#sch'n t'gai family

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deleted scene (2009) / Unification (2024)

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[ID] A vintage comic panel with yellowed pages shows an image of Sarek greeting Saavik with his hand raised in the ta'al, as Kirk and Spock stand by and watch them. Saavik is returning the Vulcan salute. Sarek says: "Greetings, Saavik, blood I Have Made Mine", to which she replies: "Honor and long life to you, Father Who Did Not Sire Me." [End ID]

SAREK just let them call you father

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I was listening to music and "In Control" came up on shuffle, and I was reminded that for a while I misheard "Failure was my only option/All I ever did was let you down" as "Failure was my only option/All I ever wanted was to make you proud"

Anyways uhhh thoughts on this?

Any interpretation of the song is cool with me, but I wrote “let him down” because these verses are supposed to be repetitive to show that he's getting fixated on the past & that these are seemingly inescapable cycles. Sometimes, stoicism only prevents people from speaking out about their pain.

‘Making someone proud’ is usually active; it requires you to do something. ‘Not letting them down’ is seemingly passive- all you have to do is uphold their values every single day without slipping, but if they aren't your own values or they're especially strict, eventually the pressure will get too much. I don't think Spock believed Amanda when she said that he was enough.

It doesn't matter that Amanda supported his decision to join Starfleet, because he was still driven away due to bullying. I think he could cope with it when it was ‘just children’, but by the time he was a young adult he'd realized that these issues were more systemic & if he joined the VSA it would be more of the same.

And of course the irony is that Sarek's “fully Vulcan” son, Sybok, suppresses his emotions far less than any other family member, so Sarek has failed as a parent by his own standards.

In Control

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Michael: Here is my petition to exile Sybok. As you can see, the benefits of exiling him are: I'd get peer pressured way less

Sarek: Petition denied

Michael: He tried to get Spock to do it, too

Sarek: Sybok, pack your bags

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Vulcan bonds seem to work in canon with varying degrees of intensity. Spock and Kirk always seem to be able to sense each other (perks of being gay I guess), and Sarek gave Michael a soul graft to save her life as a kid, so as an adult they can communicate over great interstellar distances (but not through time). But the Sch'n T'gai family may have higher levels of telepathy than other Vulcans.

Okay but. but. listen. There’s a TOS episode where Spock physically reacts to a vulcan ship exploding and killing everyone inside, because the emotions the vulcans felt during death were transmitted to him telepathically. So that means that theoretically vulcan bonds could work over intergalactic distances. 

So… so… so… how far do they work? Like at what point in returning home would Tuvok be able to sense T’pel and his children on the other side of their bond? Would it be faint but gradually grow stronger? Would he be able to feel their excitement and relief? Would they be able to talk to each other again? I am inconsolable. 

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“My logic is always in question where my son is concerned.”

Sarek holding baby Spock.

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Sybok: Meld with me I wanna show u something

Spock: Ok

Sybok: Bitch

Spock: Blocked

Sybok: Wait, come back, I've got something else to say

Spock: Unblocked

Sybok: Here's a list of all the war crimes I've committed

Spock: Oh. I thought you were going to say 'bitch' again-

Sybok: Bitch

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Sarek, Not Again

Individual Panels

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I wanna be the very best

That there ever was

To train them is my real test

To teach logic is my cause

I will travel across this world

And cross this Universe

Finding Kids I can adopt

And point out all their flaws

LOOK, A CHILD-

(Must adopt them all)

The teachings can never fail

(Of Surak)

I'll imbue in you

All the logic that I knew

HUMAN CHILD

Here’s fabulous news

I've got a new home for you

You Teach Me and I’ll Teach You

Human Child

Gotta Adopt ‘Em All

[marlinsart]

I made a comic for this, which you can view in higher quality here.

Sarek, teacher AU:

Sarek: today, a student mistakenly called me "father" in a moment of distraction.

Sarek: *stands aside to reveal a human child*

Sarek: So say hello to your new brother

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[Image ID: A digital illustration of Sarek wearing orange robes on Vulcan. He's holding baby Spock and looks somewhat shell shocked. The sun is setting, and Vulcan's twin planet is visible outside the window. End Image ID.]

“My logic is always in question where my son is concerned.”

Sarek holding baby Spock.

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Why are you booing me? I'm right.

“My logic is always in question where my son is concerned.”

Sarek holding baby Spock.

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(August 2020)

Sarek, Not Again

Individual Panels