The caveat to this post is this-I am newly come to the Star Trek world. While I recognize the major names and characters, I had only seen a handful of the films and a few episodes of the series’ over the years. I started with Discovery, and am currently watching Strange New Worlds. My Spock opinions, therefore, do not come with the back history of his character. I only know what I know from Disco and SNW.
I will do my best to ensure a lack of profound spoilers, but as this is a currently airing season, proceed from here with caution.
Spock is not my favorite member of this particular Enterprise crew…
…but after last week’s episode, I think he is the character I might relate to the most.
Spock is caught between worlds constantly. The child of a human mother and Vulcan father, his childhood is spent attempting to balance his inherited traits. Against the backdrop of his emotionally volatile and passionate human sister, Spock is introduced to this timeline in Discovery season 2 as incredibly logical, but ill equipped to handle his more human traits. It is revealed during that season that Spock suffered from human learning disabilities, which were unheard of excuses for poor performance in the eyes of the other Vulcans.
So, half of Spock’s personality comes from his Vulcan blood. We are told the Vulcan’s value the use of logic above all else, and take great care to control, maintain, and suppress their emotions. It is not that Vulcans do not feel, or feel differently/less than humans; as a culture they place the value of ordered logic above that of emotional feeling.
I had begun to feel like maybe I was relating to this version of Spock, and then last week’s episode really smacked me all over the place with it.
The relationship between Spock and T’Pring makes me very happy, though I am convinced this world’s Spock and Pike have ABSOLUTELY been naked together. T’Pring, completely Vulcan, loves Spock for who he is and attempts to get to know his humanity better, by referencing human sexuality in important novels. Spock is flustered, especially because this conversation is happening through video call as their relationship is often long-distance. T’Pring tells him she thought the burden was on her, as a Vulcan, to learn and embrace her fiance’s humanity, rather than waiting for Spock to educate her. An awkward moment, definitely meant for laughs or a brief chuckle, and yet it encapsulates the depth of her regard for Spock, and I love that.
This exchange makes Spock uncomfortable enough to seek advice from his friend Nurse Chapel, again. He says to her something about the difficulty of reconciling his disparate identities. There is now a guest on board, a former Starfleet Counselor named Dr. Aspen.
A conversation between Dr. Aspen and Spock reveals more insight into Spock’s emotional state. Expressing shame and guilt because they had not arrived in time to help some colonists, Spock tells Dr. Aspen such feelings are counterproductive, often increasing anxiety instead of assuaging it. They respond:
Well, not all of us have had the pleasure of a Kolinahr to purge all emotion.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S1E7
Of course, without the benefit of TOS or films, I had no idea what a Kolinahr was. Thankfully, it seems like I’m not alone in late coming to Star Trek, as the conversation conveniently gives all the context we need:
Dr. Aspen: I never got Kolinahr. You naturally have emotions, why erase them?
Spock: Kolinahr offers clarity. An ability to see one’s self without bias. I very much look forward to mine.
Dr. Aspen: Interesting. He hasn’t snipped his emotions yet.
What this exchange informs me is twofold:
- Vulcans experience emotions and choose to erase or suppress them, this is an intentional action/behavior.
- Spock has not undergone this process yet.
Gut instinct is paired as logic’s opposite-clearly demonstrated when the Enterprise becomes trapped in a rapidly shrinking energy net. There is a 50/50 chance to choose the correct asteroid to destroy and disable the net, but the wrong choice could result in a massive explosion. There is no logical way to determine which choice to make. Pike urges Spock to “go with his gut,” an emotional response he has attempted to train out. And yet, with no other alternatives available, Spock must make a choice. Had he not taken a shot, that would have been a choice, too. He is trapped in a circumstance from which no amount of logic can save him in a timely enough manner, he had to tap in to feeling, instinct, and human emotion.
Discussing the incident with Dr. Aspen later, Spock reveals his deep discomfort with “gut instinct,” relegating it to “disturbingly similar to guessing.” It is one of my favorite exchanges in SNW and likely of Star Trek as a whole (that I’ve seen).
Dr. Aspen: You know, all species put things in boxes. It’s like you’re either this, or you’re that. And…sometimes we act a certain way to fit people’s expectations, but that’s not necessarily who we are. And sometimes, like on the bridge just now, it can limit us.
Spock: You are proposing I better balance my human and Vulcan natures.
Dr. Aspen: I’m saying…maybe you’re neither.
Do you have ANY IDEA how important that exchange is? Saying Vulcans are logical and Humans are emotional is such a reductive way to say it, but we do it all the time.
In real life, think about the behaviors we expect for people depending on who we think they are. Men are supposed to have this great ability to reason, to put aside emotion, etc.; very like the representation of Vulcan culture on Disco and SNW. Women are emotional, irrational, chatty, the list goes on forever.
OK so the show keeps going, Captain Pike heads up an away mission, leaving Spock, Chapel, and Dr. Aspen on the Enterprise. What Pike and co. get up to on this mission is fantastic and some of Pike’s best moments, but since it’s all unrelated to this Spock tangent, I’ll limiting our discussion to this paragraph and the picture of the away team.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is boarded by pirates. Dr. Aspen and Spock are able to remain together and free, despite the Bridge Crew being taken into custody. Dr. Aspen tells Spock more about their past, including a story about their Vulcan husband who, in an attempt to manage perceptions, stayed and fought instead of fleeing. Dr. Aspen says they wish he would have let emotion take over. The pair reach engineering, meeting up with Nurse Chapel, and attempt to reboot the computer systems.
They make short work of the computer block, at which point Dr. Aspen reveals their true identity as Captain Angel, the leader of the Serene Squall. Chapel and Spock have just given them control of the Enterprise.
It turns out, Angel planned all of this to get the Enterprise outside of Federation space. They specifically sought the Enterprise because of Spock’s connection to T’Pring, who works at a Vulcan rehabilitation facility. Housed there is the man Angel loves, and they want T’Pring to trade him for Spock. If emotion were the only factor, T’Pring would not allow Angel to manipulate her in such a way. However, Vulcan culture does specify that T’Pring is responsible for Spock, a fact Angel makes sure to remind her. When Spock asserts T’Pring would not be swayed by emotions in such a way, Angel laughs out loud at him.
Angel: I’ve been using emotion to sway you all day. Oh, those poor, sick colonists! My tragic love, lost in battle. Stories, emotions, compelled you to do exactly what I wanted. I don’t know if it’s because you’re part Vulcan, part Human, or both. When you figure out who you are, maybe you could fill me in.
And here’s the thing, she’s RIGHT! What are emotions, at the core? For Spock, who hasn’t as his Kolinahr AND is half-human, how much of his identity cannot be separated out from the feeling of it? In real life I notice a similar trend. Have you ever argued on the internet? Emotions of violence are acceptable. Think about a rabid sports fan, maybe one who doesn’t dress up, but yells at the TV for a bad play. The tragic story Angel tells him of their lost husband, about a Vulcan man who could not balance the logic and emotion inside him? True, apparently, but also true of Spock, and Angel knew it.
Angel tells Spock the man they loved wasn’t dead, but they did lose him to a Vulcan prison, and that was bad enough. Spock is disturbed Angel perpetuated this entire scheme for love, when they respond with the best motivation:
Love is the only thing that makes the cold loneliness of space bearable. That’s why T’Pring will make the deal.
Strange New Worlds S1E7
Angel is right, of course, and T’Pring does show up with prisoner in tow. However, when it comes time to make the trade, Spock believes he has determined the true identity of Angel’s husband, and cannot allow the transfer to happen. The only way T’Pring can leave with her honor intact, would be to severe the bond between them. This he does by informing her, in front of everyone on the bridge, that his human emotions have swayed him for too long. It’s funny, because it’s clear he is so stilted and unemotional in his vocal patterns, that it’s not at all convincing what he is trying to say. Nurse Chapel steps in, “he’s trying to say we’re having an affair.”
To prove this, Spock and Chapel smooch in front of everyone. It’s steamy. T’Pring and Spock dissolve their mating bond, allowing her to leave with the prisoner still aboard her vessel, and never seen by the audience.
In perfect Star Trek timing, this moment is also when Captain Pike and crew show up, having taken over The Serene Squall and returned to rescue the Enterprise. Angel escapes, but leaves Spock with a final reminder:
Angel: For what it’s worth, I did enjoy meeting you, Mr. Spock. Xaverius always talked about you. I urge you to consider that you do not need to be either Vulcan or human. That is and always has been a false choice. The question isn’t what you are. It’s who you are.
Thankfully, T’Pring is a brilliant woman. She shows up to Spock’s quarters not long after. He apologizes to her for the “incident” of kissing another woman in front of her.
T’Pring: Why apologize? It was an impressive gambit to protect both my reputation and my patients’ safety. […] I assumed it was part of some greater plan and I was right. I was also right about something else. […] Your human side can be a source of strength. There is no way you could have sold the passion of that kiss without it.
They perform the mating ritual again, to recommit to each other and their relationship.
OK, that was a lot of information. Let me see if I can parse some of it out.
- Spock has been raised to believe that half of his identity is expected to think and behave in one way, while his other half has opposing expectations. He believes these traits to be inherent and inviolate, regardless of his own personality.
- Angel, who has a Vulcan husband, believes logic and emotion are choices and decisions, not inherited traits
- In the real world, gender is treated in a similar fashion
- Men have a certain expectation, women another, and there is no space for people who are neither, both, or something entirely different
Identity should not simply be a list of the qualities we were born with. Spock is half Vulcan and half Human, but that does not make him lesser than either bloodline. He is himself because the combination of his genetics made him, but also his lived experiences with his human mother, adopted human sister, and time spent in Starfleet.
The final moments of the episode show Spock and Chapel reconciling after their adventure. I think the show is trying to make an awkward love triangle happen, as Chapel’s facial expressions, tone, and body language indicate to me that although she tells Spock “I know where I stand with you. You’re an honest man. You’re not the guy who would chase after another woman while you have a girlfriend. So…I know for certain…there’s no feelings between us.” OK, but, you have feelings clearly, girl, you just know he’s respectable. Meanwhile, Ortegas clearly has a big ol’ crush on Chapel (there were some major googly eyes happening in the “Spock Amok” episode).
ANYWAY, that final conversation ALSO reveals Spock’s guess as to Angel’s husband’s identity-his estranged full Vulcan elder half-brother Sybok. This brother has entirely rejected logic and become one of the V’tosh ka’tur, which I expect to learn more about as the series continues.
Final Thoughts
I’m curious to keep watching, not just because every single member of the main cast could absolutely get it, but because these story lines are so incredible. I had spoken previously about my love for Discovery because of the found family and inter-personal connections it prioritizes, but Strange New Worlds is the kind of fun and dramatic space nonsense I enjoy immensely. I think we’ll be seeing more of Captain Angel and hopefully we’ll meet their husband.
I just hope as we keep learning and talking about the LGBTQIA+ community we can continue to move towards a more accepting world. While some people are absolutely binary, some are not. Some people like to match their gender expression to the societal expectation of that gender, some do not. At the end of the day, what’s important is that every person should be able to express themselves how they feel best. We shouldn’t assume based on appearances what gender, sexuality, identity, pronouns, etc. belong to a person. Men don’t have to only care about football, women aren’t just emotional messes. We know these things, but it’s clear we don’t know them. If we did, gender neutral clothing would include dresses and skirts, instead of the default to vaguely masculine as the “neutral.” There is a lot of work to still do in this regard, but we’ve come a long way too.
Queerly Beloved 
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