Porthos is the personal pet of Captain John Archer (Scott Bakula), the commander of the Enterprise NX-01, the first Earth experimental interstellar spaceship launched in the year 2151.

Archer is extremely protective of his pet and won't allow his dog to be transported on the ship's transporter device (a new way of moving life forms from one location to another via matter scrammbling). On the pilot episode "Broken Bow, as crew members Reed and Mayweather talk about the transporter, Mayweather informs Reed "Don't worry, from what I'm told, he (Archer) wouldn't even put his dog through this thing."

When the ship's Vulcan sub-commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) first enters the Captain's quarters, she sniffs the air and senses something unpleasant. Archer comments "Oh, I forgot...Vulcan females have a heightened sense of smell. I hope Porthos isn't too offensive to you." T'POL responds logically but with attitude, "I've been trained to tolerate offensive situations."

While alone in his quarters, Archer affectionately scratches his dog's little tummy and talks to him about the events of the day.

TRIVIA NOTE: The name "Porthos" comes from the classic French novel "The Three Musketeers" written by Alexandre Dumas. Porthos being one of the original three Musketeers (Athos, Porthos and Aramis) who along with newcomer D'artagnan battled the tyranny of Cardinal Richeleau.

• Enterprise (IMDb)

Back to Top