Vulcan Ambassador Soval (Gary Graham) in Star Trek Enterprise. Photo copyright of CBS/Paramount Pictures.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, actor Gary Graham talks about his character of Vulcan Ambassador Soval's changing view of humankind in Star Trek Enterprise.
In the original Star Trek series, the Vulcan people were seen as one of Earth’s closest allies. However, it apparently took a while for them to get used to the idea of humankind exploring deep space. They don’t hesitate to voice their objections in Star Trek Enterprise’s opening episode Broken Bow. One of the biggest opponents to the launching of the Enterprise NX-01 and having Jonathan Archer as captain is Vulcan Ambassador Soval, played by Gary Graham.
“At the start, I think Soval regards humans as very much second class citizens,” notes Graham. "They don’t quite live up to Vulcan standards when it comes to intellect and emotional control, and that leads to their vulnerability and weakness. Of course, as humans, we view such ‘shortcomings’ as part of what makes us who we are. The brilliance of the human race lies in its emotions and how we express them. However, Vulcans look upon us as being rather juvenile and to be dealt with as you would an errant teenager. They feel humans require discipline, and with patience, Vulcans can guide them towards better behaviour.”
The Vulcan ambassador’s opinion of Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) is further soured when their paths next cross in the Enterprise first season episode Shadows of P’Jem. “The Vulcans are dealt a devastating blow and my character holds Archer largely responsible,” says Graham. “Soval feels the captain’s brashness to be the root of the problem. He still considers him a poor choice for captain of the Enterprise and once again lobbies for a replacement.
“As we know, Starfleet Command doesn’t kowtow to Soval’s protests,” continues the actor. “It’s taken four years but he’s finally come to the realization that Archer is, in fact, a worthy captain who ends up saving Earth and the galaxy. We see the start of Soval’s change of heart this [fourth] season in the episode Home where Archer is back on Earth and appearing before a panel. The captain is detailing events of the past year, including an incident aboard a Vulcan ship where the entire crew died [in the third season story Impulse]
“I tried to play my cards very close to the chest when we were shooting that episode. I purposely wanted to keep my character’s actions a surprise, in particular at the very end after Archer has testified and everyone is leaving the conference room. Soval stops him and basically tells him that he did the right thing. He then extends a hand to Archer, and Soval rarely shakes hands. If anything it’s usually a curt nod, but to shake hands, especially Archer’s, was a big thing. I really wanted that to come across as it shows a slight thaw in their relationship.”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of CBS/Paramount Pictures, so please no unauthrozied copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Comments