Sub-Commander T'Pol is basically the voice of reason. She is the voice of responsibility, and more times than not the voice you really don't want to hear because many times in our hunger or our thirst for — adventure  as Captain Archer is Scott Bakula — you want to get out there, you want to go do it. You don't want to hear about protocol, you don't want to hear about reason, or the way to go about things. You just want to dive in and go. That's usually what we're battling with — I'm always the voice of reason. I'm always diplomatic in words, feline in my movements, and she doesn't look down on humans as an "inferior race.? Not at all. She's cautious. She's just cautious with them because she's aware of what they are capable of, which could be some pretty big goofs. So, she's just kind of there to keep them in line.

Are you a fan of Star Trek?

I grew up on the original Star Trek. I loved it. I mean, from Captain Kirk, to Spock, to Bones, those three ? I mean, especially the relationship between Bones and Spock — it's just always "You green-blooded fool!? It just was amazing. But yet between the three of them there was always such utter loyalty, which you don't find in life, you know? You say "it's a fortunate life if you can count your friends on one hand?? Well, there were three friends, just with utter loyalty to each other. It's amazing, and yet Bones and Spock with this love-hate relationship.

Is it difficult to transform into T'Pol?

Getting into full costume, it's not that difficult. It's just shy of two hours. I don't feel the ears, I don't feel the wig, and the beautiful thing of it is I look so different outside of all of this, that once all of this is on, I am T'Pol. It's extremely empowering, because when you're doing character work, there you are. It comes to life right before your eyes. I'm hard-pressed to find "okay, where am I??

What is the philosophy behind Enterprise?

Gene Roddenberry had a concept, when he first came out with the original Star Trek. It wasn't about the hero winning over the evil entity, it wasn't about good against evil. It was about relationship. I mean, just the way he cast it, you know? It was ethnically, it wasn't "sensibly,? back in the day, [1966]. He wanted to nurture our imaginations. The dangers of illusion and the worlds that we hold in our minds, and what we can create. It wasn't just about the good guy and the bad guy. There was such a big picture. And that is what we're trying to follow in Enterprise, is Gene Roddenberry's original concept and idea when he birthed Star Trek.