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lonesomedreamer · 11 months ago

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SNW Liveblog: “Charades”

In which Ethan Peck gets to have some fun, the writers also prove they know nothing about Vulcans, and the last fifteen minutes redeems the whole episode.

What exactly is “sub-impulse speed”?

God dammit.

The fellowship only lasts for two months? What’s even the point?

I hate to complain about a female character working out on-screen—life in space would definitely necessitate some kind of exercise regime! For everyone!—but at what point in her TOS appearances did Christine Chapel strike these writers as the type of girl who spent a lot of time beating on the Enterprise’s punching bag? Maybe if we hadn’t just seen La’an in this exact same scene two episodes ago…

This…this outfit is almost mod! Earrings and all! I’m shocked. Give it some color and you’d be onto something.

In fact, all three girls (La’an, Christine, and Ortegas) are wearing black here. Why do SNW the costume designers HATE fun?

“Oh, things are kind of weird between them.” I don’t use this word lightly, but between her being mean to Spock for no reason last week and now casually betraying her friend’s confidence like this with a little smirk (while Christine is visibly uncomfortable): Ortegas is just a bitch.

Do Vulcans consider their emotions to be “suppressed”? And would M’Benga, Vulcan expert or not, really be able to teach the native Vulcan how to better control his emotions (when he’s been learning that his whole life)??? Do they ever think before writing, or…?

Or: canon only matters when the SNW writers want it to.

“My mother felt this would be best.” A lot of Vulcans on this show throw that verb around awfully lightly. It’s almost like the writers don’t understand Vulcans.

If T’Pring’s mother doesn’t approve, why were they ever engaged in the first place? (I know that this show’s never going to acknowledge that they were betrothed as kids for an arranged marriage. But that’s the canon.)

Bitch, please.

A sweet reversal of her sneaking a glance at him in the Turbolift earlier.

Them.

Spock, please don’t look at your girlfriend when you’re supposed to be steering the shuttle away from the “rupture in space-time”.

Oh, his hair is so much better this way.

Why is everyone calling Uhura “Nyota” all of a sudden? I get that she’s just an ensign, but it’s weird.

This sounds like a casual phone call rather than the first contact between the Federation and an unknown species. Up the professionalism a few notches, Pike.

He does not.

“Mixed instructions? You don’t mean Spock.” I’m no scientist, but it’s obvious they’re talking about his DNA—keep up, Mr. Starship Captain!

“Uhura, get ‘em back.” Maybe if Pike hadn’t stumbled over his words and had gotten straight to the damn point, this wouldn’t be a problem! Kirk and Picard would both have said, “Excuse me, but the way you ‘fixed’ my science officer was not correct” rather than mumbling and stuttering until the call cut off.

He is adorable. You can pry human!Ethan!Spock out of my cold, dead hands.

“My fiancee’s mother? She hates me.” My fiancee? She hates me. Fixed that for you!

“I’ve already spoken to T’Pring and to your family.” That is really crossing a line! Kirk—Spock’s undisputed best friend of all time/brother/soulmate/true love (however you see them)—didn’t know about T’Pring or even that the Vulcan ambassador and his wife who were coming aboard were Spock’s parents until he met them on the Enterprise. But Pike is just casually contacting Sarek, Amanda, and T’Pring without consulting Spock first?! It’s not like he’s in a coma! He could easily have waited and let Spock tell his family himself. Accidents happen in Starfleet all the time. It’s a dangerous job.

Spock always seems to be played by men with the best smiles. ♥

Not Spock drinking alcohol and eating meat! He’s going to feel awful about that when his genetic code is “fixed”! (His dietary habits are cultural, not biological—why would he want to change them with or without his Vulcan DNA?)

If this was a TOS episode, Bridge crew would still be working on getting back in touch with the aliens who did this to Spock…but we have to show Spock enjoying some crispy bacon instead.

Again, I think control is a better choice of words.

“You just need to work on impulse control.” I don’t think taking his Vulcan DNA away would invalidate/negate his years of intensive mental training. He had to work extra hard as a mixed-race child to be a “real” Vulcan, so in theory he should still have access to about emotional control. If not, he should have been stripped of his memories of childhood and whatnot, too.

Spock’s sass is coming out so strongly in this script, which is great, but he should always be sassy! (“Gentlemen, I am in command of this vessel, and we shall continue on our present course…unless it is your intention to declare a mutiny.”)

I’m sure Christine enjoys seeing a more demonstrative version of the man she loves, BUT I hope they also show that she’s mourning the loss of the true Spock. She’s one of the few who really sees him for what he is—half Vulcan, half human, wholly himself.

To culminate his total lack of respect for Spock’s privacy/boundaries, Pike announces that his mom is on board in the middle of a busy hallway.

This Amanda is a babe (though there’s no way she’s old enough to be Ethan Peck’s mom).

I love this nod to the classic “Spock wearing a funny hat to hide his ears” trope.

Could they not get a costume to fit this actress? Not shaming her at all—I’m intimately familiar with the struggle of finding clothes that look flattering with a larger chest! But this ain’t it.

Why is Pike even still here? At this point, Amanda’s business is with her son. Pike can butt out.

“The engagement dinner has been moved several times due to your Starfleet schedule, a fact which they are not understanding about—” A few issues here: a) It seems, well, illogical that a family of Vulcans refuses to understand why Spock’s professional schedule would postpone personal obligations; b) this is the first time we’ve ever heard about this engagement dinner, 15 episodes into the season. That wouldn’t be an issue if (as in TOS) T’Pring had just been introduced—but she’s now been in numerous episodes including the pilot. Yet somehow this has never come up before?

Also, bold of this show to expect me to care that their engagement might get broken when they’ve already faked the audience out about that once and when I know T’Pring’s ultimately going to dump Spock anyway…

Incompetence.

So T’Pring’s family disapproves of Spock’s career (and we know from previous episodes that T’Pring isn’t thrilled about it, either), but they agree to hold this traditional and (apparently) super-important engagement dinner on the starship where Spock works?

I don’t think “Spock, you’re human” would be a human mother’s natural first reaction here. Idk. I know Amanda’s been on Vulcan a long time, but we know she’s still very warm, very human, and seeing her son so changed would have to be shocking/upsetting/concerning, right?

“I couldn’t even fool you.” That’s kind of funny.

First of all: Spock can lie with the best of them. Secondly, I don’t think you can learn to be a genuinely good liar in a few hours. Finally (and again): his years of Vulcan discipline/training shouldn’t have been erased (he obviously still has all his memories and knowledge), so he shouldn’t have to lie at all.

Seriously, Spock doesn’t have amnesia! He was raised by Vulcans—he knows how they speak!!!

Okay, but…Spock can’t perform the mind meld, and Amanda would know that. I feel like she should be saying, “My son was in a serious accident and is in no state to socialize” but then someone else—maybe even Sarek—overrules her. That would still leaves plenty of room for drama.

Just contact the aliens for help! I’m begging you! This is Star Trek!!!

“We can’t do it, but we already know who can” Thank God someone on this show can keep up.

I kind of hate her. :) At least she didn’t make a snarky comment, too.

I am weak (even if this is the least-flattering Vulcan look I have ever seen on any version of Spock).

T’Pring has some funny lines re: her difficult relationship with her mother, and I guess it’s a nice parallel to Spock’s difficult relationship with Sarek. I can sympathize with her, but I refuse to like her.

There’s no way a conservative Vulcan couple would be satisfied with a human preparing the traditional food for their daughter’s engagement dinner.

The majority of Vulcans in this show continue to look like a parody.

T’Pring’s dad being a foodie is funny. Him being obviously subservient to his scary bully of a wife is unoriginal and not so funny.

They stole a shuttlecraft and no one even alerts the captain?

Christine being willing to do anything for Spock: canon in every universe. ♥

I get that they’re in “interdimensional space” and in a state of semi-shock as a result (understandably!), but why can no one communicate effectively in this episode, including Uhura of all people???

Christine’s straight-talk with the aliens is just making me angry that Pike didn’t speak up about their mistake when he was communicating with them earlier.

She’s stunning.

Spock being protective of/afraid for Christine is precious.

“During the accident, the other being diverted the shields away from himself to protect you.” Even though I’m unsure how that would work (isn’t the shield around the entire shuttlecraft?)—that is SO Spock and so adorable.

“Are you so obtuse that you don’t even see that [you have feelings for Spock]?” It’s always one step forward, three steps back with Ortegas…

The writers were kind enough to grant my wish: Christine acknowledges that a wholly human Spock isn’t really Spock at all. The writing is less than phenomenal, but Jess Bush really sells it anyway, and it alludes nicely to Christine’s heartfelt confession of love in “The Naked Time” about seeing Spock as being greater than the sum of his genetic parts.

I’m tearing up.

The scene where Spock tells T’Pring’s mother off and praises his own isn’t super believable/in-character, but it’s satisfying!

Once again: the Vulcans on this show use that word way too much…

They really have wanted T’Pring to always be the victim/wronged party in this relationship ever since the first episode. But why?! She’s going to leave him! In canon, she makes him fight his own best friend to the death to have her when she doesn’t even want him! No matter how they resolve the relationship in this show, it’s all drama I don’t care about!!!

T’Pring’s mother was overtly racist towards Amanda and Spock during the entire dinner; she doesn’t approve of him; and she told him that he deserved to be disowned by Sarek/didn’t deserve to marry T’Pring. She would probably continue behaving that way towards him for the rest of her life. But after he endured all of that for her sake and after she repeatedly warned him not to mess the dinner up, T’Pring expresses neither concern for Spock’s ordeal nor relief that he’s been healed/that the dinner was a success nor gratitude for what he put himself through. She expresses only disappointment that he didn’t confide in her.

Crying in the club.

There’s a lovely reciprocity to Spock and Christine’s dynamic so far—he kissed her in Season One; this time, she kisses him. He risked his life to save her earlier; then she goes back and risks hers to make him whole again. I know these writers are going to screw it up eventually, so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

Overall, this episode was way too long (a full hour!) and was bogged down with a bunch of nonsense in the middle in the name of comedy. Its dialogue in particular was just as poorly-written as most SNW scripts have been (i.e., “you look constipated,” “you messed him up,” numerous crew members mumbling and stuttering in the heat of the moment…these aren’t Starfleet professionals, they’re high schoolers!) BUT there was an extra helping of heart in this episode. Between Amanda Grayson’s tenderness towards her son, Spock’s protectiveness towards Christine, and Christine’s fierce loyalty towards Spock, I almost cried more than once. And since Spock/Christine is THE reason I started watching this show in the first place, it’s nice to finally see some payoff fifteen episodes in!

The Good: Ethan’s face without Vulcan make-up + his gorgeous smile!—a surprise Amanda cameo—Spock and Christine mutually being protective of each other/risking their lives for each other—some funny moments—Jess and Ethan both acting their socks off—really cool visuals during the “interdimensional space” scene—a few excellent costume designs—finally, the big kiss!

The Bad: Childish/unprofessional dialogue throughout—Ortegas being a bitch even to her friends—writing human!Spock like a teenager who forgot everything he knows about being Vulcan (even though his memories are in tact)—Pike’s total incompetence—name-dropping Roger Korby (ugh)

I can’t wait to see how this show is going to disappointment me in the Spockstine department going forward.

#luth liveblogs snw

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hummingbird-of-light · 2 years ago

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Against All Odds

Part 461

McCoy

“What about our return to school, sir?” Spock asked. “I am not enough to protect his highness at this stage. I was not enough before.” Spock’s head began to lower.

“No!” McCoy had to protest. “You did an excellent job Spock. No one could have expected what happened. And if anything I got lax, trying to have my own space without you right behind me all the time.”

“I agree with Leonard, Spock,” the king said. “You have done your duty admirably.”

McCoy saw the color beginning on the tips of Spock’s ears. Amanda patted his arm and even Sarek lost a bit of his normal mask-like countenance as the barest idea of a smile crossed his face.

“But you bring up a good point, Spock,” David continued.

But before he could say more Leah and Robbie reentered the dining room and Francine jumped up to wrap her son in a tight embrace. Leah had cried. McCoy could see the tell-tale signs in her eyes, but she and Robbie seemed calmer again.

David quickly caught the pair up as they settled back at the table.

“Now school,” he said again finally. “I will have to contact Christopher and make sure his security needs are being met. After all, Khan’s threat was to your friends as well and we would be remiss to not assist in keeping them safe. We wouldn’t be sitting here altogether if not for them.”

A silence fell on the table as everyone looked at McCoy and Scotty briefly. McCoy felt Scotty squeeze his hand and he returned the gesture.

“I think I will hold off on making a decision about sending you four back to school until Captain Paris is here and we can consult with her and Christopher.” David looked around at the four boys. “It may be selfish,” he said quietly, “but at least here I can know for certain you’re all safe.”

McCoy saw Scotty shift in his chair at those words. He wished he could prove undoubtedly to his fiancé that the security staff in the palace was trustworthy but he knew it would be impossible. Scotty’s fear was entirely reasonable and until something was done and Khan was caught, he knew it would remain.

“I am going to ask you boys and Leah to remain inside the palace after dark, and to let at least one of us adults know where you will be if you go outside during the day for the time being,” David said firmly.

McCoy’s stomach twisted at the worries trying to hide on David’s face. He had never seen that on his father before.

“I’ve never seen Father look scared before,” Leah said.

She was sitting in the armchair in front of McCoy’s bookshelf.

“I know,” he answered quietly from the chair opposite her.

Scotty and Robbie had gone with Francine and Alasdair after everyone had finished dinner. Francine had wanted the time to grieve with just her family and everyone had understood.

Father had gone back to his office with Sarek and Dr. Boyce while Mother and Amanda had gone off together towards the queen’s sitting room.

McCoy and Leah had shared a look then made their way to his room. As kids they had more often played in his room and it was natural to retreat to the space still.

They sat in silence.

“How are we going to win this Leah?” McCoy was staring unfocused at the ceiling. Defeat flowed through him. Khan was stronger and smarter than humans. How could they beat him?

“I don’t know,” Leah admitted in a voice that edged on tears.

“If he isn’t caught… We’ll always be looking over our shoulders, expecting the worst, trusting no one.” Anger welled up in his stomach and he wanted to hit something. “We can’t just shut in and hide away from the universe.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Leah agreed. “But it’s what you might have to do for a while.”

“I know,” McCoy said, defeat winning over again. “I just want Scotty to be safe.” His eyes pricked and he blinked to keep tears from coming.

“We’ll win. We have to,” Leah said quietly but fiercely. “We’re the good guys, we have to win.”

That got a smile from McCoy. “I thought I was the one who read too many fantasy books,” he teased his sister.

Leah stuck her tongue out at him. “Oh boo Lenny. We are the good guys and we’ve already beaten him once.”

Before McCoy could reply a knock sounded on the door. Both siblings looked at each other, then the door as it opened enough for Scotty to pop his head in.

Part 462

Scotty

They sat together in Francine's room. Granddad had taken a seat in an armchair while the boys sat on a couch across from him. Their mother, sitting on the bed, once again wiped away her tears. Scotty only now noticed how tired and exhausted she looked. It was all too much for her.

"I'm going to go. Ye cannae stop me."

Alasdair's voice sounded firm and his gaze was on his daughter-in-law. He would not be dissuaded from his plan.

"Granddad, please..." Robbie sounded incredibly desperate, but the older man cut him off with a quick wave of his hand.

"Robert, don't argue with me. I can make my own decisions. And I will not be intimidated by some student."

The words were like a punch to the gut for Scotty.

Khan wasn't just some student. He was a superhuman - created to be smarter and stronger than other humans. He was dangerous.

"Ye saw what that boy is capable of, Alasdair. He just burned down our house! He... he's a monster! Ye cannae just put yourself in that kind of danger!"

Once again, tears streamed down Francine's cheeks. Scotty recognized the naked panic in her eyes. And he understood it all too well. He, too, did not want his grandfather to return to Scotland.

"Francine. That's enough. I'm not going to change my mind and nothing is going to happen to me."

Scotty knew there was nothing they could say against it. Instead, he got up and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to his mother. His heart beat faster as he thought about Khan targeting him. Khan wanted to hurt him. And he just didn't understand why.

"Mum, it... it's my fault. I'm so sorry."

Francine put an arm around him and pulled him closer. She ran a hand through Scotty's hair.

"Oh Monty... don't say that. It's not yer fault that boy does such terrible things. Ye even tried to help him after all."

Aye. He had. He had really believed that Khan could become a better person. He had really hoped that everything could turn out for the better. But he had been wrong.

"The only important thing now is to find him. If Khan is locked up, then we can all be at peace again."

Scotty looked over at Robbie. And for a brief moment, he barely recognized his little brother. When had Robbie grown up so much? He almost admired him for it.

"Aye. And we will find him." Alasdair nodded in agreement.

"And what if he has long since found an accomplice in the ranks of this palace?"

Scotty simply could not suppress the horrible thought. He knew he shouldn't harbor such fears, but it simply couldn't be avoided.

"We can only hope that's not the case," Francine breathed.

"I have faith in what Leah and Leonard are saying. If they say we can trust the people here, then we can," Robbie agreed.

Scotty nodded slowly. He was aware of it. But... he just couldn't shake the worry completely.

And he knew that the thoughts would continue to occupy him for the next night.

He had found Leonard and Leah together in the prince's room after the conversation. Leah had quickly left to check on Robbie, leaving Leonard and Scotty alone.

Now they lay in bed together, arm in arm.

Scotty didn't want to do anything. He didn't want to read anything, watch a movie, play a game.

He just wanted to lie in Leonard's arms and try to calm down. He wanted to block out the images of the day. He didn't want to think about Khan.

But as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw flames and a house collapsing in on itself. He saw photos disappearing into the blazing fire. He saw the mobile he had owned since he was a child, destroyed.

A quiet sob escaped him.

He would never be able to sleep. Never again. Not like this.

Leonard stroked Scotty's head with his hand soothingly.

"I know. I know you're scared. I know that... you're hurting. Can... can I help you in any way?"

Scotty swallowed, and finally he said the words that had helped them so many times before.

"Help me forget."

And he knew his fiancé would do everything in his power to do that.

But in the end, it was the pills they had gotten from Dr. Boyce that brought Scotty the sleep his body so desperately needed.

#star trek #montgomery scott #leonard mccoy #scones #au #against all odds

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bcnes-archived · 1 year ago

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"I'm not—!" The argument is instinctive, but unwarranted, because... yeah, he supposes that is exactly what he's doing, and his least favorite kind of Spargument (Spock Argument) is the ones where he proves how damn good he is at dissecting him. Worst side effect of having him in his head for so long, he can say that with certainty. McCoy rolls back onto his heels and makes a face.

"—Hell, I guess I am. Well, look, maybe I'm just trying to make sure you know it doesn't have to make its way through Vulcan divorce courts or anything, now that I know what all that entails. I'd rather you just bail than run me through with a lirpa, thanks." The dry admission is followed with a muttered, "anyway, I'm out of practice."

Jim was the one who hunted him down last time around, after all, not the other way around, and before Jim every other engagement post-divorce was of the casual sort of variety, no (spoken) feelings involved. But maybe the change this time around, the promise of who-knows-what, is a worthwhile departure from the safety of the norm. It feels right, in any case. He supposes he doesn't have to put any more thought into it beyond that.

"And now I'll go the rest of my life without hearing that again, I'll wager." His sigh is both theatrical and exaggerated, thoroughly insincere, and betrayed fully by his smile when he bounces on the balls of his feet. "Oh, well." They've really got Jim to say all the mushy shit for them, anyhow, and Spock's more fun to be around when he's being a bitch. It was a rather key component in catching feelings for the man, after all. "I can live with that if, and only if, you'll permit me one more blatant display of human emotionalism and let me do that Vulcan thing to spite your dad next time we run into him."

He gestures vaguely with a hand. He's only met Sarek and Amanda personally once or twice - he doesn't envy Amanda at all, especially now - and even when he had it wasn't as though he'd been intently studying them to understand how Vulcans display affection. The understanding starts and stops at 'something to do with the hands'. "Won't get his head spinning quite as much as the human method, but I figured you'd consider mashing mouths together to be too illogical."

It's almost strange, to see the usually abrasive and stubborn man that was doctor McCoy turn into someone so shy. It's a sort of strange he finds endearing though, his apprehension fading into an undertone of fondness. It's strange, the sort of relief that washes over him now; almost as if accepting it now had lifted some invisible weight off his shoulders. If they were lucky, maybe it wouldn't just be momentary.

There's little comment on the first statement, mostly due to the more pressing things he has to say. But it was true in a way - more than half of the voices that haunt him are Vulcans. Surak knows it took quite a stubborn, loud individual to speak over them; perhaps the insistence that he was capable, was worth the effort was what he needed to hear. That same conviction that others had always spoken with, only with an opposing viewpoint. It almost made him believe it was possible. At the very least it convinced him to try and find out.

"Doctor, I find it somewhat amusing that once you've convinced me the first thing you do is reassure me I can leave. I have already gone this far with you and am willing to take this.. leap of faith, as you may say. I do know you, and that is exactly why I am willing to try. I am aware that sincerity is not our strong suit with each other, but.. I assure you it is important to me as well. That you - we - are. The three of us. I.. love you too."

It's hard to say out loud, but if Bones is willing to swallow that pride and say it aloud, he can at least return the favor. He wouldn't want him to feel like he returned the feeling any less.

#dearestblood #to explore strange new worlds [ + ] threads #ic [ + ] tos

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first-officer-chaebi · 3 years ago

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“The Third Definition” (t’hy’la fic, random script I’ll probs never write, kirk/spock)

Set at the end of Into Darkness, eight months after Khan’s defeat. Starfleet is just starting to get back on its feet after the betrayal of Admiral Marcus, with significant help from other planets in the Federation. They are desperate to prove that they are still standing strong, and intend to show this by officiating the first non-critical space endeavour since the incident—the Enterprise’s five-year mission. James Kirk is assigned the mission, much to his excitement, but it is a rushed deal and he has to assemble his crew in less than a month. He goes first to Spock, of course, who also seems to have something he wants to say. Kirk speaks first, though, and is met with an answer he never expected—Spock cannot join him as a First Officer. Spock is mum as to the reason, saying only that it is a highly personal matter, and he might possibly be able to arrange so that he can join the Enterprise at a later time as a science officer, but Kirk will of course need to assign himself a new First Officer before then. When asked what it was Spock wanted to say, Spock says that it is now unimportant and nothing more.

Kirk is appalled by the idea of going without Spock, and of having another First Officer. He tries his best to get out of him why he can’t come, but is continually dismissed.

Two weeks before the launch of the Enterprise, Kirk is introduced to his new Vulcan science officer, who he personally requested be Vulcan for simplicity of work. He and Hikaru Sulu, now his official First Officer, go to see T’sol. They expect to meet Spock there as well, but he doesn’t show. Afterwards, Kirk and Sulu go to Spock’s apartment, but find it empty. They call Uhura, who has also not heard anything from Spock. Now worried, they begin a search, but Kirk has just barely gotten a hold of someone from Starfleet to ask if Spock was reassigned when Uhura calls and asks to meet up. They do and she tells him that Spock’s father called her, saying that Spock is on Vulcan and her presence is needed urgently—she’s leaving for Vulcan on a private shuttle tonight.

Kirk is distressed, but there’s nothing he can do. However, a few hours later, he is contacted by none other than Ambassador Spock. He says that he will be going to Vulcan on the same shuttle as Ms Uhura, and requests that Kirk join them. Kirk, a bit wounded that Spock didn’t even tell him he was leaving for Vulcan, asks which Spock is making the request, and the ambassador simply replies that Jim’s Spock is not in a condition to know what to ask for right now. Kirk decides to go, talks with Uhura about how to explain their leaving the planet to Starfleet, and packs a bag.

Arriving on Vulcan, Kirk and Uhura learn that Spock didn’t want to join the mission because he was preparing for his pon farr, which would have hit him pretty much exactly when the mission was supposed to begin. However, the effects started showing earlier than intended and he had to leave for Vulcan before things got too out of hand. Well there, he met with his childhood betrothed T’Pring, who challenged him to battle instead of accepting their marriage. She chose herself as a champion, but the battle ended without a victor since both wounded the other so badly that they could not continue. Meanwhile, Spock’s blood fever is slowly killing him. Sarek called for Uhura since she might be compatible for a bondmate despite not having taken part in Vulcan customs like Amanda before their wedding. We learn that Spock and Uhura broke off their relationship for good after the Khan incident, something Kirk was unaware of.

Sarek understands and accepts her unwillingness, but she understands that without a bondmate to quell the fever, Spock will die. After asking what it would mean for her to attempt the bonding (the mind link would be there and their marriage officiated, however she would not be at risk of becoming pregnant since she is human, and she would not be bound by Vulcan laws in the event that she wanted to divorce him afterwards), Uhura agrees to do what she can to save Spock. The ceremony begins and Spock mind melds with Uhura—it fails.

Now certain that there is nothing that can be done and Spock will die shortly, Kirk grieves and demands from Sarek that there has to be something, anything, they can do to save him. Sarek explains that only the forming of a bond with a willing and compatible mate will save him, and no such Vulcan exists. Kirk then goes to Ambassador Spock and asks him why he brought him here if the only thing he can do is to stand by and watch Spock die. The ambassador then reveals that he believes there is someone who can bond with Spock, but he cannot be sure by his own intuition alone. Kirk slowly understands what the ambassador is referring to, since he remembers the incredible bond that the ambassador had with his own Jim Kirk before his death, which he felt through the mind-meld with the ambassador when they first met.

Kirk is at first appalled, but quickly collects himself, as he knows that his feelings for Spock are deeper than the word friend can describe, which he realised when he was dying and Spock called him his ‘friend’. The ambassador then tells him of the word t’hy’la and explains that, in the time since his arrival in this universe, he has come to understand that this universe’s Kirk and Spock have a very different relationship than he had with his own Jim, mostly because they are quite different. Starfleet is different. The universe is different. However, he can also sense—probably due to actually being a different version of Spock—that there is something else going on between them. He asks if Kirk ever feels like he knows Spock is coming around a corner, or if they seem to come to the same conclusions. Jim says that yes, that’s why he couldn't imagine having someone else for a First Officer. When he says that, he realises also that he can’t imagine not having Spock beside him whatsoever.

With little time to lose, Jim stands before a major decision. Because no matter what happens next, his relationship with Spock will change. Either he does nothing and Spock dies, the bond fails and Spock dies, or the bond succeeds, and their relationship will no doubt be common knowledge pretty fast since Vulcan/Human bonds are extremely rare. The Ambassador’s bond to his own Jim Kirk was an open secret, mostly since the establishment of the bond happened within the walls of the Enterprise, slowly and gradually. Now, Kirk has no such choice, since the bond would have to be established during a ceremony before the Vulcan elders, as well as Spock’s father. But, as expected, Jim agrees to try it.

That very same night, Sarek is outraged by the suggestion, though he already knows from conversations with the ambassador that there is a chance it might work. Sarek allows it, and the ceremony is quickly prepared. At this point, Spock is unconscious, and the bond can only be established if he is awake. Against all odds and everyone’s beliefs, when Jim takes Spock’s hand, Spock slowly awakens, and is helped to initiate the mind meld. It’s messy, it's difficult and it's painful for Jim, but he can sense that it is working. In the end, Spock collapses from the complete exhaustion, about as close to death as can be. Jim is taken away and is forced to wait to know if Spock will survive. He is accompanied by the ambassador, who helps him deal with the weight and the pain of the bond, which is unstable and hurting.

The next morning, after an entirely sleepless night for both Kirk and Uhura, it is revealed that Spock’s fever is broken, and it seems that he will survive. Kirk can feel Spock calling for him, needing him, but he is not allowed to see him yet. Sarek thanks Kirk for saving his son, but is unapologetic about not wanting them to get closer. He is vague in his explanations when Kirk demands to know why, saying only that Spock also has a choice to make now, once he is conscious enough to make it—a choice between Kirk and Vulcan. Kirk doesn’t understand why Spock would have to choose, and Spock Prime suggests that Kirk be allowed to see T’Pring, who might serve as a better example than the amiable Sarek.

Kirk is then introduced to T’Pring, who is recovering from her injuries well. He learns from her that Spock has always had a rumour about him among Vulcans, because of his half-Human status and the fact that he chose Starfleet over the Vulcan Science Academy. However, the biassed opinions against him grew far far worse after the Khan incident, since his behaviour surrounding Kirk’s death became well-known and was seen by very many people. It started a belief that Vulcans are not as in control of themselves as they claim, and bigoted anti-Vulcan supporters began to use Spock’s behaviour as an example that Vulcans are dangerous and will eventually move to take over the Federation once they’ve rebuilt their race. Kirk calls the rumours for what they are—bigoted and baseless and hateful—but T’Pring counters that while they are distasteful and biased, they are in fact not baseless. Spock did lose control over himself, completely, and twice on top of that. Both times were entirely because of Jim Kirk. T’Pring did not want to be the consort of someone who went around deferring to logic when they themselves could never truly master their emotions, nor to someone who was becoming legendary as a hero while dragging the reputation of Vulcan stoicism down with him.

At last, before Kirk leaves, we learn that T’Pring had expected Spock to bring Kirk with him to Vulcan for the ceremony, since Spock has no friends on Vulcan and he is expected to bring one as a witness. However, Spock came alone. T’Pring prides herself on her logic that if Kirk had been there, she could have chosen him as her champion. Then, no matter which of them came out the victor, Spock would be either dead or disgraced and broken, and she would be free of him.

Kirk once more goes to talk to the ambassador, and tells him what T’Pring said. Spock Prime is surprised, but not because she would do such a thing, but because she already did. He tells the story of his breakup with his own T’Pring, and having been forced to fight his Jim Kirk to the (apparent) death. How, for the approximate fifteen minutes that he believed Jim to be dead, he wanted nothing more than death himself. Kirk is shocked by this, trying to imagine what it would’ve been like to fight his own Spock. He asks if Spock Prime already had his bond with his Jim when they were forced to fight. The ambassador explains that it was when he thought that he had killed Jim and his blood fever broke that he knew for sure that they were t’hy’la, something he had only vaguely speculated beforehand. And, just like it turned out for Spock and Jim now, that bond saved them both—Kirk Prime’s life was spared in the battle because Spock Prime was holding back, Spock’s life was saved because Jim’s ‘death’ broke the fever. And in this universe, Spock’s life was saved because the bond broke the fever in a different way, and Jim was spared combat because Spock didn’t bring him. Kirk asks if that really was the reason he wasn’t asked to come along, and the ambassador assures him that there could be no other reason.

The next few days are torture for Jim, as Spock doesn’t wake up and doesn’t get better. Their only relief is that it’s not getting worse. Spock Prime helps Kirk with the bond, but the relief is marginal at best. They are also being chased by Starfleet, since Uhura’s emergency leave of absence is running out and Kirk’s was never approved, since he has been unable to provide an adequate explanation. He chooses not to, so that Spock may be a part of the decision. But unless he returns immediately, his command of the soon-to-launch Enterprise will be revoked and both the ship, and its five-year mission, will be given to somebody else. Kirk is at a loss for what to do and not even Spock Prime can give him any useful advice, since he believes that Kirk needs to follow his heart in this and not be further influenced.

Kirk chooses not to leave, but convinces Uhura to return at least temporarily, so that her career isn’t further damaged by what’s happening. She does, with a promise to return, and thanks Kirk for all he’s done. She explains that, at first, she didn’t quite understand why the bond between her and Spock failed, but between Kirk and Spock it worked. Now, she can see not only that, but also why her relationship with Spock began to deteriorate faster once they met Kirk, because while Spock loved her dearly, what he and Kirk share feel almost fated, corporeal, mythical. At her words, Kirk thinks again of the word t’hy’la, which Spock Prime offered him as a way of describing it.

Not long after that, Spock does finally awaken. Kirk feels it before the healers find out and they try to stop him when he wants to enter, but Sarek is there and tells them to let Kirk through. Their reunion is strange, but not difficult. Spock is shocked by the bond and takes some time to adjust, a silent and introspective process which Kirk tries to share as best he can. They simply sit there, one in bed and the other beside it, experimenting with touch, mental barriers and strange truths, all within the recluse of their now shared mind space.

Spock Prime witnesses this from a respectful distance with nostalgia in his eyes, years upon years of memories both warm and distant, heartfelt and hard-earned, all surfacing at the sight of his alternate self and this strange, hot-headed but still oh-so-familiar Jim.

#star trek #star trek aos #k/s #kirk x spock #spock x kirk #james t kirk #jim kirk #spock #the premise #t'hy'la #space husbands #spirk

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songbookff · 4 years ago

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man we talk all the time about how freaking romantic Spock is...whatever ship you're sailing there...

but like he learned that from Sarek??

like that bitch ass was all, Vulcans Don't Have Emotions. and says he calls Amanda his beloved because it is the meaning of her name...but let's not pretend that isn't something to swoon over.

I married her because I loved her.

hell yes you did. you idiot Vulcan. Amanda Grayson could have had anyone she wanted and landed the Ambassador to Emotionless Land who loves her so much that during his mind meld with Picard years later, he still feel like he didn't tell her he loved her enough.

Sarek is a Vulcan disaster but he absolutely loves his wife and is willing to prove it in every way. damn romantic you.

#sarek #amanda grayson #sarek/amanda #spock #vulcan

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8bitbree · 4 years ago

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Hi I’ve been seeing a lot of people using this scene ^ to explain why Sarek is the Worst Father™, and I’m here to explain why I believe this never actually happened. So buckle in for what will probably be a long explanation nobody asked for!

First off, it’s really important to remember when this scene is taking place. Sybok is attempting to release Spock and Bones’ “pain” by showing them visions that they must face. Now, while Bones’ vision is an actual memory of his, we don’t have enough evidence to prove that every vision Sybok shows someone actually happened.

I am a firm believer that Spock’s vision is not a memory at all, but rather only a representation of Spock’s pain created by Sybok. For starters, there is no way a newborn Spock would remember his birth; and given what we know of Sybok’s backstory, it’s highly unlikely he was present for Spock’s birth either. It’s much more likely that this vision is instead how Spock fears his father reacted at his birth. I won’t pretend that Sarek didn’t have any flaws. It’s very clear that he had a lot of difficulty relating to Spock because his son was half human, and Spock may have internalized this by believing his father was ashamed of him. But struggling to relate to your son is a far cry from “ew so human.”

Given what we know about Sarek and his relationship with Amanda, it makes much more sense for his reaction to Spock’s birth to be what we see in Star Trek (2009). (Side note, I find it very cute that Sarek names Spock after one of Vulcan’s early founders, which imo seems like something a proud father would do. I think he had high hopes for his son and what that meant for Human-Vulcan relations in the future. Also just look at this cute couple!)

I know a lot of people claim this scene isn’t canon because it was deleted; but I’m under the impression that it was deleted to avoid having two birth scenes in a row, rather than because it went against canon. So there’s that.

Lastly, I just have to say that if you think Sarek (who loves humans so much he’s not only the ambassador to earth but also married to one) would be disappointed that his son is half human, you need to go rewatch all of Star Trek or something because just no. Most of Sarek and Spock’s arguments are over his career choices for crying out loud, not because Sarek is disappointed in his son’s human heritage! Smh

tl;dr

Sarek lamenting that his son is “so human” is a bad take that never actually happened, but is just part of Sybok’s weird brainwashing powers. Catch me over here preaching about Proud Papa Sarek (2009) until I die.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk

#star trek #sarek #spock #star trek v #star trek v: the final frontier

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kinetic-elaboration · 4 years ago

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March 12: 1x10 Journey to Babel

My favorite Star Trek episode! Possibly my favorite episode of anything... I’m not going to have much of anything deep to say about it but I did enjoy it immensely.

I actually know the opening of this ep really well because I was using it as the basis for a still unfinished AOS-verse fic that I still want to write but it doesn’t get old regardless.

We can relax when the Vulcans get here! Can you though??

Spock’s utter non-reaction to the name Sarek. But inside he’s gotta be feeling a lot, right? I mean at the very least, nerves at the impending awkwardness.

I feel like Sarek is so subtly suspicious in this scene. Like... why is no one acknowledging we’re related? What’s going ON?

And Kirk knows something’s up but he’s not sure what.

So rude! Asking for another guide. That really is a rift.

And then Amanda’s look when Kirk mentions Spock’s parents. So subtle, so confused, so judgmental.

Also this is a great concept for an Enterprise mission.

I think Amanda’s really interested in the ship! So this is where Spock works...

Humans smile with such little provocation... Whereas Spock smiles when Kirk isn’t dead

Lol the parallels with Sarek and Kirk calling Amanda and Spock over. Mr. Spock, attend.

Sarek taught him computers! So adorable.

Mrs.Sarek lol. But she proves the unpronounceable name can be sort of pronounced.

Idk if I believe this whole depiction of Vulcans as patriarchal... It doesn’t really square with T’Pau running the whole planet. Nor is it logical.

Amanda is so glad that Spock has friends!!

I love to see Kirk defending Spock.

Lmao at the idea of Sarek following the teachings of his father. Was he doing that when he took a HUMAN wife??

Kirk and Amanda bonding over their stubborn husbands.

Oh no, the signal is coming from inside the ship!

Kirk is sure loving this.

So Sarek is 102. That would make him 60-some years older than Spock.

Sarek’s vote carries the others! He’s so important.

Now Kirk is trying to charm the aliens.

I just noticed that Amanda asks Spock if she can share the sehlat story. She looks at him and he very obviously inclines his head. He’s okay with McCoy hearing this.

Alive with six inch fangs!!

Sarek being so protective of Spock and his dignity. “He’s a Starfleet officer!!” Honestly so proud of him.

Sarek/Amanda is actually the best ship.

I feel like Spock gets his humor from Sarek honestly. Like the way he talks to the Telluride Ambassador is so similar to how Spock talks to people.

Can’t believe Kirk had to break up a fight between Spock’s dad and another ambassador lol.

Of course Kirk has to be shirtless for the dramatic reveal of MURDER.

Spock doesn’t think Sarek killed anyone. (Even when he kinda throws him under the bus with that “my father is capable of killing.”)

But then there’s Sarek “I agree, I am a very suspicious person here.”

Meditation cannot be discussed with Earthmen.

Sarek had 4 heart attacks and didn’t tell his wife. The nerve.

Sarek and Spock ganging up on Bones. A real bonding moment.

Spock’s blood has human blood elements...interesting.

Spock was researching for Sarek. Idk why that hits me so hard... He finds this really long shot solution, an experimental drug that isn’t even used on Vulcans and just says “okay problem solved we’re going to fix my father now.”

Calling his father by his first name... cold. He doesn’t do that with Amanda.

*Stefon voice* This ep has everything, mystery, intrigue, family drama, diplomatic drama, medical emergencies, shirtless Kirk, and a fight scene!

Poor Spock, on top of everything else, his space husband is injured too.

Now Spock is off to question the prisoner. Eep, wouldn’t want to be that prisoner.

I feel like Spock’s excuse of not wanting to give up command is total Scotty erasure, and seems really flimsy on its face.

The Andorian tells him to think about passion and gain...asking Spock to think about passion!! How dare?

Not a lot of Kirk in this episode but every Kirk scene is gold. He’s being charming again. And he has such devotion to Spock and his family, even risking his own health to make sure Spock can help Sarek--and Sarek hears all of it! We are specifically shown that he’s awake!

Kirk’s face when he looks at Spock in the Captain’s chair is just so loving.

Hmmm I guess no one trusts Scotty around here!

Bones is not encouraging confidence by not knowing what Vulcan blood pressure should be.

Haha just knocked Spock the fuck out. “My patients don’t walk out in the middle of operations.”

“Sir, we stunned the Andorian and pieces just started falling off.”

I love that the inside of Sarek is smoking.

...You know actually the Enterprise did need Kirk specifically to command in this crisis.

How is CHEKOV the next in command lol? He’s 22 and the lowest ranked person there.

It’s interesting that the Orions are the bad guys in this episode.

Spock’s parents can so clearly tell how in love Kirk and Spock are.

“One does not thank logic.”

When Kirk collapses and Amanda moves closer to him, Sarek is still holding his fingers out for a kiss like a lovesick nerd.

Bones gets the last word!

And now Kirk, Spock, and Sarek are going to be recovering in the same room for a while lol.

I didn’t write any notes on the Spock and Amanda scene because it’s just... too much. Too overwhelming. It’s so dramatic, first off, and... Amanda is just so human. You know in some ways she’s assimilate to Vulcan life--how she can pronounce Sarek’s last name and how she thinks the Vulcan way of life is “better”--but she really wasn’t written to e like a long term Vulcan resident imo. I mean when it comes right down to it, she’s very human. I like that but I just think it’s interesting.

I’m a little uncomfortable with like the degree of emotional manipulation... saying she’ll hate him forever, slapping him. But Spock’s excuse looks pretty flimsy when you consider that there are other people who can command the ship. But then... well like I said, there WAS an emergency and Kirk really was the best man for the job so like you do get an example of how not all officers are interchangeable. And I was trying to wrap my head around the argument that this isn’t just a Starfleet position, it’s a Vulcan one, and one Sarek would understand: duty, rules, and the many before the one. So I guess it does make sense, and the tension is appropriate for the scenario.

I also appreciate how the point of this episode was to show, as DC Fontana said, three people who hadn’t been a family for a long time becoming a family again, so you can see all the complexity in their history and how the differences in their cultures blend together sometimes awkwardly, and how hard it is for all of them.

This is the best ST installment for Vulcan fashion. Like, this ep, T’Prng’s dress in Amok Time, and Ambassador Spock’s asymmetrical coat in STXI are the only valid Vulcan outfits. I never got the robes and head coverings thing. Like, are robes logical? I think not. Plus, they are desert people but they are NOT austere, so I don’t get all the dark colors and shit. Vulcans should absolutely all be wearing hot pink wide legged pants and fur-trimmed ponchos; I am not joking. Also I thought Sarek’s outfit was great: it’s simple and professional but still has a lot of color on it; it’s exactly what it seems like a Vulcan ambassador would wear. And they never reach that level in any later installment!!

The Amazon trivia tells me that deleted dialogue said that Sarek was an engineer before he was an ambassador, which I don’t totally get (that’s not... a science...and he went to the VSA right?), but I do find it VERY interesting and I wish I’d known that when I wrote HAICG and had Spock name his son after an engineer.

Next time is Friday’s Child, which is also a great episode to watch and think about HAICG.

#the year 2021 #2021: star trek #2021: fandom thoughts #star trek tos

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calliecat93 · 4 years ago

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Top 15 Star Trek TOS Episodes (Part Two)

(Part One)

Continuing from the last post, here are the remaining seven episodes~! Also picking Number One was SUPER hard. I was stuck between it and two for a long while. But I finally picked, so here we go!

#7. The Trouble With Tribbles

Up to this point, I hadn’t been crazy over some of the goofier episodes of Star Trek. Shore Leave was a mindscrew that left me uncertain about what was even happening by the end, though my opinion has lightened up upon looking back. The Squire of Gothos had a villain that I found far more annoying than entertaining and it remains one of my least favorite episodes. The only more silly one I did like was I, Mudd which remains an utter laugh riot once everyone acts as illogical as possible, including Spock. But then this episode came along, and Dear Lord it is hilarious. Our heroes stop at a space station, but it’s also occupied by Klingons. But wait, it gets better! A sleezy guy convinces Uhura to buy a Tribble, these little puff ball things that are kind of cute... until they begin to reproduce so rapidly that they infest the ship and base. To put it simply, it’s not a good time for Kirk. Honestly Kirk is the best part just because of how much he LOATHES every single thing about this episode. The scene where a whole bunch of Tribbles just topple over him and he just resigns himself to his fate and later his epic death glare at Bones when he orders him to figure out what killed the things. And then there’s what makes him come aorund to them, their shared hatred of Klingons. Seriosuly, Kirk is just So Done in this episode and it is amazing~

But seriously, it’s a very entertianing episode. Far more than I thought it was going to be when I read the description. It’s not an episode taken seriosuly, but not in the ‘they just gave up’ kind of way like in certain S3 episodes. The cast seem to be legit having a fun time with this one. The brawl between Scotty, Chekov, and a few other guys against the Klingons was super fun as was Kirk sulking when Scotty revelas that he got provoked over the Enteprise being insulted and not the captain. Poor Jim XD Cyrano Jones was also just a fun delight with how scummy yet amusing he is. The scene with him and the drinks during the brawl had me laughing so much XD Seriosuly there’s just so many good moments. Spock not being immune to the Tribble’s comforting effect and being embarassed at this revelaiton, Spock and McCoy’s snark, the Klingons utter horror at the tiny little furballs, it’s just an entertaining ride from beginning to end.

Not anything to really note flaws wise to justify the ranking. It doesn’t have that emotional or philosophical umph that I normally seek out in shows like this, so it’s here at seven. But that ain’t a bad thing at all. Not every episode has to have deep meanings or complex stories. Sometimes it can just be something fun and amusing, and the effort was still there to make it entertaining. It’s one of those episodes that I would watch above the others on a bad day just so I can laugh. Probably the most fun episode I have on this list, and that’s nothing to snuff at~!

#6. The Doomsday Machine

Our heroes find a Starship where the only survivor is Commadore Decker, his crew having all been killed when he beamed them to a planet that a planet destroyer... well, destroyed shortly after. The destroyer is still active and now the Enterprise is in danger. As Kirk remains on that ship, Decker is determined to destroyt he doomsday machine once and for all, including taking command of the Enteprrise and risking their lives to do so. Yeah, this is a pretty intense one. Decker, while his sucicdal actions were wrong, is VERY sympathetic. His crew was killed through no fault of his own, the machine that did it is still loose, and the losses have left him utterly broken. He’s very much traumatized but as he is the highest ranking officer and they can’t officially prove that he’s too mentlaly unfit to be relieved (which imo is idiotic cause even someone who isn’t a psycologist can tell he’s mentally unfit, but whatever), they can’t do much to stop him. Spock DOES finally manage to do so, and it leads to Decker’s ultimate choice that leads to his tragic end.

This one really gripped me. There’s this tension throughout. We have an unstable, suicidal man taking control of the Enterprise and willing to get them all killed to stop the doomsday machine. It’s scary to see how broken the man is. Again, he’s wrong to be willing to sacrifice everyone on The Enterprise to destroy the thing even though none of them want to die, but you understand why. I mean imagine if that happened to Kirk, he’d probably snap too if his actions in Obsession is any indication of how he handles major losses like that. Then we have Decker’s final act. Once relieved of command, he steals a shuttle and goes at the machine himself. He knows that he’s going to die and accepts that fact if it means some chance, any chance of destroying the machine once and for all. While he fails to destory it, he DOES give Kirk the opprotunity needed to do so with the ruined ship. A move that almost gets Kirk killed, but still Decker’s act was not in vain. It’s a very interesting character study with themes of guilt, trauma, and desperation. Kind of like in Obsession in a way, only Kirk manages to survive and pull himself together before it was too late. Decker’s only goal was to take down the machine that took his crew’s lives, even if that meant losing his own.

As I said, these are the kinds of episodes I live for. I guess self-sacrifice is also genetic consideirng what happened with his son in The Motion Picture, haha. Flaws... ugh... I guess McCoy disappeairng after the first half sucked? But that’s a me thing that doesn’t affect anything. I just remember watching it wide-eyed despite fully well knowing that everyone I cared about were going to be perfectly fine. It really gripped me! A great episode with great character exploration and themes which for a one off character, is pretty dang impressive!

#5. Journey to Babel

Meet the parents epidsode! Yay! The Enteprise is transporting various ambassadors of various planets to the Babel Conference. This includes the Vulcan Ambassador Sarek and his human wife Amanda, aka Spock’s parents. Yep, it’s time for some good ol’ fashioned family issues! Sarek wasn’t exactly happy with Spock choosing Starfleet and their relationship has been strained ever since. But when Sarek has severe heart problems, the only way to save him is via blood transfusion with Spock the only one compatible. But to make it worse, Kirk gets stabbed and put out of comission, forcing Spock to take command... at the same time that his father needs the surgery. Yeah... it sucks to be Spock in this episode. I know that Sarek is a bit divisive, but I like Spock’s parents. Sarek comes off as good at his job, but not great as a parent. He’s far fromt he worst and we do see that he does seem to still care about his son, he’s just God awful at admitting it and his previous mistakes. Like father, like son I guess. Amanda was a delight, especially when she tells McCoy about the sehlat aka giant teddy bear. Anyone who can make Bones smile that big deserves our thanks. Spock trying to make it less embarassing only made it funnier XD But back on topic, they come off as interesitng characters. They ain’t ideal, but they seem to genuinely be in love, which is nice.

Spock was just great here as we see him in one of the roughest spots he’s been in. He’s naturally not happy about being around the father that cast him aside again, though after his heart issues it’s clear that he IS concerned. Leonard Nimoy once again does such a fantastic job at having Spock express so much but without breaking character. It’s all in the eyes and the strained tone of voice. Then when Spock is more than willing to go through with the tranfusion, Kirk is injured. He has no choice but to take command, knowing that in doing so his father will die. While he COULD give command to Scotty, with the VERY intense circumstances of an assaliant on board and a ship ready to attack wit a number of ambassadors on board, he’s the best bet in handling it. Amanda is of course upset and even smacks him which IS overly harsh, but she’s about to lose her husband and her son, despite clealry hating the fact, has to place his duty above all else. Sarek dying is the least worst outcome to everyone else being killed. It’s the most logical route. Fortunately Kirk is able to pull himself together long enough to take over and the transfusion goes through perfectly despite the fight making it more difficult. Which again, McCoy is the true MVP here for managing to pull that off successfully under those conditions and Thank God that the episode rewarded him by letting him finally get the last word. He earned that one!

It’s such a great episode for me. Family drama, Spock conflict, political tensions, and just some relaly fun bits. Seriosuly, the teddy bear bit will NEVER stop being funny. Hoenstly these last five were all pretty tight and this ende dup here cause the other four had just a little bit mroe to keep me invested for reasons. Spock and Sarek don’t really reach a resolution but we do see that it has the chance to improve, and the movies do show that Sarek DOES truly care about his son and even admits that he had been wrong. It takes a lot for a man, even a Vulcan man, to do that. Although I DID double take when I realized that Sarek is played by the same guy who did the Romulan Captain in Balance of Terror. Guess he was that good XD. But yeah, a really great episode and very much my favorite Spock-centric episode.

#4. The Empath

TRIUMVIRATE FEELS BABY~! Our heroes end up trapped by a duo of aliens and encounter a mute empath woman that McCoy names Gem. They try to figure out how to escape as the aliens known as Vians plan to use them for an experiment as they have others. Shenanigains happen while elad to Kirk getting totured p, and then given the ultimate sadistic choice in having to decide if either Spock or McCoy get tortured to the point of either death (McCoy) or permenant brain damage (Spock). Now the episode has it’s issues, like why the Vians needed to do this to decide that Gem’s people were worth saivng is..l really baffling. But I’m also not a Vian so what do I know anout their mindset? But due to those kinds of plot holes, it landed here at four. It also kind of reads like a hurt/comfort fanfic, which isn’t a surprise when you find out that this was written and submitted by a fan. Which is freakin’ awesome and I can’t complain tbh cause it’s a good hurt/comfort fic. What it fails in some plot tightning it succeeds at in emphasizing the relationship between the main trio and it’s themes of emotion and self-sacrifice. Because OF COURSE that would be relevant for these three numbskulls at some point!

The second half is really what sells it. Kirk of course can’t make a choice like that, so Bones hypos him so that he’ll be spared of it. But that means that Spock is in command and he fully intends to hand himself over to the Vians to spare the two. Just the scene where he looks at Kirk, knowing that it’ll likely be the last time he sees him and Gem touching him to feel his emotions. Her smile sums it sll up. Which sidenote, the actress for Gem was freakin’ fantastic in how she displayed so much emotion and character without saying one word. Excellent acting. Anyways, Spock’s plan seems full-proof... except that he forgot that he’s dealing with McCoy, who promptly hypos him as well and sacrifices himself to the Vians. That was when McCoy became my favorite character, the moment he chose to be tortured to near death to save his two best friends and an innocent woman and even took the time to try and comfort her before being taken away. When we see the ifnal result and are greeted to DeForest Kelley looking at the camera with the most dead expression that he can muster... yeah the image STILL haunts me. Then Bones is dying with the two unable to do anything but try to give him some comfort and Gem is just so distraught and... heah this episode mad eit this high simply because it hit the emotional beats perfectly. That’s not even going into Gem trying to heal him to drive home the themes of the episode, also done VERY well.

This episode really shows how much the three care for one another. They’re all willing to be tortured and die to spare the other two. Ultimately McCoy gets the ‘honor’, but Kirk and Spock were absolutely ready to throw themselves to the fire. The characterization, interactions, and dynamic are just done so well that it’s why I can forgive the plot issues. I’m a sucker for feelings okay?! So yeah it’s not perfect but what it got right it got right. As such, it managed to land here at Number Four with only those plot holes keeping it from Number One. And trust me, I was tempted.

#3. The Tholian Web

Season 3 hadn’t been doing it for me with only one or two episodes really getitng my attention up to that point. This one though? This was the best episode in the seaosn bar none. Our heroes end up in a subspace where they find a starship and it’s crew all dead. Whien they teleport back to The Enterprise, it disappears... and takes Kirk with it. Okay, doesn’t sound liek anythignt hat new right? Kirk goes missing, the crew have to deal without him and find him as quickly as posisble. But this one has a bit of a twist... they cut Kirk out completely. Yeah, from the moment he vanishes in the first act to the very end he is out of the episode. Not only does the crew not know what happened to him, but neither does the audience, this ramps up the fear and emotional weight big time as the longer the crew is int hat space, the influence of it drives them to insanity. Bones wants to get out because of this, while Spock is unwilling to leave Kirk if he is alive. Needles to say, things go off the rails quickly.

With Kirk out of the equation, we keep our focus on Spock and McCoy. Their arguing is probably at the most personal it’s ever been with Kirk seming dead, the crew losing their minds, and it looking more and more uncertain that they can both treat the crew and ge tout alive. While one can say that McCoy may be too harsh here, I think along with the space affecting him in a less intense way, he’s also stressed from all the patients as well as his grief about Jim. Spock is the only one that he can take it out on, especially since his chocie to not leave is why they’re now int he mess that they’re in. Spock is trying to perform his duties despite the hostilities and his own grief that he’s trying to keep a grip on with all the responsibility of the crew and whatever happens due to his choice firmly sititng on his shoulders. What finally starts to get them to resolve this? A tape that Kirk made for them in the event of his death. He gives them his confidence that they can perform their duties withiut him, but that they need to lsiten to and support each other. They CAN go on without him. It’ll hurt but they’re now all that they each have and they need to work together now more than ever. It’s a sobering moment for both with McCoy realizng how ovelry harsh he had been and Spock expressing genuine grief. They do still bicke rone more time, but McCoy catches himself before it goes too far, apologizes, and Spock simply says what Jim would: “Forget it, Bones”. Cue Bones fainting like the Southern Bell that he is, haha!

Now of course Kirk is alive and they manage to save him and get out of the situation fine. But I just loved this because of the focus on Spock and McCoy without Kirk. Why? Because Kirk is the one thing that can unite them. It’s not the only thing, but if anything can make them get over their disagreements quickly, it’s Kirk. So what happens when it looks like he’s gone and never coming back? How will the two deal with it now that that balance is gone? They don’t deal with it well, being at each other’s throats until they see that tape. But it DOES show that if they did lose Kirk, they CAN work together and go on. Like I said, I adore these two’s relationship and while not as slashy as All Our Yesterdays, this is such an excellent one for that relationship as we see that yes, they will bicker but they will also be there for each other when it all comes down to it. It’s such a great episode for that reason and the plot was just well done. Like I said, casitng out Jim and leaving us unsure of what happened to him was an excellent move for this one and I enjoyed the exploration that it allowed.

#2. The Immunity Syndrome

Out heroes are scent to investigate what caused a whole solar system to disappear just as they also receive a message from a Vulcan science vessel. Unfortunately, Spock senses he vessel’s destruction and the Enterprise finds itself against a giant space amoeba that will devour everything unless stopped. That may not sound like much, but it leads into what I think was the most intense situation that the Enterprise has been in. Everything, and I mean everything, is pushed to their limits here. This amoeba can outright destroy galaxies and utterly mindless, so there’s no reasoning with it. But it gets especially tense when, in order to understand exactly what’s going on, Kirk has to send someone in the space shuttle to observe, but in doing so, he’s sending someone to most likely die. And his choices? Either Spock or Bones... yeah.

This is what makes this episode great. Spock and Bones are already on rockier than usual terms due to McCoy treating the Vulcan deaths more like a statistic while Spock sensed all of it outright. That itself is an interesting observation on how we treat these kinds of things, not really understanding how horrific it is unless we’re involved in it outright, otherwise it’s sad and unfortunate but just another number. But then we have the suicide mission. Bones originally volunteers himself, after all he’s a doctor and would have the knowledge to make the necessary observaitons and likely the most fit for it. But Spock is not only also perfectly capable even if not specialized in medical science, but he’s also more fit physically and emotionally to undergo the risk and come out alive. In the end, Kirk picks Spock and McCoy ain’t happy about it. The scene with Spock about ready to go with McCoy still unhappy even when Spock asks him to wish him luck. He does... once the doors have shut and Spock can’t hear him anymore. It’s a very strong scene and it only gets more painful when it looks like Spock is truly going to die and his final words are that McCoy should have wished him luck. Bones’ face says everything.

The episode is just excellent. Great character moments. Great emotional weight. Great stakes that keep going up and up and it truly feels like the darkest hour for the crew. Kirk and Spock outright begin to record their respective final words. Even they’re convinced that this is most likely the end, which is just... dang man. I couldn’t look away during this one. They hit everything perfectly with pretty much everything. If I have any issues, none of them come to mind. It’s just an excellent episode and the best of Season 2. I had a REALLY hard time picking between this and my Number One for the top slot. The top one just had a little bit more emotional impact to get it, but it just barely topped this one. Regardless, it is still an excellent episode and one of the best by far. But what is Number One? Well...

#1. The City on the Edge of Forever

Yeah, yeah, obvious pick I know. I normally don’t go wth popular opinion... but sometimes it’s that way for a reason, and this one I can’t argue about. When McCoy gets badly drugged on accident, he goes into a derranged state and beams onto a planet. The crew is unable to stop him from entering a portal known as the Guardian of Forever that sends him into the distant past where he does something to change histry. In order to figure out what changed and to stop McCoy, Kirk and Spock travel into the 1930’s a few days earlier to cut him off and must now navigate their way though the time period where they end up at a soup kitchen run by a woman named Edith Keller. Which Edith is an excellent character. She’s kind, optimistic, charming, hard-working, ad caring towards those who need it. Kirk ends up falling for her, and... it’s legit really cute. Kirk isn’t being forced to make out with a woman or doing so for information. We see how Kirk is when he genunely likes someone, having been drawn to Edith’s optimism and hopes for a better future. A future that he is from and knows will be reality. He’s really sweet and it’s just cute... which makes what happens at the end all the more tragic.

The 1930’s were fun with Kirk trying to come up with an excuse for Spock’s ears having me dying from laughter. The acting was excellent with DeForest Kelley as drugged!Bones especially being both crazy and scary. I quit doubting that he played villains in Westerns after this episode, haha. But of course Spock soon discovers that the change that McCoy is to make is saving Edith form death, and in doing so she leads a pacifist campaign that delays America’s entry into World War II and... well, things go badly. They are in a time where sadly optimism and peace are simply not options, which is even crueler. In order for time to be restored, they have to let Edith die. Kirk is horrified by this and when the time comes (sidenote, the Triumvirate reunion is utterly adorable), he just grabs Bones, keeps his back turned, and can only listen as Edith screams and is killed via car colission. Whatever grievances I have about William Shatner, he absoluteley nailed Kirk’s utter heartbreak and pain as Kirk just looks utterly boken. His final wordds after they return to the 23rd Century simply being a bitter “Let’s get the Hell out of here” sums it all up perfectly. Bones’ horror at it, especially since he DID have to watch it and him being upset at Kirk is also heartbreaking as he asks him if he knows what he just did. Spock can only somberly inform him that yes, he does.

It’s one of those cases where I wish serialization was more of a thign cause DAMN this is some major emotional baggage for everyone but as per usual. It happens and they go on from there with no lingering development. I guess if I had to complain, that would be it but that’s jut the nature of these shows at the time. Kind of feel like Bones getting as bady overdosed as he did pretty much got forgotten after they enter the 1930’s, but I also know nothing about 23rd Century drugs so... ah well. But the rest of the episode is so good that I can forgive those issues and they clealry did nothing to impact the placing. It had a storgn story, great emotion, great acting, great pacing, and a heartbreaking but fitting ending. The episode has a LOT of history behind it’s making that could be a post all it’s own, but no mater how this episode came to be, it is very much the best of Star Trek TOS. It was fun yet sad and had me gripped form beginning to ed and just htinkign about it now still makes me sad. Thus, it earns it’s place as my favorite episode of Star Trek TOS.

And we are done! There were a lot of really good episodes and some i REALLY did consider. A Piece of the Action, The Enemy Within (that was skipped for... certian reasons), Is There in Truth No Beauty?, This Side of Paradise, and plenty of others that I enjoyed. There were others I.. well, didn’t, but I can’t recall outright hating anything. Regardless I came in apathetic at best, and I left a fan for it’s characters, interesting ideas, and I just had a lot of fun. It’s outdated in many ways, but still relevant in others. Overall, I’m glad to have finally watched it, and I hope that I enjoy TNG just as much. But if not, I’ll always have this~!

(Image Source: TrekCore TOS Gallery)

#star trek tos #callie reviews

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theromanticrationalist · 6 years ago

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Star Trek Discovery 2x01 Brother

Wow. I had not expected to get punched in the face by a wall of feelz.

SO MUCH happened in just ONE episode. It was big and epic and beautiful in scope. The stunning art design and cinematography and MUSIC, my sci-fi-loving heart was all a flutter! I am a little hesitant despite my excitement as Season 1 started out in the same way as well - very bold with a strong emotional center. Yet they did not follow through in the character arcs and plot what they had promised in the premiere. I hope with this new direction they’ll do better!

I love Christopher Pike. Hands down. No questions. He has my heart. Anson Mount was able to capture his character so perfectly, and then some! I am so impressed! He is their new Space Dad! And I’m going to love every moment of his quirky Dad jokes, his heart-melting smiles, and his affirming and encouraging the Discovery crew. ❤️❤️❤️

Probably one of the biggest things I am the happiest about is that Saru won’t be regulated to second, but will be co-Captain-ing the Discovery along with Pike! YAY. I felt SO BAD for him when Pike came in and he had to relinquish the chair, but I am glad he’ll get to prove himself further this season - become fully the Perfect and Intellectual Badass that he is! #CaptainSaruForever Sylvia Tilly is AMAZING and PRECIOUS and I seriously don’t know how we haven’t all been destroyed by her sweetness and altruism by now! I loved what Stamets said to her about how her love for others is what will make her a great captain. She is just a supernova of PURE. I cannot wait to see how her character arc progresses this season!

I very much appreciated how there were genuinely funny moments in this episode. It is one of my favorite aspects of Star Trek - basically these are just a bunch of nerds in space and not everything has to be taken seriously. I am glad they will have the lighter tone, Pike’s “We will have some fun along the way”, to this season despite the thematically heavy storyline of the Red Angel.

Now for the main attraction, the Sarek Family Dramaᵀᴹ. (Basically what I’m here for tbh). At first I didn’t know what to make of Michael and Spock’s interaction - as I was a little thrown off - but as the episode progressed, I loved it and thought it was very believable. I am happy that the relationship between Michael and Spock is going to be the center of this season, and am very intrigued to discover what has caused their disconnect. I had thought originally that it had to do with Sarek (of course), as I thought maybe Spock had picked up on the deep connection between Sarek and Michael, a connection that Spock had always wanted with his father but never achieved. (*sob*) Then to see his mother, whom he does have a profound connection with, also develop a relationship with her, I figured Spock would be deeply jealous and feeling threatened. Yet when Michael reveals that SHE is the reason for their rift - it definitely left me surprised and intrigued. I do know, though, that Michael does tend to take a lot of responsibility and blame on herself. With all this complexity, and the fact that Michael just up and reads Spock’s space diary without hesitation, I think I’m going to love their relationship. ^_^ Spock’s emo I’m-going-to-manifest-a-dragon-with-beautiful-precision-then-walk-towards-you-with-the-dragon-swirling-about-me-like-I-am-the-Avatar-or-something-only-to-slam-the-door-in-your-face moment was SO dramatic and probably one of my new favorite Spock moments now. You definitely know that he does not get that from Amanda! Vulcans are SO EXTRA.

Speaking of Sarek, I thought it was so quintessentially Vulcan (and quintessentially Sarek) when he was all disappointed his son didn’t “learn his lesson”. Just the approach he takes like “I have adopted this human child, a human child who will teach Spock empathy, Spock must learn this lesson in order to interact with humans better.” without even thinking about the emotional ramifications of what bringing a new sibling would do to both Michael and Spock. It’s so classic. I love it.

Oh, Sarek. Your Grade A Parenting Skills at their best!

Still a little nervous about Ethan Peck’s portrayal, but also very optimistic. Just hearing his voice on the recording, I’m like “Yeah, that’s Spock.” I hope I feel the same way when I see him!

I have to admit, Christopher Pike’s glowing review of Spock to Michael, about how Spock asked amazing questions and showed how logic is only the beginning of understanding and not the end, made me all warm and fuzzy inside. That’s my boy! 🥰

P.S. Kasseelian Opera is HARDCORE

#Star Trek Discovery #2x01 #my thoughts #Spock #Michael Burnham #Christopher Pike #Sylvia Tilly #Saru

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vokava · 6 years ago

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WHY SPOCK IS SO HARD ON HIMSELF.

lets talk about spock & why he puts so much pressure on himself to be the perfect vulcan his idea of one anyways ! / struggles of self identity . imma make a list for you all . this can be read as a story essentially .

DO NOT REBLOG , REPOST , OR TAKE !

1 ) the most obvious reason is & you guessed it HIS HUMAN HALF . spock is very much under the impression that any & all feelings he has are a result of his mothers side . vulcans abide very much by ( to quote elsa ) a “ CONCEAL DON’T FEEL “ philosophy . since spock is a human / vulcan hybrid he is unable to differentiate his human feelings from his vulcan ones ( cos surprise linda , they actually do have feelings , oh wow what a concept !!! ) thus he assumes any & all feelings are human . as sarek told spock when he was younger , vulcans often feel more deeply then humans — words spock doesn’t really keep in mind in life . what he takes away from that is suppressing any & all feelings is the way to go . emotions of any kind are the enemy to him & he locks them away . of course being human & vulcan not only does he have the often irrational over active human feelings , but the ability to feel so deeply it might tear him to pieces . doubled together is a recipe for disaster . —- spock choses to label any & all feelings he experiences as part of his human “ defect “ . yes he thinks its a defect , which is another reason ( doubled with the comments toward his mother ) why he reacted the way he did in 09 in front of the council . he sees himself as a disappointment . spock strives to be the perfect vulcan by closing his emotions off & chastising himself for feeling anything . the sad part is he is not striving for the perfect vulcan , because in reality as i have stated , vulcans feel . therefore spock is putting pressure on himself to be a type of vulcan that does not exist . logic makes sense to him , feelings do not .

2 ) the next reason most definitely FAMILY , particularly his father . spocks next struggle was with the path he should follow in life . sarek told spock the choice was his own to follow & amanda told him she would be a proud mother no matter his path . but heres the thing , both parents despite their words had ideas for spock to follow in life . sarek obviously would want spock to follow the vulcan ways & perhaps undergo kolinahr ( which amanda says she supports , but ultimately would be slightly heartbroken — something spock can sense ) the struggle in finding a path is again , his perfect vulcan mindset , erasing his human side through kolinahr would be the most logical option , but there is hesitation . spock is very much a mamas boy there is no questions asked . given his close connection with amanda , his human half really is his mother — & neglecting that would disservice his importance to her . he is ashamed of his “ defect “ but at the same time he treasures the piece of his mother he has in him . amandas words about her being a proud mother are what ultimately throw spock off from considering kolinahr , he cannot do that to her . rejecting the science academy is ultimately his own choice & one he regretted & he hates himself for feeling that way when he got into a quarrel with his father after he rejects the council . it is now where pressure once more is placed on his shoulders , his father disapproves — therefore spock puts pressure on himself once again to be perfect , to prove sarek wrong & that he can uphold the vulcan philosophy in the fleet .

3) the final reason is newly opened wound of being the FAMILY DISAPPOINTMENT . not only does have a human side to him but he is rejecting the science academy . he is an outcast “ defect “ , with a bunch of feelings he doesn’t know what to do with . this leads to him becoming particularly cold once he reaches starfleet academy . another reason for why hes so strict on the rules of the prime directive , rules make sense to him feelings do not . hes tired of being a disappointment to himself & everyone around him . never again does he wish to feel helpless & wander the universe wondering whom he is - POINTS AGGRESSIVELY AT BEYOND - logic serves him well even if it once failed him . spock choses to take the academy as a one off act of impulsive rash behaviour ( he has no regrets for defending his mother however ) & keep it in the past . it was too him somewhat of a mistake & it is never going to happen again . this is now his path & he will follow it the only way he knows how . he rejects any & all human ways of thinking & abides but his fantasy of the perfect vulcan .

#👽 * / feel more deeply than humans ( headcanon )#this is super important to my blog

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wintergreen556 · 7 years ago

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5 times Spock said ‘live long and prosper’ when it didn’t matter, and the 1 time it mattered most when he couldn’t

1. “It is a respectful and logical way to say ‘goodbye’ Spock,” Sarek said. His 5-year-old son had much to learn of their culture, and if he were to prosper in any way in the climate he was to engage in he must conduct himself with nothing less than precision and excellence in all ways Vulcan.

Spock nodded and resolved to no longer use the words ‘bye bye’ in parting from others, which his mother Amanda had taught him. Although it brought her happiness when he did so, it was clear his father disapproved. Although neither Sarek nor the councilmember had expressed any emotion outwardly towards Spock’s parting words, Spock could tell his father felt his habit was immature and inappropriate. He held his non-expression, like an acceptable Vulcan, and repeated after his father.

“Live long and prosper.”

2. The words Stonn had spoken still reverberated within his mind- the cruel names his parents had been called still stung. However, it had been made clear to Spock that it was essential to diffuse the situation so that it would not escalate even further than it already had.

Spock regarded his tormentor. The boy seemed much smaller than he had before- he was, of course, still taller than Spock but he seemed to have crumpled in a bit. He was slouching instead of standing with perfect posture, and the bruises and blood which stained his face added to the diminishing effect.

“I... apologize,” Spock said. “My physical reaction was the product of anger and was... inappropriate.” His words, though hesitant, were clear and well spoken.

They felt like blades being drawn across his tongue.

The older boy seemed to inflate slightly; not nearly returning to his prior pristine condition, but regaining much of his lost decorum.

“Your apology is accepted,” he replied primly. “I propose we engage in no further interaction, as there is no potential benefit in any possible conclusion.”

“Your solution is most logical and efficient.” Spock agreed. The prospect of not interacting with Stonn or any of his compatriots any further was certainly attractive. “I suggest we terminate our current conversation to begin this endeavor. Live long and prosper, Stonn.”

“You as well”

As Spock walked away, he felt relief.

3. Spock knew at that moment that his life would change its course forever. He had already made the decision, the moment the minister said those words.

‘...despite your disadvantage.’

“Your human mother.”

Disadvantage indeed.

Spock looked into his father’s eyes as he declined his position at the academy, and before he left, he clarified to the minister and to the council that he was not, in fact, experiencing an emotional need to rebel; that the only emotion he intended to convey was one of gratitude.

As Spock said ‘live long and prosper’, the corner of his mouth twitched.

4. Spock’s conversation with his father procured mixed results. Sarek was, years after Spock had moved up through Starfleet, after even the destruction of his home planet, still attempting to convince him to move to New Vulcan. It was too late for Spock to join the VSA, but not too late, in Sarek’s opinion for him to diverge from a path which would lead to an unstable mental state and further emotional outbursts such as the violent and destructive one Sarek observed on the Enterprise.

“Spock,” his father said, “I have procured 3 different opportunities for you to do research on Vulcan spacecraft, and 7 on New Vulcan. I have sent you the details of each and I expect you to at least consider them.

“Yes, father” Spock replied. Since their first communication 5 months after Spock had rejected the VSA’s acceptance and left for Starfleet, Sarek’s dialogue with Spock had taken on a constant cycle. Phases 1 through 3 of each call had been completed at this point- first the greeting, then asking after each other’s health, and then the presenting of the research opportunities Spock would review and reject. Spock was more than satisfied with his position in Starfleet. He was content, his captain an admirable man to be respected and guided. Spock was not interested in any other position, no matter how fascinating the research his father sent him proved to be.

Now, as always, it was time for phase 4 of their call.

Vulcan conversations were logical and efficient. When there was no more necessary, then the conversation was swiftly ended without excessive platitudes.

“I must take my leave now,” Sarek stated. “I will expect your decision on these different posts within 3 days.“

“Yes, father,” Spock replied. “Live long and prosper.”

“Peace and long life, Spock.”

Sarek ended the call, and Spock stared for 2 seconds longer than necessary at the blank screen. Then, he shifted his pad to be held by his side and exited his quarters. Alpha shift started in approximately 13.2 minutes, and it was necessary he consume the first meal of his day.

5. Spock felt what could only be described as the Terran concept of deja vu, instructing the ambassador of Beta Antares on the traditional Vulcan ‘Goodbye’.

He had taught it to Jim as well, his captain looking at him avidly as he explained the meaning, significance, and history behind the words. He enjoyed Jim’s enthusiasm for learning about the Vulcan culture, especially since it was so vital to maintain every piece which was left of it.

The ambassador’s reception of it did not match what Jim’s had been; although his interpersonal intelligence was, in a word, lacking, Spock could tell that this individual was not enthusiastic about his lesson.

“In parting, there is very little more which could be logically said. It shows good intentions in every way, and allows the opportunity for further amicable meetings.” Spock attempted to fully sum up the importance and grace of what had become for him something fairly constant and dependable. It was difficult, like explaining what it meant to see color or to describe what ‘sweet’ tasted like.

At the end of this mission, they were to go survey the planet Nibiru and gather further data to analyze. Spock would soon be running through calculations of the statistical probability that significant damage would occur should the volcano erupt.

At present, of course, was the matter of parting.

Spock gave up on attempting to impart the gravity behind the words, and simply stated, “Live long and prosper, Ambassador.”

“And you, Commander.”

Spock barely withheld a sigh. Perhaps he was being influenced by these humans.

+1. Jim was dying and the world was ending.

Spock couldn’t reach him, the door was locked, he didn’t even have the luxury of holding him as he passed from the universe. And if the door wasn’t locked he would, forget the ship, forget his life, forget everyone saved he would have held Jim He floundered as the most golden, bright katra he had ever had the luxury of witnessing was torn away, right in front of him.

And Jim said “...this is what you would have done. It was only logical.”

And was this Spock’s influence on Jim? The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Or the one?

It was certainly logical.

Who cared?

And Jim, Jim said that he was scared, and Jim was asking him how to stop feeling, as if Spock would ever want him to do that, as if he could let the untamed, unhindered light leave Jim’s eyes, make them go blank but that was going to happen anyway no no NO and Spock could feel his control shattering and he didn’t care.

Jim said that he was scared, and Spock could feel his perfect, Vulcan unemotional face crumble. All Jim wanted was to not fear death, and Spock couldn’t give even that to him couldn’t save him

And Jim wants him to know that he thinks of Spock as a friend and Spock needs Jim to know he feels the same and Spock is crying, he can feel the tear fall from his eye

and Jim’s hand presses to the barrier between them, and Spock is pressing the ta’al back, begging him to live, I need you to live long and prosper please I can’t do this again, I can’t do this without you but he can’t say the words because they’re useless they’re illogical

and Jim is shifting his fingers to return the gesture he was always so proud of being able to do that, Spock he said, it’s not easy, but it’s really cool and anything for Vulcan, anything for you

there are moments left, seconds left Spock can feel it, and as Jim looks him in the eyes for the last time the last time! Spock brings his other hand up to press against the wall by Jim's face and quickly quickly quickly, no time left initiates a meld

and

he can feel everything

all the pain, immeasurable pain, the golden katra fading he is being boiled from the inside out he is being burned

and

love

love for his friends, his crew his family, him

and Jim smiles at him and takes one last gasping breath

Jim was dead, and the world still turned

#oh boy #my writing #angst angst angst #star trek #sorry not sorry

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ussarchangel · 7 years ago

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2257: A Multi-Verse Odyssey

Giftee: @geekcornucopia

Prompt: Prime Lorca makes his way back to the prime universe after visiting a few realities.

Genre: Bit of angst, bit of crack!Fic. If such a medley is ever possible.

Rated: T for some bad language

Notes: This is my first time taking part in a fic exchange. Thank you @geekcornucopia for the prompts, @ussarchangel for setting this up and @makimurakaori for giving it the once-over. Any remaining nonsense can be blamed on me.

“Commander Burnham? Is it true?”

Michael looked up from her plate, momentarily confused by hearing what had become an unfamiliar title but in a familiar voice. Tilly - Ensign Tilly, she corrected herself, since they both shared new ranks - was clutching her lunch tray close to her chest from underneath rather than the sides, something she only did when she was either nervous or excited or, as was often the case, both.

“What’s true?”

“About… him. That he’s going to be our new captain?” She frowned. “Although would he really be new? Our new old captain, maybe? I mean, he’s not the same man, right?”

Tilly had made a lot of progress in modulating the volume of her voice, but she still had some way to go, especially when she was… nervous or excited or both. Michael indicated that she should sit down next to her, aware that eyes were beginning to turn in their direction. Most people on Discovery had learned to tune her out, but they were on Earth Spacedock where their ship was undergoing maintenance; here they were surrounded by strangers who knew only of them following their victory over the Klingons and Michael found that she disliked fame nearly as much as infamy.

“Yes, it’s true,” she finally confirmed, as casually as she could. “Provided he is proven fit to serve and command. According to Sarek, that should not be a problem.”

Sarek had, apparently, spent a lot of time alongside a select few other people talking to Lorca and that was how Michael knew of what was to come. He had openly asked her, in that blunt yet perfectly polite Vulcan way, whether she thought it would prove difficult for her working with him, and she now suspected that he had requested his time with Lorca to vet the man himself. She and Sarek still had some way to go to repair their relationship but she knew now beyond a doubt that he cared deeply for her.

“That’s gonna be so weird.” Tilly wrinkled her nose. “We need a new word for weird, actually, because frankly after everything we’ve seen in the last few months, ‘weird’ doesn’t seem to cut it anymore, does it?”

“No,” Michael said with a half-smile. “It certainly doesn’t.”

Her friend didn’t know the half of it. Tilly had been very aware (and possible over-invested in) Michael’s relationship with Ash and it had been a blessing when that had turned into a special kind of disaster - the kind of disaster Michael was beginning to think was reserved only for her. She had been there to push Michael when she needed to be pushed, and accepting when she had needed that, and she credited Tilly for enabling her eventually to have the best parting from Ash that could be hoped for. She hadn’t needed to go to her and ‘talk’, Tilly already knew what she needed to know.

But Tilly didn’t know about Gabriel Lorca. She didn’t know that the man who had turned out to be from a mirror universe had been his Michael’s lover, that they had quite possibly plotted to take over the Quadrant together, that he had then more or less declared his love for her…

Saru knew. Knew that part, at least, what Michael had meant to that Gabriel Lorca, but had no idea what their captain had meant to Michael, and it was something far deeper than she felt capable to unearth. Maybe it was because she couldn’t talk about it that it hurt so much more than Ash. Maybe it was because she had let him fall, tired of getting hurt and wanting to do some hurting of her own. Except she couldn’t take it back. She’d seen him in her dreams for a while; once she had taken the hand he had extended to her. When she’d woken up, her heart thumping in her chest, it had taken a while for her to work out what was dream and what was real.

No, he wasn’t going to be the same person. People said that as though it was going to make it all easier, when in fact Michael wanted him to be the Lorca she knew. So she could say sorry. So they could start over.

“It’s macaroni and cheese.” Michael blinked, raised her eyes to look at Tilly. “You’ve been staring at your plate like you have no idea what’s there. It’s macaroni and cheese.”

She straightened and poked her fork at her food. “Trust me, that may be what it looks like but that’s not what it is. At least it’s nothing like the one Amanda used to make.”

“What’s Vulcan food like?”

Tilly could sometimes have an overbearing, distracting presence, and Michael loved her for it.

“They could move things with their minds?”

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “Is this really necessary? I’ve already been through one debriefing and it was pretty thorough. No toilet breaks. Are we gonna have toilet breaks?”

“Do you require use of sanitary facilities, Captain Lorca?”

That was the Vulcan Sarek. He had known of many different Sareks in his travels and had even met some of them; after his encounter with the one in the universe where Vulcans had not embraced logic, he liked this present version a lot. Lorca’s fingers pulled slightly at his collar, remembering too vividly how that particular Sarek had tried to strangle him, looking to avenge his daughter’s honour: Lorca had apparently abandoned her after she’d become pregnant with “his” child. She’d saved his life, her arrival to plead with her father triggering the jump that had allowed him to escape.

“No, I don’t. But I might. Soon,” he replied, defiantly emptying the tall glass of water in front of him.

“I can assure you that you are free to make use of the facilities any time you wish, Captain -”

“So they could move things with their minds?”

Lorca turned to look at the Starfleet officer questioning him. Lieutenant Commander Stamets had not been at the previous debriefing but he had co-developed the Discovery’s spore drive and had navigated the ship and its crew back from one of the parallel universes they’d been dragged to by one of his counterparts. No one knew more about the Mycelial network than Stamets, Lorca had been told, and he could tell the man was pretty annoyed at the thought that it may no longer be the case.

“Yes. Or rather… their will. They didn’t share much with outsiders.”

“And by outsiders you mean people who were not… What did you call them?”

“I didn’t call them anything. They called themselves Jedis.”

“And they had…. Light weapons?”

“Lightsabers. Used it as you might a sword, except it was a beam of light. Saw one go through metal, repel laser shots -”

Stamets uttered a grunt of disbelief. “This is the stuff of fairy tales.”

“And before Zefram Cochrane fired the Phoenix into Warp, we thought telepathy and people with pointy ears were the stuff of fairy tales, too,” he replied, crossing his arms and jerking his chin towards Sarek.

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “Captain Lorca is correct, Lieutenant Commander Stamets,” he said. “Since it appears that the theory of an infinity of parallel universes may be true, anything - quite literally - may be possible.”

“Why would I make this up, Stamets? You think I don’t know how crazy this makes me sound? I was asked to share any information about my experiences that may help Starfleet - and you - find a way to tap into the Network safely for everyone involved. So that’s what I’m doing.”

Stamets stared at him for a moment, impatience and frustration written all over his face. There was something of a grudge in the way he looked at him that made Lorca assume Stamets had some unfinished business with the Mirror Universe Lorca he had served under for many months. “Ok. All right. And this is helping us how?”

“They talked about this thing called midi-chlorians. Knowing what I know now about the Network, it seems clear to me that these things enabled some people to tap into the Network somehow, like your spores do, or the Tardigrades. As for what you can do with that knowledge, I have no idea. You’re the scientist, not me.”

The debriefing went on for another hour or so, by which time Lorca really did need to make use of the facilities. Stamets’ manner had softened a little, although he wondered whether that would have lasted if he’d mentioned the universe with the Wizards and Muggles, but the Scientist had been taken with Lorca’s recollection of the encounter he’d had with someone who seemed to have their own version of a spore drive, although the Doctor, as he called himself, could only travel through space and time within his own universe.

Dismissed from the debriefing and having relieved himself, Lorca was looking forward to something to eat when he was caught by Sarek before he could make it to the turbolift.

“Captain Lorca, may I speak with you?”

Lorca groaned. “I think I’ve done enough talking today, thanks. I’ve told you all I could already. Twice.”

“I am aware of and thankful for your detailed testimony. However, this time it is I who has something to tell you.” A tingle of apprehension ran up his spine. “It is about Michael Burnham.”

Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

Lorca had hoped to avoid the subject for a little longer. Besides, he knew plenty about her from her files: parents killed by Klingons, adopted by Ambassador Sarek and his human wife Amanda, raised on Vulcan where she achieved the rare distinction of attending the Vulcan Science Academy, Starfleet’s first mutineer, warmonger… And now, of course, saviour of the Federation, it seemed. Like the numerous other Michaels he’d met, she clearly didn’t do things by halves, as well as also being raised by Sarek (though not all of them were). The only kind of information Sarek could possibly relay to him at this point had to be personal.

He could have requested another command, left well alone, but what good would it do? In the end, in all his travels, it had only ever come down to one thing: Michael Burnham. There was no point in fighting his fate.

Tilly was sharing stories of the most disappointing deserts she’d ever had when Michael’s communicator beeped, requesting her presence in Transporter Room 3B. There she found Sarek waiting for her.

“Are you returning to Earth, Father?”

“Only briefly, so your mother and I may travel home together. But I have not asked you here to say goodbye, not yet. Eight years ago, I brought you to Captain Georgiou. Now I wish, if you would let me, to bring you to your new Captain.”

Michael frowned. “I’m not sure I understand. Am I being transferred?”

“No. I am referring to Captain Gabriel Lorca.”

“So it has been confirmed?”

“It has.”

She already knew it was unlikely not to be. Logically, she should not have been surprised. Logically. “I still do not understand. We don’t need to use transporters to board the Discovery.”

“He is waiting to meet with you on the surface.”

“Why?”

“Why is he waiting to meet with you, or why is he waiting on the surface?”

“Both, actually.”

“I suggested an informal meeting to him. The specific location was his choice.”

“You suggested it to him? Why?”

Sarek glanced at the crewmember manning the operations panel. “Let us transport to Earth and I shall explain.”

She wanted to object, stand her ground, but it was pointless to. The meeting may have been Sarek’s idea but Lorca could make it an order. Refusing to go would only delay the inevitable and felt childish.

They rematerialised in a small park just outside Starfleet Academy. Michael blinked away the sudden brightness, then followed Sarek onto a tree-lined path.

“When I mind-melded with Lieutenant Saru upon your return to our universe, I saw many things that he had experienced, and was made aware of many things that he knew. Your relationship with the former Captain Lorca went deeper than those he had with other members of his crew.”

Be careful what you wish for, Michael. She had wished for someone else to know but now that they did, the pain and shame were made real. Some of it was habit, of course - the fear of disappointing Sarek by showing emotions, her own anger that she could not stop feeling because all she knew of feelings was sorrow and grief now.

“This previous Lorca gave you something that you had lost, something you would not let your family give you both before and after your sentencing,” Sarek continued. “The greater the gift, the more grievous the anguish when it is gone. It is to be expected that you should feel betrayed, Michael. And trust, while easily lost, is extremely hard to regain.”

“He is not that Lorca. He is as worthy of my trust as any other Starfleet Captain.”

Sarek halted. “That is indeed the logical position. Yet you know as well as I do that it is more complicated than logic would allow, or you would not have brought Emperor Georgiou back to our universe.” Michael looked away. “It is not a reproach, merely a statement of fact. It was a difficult task, reminding myself that she was not my dear friend. I know what she meant to you. I also know that you would never let someone die if you could prevent it.”

“You’re worried I will only see the other Lorca.”

“Are you not?” She had nothing to reply to that. “When I said I suggested this meeting, it was not entirely accurate. While I suggested the meeting to Captain Lorca, it was your mother who suggested the meeting to me.”

“Amanda? This is Amanda’s idea?”

“She felt that meeting with Captain Lorca in a context not over-burdened with duty or protocol would allow for a freer exchange of thoughts.”

Michael looked around, wondering whether she might be able to spot him. All she could see were people milling about, enjoying their lunch break in the sun; at the other end of the park she could hear the cries of children enjoying a playground. It was all very normal, and that felt… weirdest of all.

“I think she may be right.”

“She usually is. Captain Lorca said he was hungry. You may find him near a food stand.” Sarek raised his hand. “Dif-tor heh smusma.”

Michael raised hers. “Sochya eh dif.”

With a deep breath, she left her father and took another look at her surroundings. After a few moments she spotted a kiosk near a bandstand and headed that way. There she found him, much like the first time she had the other one, standing ramrod straight with his back to her - except this time he didn’t half-blend into the darkness. Instead, he stood out like a sore thumb in his Starfleet uniform, slightly rocking on his heels as he waited at the back of a queue of civilians. Silently Michael gave thanks to her adoptive mother, because just looking at the back of his head was enough to send her stomach roiling with apprehension and hope. Here in this park, surrounded by strangers who could not judge and an open sky that made her feel like there was somewhere she could escape to, she was able to steady herself. With another breath, she approached him, straightened and crossed her arms behind her back.

“Captain Lorca?”

“Yeah?” The first time she had met the other Lorca, he had been suave and open. This one was scowling and looked distracted, then wary as he recognised her. “Commander Burnham. Would you care for some chilli?”

“No, thank you, sir. I’ve already eaten.”

He looked back at the queue, then sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, it figures. C’mon, let’s take a walk.”

As they walked past a pond, Lorca stopped and half-smiled. “They’ve taken down the fencing. That’d have been helpful 30 years ago.”

“Sir?”

“When I was 15, I went skinny-dipping in there. Made the mistake of taking my clothes off before climbing over the fence, and then the water was freezing, so climbing back over afterwards was pretty embarrassing. Worst thing is, I knew it was stupid as I was doing it.”

It took her a beat to understand what had happened. “So why did you do it?”

“Same reason boys and men ever do stupid things they know they shouldn’t: to impress a girl.” Michael’s steps faltered slightly, which he seemed to catch from the corner of his eye. She saw him clench his fists, his lip twitch, but he said nothing.

They walked on for a bit in silence, until he spoke again. “I don’t suppose Sarek told you how we were supposed to do this?”

“No. That’s not his way.”

“Why do Vulcans always do this? Make everything so hard?”

“They would say that for them, the easier way has led their people into much greater harm.”

“Fair enough.” He directed her towards a small grassy mound. “I read your and Lieutenant Saru’s reports on what happened in that other universe, about the other Gabriel Lorca, his deception. What happened with Ash Tyler. You’ve been through a hell of a lot. More than is fair. For that I am sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“I didn’t say it was.” She looked up at him. The mirror Lorca had often shown her understanding, but the blue eyes she was looking into now were shining with warmth and kindness. “Will you sit with me?”

Michael looked around; there were no benches nearby, so he clearly meant sitting on the grass. She nodded and they sat on the ground, Lorca with his arms around his pulled-up knees, Michael with her legs crossed. She became aware that he looked awkward and seemed to be pondering something difficult, his lip twitching again.

“This is difficult for you, too, sir, isn’t it? Why?”

“Because I don’t even know how to begin to explain why it is difficult. This -” Lorca gestured at the sky then at her and back at himself. “- This kind of thing isn’t my forte at all. Not one for philosophy or poetry, never been. But after everything I have seen lately… There are things I wanna tell you but I don’t think you’re gonna like it. I know that because I don’t like it, either. Because while I know it to be true, I don’t understand why and that really pisses me off.” He looked at her. “Do you believe in destiny, Michael?”

He had been vetted, tested. There was no doubt this was the Gabriel Lorca that belonged in this universe. To all intents and purposes, he was a stranger to her. So what did it mean that he used the same words as his predecessor?

“I’m going to have to get used to that look. Right?” he interrupted her thoughts.

“What look?”

“The one you’ve got on your face right now, when I say or do something he did.”

“And how much do you know about that?”

“Sarek told me the other guy did a lot of good things for you, how much you trusted him. So I’d have understood if you’d punched me the first time you met me.”

Michael shook her head. “No. No, never. If anything… I just want to say sorry.”

“Sorry? You? What the hell could you have to say sorry for?”

“Because when Emperor Georgiou killed him, he reached for me. He was dying and he reached for me. And I stepped away from him. But I know now that all the things he did for me… they were real. He saved my life, in so many ways. I should have saved his. I tried - but not hard enough. And at the end, the one thing I could have done for him…. I didn’t.”

“Your other Captain… He was in love with you, wasn’t he?”

Anger welled inside her at the thought that Sarek would have shared something so private, yet again she reminded herself that is exactly what she needed. A few months ago she would have been able to ride this out, focus on the work, but she was exhausted and recognised that it would be better to let something out before the dam burst altogether.

“Sarek didn’t need to tell me that,” Lorca continued, as though he’d read her thoughts. “If there is one thing I have learned from all my travels, it’s that there is always a somewhere and somewhen with a Gabriel Lorca who loves a Michael Burnham.”

Nice job, Gabe. Really smoothly done.

Michael stared at him, looking appalled,then stood up. “I think this conversation is taking a very inappropriate turn, Captain.”

Lorca sighed, then stood as well. “You asked me why this was difficult for me, Commander. I think I’ve just told you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t believe in destiny, either. But you’re a scientist, right? If you carry out the same experiment, with the same elements, in the same conditions - what happens, over and over?”

She frowned. “The same results.”

“The same results. It’s not destiny - it’s probability, that’s all.”

“But the conditions are not the same. The mirror universe - we called it that because as far as we can tell it was the opposite of everything we know. So how could it have turned out the same for our counterparts?”

“Because the conditions were the same - for our counterparts. They lived in the same universe. They were changed in the same ways. But they remained aligned with each other.”

“So what are you saying? That people… that consciousness… moves on some kind of curve, or spectrum?”

“Honestly? It’s like I said, I don’t understand it myself. I can only tell you what I saw.”

Michael crossed her arms. “And what exactly did you see?”

“You returned from the mirror universe and ended the war with the Klingons about three months ago. I was found in this universe about two months ago. You probably know that I ended up travelling through multiple universes. What you may not know is that I was gone far longer than a few months. I was gone for about three years.”

“Three years? But how is that possible?”

“The network travels through time as well as space.”

“How did you travel through the Network?”

“I don’t know. At least not exactly. Which is why it took me so long to get back here. But now I’m going to tell you something I haven’t told anyone. The reason I was gone for so long is because that’s how long it took me to figure out why I kept travelling. And that reason… is you, Michael.”

Her eyes widened then turned darker, more guarded. It was an expression he was familiar with and the sensation was uncomfortable. Of course his counterpart would have felt something for this Michael. Lorca understood now what home meant. That’s how it must have felt to him, finding this Michael after his had died.

“There are different ways to travel between parallel universes. Mostly it has been accidental. When the Mirror Lorca travelled here, I didn’t end up in his universe. Somehow, I was dragged into the Mycelial Network. And when that happened, I think it knew I did not belong where I ended up, probably because my presence in the new universe - it was like a pothole in a road. Or a short-circuit. Wrong connections being made. Right piece, wrong jigaw.”

“If that’s the case, why did you not keep hopping continuously? From what I have heard, you stayed in some universes longer than others.”

“When you are doing a jigsaw, you only know two pieces don’t fit together when you try to put them together. So yeah, it took me a long time, until I realised that I only ever jumped from one universe into another when I met one of your counterparts. As soon as we… connected -” he made a fizzing sound, mimicked an explosion with fingers “- the Network knew it wasn’t right. It’s just that sometimes it took me a long time to find the other you.”

Michael was silent for a moment. “What do you mean, connected?” she asked.

“The connection you have with your father Sarek. Through his katra. I can only guess that maybe what the Vulcans can do on some level is tap into the Network and that is how they connect telepathically, do their mind-melding. Human beings can’t connect in the same physical, tangible way but I think on some levels we still do connect. So when I made an emotional connection to another Michael, the Network knew it wasn’t right, because it should have been.”

He could practically see her working her way through multiple thoughts at once. “If there’s an infinite number of universes, you could have been travelling forever.”

“If I hadn’t realised what I needed to do, what I could do, yeah.”

“And what was that?”

“I looked for you, Michael. When I was in the Network, I thought of home. I thought of you, what I knew about you. And I found you.” He smiled, ever so faintly. “You walked away from me a few times. But eventually you took my hand. You brought me home.”

“The dreams…” Tears sprung in her eyes, and he felt some in his, too. “I had this dream…” Lorca nodded. “And then 3 days later we heard you’d been found… How could I not see it -”

“Why would you, Michael? It doesn’t make any real sense even to me.”

“What does it mean? That we’re some kind of… The Vulcans would call it ‘bonded.’”

“I’ll try not to take the look of horror on your face personally,” Lorca said. “I told you earlier that I didn’t like it, either. There was someone, many years ago… Balayana. I loved her, I was going to marry her. But she died. I thought that was it for me. I’d met the love of my life and I’d lost her, because shit happens. To find that there is someone else…” He paused, still surprised it was so difficult for him to talk about.

“I’m sorry.” Her expression softened. When he sat back on the grass, she joined him, too. “This is all very… complicated.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe…” She let out a long breath. “Maybe it would be best if I transferred to another ship.”

“Is that what you want?”

“It would be easier. Would it not?”

“Someone once told me that easier could lead you to greater harm.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at him. “I am not Vulcan.”

“Hard to tell right now with that face you’re pulling.”

She smiled and, he could tell, almost laughed. Yes, it was complicated. But if this had been the first time he’d met her, or even remained in this universe and been assigned to the Discovery, it would have appeared very simple to him. The pull he felt towards her was unmistakable.

“Where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know you. You don’t know me. Maybe we will only be friends. Maybe not. What I do know is that, at some level, the universe knows we belong together, in one way or another.” And you know that, too, he wanted to add. Because you felt something for the other Lorca. That connection. But there was no point pushing her. She’d already followed him a long way.

Instead Lorca reached for Michael’s hand, covering it with his own, gently closing his fingers around hers. After a beat, he felt her thumb gently stroking him.

And he knew he was home.

END.

#uss archangels #uss archangel fic exchange #Star Trek Disco #michael burnham x gabriel lorca #Lorcham #michael burnham #Captain Lorca #Captain Gabriel Lorca #Gabriel Lorca #excellent excellent fic #submission

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sweetevilgoo · 4 years ago

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100% this.

My headcanon is that, when Sarek began experiencing romantic interest towards Amanda, he didn’t just... fall in love. He made a conscious decision. He chose her for reasons that weren’t only sentimental — partly they were tied to his work as Ambassador to Earth, but not only this either, it isn’t that linear.

As it was said above, I too see him as a selfish man and a highly ambitious individual; a person who sought relevance, specifically moral authority, because a) generally speaking, that is something his family has always had, and b) let’s be honest, Vulcan culture promotes this way of thinking — it’s a culture that exalts excellence, considers intelligence and competence the highest values, and is extremely competitive even if they’d probably deny it. So, yeah, this fuels an already innate tendency to crave importance Sarek has. Which isn’t necessarily wrong per se, just very self-centered.

At some point, Sarek decided that his way to greatness was locked within the moral authority that comes from being anticonventionally progressive in a society that cherishes intellectual enlightenment and is on the verge of change. That’s exactly what brought T’Pau where she is, after all — she earned the “far-sighted reformer” label and became universally respected because of her revolutionary ideas. Hell, that’s what Surak himself did back in the day. Now, Sarek is no revolutionary, no visionary; no, he’s very reactionary and conservative. But the path towards respect and relevance he chose to pursue entailed living off the idea of being a revolutionary. Or at least, that’s what he tried to do for a while. And in the society he was in, what was the enlightened, morally praiseworthy, avantgarde-like stance that could grant him the title of “ahead-of-his-time thinker”? Openness towards other cultures and species, specifically humanity, as nice continuation of the path Solkar and Soval before him had set up in his family. Therefore, Sarek built his reputation after this imagery — not necessarily, or entirely, consciously, but he still with this goal in mind (plus the attraction towards Amanda he felt, I guess?)

But. Things rapidly changed after he actually married Amanda. He was hit hard by the realization that his calculations were mistaken. He thought Vulcan society would have followed his lead and commended him, that being “the rare bird” would have brought him the fame he craved. It didn’t. His affiliation with Amanda created backlash. His reputation within his social circles plummeted and he had to face ostracism of some kind because of his decisions. He suddenly was “the Ambassador with the human bondmate,” not the herald of a new age of unification.

So, what did he do? What strategy did he concoct to fix his image and reputation? The strategy’s name is S’chn T’gai Spock, and he is the first successful Human-Vulcan hybrid ever created. A scientific advancement in and of itself, and the chance to prove how Sarek will be able to teach even a half-human to follow Surak’s teachings and the Vulcan way. In this way, Sarek will regain his place in the Vulcan elite by being the first person to raise a perfectly Vulcan-passing halfbreed.

This is the expectation and pressure he put on Spock’s shoulders — he had to be the most Vulcan of the whole Vulcan kin, and prove he was worthy of living in Vulcan society. All because his father needed his social status back.

People will say Sarek is a terrible parent whilst not understanding that he literally was just following his own culture and the fact that he understood Spock was different and half human and tried to have Michael teach him empathy which is literally defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”

Like we’re all willing to shit on in universe characters when they’re being shitty to Vulcans but then we judge in the same way when we talk about Sarek

Sarek is not the perfect parent but I am so tired of seeing Sarek hate fics where he just doesn’t let Spock feel. There are plenty of other things to write Sarek hate fics about.

#star trek #spock #sarek #s'chn t'gai family #amanda grayson #vulcan #vulcan society #vulcan culture #worst dad #abusive father #text #meta #character analysis #lacefuneral #slutty scotty #my meta

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tomfooleryprime · 7 years ago

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Was Spock the first human/Vulcan hybrid?

First contact between humans and Vulcans occurred in 2063. Spock was born in 2230. If you listen to some Star Trek fans, that means 167 years passed before both our species decided to bear some sex fruit. Let’s be real though, 167 years is a long time for two civilizations to interact with each other without at least someone from one group deciding to bone someone from the other group, particularly when you consider the populations of both civilizations numbers in the billions.

We might say, “Maybe interspecies sex was just too big of a taboo! Maybe it took that long for barriers to finally start coming down.” Yeah, maybe. Or maybe it’s like Hagrid once said of Dobby the house elf: “Yeh get weirdos in every breed.” Even if 9,999,999,999 humans thought the idea of having sex with an alien was weird or unnatural, there would always be at least one exceptionally progressive person who could see beyond everyone else’s prejudices and pre-conceived notions, and I’m certain the same is true for Vulcans. I would almost be willing to bet that at least one of the first Vulcans who rolled off the T’Plana-Hath on that April morning in 2063 in Bozeman, Montana saw one of the locals and thought, “That human is aesthetically pleasing.” And all it takes is a spark, right? Besides, who wouldn’t want to hear a Vulcan pickup line?

And all the panties fell off as if by magic.

Moreover, in 1957, 106 years before official First Contact between humans and Vulcans, a small Vulcan survey ship crash-landed near Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania. There were only three survivors, and of those three, one of them just couldn’t stop himself from falling for the single mom who ran the local bar. Granted, Maggie didn’t know Mestral was Vulcan, but he definitely knew she was human, and a trivial thing like species didn’t seem to matter to him.

Smitten personified.

But wait, just because a few amorous, adventurous, or convention-hating humans and Vulcans might be willing to stand up and proudly (or maybe more discreetly) proclaim, “Love is love, fuck the haters” and get naked with each other, that doesn’t mean they were making babies because after all, humans and Vulcans are genetically incompatible and it would take a feat of medical engineering to swap gametes, right?

Argue if you want, but human/Vulcan sexy time dates back to at least 2153.

People who believe Spock must have been the first hybrid usually stake this claim on one or more of four arguments:

1. Humans and Vulcans didn’t shack up routinely enough 2. The science of making a hybrid baby didn’t exist until Spock came along 3. Gene Roddenberry said so 4. Spock clearly felt isolated as a child, but he wouldn’t have if there were more hybrids like him

I’ve already poked enough holes in the first claim. Maybe there weren’t a ton of interspecies couples, but I feel confident in saying there were at least some and some is all we need. And once people decide they like each other enough to form relationships, it’s usually not long before at least some of them start thinking, “You know what would make this better? A smaller version of us!”

As for the science behind making a hybrid baby, it existed in the mid 22nd century. Spock wasn’t the first. That’s a fact. Elizabeth, the hybrid child of Charles “Trip” Tucker and T’Pol, existed in 2154.

Pointy ears and pinchable cheeks.

Elizabeth sadly died as a result of the improper cloning techniques used to conceive her, so there are many who would take the statement of “Spock was the first human/Vulcan hybrid” and simply add the caveat of “to survive.” Perhaps. But in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Terra Prime,” Trip says:

I spoke with Phlox. It turns out there was a flaw in the technique that Paxton’s doctors used in the cloning process. Human DNA and Vulcan DNA, Phlox says there’s no medical reason why they can’t combine. So if a Vulcan and a human ever decided to have a child, it’s probably be ok. And that’s sort of comforting.

So a Denobulan doctor knew a way to make hybrids a full 75 years before Spock was conceived. Maybe the technology was untested and required some refining, but by even a modern a technological timeline, 75 years is an eternity.

There’s an interview between Gene Roddenberry and Mark Lenard which claims Spock was the first, and so a lot of people might be happy to believe whatever Roddenberry said was the gospel. In the interview, Roddenberry is interviewing Mark Lenard as Ambassador Sarek, asking him questions about humanity and his life when the subject of Spock comes up.

Mark Lenard: Spock’s mother Amanda is an extraordinary woman. Gene Roddenberry: And Spock was the result? The first human/Vulcan mixture? Mark Lenard: No, not the first, but the first to survive. As you must know, an Earth/Vulcan conception will abort during the end of the first month; the fetus is unable to continue life once it begins to develop its primary organs. The fetus Spock was removed from Amanda’s body at this time: the first such experiment ever attempted. His tiny form resided in a test tube for the following two Earth months while our physicians performed delicate chemical engineering, introducing over a 100 subtle changes we hoped would sustain life. At the end of this time, the fetus was returned to Amanda’s womb. At the ninth Earth month, the tiny form was again removed from Amanda, prematurely by Vulcan standards, and spent the following four months of Vulcan term pregnancy in a specially designed incubator. The infant Spock proved surprisingly resilient. There seemed to be something about the Earth/Vulcan mixture which created in that tiny body the fierce determination to survive.

So for some fans, maybe that counts as proof. But Gene Roddenberry had a lot of conceptual ideas about his beloved Star Trek that conflict with actual canon and modern science. For a prime example, just look at the treatment of star dates. So maybe it’s me, but I don’t think something is canon just because Roddenberry said it in an interview once. Furthermore, if we take that interview as canon, how do we explain this scene from The Final Frontier where Spock is delivered from Amanda (not a “specially designed incubator”) and presented to Sarek?

Then Sarek went and uttered one of the most dick lines in Trek history.

Lastly, there’s the isolation that Spock feels. How can we explain how lonely he is if it’s not because he’s the only hybrid? Quite easily, actually. Every single person in existence has felt misunderstood and alone at times. As children, our worlds are very small and our social circles consist of our immediate families, school mates, and our parents’ associates. That’s pretty much it. When we aren’t exposed to people like us, it’s very easy to imagine Rocket Raccoon might have been onto something when he said, “Ain’t no thing like me, except me!”

But that’s very rarely literally true, as every kid who’s ever been the only minority at their school or any teen who’s ever been the only gay person in their tiny conservative town will tell you. As we get older and achieve the freedom to strike out and meet people on our own terms, we often learn we weren’t quite as unique as we thought and there are whole groups of people out there who are black or gay or disabled or whatever it was that left us feeling so alone in our formative years. I think that’s why Spock’s character resonated so much with viewers – he was a symbol for all the misfits out there who knew just how much it sucks trying to fit into the fabric of a society that seems so different than they are.

Proof that regardless of species, kids can be fucking awful.

Vulcan was a big planet. By the time Nero destroyed it in Star Trek: 2009, it had more than 6 billion inhabitants. Even if there were only 100 human/Vulcan hybrids by that point in time, the odds of an average Vulcan encountering one would still be incredibly small. It’s entirely possible Spock may have felt like he was the only hybrid because he might have been the only one in his community, but the universe is a big place with plenty of room for other human/Vulcan hybrids he and those vicious bullies never met.

Spock was clearly pretty special. Even people who hate Star Trek and know almost nothing about it know who Spock was and recognize the Vulcan salute Leonard Nimoy made famous in his portrayal of the character. But just because Spock’s human ancestry made him unusual doesn’t necessarily mean his conception was some completely novel, groundbreaking, pioneering leap for interspecies relationships either.

I can’t say I know many Vulcans, but I think I have a pretty firm grasp on humanity. Despite homosexual, interracial, and interfaith relationships being taboo and even illegal in many countries until relatively recently (and sadly still are in some places) there have always been people who decided they didn’t care and took a chance on love. So I don’t buy the idea that humans and Vulcans could live and work together even in a limited capacity for more than a century and a half before making the jump into starting families.

#star trek #star trek enterprise #star trek the original series #star trek the final frontier #spock #sarek/amanda #trip/t'pol #mestral/maggie #human/vulcan #human/vulcan hybrid

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