"Enterprise"
Carbon Creek (2002)

Director:

James A. Contner

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator "Star Trek")
Rick Berman (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Enterprise" (2001)

Original Air Date:

25 September 2002 (Season 2, Episode 2)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Celebrating T'Pol's one year anniversary as a member of the Enterprise's crew, Archer and trip have dinner with her...

Plot Keywords:

UFO | Alien Invasion | Technology | Extraterrestrial | Rescue

Cast

Scott Bakula	...	Captain Jonathan Archer
Jolene Blalock	...	Sub-Commander T'Pol / T'Mir
John Billingsley	...	Dr. Phlox (credit only)
Dominic Keating	...	Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (credit only)
Anthony Montgomery	...	Ensign Travis Mayweather (credit only)
Linda Park	...	Ensign Hoshi Sato (credit only)
Connor Trinneer	...	Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
J. Paul Boehmer	...	Mestral
Ann Cusack	...	Maggie
Hank Harris	...	Jack
Paul Hayes	...	Businessman
Michael Krawic	...	Stron
Ron Marasco	...	Vulcan Officer
David Selburg	...	Vulcan Captain
Clay Wilcox	...	Billy

Trivia:

Episode #2.2, "Carbon Creek," which aired on 25 September 2002, included a reference to the TV series "The Twilight Zone" (1959), in which William Shatner once guest starred. As it happened, the debut episode of a revived version of the series aired immediately after the Enterprise broadcast. It also features a joke involving the TV series "I Love Lucy" (1951) which was produced by Desilu - the company that produced "Star Trek" (1966). Lucille Ball has also been credited with saving the original series from early cancellation. The episode includes a scene in which T'Pol's great-great-grandmother introduces Velcro to earth. One of the Vulcans involved is named Mestral, after the real-life inventor of Velcro, George de Mestral.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Which takes place sometime after September of 1959 (as evidenced by a reference to "The Twilight Zone" (1959), new twenty dollar bills are visible when the tip jar is seen overflowing with cash.

Quotes:

Stron: This is the third time this week I've had to fix Mrs. Garrett's sink.
Mestral: Perhaps she enjoys your company.
Stron: It might be tolerable if her son didn't insist on calling me... Moe.
T'Mir: Why does he do that?
Stron: There is a comic actor known as a Stooge with that name. The boy believes we have similar hair.
Mestral: There is a resemblance.

Movie Connections:

References "I Love Lucy" (1951)

The Unknown First Contact

While celebrating the first year of T'Pol in Enterprise in a dinner party with Trip and the honored guest, Archer informally asks her about her leave on Earth in the small Pennsylvanian town Carbon Creek. T'Pol tells that her great-great-grandmother T'Mir and the Vulcans Mestral, Stron and the captain of a small Vulcan aircraft that was observing the Sputnik crash on Earth in the 50's. The captain dies and the trio waits for rescue in the woods, but they are not sure whether the distress call has been really sent. When their rations finish and without means of communication, they move to Carbon Creek to get food, interacting with the inhabitants, finding job in the community and feeling the warm welcome of the gentle dwellers.

"Carbon Creek" is a great episode about the unknown first contact of Vulcans on Earth. The story is ambiguous and it is never clear whether T'Mir and T'Pol are the same character, or T'Mir is really her great-great-grandmother. Trip in some moments is very inconvenient with his observation about T'Pol age, but this query may be a clue that they are the same person. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Carbon Creek"