Charles Tucker III Commander Charles Tucker III , known affectionately as " Trip " , was a 22nd century Starfleet officer . He served for ten years as chief engineer and Second officer of Earth ' s first warp 5 - capable starship , , under the command of his best friend , Captain Jonathan Archer . ( ) Childhood . Born in 2121 , Charles Tucker III grew up in Panama City , Florida . ( ) He was born with a birthmark on the right side of his body . ( ) Tucker acquired the nickname " Trip " due to the fact that he was the third ( the " triple " ) Tucker to be named " Charles " , after his father and grandfather . ( ) As a child , Tucker read " The War of the Worlds " with his mother . Growing up , he always wanted to be a starship captain , but his father thought he should be an engineer while his mother thought he should be an architect . ( ) At the age of seven , Tucker ' s mother bought him a copy of " " , and he made her read it to him every night for a month . It was his childhood admiration for Emory Erickson that made him finally decide that he wanted to be an engineer . ( ) As Tucker later recalled , he was extremely skilled at taking things apart , but not so good at putting them back together . ( ) Tucker used to take his younger sister , Elizabeth , to a movie theater near their house . He later remembered that she would " scream like a banshee " if he didn ' t take her . ( ) Tucker once put a garden snake in his sister ' s doll house , and his family once had a large dog named Bedford . ( ) On several occasions , Tucker went on camping trips with his friends . They would spend half the night looking up at the star s and wondering what Earth ' s sun would look like from a distant planet . ( ) During his early childhood , Tucker attended Bayshore Elementary , where he attended his first dance . He knew before the event that Melissa Lyles , a girl who he had a crush on , would be there , and spent weeks practicing dance steps with his brother in preparation for the event . On the night of the dance , Melissa wore a red dress , and Tucker believed she was the prettiest girl there . He desperately wanted to ask her to dance with him , but he was not courageous enough to approach her . Tucker caught the girl looking at him a few times , but he eventually ended up standing in a corner with his friends . Twenty years later , he still regretted not asking the girl to dance . ( ) In Tucker ' s tenth grade biology class , a Vulcan scientist who the children referred to as " Mr . Velik " came to teach the class about life on other worlds . Tucker , who had never seen a Vulcan up close before , was terrified of the teacher . Velik often reminded his students , " " Challenge your preconceptions or they ' ll challenge you . " " Tucker went on to associate this advice with his memory of Velik . ( ) During the late 2130s , Tucker used to drive his car out to Chatkin Point , park along the shoreline , and stare at the moon with his girlfriend . He later compared the size of his first car to that of a Retellian escape pod . ( ) According to Tucker , his grandmother taught him to never judge a species by their eating habits . ( ) His personal favorite food was pan - fried catfish with hushpuppies . ( ) Tucker had no allergies that he knew of . ( ) Career . Early career . Trip was self - taught , having learned engineering from working on boat engines . Tucker first joined Starfleet in 2139 , at which time he lived in Sausalito , a few blocks from the Vulcan Compound . He subsequently recalled that he " got into a lot of trouble " at Starfleet Training Command . ( ) By 2143 , Tucker was a member of Captain Jefferies ' engineering team , with the rank of lieutenant . After the destruction of warp - 2 prototype vessel " NX - Alpha " in that year , Tucker met Commander Jonathan Archer . He later assisted Archer and A . G . Robinson in stealing a backup warp - 2 prototype vessel , the " NX - Beta " , in an attempt to prove to Starfleet Command that the engine design was sound . ( ) Shortly thereafter , Tucker taught Archer how to scuba dive off the coast of Florida . ( ) Tucker did his survival training during two weeks in the Australia n Outback in a group that included Archer . ( ) Additional Starfleet training simulations familiarized Tucker with mind - altering agents . ( ) In 2147 , Tucker was on Titan as part of the Omega training mission , together with Archer . A malfunction with Tucker ' s environmental suit occurred on Titan ' s surface , so Tucker desperately tried to take off his helmet , but Archer saved his life by preventing him from doing so . ( ) Assignment aboard " Enterprise " . By 2151 , Tucker held the rank of commander . Renowned as a gifted orbital engineer , he first served aboard the starship as chief engineer . His quarters were on B Deck . ( ) He experienced existence in a weightless environment when Ensign Travis Mayweather showed him the " sweet spot " on " Enterprise " . Aboard the starship , one of Tucker ' s self - appointed responsibilities was overseeing movie night . Tucker took part in the efforts to return the Klingon Klaang to his homeworld with information that could avert a civil war , and he and the rest of the crew came into conflict with the Suliban Cabal , who were attempting to ignite a war on orders from a strange humanoid from the future . The mission was successful . ( ) Tucker was part of the away team that became infected by the pollen of the plant life on a deserted planet " Enterprise " was exploring . The pollen caused paranoid and delusional behavior in the away team ; Tucker thought that each member was trying to kill him . ( ) In the course of first contact with the Xyrillian s , Tucker boarded their ship to fix their engines , an experience he at first found too strange . During his stay on their ship , however , he developed a relationship with Ah ' len , an engineer . After the ship left , Tucker discovered he was pregnant . Although he had no sexual encounter , a game he and Ah ' len played that enabled them to read each other ' s minds may have served as a medium to transfer genetic material . Doctor Phlox said the embryo was actually not Tucker ' s child , but that he was simply serving as a host . When the ship was tracked down , the embryo was successfully transferred to another host . ( ) While visiting a Vulcan monastery on P ' Jem , Tucker , along with Captain Archer and Sub - Commander T ' Pol , became involved in a dispute between the Andorian s and Vulcans . He was held hostage along with the others until they were rescued by Lieutenant Malcolm Reed . It was discovered that the monastery was a front for a spy station operated by the Vulcans . ( ) Tucker gave a tour of " Enterprise " to a group of Borothan pilgrims that included Silik , who was in disguise and tried to sabotage the ship . ( ) On a mission to , Tucker and Reed attempted to rescue Archer and T ' Pol from rebel forces , but were captured themselves . They were freed by the Andorian Shran and his men , who helped Tucker and Reed rescue T ' Pol and Archer . ( ) Tucker and Reed became stranded in a shuttlepod after they mistakenly believed " Enterprise " was destroyed when they found debris at the coordinates where they were supposed to meet the ship . In reality , the debris was from another ship , the crew of which " Enterprise " had rescued and was transporting back to their planet . With their air running out , Tucker jettisoned the impulse engine s as a flare , which " Enterprise " saw and thus was able to come to their rescue . ( ) The Ferengi hijacked " Enterprise " after rendering the crew unconscious . Tucker , who was in a sealed compartment , was not affected . He woke T ' Pol , and both worked to play the Ferengi against each other , trapping them and regaining control of the ship . ( ) Tucker was captured by a symbiotic creature which had stowed away on " Enterprise " . The creature integrated Tucker ' s nervous system along with other crewmembers it captured to its own system , but after the crew learned that the creature wished to return home to reunite with its main host , it released Tucker and the others . ( ) Tucker , as part of an away team to salvage an abandoned ship on a planet , found that there was a settlement there . They were called the Kantare ; after their ship crashed , they were stranded on the planet . Tucker became romantically involved with Liana , but it was discovered that the settlement was a hologram created by Liana ' s father , Ezral , to keep his daughter company . ( ) Tucker and Archer , after helping to repair Zobral ' s ship , were invited to visit his village . Zobral was really a rebel fighting against an oppressive government , and when the village was attacked , Tucker and Archer became stranded in a vast desert until they were rescued with help from Zobral . ( ) While on shore leave on Risa , Tucker and Reed were robbed by two beautiful aliens who turned out to be morphs using their disguises to lure their victims . ( ) When " Enterprise " was captured by Silik and the Suliban , and Archer was transported to the future by , Tucker helped retake engineering , restore the timeline , and return Archer to his own time . Required to build quantum beacon s , Tucker was forced to learn quantum engineering at a level beyond his training . ( ) While attempting to discover the powers of an automated repair station " Enterprise " had entered , Tucker was transported off the station back to " Enterprise " in an effort to stop the investigation . He later discovered that the station was using humanoid lifeforms to power its computer . ( ) Tucker was affected by a black hole ' s radiation , and became obsessed with fixing Archer ' s captain ' s chair . ( ) Tucker trained miners in self - defense on a planet the Klingons were pillaging . He befriended a young child on the planet , and gave him a tour of " Enterprise " . ( ) Tucker rescued Archer and Reed from a planet that had given them a death sentence , and modified a with a cloaking device in order to save them . While doing so , however , he accidentally " cloaked " his right forearm . ( ) Tucker saved an alien princess , Kaitaama , from kidnappers , and had a brief romantic relationship with her during the rescue . ( ) Tucker became stranded on a barren planet with an Arkonian who had tried to shoot his shuttle down . At first , they tried to kill each other , but realized that the only way they could survive was to cooperate with each other . Zho ' Kaan ' s dehydration was causing cellular breakdown , which made using the transporter not an option . Tucker refused to leave him , and cared for him until a modified Arkonian shuttle rescued them . ( ) When three aliens who boarded " Enterprise " warned that a deadly neutronic wavefront was quickly approaching and the crew needed to take shelter to be protected from the storm ' s deadly radiation , Tucker suggested that the one heavily - shielded place on board that might suffice for the eight - day ordeal was the cramped quarters of the catwalk , the maintenance shaft that ran the length of each nacelle . While they were in the catwalk , alien intruders attempted to steal " Enterprise " , and Tucker helped drive them off . ( ) During a stop at a medical conference , Tucker met Feezal , Phlox ' s wife . Feezal became attracted to him and tried to seduce him , and when Tucker told Phlox about this , he was told by Phlox that he should have taken advantage of Feezal ' s offer . While assembling a neutron microscope Feezal delivered , Tucker bragged he could put back together just about any equipment he had ever met . ( ) Later , Tucker and Reed discovered that a derelict ship " Enterprise " salvaged was from the future . Even the few papers he read on spatial geometry could not explain the ship ' s dimensions . ( ) While investigating an alien ship , Tucker ' s body was invaded by an alien wisp that began to control his actions . Their plan was to take over the bodies of the crew and steal " Enterprise " . ( ) The Vulcans and Andorians were again involved in a dispute over a planet , Weytahn . While Archer tried to mediate the dispute , Tucker , commanding " Enterprise " , stopped the ships of both sides from engaging in battle when he steered " Enterprise " between the two fleets , giving Archer time to settle the dispute . ( ) Tucker and Archer were unjustly sentenced to the penal colony of Canamar . A prisoner , Kuroda , took over the ship and enlisted Tucker and Archer ' s help in escaping . His plan was to transport off the ship to another he was meeting , and crash the ship along with the other prisoners and guards . Tucker and Archer foiled his plan , and were rescued by " Enterprise " . ( ) Tucker led an away team to rescue three Denobulan geologist s from the planet . The government had ordered all aliens to leave their world immediately , and Tucker had to persuade the geologists to leave . ( ) Tucker ' s encounter with the Vissian s proved costly . The Vissians used a cogenitor , a third gender , to reproduce ; these cogenitors were treated as an inferior class with no rights . After meeting with a cogenitor , Tucker found that it had the same mental capabilities as the other Vissians , and took it upon himself to convince the cogenitor he met to fight for her rights . He also secretly taught the cogenitor how to read , play go , and educated it about its rights as an individual . The cogenitor chose the name " Charles " for itself , in honor of Tucker . Later , it asked for asylum on " Enterprise " , which , after several meetings , was denied . Archer finally decided that to grant asylum would ruin any chance of Starfleet making successful trade with the Vissians . Several days later , Tucker was informed that the cogenitor had killed itself , and blamed himself for the suicide . ( ) Tucker was devastated to learn that his sister , Elizabeth , was killed in the Xindi attack on Earth . ( ) The Xindi mission . Tucker became bitter after his sister ' s death , and was full of hatred and revenge . His mental state led to many sleepless nights . Phlox tricked Tucker into taking Vulcan neuro - pressure from T ' Pol ; this helped him sleep properly , and moved his relationship with T ' Pol to another level . Tucker ' s first contact with the Xindi occurred at a mining camp where a Xindi , Kessick , was rescued . Kessick was killed in the escape , but gave the coordinates of the Xindi homeworld before he died . ( ) An away team consisting of Captain Archer , T ' Pol , Lieutenant Reed , and Ensign Hoshi Sato was endangered on the homeworld of the extinct Loque ' eque race when a virus left on the planet mutated Archer , Reed and Sato into the lost species . When another alien race landed on the planet , determined to exterminate any of these species , Tucker led a MACO team to stop the alien exterminators and rescue the away team . ( ) Tucker and T ' Pol tried to replicate trellium - D , a substance that would protect " Enterprise " from the Delphic Expanse ' s deadly anomalies . The attempt ended in an explosion . ( ) Tucker attempted to " rewrite the book on warp theory " once he realized the Cochrane equation wasn ' t constant in the Expanse , with spatial gradients destabilizing the warp field . Eventually , he succeeded , as he rerouted the system taps , compressing the antimatter stream before it entered the injectors , thus stabilizing the warp field . ( ) Tucker was badly injured , ending up in a coma , due to a primary injector flare during an encounter with a polaric field . He was clone d using a mimetic simbiot in an attempt to harvest brain tissue from the clone in order to save his life . The clone , Sim , attempted to escape " Enterprise " to save his own life , but decided against it at the last minute and allowed Phlox to transplant the tissue even though it meant his death . ( ) After recovering a small craft in the Expanse with an unknown alien in it , Tucker determined that the alien was a test subject to see what effects the atmosphere would have on it . This was the first indication that an alien force was behind the Xindi and their attack on Earth . ( ) After coming in contact with a Xindi - Insectoid ship , Tucker questioned Archer ' s ability to captain " Enterprise " after Archer had been infected with a toxin that made him believe he was the caretaker to the eggs of the Xindi - Insectoids , and was endangering the mission . Tucker led the crew in a mutiny to retake the ship from Archer before he could be cured . ( ) Tucker piloted a captured Xindi - Insectoid shuttle and discovered the location of the Xindi weapon . In the battle of Azati Prime , " Enterprise " took heavy damage and lost eighteen crewmen . Tucker was terribly affected , and it did not help when he had to compose letters to the families of the slain crewmembers , a task that reminded him of his sister ' s death . To make matters even worse for Tucker , he found it extremely difficult to forgive Degra , one of the Council members of the Xindi who had designed the Xindi weapon , and had a couple of tension - filled encounters with him , as Archer was trying to gain Degra ' s trust . Eventually , however , the experience of consoling others helped Tucker finally deal with Elizabeth ' s death . ( ) Tucker helped steal the primary warp coil of an Illyrian ship to replace " Enterprise " s after it was damaged in the Battle of Azati Prime . ( ) After an accident using Xindi subspace corridor s , " Enterprise " met its future counterpart . " Enterprise " s counterpart was captained by Lorian , the son of Tucker and T ' Pol . The crew of the future " Enterprise " helped " Enterprise " keep an appointment with Degra , so peace could be discussed . ( ) Tucker played a large role in the final battle with the Xindi . He destroyed one of the spheres that disrupted the energy field that the Sphere - Builder s , who were behind the Xindi attack , were using to help the Xindi ; this gave time for Archer and the MACOs to board the weapon , destroy it and save Earth . ( ) The return home . After traveling back in time to 1944 , Tucker was assaulted by Silik , who stole a shuttle . The time shift was part of the Temporal Cold War . Tucker and Reed returned to Earth to try and rescue Archer , but were captured by Nazi s and their alien allies , the Na ' kuhl . The Na ' kuhl were trying to change history by helping the Nazis win World War II . Fortunately , the plot was foiled , and the timeline was restored . ( ) On returning home to a hero ' s welcome , Tucker faced heartbreak when he traveled to and witnessed T ' Pol ' s marriage to Koss . ( ) In 2154 , the Augment crisis began . Dr . Arik Soong had genetically engineered Human embryos ; reaching adulthood , these Augments attacked a Klingon ship and killed the crew . When the Klingons demanded justice , was dispatched to capture the Augments , with Soong on board to help them . After T ' Pol was captured by the Orion s and sent to a slave market , Tucker was able to decode a neural restraint and free her . He discovered that the Augments had captured Cold Station 12 , where other Augment embryos were stored , and took part in the operation to retake the Augments ' ship and stop the threat . ( ) Following the destruction of Earth ' s embassy on Vulcan , Archer and T ' Pol searched for the Syrrannite s , who were believed to be the perpetrators , on Vulcan ' s surface , leaving Tucker temporarily in command of " Enterprise " . With help from Ambassador Soval , Tucker uncovered a conspiracy in which the Vulcan High Command attempted to cover - up the bombing as well as launching a preemptive strike against the Andorian s , who they believed had constructed a devastating weapon based on Xindi technology . Tucker warned Shran , and participated in the engagement between the Vulcan and Andorian fleets . ( ) Tucker was infected with a silicon - based virus while part of a landing party on a planet ' s surface , looking for salvage amongst Klingon waste . Although Tucker initially died due to the virus , he was resurrected by two Organian observers , who were watching the crew ' s reaction to the virus . ( ) On November 12 , 2154 , " Enterprise " was escorting a group of Tellarite s to a conference with the Andorians to settle long - standing disputes . However , the Andorian ship was destroyed by what appeared to be a Tellarite ship . Among the survivors was Shran . The Tellarites denied any involvement , and then " Enterprise " was attacked by an Andorian ship . In reality , the ship was a Romulan drone ship piloted by a neural interface . This was an attempt by the Romulans to start war among potential allies . Tucker and Reed transport ed over to the ship and discovered that it was unmanned . They attempted to sabotage the ship and after doing so , ejected out into space where they could be transported back aboard " Enterprise " . Tucker built a telepresence unit for " Enterprise " in order to prepare it for battle against the Romulan drone ships . The Romulans ' plot was foiled with the cooperation of Humans , Tellarites and Andorians ; this would be the foundation for a federation of planets . ( ) Tucker transferred off " Enterprise " to due to his feelings for T ' Pol . He later returned to " Enterprise " to help them deal with the Klingons , who faced extinction due to a genetic virus caused by their experiments with Augment DNA . ( ) Tucker transferred back to " Enterprise " permanently shortly after an encounter with Orion females who attempted to take over the ship by influencing the minds of the male crew ; he proved to be immune due to his new - found psychic bond with T ' Pol . ( ) Terra Prime , a xenophobic terrorist faction led by John Frederick Paxton , threatened to disrupt a conference to form a coalition of planets , and had created a clone using the DNA of Tucker and T ' Pol , with the plan of using the child to stir anti - alien feelings . When Tucker and T ' Pol tried to infiltrate Terra Prime , they were captured and taken to a secret base on Mars . From there , Paxton threatened to attack Starfleet Headquarters with a laser cannon unless all aliens left the Sol system . Tucker tried to sabotage the weapons system , but was discovered and thrown into a cell . He escaped and was able to meet with a team from " Enterprise " who had come to rescue him and T ' Pol . Tucker led them to Paxton ' s complex where they were able to deactivate his weapon and end his threat . Sadly , the child , whom T ' Pol named " Elizabeth " after Tucker ' s deceased sister , died due to a flaw in the procedure used in her creation . It was initially believed that the " causa mortis " was an incompatibility between the Vulcan and Human DNA , a hypothesis Doctor Phlox shortly afterward determined to be wrong . ( ) Later career and death . Tucker continued serving as chief engineer aboard " Enterprise " until 2161 , when the ship was scheduled to be decommissioned prior to the signing of the Federation Charter . En route to Earth to attend the founding ceremony of the alliance that would give birth to the United Federation of Planets , " Enterprise " made a detour to Rigel X to rescue Shran ' s daughter , Talla . Tucker participated in the rescue operation . Knowing Archer ' s importance to the upcoming ceremony , he attempted to persuade Archer to remain aboard " Enterprise " , as it was safer , but Archer insisted on joining the mission . Ironically , it was Tucker himself who was nearly killed on the mission when the catwalk he was on was shot out from under him . Fortunately , Archer was there to save him , and the mission was successful . Unfortunately , the victory ultimately came at the cost of Tucker ' s life . Shortly after " Enterprise " left Rigel X , Talla ' s abductors somehow managed to board the ship . When the alien trespassers threatened Archer , Tucker quickly thought up a plan to lure the aliens away from Archer . Despite orders from Archer to remain quiet , he insisted and persuaded one of the aliens to render Archer unconscious . With his captain safe and no longer in the way , Tucker lured the aliens away to a nearby plasma junction , which he claimed was a communications system which he would use to contact Shran in order to bring him to the aliens . With the intruders fooled , Tucker rigged the junction to explode , killing the alien trespassers . However , Tucker was also critically injured in the explosion and he ultimately died , having sacrificed himself for his captain . Archer himself went on to be an instrumental figure in the formation of the United Federation of Planets . ( ) Tucker ' s legacy . In 2370 , Commander William T . Riker of the used historical records of the events surrounding Tucker ' s death in a holodeck simulation to help sort through a personal moral crisis related to the , a ship he once served on . The historical events used in the program included the mission to Rigel X to save Shran ' s daughter and Talla ' s former captors storming " Enterprise " . After seeing Tucker give his life to save Captain Archer , disobeying Archer ' s orders in the process , Riker decided he , too , would do the right thing regardless of the cost . ( ) Personal interests . Tucker had many likes and interests , ranging from personal to professional , especially in the engineering field . He often enjoyed studying alien engines , or even certain Human ones . In 2151 , Tucker was in awe of the Vulcan ship " Ti ' Mur " and its ringed - engine drive . Unfortunately , Vulcan engine schematics were classified . Later that year , Tucker was interested in visiting the legendary Coridan Fleet Yards , rumored to build starships capable of warp 7 . Other alien species with engines he was particularly amazed by were those of Zobral ' s species and the Vissian s . ( ) Tucker was also interested in seeing the ' s warp core in hopes that the rumors that Zefram Cochrane had personally signed the inside of the frame were true . ( ) Tucker ' s favorite dessert was pecan pie . After a long day of work , Tucker said it was all worthwhile to come to the mess hall for a slice of it . He even suggested that T ' Pol might like it . ( ) On a separate occasion , he noted that his favorite dessert was key lime pie . ( ) Tucker ' s favorite food was pan - fried catfish . His mother made it perfectly and if anyone asked his favorite food , Tucker would say that she would " give you the recipe for pan - fried catfish and not let you leave until you promised to cook it right . " ( ) Another of Tucker ' s favorite foods were Georgia peach es . Before leaving for the Delphic Expanse in 2153 , he made sure to take a crate of them aboard , and also suggested that T ' Pol might enjoy them as well . ( ) Tucker occasionally watched water polo with Captain Archer , who seemed to have gotten him hooked on the sport as he didn ' t like it so much at first . ( ) He enjoyed playing the harmonica in his spare time as well . ( ) Another of Tucker ' s interests was ancient cinema . Upon signing on to " Enterprise " , he suggested they have a " movie night , " which often served to help crew morale . Although , since he chose the movies , some of the crew often complained about his selecting what seemed like the same movie plots over and over , often from the middle of the 20th century . ( ) Tucker ' s favorite film was " Frankenstein " and its two sequels , " Bride of Frankenstein " and " Son of Frankenstein " , which he deemed the " three greatest horror movies ever . " He even kept a miniature figure of Frankenstein ' s monster in his quarters . ( ) Hailing from Florida , Tucker went diving in the ocean before he joined Starfleet . He kept a picture of himself scuba diving in his quarters , as well an old - style skin - diving suit helmet . ( ) Some of the ancient books ( on paper ) Tucker kept copies of in his quarters included " Gulliver ' s Travels " , " The Gorilla Hunters " , and " A Pictorial History of the American Indians " . He was apparently an experienced player of an ancient Chinese game called go . ( ) Personal relationships . Friendships . Tucker ' s initial job as first officer was to be the liaison between the captain and the crew . Even though the position was later given to Sub - Commander T ' Pol , Tucker was still well - liked by most of his shipmates . On the first day of " Enterprise " s voyage , some friends in the mess hall invited him to sit with them for dinner , but he reminded them that he had plans : dinner with Captain Archer in the captain ' s mess . ( ) Jonathan Archer . The two officers met when Jonathan Archer was a commander in the NX Program and Tucker was a lieutenant on Captain Jefferies ' engineering team . After the first NX prototype , the " NX - Alpha " , was destroyed and the project was going to be canceled , Tucker and Archer teamed up with Commander A . G . Robinson to save the program . They launched the " NX - Beta " , the second NX prototype , without permission , and were ultimately successful . ( ) Tucker and Archer began to develop a strong bond of friendship , enduring harsh survival training in the Australia n Outback together and saving each other ' s lives many times . During an Omega training mission on Titan , Tucker ' s EV pack froze up and he got nitrogen narcosis . He tried to remove his helmet , but Archer ordered him to keep it on . Later , in 2152 , Archer saved a delirious Tucker from heatstroke when they were stranded in the Torothan desert . Likewise , Tucker rescued and saved Archer ' s life quite a few times . He saved him from execution on a pre - warp alien planet , after Archer and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed tried to find a communicator left behind . Tucker also rescued Archer from bounty hunters who wished to turn Archer over to the Klingon s . ( ) Tucker was always there when the captain needed cheering up . When Archer was depressed about " Enterprise " s botched first contact with the Kreetassan s , his chief engineer lightened the mood with a data module of the Stanford versus Texas water polo match . They ate their meals together , and shared many interests . ( ) This did not mean that their relationship was always stress - free . Tucker once interfered with the Vissians ' customs ; the Vissians used a third gender , called a cogenitor , for reproduction , and Tucker persuaded one such being that it was being treated unfairly . Archer was furious , and told Tucker that he was in no position to judge the fairness of the Vissians ' culture . When the cogenitor was later denied asylum on " Enterprise " and committed suicide , Archer told Tucker that he hoped he had learned his lesson about interfering . ( ) Malcolm Reed . Tucker and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed formed an unlikely friendship . They were polar opposites : Reed was stuffy and all work as opposed to Tucker ' s zest for life . When the duo was stranded in a damaged shuttlepod for several days , they initially clashed , but discovered that they had more in common than they thought . At one point , Tucker even tried to sacrifice himself so that Reed would have a better chance of survival . Luckily , they were both rescued by " Enterprise " . ( ) Tucker and Reed shared a unique shore leave together on the pleasure planet Risa when the two went in search of fun at a Risian nightclub and picked up two beautiful aliens . The women turned out to be morphs who robbed them , not only taking their money , but also their clothes . Tucker and Reed managed to escape , but promised not to tell their fellow crewmembers about the incident . ( ) Hoshi Sato . Tucker was always jealous of how Ensign Hoshi Sato was able to hear only a few words of a language and suddenly speak it fluently . He and Sato got to know each other a little better while stuck in the decon chamber for several hours while infected with a silicon - based virus in 2154 . ( ) Tucker claimed that Sato was his wife when " Enterprise " was boarded by Ferengi raiders . ( ) Family . Tucker was named after his father , Charles Tucker , Jr . , and his grandfather , Charles Tucker , Sr . Both of his parents were alive as of 2161 , living in Mississippi . ( ) His grandma was known for doling out at least one piece of advice to her grandson during his lifetime , specifically to " " never to judge a species by their eating habits . " " ( ) Tucker practiced the two - step with his brother for week s in preparation for a school dance . ( ) Tucker stated in 2151 that his grandfather saw the first transmissions from Terra Nova as a child , sometime around 2078 . ( ) Also in 2151 , Tucker had a nephew in the fourth grade , whose class sent drawings to the " Enterprise " crew . ( ) Elizabeth . Tucker was very close to his younger sister , Elizabeth ( " Lizzie " ) , and was traumatically affected by her death in the Xindi attack in 2153 . ( ) He later recalled he had been so profoundly affected by her death there were times when he just wanted to close up and retreat inside himself . ( ) When Crewman Jane Taylor was killed in the Battle of Azati Prime , Tucker found it was his responsibility to write a letter to her family . While writing it , he kept transferring his feelings of loss from Lizzie to Jane , and mentioned how she " died too young . " Eventually , Tucker was able to overcome this and finish the letter . ( ) Romance . Natalie . Before " Enterprise " was launched , Tucker was dating a woman named Natalie , from Florida . He was unable to say goodbye to her before the ship launched , but wished he would have gotten the chance to , face to face , after receiving a " Dear John " letter . He said maybe he would get a chance to , when " Enterprise " headed home after being rendered defenseless by a mysterious alien vessel . ( ) Ah ' len . In mid - 2151 , Tucker had a brief , unintentional romantic encounter with a Xyrillian female named Ah ' len , who having assumed that Tucker would be physically incompatible with her people , resulted in Tucker ' s inadvertent impregnation . He became the first Human male to become pregnant , as well as the first known Human participant in interspecies reproduction . ( ) Liana . Tucker had a brief encounter with the Kantare female Liana . ( ) Kaitaama . Tucker had a brief encounter with Kaitaama , the newly - selected First Monarch of Krios Prime . He rescued her from kidnappers , and during the course of the escape , they became romantically involved . ( ) Amanda Cole . Corporal Amanda Cole became attracted to Tucker , who had given Vulcan neuro - pressure to her because of headaches . Cole attempted to tell T ' Pol that she had a great deal in common with Tucker and was very fond of him . ( ) T ' Pol . When his sister died in the Xindi attack on Earth in 2153 , Tucker experienced difficulty sleeping due to nightmares about the event . He was assisted in recovering from these difficulties by Sub - Commander T ' Pol ' s application of Vulcan neuro - pressure . Over the course of their neuro - pressure sessions , Tucker began to develop feelings for T ' Pol . They finally admitted it to one another in January of 2154 , though T ' Pol later denied her emotions . ( ) After " Enterprise " was heavily damaged at Azati Prime in February 2154 , Tucker threw himself into repairing the ship , going two straight days with no sleep until Doctor Phlox forced him to take a few hours ' rest . He was haunted by visions of Crewman Jane Taylor , a member of his engineering team who had died in the battle with the Xindi . Tucker was supposed to be writing a letter of consolation to her parents , but was unable to do so , as Jane reminded him so much of his sister . Finally , with T ' Pol ' s help , Tucker was able to work his way through the grief he felt concerning both his sister and Crewman Taylor . ( ) When " Enterprise " returned to Earth , Tucker accompanied T ' Pol on a visit to and her mother , T ' Les . While on Vulcan , he was forced to put his emotions aside and watch T ' Pol marry Koss for political reasons . Even when Koss later divorce d T ' Pol , Tucker was torn as she showed no interest in rekindling their relationship . ( ) In November 2154 , Tucker decided that his unrequited feelings for T ' Pol were interfering in the performance of his duties . He left " Enterprise " , accepting a request from Captain Erika Hernandez to join the crew of , which was launching behind schedule due to engine trouble . With his help , the ship was ready to go in a few days . ( ) Shortly after , Tucker transferred back to " Enterprise " , at the same time as discovering that he and T ' Pol shared a psychic bond as a result of their previous mating - which he stated wasn ' t that big of a deal , although he did insist until she admitted that she wanted him back . ( ) In January 2155 , Tucker and T ' Pol discovered that they had a daughter that was created with their stolen DNA by Terra Prime . ( ) After rescuing her from Terra Prime , they decided to call her " Elizabeth " , after Tucker ' s late sister , but they were heartbroken when it was discovered that there was a flaw in the procedure used in creating Elizabeth , and she died . ( ) Alternate realities and timelines . In an alternate timeline where Jonathan Archer was relieved of command in 2153 due to an infection by interspatial parasite s , T ' Pol became the captain of Enterprise . She turned over command to Tucker in 2156 , when the ship reached Ceti Alpha V with the last surviving Human s . He was killed in 2165 , when a Xindi assault destroyed " Enterprise " s bridge . ( ) In a different alternate timeline where " Enterprise " was stranded in the year 2037 , Tucker married T ' Pol in a traditional Vulcan ceremony ; it took Tucker weeks to learn how to pronounce the vows . Afterward , they honeymooned in Cargo Bay 3 , which had been filled with sand gathered from an asteroid and a palm tree manufactured by Tucker . They had a son named Lorian , but unfortunately , Tucker died when his son was only fourteen years old . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " I assume you were watching the attack – calculating the blast yields . Boy , you must have been pretty damned excited . I mean , that beam cut one hell of a swath through Florida . That ' s the name of one of the places you destroyed , Florida . Did you actually see the cities burning , the houses , the people being vaporized ? You know , I had a sister there . . . " " " " Every time I start , I hear myself saying what a fine young woman she was – how smart and full of potential . And I realize , I ' m not thinking about Taylor at all , I ' m thinking about Elizabeth . " " " " You can all go straight to Hell ! " " Appendices . Background information . Charles Tucker III was played by Connor Trinneer in all ninety - eight episodes of . Adam Taylor Gordon played eight - year - old Tucker in a scene in ( though that boyhood version of the character was scripted to be twelve years old , rather than eight ) as well as Young Sim in . The character of Tucker was invented by " Star Trek : Enterprise " creators and Executive Producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga . Regarding how the character was conceived , Berman noted , " " We picked a young country boy . " " ( ) Braga added , " " We knew we wanted a southern guy who is a brilliant engineer but who doesn ' t have a clue as to how to handle himself with alien races . " " ( ) Tucker ' s nickname was initially planned to be " Spike " . ( " Broken Bow " audio commentary , ENT Season 1 DVD ) At one early stage , he was also intended to hold the rank of lieutenant . A character description of Tucker was meanwhile written into the series bible for , referring to him as having the nickname " Spike " and the rank of lieutenant . The document elaborated by describing him thus ; " " Chief Engineer . Early 30 ' s . A Southerner who enjoys using his ' country ' persona to disarm people . He has an offbeat , often sarcastic sense of humor . Although Spike is a brilliant engineer and an outstanding officer , he has very little first - hand experience with alien cultures , and he ' s often a ' fish out of water ' when dealing with new civilizations . " " While Tucker ' s nickname was still to have been " Spike " though his rank had changed to commander , a character breakdown sheet that Paramount sent to talent agents , upon seeking an actor to assume the role , largely matched this text from the series bible , apart from a couple of formatting tweaks . However , the series bible went further , elaborating , " " As a young man , he spent time deep sea diving in the Florida Keys , working on an ocean reclamation project . Bold and fearless , this thrill - seeker didn ' t stop there . His skills at working in a hostile environment , with no gravity , dependant on artificial life - support , would eventually lead to a career in Orbital Engineering , building starships at Utopia Planetia , where he earned a reputation as a trouble - shooter who would take on challenges that most engineers think impossible [ . . . ] Spike is a part of our ' troika ' [ along with Archer and T ' Pol ] . " " Since there was a character on " Buffy the Vampire Slayer " with the name " Spike " , this ENT character ' s nickname was altered before series pilot first aired . The change of nickname was just before " the very end " ( in Brannon Braga ' s words ) of the development process . ( audio commentary , ENT Season 1 DVD / Blu - ray ) The nickname was changed to " Charlie " , and the alteration was listed as one of six revisions of character names in a one - page " script note " at the start of the final draft teleplay of " Broken Bow " ( the page was dated ) . In the revised final draft script of " Broken Bow " ( dated 11 May 2001 ) , the notion of this character ' s name being the third consecutive iteration of " Charles Tucker " was not yet established ( he was still referred to as having the nickname " Charlie " ) . When introduced in the same teleplay , he was characterized as being in his " early 30 ' s . " The script went on to comment , " " [ He ] is a Southerner who enjoys using his offbeat , often sarcastic sense of humor to disarm people [ . . . ] He likes to get a rise out of people . " " Only later was the character given the full name " Charles Tucker III " and the nickname " Trip " . Immediately upon seeing Connor Trinneer audition to play Charles Tucker III , Rick Berman and Brannon Braga were impressed by him and believed he was right for the part . ( audio commentary , ENT Season 1 DVD / Blu - ray ) The role of Tucker ultimately came down to Trinneer and another actor , Eric Close . Close was the studio ' s preferred choice , due to his work on the short - lived CBS series " Now and Again " , but Braga preferred Trinneer , who ultimately won the role . ( " " ) He found that an early challenge of portraying Tucker was dealing with all the technobabble the role required . ( ) The way Tucker was depicted was obviously influenced by the casting of Connor Trinneer . Regarding how the actor made an impact on the character , Brannon Braga explained , shortly after ENT Season 1 began , " " Connor Trinneer is so [ . . . ] much funnier than we thought he would be . And he ' s funnier not when he ' s making a wisecrack , but when he ' s put in uncomfortable situations , which we didn ' t know until he got the role . " " ( ) Charles Tucker III was an early favorite ENT main character of the writing staff . Shortly following the start of the first season , Brannon Braga commented , " " I think now we ' re finding , at least early on , that Trip is really a character that ' s popping out and with whom we ' re really having a lot of fun . " " ( " " , paperback ed . , p . 253 ) In fact , Brannon Braga continued to approve of how Tucker further developed . Following ENT Season 2 , Braga stated , " " It ' s fun to put Trip into awkward situations . You can ' t go wrong with him because Connor Trinneer ' s such a talented actor . " " ( ) Concerning how the character is portrayed in ENT Season 3 , Braga pointed out , " " Trip embodies the idea of people who lost people back on Earth ; he ' s a microcosm of that . " " ( ) Ultimately , Rick Berman was extremely pleased with Connor Trinneer ' s portrayal of Tucker . " " As the years went by , he just got better and better , " " Berman enthused . ( audio commentary , ENT Season 1 DVD / Blu - ray ) Apocrypha . Despite the events depicted in " These Are The Voyages . . . " , Charles Tucker III continues - alive and well - in the Pocket Books " relaunch " of . As teased at in Andy Mangels ' and Michael A . Martin ' s " Last Full Measure " , the " Enterprise " novel " The Good That Men Do " ( also by Mangels and Martin ) reveals Tucker ' s " real " fate . In the novel , an imminent threat forces Tucker to ally himself with Section 31 in order to prevent a Romulan attack on the soon - to - be - formed Coalition of Planets . With the help of Archer , Malcolm Reed and Doctor Phlox , Tucker fakes his own death in a manner similar to what is shown in the " Enterprise " finale , only six years earlier . With his life on " Enterprise " behind him , Tucker infiltrates Romulan space to prevent interstellar war . This storyline continues in Mangels ' and Martin ' s " " . In addition to upgrading Tucker ' s status from dead to alive , the novels also expand upon the engineer ' s background . In " The Good That Men Do " , Tucker ' s family life is revealed , with scenes involving his parents Charles " Charlie " and Elaine " Gracie " Tucker . The book also mentions Tucker ' s brother Albert and Albert ' s husband , as well as provides him with a middle name : Anthony . The novel " Last Full Measure " depicts an aged Tucker , mentoring a young Larry Marvick , designer of the , and , in the final chapter , making his first visit to the Starfleet War Memorial at the same time as 9 - year - old Sam and 5 - year - old Jimmy Kirk . Although two episodes ( ) state that Trip grew up in Panama City , Florida , the beginning of " The Expanse " clearly shows the Xindi weapon starting its path of destruction in central Florida , around the region of Orlando , and heading south from there , while Panama City is in the Florida Panhandle , approximately 350 miles to the north and west of Orlando . While his sister may have lived in that area as an adult , it would have been impossible for Trip to reminisce about their childhood there while standing at the edge of the destruction , pointing out where the old movie theater had been . . . not if he had grown up in Panama City .