Would TnT have kept their relationship to themselves?

[Zane Gray]

I would think it would depend on the circumstances. If he was blindsided by a reporter who made lewd comments or asked improper questions than he might overreact. But if he was interviewed with knowledge beforehand and had a chance to prepare I think he'd do fine. He might be emotional (Elizabeth's death and the impact that would have on he and T'Pol would have to take a toll) but I think he'd hold it together and keep things private to protect T'Pol and their life together. He also wouldn't want to do anything to cause problems for Starfleet or Archer.

I think Trip would mostly do well in the interviews too. After all, he IS a brilliant engineer and a consumate professional when it comes right down to it. In fact, given his down to earth, humble nature, I can see Starfleet wanting to get him out there in front of cameras because they know the public would relate to him. Or I can see him being highly sought after by reporters for interviews for the same reason. And most of that would go exactly as planned. However, if some reporter unexpectedly blind-sided him with a question about a romantic relationship with T'Pol, I can see him getting a little testy. Worst case, he gets angry and stops answering questions. Best case, he hesitates, reveals a little of his true emotions in a brief facial expression, but then recovers and deftly deflects or handles the question and moves on. But in either case, I think any good reporter would realize there's something there, and they'd start digging and digging. They'd start contacting other members of the crew, former crew members, family and old friends, Trip's high school classmates... you know the drill. Maybe they only hear more rumors, maybe they get lucky and find some ex-Starfleet crewmate (someone like Kelby) who knew Trip when and resents him for a bad performance review, and is willing to bend the truth for cash. And on chat shows and late-night comedy shows, you'd have people start speculating, and then the more sensationalist press would start to make things up outright. "I mean, look at that T'Pol! Hubba hubba! What red-blooded human male wouldn't want to jump in bed with that!?" And, seeing all that, Paxton and the leadership of Terra Prime start to see an opportunity and begin trying to recruit Masaro - they deliberately look for someone on Tucker's crew who would have heard the rumors and may have lost friends in the Expanse, etc.

[Alelou]

Archer would probably mouth off too in a situation where he'd just lost a baby. ANYONE with any feeling is capable of losing it under those sorts of situations, and I truly do think that Trip wears his heart on his sleeve more than most people -- even if he's hiding why he's hurting you can always tell he is hurting.

Frankly, if I were Starfleet, I'd think this is a guy who's matured and proven he's pretty good in the field and can handle command on his own but he's definitely not Starfleet spokesman material yet on any sensitive topics in front of a room of reporters on the trail of a juicy story. If they put him in front of the camera it would be in a really, really controlled manner -- to read a statement and maybe take some prepared questions with other PR-savvy officers right there to grab control of the proceedings back if necessary. Archer's been at it longer and could probably handle it better but I bet they'd be nervous about HIM in that situation too.

That's why I can't imagine them putting Trip in that kind of situation soon after TP. T'Pol -- no problem, she'd probably manage to make the whole thing seem supremely boring. Trip -- nope, not worth the risk. Maybe they'd allow him to go one on one with some utterly nonthreatening puff piece interviewer, like Larry King or Barbara Walters, but I kind of doubt even that.

(Maybe Larry King will still be alive then...)

[WarpGirl]

But a Vulcan does not reveal such personal information for public consumption. Let's face it Vulcans have been on earth for a while. So by that time the press would have learned that Vulcans are not the people that give them the personal story. I can't see T'Pol answering such questions pertaining to her private life. I could see her saying something like...

The death of Elizabeth is a tragedy that I will always live with. Commander Tucker and I will continue to support each other through this difficult time.

But actually give details about their relationship... No. She never even told her own mother.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

We very rarely get a glimpse of how society in the Trekverse works, whether it's in the ENT era or the TNG era, since we're mostly aboard spaceships or otherwise out there somewhere. So there's no right or wrong view, only what we interpret from various sources, including our own preconceptions about the Trekverse. So we cannot really tell exactly how the media works.

But postulating that for whatever reason the lid will be firmly kept on reporting about TnT after the whole Terra Prime affair suggests, at least to me, that EarthGov would have to practice of form of censorship and not be considered what we know as a proper democracy and a free society. Or at least that the media would practice self-censorship by being afraid of government pressure.

This is a supposition, based on the idea that Humans can be different from what they are. ST or not ST, if we have to think logically, the most logical thing is to think like Humans think.
What do you think I thought?

I'm not sure what you mean?

I am not suggesting that Humans can be different from what they are. I know Roddenberry had this whole conceit of an "evolved humanity", but frankly, I've never believed it. Human nature is what it is and will not change in any fundamental way. Cultural mores and traditions may, but only to a point, being constrained by who and what we are. Thus, I believe that some sort of authoritarian rule, benevolent as it may be, will be the only thing that could keep the people - and the press - at bay.

That said, I'm not saying that there will be extensive celebrity reporting like we have today either. We've had a press for longer than we've had all this celeb gossiping. There are even differences in how the free press works in different free societies today, based on cultural and historical differences.

So yes, in an "ideal" situation for both TnT and the notion of an open society, there will be some reporting, but hopefully not as invasive as if it had happened today. I think societies go through different phases, more serious phases are followed by more relaxed ones, and back and forth. We're currently at the height of a relaxed one, and for TnT's sake I hope that by the 2150s, we've entered a more serious one.

[WarpGirl]

Amen KTR!