#sarek is naked in this scene

[tricorderreading]

#20: The Vulcan Academy Murders

"Let me help... A hundred years or so from now, I believe, a famous novelist will write a classic using that theme. He'll recommend those three words even over 'I love you.'"

[thegeminisage]

neat difference between tos spock and aos spock is which parent they got in the metaphorical timeline divorce

tos spock and sarek were fighting when sarek died, and tos spock never melded with him, except by proxy through picard. they never made up or made amends and now they never can or will. even once spock gets stuck in the other timeline, THAT sarek is not HIS father. he's similar, but not exactly the same one. his experiences are too different. tos spock's father is dead and will always be dead and whatever chance he had to truly reconcile with him is gone forever.

on the other hand, tos spock got to live a very long life and unlearn some of the taboo surrounding emotions that he grew up with. he laments in "the naked time" that he never told his mother he loved her, even though it seems like he wished he could have. it's very possible that after failing kohlinahr and experiencing that kind of emotional growth, he was finally able to realize that wish.

but aos spock never had that kind of time with his own amanda. she died when he was still relatively young, and even if he were to find an amanda from another time or another universe, it wouldn't be HIS mother. his mother is dead and she will always be dead and he will have never told her he loved her and now he never can.

and yet, there is an implication in aos that spock and sarek have become closer or will become closer as a result of their shared grief and trauma over not only amanda's death, but the destruction of vulcan - the scene in which sarek openly admits to feeling love, and encourages spock not to attempt to control his emotions regarding amanda's death. tos sarek would NEVER have said this, even after amanda died in that timeline.

so tos spock gets to tell amanda he loves her, and gets all that extra time with her, but he'll never reconcile with sarek. aos spock had only a short time with amanda and will never get to tell her he loves her, but he does get something tos spock never will: to reconcile with sarek.

[electronickingdomfox]

"The Klingon Gambit" review

Novel from 1981, by Robert E. Vardeman. I don't have much to say about this one, neither praise nor a rant. Perhaps there's no worse fate than indifference? This novel is a return to the more episodic format of the old Bantam novels. Basically a rehash of "The Naked Time", with a bit of "This Side of Paradise" (as far as Spock is concerned), and Klingons in the middle. I don't think the plot has enough substance for a novel-length story, so a lot of times I had the impression of reading the same thing over and over, as if the author had to fill pages but didn't really have anything new to say.

Anyway, the writing's fine, and lets Kirk shine as a clever diplomat, always with an ace up his sleeve to avoid a confrontation. While the rest of the crew is infected by some virus of silly, Kirk seems to be the only one that keeps his cool (some scientist should study this man one day; he seems to be immune and special in every single way...). It's hard to judge the rest of the characters, since they're purposefully acting weird through most of the novel. Spock swinging between totally emotional and totally Vulcan was well-done, without being over the top. Though McCoy seems to me a bit too disrespectful and insulting (and I'm not entirely sure this is due to the strange influence affecting the ship). I'm also not sure about his reluctance to save an injured Klingon's life, on the basis of him being the enemy. The way I see it, McCoy is first a doctor, then a Starfleet officer. There's also a return of that weird idea from earlier novels, that Vulcans are completely unable to feel any love or sexual urge outside pon farr. I don't know why this notion was so widespread, when a full Vulcan like Sarek was seen in the series having a loving relationship with his human wife, while Stonn and T'Pring had an affair outside marriage.

As for the plot, it's very simple, so I'm just going to gloss over it without spoilers. The Enterprise finds a Vulcan science ship adrift, and everyone's dead aboard, without any discernible reason. The ship was part of an archaeological expedition on the nearby planet of Alnath II, led by a famous Andorian scientist. As there's also a Klingon ship orbiting the planet, the Klingon become the main suspects for the Vulcans' deaths. However, the lead scientist insists that the Klingons have only been a nuisance, as far as their activities disrupt his investigations of the ruins. Kirk doesn't have any proof that the Klingons are guilty (and they also have some rights over this planet in particular, since it doesn't belong to the Federation). So he enters into a tense situation with the Klingon captain, where none dare to attack the other, and break the Organian peace treaty. Things get worse when the crew of the Enterprise start acting irresponsibly, and almost mutinous. Everyone seems to just do whatever they want, disregarding their duties. Scotty becomes obsessed with improving the engines, and starts dismantling half the ship for spare parts. Chekov becomes too trigger-happy and anxious for battle. Uhura daydreams about M'Benga. Spock swings between his human and Vulcan sides, and is at times overrun by feelings of love for his female assistant. McCoy becomes paranoid about machines and technology, so he switches to primitive medical treatments... You get the idea. The answers, of course, lay in the planet below and its mysterious pyramid. Kirk has a showdown with the Klingons as well. The resolution is nothing special really, though there's a little surprise about the origin of the alien, deserted city.

Spirk Meter: 2/10*. Kirk seems more aware about Spock's mood swings than anyone else. And he's a bit distressed about Spock possibly reciprocating his assistant's feelings. There's also a scene where Spock loses his shit on the bridge and starts crying, so Kirk bitch-slaps him, to make him come to his senses, even at the risk of suffering the Vulcan's violence himself. And Spock catches his wrist and all that (it's very similar to the scene in "This Side of Paradise").

For his part, McCoy wants to go live in a farm with Jim. And he's awfully interested in Spock staying more human, and you know, loving and horny all the time. As you will, Doctor...

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

[gorematchala]

We watched the first half of the first episode of Strange New Worlds and like, I hope Alex Kurtzman trips and falls into the sun

Eleven minutes into the episode Spock is half naked about to drill his fiance who he just got engaged to even though in TOS he said they were assigned eachother as children and never really spent time together, and then he says "I'm sorry" to her for putting work before their oddly passionate fuck scene. Spock son of Sarek would not fucking say that. He is quite Vulcan at this point and he would say "my apologies" at most. They also got kicked out of a restaurant for kissing with tongue before that

So then we get on the bridge of this ship and I laser focused on the obnoxious alt girl with the shaved sides and the big annoying smirk on her face who talks like a lower decks character. She is so obviously surgically implanted into the show to be liked in a way that makes me hate her. Nobody writing Star Trek knows how to write Starfleet and it drives me fuckin insane. Its like they think people just walk onto a starship out of highschool. It's a military organization. You're on the bridge. Shut up a little

And the trend continues when we have nurse chapen physically chasing a stray alien through the halls of the ship, and then losing him in the turbo lift, as if the doors wouldnt stay open for her, and as if she couldnt just say computer deactivate turbolift on (part of the ship), or computer activate forcefields on (part of the ship). Security we have an alien loose on the ship because we didn't bother putting a forcefield over it while it was in sickbay. It is somewhere on (floor of the ship) set phasers to stun!!! But no she runs after him because she's a little alt girl herself

Spock is also being unprofessional cuz he refuses to brush his hair and looks like he just woke up from a coma. But I'll give the actor that he sounds a lot like Spock and he's not doing the worst Vulcan acting I've ever seen. Pike is also a good Pike I just wish he would also shut up a little and stop making little marvel quips

[hobbithabits]

III, we are LOOKIN for Spock bro

-Kirk becoming an empty nester

-ensign asks a question and gets trauma dumped on

-Klingons!!! Plus their epic practical effects dog >:)

-Scotty is so in love with the enterprise and I love him for it

-Janice!!!!

-the scene in Spock’s quarters is so unsettling and the just light in McCoy’s eyes takes it to a new level entirely

-doc brown looks kinda funny in this

-more new ships! Grisam is very cute

-I love the digital layouts too

-this is the one with the cunty outfits!!! Loving it very much

-sarek is so pissed like ‘bro what did you do with my son!!!! Where is he!!! I trusted you!!’

-the mind meld scene and Kirk being so devastated like ouch sarek made him relive all of that pain in just one moment

-imagine your boyfriend puts his soul in your best friend and they can never be unconnected for their rest of their lives

-Spock running around the planet naked as fuck

-‘rationality’ have you MET Jim Kirk??????

-bones really pulling out the xenophobia but also being Spock at the same time they’re so weird

-cringe McCoy is bad at Vulcan punch

-that guy was so rude to sulu for no reason >:( of course sulu is a badass tho

-I love the bridge crew they’re so slay and cunty <3 badassery

-NYOTA PLEEEAASSEEE I LOVE WOMEN

-Already a much happier upbeat movie than the last

-‘steady as she goes’ steady as she gooooeesss

-the excelsior bridge looks like an ikea

-what’s up with the cane thing.. give me the creeps

-I love the warp colors

-“it’s Spock” the bridge girl’s expression is killing me

-the Klingon weapon and watching that disintegrate so slowly was awful

-bones and Spock in one person actually sounds like a nightmare

-gross worm thing practical effect lookin good

-the savvik and young Spock thing makes me feel. So fuckin weird. Like did this have to happen

-love how the cloak doesn’t actually hide the ship visually lmaoo

-rest in peace to the Klingon dog, you were only hungry

-David :( kirk losing his closest friend and his son in such little time

-I love when the answer to a problem is to blow up the ship. And it looked just. God awful.

-ugh and such a good moment as they watch the enterprise go down

-Spock throwing that Klingon like nothing, followed by rapidly aging is the wackiest and scariest thing I’ve ever seen

-Christoper Lloyd actually does a fantastic job in this movie

-best and worst fight I’ve ever seen, long live that ass

-the wit in this movie is really good

-bones pleading with Spock, asking for his help, is just such a good moment for both of them. The character growth is amazing

- sarek finally admitting that he is imperfect and actually loves his son

-the swelling music as the ceremony happens tugs at the heartstrings in all the right places

-‘the cost would’ve been my soul’ I firmly believe he was referring to Spock and not his own soul in this moment and I will not be convinced otherwise

-og Star Trek theme right at the end!!!! And everyone is happy and know each other!!! God the horn line at the end!!!!

Today is my fathers birthday (happy birthday jeff ) so we are watching all of the tos movies in one sitting so we’re going movie by movie with my thoughts 👍

[ichayalovesyou]

(Re)Discovering A Strange New Spock: “Charlie ‘X’” (1x02)

Previous Episode: The Man Trap

Next: The Naked Time

A meta anthology where I re-examine TOS, especially Spock, in light of the new information Discovery & Strange New Worlds has revealed about him to us.

Onto the analysis!

Thasian Debate & Everybody’s Got Daddy Issues and Nobody Wants To Talk About It!

This conversation has a lot of layers to it, and it gives me a chance to talk about McCoy and Kirk’s backstories as well as Spock’s! Every single one of these men has issues when it comes to being/having a father.

Both Bones and Kirk are divorced with a child. McCoy is allowed to be in touch with his daughter Joanna, Jim is respecting Carol’s wishes of staying out of his son David’s life. While Spock has daddy issues cubed between Sarek being an absolutely abysmal father. Christopher Pike aka “human dad” having given up his well-being to save Spock, which Spock is aware of and allowed to happen. Which runs parallel to Bones losing his own father by adhering to his wishes as well.

There are two conversations happening at the same time in that scene that, with this context in mind, are not totally separated from each other. The topic of who is going to act as Charlie’s guide/father figure while he’s aboard the Enterprise, and the topic of whether Thasians are still around.

Kirk tries to shunt that duty to Bones, chances are they’ve known each other long enough that Jim knows about Joanna, that Bones is already a father. However, Bones refers to Kirk as a strong father image, which could imply he doesn’t see himself that way. Jim however, wants nothing to do with it, possibly because of his own pain regarding David. What Spock does during this part of the conversation is VERY interesting.

If you want the boring interpretation he’s only waiting for his turn to talk but I really don’t think that is what’s happening. Spock’s facial journey and what he doesn’t say participates in this scene as much as the words exchanged between Jim & Bones do.

He looks at Bones, immediately looks down in contemplation, then he looks at Jim and looks even more uncomfortable. No comment, avoiding eye contact, definitely no volunteering himself for handling Charlie. Nimoy/Spock tends to do this subtle thing whenever Spock is deliberately trying to hold back an emotion, he purses his lips. THEN Spock changes the subject to talk about the Thasians more. I don’t know whether anybody had officially decided Spock had daddy issues at this point, but damn if this conversation doesn’t lend credence to that truth.

Now, we know Spock’s arguement is of course very logical and makes a lot more sense than what Bones wants to believe. Bones wants to believe that Charlie was able to make it on his own, perhaps because he hopes Joanna is doing alright on her own without him.

Spock on the other hand, however logical and correct, wants to believe that Charlie wasn’t alone. As he knows very well what feeling totally isolated is like, out of compassion it’s likely he hoped Charlie did not endure that same suffering. “Doctor, are you speaking scientifically or emotionally?” For Spock, logic and emotion are still treated as separate and opposite in his mind, when in reality, he needs both to make good judgements.

Spock & Uhura (Vol.2)

Despite their previous emotionally charged exchange in The Man Trap. The scene in the mess hall shows us that despite how the two of them have changed and grown over the years, they’re still friends. When she’s caught humming to Spock tuning his lyre, he actually smiles and proceeds to indulge her. Almost as though it wasn’t the first (and canonically not the last) time they’ve performed together.

She then of course weaves a song about a devilishly handsome heartbreaker who is obviously supposed to be Spock. He doesn’t stop playing even though he’s visibly like “alright, alright I get it 🙄😒😏” as she gets the teasing out of her system. Even if she’s never met/seen T’Pring she’s seen the effect he has on Chapel and I’m sure others (maybe even herself) and is poking at his general inability to handle it.

She doesn’t continue harping on it though, she then changes her target to Charlie. The lyrics she chooses and the way she winks at Janice suggests she might be trying to warn her. She’s a reasonable person and I strongly doubt she’s shipping the 17 year old with her coworker. Whether Spock is aware that is the ulterior motive of her lyrics is unclear. Regardless, they’re obviously confused and concerned for each other when (unbeknownst to them) Charlie cuts them off.

Spock & Jim’s Relationship Evolving Under Charlie’s Duress

Something tells me Spock was tipped off by the events in the mess hall that Charlie was more than he seemed. Perhaps subconsciously he picked up on Charlie’s advanced telepathic/telekinetic abilities through his own Vulcan abilities.

Yet again though Spock is not one who goes off of gut instincts, though it is no way his fault. The confirmation he needed lay in the destruction of the Antares. In the melted chess pieces after he comes face to face with Charlie personally. (Fun fact: Pike served on the Antares a couple assignments prior to captaining the Enterprise!)

Spock is reluctant to be compassionate regarding Charlie after the Antares destruction. Jim is still willing to try and reach out to Charlie despite everything, whether Spock finds that admirable or illogical, he trusts him. Spock knows full well that Jim has a talent for reaching unreachable people, as he’s begun to experience that first hand. The third act of this episode is also the first time that he and Bones are on the same page, United in the goal to protect Jim.

The confrontation with Charlie in Janice’s quarters evolves Spock’s relationship with Jim even further. It is the first time Jim puts himself between not the crew, but Spock specifically and immediate danger. Spock cannot intervene because the injury Charlie inflicted prevents him from doing so.

It is also the first time Jim openly admits to needing Spock, perhaps to anybody “You need me to run the ship and I need him.” I wonder if anyone has admitted to/told him he was needed like that since Chris left. Much to grapple with indeed.

[onaperduamedee]

#relatable

[doctorbeverlycrusher]

TNG Guide: Picard/Crusher Edition

Someone did a guide like this for Elliot and Olivia from Law and Order and I’ve been thinking about these two lately so here we are.

This guide is obviously coloured by my personal opinion and some of the things are really subtle, but there’s also way less to get through here than something like SVU.

Of course, there are still many good episodes of TNG that don’t revolve around Picard and Crusher, but for the purposes of this guide, I tried to stick to the important ones or ones with some good interactions. Also, feel free to suggest things I may be missing.

SEASON 1

1x01/02 - Encounter at Farpoint

1x03 - The Naked Now

1x05 - The Last Outpost

1x07 - Lonely Among Us (This is on here for one scene really)

1x09 - The Battle (This one doesn’t really have moments between them as much but it’s got some good Picard backstory)

1x12 - The Big Goodbye

1x19 - Coming of Age (Again, mostly here for one scene where Beverly is being interviewed)

1x21 - The Arsenal of Freedom

1x24 - We’ll Always Have Paris

Due to a conflict between Gates McFadden and a writer on the show, Beverly doesn’t appear in season 2. It is said she took the position to head Starfleet Medical on Earth. However, due to a huge fan campaign led by Patrick Stewart himself, Gates came back in season 3 and stayed for the rest of the series.

I’d suggest watching 2x17 - Samaritan Snare as it gives some really good Picard backstory, but for P/C purposes, that’s the only one that’s necessary.

Season 3

3x01 - Evolution

3x05 - The Bonding (No moments here exactly, but the themes present are super important to their relationship)

3x12 - The High Ground

3x18 - Allegiance

3x23 - Sarek (This is here for the mind meld scene, which I think speaks to their relationship, but is also one of the best scenes in the entirety of Star Trek)

3x26 - The Best of Both Worlds Part I (This is mostly here for a specific brief scene, but the events of this episode really affect Picard so it’s important)

Season 4

4x01 - The Best of Both Worlds Part II (Here for continuity purposes)

4x02 - Family (No specific scenes but the storylines here are very much important)

4x05 - Remember Me

4x09 - Final Mission

4x20 - Qpid

4x21 - The Drumhead (This is here specifically because of the trial scene where Jonathan Frakes made some really interesting directorial choices)

4x23 - The Host

Season 5

5x12 - Violations (Massive warning for what is essentially mind rape in this episode)

5x18 - Cause and Effect

5x19 - The First Duty

5x21 - The Perfect Mate

5x25 - The Inner Light

Season 6

6x10/11 - Chain of Command, Part II & II (Massive warning for psychological and physical torture)

6x15 - Tapestry (Mostly here for Picard backstory purposes)

6x19 - Lessons

6x20 - The Chase (This is specifically here for the last scene where again Jonathan Frakes makes some interesting directorial decisions)

6x22 - Suspicions

6x25 - Timescape (This is here for a specific interaction between Deanna and Picard)

6x26 - Descent Part I

Season 7

7x01 - Descent Part II

7x08 - Attached (If you are only going to watch one episode about these two, this is the one to watch)

7x14 - Sub Rosa (This episode is atrociously bad but there’s still some good PC content here)

7x22 - Bloodlines

7x25/26 - All Good Things…

[cheer-deforest-kelley]

My first 10 years of attending Star Trek conventions (1974-1985-ish) were the best. The cost was fairly low at around $10-35 for one, two and three day conventions. Some of the cons ones were very small and intimate and not very polished (which made them feel like a huge fan club meeting). The autographs from the cast were free and while at the autograph table, ask a question or just chat. You could even get free pictures with them— that’s teenaged me in 1975 standing directly behind James Doohan; that’s his 18 (!!!!) year old new wife Wende trying to lean out of the picture. By the way, they stayed married until his death in 2005 (despite their 36 year age difference).

Others in attendance at this convention were George Takei, Walter Koenig, Mark Lenard (Sarek from “Journey to Babel”), Arlene Martel (T’Pring from “Amok Time”) and Bruce Hyde (Lt Kevin O’Reilly from “The Naked Time” (who sang I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen as soon as he hit the stage. He sang it over and over until someone came out and jokingly told him to pleeeeease stop). If you’ve seen that episode, you’ll get that joke.

Besides original and guest cast in attendance, there were costume contests, art shows and trivia contests. NASA astronauts would come and speak about life in space. Science Fiction writers (like Theodore Sturgeon who wrote “Amok Time”) sat on panels and discussed their work. The Blooper reels were shown at every convention and original episodes ran all day on a big screen. It was so great to watch episodes with a big audience (who laughed at every funny scene like it was their first time seeing the episode).

Of course we wouldn’t miss the sessions with the cast, but I spent most of my time in the Dealer’s room, where every sort of Star Trek memorabilia was sold at very decent prices— it was the only place to find most of this stuff. I spent a lot of money on photos, posters, books, magazines, clothing, watches, Enterprise pendants, tribbles (sold in person at one convention, by David Gerrold who wrote the episode), toys, patches, stickers and more.

Treasured times.

[aion-rsa]

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2, Episode 2 Easter Egg and Reference

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Lower Decks, Season 2, Episode 2, “Kayshon, His Eyes Open”

In The Next Generation episode “The Most Toys,” Kivas Fajo tried to keep Data forever. The idea that someone thought it was okay to “collect” was an oddly self-referential concept for Star Trek even in the 1990s. Just like now, the idea of a Star Trek collectible was a thing hardcore Star Trek fans thought about all the time. But, other than the fact that everyone would actually want to “collect” Data, “The Most Toys” wasn’t actually about Star Trek collectibles. 

But, the newest Star Trek: Lower Decks episode, kind of is? In “Kayshon, His Eyes Open,” the crew of the Cerritos encounters one of those famous collectors, while the crew of the Titan deal with some very familiar transporter clones. It’s almost like this is an episode that is filled with as many Easter eggs on purpose. Here’s everything we caught.

Beta Shift 

When Jet joins the Lower Deckers at the start of the episode, it’s implied they are on “Beta Shift.” This seems to check-out with Season 1, in which it was clear that the Cerritos was on a four-shift duty rotation, which included the night shift known as “Delta Shift.” (This idea was first introduced in the TNG episode “Chain of Command,” an episode Lower Decks LOVES to reference.)

Sonic Showers 

Although sonic showers are referenced a lot in Star Trek, we’ve only seen sonic showers a few times. The first time was in The Motion Picture, and since then we’ve only glimpsed the showers. The visual effect for the communal sonic showers here is very similar to TMP, but the idea of communal showering for the lower officers vaguely references the novelization of The Motion Picture, too. If you know, then you know.

Collectors

Again the idea of various “Collectors” in the galaxy references Kivas Fajo and “The Most Toys.” This is what Freeman means by “they all tried to collect Data.”

Dr. Migleemo

 Notably, the Cerritos’s counselor, the avian Dr. Migleemo returns in this episode, once again, voiced by Paul. F. Tompkins. Echoing Counselor Troi’s non-standard uniform, Migleemo appears to wear whatever he wants while on duty, even sitting on the bridge.

Items Owned By the Collector, Take 1

When the landing party for the Cerritos first boards the ship, just in the first room alone there are a ton of Easter eggs. Getting all of these is gonna be tricky, but we’re gonna give it a go. Here’s what you can spot when you pause the first couple of shots in the first room of the Collector’s Ship.

Captain Picard paper mache head from “Captain Picard Day” (TNG, “The Pegasus”)

The Game (TNG, “The Game”)

Baseball Bat and ball (Possible DS9 Sisko reference?)

Giant Unicorn (Possible Blade Runner reference?)

Marty McFly’s Shoes (Back to the Future)

Terran Empire Flag (TOS, “Mirror, Mirror) 

Khan’s Necklace (The Wrath of Khan)

Valiant flight recorder (TOS, “Where No Man Has Gone Before)

Gold TOS Uniform

Giant Pink Tribble (TAS, “More Tribbles, More Troubles)

M-113 lifeform (TOS, “The Man Trap.” Also, this is AT LEAST the third time the Salt Vampire has appeared on Lower Decks. And, having the M-113 lifeform as a collectible not only references “The Man Trap,” but also, “The Squire of Gothos,” in which your boy Trelane had an M-113 creature as a museum piece, too!)

Special Shout-Out: Betazoid Gift Box 

First appearing in TNG’s “Haven,” this was a talking box that was meant to “bond” with the person who got the gift. 

The existence of this artifact here is also possible a double reference to two other things: In “Haven,” the face of the Gift Box was played by Armin Shimmerman, more famous later as Quark on DS9. But, on top of that, back in 1994 the Star Trek: The Next Generation Collectible Card Game (published by Decipher Inc.) had a very powerful card based on the Betazoid Gift Box. If you played the game, you know this was a rare and useful card that was well…very collectible.

Special Shout-Out: Whose trombone is that?

We briefly see a trombone in one of the collector’s cases, which seems like an easy reference to Riker. But, which one? Because this episode also directly references “Second Chances,” and Will Riker’s duplicate Thomas Riker, it’s possible that this is the trombone that Will gave to Thomas at the end of that TNG episode. Briefly, here’s the case for that being Thomas Riker’s trombone: In the DS9 episode “Defiant” Thomas Riker tried to steal the Defiant, but was later arrested by Starfleet. Presumably, this would mean all of his stuff would have been confiscated, including his trombone! 

Keyshon is a Tamarian 

Tamarians or “the Children of Tama” originate in the TNG episode “Darmok.” In case you forgot, Picard cracked the case with this species by learning they spoke exclusively through metaphor and analogy. Mariner mocks this by pointing out all you have to do is listen for “context clues.”

Riker loves…Rogue Squadron?

Riker tells Boimler to use “attack pattern delta,” on the Pakled ship. This seems to be a reference to The Empire Strikes Back in which Luke tells the snowspeeders of Rogue Squadron, “Attack pattern delta, go now!” 

Items Owned By the Collector, Take 2

Here’s another go at seeing how many Easter eggs were jammed into like less than 2-minutes of screentime.

Kataan Probe (TNG, “The Inner Light”)

Vulcan lirpa weapon (TOS, “Amok Time,”)

Klingon bat’leth (TNG, DS9, Voyager et al.)

Andorian dueling weapon (Enterprise, “United.”)

Shark in a Tank (A reference to the real-life artist Damien Hirst, probably?)

Mars Rover 

Kadis-kot game set (Voyager)

Château Picard wine crate (Picard)

Isomagnetic disintegrator (Worf’s bazooka from Insurrection)

Tendi is later holding:

A trident scanner (Scotty loved this thing in TOS)

And…a Kurlan naiskos (TNG, “The Chase,” a very big episode for canon!)

Kahless’ fornication helmet 

Tendi says that this specific Klingon artifact is clearly something Kahless (the Klingon Jesus) wore while…well, the name speaks for itself. But which Kahless? Hmmm? The fake clone Kahless from “Rightful Heir?” or the real-deal Kahless from the 9th century? The Kahless reference gets doubly meta, because, as you’ll see later, Lower Decks eventually references the very first reference in canon to Kahless, too. 

Data’s Picasso-esque painting of Spot

Barely visible, just as Mariner and the gang are trying to escape, we see Data’s painting of his cat Spot, first seen in the TNG episode “Inheritance,” and later in the background in the movie Generations.

Boimler’s description of the Enterprise-D

Let’s combine two scenes here! In two pivotal moments in the episode, Boimler is defending the honor and relative coolness of the TNG adventures on the Enterprise-D, which he just calls “the D.” Here’s what it seems like he’s referencing.

“They went to other dimensions… (This seems to reference the idea that “The D” did go to another dimension in the episode “Where No One Has Gone Before.” It also could reference “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” but nobody would remember that.)

“They fought the Borg…” (This references “Q, Who,” “The Best of Both Worlds,” and “Descent.”

“They insurrected!” (This seems to reference Star Trek: Insurrection, which was not the Enterprise-D, but instead, the Enterprise-E! The Lower Decks writers surely know this. Why doesn’t Boimler know this? Maybe the game of telephone in the Federation is a little inaccurate? In LDS Season 1, the news of Data’s brother seemed to travel…very slowly?)

“They had a regular string quartet.” (This references several TNG episodes, notably “Sarek,” and again, “Inheritance,”) 

“Riker was jamming on the trombone” (A ton of TNG, including “The Next Phase,” “Future Imperfect,” and of course, “Second Chances.”)

“Catching love disease” (Probably TNG’s “The Naked Now”)

“Acting in plays” (This mostly references Riker acting in one of Crusher’s plays in TNG’s “Frame of Mind.”)

The remains of Spock Two?

In the spooky skeleton room, we see what appears to be a giant humanoid skeleton wearing a blue TOS–era Starfleet uniform. Who is this? The best guess? This is the giant Spock clone from The Animated Series episode “The Infinite Vulcan.”

Excalbian Bones and Abe Lincoln

Toward the end of the episode, the gang is trapped in a diorama that seems to have an alien and a skeleton of Abraham Lincoln. This references the TOS episode “The Savage Curtain” in which the Excalbians produced copies of Lincoln, along with Kahless and Surak. This episode was the first reference in Trek canon to both Kahless and Surak, and so, basically created the backstories of both Vulcan and Klingon cultures through historically inaccurate versions of those people. Funny, right? 

Transporter clone 

When Boimler beams the away team out through the distortion field, Riker says “oh, I’ve heard this tune before.” This references the TNG banger “Second Chances,” in which Riker’s transporter duplicate was discovered on a planet years after the fact. In this sense, Boimler’s transporter clone got off easy. Also, the idea that one of the transporter duplicates makes different decisions that the other also references “Second Chances,” in which “Thomas” Riker ends up being a different person than Will. The idea that both can’t serve on the Titan anymore might reference the idea that the TNG writing staff considered killing off the “first” Will Riker, and replacing him with his duplicate. This would have meant Data would have become the first officer in Season 6, and Riker, the operations officer. It didn’t happen, but from the point of view of the Titan crew, something like this basically DID just happen.

The Riker lean 

While talking to the Mr. Boimlers, Riker puts one foot up on a couch. Classic Riker lean. Classic. 

“Computer play Night Bird”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Just before Boimler leaves the Ready Room, “William Boimler” and Riker are sharing some Romulan Ale. Riker says “computer, play ‘Night Bird.’” This also references “Second Chances,” in which Riker is unable to play the trombone solo for this song, which Troi teases him about endlessly. “Night Bird” also appears to be a made-up song. But who knows, maybe William Boimler will be able to master it? Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 airs on Paramount+ on Thursdays.

The post Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2, Episode 2 Easter Egg and Reference appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3y08hbg

[thegeminisage]

sigh. tng update time. tuesday we did "sarek" and last night i sadly watched "menage a troi" on my own.

sarek: the fact that they mentioned his "son's wedding" once near the beginning and never clarified distracted me for the entire episode until i could google it. and google gave me no answers except to say that he married saavik in some semi-canonical novel. i hate that because saavik was his student (i guess aos had him right after all...) and also because of whatever horrible and weird thing they had going on in search for spock. WHICH BY THE WAY BROKE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED CANON don't get me started

anyway, aside from that, this episode fucking ruled

i love the concept of vulcan dementia just being vulcan emotionalism. i wonder if it's genetic. i wonder if spock would've gotten it had he lived longer. i kind of wish spock had been the one following sarek around containing his emotions even though i wouldn't wish that fate on him cuz then i would've gotten to see him :(

less thrilled about the new wife. they could have had someone else play amanda if her real actress wasn't available (and she wasn't dead, i checked). if people live for like 150 years in the future there simply wasn't long enough for her to die and for sarek to have gotten remarried, especially if vulcans bond for life (which i guess was implied in some interpretations of amok time but not canonized).

actually, if sarek had once been bonded to someone as spock was to t'pring, how did HE wind up with a human wife...did he get remarried so quickly because of pon farr or does that wind down as vulcans get older...so many questions which will never be answered

anyway, i loved the sudden bursts of anger, it was so fun. uh except for beverly hitting her kid but it wasnt Her so we can move past it. especially thrilled with riker and picard almost getting into it

SAREK CRYING? ok king. i wish we had gotten to see spock cry and not in that deleted tmp scene

i loved picard's nerdery of him also. that makes the mind meld very fun. the rituals are literally intricate. also, "we shall always have the best parts of each other inside of us" i HOPE THATS TRUE FOR SPOCK AND KIRK AND BONES. i read an excerpt from a novel. well. i don't want to talk about it

anyway, picard calling out to spock and amanda...maybe i did well up a little at the mention of spock's name. who can say!!!!!

menage a troi: SSSSSSSSSSSIGH

ok, so i grabbed this one by myself because the summary looked bad and we're trying to finish s3 before chr*stmas fucks up all our social plans. no matter how bad the summary was, the actual episode was WORSE

i have three good things to say about this episode actually. the first was that i like that deanna yelled at her mom again, although this time i know better than to expect it to stick. the second was that i LOOOOVED deanna and riker's little date outfits. extremely charming. and finally i loved when lwaxana handed riker that horrible looking vegetable and he ate it with only mild reluctance. king is literally down to clown.

the rest of this ep was garbage. i know we didn't actually see any sex happen but i feel like they implied pretty heavily that the ferengi fucked her, possibly even multiple times. and like it's funny! ha ha ha look at the crazy situations this eccentric lady gets into! ha ha ha look at her and deanna having to run around naked!

somehow, this was the worst lwaxana episode yet. idk why i actually expected them to do a little better in s3. like, if i was gene roddenberry and they did this to my WIFE on MY SHOW. but you can put even odds on it being his idea or him getting off to it. his horrible little fetish fuel.

cherry on top was lwaxana's self-sacrifice at the end where she stays behind to let deanna escape sex slavery or whatever. which one felt like a classic narcissist parent thing and two wasn't even real - it was an excuse for picard to do badly-acted poetry on the bridge to pretend to be her jealous lover to get them to let her go. and then after all that she goes right back to sexually harassing HIM. because it's funny! ha ha ha!

anyway, it's a shame they had wes's little arc as the b plot of this episode because it was fine and feels important continuity wise, and yet every list on earth will rightfully suggest this episode get skipped because it fucking sucks.

tonight, the last two episodes of season 3 - "transfigurations" and "best of both worlds part i." i already know picard gets BORGED in the finale because i've known that since i was a baby and i am WAITING!!! they fucjing blue balled me in the first borg ep and i am MORE than ready for some brainwashed cyborg action. palette cleanser after lwaxana troi episodes.

[beyondspock]

“Journey to Babel was a very happy experience,” she says. “It was shot pretty much as I wrote it, only a couple of things were changed. One in particular was the scene where Amanda talks to Captain Kirk about Sarek’s relationship with his son [Spock]. It seemed to me that would have been inappropriate. She had been living on Vulcan, married to a Vulcan, raising a Vulcan son, but she would not have blurted out all this information to Kirk. I did not have anything to do with that scene and I think Roddenberry re-wrote it.

The rest of the show was pretty much as I wrote it. There were no major changes with that. At the time it laid in a lot of information that people needed to know about Spock. It’s  the kind of thing where we know a little bit about him, we had a line here: ‘I never told my mother I loved her’ in The Naked Now. [sic] Or ‘My mother was a teacher, my father is an ambassador’ in This Side of Paradise. That’s one of the things that got me thinking, ‘Who are Spock’s parents? What kind of background does he have?’, because we did not have that information. So I just came up with it. 

The generation gap was a big issue in the Sixties,” Fontana continues. “There was a lack of communication between parents and children, or between anyone who was older with anyone who was younger, so I thought, ‘this is a good issue to explore, let’s talk about this.’ So I considered the fact that they hadn’t spoken in so many years, and why. Then I brought that conclusion to one they could both live with. It made for a lot of fun writing it.”

Interview with Dorothy Fontana, Star Trek the Official Fan Club Magazine, July 1997.

[kinetic-elaboration]

November 18: 1x24 This Side of Paradise

Today’s ep: the first, but not the last, instance of Spock’s inner hippie coming out.

Also another ep where Spock is wrong, again. “Absolutely zero chance of survival,” he says, minutes before they find survivors.

I see Spock just volunteered himself for the landing party.

Kirk is such a romantic. “Ah, there’s nothing sadder than a dream that’s died...”

Omicron Ceti III... that reminds me of something... could it be Futuruma?

(It is Futurama.)

“He’s alive, Jim.”

Sulu asking the important questions: is it possible they’re not alive? I mean given some of the ship’s prior adventures, it’s a valid possibility.

Ah-ha, Spock’s old... “friend.” Another hussy he’s cheating on T’Pring with. I guess he’s into blondes.

Kirk is so suspicious. He knows a romantic interlude when he sees it.

This settlement would be very popular today. Simplicity. Gardening. Happiness.

“I wouldn’t know what was right or wrong with a farm if it were two feet away from me,” Sulu says, while sitting right next to the danger plant. I love Sulu. He has such an easy, good-natured humor about him that I really don’t think is appreciated enough.

Spock’s still a Vulcanian, I see.

So he knew Leila 6 years ago... Only six? What was he doing on Earth then?

“It is said he has no feelings to give.” People love to gossip about Spock.

Kirk giving Bones the disk like “Ta-da, friend, I have anticipated your needs!”

I want to know how Bones broke two ribs. Barroom brawl?

“I missed you.” / “Logically, you should be dead.” Wow, what a romantic.

I think it’s interesting that he related his lack of emotions to being a scientist, not a Vulcan. He did that in the Naked Time, too, drawing on his identity as an officer when the space disease made him feel weepy.

Even though Leila is also a scientist.

“We’re vegetarians.” Lol Spock will fit right in.

I find it interesting that Starfleet has the authority to evict these people from the planet.

“It gives life, peace, love”--that doesn’t sound suspicious at all. Is it a drug?

Spock getting hit in the face with the spores is HILARIOUS.

She’s so surprised that suddenly feeling emotions hurts him--duh, he’s not human, so it’s different for him!

So is this Spock’s ��inner face”? Ready to declare his love all at once?

“Would you like to use a butterfly net on him, Jim?”

I can’t believe Jim was halfway through his sentence when he was suddenly like “Where’s Spock?”

Spock’s seen a dragon? I bet he liked that.

I really like this romantic theme music.

This is absolutely the attitude adolescent Spock took with Sarek. “I don’t think so Sir.”

“I thought you said you might like him if he mellowed a little.” First, I love when Kirk and McCoy do this like ‘you said this’ ‘no I didn’t...’ thing. And second, they talk about Spock in their off time! 

“The frequency is open but he doesn’t answer.” Leaving Jim on read I see.

Jim does not like this weird Spock, swinging from the tree limbs.

Lol Spock wants to “straighten out” Jim. That raging bisexual? Unlikely.

Spock is under arrest: the charges, silliness while on duty.

I love the creepy music they play over the plants. The music + the look of the plants is very invasion of the body snatchers. They just look alien.

Interesting that Jim is (partially?) immune.

I love when Bones gets really Southern. You can tell he really worked on toning down that accent, but this is his true self.

Oh no, Uhura took out communications, now it’s unfixable.

Plant on the bridge!!! So creepy.

Captain’s log: I’ve been bested by spores.

Spock is very interested in this “mint julep.” He knows what it is! It’s a drink! (He definitely had to ask.)

So the plants are, in fact, aliens. Traveling to space to reach this planet that they like very much.

“It’s a true Eden, Jim. There’s belonging... and love.” The two things Spock wants most!!

“I don’t know what I can offer against paradise.”

I can’t believe that after that long, sad soliloquy, Kirk gets hit in the face with spores lol. It’s just a funny visual!

Kirk’s little suitcase. Full of shirts. All the essentials.

And then... a random medal? I guess it’s there to show that even spored, Kirk still cares about his accomplishments and still has pride in them. Personality-wise, he just doesn’t seem as susceptible.

The getting-over-the-spores thing is a little...weak. Like I guess he just cares so much about the ship he can’t abandon it? The thought makes him angry and that kills the spores? A little weird.

And of course, he goes straight to Spock as the first person he wants to save, eve though that involves poking him to anger, which is risky. “Aroused, his great physical strength could kill.” Interesting choice of words lol.

“My mother was a teacher.” Spock doesn’t like mean references to his mom.

Also I guess this is the ep that canonically establishes Sarek as an ambassador.

Kirk has to work really hard and say a lot of very mean stuff to get Spock angry. (Unlike AOS Spock who just hears the words ‘your mom’ and is ready to throw hands.) (In his defense, she did just die.)

Also omg his parents are still alive! Stop talking about them as if they were dead!

“I don’t belong anymore.” Yes you do bb! On the Enterprise!

“Well if we’re both in the brig, who’s going to build the subsonic transmitter?” Impeccable logic. I feel like Spock set him up for that one on purpose.

“Enterprise” in McCoy’s thick Southern drawl.

I like that Spock changed back into his uniform first.

Jim is definitely jealous of Leila.

This Spock and Leila conversation... Really makes me curious to see Spock attempt a romantic relationship.

Saying “that man on the Bridge” is so much more dramatic than just saying “the Captain.” Like... so much more!!

“You couldn’t pronounce it” lol. I’m so glad this scene exists to make it clear that he has a last or family name and also that we will NEVER know it. I completely reject that dumbass fanon name, you know the one. It’s pronounceable! That means it’s wrong!

Hilarious that that’s the note they end on.

I guess Leila was over the spores there for a bit. But I still don’t really have a firm grasp on what her actual personality is. Everyone else’s seemed to change a lot while under the influence.

I feel like they kind of did start a 500 person brawl.

Glad Bones got his mint julep!

“Would you like to see how fast I can put you in the hospital?” I think you already put him in the burn unit!

I can’t believe he throws the mint julep away when the spores go away. Does he not actually like them?

This episode is very judgmental lol. Also, I know they’re humans, but it doesn’t seem in the spirit of the Prime Directive either.

What my mom calls Kirk’s Puritan work/strife values. True. He’s a Midwesterner but he’s a little Puritan too clearly. “Maybe we were meant to struggle” says the man who lives in a post-scarcity utopia.

I kind of feel like Spock DOES want to stroll to a lute.

And of course this whole “poetry” interlude is itself incredibly Dramatic.

“For the first time in my life, I was happy.” What?? No, stop being such a drama queen. Wasn’t seeing a dragon cool? Meeting Jim??

I don't know if I think the concept of just being happy and gardening to survive is so bad tbh. Like... I guess a part of me (the Puritan part?) does rebel at the idea of just being....blank and placid all the time, and never striving for anything. But like that was really the worst the spores did. There's no real explanation as to why it's bad, other than, well, it makes you not so ambitious. I'm very torn about the moral of the story.

Still overall, a very good ep. A good Spock ep--lots to think about re: his characterization, when I’m more awake. A very good Kirk ep, too.

Next is The Devil in the Dark. YET ANOTHER absolute classic. Season 1 really just keeps going at 100mph.

[nacluvetitep]

It's very late and I stayed up to explore my tribble idea.

Tribbles. I need more tribbles. Tribble comics, tribble stories, actual tribbles.

Note. Make a tribble comic. They're just tribbles. Lol action scenes are just dramatic close ups of the tribble. Yeeees it's all the same. But the story is compelling enough and the concept funny enough to follow. This universe is wonk bro.

Kirk (he technically would be classified as spa new class)

Is a blonde (in the sun he looks gold) tribble with very soft fur and a pleasant trill friendly towards (human)women

Omg SPARRING!! just Kirk lightly throwing himself against another tribble. Kirk-fu. What about tits out Tuesday?? He can't. He can't do tits out Tuesday as a tribble. Oof. He cuddle every pretty human tho. Bred in iowa.

Spock (tho f2 new class)

Is a practically black tribble with neat shiny silky fur. often others wonder if he's dead as he doesn't make much noise, eat, or move especially when meditating. When he does trill it's surprisingly low in tone. His fur is special and thin due to being bred on vulcan. He is still a touch telepath. Does not like being held. He still plays his lyre lol don't ask how.

Bones (vit variation sub class)

Grey tribble with somewhat rough fur. Highly animated. Skrees a lot more than trills. Some how he's in charge of health. Lol, medkits and such being human size yet some how appearing next to bones as if he carried it. Bones too is friendly toward human women and tries his best to trill cutely for them but due to his skreeing his voice is rough.

Scotty (dot variation sub class)

Bruh how would tribbles even run a starship lol. Prone to drinking alcohol. His trills sound more like hiccups. Legit Miracle worker. Like how??? They don't even have hands. Enterprise is human sized still.

Sulu (stah?)

Still likes plants and fencing (????) The sword just lying there. Sulu is good boi baby.

Uhura (sus?)

Very soft fur and very friendly to everyone. Her trill is very melodic for a tribble. She understands a feck ton of languages and is very intelligent.

Chekov (spa/ dot mix new class)

He's a smaller tribble than the rest. Thicker fur. Very cute and adorable and salty sometimes when it comes to hypo sprays. Works under Spock's influence. *Trills in Russian* bred in Russia.

How do parents work????

They like each other and when they decide to have a kid one of them (the "mama") eats something. Boom! Kid.

Spock was def Vulcan special dark chocolate

Amanda was bred on Earth via specific human foods (like you do) and sarek bred on Vulcan via Vulcan foods. Mental bonds exist for Vulcan tribbles. Green blood.

What color is tribble blood anyway?

Starfleet class tribbles fed food made specially to keep them from having a million babies. Like birth control food. It just wouldn't be practical having a ship overrun by new tribble babies every time you had a meal.

Bruh next gen

Picard (sus or naked lol)

Riker (dot/tho mix)

DATA!!!! (synthetic tribble)

Doctor crusher (ginger tribble ooo)

Wes!!!( Little dot)

Counselor troi (tho)

Worf (cannibal tribble (but not cannibal))

Geordi !!! (vit but with 1 darker stripe like jas new class)

[pixiedane]

book anon again - neat, yeah, I totally get it getting too complicated. I still haven't made it past the Destiny trilogy for the same reason. I'd say Resistance is worth reading too; it's between Death in Winter and Q&A. But oh my god Beverly/Picard was my first OTP and I will never not have Emotions about them - I've thought a bit about what we could have had if they actually got together at some point during the show, any ideas/headcanons for that? ^^

Hello book anon :) YES, I can certainly share that. 

PART ONE, Canon Compatible

Season 1:Their interactions in “Encounter At Farpoint” and “The Naked Now” make them feel awkward so they avoid falling into any intimacy until “Justice”. But after he puts everything on the line for her son, she shows up at his doorstep to express her deep gratitude. They get very close to sex but he feels like it’s a reward and that’s all wrong and puts on the breaks. But their very next adventure, “The Battle”, has Picard reliving his experiences on the Stargazer and it’s incredibly traumatic. He ends up on her doorstep, but this time she aborts anything too physical because he’s in the wrong headspace. They go back to awkward which becomes doubly awkward at “Haven” because a marriage is a reminder of Jack Crusher and that episode makes ’soulmates’ a thing and that idea makes them both morose. But! Here comes “The Big Goodbye” where it is pretty overtly suggested that these two were going to sneak off to get it on in the privacy of Dixon Hill’s office if only Data and the historian hadn’t gotten in the way. 

This is where I’d choose to have their full on affair begin. It carries on until “Coming of Age”. While it turns out the investigation was just to prove Picard is trustworthy, he’s concerned his judgment IS impaired by the relationship and asks for space to think. This lasts until “Arsenal of Freedom”, where he’s faced with the possibility of Beverly dying. But she doesn’t like the see saw they are on, which brings us to. 

Season 2:Obviously she left the ship to give him all the space he could ever need. But she misses her son, she misses being on the front lines, and as much as she may not want to, she misses Jean-Luc.

Season 3:She comes back on one condition, no tap-dancing around a relationship — we’re friends. They push through the awkward and get to a really good place. “The High Ground” tests them, but they avoid talking about it. “Allegiance” tests them, but they avoid talking about it. “Sarek” tests them, but they avoid talking about it.

Season 4-6:They are the best of friends — the kind that flirt and tease and support and challenge and are always, always there for each other.

Season 7:“Attached” brings everything — literally everything, all the way back to the beginning — to the forefront. Jean-Luc is relieved, he’s been carrying this around for decades. Beverly is scared. She loves him, she’s loved him all along, but she relies on their relationship and these revelations make her start to second guess her own understanding of it. It takes time to get past that. I don’t think it should take all the way to Nemesis, but I also think Beverly should have about 80% more screen time and presence in the TNG films and really would prefer to just imagine them getting together post “All Good Things”.

PART TWO, Canon Divergent

I think I would do it one of two ways. A) Seasons 1-3 as above, but they get together after “Remember Me”.  B) Seasons 1-6 as above, but they get together after “Attached”.

Honestly not much would change! The various one off love interest episodes would need to be reworked, and we’d get more overt physical intimacy. But their working relationship and their friendship can already be read as lovers.

Qpid: is exactly the same except Picard is even more embarrassed, and there’s a scene where he tries to tell Beverly that just because he’s playing along doesn’t mean he wants to be with Vash. Beverly shakes her head because of course they are going to rescue Vash! Also she gets to fence instead of break pots. In fact Beverly is the one who actually rescues Vash. Vash tells Jean-Luc she’s a keeper.

The Host: Deanna gets Beverly’s part, Picard gets Riker’s and Beverly has to tell Deanna it’s okay to hook up with her boyfriend. Or Riker retains his part and things are somehow both less awkward and way more awkward.

Lessons: is about Beverly, but they don’t break up

Sub Rosa: is now a Geordi episode

Episodes that are improved by their relationship being explicitly romantic:

“Violations”“Cause and Effect” (repetition of a bedroom scene!)“The First Duty”“Chain of Command”“Suspicions”“Journey’s End”

Send me a ship and I’ll give you my (brutally) honest opinion on it and/or write a scenario 

[tomfooleryprime]

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.