Star Trek: Lower Decks' Gabrielle Ruiz understands Vulcans very well

There are fewer harder roles in Star Trek than playing a Vulcan. If you get cast in the role of one, you're in for a tough outing. You need to somehow stand out as a character, nail your delivery, and respect the established lore of the show all without showing much, if any, emotion whatsoever. It's not an easy gig and it can be tough to pull off.

You look at a fan favorite Vulcan, you think of Spock. Brought to life by Leonard Nimoy, fans loved Spock. They thought he was great. Yet, every time a new Vulcan gets introduced as a main character it becomes harder and harder to get them to stand out. Star Trek: Voyager had Tuvok but he wasn't the fan favorite many had hoped. Yet, T'Pol on Star Trek: Enterprise, really showed that you could be a Vulcan in future Star Trek projects and not be subjected to the sin of not being Nimoy.

Zachary Quinto got ragged on by the fandom for his portrayal of Spock but Ethan Peck has been embraced. When it comes to playing a Vulcan it's hard to get it right but everyone knows when you get it wrong it seems.

Yet, one star from Star Trek: Lower Decks has a pretty good idea on how to pull off the Vulcan look; Gabrielle Ruiz. Joining the show in the second season, Ruiz plays T'Lyn in the animated series. While she may be more sarcastic than most Vulcans, she doesn't strive for some simple rules that keep her character right where fans want her to be.

How does she balance being unique and staying true to the lore of the alien race? She simply asks herself what the founding father of Vulcanhood would do; Nimoy.

Speaking to Inverse recently, Ruiz explains how she was able to toe the line that her character demands she do, saying;

"My rule is simple. I literally say it's equivalent to ‘What would Jesus do?’ It’s How would Leonard Nimoy say it? How would Spock say it?

...If T’Pol is wearing sweatpants and flip-flops to school, I’m going to want to wear sweatpants and flip-flops to school. It’s like that. Vulcans are funny because they’re so logical and honest. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”"

Essentially, Ruiz embraces Nimoy and other popular Vulcan characters. Which is smart. After all, Vulcans don't change up much when things are working. A concept she gets. She even referred to them as a "clique", the perfect word to describe the Vulcans. They want everyone to be like them and they don't like the idea of individuality past a certain point.

So it makes total sense that you'd embrace the likes of Nimoy and Jolene Blalock (T'Pol) when constructing your character.