Star Trek would be nowhere without its most famous and beloved alien species. Thanks to the Vulcans, humanity had first contact with peace-loving people from another world, the non-lethal neck pinch was invented, and the concept of a mind-meld became a permanent part of science fiction nomenclature, and a universal hand symbol for all of geekdom — the Vulcan salute — became a wonderful way of telling the world that you’re all about peace, reason and co-existence. But Vulcans also have a bit of an edge and a reputation for being direct to the point of being rude. And Star Trek’s latest Vulcan, Gabrielle Ruiz, understands this paradox perfectly.
“There's a menace to their honesty,” Ruiz tells Inverse. “They're such snobs. They're just so sophisticated and snobby that you just want to be a part of the clique, I think.”
Since the Season 2 episode “Wej Duj,” Ruiz has voiced the no-nonsense Vulcan T’Lyn on the animated comedy, Star Trek: Lower Decks. A fan-favorite from her first appearance, she didn’t really become part of the semi-regular gang until Season 4 when T’Lyn formally joined Starfleet after rubbing too many hardcore Vulcans the wrong way.
“I didn’t have any plans or any expectations for her to return,” Ruiz admits. “But the response had been so good, that they brought her back. And then, in the episode [in Season 4] when she was trying to leave Starfleet, and then she decides to stay, was a huge moment for me. I was so happy and relieved.”
Like many Vulcans in Star Trek canon, T’Lyn is often the funniest character in any given scene, and part of that stems from that relentless honesty Ruiz says is essential to playing Vulcans. Sometimes Vulcans are trying to be funny, and sometimes they’re funny by accident. But in Ruiz’s opinion, it’s all down to looking at the template created by the actors who came before her.
“My rule is simple,” Ruiz says. “I literally say it's equivalent to ‘What would Jesus do?’ It’s How would Leonard Nimoy say it? How would Spock say it?”
In fairness, Ruiz also cites various other Vulcan actors from the canon as inspiration, noting that she often thinks of T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) from Enterprise as a kind of “mean girl” that she might admire, assuming they went to the same imaginary Star Trek high school.
“If T’Pol is wearing sweatpants and flip-flops to school, I’m going to want to wear sweatpants and flip-flops to school,” she says. “It’s like that. Vulcans are funny because they’re so logical and honest. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
With Season 5 of Lower Decks ending the entire run of the series, T’Lyn’s time on the show will also conclude, which, to put a Vulcan understatement on the fat, seems remarkably premature. Ruiz’s take on T’Lyn feels not only familiar but fresh, and her ease at fitting in with the rest of the Lower Decks gang makes it seem like she’s been on the show for longer than she actually has.
“I’m a hundred percent devastated,” Ruiz says of Lower Decks ending this year. “We record these seasons sometimes 18 months before I see it myself with you on Paramount+. So, do I feel like there's so much more to do? Of course, I would love to explore her more and let her grow. I always had this daydream and vision one day, maybe she could have some moments with Captain Freeman. But Star Trek, we live long and prosper. Let's see so, let’s see what happens.”
Like many of her cast-mates on Lower Decks, Ruiz resembles her animated counterpart in the real world. Last year, on Strange New Worlds, Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome played their Lower Deckers in the flesh, meaning, Ruiz could, in theory, do the same thing in some future incarnation of Star Trek.
“I couldn't find my blue headband for this interview,” she jokes, referencing T’Lyn’s headband, which, in itself, is inspired by Kim Cattrall's Vulcan headband when she played Valeris in Star Trek VI.
“But maybe I could play her in live action. I’ve actually had fans come up to me at conventions and say ‘You could totally play T’Lyn live.’ How can I argue with those fans? I’m ready to put on the ears. I could totally rock that bob haircut.”
