Star Trek Almost Cast An Actress From A Rival Series As T'Pol Before Jolene Blalock
From 2001 to 2005, "Star Trek" fans got to know a new Enterprise crew via the aptly-named series "Star Trek: Enterprise." The team is led by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), but he can't run the titular space-faring vessel on his own. Alongside him are such names as Trip Tucker III (Connor Trinneer) and T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), among others. Over time, most of these characters fit right in with the existing "Star Trek" franchise, just as the actors prove perfect for their roles. Thus, it's strange to think that series mainstay T'Pol was almost played by someone else.
In fact, the role of T'Pol could've gone to an actor who'd built their name on a competing program. According to contemporary sources before "Enterprise" began airing, Marjorie Monaghan was considered for T'Pol, back when the character was still being referred to as "T'Pau." For those unfamiliar, Monaghan was a frequent face on the science fiction series "Babylon 5," which debuted in 1993 and ran until 1998, appearing in the role of Tessa "Number One" Halloran. Ultimately, though, the recurring star of the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" rival program didn't land the T'Pol role, with Blalock signing the dotted line instead.
Nowadays, it's hard to imagine anyone but Blalock portraying T'Pol, making it all the more surprising to learn that she initially wasn't too interested in the part.
Surprisingly, Blalock wasn't immediately on board to play T'Pol
As one of the leads of "Star Trek: Enterprise," T'Pol and, therefore, Jolene Blalock clocks in a ton of appearances on the program. Of the series' 98 total episodes, T'Pol appears in a whopping 95 and, unsurprisingly, doesn't miss out on any of the four seasons. Though Blalock's run as the character doesn't extend beyond "Enterprise," she's synonymous with T'Pol all the same. Be that as it may, back when the minds behind the show were assembling the cast, getting Blalock to agree to play T'Pol wasn't an easy feat.
During a 2011 interview with the "Star Trek" website, "Enterprise" casting director Ron Surma revealed that casting T'Pol was a challenge, and Blalock didn't dive in immediately. "That was the toughest role to cast," he said, recalling that the correspondence from Blalock's camp was far from encouraging until it suddenly turned around. "Her agents said no numerous times. She wasn't interested. And that last week, she decided to come in," Surma continued, going to praise Blalock for her work in the role.
While it stands to reason that sci-fi veteran Marjorie Monaghan would've done a great job as T'Pol, the performances Jolene Blalock consistently turned in as the character is proof enough that she was the right choice all along. It's a good thing she came around.