Editing T'Pol (section)

===Pa'nar, trellium, mind melds, and emotion===
T'Pol, who is described by her superiors as a maverick and a rebel, became fascinated with Tolaris, a member of a group of emotionally free Vulcans encountered during the first year of the ''Enterprise''{{'}}s mission. Tolaris introduced her to the concept of the [[Vulcan mind meld|mind meld]], which at the time was considered a taboo activity among Vulcans. She severed her relationship with Tolaris after she asked him to stop the mind meld and he refused, attempting to continue the meld without her consent (essentially a form of mental [[rape]]), and causing her to forcefully break the link. She later learned that she had contracted [[Pa'nar Syndrome]] from the encounter. This condition was kept in check with medication. In 2154, T'Pol, who had been told that Pa'nar was an incurable virus, learned that the condition was in fact caused by an improperly trained melder, and contrary to what the intolerant (and soon [[Kir'Shara|to be overthrown]]) Vulcan High Command had decreed, it was indeed curable by the touch of an experienced mind &ndash; provided to T'Pol by [[T'Pau (Star Trek)|T'Pau]].

T'Pol was told that she is genetically incapable of initiating mind melds herself, however following the 2154 overthrow of the Vulcan regime that stigmatized mind-melding she learned otherwise. She performed her first mind meld upon [[Hoshi Sato]], with the assistance of [[Jonathan Archer]], who had learned details about mind melds during a period of time when he held the [[katra (Star Trek)|katra]] of [[Surak]]. In fact, not only is T'Pol telepathic, but the episode "[[Affliction (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Affliction]]" revealed that she is able to communicate with Charles "Trip" Tucker III over great distances using her new-found mental abilities. It was established a year later (in "[[Bound (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Bound]]") that this is because of a mating bond between the two.

During T'Pol's early years aboard the ''Enterprise'', she demonstrated an unusual (for a Vulcan) willingness to explore human culture and customs, although she stated that certain human foods do not agree with her. After a discussion with Commander Charles Tucker, she described [[pecan pie]], as a dessert made of "mostly sugar". She began attending the ship's weekly film night social event (with Captain Archer), and expressed particular admiration for the 1931 film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]''. She was reportedly less successful at mastering the art of eating with [[chopsticks]], to the amusement of her crew mates.<ref>In the episode "[[Silent Enemy (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Silent Enemy]]" Trip refers to her efforts as "dinner and a show"</ref>
Prior to her posting aboard the ''Enterprise'', T'Pol on at least one occasion left the Vulcan Compound in [[San Francisco]] and visited a [[jazz]] music club; the chaotic music generated an emotional response that came back to haunt her during a brief period when she abandoned her nightly meditation ritual (concurrent with her experimentation with mind-melding).

T'Pol also became adept at "play acting", which she found was often needed in order to successfully fulfill a mission. For example, she once pretended to be a slave when [[Ferengi]] pirates hijacked the ''Enterprise'' ("[[Acquisition (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Acquisition]]"), distracted a group of [[Suliban]] invaders by acting deranged ("[[Shockwave (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Shockwave]] (Part II)"), and pretended to be a domineering Vulcan commander preparing for an execution ("[[Precious Cargo (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Precious Cargo]]"). In the latter example there is a clear indication that T'Pol enjoyed taking part in this sort of deception.

On several occasions during her first two years aboard the ''Enterprise'', T'Pol resisted efforts by her family and the Vulcan High Command to get her to leave the ship and return to her Vulcan obligations. When pressed for a reason by Vulcan Ambassador [[Soval]], T'Pol replied that she found working aboard the ''Enterprise'' "gratifying", for which she was chided for engaging in an emotional indulgence.

In 2153, after being ordered to leave the ''Enterprise'' and return to Vulcan, T'Pol resigned her commission with the Vulcan High Command in order to accompany the crew of the ''Enterprise'' into the [[Delphic Expanse]] to find the Xindi, a mysterious race accused of killing seven million humans on Earth. Despite being technically a civilian, she remained as first officer of the ''Enterprise'' and the crew continued to refer to her by her High Command rank of Sub-Commander during the mission.

While investigating the Vulcan ship ''Seleya'' ("[[Impulse (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Impulse]]"), which had become trapped in The Expanse, T'Pol experienced the side effects of [[Trellium-D]], a compound the ship had used to protect itself from anomalies within The Expanse, but which had the side effect of creating [[psychosis]] in Vulcans. T'Pol's brief exposure led to her experiencing extreme paranoia and losing control of her emotions. She recovered upon returning to the ''Enterprise''. The compound, which Commander Tucker brought aboard, was necessary to line the ship so that the ''Enterprise'' could traverse the Expanse. Captain Archer, rather than line the ship with the concoction (lethal to T'Pol), stored it in a locker in the cargo bay.

T'Pol found herself wanting to experience more of the emotions the Trellium-D had unlocked. In "[[Damage (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Damage]]", it is revealed that she discovered how to liquefy small, safe amounts of the compound and began to secretly inject herself with it, beginning approximately three months prior to the ''Enterprise'' arriving at Azati Prime ("[[Azati Prime]]"). This led to what she felt was improved relations with her crew mates, in particular chief engineer Trip Tucker, which led to a sexual relationship in "[[Harbinger (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Harbinger]]" after she understood she was experiencing jealousy when Tucker began making romantic overtures toward a MACO on board. In the same episode, she later attempted to deflect the importance of the act by referring to it as merely an exploration of human sexuality. However, this one-time encounter resulted in the formation of a psychic bond between Trip and T'Pol which does not manifest until the second half of [[Star Trek: Enterprise season 4|season 4]].

Over time, as T'Pol became addicted to the Trellium-D injections, her emotions began to flow more freely. This came to a head when the ''Enterprise'' reached Azati Prime ("Azati Prime") and Jonathan Archer chose to undertake a suicide mission in order to complete the Xindi mission. T'Pol's emotional reaction toward Archer's departure and presumed death incapacitated her as a commanding officer (ending up in crying and an attempt to recover him). She attempted to hide her condition, and the ''Enterprise'' was nearly destroyed in a subsequent Xindi attack which may or may not have been made worse by T'Pol's state.

After the attack, T'Pol's supply of Trellium-D became difficult to reach (being located in a heavily damaged part of the ship) and she nearly died during a clandestine attempt to retrieve it. Soon after, she lost her temper with Archer (who had since returned to the ''Enterprise''). He indicated he needed her for a difficult (and morally questionable) mission. She was nearly killed while trying to recover more Trellium-D after experiencing an erotic dream involving Tucker. This led her to seek medical help from [[Phlox (Star Trek)|Dr. Phlox]] to whom she confessed her addiction.

Although T'Pol subsequently overcame her addiction, Phlox determined that she had permanently damaged her brain, and as a result might never achieve the same level of emotional control she once had. A subsequent encounter with an elderly version of herself (due to an Expanse-related anomaly seen in the episode "[[E²]]"—an alternate universe episode) indicated that she will live with the after effects of her Trellium-D exposure for the rest of her life. The older version of T'Pol served aboard an alternate time line version of the ''Enterprise'', which had been transported into the past. Aboard the alternate ''Enterprise'', T'Pol and Trip Tucker had married and conceived a son, Lorian, who at the time of the encounter was the captain of the alternate ''Enterprise''. The older T'Pol advised her that Trip Tucker could provide a safe outlet for her newfound emotions if she could learn to trust him. She also advised her younger self that she could not imagine what her life would have been like without him. T'Pol did not choose to pursue a romantic relationship with Trip when the ''Enterprise'' returned to normal space in the Expanse.

Following the Xindi mission, she continued to experience difficulty controlling her emotions and became particularly emotional following the death of her mother.<ref>As seen in the episodes "[[Awakening (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Awakening]]" and "[[Kir'Shara]]"</ref>

T'Pol, who (at the time) held the record for the longest time spent by a Vulcan serving with humans, has demonstrated her ability to adapt. Originally, she required a form of medication in order to tolerate the odors given off by humans and Captain Archer's pet dog [[Jonathan Archer#Porthos|Porthos]] (because of Vulcans having a sensitive sense of smell).

It's revealed that she has a sense of humor, one she can demonstrate (as she has in "Future Tense" and other shows, including "[[Bound (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Bound]]"). And, in a case of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," she has also begun eating some types of foods (fruit, popcorn) with her hands, breaking a long-standing Vulcan taboo in the process.

Following the death of her mother (see below), the divorce of her husband [[Koss (Star Trek)|Koss]] and the discovery of the Kir'Shara, T'Pol began to re-evaluate [[Surak]]'s teachings and what it means to be Vulcan. As a result, she began to distance herself from some of her crew mates, choosing to spend her free time studying the newly found word of Surak. Her decision had an adverse effect on her relationship with Commander Tucker. (In "Bound", she re-established her romantic relationship with Trip. T'Pol asked Trip to return to the ''Enterprise'' and, when he replied that he "would think about it" she showed her emotional commitment by pursuing him down the corridor and kissing him.)

She has also experienced some success in controlling her emotions to a greater degree than she had over the two years. T'Pau's therapeutic mind-meld cured the Pa'nar Syndrome and may have helped restore some of her emotional balance as well. This, combined with the fact that T'Pol no longer has the added stress of living with an incurable, potentially fatal condition, may have calmed her mind sufficiently to maintain control. Despite this, she has admitted to Phlox that she had never before felt so unsure of herself.