Phlox (Star Trek)
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| Phlox | |
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| Species: | Denobulan |
| Gender: | Male |
| Hair color: | Brown |
| Eye color: | Blue |
| Home planet: | Denobula |
| Affiliation: | Starfleet via Interspecies Medical Exchange |
| Posting: | Enterprise chief medical officer |
| Portrayed by: | John Billingsley |
Doctor Phlox is a fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise played by John Billingsley. Phlox is the doctor aboard the NX-01 Enterprise.
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[edit] Overview
He is a member of the Denobulan race and was on Earth as part of the Interspecies Medical Exchange when called to service on Enterprise. As part of the Exchange, he corresponds regularly with his human counterpart on Denobula, Dr. Lucas (After the Xindi attack on Earth, Dr. Lucas was recalled from Denobula and transferred to the Earth Cryogenic Storage Facility known as Cold Station 12). Dr. 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 of whom, Metis, was estranged from his father for some time).
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). His sickbay contains an interplanetary zoo of animals, some of them as food for other animals which are used as source for medical drugs. He is curious and has a wry sense of humor. He also has an affinity for Earth cuisine, particularly Chinese food.
Phlox is also interested in religion: he once prayed with a group of monks which visited the Enterprise, spent a week with monks at a Tibetan monastery, attended Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and observed the Tal Shara 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. He 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) ). When confronted with loneliness, his people can sometimes create incredibly realistic hallucinations (Doctor's Orders). When threatened, Phlox also has the ability to inflate his head like a blowfish to scare off attackers (Home).
[edit] Mirror Universe
In the Mirror Universe, Phlox is not the engaging, peaceful and friendly character he is in the normal Trek universe. The mirror Phlox dresses in a severe black leather uniform, unlike the civilian clothing worn by his counterpart. Mirror Phlox resembles Josef Mengele in his utter lack of morals: he routinely experiments on living alien beings in a horrible fashion in his sickbay, which resembles a chamber of horrors. When the ISS Enterprise is destroyed by the Tholians, Phlox and other survivors transfer to the captured Defiant. 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 Trip.
[edit] Trivia
Phlox was reportedly rumored to be the other candidate (after Malcolm Reed) for Star Trek's first openly homosexual main character. Because of Star Trek's history of representing all races, colors and creeds as having a future in Roddenberry's universe, producers may have been considering the requests from fans over the years to finally include alternate sexual lifestyles. It is believed that fans imagined him in this way more because of his effusive personality. Phlox has been revealed as married with children in what might be considered, by human purposes, a heterosexual relationship. On Denobula, multi-partner marriages are common; Phlox's extended family consists of his three wives, each of which also has two other husbands.
[edit] External links
- Phlox article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
| Regular characters on Star Trek | |||
| The Original Series | Kirk | Spock | McCoy | Scott | Uhura | Sulu | Chekov | Chapel | Rand — Animated Series: Arex | M'Ress | ||
| The Next Generation | Picard | Riker | Data | La Forge | Worf | B. Crusher | Troi | W. Crusher | Yar | Pulaski | ||
| Deep Space Nine | B. Sisko | Kira | J. Dax | Odo | Bashir | O'Brien | Worf | J. Sisko | Quark | Rom | Nog | E. Dax | Garak | Martok | Damar | Dukat | Weyoun | Winn | ||
| Voyager | Janeway | Chakotay | Tuvok | Paris | Torres | Kim | Doctor | Neelix | Seven | Kes | ||
| Enterprise | Archer | T'Pol | Tucker | Reed | Phlox | Sato | Mayweather | ||
