How Star Trek: Lower Decks’ T’Lyn Was Inspired By Enterprise’s Beloved T’Pol, According To Mike McMahan
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Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 has been a blast so far, and there's been one character on my mind whenever I fire up new episodes with my Paramount+ subscription: T'Lyn. Voiced by actress Gabrielle Ruiz, the Vulcan has become my favorite element of the animated comedy this season, and many other fans appear to feel the same way. So perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise when Mike McMahan revealed to CinemaBlend that the character was inspired by another beloved Vulcan longtime fans are quite fond of, Enterprise's T'Pol.
Mike McMahan took the time to talk to CinemaBlend about Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, and we of course talked about the welcome addition of T'Lyn to the Cerritos. Audiences who also watched Enterprise might've picked up on a similarity or two between T'Pol and T'Lyn's stories, and when I brought that topic up with McMahan, he confirmed that the first Vulcan to serve on a human starship was an inspiration for the character:
Oh, definitely, because T’Pol is one of the few Vulcans we get to see who isn't used to humans yet or hasn't been around them very much. And that's the same situation for T’Lyn except she's not in a place of agency on the ship like T’Pol was. So, you know, there are other Vulcans in the background of Lower Decks on the Cerritos as well. So getting to see a Vulcan coming into it who doesn't have any of this experience, T’Pol is definitely a great source of inspiration for those kinds of moments.
Much like Jolene Blalock's T'Pol, T'Lyn is put on a Starfleet vessel amongst humans and isn't readily accustomed to being around them and interacting with them. It has been a struggle for her thus far in Season 4 to acclimate to her Lower Decks shipmates, but she's managed to help save the day in a few adventures already with the help of Tendi, Mariner, Rutherford, and even the overstressed and recently promoted Boimler. She's still not too keen on non-Vulcan interactions, but perhaps like T'Pol in Enterprise, she'll need some time to slowly accept and adapt to their ways.
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Another similarity between the characters is that both T'Pol and T'Lyn exhibited behavior that is frowned upon by Vulcans prior to their service with humankind. For T'Lyn, this happened in the Season 2 episode "wej Duj," when her "instinct" and "gut feelings" ultimately led to her dismissal from the Vulcan vessel Sh'vhal. T'Lyn joined the Cerritos in the Season 3 finale, and has been heavily factored into the story since the season opened up with that awesome Voyager tribute.
Similarly, before she joined the Enterprise, T'Pol confessed to Captain Archer she snuck out of her Vulcan facility on Earth on occasion to listen to Jazz music. Typically, such an unstructured form of music might annoy a Vulcan, but it seemed to be a gateway into T'Pol's continued emotional evolution in Enterprise.
Whether or not T'Lyn's continued work on the Cerritos will result in a similar evolution of her character remains to be seen. For now, she doesn't seem to care much for hugs, which is a pretty hard barrier for Vulcans to cross. Maybe they should start with a firm handshake or just throw up the good old "Live long and prosper" signal. In a few decades she might be able to do a half-hug without causing discomfort. Even the rigid Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager was able to show warmth from time to time, but maybe that was part of Neelix still in him after the "Tuvix" incident.
Star Trek: Lower Decks has new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Tune in and see more of T'Lyn throughout Season 4, and maybe even throw on an Enterprise episode as well after watching the latest episode.
