Trip/T'Pol weren't first

[PerrySimm]

Trip/T'Pol couldn't have been the first Human-Vulcan couple, CMV.

Basically this is a concept tossed into the background of "Terra Prime" that doesn't completely gel with the rest of canon, and in particular with Enterprise's own "Carbon Creek" - or even with a conservative estimate of random population interactions over 92 years (a very long time, even for Vulcans!).

It doesn't take much away from the episode to do away with this "the first" business. Terra Prime are still crazed Terra-ists hijacking the fame of the Enterprise crew to make a twisted point. But leaving it in, even with Phlox's weak-tea line at the end, leaves all kinds of questions, such as: is Spock a test tube baby?

[clearspira]

Trip/T'Pol couldn't have been the first Human-Vulcan couple, CMV.

Basically this is a concept tossed into the background of "Terra Prime" that doesn't completely gel with the rest of canon, and in particular with Enterprise's own "Carbon Creek" - or even with a conservative estimate of random population interactions over 92 years (a very long time, even for Vulcans!).

It doesn't take much away from the episode to do away with this "the first" business. Terra Prime are still crazed Terra-ists hijacking the fame of the Enterprise crew to make a twisted point. But leaving it in, even with Phlox's weak-tea line at the end, leaves all kinds of questions, such as: is Spock a test tube baby?

T'Pol made out to Archer and Trip at the end of the episode that the story was false. And it probably was. Why would she have that handbag of all things on the NX-01 given the limited space and the danger of it being damaged? Why would she tell the story and then lie about it? Very un-Vulcan like behaviour to tell a history altering secret and then just pass it off as a tale before walking off. Why would the episode make out that Vulcans invented velcro when as Chuck points out the writers knew enough about who invented it to name a character after the inventor of velcro?

And as for Spock's questionable parentage: don't give STD season 2 ideas.

[Admiral X]

Star Trek has never been terribly realistic when it comes to aliens having offspring with each other. An example I go to is Sela, because I really doubt they went through all the trouble to science her into existence. Same with K'Ehleyr or B'Elanna Torres. I think the first time I can recall Star Trek giving any kind of lip service to difficulties in reproducing between two different species was with Worf and Jadzia, with the test tube baby Terra Prime made being the only other example.

[Durandal_1707]

♬ If you're wondering how they eat and breed ♬
♬ And other science facts (la la la) ♬
♬ Then repeat to yourself "It's just a show" ♬
♬ "I should really just relax" ♬

[Yukaphile]

OMG Spock as a test tube baby would be the worst retcon in Star Trek history...

[clearspira]

♬ If you're wondering how they eat and breed ♬
♬ And other science facts (la la la) ♬
♬ Then repeat to yourself "It's just a show" ♬
♬ "I should really just relax" ♬

Here's the catch 22 with that: yes, its only a show, its only fiction. But without audience engagement, without the audience caring, then you simply will not build a fifty year franchise like Star Trek is.
Star Wars tried that ''just don't care because its not real'' argument, and Solo failed to make its money back and Rian Johnson lost his job. Fallout 76 tried that ''just don't care because its not real'' argument, and its the lowest rated modern Fallout game. You want to kill your bottom line? Tell the franchise ''not to care because its not real.''

[Durandal_1707]

1. The idea that humans and other aliens can make babies without anyone ever caring about how that's supposed to work has been in Star Trek almost literally since the beginning. If it hasn't killed Trek in the last 52 years, I don't think it's suddenly going to now.

2. I don't really think the failure of Solo was due to it not containing enough lectures on the inner workings of Wookie biology.

3. It's a joke. See the pun in there? You really should relax

[Yukaphile]

Well, to stay on the subject of Star Wars, as far as I know, in Legends, one of the things I respected about the verse was that both Twi'leks and humans were so radically different, they couldn't sire offspring - not without probably significant genetic modification like Dax and Worf were gonna get, and in this case that's a benefit given, um... most Twi'lek females are exotic dancers or brothel girls or any number of, er, unsavory practices across the galaxy, lol. You go in, do your job, and don't have to worry about fathering children! Of course, IIRC, even in some Superman comics, it's said humans and Kryptonians can conceive children as mates - and then in some continuities they can't. So really, it's just at the whims of the writer. Unless the alien is something really bizarre, like Mogo is - a literal sentient planet. How do you mate with that?

[Durandal_1707]

Unless the alien is something really bizarre, like Mogo is - a literal sentient planet. How do you mate with that?

Love finds a way.

[Yukaphile]

How do you love a sentient planet? Where do you, erm... put it in?