Fusion ( episode ) The crew of " Enterprise " meets a group of outcast Vulcans , who embrace their own emotions , leading to trouble for T ' Pol . Summary . Teaser . Jonathan Archer shows T ' Pol his first textbook of astronomy . He ' s happy that he will be seeing the Arachnid Nebula , something he ' s wanted to see up close since he was a child . After T ' Pol inquires why his astronomy book is property of " Admiral Jonny Archer , " the captain ' s reply regarding his " high hopes " is interrupted by the arrival of a vessel with a Vulcan warp signature . On the bridge , Archer doesn ' t recognize the type of vessel . T ' Pol explains that the vessel is of a design not used for some time . The vessel hails and identifies itself as the " Vahklas " . The captain , Tavin , knows of the " Enterprise " and greets Archer warmly , surprising everyone on the bridge . Act One . Tavin , not from the Vulcan High Command , says he ' s on a mission of exploration , and would be grateful for any assistance that " Enterprise " could provide . In the captain ' s mess , Archer , Tavin , Tolaris , and T ' Pol are having an introductory meal . After Archer mentions that his chef is getting better at making Vulcan cuisine , Tavin asks to try the captain ' s chicken . Archer reminds Tavin that the chicken is made of meat ( as Vulcans are vegetarians ) , but Tavin insists on trying it . T ' Pol identifies them as being " V ' tosh ka ' tur " , literally " Vulcans without logic . " Tavin describes how they have found a balance between emotion and logic , one which others are unable to achieve . Tolaris says that T ' Pol must know a great deal about emotions , since she ' s on a Human starship ; he then apologizes to T ' Pol for the offense of implying she knew emotions . T ' Pol replies that she cannot feel offended . In engineering , mentions that their engines are heavily damaged and will require many replacement parts . Kov , the Vulcan engineer , asks if the Humans really mate year - round ( with anyone they choose ) , eat six meals a day , and sleep over half the day . Tucker offers to share a meal in the mess with him to clear up some of his misconceptions . T ' Pol gives Archer the request list . The Vulcans want many replacement parts , a thousand liter s of plasma coolant , and the recipe for chicken marsala . Archer notes that T ' Pol seems to be avoiding the Vulcans . He says he likes how they aren ' t giving him a hard time like most of the Vulcans he knows . T ' Pol says the fusion of emotions and logic is dangerous , and that all other Vulcans who have tried it in the past have failed . Archer says they don ' t seem dangerous , and encourages T ' Pol to keep an open mind . Later , T ' Pol is in the mess when Tolaris enters . He asks her to show him how to operate the food sequencer , asking to have what she is having . He finds her choice of mint tea over Vulcan tea interesting since it is very flavorful . He asks her how long she has lived among Humans . T ' Pol says she has spent two years at the Vulcan consulate , and seven months on the " Enterprise " . Tolaris asks why she stays on " Enterprise " . T ' Pol says she is there to act as a science officer for Archer . He says that her emotions are much closer to the surface than other Vulcans , but she claims it is just because she hasn ' t meditated for the evening . T ' Pol confronts Tolaris , saying that what they are doing is dangerous . He replies by saying that the Vulcan primal nature is exaggerated , propaganda from five thousand years in the past . He asks T ' Pol to have some pizza with him , but she says she has already eaten . However , as she leaves she suddenly turns back to him and does suggest that they do it another time . Act Two . " Enterprise " arrives at the Arachnid Nebula . The captain notes that the nebula is eight billion kilometer s across , but his astronomy text said it was six and a half billion kilometers . Tavin offers to help them complete the scanning sooner using their translinear sensor s . Archer assigns T ' Pol to work on the Vahklas in coordinating the sensor readings . On the Vulcan ship , Tolaris engages T ' Pol in conversation to gauge her emotional control . She replies that it is odd how those who would reject Surak ' s teachings would display his likeness . Tolaris claims that his people merely interpret Surak differently . He describes logic as a point of view ; he used to teach literature at the Shirkar Academy , but that he believed there was more to life than logic and reason . T ' Pol admits that she had also felt that way once . Tolaris suggests that she try not meditating , as an experiment , to see what her dreams are like . In the mess , Tucker continues to clear up Kov ' s false impressions of the Human race . For example , Tucker tells Kov that football is not about murdering the quarterback – it is just a game , not a fight to the death . After encouraging him to clear up the myths about Humans , Tucker asks him about sex . Malcolm Reed joins just as Kov is about to speak . Kov states that the Vulcan males are driven to mate every seven years , and that his group has been working on methods of speeding up the mating cycles . Reed and Tucker both make faces at the idea of mating so infrequently . On the bridge , Hoshi Sato picks up a transmission from Starfleet via " Echo Three " . Admiral Forrest wants to talk to Archer about his guests ; it seems Ambassador Soval knows about the " Vahklas " being docked with " Enterprise " . He mentions that Kov ' s father , a minister in the Vulcan High Command , wants to talk to his son . He has been unable to contact him since the two of them had a falling out nine or ten years ago . Forrest tells Archer that Kov ' s father is dying , and wants to talk to his son one final time before he dies . Admiral Forrest reminds Archer that the Vulcans let him keep T ' Pol , and that it would be good to return the favor . Meanwhile , T ' Pol has just gone to bed . She starts to dream , and finds herself walking along a street in San Francisco , following jazz music , and entering a night club named Fusion . Her point of view shifts between conversations with Tolaris , mating with Tolaris , music , the Arachnid Nebula , and finally the destruction of a statue with the likeness of Surak . She wakes up with a gasp . Act Three . T ' Pol visits Phlox in the medical bay . She complains of a headache . Phlox says that she has much higher blood pressure than usual and unusual synaptic activity . He wants to run a more detailed scan , but T ' Pol says that won ' t be necessary . She mentions that she didn ' t meditate and woke agitated , and that it requires 25 milligrams of inaprovaline to be treated . Phlox is surprised that she would stray from her routine , and she mentions it was an experiment that Tolaris told her to try . She complains that contrary to what Tolaris said , the dreams were unsettling . Phlox says she shouldn ' t be so dismissive ; he says that she has only been changing her routine for two days , whereas they have had years to perfect the technique . Archer invites Kov to his ready room . After making small talk about the repairs with Tucker , he mentions that his father is very ill , and wants to talk to him again . Archer offers the services of Hoshi Sato to assist in the communication . Kov thanks him , and gets up to leave . Archer asks if Kov will speak to his father . Kov reveals that the last time they spoke , his father said that he ' d brought shame to fifteen generations of his family . He tells Archer to relay the message that they said goodbye a long time ago . On the Vulcan vessel , Tolaris brings chamomile tea to T ' Pol . He asks how her dream experiment went . She says she won ' t discuss them , and he says that they ' ll get easier . He asks T ' Pol about the details , but she refuses to talk about it . Tolaris insists . T ' Pol describes the dream : she left the compound on Earth and went into the streets of San Francisco . She describes how she went out of the compound and walked until she heard music . She was drawn to the unusual music , and entered a restaurant where musicians were playing . Tolaris asks how this made her feel ; she described how she felt invigorated by the music . She does not tell Tolaris that he also appeared in her dream . Tolaris says that emotion isn ' t difficult and isn ' t something to be afraid of , and that he can help her . Archer goes to engineering and talks to Tucker , asking him to help Kov talk to his father . Tucker agrees to try . Archer then asks Tucker about Tolaris . He is curious about what ' s going on , but Tucker dismisses his fears , saying that if he was the only Human on a ship full of Vulcans , he ' d spend as much time as possible with the Humans . Meanwhile , in T ' Pol ' s quarters , Tolaris describes a mind meld to T ' Pol . He describes it as a good way to release and deal with emotions ; much more effective than guided meditation . He gives her the choice , and she agrees to the meld . Initially , she resists the meld , but it succeeds after she relaxes . Tolaris directs her to remember the details of her walk in San Francisco . T ' Pol relives the experience . Tolaris joins her vision . He describes all the other emotions he sense : her fear of getting caught , the exhilaration of breaking protocol . T ' Pol tries to break off the meld and Tolaris tries to hold her to it . She breaks free of it , and refuses to go any further . Tolaris leaves in disgust . T ' Pol collapses and contacts sickbay . Act Four . In engineering , Tucker is trying to convince Kov to talk to his father . Kov politely refuses . Tucker asks if Vulcans dance . Kov replies that it only happens as part of tedious ceremony . Tucker launches into a story about his first time he wanted to dance with a girl . He talks about all the preparations he did , and how he didn ' t ask her to dance – and how he regrets it twenty years later . He mentions that regret is one of the strongest emotions , and that Kov is pretty close to having to deal with regret on a personal level . Archer invites Tolaris into his ready room to have a discussion about the ship repairs and the survey . He thanks him for all of his help in charting the nebula . He also reveals that T ' Pol won ' t be joining Tolaris on the surveying that day . Archer says T ' Pol is in sickbay because of the mind meld , and accuses Tolaris of assaulting T ' Pol . Tolaris denies the charge , and says that he ' s trying to help her to shed years of repression . Archer goads Tolaris , and Tolaris shoves him against a wall and lifts him against the ceiling , demonstrating the clearly superior physical strength of Vulcans as compared to Humans . After being thrown across the room , Archer grabs a phase - pistol and tells Tolaris that his friends are no longer welcome aboard " Enterprise " . Tucker escorts Kov back to the docking point , reviewing the engine status and repair methods . Kov mentions that his father is getting better , and may live a few more years . He says he knows this because he contacted him the other night . He thanks Tucker for encouraging him . As the " Vahklas " departs , Archer visits T ' Pol in her quarters . He asks her if she feels better , and she asks if the " Vahklas " has left . Archer says he thinks he finally understands why she meditates every night . Before he can leave , T ' Pol asks him if he dreams . He says he dreams sometimes in color . She asks if they are enjoyable , and he says they are – most nights . T ' Pol says she envies him . Memorable quotes . " " " From the library of Admiral Jonny Archer " ? " " " " I had high hopes when I was a kid . " " " " My name is Tavin , captain of the " Vahklas " . It ' s very good to meet you . " " " " Just because they smile and eat chicken , doesn ' t mean they have learned to master their emotions . " " " " They ' re not trying to kill the quarterback . " " " " Well , I ' ve learned about your marriage customs , how your parents arrange the whole thing when you ' re young , stuff like that . But , what about . . . you know ? " " " " Ah , you mean sex ! " " " " Vulcan males are driven to mate once every seven years . " " " " Seven years ? ! " " " " Frightening . " " " " Our primal nature isn ' t as dangerous as you think . " " " " Stop . " " " " No . " " " " Stop ! " " " " Move aside . " " " " T ' Pol ' s right . You ' ve got a temper . " " " " Now ! " " " " Go to Hell . " " " " Captain , do you . . . dream ? " " " " Sure . Sometimes , they ' re even in color . " " " " Is it enjoyable ? " " " " Most nights . " " " " I envy you . Good night . " " Links and references . References . Arachnid Nebula ; ; ; Bayshore Elementary ; chamomile tea ; ; chicken marsala ; " " ; disodium ; Earth ; " Echo Three " ; ethylchlorate ; Florida ; football ; ; inaprovaline ; kilometer ; Kov ' s father ; logic ; ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mint tea ; Panama City ; pizza ; plasma coolant ; plasma relay ; " pon farr " ; propaganda ; San Francisco ; Shirkar Academy ; Soval ; Surak ; translinear sensor ; Tucker ' s brother ; two - step ; " Vahklas " ; vasostimulator ; " V ' tosh ka ' tur " ; Vulcan ( planet ) ; Vulcan s ; Vulcan civilian transport ; Vulcan Consulate ; Vulcan High Command ; Vulcan mind meld ; Vulcan tea