I’ve been continuing my rewatch of Enterprise and I just watched the ‘Shadows of P’Jem’. In this episode it’s reported the Andorians destroyed P’Jem (the Vulcan monastery) after discovering it’s a spying station. The Vulcans up the diplomatic pressure by blaming Archer and recalling T’Pol. Later on a planet T’Pol is taken hostage with Archer on a planet at civil war (one side backed by the Vulcans). The Humans, Andorians and Vulcans each mount separate rescue missions.
This episode reveals alot how the Federation is formed. The Andorians begin their own rescue to repay the humans for P’Jem. The Vulcans are there to rescue T’Pol and help tighten loose ends up with the Humans. It’s the Humans that helps bring these races together in these encounters. It’s these kinds of encounters that makes Captain Archer pivotal in the Federations creation. The Vulcans and Andorians would probably be in a firefight if it wasn’t for humans being present.
The dynamics of the Humans, Vulcans and Andorians remind me of a family. The Vulcans take the role of an elder that is advanced but cautious. Andorians are like their estranged rebellious child with a deep backstory. Humans are also like the Vulcans teen child that are now finding their parents to be too overprotective and prescriptive. The Vulcans perceive Humans like inexperienced youth. Much like the similar transition from the British Empire to the United States as a superpower.
Overall I get the impression there are lots of maturing races around Enterprise’s time. Vulcan doesn’t have the resources to steward them all and doesn’t have the ability to fight them all either. The Vulcans are becoming very weary of this. It’s the Federation that eventually brings a framework and protocols for all of this that attracts the Vulcan. It made me realise the Federation offers different things to different races.