Enterprise Secret Santa

[Wowbagger]

Originally Posted by evay

Frankly, Phlox is a bit of a Dr. Frankenstein, and the crew doesn't necessarily have reason to love him. Zeke will have to answer specifically, but I read it as Malcolm taking revenge for everyone generally and for Trip in particular.

Oh, yeah, granted -- and 5ME plays that up in a big way:

Phlox: You look like a man with the weight of the world out his window, Captain.
Archer: Phlox... have you ever done anything unethical?
Phlox: Have I? Have I? HAHAHAHA!
Archer: See, I'm about to cross a line that I've never --
Phlox: I'm doing something unethical right now! I'm taking a coffee break in the middle of an organ transplant! And nothing's wrong with either organ!
Archer: I think I'll talk to someone else about this.

T'Pol: I'm feeling a bit better. Are the withdrawal symptoms fading?
Phlox: Perhaps -- but they may never fade completely. Your emotions may well continue to fight your control for the rest of your life.
T'Pol: I don't feel better anymore.
Phlox: Then I've done my job.

Archer: Don't treat me first, Doctor. Give the crew priority.
Phlox: I wasn't actually planning to treat you, but duly noted.

And that's just one episode.

But, until now, it has never seemed like anyone on the 5ME crew has wanted to kill him. They just take it in stride as one of his lovable quirks, like T'Pol's illogic, Sato's prissiness, and Reed's desire to blow up literally everything, including all his shipmates. It seemed like a leap, which is why I assumed there was more to the joke than "kill Phlox."

That said, demanding and expecting consistent character arcs and steady evolution from parody versions of actual characters is asking, perhaps, too much from this noble website.

EDIT: Alternatively, it may just have been a while since I read much 5ME, and I forgot parts where people expressed their desire to kill him.