Tolek was a Vulcan Starfleet officer in the early 24th century. In 2311, he held the rank of ensign and served as the navigator aboard the USS Enterprise-B. He was known to attempt to tell jokes in order to fit in better with the crew. John Harriman once overheard him speak the phrase "A Vulcan, a Human, and a Klingon are stranded on an uninhabited planet..." (TLE novel: Serpents Among the Ruins)