Changes: Joe Tormolen

Latest revision as of 00:38, 29 October 2023

Lieutenant junior grade Joe "Joey" Tormolen was a male Human Starfleet officer in the 23rd century. He served in the sciences division aboard the USS Enterprise in 2266 under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, during the historic five-year mission. Lieutenant Commander Spock believed that Tormolen had a high capacity for self-doubt, which he was able to suppress.

He and Spock constituted a landing party to Psi 2000 in 2266, where a group of Federation researchers had become intoxicated by a polywater agent and killed themselves. Tormolen, whose nose was itchy, absentmindedly removed the glove of his contamination suit to scratch that itch in violation of medical sterility protocols, then placed his hand on or near a stain of blood in the ice of the frozen outpost. He carried the polywater back to the Enterprise, and intoxicated the crew.

As the first to fall victim to the intoxicating effects, Tormolen expressed his horror about the horrible deaths to Captain Kirk. Tormolen then displayed a short temper with colleagues Hikaru Sulu and Kevin Riley, expressing, in a rage-filled rant, a deep-seated doubt if man was meant to travel through space. Tormolen then stabbed himself with a table knife in the recreation room, in front of horrified onlookers. Sulu and Riley attempted to restrain him, and became infected as well.

Tormolen died in surgery under the care of Doctor Leonard McCoy and Christine Chapel. McCoy commented that Tormolen's wound should have been a minor injury, but his body simply displayed no healing capacity – as if Tormolen had lost his will to live. (TOS: "The Naked Time")

Tormolen was played by Stewart Moss, who later returned as the Kelvan Hanar in TOS: "By Any Other Name".

In the final draft script of "The Naked Time", Tormolen, prior to being infected, was referred to as extremely professional, further described thus; "In command of himself and his feelings... [he] speaks with the detachment of a police officer or physician." The script also referred to him as being a crewman at the time of the episode's setting.

This character has the distinction of being the only officer to wear lieutenant junior grade rank insignia in the entire run of TOS. His rank insignia suggests that, despite the infected Tormolen saying that Sulu didn't "rank him," Tormolen was indeed outranked by Sulu, who was a full lieutenant in "The Naked Time".

External links

Joe Tormolen at StarTrek.com
Joe Tormolen at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

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 {{Sidebar individual
-| image            = Joe Tormolen.jpg
+|image         = Joe Tormolen.jpg
-| imagecap         = Joe Tormolen
+|caption       = Lieutenant jg Joe Tormolen
-| gender           = Male
+|species       = [[Human]]
+|affiliation   = [[Federation]] [[Starfleet]]
-| species          = [[Human]]
-| affiliation      = [[Starfleet]]
+|rank          = [[Lieutenant junior grade]]
-| rank             = [[Lieutenant junior grade]]
+|occupation    = [[Sciences division]] [[officer]]
-| status           = Deceased
+|status        = [[Deceased]]
-| datestatus       = 2266
+|datestatus    = 2266
-| died             = [[2266]]
+|died          = [[2266]],<br/>{{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}}
-| actor            = [[Stewart Moss]]
+|actor         = [[Stewart Moss]]
 }}
-'''Joe Tormolen''' was a [[Starfleet]] [[lieutenant junior grade]] in the [[sciences division|Medical Division of the Sciences Section]], in then-[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Spock]]'s department aboard the [[Federation]] [[starship]] {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} in [[2266]].
+[[Lieutenant junior grade]] '''Joe "Joey" Tormolen''' was a [[male]] [[Human]] [[Starfleet]] [[officer]] in the [[23rd century]]. He served in the [[sciences division]] aboard the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} in [[2266]] under the [[commanding officer|command]] of [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk]], during the [[Enterprise history|historic]] [[five-year mission]]. [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Spock]] believed that Tormolen had a high capacity for self-doubt, which he was able to suppress.
-He and Spock constituted a [[landing party]] to [[Psi 2000]] in 2266, where a group of [[Federation]] researchers had become intoxicated by a [[polywater]] agent and killed themselves. Tormolen, whose nose was itchy, absentmindedly removed the glove of his contamination suit to scratch that itch in violation of medical-sterility protocols, then placed his hand on or near a stain of [[blood]] in the [[ice]] of the frozen [[outpost]]. He carried the polywater back to the ''Enterprise,'' and intoxicated the crew.
+He and Spock constituted a [[landing party]] to [[Psi 2000]] in 2266, where a group of [[Federation]] [[researcher]]s had become [[Polywater intoxication|intoxicated]] by a [[polywater]] agent and [[suicide|killed themselves]]. Tormolen, whose [[nose]] was [[itch]]y, absentmindedly removed the [[glove]] of his [[contamination suit]] to [[scratch]] that itch in violation of medical sterility protocols, then placed his [[hand]] on or near a stain of [[blood]] in the [[ice]] of the frozen [[outpost]]. He carried the polywater back to the ''Enterprise,'' and intoxicated the crew.
-As the first to fall victim to the intoxication effects, Tormolen expressed his horror about the deaths to [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]]. Tormolen then displayed a short temper with colleagues [[Hikaru Sulu]] and [[Kevin Riley]], expressing, in a rage-filled rant, a deep-seated doubt if man was meant to travel through [[space]]. Tormolen then [[suicide|stabbed himself]] with a table knife in the [[recreation room]], in front of horrified onlookers. Sulu and Riley attempted to restrain him, and became infected as well.
+As the first to fall victim to the intoxicating effects, Tormolen expressed his horror about the horrible deaths to Captain Kirk. Tormolen then displayed a short temper with colleagues [[Hikaru Sulu]] and [[Kevin Riley]], expressing, in a rage-filled rant, a deep-seated doubt if man was meant to travel through [[space]]. Tormolen then stabbed himself with a table [[knife]] in the [[recreation room]], in front of horrified onlookers. Sulu and Riley attempted to restrain him, and became infected as well.
-Tormolen died in surgery under the care of [[Doctor]] [[Leonard McCoy]]. McCoy commented that Joe's wound should have been a minor injury, but his body simply displayed no healing capacity &ndash; as if Tormolen had lost his will to live. ({{TOS|The Naked Time}})
+Tormolen died in [[surgery]] under the care of [[Doctor]] [[Leonard McCoy]] and [[Christine Chapel]]. McCoy commented that Tormolen's wound should have been a minor [[injury]], but his body simply displayed no healing capacity &ndash; as if Tormolen had lost his [[willpower|will]] to live. ({{TOS|The Naked Time}})
-{{bginfo|Tormolen was played by [[Stewart Moss]], who later returned as the Kelvan "[[Hanar]]" in {{TOS|By Any Other Name}}. This character has the distinction of being the only officer to wear lieutenant junior grade [[rank insignia]] in the entire run of TOS. However, possibly due to the effects of the disease, he mistakenly says that Sulu does not "rank him." Sulu, a full lieutenant, did indeed "rank" Tormolen.}}
+{{bginfo|Tormolen was played by [[Stewart Moss]], who later returned as the Kelvan [[Hanar]] in {{TOS|By Any Other Name}}.|In the final draft script of "The Naked Time", Tormolen, prior to being infected, was referred to as extremely professional, further described thus; "''In command of himself and his feelings... [he] speaks with the detachment of a police officer or physician.''" The script also referred to him as being a [[crewman]] at the time of the episode's setting.|This character has the distinction of being the only officer to wear lieutenant junior grade [[rank insignia]] in the entire run of TOS. His rank insignia suggests that, despite the infected Tormolen saying that Sulu didn't "rank him," Tormolen was indeed outranked by Sulu, who was a full lieutenant in "The Naked Time".}}
+== External links ==
+* {{startrek.com|database_article/tormolen||external}}
+* {{mbeta}}
 [[de:Joe Tormolen]]