As one of the longest-running television and film franchises, Star Trek has an impressive timeline. Even disregarding the Kelvin Timeline and focusing on the Prime Timeline, there’s a long history of alien diplomacy, exploration, and the oft-broken Prime Directive. While The Original Series introduced the audiences to Starfleet and worlds unknown, other series would take up the mantle of new missions after Kirk and his Enterprise crew. Discovery and Strange New Worlds served as prequels shortly prior to Kirk and his crew. However, Star Trek: Enterprise goes back much further, roughly one hundred years before TOS.
To say that Vulcans are important to Star Trek would be an understatement. They were the ones that initiated first contact with humanity after Zefram Cochrane’s ship, Phoenix, achieved warp drive. Fans might have assumed that humanity and Vulcans had a harmonious relationship during those early years, especially given Kirk and Spock’s iconic friendship. However, Enterprise was quick to show that wasn’t the case.
The show’s pilot episode, “Broken Bow,” starts with a young Jonathan Archer referring to the Vulcan Ambassador Soval as “Ambassador Pointy.” He also notes that his friend told him that if it wasn’t for the Vulcans, humanity would have achieved warp five. Although Archer’s father, Dr. Henry Archer, tells him that Vulcans must have their reasons for keeping technological advancements from humanity, the stage is set. Archer, the captain of the central ship in this series, doesn’t trust Vulcans and hasn’t trusted them since childhood. So who is Ambassador Soval, and why does Archer feel this way about him?
Soval Cautioned Against Earth’s Advancement
The actor who portrays Ambassador Soval, Gary Graham, helped in developing him into a great antagonist and foil to Captain Jonathan Archer. Archer blames Soval personally for impeding human progress, to the point where his father died before he saw the engine he designed become capable of warp five. The Vulcans had been worried that humanity was too immature to explore the galaxy.
However, when the Klingon Klaang crash-lands onto Earth in “Broken Bow,” Admiral Forrest goes against Soval’s advice to take Klaang off life support and send his body back to Qo’noS. Instead, the Enterprise had its first mission: to send Klaang home alive. As a result, Soval had his aide T’Pol sent as a temporary “chaperon” to the mission, but by the end, Archer had convinced her to remain aboard. Although T’Pol’s loyalty was originally to the Vulcan High Council, she soon sided with Archer and the rest of the crew.
Further cementin Archer’s mistrust, Soval and the rest of the Vulcans also hide secrets from Starfleet. For instance, in Season 1, Episode 7 “The Andorian Incident,” P’Jem, the location of a Vulcan monastery near the Andorian system, is exposed as spying on the Andorians. Furious that this secret has been divulged, Soval confronts Admiral Forrest. Forrest pointed out that had Earth known about this secret, they could have helped the Vulcans. However, Soval still suspended Earth and Vulcan’s fleet operations as a result.
Soval Is A Mind Melder
Unlike its portayal in previous iterations of Star Trek, Enterprise reveals that mind melding was considered a deviant practice in the 22nd century. Because it was considered to be an intimate act, one made even stronger with touch, it was taboo in the logic-driven Vulcan society of the time. Only a minority of Vulcans could perform the act, and those that did were outcasts.
Given his position and his views, Soval becomes more complex with the revelation that he has this ability. In Season 4, Episode 7, “The Forge,” Soval uses the mind meld on the comatose embassy guard, Corporal Askwith, to discover the identity of a bomber. In Episode 4, Episode 8, “Awakening,” Soval defends his decision to keep his mind-meld abilities a secret to the Vulcan High Council. He explains that had he been honest from the start, he would not have been kept from his position and would not be able to serve Vulcan to the best of his ability. The Vulcan High Council, however, is unmoved, and strips him of his position.
From Foe to Ally
At the beginning, Soval was skeptical of Archer and his crew. However, he eventually came around to being an important ally. Having lived on Earth for over thirty years, he admitted that he had gained affection for Earth and its people. In Season 2, Episode 15, “Cease Fire,” Archer is called upon to mediate a dispute between Vulcans and Andorians. Soval is sure at first Archer will fail, but at the end of the episode, he has to acknowledge that Archer’s presence had not been “overly meddlesome.” Soval even goes so far as to shake Archer’s hand in Season 4, Episode 3 “Home,” which is extremely unusual for Vulcans (and not just because they think humans smell bad).
After Admiral Forrest gives his life to save Soval’s in a bombing, the Vulcan gives Archer his full support to investigate the incident. Not only does Soval provide classified information, he also reveals his aforementioned mind melding ability. This reveal shows that he had the utmost faith in Archer, T’Pol, Tucker, and the rest of the crew.
Sadly, actor GAry Graham passed away early this year. He will be missed for his many fantastic roles, but it should never be forgotten that he made an indelible mark on Star Trek with his portrayal of Ambassador Soval. Soval was a complex character, a Vulcan who had to warm up to not just living around humans, but working with them. Although Soval was originally a steely antagonist, both he and Archer had to put aside their prejudices in order to work for peace. Ultimately, their relationship represents the optimistic core of the franchise.