star trek enterprise fusion

An archive of Star Trek News

You may have missed

Several S&S Trek Books On Sale For $1 This Month

• Star Trek: Lower Decks

Another Classic Trek Actor On Lower Decks This Week

Classic Trek Games Now On GOG

• Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Trek: Prodigy Opening Credits Released

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• The Fall Guy Link to The Fall Guy
• I Saw the TV Glow Link to I Saw the TV Glow
• The Idea of You Link to The Idea of You

New TV Tonight

• Doctor Who: Season 1
• Dark Matter: Season 1
• The Chi: Season 6
• Reginald the Vampire: Season 2
• Bodkin: Season 1
• Blood of Zeus: Season 2
• Black Twitter: A People's History: Season 1
• Pretty Little Liars: Summer School: Season 2
• Hollywood Con Queen: Season 1
• Love Undercover: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• A Man in Full: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Them: Season 2
• Shōgun: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Hacks: Season 3 Link to Hacks: Season 3
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All 46 Universal Monster Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

Asian-American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Weekend Box Office Results: The Fall Guy Debuts Below Expectations

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024: Your Guide to Movies Back In Theaters

• Trending on RT
• The Fall Guy
• The Idea of You
• Best Movies of All Time
• Play Movie Trivia

Star Trek: Enterprise – Season 1, Episode 17

Where to watch, star trek: enterprise — season 1, episode 17.

Watch Star Trek: Enterprise — Season 1, Episode 17 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

More Like This

Cast & crew.

Scott Bakula

Capt. Jonathan Archer

Connor Trinneer

Cmdr. Charles "Trip" Tucker III

Jolene Blalock

Subcommander T'Pol

Dominic Keating

Lt. Malcolm Reed

Anthony Montgomery

Ensign Travis Mayweather

Ensign Hoshi Sato

Episode Info

• Web Channels
• Star Trek: Enterprise

En route to the eye-catching Arachnid Nebula, the crew encounters an obsolete Vulcan vessel manned by the Vahklas, a Vulcan sect that embraces emotional impulses. Despite her misgivings, T'Pol allows her curiosity about their lifestyle to get the best of her.

Cast Appearances

Scott Bakula

John Billingsley

Jolene Blalock

Dominic Keating

Anthony Montgomery

Connor Trinneer

Episode discussion.

No comments yet. Be the first!

• Star Trek: Enterprise/Episodes
• 2002/Episodes

Star Trek: Enterprise: Fusion

• Edit source
• View history

"Fusion" is the seventeenth episode of the first season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise .

• 1 Siobhan Corbyn
• 2 Colt Seavers
• 3 Jody Banks

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS01E17Fusion

Recap / Star Trek Enterprise S 01 E 17 Fusion

Edit locked.

In the captain's mess, Tavin and his crew member Tolaris have an introductory meal with Archer and T'Pol. Tavin wants to try some of the captain's chicken, even after learning it is meat, which is unusual as Vulcans are usually vegetarians. T'Pol explains that Tavin and his crew belong to a Vulcan culture known as "V'tosh ka'tur", which translates to "Vulcans without logic". Tavin explains that it's a misnomer, since they do use logic; they just don't suppress their emotions with it.

In engineering, Trip meets the Vulcan engineer Kov, who has some misconceptions about humans, then T'Pol shows Archer a list of items the visiting Vulcans want. He notes that she seems to be avoiding them, and she explains that it's because she fears they're dangerous due to not suppressing emotions. He reassures her that they don't appear dangerous.

In the mess, Tolaris asks T'Pol how to use the replicator, and while there, he claims that her emotions are "closer to the surface" than other Vulcans' because she chose to stay on Enterprise and is drinking mint tea. She tells him that his and the others' behaviour is dangerous, but he dismisses the belief that unbridled emotions in Vulcans are dangerous as "propaganda". He asks her out for pizza, and she replies that she's not hungry now but would be fine with it later.

Enterprise reaches the Arachnid Nebula and the crew begins to analyse it, with Archer assigning T'Pol to work on the Vahklas . There, she notes that it's rather odd that they own a statue of Surak, but Tolaris explains that he and his people don't reject Surak; they just interpret him differently than most. When T'Pol admits that she used to consider not suppressing her emotions when she was younger, Tolaris suggests that she try going to bed without meditating and seeing if it affects her dreams.

In the mess, Trip is clearing up Kov's misconceptions about humans and they discuss sex, with Kov revealing that the V'tosh ka'tur are attempting to make themselves go into pon farr more often. On the bridge, Hoshi receives a transmission from Starfleet, and it turns out that Admiral Forrest wants to talk to the Vulcan guests, revealing that Kov's dying, estranged father wants to talk to his son one last time before he dies.

T'Pol goes to bed and has a dream in which she goes to a nightclub in San Francisco and talks to and has sex with Tolaris. The dream ends with an image of the Arachnid Nebula and a statue of Surak breaking. The next morning, she has a headache and goes to sickbay. Phlox notes that she has high blood pressure and unusual synaptic activity, but T'Pol thinks this is just because of the nightmare she had from not meditating and that all she needs is inaprovaline.

Archer invites Kov to his ready room, and Kov mentions that he wants to talk to his father, revealing that the reason he's dying is because he's ill. However, he also mentions that his father claimed he disgraced his family the last time they spoke, so he tells Archer to send the message that he said goodbye a long time ago from him instead.

On the Vulcan ship, Tolaris asks how T'Pol's dream experiment went, but she doesn't want to talk about it. He insists on hearing the details, so she tells him, but leaves out the erotic part. He presumes that T'Pol's awkwardness is because she's afraid of emotion, so he tells her it's nothing to be afraid of.

Back on the Enterprise , Archer goes to engineering and asks Trip to help Kov talk to his father. Trip agrees to give it a try, then Archer expresses concern about Tolaris hanging around T'Pol. Trip, however, thinks it's normal and that if he was on a ship with lots of Vulcans and a human, he'd gravitate towards the human as well. In T'Pol's quarters, Tolaris offers to mind meld with her, saying it helps in dealing with emotions. She agrees, but when he conjures up images from the dream, she decides to cut out of it, but he insists on continuing. They struggle for a bit, he leaves, and then she collapses and contacts sickbay.

In engineering, Trip is trying to convince Kov to talk to his father, but the latter refuses. Trip asks if Vulcans dance, then tells Kov that he wanted to dance with a girl twenty years ago, but didn't have the courage to and still regrets not asking her to dance. He tells Kov that regret is a very strong and negative emotion, and that Kov may regret not speaking to his father.

Archer invites Tolaris into his ready room, where he talks about the ship repairs and the nebula, but also chews him out for what he did to T'Pol, describing it as "assaulting" her. He denies it was assault and claims that he was just helping her with her emotions, but Archer has none of it. Tolaris throws Archer against the wall, so Archer grabs a phase pistol and tells him that he and the others are no longer welcome on the Enterprise .

Tropes in this episode include:

• Exept that he does. Tolaris isn't sent to the Enterprise's brig, he isn't punished by Tavin, and T'Pol never has him apprehended and punished by anyone. In fact, as far as the Enterprise crew is aware, Tolaris suffers no consequences for assaulting T'Pol , nor for giving her Pa'nar syndrome . She eventually gets better
• This episode provides an object lesson in why Vulcans work so hard to control their emotions. They have incredible intellect, strength, and resilience; an angry Vulcan is a very difficult force to stop. Captain Jonathan "Glass Jaw" Archer finds this out the hard way at the end of the episode.
• Tolaris taught Vulcan literature before rejecting the Kir'Shara's prohibitions on emotion. Generally speaking, he's the antagonist in this episode. He's also very creepy.
• Big Eater : Discussed— Kov initially believed that humans ate six meals a day.
• Creepy Jazz Music : During T'Pol's meld with Tolaris. Starts off fairly neutral-sounding, then turns wild and chaotic as the meld takes a hard left turn into Mind Rape territory.
• Didn't Think This Through : Archer didn't exactly consider that trying to shout down a Vulcan with three times his strength wasn't a good idea, hence why he grabs a phase pistol after getting thrown across his ready room. Tolaris: You planned this. Archer: If I'd known I was going to get thrown across the room that hard, I might have tried a different approach.
• Erotic Dream : T'Pol has a sensual dream involving Tolaris when she skips her evening meditation.
• I Have No Son! : Kov refuses to contact his father because, the last time they spoke, he told him that he brought shame to 15 generations of their family.
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places : T'Pol dreams about having sex with Tolaris in a nightclub.
• Manipulative Bastard : Tolaris. His goals largely involve 'a deep scan' of T'Pol. He shows his true colors when Archer warns him off of her after the disastrous mind-meld.
• Mental Fusion : Tolaris smooth-talks T'Pol into engaging in her first meld. Unfortunately for T'Pol, his intentions are sinister, and it turns into Mind Rape until T'Pol forces him away from her.
• The V'tosh ka'tur ("Vulcans without logic") have rejected the Vulcan philosophy of Emotion Suppression . That, and vegetarianism.
• Kov also believes that his people are far too squeamish when it comes to discussing sex. He happily answers Trip's questions regarding Vulcan mating practices.
• An inversion is also posed. At one point, T'Pol notices a statue of Surak in the V'tosh ka'tur ship. She asks why they would have that, when they embrace emotion. Tolaris explains that they don't reject logic, as it's necessary, but that in accepting logic they don't have to reject emotion.
• For the first time, T'Pol expresses emotions, which unnerves her.
• The other thing that unnerves her, is a flashback during her nightmares to a time when she snuck out of the Vulcan Compound in San Francisco, and lost emotional control in a jazz nightclub.
• Parting-Words Regret : Trip manages to convince Kov to contact his dying father in order to avoid this, recounting a story in which he couldn't work up the courage to ask a girl to dance and how he still regrets that.
• Plain Palate : Discussed when Tolaris is surprised that T'Pol is drinking mint tea, since usually, Vulcans prefer blander drinks.
• Rugby Is Slaughter : A variant; Kov was under the impression that American football was some kind of a barbaric ritual where a large group of men pile upon and savagely maul a single man to death, but Trip explains to him that it's just a game and nobody dies or suffers major injuries in the process.
• Science Marches On : In-Universe . Upon arriving at the Arachnid Nebula, Archer is surprised to find that it is 1.5 billion kilometers larger than his astronomy book said. Hoshi jokes that they should tell the publisher so they can print a revised edition.
• Sexophone : Jazzy saxophone music plays during T'Pol's Erotic Dream .
• Sleepyhead : Discussed— Kov initially thought all humans slept for over half the day (which actually is generally only true with babies and toddlers).
• Soap Opera Disease : It's never revealed what's wrong with Kov's father, just that he's "ill" and in danger of dying.
• The V'tosh ka'tur are Vulcans in self-imposed exile due to rejecting the notion that logic precludes having emotions.
• T'Pol is a mainstream Vulcan who has naturally weak emotional control, as indicated by Tolaris. She attempts to try to experience emotions as a major plot point, with interesting results.
• What happens when a Vulcan loses emotional control? The results vary based on the emotions they are repressing.
• Straw Vegetarian : Averted. The Vulcan captain surprises Archer and T'Pol by trying a piece of chicken.
• Straw Vulcan : Deconstructed. The V'tosh ka'tur believe that the traditional Vulcans' philosophy on suppressing emotions is unreasonable, but the episode demonstrates that Vulcans don't work like humans, and if a Vulcan doesn't suppress their emotions, it can be disastrous.
• You Monster! : Archer calling out Tolaris in the climactic confrontation. Interestingly, he starts the conversation as amiable as he usually is, before... Archer: Sub-Commander T'Pol's in Sickbay. From what the doctor tells me, she's in pretty bad shape. Tolaris: That's unfortunate. What happened? Archer: (demeanor changes) You know damn well what happened. She told me about your, what did she call it, mind-meld? She said when she asked you to stop, you got angry. She said she had to force you away. Tolaris: What happened between us is personal. It's not your concern. Archer: You assaulted a member of my crew.
• Star Trek Enterprise S 01 E 16 Shuttlepod One
• Recap/Star Trek: Enterprise
• Star Trek Enterprise S 01 E 18 Rogue Planet

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

Star Trek: Enterprise (TV Series)

Fusion (2002).

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

Star Trek: Enterprise – What Happened To T'Pol?

T'Pol played one of the most important roles in Star Trek: Enterprise. So, what became of her after the mission was over?

• T'Pol overcame obstacles as a Vulcan agent and rose to become a key figure in Starfleet history.
• Despite oversexualization, T'Pol showcased powerful moments and saved the day on multiple occasions.
• T'Pol's legacy in Star Trek: Enterprise challenges stereotypes and highlights her importance in the founding of the Federation.

T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) forged an unforgettable path through Star Trek despite the obstacles that often stood in her way as a member of the U.S.S. Enterprise. She was an agent of the Vulcan Ministry of Security. One of her first missions ended in her murdering a fellow agent who’d gone rogue. Remember that episode of The Original Series where Spock tampered with Captain Kirk’s memories? It turns out that his actions might not have been as strange as some thought at the time. Enterprise explained this ability when T’Pol went through the Fullara ceremony to forget her actions on the field.

She later spent some time working as a Vulcan ambassador with the United Earth government. Throughout her turbulent past, T’Pol accomplished a lot before she ever set foot on the Starfleet starship NX-01. She may have fallen victim at times to the show’s dated sexism. But not even Rick Berman could dim her shine, nor the impact she had on the story unfolding around her. It eventually led to T'Pol working as the right-hand woman of Captain Archer (Scott Bakula). This in turn led to her becoming one of the most important figures in Starfleet history.

5 Underrated Star Trek: Enterprise Episodes

T'pol's life on the u.s.s. enterprise.

T’Pol’s early work as an agent of the Vulcan Ministry of Security prepared her for the dangers she would face on Star Trek . Her unlikely allegiance with the Klingons, for example, came in handy in season 2, episode 19, “Judgment.” In the episode, T’Pol used her connections to help Captain Archer beat a conspiracy charge on the Klingon homeworld Qo’NoS. It’s one of the few times in Starfleet history that Vulcans and Klingons have willingly come together in harmony.

However, no amount of experience could have prepared T’Pol for the wacky drama she would encounter as an officer. One example is when fellow Vulcan Tolaris (Enrique Murciano) forced a mind-meld on T’Pol that left her with Pa’nar Syndrome in season 1, episode 17, “Fusion.” She lived with this neural disease and all its uncomfortable symptoms until the iconic Vulcan leader T’Pau (Kara Zediker) cured her in season 4, episode 9, “Kir’Shara.”

Enterprise tended to oversexualize T’Pol at times. From skimpy outfits to wardrobe malfunctions, the show often presented her body first and brain second. Still, she had some powerful moments throughout the show. She even got to save the day in season 4, episode 17, “Bound” after Orions took over the ship.

T’Pol’s Relationships in Star Trek: Enterprise

Like Voyager ’s Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), T’Pol was an attractive woman on a Starfleet crew of mostly male officers. Naturally, the showrunners felt it necessary to pair her with almost all of them. She even put the moves on Phlox (John Billingsley) in season 2, episode 25, “Bounty” after a strange microbe triggered her Vulcan sex drive.

Her relationships with Captain Archer and Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), however, remain her most important love affairs. Many argue that her relationship with Trip came out of nowhere. It started with sensual massages, was filled with non-Vulcan levels of passion, and ended with stolen DNA and self-sacrifice. Much like on Star Trek: Voyager , T’Pol and Archer brought Janeway-and-Chakotay levels of longing to the show. The two were obviously devoted to each other, but they never fully jumped from enemies to lovers. Instead, they lingered in each other’s orbit as unusually intense friends.

Romance aside, T’Pol also had a closeness to and respect for the women in her family. One of her most prized possessions was a purse previously owned by her great-grandmother, T’Mir (Blalock). This level of sentimentality was uncommon among Vulcans. But, then again, T’Pol always did have a hidden talent for defying expectations.

T’Pol’s Star Trek Legacy

T’Pol certainly wasn’t the first Star Trek character who was put into a skintight Starfleet uniform and used to titillate the interest of fans. Even with the signature Vulcan bowl cut, she was easy on the eyes in a way that executives probably assumed would bring in more viewers. Yet, T’Pol’s legacy in Star Trek: Enterprise isn’t limited to what she offered aesthetically. Chronologically speaking, she was the first Vulcan to serve on a Starfleet crew of Humans, and she endured the early days of galactic bigotry with poise and grace.

Her early interactions with the Enterprise crew were rife with the same challenges faced by Spock in The Original Series . She, too, faced distrust and hostility about the different ways she spoke, thought, behaved, and even ate her food. This didn’t stop her from using her variety of skills to help the crew survive some of the weirdest situations. She was, after all, the only one able to keep her cool when the rest of the crew became infected by behavior-altering pollen (a Star Trek classic) in season 1, episode 4, “Strange New World.”

The Founding of the Federation

T’Pol was a controversial character in a divisive show. She showed more emotion than Star Trek fans expected, and got a little more spicy than the censors deemed appropriate. Of all the Vulcan characters introduced throughout the franchise, she didn’t fit the mold set by others, like Tuvok (Tim Russ) from Voyager or Saavik (Kirstie Alley) from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . But she stood out for the richness and variety of her storylines – even the ones made to get her out of her clothes. It’s easy to forget how important she was and still is to Star Trek lore.

T'Pol was there when Earth celebrated the birth of the United Federation of Planets. She and the other Enterprise crew members gathered together for the Founding Federation Ceremony. After T’Pol’s service as a Starfleet commander ended, it’s unclear whether she’s still alive. While this leaves her story feeling unfinished, it also leaves room for her possible return. At one point, Trip described T’Pol as someone who “kind of [grows] on you.” Since she remains a topic of conversation and controversy among Star Trek fans to this day, one can only assume he was right on the money.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise

Cast & Crew

Robert Pine

Enrique Murciano

Vaughn Armstrong

Adm. Maxwell Forrest

John Harrington Bland

Information

© 2001 CBS Corp. All Rights Reserved.

Accessibility

Copyright © 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

Internet Service Terms Apple TV & Privacy Cookie Policy Support

Fusion Original Airdate: 27 Feb, 2002

<Back to the episode listing

Star Trek ® is copyright of CBS Studios Inc . Copyright © 1966, Present. The Star Trek web pages on this site are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All other copyrights property of their respective holders.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published May 2, 2024

It's The (Other) Enterprise! How Discovery's I.S.S. Enterprise Connects Three Eras of Star Trek

The Mirror Enterprise had a long road getting from there to here.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery's "Mirrors."

StarTrek.com

In the classic 1967 episode, " Mirror, Mirror ," when Kirk, Bones, Scotty, and Uhura accidentally beamed across dimensions, and onto another version of the Enterprise , the first clue that this was a parallel universe was the fact that the ship was orbiting around the Halkan homeworld from right-to-left, rather than left-to-right. So, the first glimpse of the I.S.S. Enterprise was simply that it was taking a different path, literally, zagging when it should have been zigging.

Ever since the debut of "Mirror, Mirror," the idea of an evil Enterprise grew in our imaginations, even if we didn't get to actually see it on-screen again. Even as the Mirror Universe expanded in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Enterprise , and Star Trek: Discovery , an on-screen glimpse of the I.S.S. Enterprise — traveling on a very different path from the U.S.S. Enterprise — remained elusive. That is, until now.

In the Discovery episode " Mirrors ," the final destination of this version of the Enterprise has been revealed, and in that revelation, the entire timeline of the Star Trek universe has been traversed. Unlike the classic 1701 of the Prime Universe, the I.S.S. Enterprise 's journey has lasted centuries. Here's how that journey unites at least three different aspects of the larger Star Trek story.

How Discovery Brings Back the Mirror Enterprise

"Mirrors"

In "Mirrors," the fifth episode of Discovery 's fifth season, Book and Burnham take a shuttlecraft into an unstable wormhole, hoping to find a trace of Moll and L'ak and the next piece of the puzzle that can lead them to the Progenitor 's elusive technology. But instead, adrift and displaced by nine centuries, and an entirely different dimension, they find the I.S.S. Enterprise , a ship Burnham never actually encountered while she was in the Mirror Universe in Discovery 's first season, but is nonetheless instantly familiar with.

While aboard, we learn that while this ship was part of the Terran Starfleet. At some point after the events of "Mirror, Mirror," a group of rebellious reformers commandeered this Enterprise , turning it into a ship of hope. Book finds a plaque on the ship which commemorates the ship's journey, pointing out that "The Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms." This could reference Mirror Spock, though Burnham and Book would have no way of knowing that.

In "Mirror, Mirror," Kirk challenged Mirror Spock to be better, and try to reform the Empire which, we learned, actually did happen. But, interestingly, Burnham and Book only have one piece of the puzzle, the audience of all of the Star Trek franchise, has the rest.

The Deep Space Nine Connection

"Crossover"

In the 1994  Deep Space Nine episode " Crossover ," Kira and Bashir find themselves in the Mirror Universe after a warp bubble kerfuffle spits them out the Bajorian wormhole and into very unfamiliar territory. They’re in the Mirror Universe all right, but this is the 24th Century version of the Mirror Universe, not the 23rd Century time frame from "Mirror, Mirror." Kira comes face to face with her Mirror self, Intendant Kira, who tells her all about how Spock became the leader of the Empire, and began "preaching reforms" and "peace."

This neatly parallels what Book says in "Mirrors," but now, we learn that some Terrans who believed in peace escaped on the I.S.S. Enterprise . While the DS9 future of the Mirror Universe was bleak for Terrans, we now learn that some survived, and even made it to the Prime Universe thanks to the Enterprise . 

The Story of Another Wayward, Vintage Starship

"In A Mirror Darkly, Part 2"

The Constitution -class I.S.S. Enterprise 's journey from the Mirror Universe of the 23rd Century to the 32nd Century is also reminiscent of another TOS Mirror Universe starship crossover. Back in Discovery 's first season, the crew learns everything they need to know about the Mirror Universe thanks to information about the U.S.S. Defiant , a ship, which like the I.S.S. Enterprise , eventually moved across universes and time, as well.

In the 1968 Original Series episode " The Tholian Web ," the U.S.S. Defiant vanishes, only to reappear in the 2005 Enterprise two-parter, " In a Mirror, Darkly ." As Burnham puts it in "Despite Yourself," this journey is unorthodox, "Data suggests that in the future, the Defiant will encounter a phenomenon that'll bring it into this alternative universe's past." This means that not only did the Defiant cross universes, but time-traveled too, from the 23rd Century setting of The Original Series , to the 22nd Century setting of Star Trek: Enterprise . 

The I.S.S. Enterprise didn't travel from the 23rd century Mirror Universe straight to the 32nd century Prime Universe. As we learned in Discovery 's third season, crossing over directly between these universes at this point in time is impossible. But, it did crossover sometime before the end of the 24th Century; one of the mysterious 24th Century scientists, Dr. Cho, was Terran. And, that detail, brings the journey of the I.S.S. Enterprise , all the way back to the story of Discovery .

Discovery 's Hopeful Mirror Universe Tale

Book reads the journey of the I.S.S. Enterprise to Burnham, mentioning that this crew escaped all thanks to the help of a "Keplian slave turned rebel leader." Instantly, Book and Burnham know this can only mean "Action Saru" himself, from the Mirror Universe.

This detail ties into Season 3's two-parter, " Terra Firma ," in which Georgiou re-entered the Mirror Universe in the 23rd Century, at a point in time prior to Burnham's crossover in Season 1. But, in this version of the Mirror Universe, Georgiou, like Mirror Spock, tried to affect some positive change, which had dire consequences for her. But, at the same time, in this Mirror Universe, Georgiou had also freed Saru, and we did see him leading a rebellion toward the end of the episode. As the Guardian of Forever told Georgiou in " Terra Firma, Part 2 ," her actions in at least one version of the Mirror Universe had a big, positive impact, "You saved a Kelpien. And you didn't have to do that. And he'll save others. A lot of them."

So, thanks to Georgiou, Mirror Spock, and Action Saru, the story of the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Discovery 's final season has become an optimistic one. Like the idealistic Terran rebels in Deep Space Nine 's " Through the Looking Glass ," not all stories about the darkest dimension in Star Trek have to end in despair. And thanks to crossover between dimensions, the I.S.S. Enterprise has now become a beacon of hope in not one universe, but two.

Get Updates By Email

Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Fusion reactor

• View history

A cross-section of DS9's central core, the fusion reactors at the lower part of the core

A fusion reactor was a type of power generator , which used nuclear fusion to generate energetic plasma for various uses. Other names for this reactor included fusion power plant and fusion generator .

In the 22nd century , the Delphic Expanse spheres were powered by seven fusion reactors, each being almost twelve kilometers in length. ( ENT : " Anomaly (ENT) ")

The DY-500-class starships used Yoyodyne Pulse Fusion , a form of nuclear fusion power to achieve warp propulsion . ( TNG : " Up The Long Ladder ", production art )

The impulse drive of Federation starships was generated by fusion reactors, part of the fusion reaction subsystem . Aboard the Galaxy -class starships, the primary systems were located on decks 23 and 24. ( TNG : " Contagion ", display graphic ) These were referred to as impulse reactors when used for this function. ( ENT : " The Seventh ")

Galaxy -class vessels are equipped with multiple fusion reactors. In 2367 , a spaceborne lifeform known as Junior attached itself on the secondary hull of the USS Enterprise -D , and began feeding on power from the ship's fusion reactors. ( TNG : " Galaxy's Child ")

The fusion reactor in the Uxbridge house on Rana IV would last for five more years in 2366 before it would run out of energy. ( TNG : " The Survivors ")

In 2367 , each of the Argus Array 's antennae was powered by its own fusion reactor, controlled by a single computer . In all, there were eighteen reactors aboard the telescope . ( TNG : " The Nth Degree ")

The Cardassian -built Deep Space 9 utilized fusion reactors. Those reactors featured carbon reaction chambers and laser fusion initiators to generate power; the system was described as " bloody inefficient " by Miles O'Brien in 2369 . Cardassian operational guidelines allowed operating efficiency to fall as much as 20% below normal. To boost efficiency, O'Brien increased the deuterium flow to the carbon reaction chamber, while Anara monitored the exhaust plasma temperature . The Cardassian computer did not accept this procedure and shut down reactor two due to a potential overload of the reaction chambers. ( DS9 : " The Forsaken ")

The Cardassian transport vessel, Bok'Nor used a form of fusion power for their propulsion system. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ")

In late 2369, O'Brien came late for repairs in the security office because another fusion reactor had gone down. ( DS9 : " In the Hands of the Prophets ")

The self-destruct sequence of DS9 involved the computer ordering the station's main fusion reactor to disengage the reaction stabilizers , causing the reactor to overload, and the station to destroy itself. This could be prevented by manually disengaging the laser fusion initiators in the reactor room or a control junction on level 34 . ( DS9 : " Civil Defense ")

In 2372 , the USS Voyager nearly drained its fusion reactors while attempting to land safely amid a massive electrical storm , produced by the Sky Spirits . ( VOY : " Tattoo ")

See also [ ]

• Microfusion reactor

External links [ ]

• Fusion reactor at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Fusion reactor at Wikipedia
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Advertisement

Supported by

Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Is Found After Being Missing for Decades

The 33-inch model surfaced on eBay after disappearing around 1979. An auction house is giving it to the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”

• Share full article

By Emily Schmall

The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series , has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Mr. Roddenberry wrote on social media on Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Mr. Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The seller of the model was bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The seller contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said on Saturday. As soon as the seller, who said he had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr. Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Mr. Roddenberry.

Mr. Roddenberry, who is known as Rod, said on Saturday that he would restore the model and seek to have it displayed in a museum or other institution. He said reclaiming the item had only piqued his interest in the circumstances about its disappearance.

“Whoever borrowed it or misplaced it or lost it, something happened somewhere,” he said. “Where’s it been?”

It was unclear how the model ended up in the storage unit and who had it before its discovery.

The original U.S.S. Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard C. Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Company, a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows .

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Mr. Roddenberry, who said he gave the seller a “reward” for its recovery but did not disclose the terms, assembled a group of “Star Trek” production veterans, model makers and restoration specialists in Beverly Hills to authenticate the find.

The group included a “Star Trek” art supervisor, Michael Okuda, and his wife, Denise, an artist on “Star Trek” television series and films, and Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who served as technical consultant for the Smithsonian during a 2016 restoration of the 11-foot model.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Mr. Roddenberry said.

“It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one,’” he said.

Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 , kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

Mr. Kerr compared the model to 1960s photos he had of the model on Mr. Roddenberry’s desk.

“The wood grain matched exactly, so that was it,” he said on Saturday.

The model went missing after Mr. Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Mr. Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the F.B.I. in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

Emily Schmall covers breaking news and feature stories and is based in Chicago. More about Emily Schmall

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

The Netflix stalker series “ Baby Reindeer ” combines the appeal of a twisty thriller with a deep sense of empathy. The ending illustrates why it’s become such a hit .

We have entered the golden age of Mid TV, where we have a profusion of well-cast, sleekly produced competence, our critic writes .

The writer-director Alex Garland has made it clear that “Civil War” should be a warning. Instead, the ugliness of war comes across as comforting thrills .

Studios obsessively focused on PG-13 franchises and animation in recent years, but movies like “Challengers” and “Saltburn” show that Hollywood is embracing sex again .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

Original ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise Model Resurfaces Decades After It Went Missing

The model used in the original series’ opening credits is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator

Julia Binswanger

Daily Correspondent

Nearly 50 years after it went missing, the original model of the  USS Starship Enterprise from the hit show “ Star Trek ” is finally voyaging home. The 33-inch model—the same one that appears in the opening credits of the original series—is now back with Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of the show’s creator.

“After five decades, I’m thrilled that someone happened upon this historic model of the USS Enterprise ,” says Roddenberry, who goes by “Rod,” in a Heritage Auctions statement . “I remember how it used to adorn my dad’s desk.”

The tiny model has been missing since Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry (who died in 1991), lent it to the makers of 1979’s  Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the first Star Trek feature film. Unfortunately, he never got it back. What happened to it at that point is unknown.

Last fall, the spaceship popped up on  eBay —with a starting bid of $1,000. The listing was titled “Rare Custom Star Trek USS Enterprise Spaceship by Richard Datin .” Datin, a model maker from the Howard Anderson special-effects company, built the original model out of solid wood. The  New York Times ’ Emily Schmall reports that the seller came across the item after discovering it in a storage unit. After receiving many inquiries about the item, the seller contacted Heritage Auctions.

“Once our team of experts concluded it was the real thing, we contacted Rod because we wanted to get the model back to where it belonged,” says Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, in the statement. “We’re thrilled the Enterprise is finally in dry dock.”

The ship’s whereabouts after its disappearance remain a mystery; unfortunately, the missing years aren’t described in a captain’s log. The younger Roddenberry says there had even been rumors that he’d thrown it into a pool as a boy, per Jamie Stengle of the Associated Press (AP).

While the model would “easily” sell for over $1 million at auction, it’s a “priceless” piece of television history, Maddalena tells the AP.

Since Star Trek ’s debut in 1966, the Enterprise has become an instantly recognizable image—and a pioneering design that inspired many other fictional spacecraft.

“We didn’t want the Enterprise to look like something currently planned for our space program,” said Walter Jefferies, the Star Trek art director who designed the fictional craft, in the 1968 book The Making of Star Trek , per the auction house. “We knew that by the time the show got on the air, this type of thing would be old hat. We had to go further than even the most advanced space scientists were thinking.”

The younger Roddenberry rounded up a group of Star Trek production veterans to help authenticate and restore the model. One of them was Gary Kerr, a “Trek x-pert” who worked on the 2016 restoration of an 11-foot model of the Enterprise for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum . Kerr still had old photos of the model sitting on the elder Roddenberry’s desk.

“We spent at least an hour photographing it, inspecting the paint, inspecting the dirt, looking under the base, the patina on the stem, the grain in the wood,” Roddenberry tells the Times . “It was a unanimous ‘This is 100 percent the one.’”

While other models of the Enterprise exist, the newly discovered ship is the original. Looking ahead, Roddenberry wants to ensure that this one-of-a-kind artifact is accessible to the public.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” he tells the AP. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it, and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ,  Chicago magazine,  Rebellious magazine and  PC magazine. 

Star Trek Has Finally Revealed the Evil Enterprise's Weird Fate

Watch out for any goatees.

Today, everyone knows what a multiverse is. But back in 1967, parallel universe stories weren’t nearly as common as they are now, even within the sci-fi genre. A classic Star Trek episode, Jerome Bixby’s “Mirror, Mirror,” helped popularize the alternate universe trope, complete with meaner versions of yourself who may rock an evil little goatee like Mirror Spock.

Star Trek’s Mirror Universe also gave us an alternate version of the USS Enterprise in the ISS Enterprise , a ship that served the Imperial Terran Empire, not the United Federation of Planets. Now, in the Discovery Season 5 episode “Mirrors,” the evil ISS Enterprise is back... as a force for good. Here’s what it all means. Spoilers ahead.

The ISS Enterprise returns

Captain Burnham watches the ISS Enterprise warp to Federation HQ.

While pursuing the thieves Moll and L’ak, Book and Burnham take a shuttlecraft into an unstable wormhole and discover the floating, pseudo-derelict ISS Enterprise . One of the clues to the Progenitor’s tech has been hidden on it, but for Burnham, it’s kind of like a bizzaro universe homecoming. Burnham spent a decent amount of time in the Mirror Universe in Discovery Season 1 , and in Season 2 she found herself on the Enterprise with her brother Spock just before jumping from the 23rd century to the 32nd century.

In “Mirrors,” Burnham notes that “crossing between universes has been impossible for centuries,” which means the ISS Enterprise must have crossed over into the Prime Universe well before the 32nd century. Burnham is referencing the events of Discovery Season 3, when we learned that Philippa Georgiou, a resident of the Mirror Universe, couldn’t go back to her home universe because those dimensions had drifted apart. But the ISS Enterprise , which was previously captained by an evil Kirk, crossed over into the Prime Universe well before that moment, and Discovery has now added details connecting The Original Series, Deep Space Nine , and Discovery Season 3.

How evil Spock became good

Spock talking with Kirk in “Mirror, Mirror.”

In the Deep Space Nine episode “Crossover” we learn that after Kirk talked to Mirror Spock and encouraged him to try making the Terran Empire a peaceful power, Mirror Spock did just that. But as Mirror Kira explained, Mirror Spock’s idealism didn’t work out the way he’d hoped:

“Spock rose to Commander in Chief of the Empire by preaching reforms, disarmament, peace. It was quite a remarkable turnabout for his people. Unfortunately for them, when Spock had completed all these reforms, his empire was no longer in any position to defend itself against us [the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance].”

Discovery appears to be referencing this exact event, even if Spock isn’t named outright. When Book learns the ISS Enterprise became a refugee ship for people who’d turned against the Empire, he says, “The Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms.”

This likely references Spock, but adds the twist that he was perhaps betrayed by other people within the Terran Empire, even if Earth adopted his reforms. Now, by the end of “Mirrors,” the 23rd-century ISS Enterprise has been moved to the Prime Universe and the 32nd century. It’s an antique by modern standards, but it’s a contemporary of the USS Discovery, so it’s still serviceable. This means that by the end of Discovery Season 5 there will still be a version of the classic Enterprise floating around Federation headquarters, so when the Starfleet Academy series debuts, 32nd-century Starfleet cadets will have access to the classic version of the most famous Enterprise. It may technically be an evil twin, but its historic adventures aren’t over just yet.

Star Trek: Discovery and The Original Series stream on Paramount+.

• Science Fiction

Star Trek: Discovery's Enterprise Plaque Reveals New Mirror Universe History Details

Warning: This Article Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", reveals new details about the Mirror Universe's history on the ISS Enterprise.
• The dedication plaque on the starship sheds light on events in the late-23rd century after "Mirror, Mirror" from TOS season 2.
• Burnham and Booker found the ISS Enterprise in interdimensional space and brought it into the 32nd century Prime Universe.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", shockingly brought the ISS Enterprise into the 32nd century, and the starship's dedication plaque reveals new details about the Mirror Universe's history. Written by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan, "Mirrors" brought Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) into interdimensional space in pursuit of the next clue to the ancient treasure of the Progenitors, which was hidden aboard the 23rd century ISS Enterprise from the Mirror Universe.

On his X account, Jörg Hillebrand (@gaghyogi49), who was a researcher for Star Trek: Picard season 3 renowned for his attention to detail, posted a clear translation of the ISS Enterprise's dedication plaque from Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 . The illuminated text reveals what happened in the late-23rd century Mirror Universe after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "Mirror, Mirror." Read the post below:

Here is the image in the X post:

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

A timeline of star trek's mirror universe, from the terran empire to the temporal wars.

The Mirror Universe was introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "Mirror, Mirror" and its canonical history can be tracked through Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Discovery. The earliest chronological glimpse of the Mirror Universe is on April 5, 2063, when Zephram Cochrane (James Cromwell) murdered a Vulcan after making First Contact in Enterprise 's "In A Mirror, Darkly". In the 22nd century of Star Trek: Enterprise 's Mirror Universe , Commander Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) captured the USS Defiant from the 23rd century, but he was betrayed by Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), who declared herself Empress of the Terran Empire.

In the 23rd century of Star Trek: Discovery , the Mirror Universe was ruled by Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). Georgiou jumped to Star Trek 's Prime Universe aboard the USS Discovery after defeating a coup by Gabriel Lorca (Jason Issacs) . The Terran Empire continued unabated, but after Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) briefly switched places with his Mirror Universe counterpart, he convinced the Mirror Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to institute reforms to save the Terran Empire from its inevitable collapse.

Refugees fled the Mirror Universe aboard the stolen ISS Enterprise.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episode 5 reveals that High Chancellor Spock did change the Terran Empire, but he was assassinated for weakness. Refugees fled the Mirror Universe aboard the stolen ISS Enterprise, thanks to the Mirror Saru (Doug Jones), a rebel leader. The ISS Enterprise's personnel did make it to the Prime Universe. However, in the Mirror Universe, the Terran Empire was conquered by the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance , as detailed in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . By Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century, the Mirror and Prime Universe timelines have split further apart thanks to the Temporal Wars, making crossing over impossible.

Source: Twitter/X

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Alex Kurtzman

Directors Jonathan Frakes, Olatunde Osunsanmi

Showrunner Alex Kurtzman

Where To Watch Paramount+