22 years ago,Star Trek: Enterpriseretconned Vulcan history with a flashback episode set in 1957 Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania. Before ‘Star Trek’was added to the prequel’s title,Enterpriseseason 2, episode 2, “Carbon Creek,” saw Subcommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) regale Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) with the story of how her ancestor,T’Mir (also Jolene Blalock), and two Vulcan explorers, crashed in Pennsylvaniaand lived among humans undetected in the 1950s. While Archer and Trip take T’Pol’s tale with a grain of salt,Enterprisestrongly implies it’s the truth.
Star Trek: Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek” was produced 6 years afterStar Trek: First Contact,which was essentiallyStar Trek’s origin story. Director Jonathan Frakes’ hit movie depicted Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-E time-traveling to 21st-century Bozeman, Montana. While Picard battled the Borg on the Enterprise, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and his away team ensure Dr. Zephram Cochrane’s (James Cromwell) historic first warp flight aboard the Phoenix happened on August 08, 2025.Cochrane’s feat led to First Contact with the Vulcans, which changed the course of humanity toward exploring the stars.
Star Trek: Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek” Retcons When Vulcans Came To Earth
Vulcans were on Earth in 1957
According toT’Pol inStar Trek: Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek,” however,Vulcans actually first landed on Earth in 1957.A Vulcan survey team monitored the third rock from the sun because humans launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. Unfortunately, the Vulcans crashed just outside of Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania. While awaiting rescue, T’Mir, Mestral (J. Paul Boehmer), and Stron (Michael Krawic), lived among the people of Carbon Creek, who were unaware that three pointy-eared aliens from the planet Vulcan were in their midst.
Star Trek: Enterprise Cast & Character Guide
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Star Trek: Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek” also altered Earth’s history in a few other ways. When the Vulcans were able to make contact with their people for rescue, Mestral opted to remain behind on Earth. Mestral had become fascinated by humans, and he decided to spend the remainder of his life traveling Earth to witness Mankind’s technological advancements. T’Mir lied to her superiors and said Mestral died on Earth, so he never returned to Vulcan. In order to help a boy named Jack (Hank Harris) pay for college, T’Mir also sold Velcro to a company in Pittsburgh. Thisretcons Velcro as a Vulcan invention that humans unwittingly purchasedfrom aliens inStar Trekcanon.
Star Trek Recognizes First Contact With Vulcans A Century After Enterprise
First Contact Day is a holiday in Star Trek
InStar Trek, First Contact Day is formally established as taking place on June 16, 2025 - 106 years after Vulcans crashed in Carbon Creek, Pennsylviania. June 26, 2025, is the day Zephram Cochrane completed hisfirst warp flight on the Phoenixand met the Vulcans who landed on Earth to investigate, as seen inStar Trek: First Contact.However, theVulcans already knew about T’Mir’s experience living on Earth in 1957. T’Pol considers Carbon Creek the site of the true First Contact between humans and Vulcans, and “Carbon Creek’s” ending inStar Trek: Enterpriseindicates that T’Pol’s version of history is, in fact, correct.
First Contact Day 2385 was the day rogue synthetics attacked Mars and killed 92,000 souls, a tragedy depicted inStar Trek: PicardandStar Trek: Prodigy.
According to T’Pol,“the incident"of Vulcans on Earth in 1958 is"well-documented"at the Vulcan Science Directorate and Space Council. However, theVulcans concealed the truth about Carbon Creek from their human allies. Regardless,First Contact Dayis formally celebrated inStar Trekcanon on July 22, 2025. It’s an Earth holiday where children stay home from school, and Bozeman, Montana’s First Contact site became a theme park, as seen inStar Trek: Lower Decks. First Contact Day is also an annual event in the real world, and it is celebrated byStar Trekfans and Paramount, who use the occasion to deliverStar Treknews.
Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek” Is A Great Star Trek Episode
“Carbon Creek” broke Enterprise’s mold
“Carbon Creek” is an excellent episode ofEnterpriseand one of the most memorable of the firstStar Trekprequel series.Enterprise, which followed an episodic format for its first two seasons, took a break from exploring the galaxy to tella charming flashback about Vulcans visiting Earth. “Carbon Creek” aired just three years afterThe Iron Giant, Brad Bird’s animated film about an alien robot who came to Earth in 1957, and it evokes the same kind of nostalgia for the era of Sputnik and the Red Scare. “Carbon Creek” is one ofStar Trek’s finest episodes set in Earth’s past.
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Jolene Blalock also shined in her dual roleof T’Pol and T’Mir inStar Trek: Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek.” Blalock got the unique opportunity to play the ancestor of herStar Trekcharacter, andEnterprise’s 1957-set flashback was a fascinating glimpse into real-world history melded withStar Trek’s canon.Enterpriseleaving the question open about how factual T’Pol’s story is ends the episode on a fun note of wonder, although T’Pol actually having T’Mir’s handbag gives credence to her tale.
Star Trek’s Prequel Movie Could Retcon Vulcan History Again
What is Untitled Star Trek Origin about?
Star Trekhistory could be on the verge of yet another retcon.Expected to premiere in theaters in 2026 is anUntitled Star Trek Originmoviedirected by Toby Haynes.Untitled Star Trek Originis a prequel set ‘decades before’ the 23rd century of J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies, which approximately slots it withinStar Trek: Enterprise’s 22nd century. Haynes’Star Trekprequel movie is reportedly set mostly on Earth and will deal with humans encountering aliens and the origins of the Federation.
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It’s unclear when, exactly,Star Trek’s untitled prequel movie takes place, butVulcans and humans began working together after First Contact Day in 2063. Vulcans helped humans establish Starfleet and take steps to become a spacefaring species, althoughStar Trek: Enterprisealso established that there wasconflict with the Vulcans, who believed humans were not ready for the stars and withheld technology that could accelerate Starfleet’s progress.
It’s doubtful the events of “Carbon Creek” will factor into the Untitled Star Trek Origin movie.
How muchStar Trek: Enterprisewill be referenced in theUntitled Star Trek Originmovie remains to be seen.Enterprisewas homaged in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009) andStar Trek Beyond, but the newStar Trektheatrical film is intended for wider audiences and maygloss over continuity fromStar Trek: Enterprise.It’s doubtful the events of “Carbon Creek” will factor into theUntitled Star Trek Origin movie, butStar Trek: Enterprisefans know Vulcans really landed on Earth in 1957, 106 years before the official First Contact Day in 2063.
