“Carbon Creek” is episode two of season two of Star Trek: Enterprise.
T’Pol allows Captain Archer to pour her a small indulgence of wine, given the occasion. Trip will have a large indulgence. It’s one year since T’Pol officially became part of the crew. She says she was simply carrying out her assignment. No small accomplishment, according to the captain; the previous record for a Vulcan on a human ship was two weeks. Ten days, according to T’Pol.
The captain is doing T’Pol’s annual crew evaluation; just a formality. T’Pol is doing one for the High Command on the captain. There’s something Archer wanted to ask T’Pol. According to her file, whilst stationed in Sausalito, she took a five-day vacation to Carbon Creek, a mining town in Pennsylvania. An odd place to take a vacation. Vulcans don’t take vacations. Archer would like to know why she went; he’s just curious. Trip says they tell T’Pol plenty of stories. Would they like her to tell them a story? They would, if it’s a good one. T’Pol wanted to visit the site of first contact between humans and Vulcans. No, it didn’t take place in Boseman, Montana, on April 5th 2063. Vulcans visited Earth long before that. T’Pol’s second foremother was on the trip.
A Vulcan ship had gone to Earth to investigate the launch of Earth’s first artificial satellite when their impulse manifold began to malfunction and they had to attempt an emergency landing. Aka, crash. The captain was killed and T’Pol’s ancestor, T’Mir, was left in charge. Trip wants to know why the Vulcans kept it secret. The incident is well documented in the Science Directorate and Space Council, according to T’Pol. Yes, on Vulcan. Trip asks if T’Pol is missing a few generations, given this was over 200 years ago. The captain reminds him how long Vulcans live. Trip asks T’Pol her age. The second time he’s done that to a Vulcan.
The crashed Vulcans had no communications and no way of knowing if their distress call went through. They were out of emergency rations and had spent five days without food. Two lifeforms were detected, deer. One Vulcan, Mestral, points out they could eat it. It’s logical to take extreme measures in order to survive. There’s a settlement approximately 6km away. T’Mir doesn’t want to risk contaminating Earth’s culture. Mestral asks what if the humans find their bodies after they starve? Mestral is willing to take the risk and heads off. T’Pol follows.
In town, they steal some clothes for a disguise. Overhearing a sports game on a car radio, T’Mir assumes it’s some sort of combat. Mestral thinks it’s entertainment. They find a bar and head inside, discovering that you need money to buy things. Water and bar snacks are free, though. One patron wants to see if anyone is willing to play pool for money. Mestral is, but he hasn’t any money. The patron, Billy, says if he wins, he gets to have a drink with T’Mir, introduced as Mestral’s business associate. T’Mir is not pleased at the idea of socialising with Billy. Mestral asks if she’d rather die of starvation. Mestral wins and they get money for food. Trip is not believing this.
They took jobs to get money; T’Mir working at the bar, Stron as a plumber and Mestral in the mines. Mestral asks the bar owner, Maggie, if the atomic bomb concerns her, after they see a test on television. It scares the hell out of her. Her son, Jack, is heading to college on a partial scholarship; the town is contributing towards the rest.
The Vulcans have a house and Stron returns, complaining this is the third time this week he’s had to fix Mrs Garrett’s sink. Mestral suggests she enjoys Stron’s company. Her son calls Stron Moe after one of the Stooges. Mestral, who seems a fan of Earth’s popular culture, does see the resemblance. T’Mir wants to leave Earth before the humans annihilate themselves. Mestral doesn’t believe they will; he sees more in them than T’Mir does. Similarities to the Vulcans of several centuries ago. They just haven’t realised their potential yet. Mestral is getting far more into Earth culture than the other two. In fact, he’s enjoying himself, for Vulcan definitions of enjoyment. The other two would rather leave, if they could.
Almost the entire episode is set in the past, so only Trip, Archer and T’Pol on the Enterprise are seen, and not that much of them. Not that the first two really believe her story about Vulcans crashing in Pennsylvania.