal injury, and the only way to save his life was to create a clone to harvest needed brain cells. The clone, named " Sim", grew to adulthood over only a few days, and many of the crew became fond of him, in particular T'Pol, who actually kissed Sim after he confessed to being attracted to T'Pol — but adding that he was uncertain whether those feelings were his own or Tucker's. Against Sim's objections, Archer ordered him to undergo the medical procedure to extract the needed cells to save Tucker's life, though this proved fatal to Sim. As the Xindi mission progressed, Tucker found himself growing closer to T'Pol, and the two briefly became lovers, an event T'Pol later dismissed as an experiment, although the real cause was a side effect of her addiction to the substance Trellium D, which affected her emotional judgment. Tucker admitted to T'Pol's mother he was in love with her daughter during a trip to Vulcan with her after the Xindi mission, during which she decided to marry her fiancé Koss in an arranged marriage. Although T'Pol's mother encouraged Tucker to express his feelings to her daughter, he chose not to do so. Later, following the dissolution of T'Pol's marriage, Tucker considered becoming involved with her again; however. In the episode " Observer Effect", T'Pol expressed great concern for Tucker, suggesting her feelings for him remained strong, despite her claims to the contrary. In 2154, during a mission to prevent a
Romulan The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Their adopted home world is Romulus, and within the same star system they have settled a sister planet Remus. Their original home world, Vulcan ...
automated marauder from starting a war, Tucker determined that his attraction to T'Pol was negatively affecting his ability to do his job. After the mission, he requested, and received, a transfer to the new NX Class starship, '' Columbia''. During this period, Tucker began experiencing vivid
daydream Daydreaming is a stream of consciousness that detaches from current external tasks when one's attention becomes focused on a more personal and internal direction. Various names of this phenomenon exist, including mind-wandering, fantasies, a ...
s involving T'Pol, without understanding that she was actually unintentionally communicating with him via mental telepathy when she attempted to meditate. In the episode " Bound", it was revealed that Tucker and T'Pol had become psychically bonded when they had made love a year earlier, although this link apparently did not manifest itself right away. During the events of the episode "
Divergence In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field giving the rate that the vector field alters the volume in an infinitesimal neighborhood of each point. (In 2D this "volume" refers to ...
", Tucker was temporarily reassigned to ''Enterprise'' to facilitate repairs following a run-in with the
Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon language, Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a humanoid species of aliens in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star T ...
s. He subsequently submitted a request to Archer return to ''Enterprise'' full-time. Tucker served as ''Enterprise'''s chief engineer for a full decade, and prepared to transfer to one of the newly built warp 7-capable starships following the decommissioning of ''Enterprise'' in 2161, which was to coincide with the signing of the Federation Charter. The series finale " These Are the Voyages..." revealed that Tucker and T'Pol ended their romantic relationship at some point after the events of " Terra Prime", for reasons as yet unrevealed. Despite this, the two remained close, and Tucker had to reassure T'Pol that the decommissioning of ''Enterprise'' and their reassignment to different vessels would not have any bearing on their friendship. In the last episode, when Shran's former associates track down ''Enterprise'' and board the ship, they demand that Archer take them to Shran, but the captain refuses. The aliens are about to kill Archer, so Trip, thinking fast, tells them that he will take them to Shran. When Archer protests, the aliens knock him out. Trip leads the aliens into what appears to be a harmless utility closet — he tells them it is simply a com station and he is going to get Shran to come to them. Trip tells them he just needs to connect a couple of things, but when he brings a pair of conduits together, a massive explosion erupts, taking out both Trip and the aliens. Trip dies after being fatally wounded. However, what is seen is a holodeck simulation being run by Will Riker. Whether his death is an actual event is not definitively established. Also, in the Star Trek Enterprise relaunch novels set after " These Are the Voyages...", it was revealed that Trip's death from the explosion was faked so he could join Section 31 to spy on the
Romulan The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Their adopted home world is Romulus, and within the same star system they have settled a sister planet Remus. Their original home world, Vulcan ...
s, however this has never been solidified as being canon.


Personal life

In 2153, Tucker lost his sister, Elizabeth, in the Xindi attack on
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
which destroyed her hometown in southern Florida. In a first-season episode, " Fusion", he reveals he has a brother with whom he practiced dancing, although he is never seen. His parents survived the attack and later relocated to
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
; they are invited to attend the signing of the
United Federation of Planets In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly re ...
treaty in 2161, and keep their promise to attend even after Tucker's death. T'Pol requests the opportunity to meet them at this occasion, but whether she does is not known. At least three offspring have — directly or indirectly — been linked to Tucker: * In 2151, Tucker is accidentally impregnated by a Xyrillian female, but has the unborn
fetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic development, embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Pren ...
transplanted into another Xyrillian before it was born. The offspring is not genetically related to Tucker as Xyrillian reproduction only uses the mother's
gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
s. No further information about this offspring has been revealed. (" Unexpected") * In an alternate timeline in the episode " ", at some point following an incident that sent ''Enterprise'' back to the year 2037, Tucker and T'Pol marry and have a son, Lorian, whose fate after the restoration of the timeline has yet to be revealed. * In 2155, in the episode "
Demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in media including fiction, comics, film, t ...
", Tucker learns that he has a six-month-old daughter, the mother apparently being T'Pol. It is revealed that the daughter was cloned using Tucker and T'Pol's
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
, which was stolen from ''Enterprise'' by an infiltrator working for Terra Prime. The cloning procedure was improperly executed, however, and the daughter — whom T'Pol named "Elizabeth" after Tucker's sister — dies soon after being rescued. The child's death leaves Tucker emotionally devastated as T'Pol — herself emotionally drained — tries to comfort him. Trip is knowledgeable about the ancient
board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...
Go, and actually has a Go board in his cabin (he is seen playing the game with the title character of the episode " Cogenitor") Trip has a brief romance with princess Kaitamma (played by
Padma Lakshmi Padma Parvati Lakshmi (; née Vaidynathan; born September 1, 1970) is an American television host, model, author, businesswoman, and activist. She rose to prominence by hosting the Bravo cooking competition program '' Top Chef'' (2006–2023). ...
) from Krios Prime in "Precious Cargo". They enjoy a passionate
one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
when the pair find themselves alone on an uninhabited planet. When Trip returns to the Enterprise, and she to her own planet, she invites Trip to come visit her on Krios Prime after she will have become ruler. Trip and Malcolm Reed become close friends after being stuck together in Shuttlepod 1 for 3 days after they find evidence that the ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'' was destroyed ( Shuttlepod One).


Alternate timelines

In the alternate timeline seen in the episode "
Twilight Twilight is daylight illumination produced by diffuse sky radiation when the Sun is below the horizon as sunlight from the upper atmosphere is scattered in a way that illuminates both the Earth's lower atmosphere and also the Earth's surf ...
", Tucker becomes captain of ''Enterprise'' following the incapacitation of Jonathan Archer and T'Pol's resignation from Starfleet. He is killed when ''Enterprises bridge is destroyed shortly before Archer resets the timeline. As stated above, the episode " " takes place in an altered timeline. Except that Lorian is the son of T'Pol and Tucker, little else is revealed of the alternate Trip. He is long deceased by the time Lorian's version of ''Enterprise'' makes rendezvous with its namesake. The '' Star Trek: Lower Decks'' episode " Fissure Quest" depicts a version of T'Pol from a timeline where she was married to Tucker for 63 years.


Mirror Universe

In the
Mirror Universe The Mirror Universe is the setting of several narratives in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, a parallel universe existing alongside, but separate from, the fictional universe that is the main setting of ''Star Trek''. It resembles th ...
two-part episode, Tucker is the chief engineer of the ISS ''Enterprise'', but is badly disfigured due to exposure from heavy
delta ray A delta ray is a secondary electron with enough energy to escape a significant distance away from the primary radiation beam and produce further ionization. The term is sometimes used to describe any recoil particle caused by secondary ionization ...
radiation emanating from his ''Enterprises engines. This version of Tucker also had a sexual relationship with the Mirror T'Pol, who once exploited this relationship in her attempt to sabotage ''Enterprise''; she used a mind meld to implant a posthypnotic suggestion in Tucker's mind. It is implied this is not the first time she has used him in this way. Tucker is subsequently tortured in the agony booth, but vehemently denies any wrongdoing, insisting that he has always been loyal to the Empire and Archer. In the end, Archer tells Reed to break Tucker before releasing him from the booth, much to Tucker's horror. He later confronts T'Pol in main engineering and tells her he spent four hours in the booth. This version of Tucker, along with much of the ISS ''Enterprise'' crew, travels to the USS ''Defiant'' – which had been discovered in the Mirror Universe – and tries to get the ship working to further the Mirror Archer's attempt to take over the Terran Empire. Tucker successfully foils a plot by the Mirror Phlox to sabotage key systems aboard ''Defiant''.


Novels

In the framing story of the ''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
'' novel, '' Last Full Measure'' (May 2006), it is revealed that Tucker did not actually die in "These Are the Voyages...", but survived and lived to be over 120 years of age (Tucker meets the young James T. Kirk and his family). The details of this plot point are revealed in the novel '' The Good That Men Do'' (written, as was ''Last Full Measure'', by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin). In ''The Good That Men Do'', Tucker becomes impatient to do something about the coming
Romulan The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Their adopted home world is Romulus, and within the same star system they have settled a sister planet Remus. Their original home world, Vulcan ...
threat to Earth, though Starfleet has ordered ''Enterprise'' to return home to bolster the upcoming formation of the Coalition of Planets (a precursor to the
United Federation of Planets In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly re ...
). Tucker's crewmate, Malcolm Reed, puts him in contact with Harris who operates within Section 31. Tucker agrees to an undercover mission into Romulan territory to find and neutralize the Romulans' new warp 7 engine program, which will be faster than almost all other warp drives in existence (at this time the Vulcans had warp 7 capability) and would undoubtedly endanger the Coalition. He is successful, but in the process, he learns that Vulcans and Romulans were once one species. Tucker reluctantly agrees to remain officially "dead", lest this secret become public and thereby endanger the newly formed coalition. Also, the novel suggests that Tucker's extended lifespan is partly due to the genetic engineering he receives to pass as a Romulan. In the novel ''The Romulan War: To Brave the Storm'', it is hinted that although Commander Trip Tucker III is officially classified as dead, a small chance existed that he made it out of the escape pod. Resuming his life under an assumed name, he has two children with T'Pol, a son and daughter.


Portrayal

Connor Trinneer based Trip's accent on a character from Oklahoma he had done in a play, only for it to be later established that the character was from Florida. Before Trinneer was cast, Zach Galligan also auditioned for the role. As a conceptual model for the character Trinneer thought of him as "a wonderkind
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
engine guy mechanic who happened to be in this other place."


Reception

In 2009,
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
ranked Trip as the 21st best character of ''Star Trek''. In 2017,
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...
ranked the Trip the 13th most attractive person in the ''Star Trek'' universe. In 2018,
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...
ranked Trip Tucker as the 16th best main cast character of ''Star Trek'' overall.


See also

* List of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' characters


References


External links


STARTREK.COM: Charles "Trip" Tucker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Charles Iii Star Trek: Enterprise characters Fictional characters from Florida Fictional commanders Fictional engineers Starfleet officers Starfleet commanders Starfleet engineers Television characters introduced in 2001 Fictional characters from the 22nd century