Spock
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| Spock | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Species: | Half human (through mother) Half Vulcan (through father) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Date of birth: | 2230 |
| Date of death: | (2285) (see below) |
| Home planet: | Vulcan |
| Affiliation: | Starfleet |
| Posting: | USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) science officer/first officer, commanding officer USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) science officer/first officer |
| Rank: | Lieutenant Lieutenant commander Commander Captain Ambassador |
| Portrayed by: | Leonard Nimoy |
Spock, or Mr. Spock, (2230-2285 and 2285-?) is a main character in the original Star Trek TV series. Mr. Spock is one of the most enduring characters from American 1960s television. He is part alien: half-Vulcan, half-Human, and serves in Star Trek as the Science Officer and First Officer of the Starship Enterprise, under Captain James T. Kirk.
The character's appeal derives from Spock's socially conscious but technically proficient nature. His personal struggle between the Vulcan logical self and his human emotional self is the centerpiece of the character and created some evocative drama. He was portrayed by actor Leonard Nimoy (except for brief scenes of a much younger Spock in two later movies).
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[edit] Character history
[edit] Creation
Spock appears in Gene Roddenberry's 1964 pitch for Star Trek, where he is described as "probably half Martian, he has a slightly reddish complexion and semi-pointed ears", and is said to be the ship's First Lieutenant.
By the first pilot episode, "The Cage", Spock had become greenish/yellow, and was instead from the planet Vulcan. Spock did not originally have the logical manner he would soon develop, this instead being a trait of the character of Number One, but the 1964 pitch does describe Spock's curiosity. NBC was concerned about the satanic appearance of Spock, and asked for the character to be dropped.
Roddenberry refused, and Spock was the only character from the first pilot to make it into the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". This episode presents a more fully-formed Spock, with his trademark logic.
Although Spock identified himself as Vulcan, he had an ongoing internal conflict between the reason and logic of his Vulcan half and the emotion and intuition of his human half. By human standards, however, he was incredibly logical and utterly unflappable in the face of danger.
[edit] Back-story
Spock's back-story was not fully developed to start with (even the name of species changed from "Vulcanian" to "Vulcan"), and was added to by various writers over the years. The second pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" establishes that Spock has human ancestry, and the initial episode of the first season, "The Corbomite Maneuver," reveals that his mother is the human parent. The second season episode "Amok Time" establishes his family is important, but they are not identified until "Journey to Babel", which introduces viewers to his father, Sarek, a Vulcan ambassador, and Sarek's human wife, Amanda. It is shown that Sarek and Spock fell out over Spock's decision to enter Starfleet. Spock has a first name, but it is unpronounceable. On the show, he did whisper it to the ear of the Romulan Commander in the episode "The Enterprise Incident."
According to the animated series episode "Yesteryear", Spock was subject to considerable harassment by his peers as a "half-breed" in his youth (this is largely corroborated by statements made by Spock's mother Amanda in the episode "Journey to Babel"), and he was even called that by Captain Kirk's android clone in "What are Little Girls Made of?", by Kirk in "This Side of Paradise" as well as by Scott in "Day of the Dove". He was deeply conflicted as to what path to follow.
It was established in "The Enterprise Incident" that, like all Vulcans, Spock never lies. In "The Doomsday Machine" Spock states that "Vulcans never bluff." It could be argued that this is typical from someone who is bluffing, but this appears credible, since Vulcans never lie.
Spock was betrothed at a young age to a Vulcan woman named T'Pring, as is customary in Vulcan society. He was meant to marry her during his pon farr period, which is when the seven-year Vulcan mating cycle would cause him to seek a mate. However, in the episode "Amok Time," Spock beamed down to Vulcan, only to have T'Pring challenge the betrothal, in order to take a new husband named Stonn. In a duel, Spock defeated Stonn's champion, Kirk, but then gave up his connection with T'Pring.
According to "Yesteryear", to prove himself, he prematurely underwent an important coming of age trial without his parents' knowledge, but his pet sehlat, I-Chaya insisted on accompanying him against his guardian's wishes. During the trial, a dangerous beast attacked the pair and I-Chaya was seriously wounded fighting it. Although they were saved by a relative who had followed them (actually the adult Spock himself who had gone back in time to save himself at this moment), I-Chaya needed immediate medical attention. Although Spock was able to bring a healer, the sehlat was beyond meaningful aid when he arrived. When presented with the options granting his pet a painful extended life or a merciful release, Spock logically chose to have I-Chaya euthanized. That decision marked his commitment to follow the philosophies of Surak and the Vulcan ideals of logic and strict emotional control.
According to the movie Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Spock had an older half-brother, Sybok, who eschewed pure logic, and was banished from Vulcan for his heresy. Sybok hijacked the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A), together with Spock, in a quest to find God.
In the episode "This Side of Paradise," when asked by Leila Kalomi whether he has another name, Spock responds "you couldn't pronounce it." In the episode "Journey to Babel" Spock's mother Amanda is asked about her last name. She replies that she can pronounce it "after a fashion and with much practice."
In the 1985 non-canon novel Ishmael by Barbara Hambly, Spock's and Sarek's family name is given as S'chn T'gai.
In 2267, he earned the Vulcanian Scientific Legion of Honor and held an A7 computer expert classification.[citation needed] Non-canon novels suggest that Spock in fact held the only A7 classification in Starfleet.
[edit] The Original Series
Spock is a main character in Star Trek: The Original Series. Although initially kept "in the background" due to the concerns of NBC, he was featured in the opening credits, and quickly became a fan favorite. In the show, Spock serves as Science Officer and First Officer aboard the USS Enterprise. An episode "The Menagerie" included large segments of "The Cage", and established that Spock had served on the Enterprise for 11 years under Captain Christopher Pike before James Kirk took over as commanding officer.
A "troika" of Spock, Captain James T. Kirk, and Ship's Doctor Leonard McCoy developed. In particular, friendly banter and more intense argument between Spock and McCoy was popular amongst fans and their relationship was further developed. Part of the classic appeal of Star Trek lies in the manner in which the dialogue of these three friends mirrors the internal dialogue of the human brain. In this relationship, Spock often appears as the "intellect," against Kirk's "ego" and McCoy's "id."
Spock's cerebral and ethical summations of various plot dilemmas, and his analyses of the ethical issues in Star Trek's famously morally ambiguous plot resolutions, led to much of the character's enduring significance as a literary character.
[edit] The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is set some years after the end of the original series. Kirk is now an Admiral at Starfleet Command, McCoy has returned to private practice, and Spock is attempting to attain the state of kolinahr on Vulcan, the elimination of all emotional vestiges. His attempt is disrupted by V'Ger, and he instead joins the crew of the Enterprise and offers his services as Science Officer.
[edit] Death and rebirth
Nimoy was initially reluctant to sign on again to depict Mr. Spock in the second Star Trek movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He was tempted to sign up to the movie by having Mr. Spock killed off. In the film, Spock, now a Captain and CO of the Enterprise, heroically sacrifices himself to save the Enterprise.
Spock's death was deeply controversial within fandom. A gateway was left open in Star Trek II, by having Spock grab McCoy and saying "remember". This is used as a hook by Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (directed by Nimoy himself), which introduced the concept of the Vulcan "Katra", or spiritual essence. The film establishes that Spock had transferred his Katra to McCoy, and the Enterprise crew then proceed back to the Genesis Planet created at the climax of the last movie, to find that Spock's corpse had regenerated to an adult body. They unite Spock's body with his mind, restoring him.
[edit] Later life
Spock appears in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, in the latter serving as Executive Officer of the Enterprise-A.
In the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Spock plays a key role in the peace negotiations between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets, and then after elements within both governments attempted to sabotage this, an important part in defusing the situation, including exposing his protogé, Valeris, as a traitor.
Spock is generally considered to have married at some point, because Captain Jean-Luc Picard once observed that he had met Sarek at "his son's wedding" (in the episode "Sarek (TNG episode)". However, Sarek also had a third wife, Perrin, but it is not mentioned in the TV series whether that couple had any sons. The Star Trek Chronology dates this event between 2327 and 2333, as Picard had graduated from the Academy but was not yet a Captain.
Spock is next seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Unification", in which Nimoy appeared at Guild Scale rates to cross-promote the movie Star Trek VI. "Unification" establishes that Spock and Sarek fell out again, over Spock's position on the Cardiassian war. In "Unification" Spock is found on the Romulan homeworld of Romulus, attempting privately to bring about a peace between the Romulans and Vulcans, healing a rift between the two peoples that had lasted for thousands of years.
[edit] Spin-off fiction
The non-canon young adult novel 'Crisis on Vulcan' depicts Spock's first experience with the ship. He accompanies his father on a diplomatic mission aboard the Enterprise, and while there meets his future captain, Christopher Pike, then serving as the first officer under Robert April, the first captain of the Enterprise. Spock becomes impressed with the humans, and particularly with the logical setup of the ship, which leads him to consider a career in Starfleet, which becomes a serious consideration when Pike invites him to do so.
In the non-canon novel Yesterday's Son, Spock is revealed to have fathered a son with the exiled Zarabeth while trapped in the past on the subsequently destroyed planet Sarpeidon. In the sequel, Time for Yesterday, his son Zar returns to mindmeld once more with the Guardian of Forever.
Sometime after the decommissioning of the NCC-1701-A, Spock retired from Starfleet service and focused on diplomacy. It was during this time that he publicly challenged his father's position on the Cardassians, which was considered controversial. These events were explored in the non-canon graphic novella Star Trek: Enter the Wolves.
In the novel Captain's Blood, Spock stages his own mock assassination at a peace rally on Romulus following the events of Nemesis in an effort to play himself off as a martyr for the cause of Romulan-Vulcan reunification and exploit the unstable Romulan political climate to succeed in reunifying the Vulcans, Romulans, and Remans.
[edit] Abilities
Various episodes of TOS revealed different facets of Spock's personality and abilities. For example, "The Omega Glory" revealed that Spock had the ability to exercise limited, short-range control over the minds of others — an ability never again exhibited by any Vulcan. This, combined with Spock's ability to transfer his katra, has led some to speculate that Spock possessed more advanced mental and psychic abilities than average Vulcans. TOS also revealed that Spock is an accomplished musician, adept at playing a form of Vulcan harp. He also (in "Requiem for Methuselah") displayed advanced knowledge of classical music. He also possessed enthusiasm for three-dimensional chess.
Given his skills at science, math, chess, diplomacy, unarmed combat and his apparently limitless knowledge (best seen in The Trouble with Tribbles), Spock may properly be considered a polymath.
[edit] Vulcan nerve pinch
[edit] Mind meld
Spock famously performed a mind meld on a number of occasions to communicate with a creature that did not speak the universal language, or to delve more deeply into another's subconscious so as to retrieve important information not otherwise accessible. This technique involved placing his fingers at key points on the face (or equivalent thereof) of the being in question. After a moment, his consciousness was merged with the consciousness of the being, thus leading to thoughts and emotions being shared by both. This was first depicted in the TOS episode Dagger of the Mind and then referred to as the Vulcan mind fusion.
[edit] Mirror Universe
In the mirror universe, Spock was executive officer of the ISS Enterprise in 2267. Like his counterpart, Spock was a logical being who was loyal to his captain, James T. Kirk, and chose to warn him when he was ordered by the Terran Empire to kill him and take command if he did not launch an attack against the Halkans in retribution for their refusal to negotiate with the Empire.
Before Kirk left, believing that Spock would one day become captain of the Enterprise, he planted a seed of doubt about the inevitable success of the Empire, asking Spock if violence was the only logical answer. Spock promised to consider Kirk's words.
As Kirk predicted, Spock later on became the captain of the Enterprise. Spock used the ship as a power base to accumulate influence, and eventually rose to become leader of the Terran Empire. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, it is revealed that he successfully instituted major reforms, turning the Empire into a more peaceful, less aggressive power. Unfortunately, this transformation left the Empire unprepared to fight the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, which proceeded to conquer it, enslaving the Terrans and Vulcans. This served to show that interference from Captain James T. Kirk does not always result in desired effect. While the Terran/Vulcan Empire might have not survived more than the two hundred or so years Mirror-Spock predicted, Kirk certainly would not have liked knowing he was indirectly responsible for the enslavement of the entire human race.
[edit] Cultural impact
The Mirror Spock’s goatee entered folklore and has now become synonymous with evil twins and parallel universes. The progressive rock band Spock's Beard was named after this. An episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured a parallel universe counterpart of Mike Nelson that had a goatee. Several strips of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics are set in an alternate universe where evil versions of the main characters both sport goatees and make explicit reference to them.[1] In an episode of Voltron: The Third Dimension, the original Voltron crew find themselves in an alternate dimension in which their counterparts are opposite of themselves. The alternate version of the Voltron Force's Lance sports a goatee. Lotor, the series villain, drives a reversed colored Voltron that sports a goatee. The goatee has also been used to poke fun at the moral ambiguity of characters in various series: in the animated television series Futurama, the recurring robotic character of Flexo was visibly distinguishable from his "evil" counterpart, Bender — a series regular of questionable morality — solely by his goatee, which Bender lacked. An episode of South Park featured Cartman's good twin wearing a goatee.
[edit] New film
Star Trek (film), due for release in 2008, will reportedly take place during the time frame of the original series, and thus Mr. Spock will certainly be a main character in the film. No casting has, as yet, been made, although rumors indicate that Brandon Routh & Zachary Quinto have both expressed great interest in playing Spock. [2]
[edit] Trivia
- Spock is the only character to have appeared in all 79 episodes of TOS as well as the first pilot.
- In popular culture, particularly among non-fans of the series, Mr. Spock is often misnamed Dr. Spock and is confused with the real-life physician Dr. Benjamin Spock. Trek creator Gene Roddenberry denied that he named the character after the real-life Spock; he was simply looking for an alien-sounding name. The Star Trek novel Strangers from the Sky is one of the few works associated with the franchise to make direct reference to Benjamin Spock when Spock is actually given the name "Ben Spock" by an elderly man during a visit to the 21st century. Also, a production photo taken during the filming of the episode "Spock's Brain", shows Leonard Nimoy, in full Spock costume, holding a newspaper with the headline "Spock Arrested."
- The Jack Vance science fiction novel Star King, written a few years before the original Star Trek series premiered, contains a minor character occasionally operating under the alias "Mr. Spock."
- Many fans believe that Spock is the first Vulcan to join Starfleet, a fact that appears to be contradicted by the series Star Trek: Enterprise. In fact, there is no canon reference to Spock being the first, and a mention of a Vulcan Starfleet captain in the episode "The Doomsday Machine" strongly indicates that this is not the case. It has alternatively been suggested that he was simply the first to graduate from Starfleet Academy. It must also be taken into consideration that Star Trek: Enterprise depicts an Earth-only Starfleet; which shares a name, but it's not the same institution, than the United Federation of Planet's Starfleet. Thus, T'Pol was a member of Starfleet, but not of the same Starfleet Spock was the first Vulcan to serve on.
- The Star Trek: Enterprise episode, "Two Days and Two Nights" reveals that Spock's grandfather, Skon, created an English-language translation of Surak's writings. Sub-Commander T'Pol gives Captain Jonathan Archer a copy of this book as a gift in this episode.
- Several stages of Spock's life, from childhood to adulthood, are shown in the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. This marks one of two films in which actors other than Leonard Nimoy have played the character. During this film, he is played by Carl Steven (age 9), Vadia Potenza (age 13), Stephen Manley (age 17), and Joe W. Davis (age 25). Because of his rapid aging Spock experienced pain associated with PonFarr "the Blood Fever" , the young Spock is often heard screaming; these screams were recorded by Frank Welker.Pon Farr happens every seven years in vulcans ,because of the rapid growth in Spock this happened to him every couple of hours.
- Spock does have some items from Earth in his quarters, as an homage to his ancestry being partially from Earth as well. Notably, in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, there is a painting called "The Expulsion from Paradise", depicting the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, in Judeo-Christian Theology. He explains to his protege, Valeris, that the painting serves "as a reminder to (him) that all things end."
- Spock is briefly shown as an infant in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, during a mind-meld with his brother Sybok who projects the images for Kirk and Doctor McCoy to see. In this instance, the infant Spock is played by twin brothers because of regulations concerning the use of child actors.
- The Futurama character Kif was inspired by the show's creators wondering how Spock must have felt being treated the way he often was by Kirk (as noted in several Futurama DVD audio commentaries).
- The Vulcan peace sign (the Vulcan salute), employed by Spock, is a modification of the sign used by Kohens, the Jewish priestly class. Actor Leonard Nimoy devised this gesture and the accompanying greeting ("Live long and prosper," "Peace and long life") based on his own Jewish heritage.
- In The Undiscovered Country, Spock says, "An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." The statement is originally made by the Sherlock Holmes character created by Arthur Conan Doyle, which means his mother is of English descent. Leonard Nimoy starred as Holmes in a Broadway production of the play The Crucifer Of Blood. The film's director, Nicholas Meyer, has written three Holmes novels, including The Seven Per-Cent Solution, considered by many to be the best Sherlock Holmes novel not written by Doyle. Also, it is rumored that James Bond in the novels claims Holmes as his ancestor; also remarking that an ancestor of his said the same quote. Of course, this could also mean that their ancestor is Arthur Conan Doyle and not Sherlock Holmes.
- Academy Award-winning actor Martin Landau was initially offered the choice of playing Spock or Mission: Impossible's Rollin Hand but chose the latter as he felt playing such a "wooden" character was "the antithesis of what I do as an actor"[3], a decision he says he has never regretted.[4] Ironically, Nimoy replaced Landau when he left Mission: Impossible in 1969.
- It is revealed in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home that Spock dislikes Italian food, although this may be lingering confusion related to being recently revived from the dead.
- Spock does consume alcohol (Requiem for Methuselah and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier), notably brandy and bourbon.
- Asteroid #2309 Mr. Spock was named (indirectly) after Spock. The asteroid was named for the discoverer's cat, which was in turn named after Spock.
[edit] External links
- Mr. Spock article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
- Mirror Universe Mr. Spock article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
- StarTrek.com: Spock
| Regular characters on Star Trek | |||
| The Original Series | Kirk | Spock | McCoy | Scott | Uhura | Sulu | Chekov | Chapel | Rand | ||
| Animated Series | Arex | M'Ress | ||
| The Next Generation | Picard | Riker | Data | La Forge | Worf | B. Crusher | Troi | W. Crusher | Yar | O'Brien | Guinan | Pulaski | ||
| Deep Space Nine | B. Sisko | Kira | J. Dax | Odo | Bashir | O'Brien | Worf | J. Sisko | Quark | Rom | Nog | E. Dax | Garak | Martok | Damar | Dukat | Weyoun | Winn | ||
| Voyager | Janeway | Chakotay | Tuvok | Paris | Torres | Kim | Doctor | Neelix | Seven | Kes | ||
| Enterprise | Archer | T'Pol | Tucker | Reed | Phlox | Sato | Mayweather | ||
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