Malcolm Reed
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Malcolm Reed (born September 2) is the fictional British officer on the Enterprise, in the TV series Star Trek: Enterprise. He holds the rank of Lieutenant, and at different times is the tactical officer and Armory Officer. He is played by Dominic Keating.
Reed's great Uncle was in the British Royal Navy on Earth, but was killed in action while chief engineer of the HMS Clement (a submarine that became trapped under an ice shelf). Reed has a strong appreciation for his uncle, not only because of the heroics of this relative, but because they both share a common condition, "Aquaphobia" or the fear of drowning. Malcolm is one of the few men in his family who did not join the British Royal Navy, a fact which led to some friction with his father.
He is allergic to dust mites, oak pollen, tropical grasses, and various plant enzymes, including bromelin, found in pineapple, his favorite food. He is also prone to space sickness in some circumstances. His parents are Stuart and Mary Reed, and he has a younger sister, Madeline Reed. Also known are an Uncle Archie and two aunts. He has an almost suicidal sense of self-sacrifice, and can also be consumed at times with regret over paths not followed in his love life; he and Trip Tucker have at least one ex-girlfriend in common. In one alternate timeline seen during the Xindi mission in which Enterprise becomes a generational ship unable to return to Earth, Reed dies without leaving any heirs, having been unable to find a mate. The episode "Shuttlepod One" revealed that Reed has a crush on Science Officer T'Pol but this was never expanded upon further.
"Shuttlepod One" also revealed that Reed's nickname was once "Stinky", the significance of which is left a mystery.
The episode "Divergence" revealed that in 2149, then-Ensign Reed had been recruited as an operative for a mysterious offshoot of Starfleet Intelligence which in the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would be identified as Section 31. Reed believed he had left Section 31 behind when he was posted aboard Enterprise in 2151; however, in 2154, he was reactivated as an agent during a mission to recover Dr. Phlox, who had been kidnapped by a group of Klingons trying to stop a genetically engineered virus running rampant in the Empire. Part of his mission involved sabotaging a piece of evidence that might have assisted Enterprise in tracking down the Klingons faster. For this, he was temporarily relieved of duty and incarcerated in the brig by Captain Jonathan Archer, although Archer later reinstated the officer after determining that Reed had been placed in what Archer called "an impossible situation" by his Section 31 superior.
Following the Klingon mission, Reed demanded that Harris - his contact in Section 31 - never communicate with him again. Harris, however, replied that Reed had committed himself to a cause he could never simply walk away from. Indeed, Reed would later reestablish contact with Harris (under orders from Archer) during the Terra Prime incident.
This storyline confirmed fan speculation dating back to the earliest days of the series that Reed might have been somehow involved in the formation of Section 31.
Mirror Universe
A two-part episode, "In a Mirror, Darkly", took place in the Mirror Universe. Little is known about this version of Reed except he is a major in the MACO corps, and is the head of all MACOS on the mirror Enterprise (NX-01). He invented the Agony booth which the Empire uses to torture prisoners. After transferring to the USS Defiant (NCC-1764) which had drifted into the Mirror Universe, Reed leads a team to attempt capture of a Gorn stowaway on the ship. Reed's team is killed when the Gorn detonates a bomb in their path. Badly injured, all Reed says is, "I've failed you captain," showing he still had a suicidal sense of self-sacrifice in the Mirror Universe. Dr. Phlox later said that he had a 50/50 chance of recovering, but that he didn't think anyone would really mind if Major Reed died. It is not revealed whether Reed survives.
Trivia
In light of Star Trek's long history of representing characters of all races, colors, and creeds, fans have petitioned Paramount for years to finally include a gay,lesbian, or bisexual person as a regular character. In the development stage of Enterprise, it was reported that producers originally intended for one of the main characters to be the first openly gay character on Star Trek. Many speculate, for different reasons, that Malcolm Reed was the most likely candidate. Any such plans were abandoned as early backstory clearly stated Reed's preference (as well as everyone else's) as heterosexual. Actor Dominic Keating, for his part, has never publicly stated whether Reed was intended to be gay, and no one connected with the creation of the show has yet confirmed whether the original report was accurate.