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Phlox (Star Trek)
Encyclopedia
Phlox (ˈflɒks) is a fictional character
in the television series
Star Trek: Enterprise
, played by John Billingsley
.
Dr. Phlox is the chief medical officer aboard the starship Enterprise
.
as part of the Interspecies Medical Exchange when called to serve aboard the Enterprise
. As part of the Exchange, he corresponds regularly with his human counterpart on Denobula Triaxa, Dr. Lucas (After the Xindi attack on Earth, Lucas was recalled from Denobula and transferred to the Earth Cryogenic Storage Facility known as Cold Station 12).
In accordance with Denobulan custom, Phlox has three wives, each of whom has two other husbands. Only one of his wives, Feezal, was seen on the show. Phlox has five children by his wives: two daughters, both of whom, like him, work in the medical field, and three sons. One is an artist but the other two are estranged from him.
The doctor is portrayed as having an open mind to other species and cultures, even the Antarans, a race that was once at war with the Denobulans. He is extremely frank about romantic and sexual matters, often to the embarrassment of other crew members, and sometimes plays the role of matchmaker
. He has an interest in natural remedies, and his sickbay contains an interplanetary zoo
of animals, some of them as food for other animals which are used as source for medical drugs.
Phlox is curious with a wry sense of humor, and has an affinity for Earth cuisine, particularly Chinese food
(especially egg drop soup). He is also interested in religion
: he once prayed with a group of monk
s which visited Enterprise, spent a week with monks at a Tibet
an monastery, attended Mass
at St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome
, and observed the Tal-Shanar ritual at the Vulcan
compound in Sausalito
.
Phlox's physical abilities have been revealed gradually over time. He appears to need little sleep, instead embarking on an annual "hibernation
" of sorts that lasts for six days. Phlox also has great control over his facial muscles, being able to open his mouth wider than humans, as demonstrated by the impossibly large grin he occasionally sports. ("Broken Bow", "These Are the Voyages...") When threatened, Phlox has the ability to inflate his head like a blowfish to scare off attackers. ("Home
")
Phlox was injected with Borg
nanoprobes in the episode "Regeneration" by an assimilated Tarkalean male. The Tarkalean had been on board a freighter attacked by reanimated drones from the sphere shot down over the Arctic by the Enterprise-E
(see Star Trek: First Contact
). Due to his strong immune system, his assimilation proceeded slowly, giving him time to counteract the process by killing the nanoprobes with high levels of omicron radiation. The method would be lethal to humans or other non-Denobulan races.
, Phlox is not the engaging, peaceful, and friendly character he is in the normal universe. The Mirror Phlox dresses in a severe black leather uniform, unlike the civilian clothing worn by his counterpart. He resembles Nazi
scientist Josef Mengele
in his utter lack of morals
, in that he routinely experiments on living alien beings in a horrible fashion in his sick bay
, which resembles a chamber of horrors.
When the ISS Enterprise is destroyed by the Tholian
s, Phlox and other survivors transfer to the USS Defiant, which has been commandeered by Commander
Jonathan Archer. Eventually, Phlox is convinced by the Mirror T'Pol
and Soval to join a rebellion against the Terran Empire
, and attempts to sabotage the ship, but is stopped by the Mirror Charles Tucker III
.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
, played by John Billingsley
John Billingsley
John Billingsley is an American actor, known for his role as Doctor Phlox on the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.-Career:...
.
Dr. Phlox is the chief medical officer aboard the starship Enterprise
Enterprise (NX-01)
The Enterprise is a fictional starship in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. It is commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer.-History:...
.
Overview
Phlox is a Denobulan, and was on EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
as part of the Interspecies Medical Exchange when called to serve aboard the Enterprise
Enterprise (NX-01)
The Enterprise is a fictional starship in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. It is commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer.-History:...
. As part of the Exchange, he corresponds regularly with his human counterpart on Denobula Triaxa, Dr. Lucas (After the Xindi attack on Earth, Lucas was recalled from Denobula and transferred to the Earth Cryogenic Storage Facility known as Cold Station 12).
In accordance with Denobulan custom, Phlox has three wives, each of whom has two other husbands. Only one of his wives, Feezal, was seen on the show. Phlox has five children by his wives: two daughters, both of whom, like him, work in the medical field, and three sons. One is an artist but the other two are estranged from him.
The doctor is portrayed as having an open mind to other species and cultures, even the Antarans, a race that was once at war with the Denobulans. He is extremely frank about romantic and sexual matters, often to the embarrassment of other crew members, and sometimes plays the role of matchmaker
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is any process of matching two people for the purpose of marriage or a sporting contest.-Practice:In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized...
. He has an interest in natural remedies, and his sickbay contains an interplanetary zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
of animals, some of them as food for other animals which are used as source for medical drugs.
Phlox is curious with a wry sense of humor, and has an affinity for Earth cuisine, particularly Chinese food
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
(especially egg drop soup). He is also interested in religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
: he once prayed with a group of monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s which visited Enterprise, spent a week with monks at a Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an monastery, attended Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
at St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and observed the Tal-Shanar ritual at the Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
compound in Sausalito
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
.
Phlox's physical abilities have been revealed gradually over time. He appears to need little sleep, instead embarking on an annual "hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
" of sorts that lasts for six days. Phlox also has great control over his facial muscles, being able to open his mouth wider than humans, as demonstrated by the impossibly large grin he occasionally sports. ("Broken Bow", "These Are the Voyages...") When threatened, Phlox has the ability to inflate his head like a blowfish to scare off attackers. ("Home
Home (Star Trek: Enterprise)
"Home" is the name of the 79th episode from the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.It is the third episode from the fourth season of the series. Home initially aired on October 22, 2004 on the American television network UPN...
")
Phlox was injected with Borg
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
nanoprobes in the episode "Regeneration" by an assimilated Tarkalean male. The Tarkalean had been on board a freighter attacked by reanimated drones from the sphere shot down over the Arctic by the Enterprise-E
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
The USS Enterprise is a Sovereign-class starship in the Star Trek franchise. It serves as the primary setting of the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
(see Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
). Due to his strong immune system, his assimilation proceeded slowly, giving him time to counteract the process by killing the nanoprobes with high levels of omicron radiation. The method would be lethal to humans or other non-Denobulan races.
Mirror Universe
In the Mirror UniverseMirror Universe (Star Trek)
The Mirror Universe is a fictional parallel universe in which the plots of several Star Trek television episodes take place...
, Phlox is not the engaging, peaceful, and friendly character he is in the normal universe. The Mirror Phlox dresses in a severe black leather uniform, unlike the civilian clothing worn by his counterpart. He resembles Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
scientist Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
in his utter lack of morals
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
, in that he routinely experiments on living alien beings in a horrible fashion in his sick bay
Sick bay
A sick bay is a compartment in a ship used for medical purposes — the ship's hospital.The sick bay will contain the ship's medicine chest which may be divided into separate cabinets such as a refrigerator for medicines which require cold storage and a locked cabinet for controlled substances...
, which resembles a chamber of horrors.
When the ISS Enterprise is destroyed by the Tholian
Tholian
Tholians are a fictional starfaring and extremely territorial race in the Star Trek fictional universe. The Tholian home nation is the Tholian Assembly, which inhabits an area of space in the Alpha Quadrant, near the Cardassian Union and the Badlands....
s, Phlox and other survivors transfer to the USS Defiant, which has been commandeered by Commander
Starfleet ranks and insignia
Starfleet ranks and insignia are fictional titles and badges that form the hierarchy of Starfleet in the Star Trek television shows and movies.-Overview:...
Jonathan Archer. Eventually, Phlox is convinced by the Mirror T'Pol
T'Pol
Commander T'Pol is a fictional character played by Jolene Blalock in Star Trek: Enterprise. She is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship Enterprise.-Concept and creation:...
and Soval to join a rebellion against the Terran Empire
Mirror Universe (Star Trek)
The Mirror Universe is a fictional parallel universe in which the plots of several Star Trek television episodes take place...
, and attempts to sabotage the ship, but is stopped by the Mirror Charles Tucker III
Charles Tucker III
Charles "Trip" Tucker III , played by Connor Trinneer, is a fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, which is the last generation of the Star Trek seriesTucker was the chief engineer on the Enterprise, and also briefly served as chief engineer aboard...
.
See also
- List of Star Trek: Enterprise characters