Kov was a Vulcan V'tosh ka'tur that served as an engineer aboard the Vahklas, a Vulcan civilian transport ship.
He and his father had a falling out, and did not communicate for about ten years, eight of which he spent on the Vahklas. During this time, his father was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
In 2151, he was sent to the Enterprise NX-01 to work with their engineers. During his time there, he and Commander Charles Tucker III, the chief engineer became friends. Kov had many misconceptions about Humans, such as their sleeping and mating practices. When the Vulcan High Command learned that the Enterprise was in contact with the Vahklas crewmember, they informed Enterprise's captain Jonathan Archer of Kov's father's illness. Archer was unable to convince Kov to call home, and so the captain gave the task to Tucker. Kov stated that he and his father had ended their relationship years before, when his father told him that he was a disgrace to their family.
Recalling a dance when he was younger when he never plucked up the courage to dance with the girl he had a crush on, Commander Tucker persuaded Kov to contact his father one last time, telling Kov that regret was a difficult emotion to cope with. As a result, Kov learned that his father was going to undergo surgery that would prolong his life. (ENT: "Fusion")