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Vulcan (Star Trek)

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Vulcans , or sometimes Vulcanians , are a humanoid species in the fictional Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan , and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion . They were the first extraterrestrial species officially to make first contact with Human species, and later became one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets . Vulcans appear in all six Star Trek series, three of which featured either a Vulcan or a half-Vulcan as a main character.

• 1.1 Physical appearance
• 1.3 Mating drive
• 1.4 Other characteristics
• 2.1 Emotion
• 2.2.1 Mind melds
• 2.2.2 Katra
• 3.1 Language
• 3.3 Marriage
• 3.5 Fighting and self defense
• 3.6 "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations"
• 4 Homeworld
• 5.1 Vulcan High Command
• 5.2 Star Trek (2009) alternate timeline
• 6 Character development
• 7 In other media

Biology [ ]

Physical appearance [ ].

Vulcans are depicted as similar in appearance to humans . The main physical differences are their eyebrows and ears: the former are arched and upswept, while the latter feature pinnae which taper into a point at the top. Vulcans can be classified into various races . Most caucasianoid -like Vulcans typically appear with a subtle greenish hue to their skin , due to Vulcans' copper-based blood (not blue as in Horseshoe Crabs ), which aside from being green in color is also referred to as being as cold as ice water. Other features described include an inner eyelid, or nictitating membrane , which protects their vision from bright lights, an adaptation for their bright and hot home world. In addition, their hearts are located on the right side of the torso, in between the ribs and pelvis, as Dr.McCoy once says about Spock:“he is lucky that his heart is where his liver should be, or he’d be dead!” (ST:TOS, A Private Little War )

Vulcans are vegetarians by choice and were omnivores in ages past. In the Star Trek original series (TOS) episode " All Our Yesterdays ", Spock willingly consumes meat; partly due to the effects of time-travel 5,000 years into the past, and partly because he reasons there is no other suitable food available given the harsh, ice-age climate in which they are trapped. Vulcans are repeatedly stated to be herbivorous in the TAS episode " The Slaver Weapon ", by the carnivorous Kzinti . Vulcans do not like to touch their food with their hands, preferring to use utensils whenever possible (though there are numerous cases where Vulcans have broken this rule). It is a Vulcan custom for guests in the home to prepare meals for their hosts (“Star Trek Enterprise” episode: “Home”).

Vulcans are said not to drink, though they are depicted indulging on special occasions or as a storyline warrants. In the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Repression ", Humans and Vulcans are shown drinking a Vulcan alcoholic drink called "Vulcan Brandy ". In the TOS episode " The Enterprise Incident ", as part of his diversionary role during an espionage mission against the Romulans , Spock shares a drink known as romulan ale (blue colour beverage) with the female Romulan commander. In a later TOS episode " Requiem for Methuselah ", Spock specifically requests a Terran brandy after Dr. McCoy , while serving himself and Captain Kirk , observes that he had no expectation that Spock would be joining them in a drink for fear that the alcohol would affect his logic faculties. In Star Trek: First Contact , when the Vulcans first met Zefram Cochrane , he served them alcoholic beverages, which they took in lieu of dancing. In "non-canon" Trek-related literature, such as the novelization of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Vulcans are depicted as immune to the effects of alcohol, but become inebriated by ingesting chocolate (this is also quickly alluded to in DS9 when Quark offers a Vulcan client some Vulcan Port or chocolate, in speaking of which he implies something sexual).

Mating drive [ ]

Approximately every seven years, Vulcan males and bonded females experience an overpowering mating drive known as pon farr . Once triggered, Vulcans must have sexual contact with someone, preferably their mate, or else face insanity and death.

If a mate is not available, there are other ways to relieve the effects of the pon farr . The first is meditation , by means of which the Vulcan must overcome the urge to mate through mental discipline. The second is violence. This is seen in the Voyager episode " Blood Fever ", when B'Elanna Torres and Ensign Vorik fight in the traditional Vulcan manner. The violence ends the pon farr. The other option is extreme shock; in the TOS episode " Amok Time ", Spock believed he had killed James T. Kirk , his best friend, thus providing sufficient shock to nullify the effects of pon farr. When he experienced pon farr, Tuvok of the USS Voyager made use of a holodeck simulation of a temporary mate which resembled his wife to relieve his condition. This holodeck simulation was created because The Doctor was unavailable; the dialog of this episode suggests that The Doctor had prepared a medicine to help Tuvok overcome the effects of pon farr. Infection is another mechanism writers have used to induce pon farr in Vulcan characters. Template:Citation needed

In the TOS episode " This Side of Paradise ", Leila Kalomi hints at having had a special relationship with Spock some six years earlier, which may suggest an encounter between them during pon farr. Likewise in the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , the regenerated adolescent Spock went through at least two pon farrs at accelerated speed. As his mate was not available on the Genesis planet (where Spock underwent the accelerated pon farrs), it was implied that he mated with Lt. Saavik, a female Vulcan scientist on the crew of the Enterprise who accompanied him during the accelerated pon farr.

Despite popular opinion, TOS writer and story editor, Dorothy C. Fontana , insists that Pon Farr is not the only time that Vulcans feel sexual desire or engage in sexual activity: "Vulcans mate normally any time they want to. However, every seven years you do the ritual, the ceremony, the whole thing. The biological urge. You must, but any other time is any other emotion - humanoid emotion - when you're in love. When you want to, you know, when the urge is there, you do it. This every-seven-years business was taken too literally by too many people who don't stop and understand. We didn't mean it only every seven years. I mean, every seven years would be a little bad, and it would not explain the Vulcans of many different ages which are not seven years apart." [1]

Other characteristics [ ]

Vulcans are typically depicted as stronger, faster, and longer-lived than humans (although discrepancies have occurred). Vulcans are about three times as strong as an average human, though their durability is about the same. There are instances of them living over two hundred and twenty years. Having evolved on a desert world, Vulcans can survive without water for longer periods than humans.

Psychology [ ]

Emotion [ ].

Vulcans, as a matter of custom and policy, suppress or think past all emotional influence by living lives of rigid emotional self-control through meditative techniques and training of mental discipline. Vulcans are not depicted as having no emotions; although they themselves make this claim, Vulcans are an exceptionally emotional people. They developed techniques to suppress their emotions precisely because of the damage they can cause if unchecked. In one episode of Star Trek: Voyager , Tuvok explains that Vulcans' natural emotions are "erratic and volatile"; if Vulcans do not strongly repress emotions, they can get violently angry in an instant. T'Pol once stated that paranoia and homicidal rage were common on Vulcan prior to the adoption of Surak 's code of emotional control. In the original series episode "The Savage Curtain", Spock meets Surak and displays emotion, for which Surak reprimands him, and he asks forgiveness.

The advanced ritual of Kolinahr is intended to purge all remaining vestigial emotion; the word also refers to the discipline by which this state is maintained. Only the most devoted and trained Vulcan students attain Kolinahr ; most Vulcans do retain control over their emotions, but do not completely eliminate them as Kolinahr attempts to do. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Spock was unable to complete this ritual after receiving powerful telepathic signals from space and experiencing strong emotions as a result. The Vulcan masters conducting the trials concluded that since Spock's human blood was touched by these messages from space, he could not have achieved Kolinahr, and the ritual was halted.

The term for the purge of emotion is arei'mnu. It is stated that it does not translate properly into any Earth language. In Diane Duane 's novel Spock's World, it was suggested that arei'mnu closely translates into "mastery of emotions", but that linguist Amanda Grayson , Sarek 's wife and Spock's mother, in her work on the universal translator , had mistranslated the Vulcan word to mean "lack of emotions".

Some Vulcans, such as T'Pol, Sarek (in his later years, due to a rare disease which can affect Vulcans over the age of 200 years), and Soval , carry their emotions close to the surface, and are prone to emotional outbursts, even without outside influences or illness; T'Pau certainly displayed restrained but definite emotions in the TOS episode " Amok Time ", including suspicion of the Human visitors followed by admiration and approval of their friendship for Spock, and contempt for Spock's humanity. There is some evidence to support the hypothesis that Vulcans in close contact with Humans for an extended period of time may become more emotional than Vulcans who do not. Established canon has yet to make a definitive case for this.

Not all Vulcan characters follow the path of pure logic; some instead choose to embrace emotions. A group of renegade Vulcans who believed in this was encountered in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Fusion ", while Spock's half-brother Sybok , seen in the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , was also fully emotional. An episode of Enterprise titled " E² " featured an elderly T'Pol in an alternate timeline who had embraced emotion and allowed her half-Human son, Lorian, to do likewise.

In the pilot episode " The Cage ", Spock showed much more emotion. " Number One ", played by Majel Barrett , was supposed to be the emotionless character. Although the test audience indicated they liked the actress, they hated the character because they could not relate to a female who was so "cold". As a result, the character of Christine Chapel was created for Barrett and the "coldness" was transferred to the Spock character.

Telepathy [ ]

Many Vulcans are contact telepaths , and have been observed taking part in a number of telepathy-related actions and rituals, including an instance where Cmdr. Spock was telepathically aware of the simultaneous deaths of 400 other vulcans on a far-away ship (in 2nd season episode, "The Immunity Syndrome").

Mind melds [ ]

A "mind-meld", is a technique for sharing thoughts, experiences, memories, and knowledge with another individual. It usually requires physical contact with a subject, though instances of mind-melds without contact have been seen (for example, in the episode " The Devil in the Dark "). Vulcans can perform mind melds with members of most other species, most notably Humans , with Jonathan Archer being the first known Human participant in such a ritual in 2154. Even the Earth Humpback Whale can be successfully melded with. The Ferengi are one of the few races known to be impervious to the mind meld; mentally disciplined Cardassians may also be resistant to mind melds if properly trained. It is not established if this potential ability is inherent to Cardassians, or if members of any race could be trained to resist a mind meld. Machines, such as the Nomad probe, have been melded with even if only through complete contact. Though not canon, in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode " One of Our Planets is Missing ", a touch-less melding of a gaseous nebular entity was depicted.

Mind melds have been used to erase memories, as Spock performed on James T. Kirk in the TOS episode " Requiem for Methuselah ". Mind melds can also allow more than one mind to experience memories and sensations, and sometimes even interact with the memories, as seen in the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Flashback ".

The mind meld can be considered a terrible intimacy because of the strength of Vulcan emotions and the strict psycho-suppression disciplines in which they are trained, and thus not one to be taken lightly. In the Star Trek: The Next Generation installment "Sarek", when the diplomat proves to have Bendii's syndrome and thus to be incapable of completing his last great mission without assistance, he executes a mind meld with Captain Jean-Luc Picard , gaining enough emotional stability from this to complete his mission—but Picard himself almost goes insane from the direct onslaught of Sarek's powerful emotions as a result.

Though mind melds are frequently portrayed as a consensual act, that is not always the case. In the TOS episode " Mirror, Mirror ", Spock of the Mirror Universe performed a forced mind meld on Dr. Leonard McCoy in order to learn what McCoy was keeping secret. Mind melds can also be very violating and potentially harmful under certain circumstances. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , Spock forcefully used the technique on Valeris in order to discover information she had that could be used to prevent a war; Valeris began screaming just before Spock broke the connection.

The use of the mind meld was taboo for a period of time. In the Vulcan timeline, this changed when experienced melders were shown to be able to cure Pa'nar Syndrome , a condition passed on by melders who are improperly trained. Within a week of the Kir'Shara incident in 2154, the stigma against mind-melders was evaporating, and sufferers of Pa'nar were being cured in large numbers. By the mid-23rd century, the mind meld is a fully accepted part of Vulcan society, and was even used once to rejoin Spock's katra with his healed physical body ( see below ).

As originally depicted in TOS, mind-melds were considered dangerous and potentially lethal. Over the course of the original series, however, the element of risk was no longer mentioned, although it was revived on Star Trek: Enterprise with the revelation that Pa'nar Syndrome can be transmitted this way.

For a number of years, it was held that not all Vulcans are genetically capable of initiating a mind-meld, such as T'Pol . However, the overthrow of the Vulcan High Command in 2154 revealed that this is not the case, and T'Pol conducted her first mind meld soon after.

Some Vulcans appear with advanced mental abilities. For example, in the TOS episode " A Taste of Armageddon ", Spock was once able to induce uncertainty in the mind of a prison guard on Eminiar VII , and in the episode " The Devil in the Dark ", he was able to perform a limited mind meld with a horta without actually making physical contact with the being. It is made apparent that a touch-less meld is limited in effectiveness compared to physical melds. During more intense melds, the melder is sometimes shown using both hands.

Some Vulcans appear able to "cheat death" by implanting their katra , essentially their living essence or spirit, into an object or another person via a form of mind-meld just prior to death. The history and mechanics of the katra have never been discussed in great detail in canon. It was known at the time of Surak , and Surak successfully transferred his essence into a "katric ark" which remained hidden for 1,800 years until it was recovered by a Vulcan named Syrran in the 22nd century. Syrran melded with the ark and received Surak's katra , which guided him into creating the Syrrannite movement which fought to restore Surak's teachings to Vulcan , but was labeled a terrorist group by the Vulcan High Command .

Syrran was fatally wounded by a lightning strike while escorting Jonathan Archer and T'Pol across a desert region called The Forge in 2154 prior to a short-lived conflict between Vulcan and Andoria . He conducted a forced mind-meld on Archer and implanted Surak's katra into Archer's mind before he died. For a brief time, Archer found himself communicating with the long-dead Surak, and Surak began controlling, or at least strongly influencing, Archer's actions. Surak's katra was so strong that it resisted efforts to be transferred into T'Pau , but once the Syrrannites overthrew the High Command, the katra allowed itself to be transferred into a Vulcan elder. The ultimate fate of Surak's katra remains unknown.

Katras can, on rare occasions, be returned to the body, effectively bringing an individual back from the dead . Such was the case with Spock , who, near the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , implanted his katra into the mind of Dr. McCoy prior to sacrificing his life to save the USS Enterprise . (Such was the strength of Spock's mental abilities that he was in fact able to function normally for several minutes despite depositing his "soul" elsewhere). Following Spock's death, McCoy began exhibiting Vulcan-like behavior and was briefly institutionalized. It was later discovered that Spock's body came to rest on the Genesis Planet after his burial in space, and was regenerated. He was recovered and was taken with McCoy to Mount Seleya on Vulcan where a Vulcan high priestess named T'Lar performed a rare, seldom-attempted ritual called the fal tor pan (literally, "re-fusion"), which removed the katra from McCoy and implanted it into Spock's regenerated body. Subsequently, Spock recovered, although it took some time to retrain his mind to where it was prior to his death. Eventually, Spock's original memories apparently reasserted themselves, and he resumed his duties in Starfleet .

Culture [ ]

Language [ ].

The Vulcan language is depicted as developing so much over time that writings from the era of Surak required translation to be understood upon discovery in 2154. Template:Citation needed

According to the DVD commentary of the film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , actors Leonard Nimoy and Kirstie Alley , portraying Spock and Saavik respectively, spoke their lines in English, and later dubbed in alien dialogue that corresponded with the movements of their mouths in the scene.

The treatment of Vulcan names has been erratic throughout Star Trek 's production history. Early on, female Vulcans were typically given names beginning with "T" followed by an apostrophe then a "p". The earliest reference to Vulcan names following a set pattern dates back to a May 3, 1966 memo from TOS producer Robert H. Justman to Gene Roddenberry (later reprinted in the book The Making of Star Trek ) in which Justman recommended that all Vulcan names begin with "SP" and end with "K", and have exactly five letters. (It is clear from the context of the book, however, that the memo was intended as a joke, as the series of memos ends up discussing the pronunciation of such names as "Spilk" and "Spork".) [2]

Beginning with the Star Trek movies of the 1980s and continuing to today, a greater variety of names have been given to Vulcans beginning with other letters of the alphabet, such as Tuvok , Koss, Mestral, Chu'lak, Valeris , and Xon to name a few (Xon being a Vulcan character created by Gene Roddenberry for the intended Star Trek: Phase II series in the 1970s, and the actress Kim Cattrall , who played Valeris, chose the character's name). Template:Citation needed

Only non-canonical sources have provided any Vulcans with family names, which are usually spoken of as defying attempts at both human pronunciation, especially with English-language phonemes, and human typesetting, especially with the characters of the modern Latin alphabet used for the English language. Hence, no canonical source has given any family names to any Vulcan characters, and indeed, every one of the personal names previously mentioned are all officially described as being only Latin-alphabetical and English-phonetic approximations of the real ones.

Marriage [ ]

Template:Unreferenced section Vulcans practice arranged marriage [3] , in which a male and a female are married or affianced as children, with consummation at a later date. Following adult union, it is customary for the couple to remain on Vulcan for at least one Vulcan year before conducting off-world travel, though it is possible to defer this requirement until a later date, upon negotiation with the male's family. The state of pon farr is not required for marriage to occur. The mating session of a Vulcan (pon farr) includes the private act of sex undifferentiated from the human version of mating.

A Vulcan female can challenge the proposed bonding by calling for koon-ut-kal-if-fee, meaning "marriage or challenge", in which a challenger for marriage engages the bonded male in a fight to the death. Alternately, the bonded male has the option of rejecting his intended bride and choosing another. It is acceptable for a male to "release" his mate from marriage (effectively the same as a divorce ). It is not established whether females have the same option, and T'Pring stated in " Amok Time " that a koon-ut-kal-if-fee challenge was the only way she could legally divorce Spock . [3]

Template:Unreferenced section It is customary for Vulcan children to undertake an initiation ordeal known as the Kahs-wan (sometimes spelled Kaswahn ), in which they are left to fend for themselves in the desert for a specific period of time. Not all children survive this rite of passage. T'Pol underwent the ritual, while Tuvok experienced a variation known as the tal'oth . The Kahs-wan was first introduced in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode " Yesteryear ", in which Spock's experience as a child was detailed.

Contrary to the Vulcan image of expressing no emotion, family bonds can be strong and affectionate just as they are for Humans . Tuvok expressed his love for his wife on a few occasions (without actually using the term), Sarek openly expressed affection for both his Human wives, and a clear bond of love existed between T'Pol and her mother, T'Les.

Fighting and self defense [ ]

Template:Unreferenced section Although generally adhering to a philosophy of non-violence, Vulcans have developed martial arts and techniques of hand to hand combat . Vulcan martial arts are highly ritualistic and based on philosophy, similar to Human counterparts such as karate and Silat . The most extreme example is the koon-ut-kal-if-fee , or fight to the death, described earlier, though one particular discipline is known as Suss Mahn (named for Star Trek: Enterprise producer Mike Sussman ).

Many Vulcans are skilled in a self-defense technique known as the " Vulcan nerve pinch " or "neck pinch", which targets a precise location on the neck, rendering the victim unconscious (sometimes instantly, sometimes after a short delay depending on the subject). The mechanics of the pinch have never been explained in on-screen canon. While practiced mainly by Vulcans, it is not exclusive to their race; for example, Jonathan Archer and Jean-Luc Picard are depicted as having mastered the technique after each became involved in a Vulcan telepathic ritual (Archer holding the katra of Surak ; Picard having undergone a mind-meld with Sarek ). The android Data also displayed this ability, though none of the three characters were depicted using the skill regularly. Leonard McCoy attempted to use the "neck pinch" while carrying Spock 's katra in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , but was unsuccessful for reasons unknown. In " Whom Gods Destroy ", Garth of Izar performs the neck pinch on a Tellarite guard while masquerading as Spock, using his shape-shifting ability. However, the Tellarite was one of Garth's minions, and the neck pinch may have been a ruse to convince Kirk that Garth really was Spock. Tongo Rad, a Catuallan, employed a similar technique to render a Starfleet officer unconscious by driving his thumbs suddenly and firmly into the sides of the officer's neck in the original-series episode " The Way to Eden ".

"Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" [ ]

Template:Unreferenced section

Vulcan IDIC Symbol

The phrase "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" (IDIC) refers to the infinite variables (or forms of intelligence) in the universe and the infinite ways in which they may beneficially combine. IDIC is often seen as an underlying philosophy of the Vulcans. Template:Citation needed The theme is symbolized by the Vulcans in a Kol-Ut-Shan, [4] represented as a pendant of yellow and white gold with a circle and triangle resting upon each other, and adorned with a white jewel in the center.

Spock wore the symbol during important gatherings and ceremonies as part of his dress uniform . It appeared for the first time in the Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) episode " Is There in Truth No Beauty? " It also appeared in Spock's quarters in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . In the series Star Trek: Enterprise , T'Pol is given, through her in-name-only husband Koss , an IDIC pendant from her mother T'Les which projects a holographic relief, enabling T'Pol and Captain Archer to find the location where T'Les and the Syrrannites are hiding. Also in Star Trek: Enterprise, T'Pol, the science officer, holds an IDIC pendant in Terra Prime while she is in mourning for her dying cloned child Elizabeth, named in honor of Charles "Trip" Tucker 's deceased sister. In the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Take Me Out to the Holosuite ", Captain Solok, an Academy classmate and longtime rival of Benjamin Sisko , challenges Sisko and other DS9 personnel to a baseball game against his Vulcan team, the Logicians. The IDIC symbol appears on the Vulcans's ballcaps.

The Vulcan IDIC pendant was designed by Gene Roddenberry as a marketing premium long before the third season. As early as the end of the first season, fans of the show had begun writing in asking for copies of the scripts, film clip frames, etc., and these were soon sold through Roddenberry's "Lincoln Enterprises", run by Majel Barrett . As evidenced in some of his letters and memos, Roddenberry was fond of circle-and-triangle designs and had wanted to use them for purposes of theatrical unity as early as the first season's " The Return of the Archons ". As reported by editor Ruth Berman (issue #1, Inside Star Trek , July 1968, pp. 15–16), "ardent rock hound and amateur lapidary" Roddenberry came up with the Vulcan philosophy after he presented Leonard Nimoy with a unique "hand-crafted piece of jewelry," a "pendent" (sic) of polished yellow gold (circle) and florentined white gold (triangle), with a stone of brilliant white fabulite—an artificial gem "developed by the laser industry and used in space mechanisms for its optical qualities," and thus well-suited as a gift for an actor in a science fiction show. Readers were encouraged to submit their interest in such a product to the then-Star Trek Enterprises mail order firm. It was noted that "less expensive materials" would keep costs down.

According to William Shatner in Star Trek Memories, the book about TOS he dictated to Chris Kreski , IDIC was only worked into the episode " Is There in Truth No Beauty? " as an afterthought. The actors all knew it was a mere advertising toy. Reportedly, Leonard Nimoy was asked to wear it and refused, so it was passed on to Shatner; when he also refused, Nimoy reluctantly agreed to wear it. At the last minute, Roddenberry sent down several pages of new script for the dinner scene, in which Spock was to give a long-winded explanation of the philosophy. The actors refused to film it until Roddenberry cut it down.

Homeworld [ ]

Comparison of the habitable zone of 40 Eridani with the habitable zone in our solar system.

The Vulcan homeworld is also named Vulcan , a reddish Minshara-Class planet orbiting the star 40 Eridani A , 16 light years from Earth . Its inhabitants were originally called Vulcanians; the latter name was used by Spock in the Original Series episode " A Taste of Armageddon ", and by Federation colonists in " This Side of Paradise ".

Much of its surface consists of deserts and mountain ranges, and large areas are set aside as wilderness preserves. It is much hotter, it has a stronger surface gravity , and its atmosphere is thinner than that of Earth. As a result of these factors, humans tend to tire out more quickly than native Vulcans.

In the alternate timeline of the 2009 film the planet was destroyed by Nero who created a black hole in the center of Vulcan. The planet imploded, leaving an estimated 10,000 survivors out of a population of 6 billion, including Spock and some of the Elders.

Fictional history [ ]

Template:Unreferenced section Template:Very long In the episode " Return to Tomorrow ", Spock theorized that the Vulcans might be the descendants of a colony from Sargon 's planet.

It is speculated on the official website startrek.com that a species that was known on Earth as the gods of ancient Rome or the gods of ancient Greece traveled to ancient Vulcan (named by Star Trek creators to refer to the Roman god of fire ), thus influencing both those that would later become Romulans as well as those who remained on Vulcan. Template:Citation needed Vulcans subsequently practiced a form of paganism ; this can be seen in gods of war , peace, and death depicted on the Stone of Gol , as well as the celebration of Rumarie. The DVD commentary for " Amok Time " says that TOS writer D. C. Fontana named the Vulcan god of death "Shariel", a bust of whom is seen in Spock's quarters.

In about the 4th century AD , Vulcans emerged from their violent tendencies and civil wars under a philosopher named Surak , who advocated the suppressing of emotion in favor of logic . This period was known as the Great Awakening, and much of present-day Vulcan philosophy emerged from this period. According to the Star Trek: New Frontier book series (like all novels, many of which are not considered canon), the Great Awakening caused many wars and conflicts to occur amongst various Vulcan tribes; those who supported Surak's cause would become separated from friends and even close family members who did not. For cases in which parents were separated by this, a ritual was created called the ku'nit ka'fa'ar , a battle to determine which parent would maintain their child. Despite the acceptance of Surak's teachings, generations of imperfect copies of his writings, combined with changes in the Vulcan language over time, resulted in a diluted form of the culture he instituted.

Surak 's views and lifestyle were not universally accepted by Vulcan society. One particular group of Vulcans who called themselves "those who march beneath the Raptor's wings" were so adamant in their opposition against Surak that it resulted in a nuclear war , of which Surak himself became a victim. After time the portion of Vulcan society who rejected Surak's teachings left the planet for the stars. This migration of Vulcan separatists would eventually become known as the Romulans . Knowledge of the common ancestry of Romulans and Vulcans would obscure into myth over the millenniums, and while some Vulcans had direct dealings with Romulans in the 22nd century, the common ancestry would not become widely known until the mid-23rd century.

A great deal of Star Trek spin-off fiction , in particular the novel The Romulan Way by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood , has stated that the leader of the Vulcan-Romulan migration was a close follower of Surak's named S'Task. S'Task would see the founding of the Romulan Empire , but was killed by political factions shortly thereafter.

Vulcans did recover from the effects of barbarism and turn much of their attention to space travel for 1,500 years. What would later become known as the Vulcan High Command was initially formed to orchestrate space exploration, but it ended up seizing control of Vulcan government.

The Vulcans fought a hundred-year war with the Romulans starting circa 1944.

Spock was one of three Starfleet officers from the 23rd century who travel in time to 1930s New York City , in the original series episode " The City on the Edge of Forever ". He would also briefly travel to Earth in 1968 on a mission, in the episode " Assignment: Earth ;" accidentally in 1969, in " Tomorrow Is Yesterday ;" and again in 1986, in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . (Technically speaking, these three events occurred after the founding of the Federation , but are included here as they constitute pre- First Contact encounters with contemporary Humans .)

First contact between Vulcans and the Andorians was promising, but relations soured in time. The threat of mutual annihilation existed as early as the 1950s. Template:Citation needed

In 1957, the launch of Sputnik I , Earth's first artificial satellite , was observed by a Vulcan vessel that subsequently crashed on the planet, marooning several crew members for a number of months in Carbon Creek , Pennsylvania ; this constituted the first true contact between Humans and Vulcans, but it was never recorded as such as the Humans were unaware of the alien nature of their guests. One Vulcan, Mestral, was so fascinated by humanity that he chose to stay on Earth: his fate has yet to be revealed. Template:Citation needed

In 2044, the Romulans and the Vulcans suspended hostilities in their hundred-year war. It is unclear whether the two groups knew they were fighting their kinsmen. Template:Citation needed

On April 5, 2063, Vulcans and Humans made official first contact following the successful test of Earth's first warp-powered starship, as depicted in Star Trek: First Contact .

In 2097, the Vulcans annexed the Andorian planetoid Weytahn and renamed it Pan Mokar.

In 2105, the Vulcans and the Andorians agreed to a compromise over Weytahn/Pan Mokar. Still, tensions continued due to the threat of mutual annihilation.

In 2151, Sub-Commander T'Pol joined the crew of the Earth Starfleet vessel Enterprise (NX-01) , within a couple of weeks setting a Vulcan endurance record for serving aboard a human vessel. In 2154, T'Pol became a commissioned officer with Starfleet.

In May of 2154, the Vulcan High Command considered a proposal for Vulcans and Humans to conduct joint space exploration missions. V'Las, the head of the High Command and undercover agent for the Romulans , bombed the United Earth embassy on Vulcan and attempted an invasion of Andoria . He was foiled by the crew of the Enterprise . During these events, the Kir'Shara , a device containing the original writings of Surak , was discovered by Jonathan Archer . This led to the prompt dissolution of the High Command and a reevaluation of traditional values . It also resulted in Vulcan agreeing to stop "looking over Earth 's shoulder" in space exploration matters.

On August 12, 2161, Vulcan became one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets .

In the time of Star Trek: Enterprise , Vulcans are often seen to be rather arrogant and cold in their behavior towards Humans . It is explained that after first contact, Vulcan shared technology with Earth , but many Humans, such as Jonathan Archer , greatly resented the fact that Vulcans seemed to be holding back humanity's efforts at space travel. Soval , Vulcan's ambassador to Earth, appeared particularly distrustful of humans, and was often at odds with Archer and his crew. Soval later justified this behavior in the fourth season episode " The Forge ":

Soval also explained that, since Earth recovered from World War III far quicker than Vulcan did from its equivalent (in " The Forge " and its sequel episodes, it is said that Vulcans took almost a thousand years to rebuild their society after their last catastrophic war), it alarmed many Vulcans, who were confused as to how to deal with a rapidly growing and emotional society such as Earth's.

After the overthrow of the corrupt Vulcan High Command and the death of Admiral Maxwell Forrest , who sacrificed his life to save Soval from a terrorist attack, the attitudes of Soval, and Vulcan society in general, became more cordial and accepting towards humanity.

Vulcan High Command [ ]

In the 22nd century of the fictional Star Trek universe, the Vulcan High Command is apparently a form of military government which controls both the Vulcan space fleet and most of the planet itself. Most of the Vulcans, including T'Pol , from Star Trek: Enterprise served the High Command. It is dissolved in the early fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Throughout much of the show's run, Captain Jonathan Archer frequently had run-ins with the High Command - even after Archer proved conclusively, several times, that he was able to travel through time, the High Command stubbornly refused to acknowledge the possibility that time travel could ever be possible (although T'Pol tried to keep an open mind). The High Command, on at least one occasion, sent Vulcan starships to actively spy on the Enterprise and report on the ship's activities (see episode Breaking the Ice ), an act which infuriated Archer to no end.

However, this was not the end of the High Command's questionable activities. They appeared to participate in open acts of persecution towards other Vulcans, such as isolating and quarantining victims of Pa'nar Syndrome rather than treating them; prejudicial acts against any Vulcan proven to have committed a mind meld ; and hunting down and capturing, even often killing, members of the underground group, the Syrranites. With the help of Archer, it was discovered that the High Command's illogical and often emotionally based actions were, in reality, the result of covert Romulan influence. After the High Command's administrator, V'Las, was revealed to be a Romulan agent, the High Command was disbanded, and a more traditional and human-friendly Vulcan government was formed.

After the dissolution of the High Command, the Vulcan space fleet experienced a serious shortage of personnel, many of whom were still sympathetic to the old guard. Administrator T'Pau , who now oversaw Vulcan's fleet operations, attempted to rebuild the fleet.

Star Trek (2009) alternate timeline [ ]

In the alternate reality presented by the 2009 film Star Trek , the planet Vulcan is destroyed in the year 2258 by an artificial black hole created by the Narada, a Romulan mining vessel from the future, killing most of its six billion inhabitants. Its captain, Nero, holds Spock personally responsible for a disaster involving Romulus more than a century later. Spock estimates that no more than 10,000 Vulcans escaped the planet and survived the genocide (which may possibly include Vulcans that were on the original series). However, the film's writers have stated that this does not include Vulcans who were living off planet at the time. [5]

Character development [ ]

Blessing gesture that was the inspiration for the Vulcan salute

Leonard Nimoy discussed the origin of the Vulcan salute in his autobiography " I Am Spock ". [6] As a bit of stage "business" in the episode " Amok Time ", he invented the famous "Live long and prosper" Vulcan salute based on the hand symbol used by Jewish priests ( kohanim ) during the Priestly Blessing in the synagogue. The gesture actually emulates the initial Shin of the Shema (Nimoy has also commented that the "sh" could also indicate Shaddai , or the Almighty; more recently, on William Shatner 's Raw Nerve , he associated it with Shekhinah .) On numerous occasions, for example in the 1983 TV special Star Trek Memories (which is often syndicated along with The Original Series ), Nimoy recounts how as a child, he peeked during the blessing and witnessed the gesture, although the congregation are supposed to put hands over eyes or turn away at this moment in acknowledgement of the presence of the Almighty.

The Vulcan nerve pinch was created for the episode " The Enemy Within ". The original script called for Spock to knock the "evil" Kirk unconscious with the butt of a phaser . Leonard Nimoy felt that the act was too reminiscent of a TV western , and thus introduced the famous non-lethal maneuver.

In other media [ ]

An issue of DC Comics ' Green Lantern series, features a Green Lantern Corps member with pointed ears. He behaves 'logically' and has a brief conversation with Hal Jordan (the titular superhero) which ended with a "live long and prosper" and the famous hand gesture. Template:Citation needed

In the Disney Channel Original Movie The Luck of the Irish (2001 film) Kyle makes a reference to the Vulcan's when he learns he has pointed ears.

Dr Addy is referred to as a Vulcan by Dr Hodgins in the TV series "Bones" when he admits to find anger to be a useless emotions that he does not feel.

• ↑ Edward Gross, Mark E. Altman, Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, Little Brown & Co, 1995. p. 53
• ↑ Whitfield, Stephen E. and Gene Roddenberry. The Making of Star Trek . New York: Ballantine, 1968. p.274. SBN 345-23401-4-150
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 Vulcan Mating Rituals documentary,Star Trek paradocumentary published by www.startrek.com
• ↑ Template:Cite video
• ↑ http://trekmovie.com/2009/05/22/orci-and-kurtzman-reveal-star-trek-details-in-trekmovie-fan-qa/
• ↑ "I am Spock" by Leonard Nimoy (Hyperion)
• 1 Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
• 3 Star Trek (2009)

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

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• Memory Beta articles sourced from episodes and movies
• Memory Beta articles sourced from reference works
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• Vulcan culture
• Humanoid species
• Telepathic species
• Races and cultures
• Beta Quadrant races and cultures
• Federation races and cultures
• Mammalian races and cultures
• View history

There may have been numerous transitions within the Vulcan government which has shifted between the Vulcan High Command to the Confederacy of Vulcan . Part of their territory is known as the Vulcan Colonial Protectorate . ( TOS novel : Spectre )

• 1 Known individuals
• 2.1 Physiology
• 2.2 Lifespan
• 2.3 Medical conditions
• 2.4 Splinter Species
• 4.2 Mythology
• 4.3 Family life
• 4.4 Society
• 4.5 Rituals
• 4.6 Recreational
• 4.7 Holidays
• 4.8 Martial Arts
• 4.9 Artifacts
• 4.11 Beverages
• 4.13 Language
• 5 Technology
• 6.1 Appearances
• 6.2 References
• 6.3 External links

Known individuals [ ]

Biology [ ], physiology [ ].

Originating from a desert world, Vulcans have a number of features evolved for better survival in warm and dry environments. These include inner eyelids to protect their eyes from sand and the ability to go for some time without water . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) This was a genetic trait that was traced to the early Vulcan ancestors following the scorching of their world and was spread through the use of primitive eugenics allowing the entire species to retain the use of this inner eyelid. ( TOS novel : Spock's World ) The inner eyelid is useful as it allows a Vulcan to withstand blinding flashes of light without any damage to the eye itself. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime , TOS episode : " Operation -- Annihilate! ") Within Vulcans there is a clear inner eyelid (a nictitating membrane) which filters radiation, dust, and other harmful elements that could damage the eye. Although this can be further mutated, under the proper conditions, to closely resemble that of a fish. ( TAS episode : " The Ambergris Element ")

Vulcans tend to be tall with dark hair and all have elongated upper ears that are pointed at the top and slanted eyebrows. Some specimens have pronounced brows. Similar to Humans , Vulcans tend to have a wide range of skin tones, an example being Xialites , and other tropically descended Vulcans, possessing a darker skin complexion. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Dark skinned Vulcans were native of the southern continent of Vulcan . ( ENT short story : " Universal Chord ")

The Vulcan epidermis is unlike any in the known galaxy as it formed a two-way moisture proof shield which protects the body from external liquids and pressure, as well as maintaining the inner temperature and the liquid environment of the organs. A notable difference between Humans and Vulcans is that Vulcans do not possess sweat glands. Instead, they evolved an ability that allows their blood , skin , and body structure to cool itself rather than perspire, which would be inefficient on the race's desert homeworld. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Vulcan blood vessels are more dilated than Humans. The larger blood vessels are the reason Vulcan blood pressure is lower. The dilated blood vessels and fast heart rate also play a key role in regulating Vulcan body temperature. A standard 91°F (32.78° C) body temperature is maintained by the internal cooling mechanism of fast blood circulation. ( ST reference : Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual )

Vulcan blood is copper based, giving Vulcan blood a green color. This makes it extremely effective in separating, as well as utilizing, smaller amounts of oxygen available in the Vulcan homeworld's low pressure and mildly irradiated environment. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Whilst normally green, certain diseases such as Cymbeline blood burn have been known to turn Vulcan blood red, but only in the terminal stages of the disease. ( ENT - The Romulan War novel : Beneath the Raptor's Wing )

Vulcan internal physiology

Though they appear to be similar to Humans (there has been speculation that the Vulcan and Human species perhaps possessed a common ancestor due to similarities), the Vulcan species internal anatomy is far different. Males and females are of similar height as well as stature; averaging 2 meters in height and 70 kilos in weight. Furthermore, their muscle mass is much longer and their skeletal frame is denser compared to Terrans, the direct result of their living on a world with higher gravity and a thinner atmosphere . Due to these traits, the average Vulcan tends to be stronger than a Human. Their bodies are also capable of withstanding greater levels of radiation when compared to Terrans. ( ENT novel : Surak's Soul ) Vulcans possess a perfect bilateral symmetry and do not have an appendix. ( TOS novel : Spock Must Die! )

Vulcan internal organs tend to operate at a much faster rate compared to other comparable species. A Vulcan's pulse is normally considered quite rapid. ( TOS novel : Unspoken Truth ) An average heart rate is as high as 265 beats per minute. The heart itself is another source of distinction between Vulcans and Humans, as its location is the center of the torso, where Humans kept their livers. ( TOS movie : Star Trek Beyond ) It's surrounded by a large lung structure which is capable of holding approximately 20% more air then Human lungs. This has resulted in the Vulcan torso, rib cage, and musculature being significantly longer. This allows it to encompass the organs within, lessening the danger of outside forces causing serious internal injury. ( TOS novel : Dreams of the Raven , TOS episode : " A Private Little War ")

The Vulcan skull is also notably different when compared to other species. The Vulcans possess 28 teeth and lack rear molars. Instead, they possess a longer mandibular movement than other bipedal species. Although the bone structure of the Vulcan skull is thinner, the actual skull casing is formed of extremely dense matter. This allows a thinner depth of bone to be actually harder, as well as stronger, than a human skull. Thus, fatal blows to a Human head are less life threatening to a member of this race. ( TOS episode : " Mirror, Mirror ")

The Vulcan brain

Vulcan neurology is known to be incredibly resilient. ( ENT episode : " Awakening ") One of the least understood areas of the Vulcan body is the brain . The Vulcan midbrain is larger, more complex, and contains more nerve endings and capillaries than those in Human brains. The Vulcan midbrain is comparable with the Betazoid midbrain, which comprises nearly 65% of their entire brain mass, although the Vulcan midbrain only comprises 45% of the brain. It is believed that this portion of their brain gives the Vulcan species their remarkable psionic abilities, though further testing has proved to be inconclusive. Despite this being the case, their race is known to be considerably more adept telepathically when compared to most Humans. ( TOS novel : The Starless World ) The species also has thirty six pairs of nerves attached to their spinal cord which serves as an autonomic and voluntary nervous system. ( TOS novel : First Strike ) Their brains are also noted to not have the same lateralization of function when compared to Humans, where the left side of the brain controls certain functions and right controlls others. Instead, the Vulcan brain has an area controlling speech on each side of the brain, thus providing a level of redundancy (should one part be damaged, than the other could take over). This has also made Vulcans ambidextrous in nature, allowing them to use both hands equally well. ( TOS novel : Mindshadow ) The Vulcan nervous system is noted as being far more resilient when compared to other races, capable of surviving damage that would kill a Human or a Denobulan . ( ENT episode : " Rajiin ") Unlike most humanoid species, traumatic memories were not only psychologically disturbing to Vulcans, but had physical consequences as well. The Vulcan brain, in reordering neural pathways, could literally lobotomize itself. ( VOY episode : " Flashback ") A rare neurological disease that can affect Vulcans over 200 years of age, Bendii Syndrome , strips emotional control by affecting the metathalamus (part of the midbrain), and can also result in telepathic projection of emotion. ( TNG episode : " Sarek ")

They also possess more heightened senses than Humans. Vulcans' sensitive olfactory senses can tolerate human body odors with nasal numbing agents . ( ENT episode : " The Andorian Incident ") Furthermore, their senses are so sharp that a Vulcan can quite easily be capable of determining if another individual is an actual organic Vulcan or a robotic duplicate. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime ) It has been noted that Vulcan eyesight is more acute. They are able to recognize more color frequencies and see more clearly at a distance. There is a downside to this, as Vulcans experience pain and symptoms that are similar to headaches and eyestrain when exposed to highly vibrant colors for long periods of time. Furthermore, the Vulcan optic nerve is much more delicate and sensitive compared to those of Humans, which makes it more vulnerable to disease and degeneration. ( TOS episode : " The Deadly Years ") One of the most obvious distinctive features in Vulcans is the shape and structure of the ear, as the top of their ears' pinna tapers into a point. Though capable of funneling sound and intensifying the reception of harmonics, the internal structure of the eardrum is very different than Humans. It forms no fewer than three separate functioning eardrums. Tests have shown that these eardrums seem to respond to differing volumes and pitch and relay the sound through separate channels to the nerve centers of the brain. Each eardrum is known to work independently and, in the case of Vulcans of old age, it is most often the eardrums that sense low pitch that deteriorate. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

The hormonal activity within the Vulcan body can be regulated consciously by trained Vulcans. This allows such individuals to control their adrenaline, thyroid, and other metabolic systems which, in turn, allows them to alter their heart rate, oxygen consumption, and other bodily resources. This training also gives Vulcans amazing recuperative abilities, allowing them to control their bodies to repair internal or structural damage at an accelerated rate while in a self-induced hypnosis. ( TOS episode : " A Private Little War ") Most Vulcans can resist the phermonal emissions of Deltans ( TOS movie : Star Trek: The Motion Picture ), and those of Orions of the opposite sex. ( ENT episode : " Bound ") They are also capable of surviving for long durations without food or sleep. Under stress, Vulcans can do without sleep for weeks. ( TOS episode : " The Paradise Syndrome ", TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) A possible exception to this control is during the reproductive cycle, Pon farr . Unless the pon farr is satisfied, a Vulcan would die within eight days of the process beginning. ( TOS episode : " Amok Time "; VOY episode : " Blood Fever ")

Different sources provide different information regarding the reproductive cycle of Vulcans and the age at which they reach sexual maturity. Vulcans reach full growth and legal adulthood a number of years before they reach the age of sexual maturity. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) The length of a Vulcan and Earth year is different, meaning that a Vulcan might account for his age either as measured in Earth years or in Vulcan years. It is not always clear which has been used in accounting for a Vulcan's age. The female Vulcan can be impregnated after her menstrual cycle begins, which is typically at the age of 16, and can be as late as 25. The male Vulcan is incapable of creating progeny until after the onset of their first pon farr , during which a hormone known as yamareen is released into the bloodstream. Thereafter, the Vulcan male is capable of reproducing at any time, but they must obey the physical urge to mate every seven years. This, in comparison with the reproductive ability of other species with which they can mate, gives credence to the theory that Humans, Vulcans, and Klingons are from a common ancestor seeded by the Preservers . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Most Vulcan males experience pon farr for the first time at the age of twenty, and in seven-year cycles following that, but amongst hybrids, their biological differences mean that it can come at more uncertain times. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory ) Vulcans are capable of producing offspring with humans, but some sources say the use of medical intervention is required. A human female needs to receive large doses of hormones and Vulcan vitamins before conception in order to prepare her body for the fetus, which takes 10 months to mature. ( TOS novel : Sarek , ENT episode : " Terra Prime ")

Lifespan [ ]

The Vulcan lifespan is longer than that of humans. Vulcans have been known to live over 200 years, and the Vulcan Zakal lived to the age of 276 - dying just as Surak's teachings began to take hold in Vulcan society. ( TNG episode : " Sarek ", TOS novel : The Lost Years , TOS novel : Epiphany ) At least one Vulcan lived past the age of 277 years. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

After reaching adulthood, the aging process of Vulcans slowed a great deal. Vulcans who appeared to be young adults by human standards could actually be as much as two or three times older than their appearance indicated. T'Pol , for example, who appeared by human standards to be in her late twenties or early thirties, was actually in her mid-sixties by the time she was assigned to the Enterprise (NX-01) , quite older than many of her crew members suspected. Lieutenant Commander Tuvok , who appeared by human standards to be in his late thirties or early forties by the mid-24th century, was actually over 100 years old by the time the USS Voyager was pulled into the Delta Quadrant. ( ENT episode : " Fallen Hero " and VOY episode : " Flashback ")

Medical conditions [ ]

Vulcan biology was vulnerable to Trellium as it was a neurotoxin to them which degraded their neural pathways to the point that they were suffering from violent emotions that resulted ultimately in madness. ( ENT episodes : " Impulse ", " Damage ") They had never suffered from a condition such as hyperthyroidism and thus never developed a cure for such a state. ( TOS novel : Legacy ) Vulcans never fainted as such a condition was the result of emotional stimuli though they were capable of being rendered unconscious by virulent disease organisms or intense external exertion. ( TOS novel : Windows on a Lost World )

• Bendii syndrome
• Choriocytosis
• Myrruthesia
• Pa'nar Syndrome
• Skag Maug plague
• Tuvan Syndrome
• Vulcans scourge
• Oroborus virus
• Vulcan bebonea

Splinter Species [ ]

The Vulcans have had the capacity for space travel since at least the 3rd century and have spread throughout local space. At least one Vulcan colony was lost from the Vulcan people: the Last-of-all-Cities colony on Darien 224 , which remained isolated from the galactic community for two millennia. ( EV comic : " Cloak and Dagger ") There were also several other Vulcanite races in the Federation, though it is unclear if these are directly connected to the Vulcans or if they are simply a similar species. ( Balance of Terror novelization) Other Vulcan off-shoots include:

• Vulcanoid Rigelian

There was speculation from Spock that Sargon 's people may have visited his homeworld in the past and perhaps the Vulcan species are an offshoot of theirs. ( TOS episode : " Return to Tomorrow ") It's also possible that the V'gelnians were a another splinter species of Vulcans.

History [ ]

Culture [ ].

Vulcan IDIC seal

Founded by an ancient Vulcan named Surak , the essence of Vulcan society is in arriving at the truth through logical process. Most Vulcans believe that emotions are illogical, thus making them impure, and deterrent to truth. However, Vulcans are born with the same emotions that afflicted their violent ancestors, but the continual mind conditioning, the t'san s'at , gives them the impassivity sought after by all Vulcans. The t'an s'at is an intellectual deconstruction of emotional patterns, a lifelong process that strives for absolute detachment from all emotion. Though not all can arrive at the ultimate pure logical state, the exacting process of mental control gives Vulcans enough to conform to the ideals of Vulcan society. Vulcans of this creed were impervious to greed, deception, anger, and all other vices. ( VOY episode : " Alter Ego ") Ultimately, the Vulcan way was one of enlightenment and expansion of the intellect through the pursuit of logic. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) This meant that they tended to control to the point of suppression of all acts of emotions. ( TOS novel : The Galactic Whirlpool ) Vulcans actually felt pleasure from the contemplation of logical processes at work and felt pain from perceiving its subversion though they were ultimately able to control the effects of pleasure or pain on their behavior. ( TOS novel : The Joy Machine )

The majority of Vulcans follow a belief in logic known as Cthia and many aim to achieve a state without emotion known as Kolinahr . ( TOS movie : Star Trek: The Motion Picture ) This philosophy meant that they relied on logic and reason to guide their lives, rather than emotion. All expression of emotions was completely forbidden, negative or otherwise. This did not mean that Vulcans had cast away all emotions they once had; they had merely made a choice not to let those emotions influence the decisions they were making. ( TOS novel : Demons ) This led to the mistaken belief amongst other species that Vulcans had no emotions; they did possess them, but did not permit those emotions to show in public or allow them to control their actions. ( TOS novel : Prime Directive ) Few Vulcans managed to extinguish all their emotions but most had mastered the ability to contain them. This went in line with Vulcan philosophy that their race had adopted which stated that there was no reason why any emotion should have any influence on behavior or cloud the path of logic. ( TNG novel : The Devil's Heart ) Vulcan families were privately proud if any of their number counted a Kolinahr student amongst their ranks. ( TOS novel : Recovery )

Both the Vulcans and the Romulans were known to possess much stronger instincts when compared to Humans. ( TOS novel : The Great Starship Race ) Curiousity was one emotion which Vulcans admitted and even approved. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) In contrast, fear was something that Vulcans believed that they did not experience under their strict beliefs against emotions. ( ENT episode : " Damage ")

Logic was similar to a religion to the Vulcans and as such it was filled with many sects as well as schools of thought each of which had widely differing view points and opinions on nearly every subject matter. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) It must be noted that this stance is not accepted by all Vulcans, however. There are groups of Vulcans referred to as " v'tosh ka'tur ", which means "Vulcans without logic." ( ENT episodes : " Fusion ", " Stigma ") The Romulans were originally a group of Vulcans who chose to split away rather than accept the philosophy of Surak. In addition to this, many Vulcan's can subscribe to the different teachings of other philosophers such as Jarok , Nirak , or T'mor . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) In the 23rd century , the Vulcans held an interest in using the teachings of Surak to persuade the Romulans to adopt a logical viewpoint as their own so that they would, within the span of a few centuries, manage to throw off their violent, overemotional characteristics. ( TOS novel : Death's Angel )

One Vulcan saying is 'The Vulcan knows there is a time for everything' which is an approximate translation from the Kahr-y-Tan which means the 'Way of the Vulcan'. An aspect of this is the herb gathering ritual which Vulcans engage in which is where they collect necessary herbs in preparation of tea for Vulcan Masters. ( TOS novel : Dwellers in the Crucible ) When they decided to repress their emotions - the Vulcans' drive for ambition and desire to conquer, that were the characteristics of leaders, was expunged as they had seen the result of these traits that nearly brought devastation to their world and people. ( TOS novel : From the Depths ) Vulcan scientists had determined that there were hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of sentient races in the galaxy that were victims of war, hatred and bigotry. Thus, their teachings made them believe that the greatest good they were capable of accomplishing was serving as instruments of logic and teach such races that there was a way outside violence as was discovered by the Vulcan forebears in their discovery of the control of emotion as well as the use of logic. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan )

Something of noted importance within Vulcan society was the discovery of the Kir'Shara by Captain Jonathan Archer and Commander T'Pol which brought at end of the rule of the Vulcan High Command . This also sparked a rapid change within Vulcan society which moved from a government that would engage in spying, battles and a more active part in the galaxy to one of more peaceful and almost isolationist tendencies. The discovery of the Kir'Shara presumably led to many years of study which the Vulcans concentrated on rather than follow the behavior they had previously. ( ENT episodes : " The Forge ", " Awakening ", " Kir'Shara ")

Vulcans did not distinguish moral factors from practical ones. In addition, they were notable for not making use of animal life. The reason for doing so was because they felt no great virtue in that necessity. As they began to master their own aggressive tendencies, they began to notice both the pain as well as rage and suffering that they had inflicted on their animals by influencing them through psychic feelings. These in turn reinfected the Vulcans, leading to a neverending cycle of emotions which the Vulcans in later years avoided. ( TOS novel : The Prometheus Design )

Mythology [ ]

In Vulcan's ancient times, there existed a number of gods and goddesses with dual aspects among them that stemmed from their emotions which was known as the Inner Chorus . The first was Tel-alep known as "the Watcher" who was the bearer of knowledge. His alternate counterpart was Alep-tel "the Bitter" who was eager to give knowledge but this was poisoned due to his bitterness. Another deity was Kir-alep who was the god of peace whilst his wrathful counterpart was Alep-kir "the Sullen" who was a source of apathy to Vulcans. Valdena , a Vulcan goddess, was the representation of love, joy and beauty while Dena-vel was her counterpart who sought to hide all the beauty of the world that she loves. Kal-ap-ton was the most dangerous of the gods as he was the representation of grief. A closer counterpart linked to Kal-ap-ton was Tyr-al-tep "the Unforgiver" who made Vulcans feel guilt over what might have happened had the death not occured of a loved one. One of the most dangerous and dark voices amongst the gods was Ket-Cheleb "the Destroyer" who signified anger and was the only one that lacked a counterpart with it being said that he killed his dual aspect ages ago. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Among this pantheon of gods the ancient myths spoke of twin god brothers that were different from one another yet always united and together rose their mother, the sun, into the sky. The names of these god brothers would be adopted by the early Romulans for their homeworlds. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novels : Exodus , Exiles ) Other gods believed to exist included the gods of peace, death and war which were depicted on the Stone of Gol . ( TNG episode : " Gambit, Part II ") In addition, there was the warrior goddess T'Vet who was still worshiped amongst some circles on modern Vulcan. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) There were a number of other deities within this pantheon which included the goddess Reah who held sway over death and bereavement. There was also a male war god known as Khosarr who had a consort called Akraana . In addition, there was a red fertility goddess who was known as Lia . ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Early Vulcans believed in a wide range of myths that spread across the surface of their homeworld before the age of Surak. Such beliefs include the Treasury of Erebus that spoke of an ice demon living within the snow at the peak of Mount Seleya . Another myth spoke of the Eater of Souls which would devour the souls of travelers lost in the deserts of Vulcan. While other myths spoke of a deadly creature known as the Veruul that lived within the heart of the Fire Plains of Raal within Vulcan's Forge . Furthermore, in the heart of the Womb of Fire was stated to lie Vorta Vor . ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novels : Exodus , Exiles )

Vulcan mythology believed in a place known as Sha Ka Ree which was the Vulcan view of Eden . ( TOS movie : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) According to some of the oldest myths of the Vulcan race, that at the end of the universe all of existence was going to be consumed by fire. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exiles ) Though the practice of worshipping gods had long ended with the introduction of Surak's logic, there were traditionalist cults that maintained the practice of belief in these deities those these groups had little interaction with later era Vulcans. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Similar to Earth mythologies, Vulcans never intruded on the realm of the gods without reason which was usually due to an important task that mortals were required to accomplish that the deities themselves were unable to conduct themselves. ( TOS novel : The Wounded Sky )

Some Vulcans combined the philosophy of Surak with older religious traditions. T'Pel , wife of Tuvok , asked the priests at the Temple of Amonak to offer prayers for his safe return. ( VOY episode : " Hunters ") Tuvok prayed that Mr. Suder might find peace in death that eluded him in life. ( VOY episode : " Basics, Part II ")

Family life [ ]

Family was noted as an important aspect of Vulcan society with loyalties overruling even planetary law. This was partly due to the fact that Vulcan itself was governed by an oligarchy composed of several prominent families. Vulcan families were extremely disciplined and very close knit. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Vulcans were noted for their more complex family relationships compared to Humans. Such family units consisted of the Eldest of House with normally a matriarch in charge of the affairs of the House . ( TOS novel : Sarek ) The social traditions of a family were considered quite rigid in the sense that children had great expectations which were difficult to integrate with personal ambitions or needs. The family ultimately determined most life choices or attempted to influence them such as career and even marriage. The latter was a notable aspect as it was expected the family lines were to be preserved through succession and tradition be upheld. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Traditionally, a male Vulcan was not present at the time when their mate was delivering their child during the pregnancy. ( TOS novel : Star Trek (2009) ) Children when they were born were not given a name until their Naming Day . ( TOS novel : Sarek ) Similar to the ceremonies surrounding marriage and burial, the Vulcan rituals that concerned birth had remained intact over the millenia with event he logic of Surak failing to strip the Vulcan race of their dark and ancient rites. ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Newborn children til the age of four were known to take part in visual mathematics, basical calculation as well as beginning the neurological organization of their brains which was followed by an identity meld. By the time they were four, they began mathematics and species identification as well as began to coordinate the use of their physical bodies. Furthermore, algebra, geometry and physics dominated their study life at this time. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

Typically, as part of Vulcan custom, children are betrothed at around seven Earth years of age when they undergo a Bonding ceremony which telepathically links the two. As a result the two Vulcans would seek one another during their pon farr cycle. ( TOS novel : Sarek ) This practice had been in place for thousands of generations. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory ) This was a parental arrangement which dated to ancient times as it served as a method of preventing wars and strengthening ties between neighbors whose ancestral lands adjoined. ( TOS novel : Dwellers in the Crucible )

When they were eight, children began preliminary telepathic communication and were taught etiquette as well as their clans history along with Vulcan anthropology, calculus and quantum physics. When the child was ten, they learn to suppress cortical stimuli in the dominant hemisphere as well as learn of their races cultural history and began a study of Vulcan rites of passage. By the time they were eleven, they learn of the pressure points needed for mind melding in addition to learning memory accuracy and internal time counting. Furthermore, they were introduced to logic and definition, the principles of analysis, concreteness of thought and physical deportment. These early years of study were expected to continue til the child was between the age of thirteen to fifteen after which their formal training began. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

As children, Vulcans did not make use of secret languages though there were codes, gestures and intonation that were constantly changing. ( TOS novel : World Without End ) During their early education, Vulcan children took part in a curriculum where they learnt the most rudimentary telesper skills to better control their innate telepathic abilities. ( TOS novel : Unspoken Truth )

When formal training began, the first rite conducted was Tal T'Lee where they were assisted in their meditation by an adept of their clan council. They learn to control their subdominant cortices which was followed by Dwemish Hi-An where identity isolation was learnt along with brain control with numbers systems and equations. They also learn multiplication left to right whereupon they took part in Enok-Kal Fi Lar which was the processes of definition and the concepts of given. Once this was complete, the child took part in An-Prele between the age of sixteen to nineteen where they learn pain control meditation from a clan council adept. They were also expected to read Essays of Discipline and Analysis of Pseudodoxy as well as was expected to learn to segregate the lobes of their brains. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

As the child grew older, one of their rights of passage was the Kahs-wan maturity test which was a survival ritual that dated before the time of Surak. Those who survived took their first step into adulthood. ( TOS novel : Exodus )

At the age of twenty to twenty four, the Vulcan was expected to learn of logical paradigms and behavioral modification through the The Runes of T'Vish . They also learn multiplication right to left, diagonal and cross multiplication as well as learn to isolate their katra. This continued til the age of twenty five to twenty nine where the Sele-An-T'Lee was conducted which comprised of lessons in subdominant brain organization, advanced philosophy and logic, muscle coordination and the control of will. Part of this also included learning the five steps which were the belief discipline, reality awareness, sensory acuteness, visual calculation and fact analysis. There were further readings expected which included Logic and Definition , Equations , Systems of Logic , The Interior and Purpose as Prime Motivator . There were also taught advanced mind meld techniques as part of their training.

By the time the Vulcan was thirty to thirty five, they were expected to had conducted the Norn-La-Hal which involved superior control meditation and neurological organization. Furthermore, importance was placed on the dignity and tradition in Vulcan identity as well as the contemplations of infinity. The final stage of this training involved Venlinahr which was the state most adult Vulcans had attained and involved meditation by individual discretion. There was also further study of Vulcan dharma as well as advanced readings on the mystagogues of Surak, Scorus, T'Enne, T'Vish, Prisu and Seltar. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

Vulcans youths were not allowed to guide the conversations of their elders, this was especially the case if the child in question was not past the age of the Ka nifoor . ( TOS novel : Corona ) From a young age, Vulcans were geared towards the suppression of feelings of emotions and divest themselves from such traits. ( FASA RPG module : The Federation ) By the time a Vulcan was an adult, they had learnt a set of mind rules which governed their telepathic abilities as well as the necessary skills needed to shield their thoughts from outside emotions. ( TOS novel : Mindshadow )

It was generally believed that the Vulcans did not possess any emotions though such a line of thought was false as they in fact hold the capacity to not only understand but deal with emotions. However, they had chosen not to do so and instead worked for the suppression of such feelings. ( FASA RPG module : The Federation ) As such, they were perfectly capable of experiencing emotions but chose not to express them. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime ) Though ultimately logical creatures, it took many years of practice and training for young Vulcans who do demonstrate emotions at first before beginning the long process that was made by Surak centuries ago. To accomplish this, Vulcan parents used learning tools and techniques to train their children in the primary concepts of logic, and to gain control over their emotions. Eventually, through these processes young children began to learn emotional control. ( VOY episode : " Human Error ", TNG novel : Metamorphosis ) As part of their belief in honesty, Vulcan parents were known not to shield the truth from their young as they believed it would hinder their development in coping with such difficulties. Furthermore, a parent's attachment to the child was not considered an emotion but rather as part of the parent's identity and without the child, the parent would not be complete. ( VOY episode : " Innocence ")

Vulcans preferred not to dance with another man's wife which was attributed to their customs which stated that it was not appropriate for a man to have in his arms a woman that was not his. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) During the marital arrangements, it was possible for the male to pay a bride price to his future wife. These dowries were not paid by a bride's family on Vulcan but by the husband when he was seem to be fortunate enough to gain a life partner. At the time of the formal announcement of marriage, the husband paid a monthly sum to the bride's family until the wedding took place. This money was used to provide the future wife's needs until the husband officially took on his marital responsibilities. This was the case even if the woman was wealth or had a career of her own or even both. This meant that the bride price also varied and was determined by the husband's wealth with the more wealthy having to contribute more money to their future wife.( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory ) In addition, there were strict teachings that spoke against desecrating the dead. ( TOS novel : Mind Meld )

Matters regarding the Vulcan mating practices were typically not discussed with outworlders. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) They also believed that close family exchanges should be kept private. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan )

Vulcans were known to recognize the need to grieve though kept such affairs private. ( TOS novel : Ex Machina ) Thus, they mourned the death of friends and kin though they were aware of the danger of abdicating complete control to loss as it was frequently difficult to regain their former composure. ( TOS novel : From the Depths ) The tenets of their philosophy provided guidance on facing personal loss with equanimity and the use of logic to maintain emotional control as well as a state of quietude. Some believed that the lives of the dead were capable of being mourned only if those lives had been wasted. ( TOS novel : The Fire and the Rose ) It was considered an important matter to Vulcan families to recover the body of a deceased member. ( TOS novel : Bloodthirst ) In addition, whenever the partner in a bonding died, the family linked mentally in order to provide support until the surviving partner managed to adjust from the loss. ( TOS novel : Time for Yesterday ) Vulcan custom held that, whenever possible, the immediate family of the deceased walked from the site of the burial back to their home. ( TOS novel : The Fire and the Rose )

Society [ ]

Surak's teachings were the most important philosophical essays in Vulcan history, detailing the use of logic and reason in order to control warring emotions and destructive tendencies. In the beginning, Vulcans used their emotions as a tool, preferring to apply logic to justify their actions rather than use logic to guide their actions. As the race evolved and the teachings of Surak spread, however, the use of various techniques to banish and suppress emotion became more prevalent and Vulcan psychology blossomed. The understanding of one's mind and mental processes as well as one's emotional reactions became a necessity, and psychology was applied not only to one's own actions but also to understanding the actions of others. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Their beliefs also led them to hold that all life was precious as it could never be returned or replaced. This meant that they never considered an act that would lead to the death of an individual - not even their enemies. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son )

The foremost psychologists on Vulcan belonged to the religious orders that guided Vulcan society. Surak's school, the largest and most popular sect of Vulcan beliefs, advocated the study and understanding of emotional desires, so that the student could suppress and control them. Constant study of this process, as well as assisting others in achieving mastery of psionics through control of emotion, had caused the devotees of this doctrine to become experts on the workings and common psychological traumas of Vulcan minds. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Vulcan reasoning meant that they did not have "hunches" but rather used subliminal clues to add up to a high order of probability. ( TOS novel : Ishmael ) They also preferred to train their minds rather than artificially enhance it. ( TOS novel : The Starship Trap )

The school of Surak had many techniques which opened the mind of a student, perceiving where the student's difficulties and strongest emotions lie and adjusted the mind's processes so that the student can more completely face the emotion and learn to control it. Thus, they were experienced in abnormal psychology as well as the common workings of the Vulcan minds. When a Vulcan was unable to control his emotions, his family or colleagues often summoned a devotee of Surak to deal with him. When a Vulcan willingly gives in to his emotions, it was one goal of those who followed the doctrines of Surak to help him resolve his problems and rejoin society. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

One of the most contemplated teachings of Surak was his admonition that one should study reason above all else. He taught that a Vulcan should learn to discern reality both as it seemed to be and as it truly was. This dissection of truth from illusion had spurred Vulcans into intense study of science and mathematics, helping them dissect many of the most complex workings in the universe into logical steps. Patience, temperance and logical observation (truthfulness to the world) were three of the greatest virtues of Vulcan culture and all have great application to scientific reasoning. Vulcans believed that their adherence to this doctrine made them the foremost scientists in the Federation. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) An old precept among their kind stated that "the time required to solve a problem is inversely proportional to the amount of knowledge brought to bear on the subject" . This essentially meant that the more scientists capable of reviewing the data, the greater the chance was that someone would find the solution to the problem. ( TOS novel : Windows on a Lost World )

Further, the application of these virtues, combined with intense meditation, had given Vulcans great control over their native psionic abilities. They remained unable, however, to control that most famous biological trigger of Vulcan mental abilities such as the pon farr. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Most Vulcans learn numerous mental techniques that had been first developed by Surak but over the centuries had been improved upon by generations of philosophers and healers. During times of stress or those that led to agitation, a Vulcan was capable of calming themselves through the use of a meditation formula. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) They maintained a great many techniques in the arts of meditation which they regularly employed. This ranged from simple basic defensive meditation capable of blocking the telepathic intrusions of highly trained telepaths such as Betazoids to complete meditation where there was a cessation of all thought. Such techniques were even used in the early period of interstellar travel when Vulcans entered into a deep extended meditation during intergalactic voyages that lasted for decades under sub-light travel where Vulcan explorers travelled between the stars. Furthermore, it was well noted that torture had little effect on Vulcans. ( TOS novel : Captain's Blood )

It was known that incense was a means used by Vulcans to better facilitate meditation. In addition, they often made use of special mandalas engraved with Vulcan glyphs that were used to focus as well as help quiet their minds and emotions thus removing any barriers or distractions that might prevent them from concentrating on the reception along with the application of logic. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) Meditation was a particularly useful technique when they were confronted with a problem that defied casual analysis. ( TOS novel : Legacy ) Masochism did not exist within Vulcan society. ( TOS novel : Star Trek (2009) ) Those that took part in the kolinahr ritual also learnt of calming techniques in order to center themselves during times of emotional turmoil. Concentration was an art that the Vulcans had learnt early though doing so without any results was taxing. ( TOS novel : Avenger )

Among the Vulcan disciplines taught included the simple technique of handling pain where the individual accepted the pain till it became a part of them whereupon it simply vanished. ( TOS novel : The Wounded Sky ) Vulcans did not believe in using medicines to cure minor afflictions and instead their science taught them to use their own bodies to create medicines to combat any such issues. This was the reason for the use of neuropressure in treating problems such as difficulty in sleeping. ( ENT episode : " The Xindi ")

Vulcans are noted for their patience and believe it is a necessity among their species while it was a virtue among Humans. ( TOS novel : Sarek ) One of the most famous qualities among the Vulcan people was their high degree of honesty. This was to such an extent that many Vulcan's were highly reluctant to tell a lie which led to the saying that "Vulcans cannot lie" ( TOS episode : " The Enterprise Incident ") Despite this, it was known that, under logical reasons of course, that they were capable of accomplishing such a task or make an omission. No Vulcan admitted such a dishonesty and considered it an act of "lying" . ( TOS movies : The Wrath of Khan , The Undiscovered Country ) A saying on Vulcan included "It is not a lie to keep the truth to oneself." ( TOS novel : Burning Dreams ) They had an old custom ridden culture with a complex social structure involved in its makeup. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Greed was a particularly rare concept amongst Vulcans to the point that it was unheard of within their society. ( TOS novel : Legacy )

Their society had no property authority for investigating violent crimes since they rarely occurred. Vulcan belief held that those who had the ability to commit murder had a form of mental illness. Whilst they were capable of killing in cases of defense or racial survival; to actually murder for personal gain was not considered logical. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) These traits meant many believed that Vulcan society was devoid of criminal elements or terrorists though what was not known to many that such activities were known to had happened in the past. A total of at three hundred and twelve Vulcans were known to had committed terrorist acts in the past millennium by the time of the 24th century . Whilst terrorist acts on Vulcans were rare, they were generally limited to expressions of extreme political theory and also sporadic attempts at returning to the violent philosophies that ruled the Vulcan home world before the days of Surak. The number of such organizations included the Adepts of T'Pel , the Kahrilites , the Followers of the Cupric Band , the Binaries , the Traxton Compound , the Central Source and the Symmetrists . ( TOS novel : Avenger )

Individual Vulcan towns held their own regional justice committee who were responsible for detention of criminals, holding trials and giving permission for mind melds. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan ) In terms of murder, an ancient Vulcan tradition stated "Suffer the death of thine enemy" as the race were touch telepaths and the death of another often meant that the murderer had to accept their pain. As such, even in pre-Reform times, the Vulcans were selective about who they murdered as they had to decide whether it was worth experiencing the pain of their victim. ( TNG novel : Metamorphosis ) The Vulcan legal system was known to had developed to the point that it was considered both precise and elegant. ( TOS novel : Rules of Engagement )

Nutrition was seen as a perfectly logical activity though the Vulcans did not take any lunch. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) They were quite capable of going for long periods without food allowing them to fast for an extended time. ( TOS novel : Spock Must Die! ) Furthermore, tradition was an important aspect of their society which was partly attributed to their capacity to perform mind melds that allowed for memories to pass across the generations. ( TOS novel : Captain's Glory ) This meant that century long memories were passed down family lines through mind melds leading to the creation of a "secret heart" within the Vulcan mind where they remembered the horrors and atrocities of their "pre-history" . This also meant that there were a great many secrets were secretly kept from outsiders due to the respect for their traditions. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime ) Furthermore, Vulcan tradition held that its members be personally able attend to the affairs of any land or property that had in their possession. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory ) In addition, Vulcans were taught to not acquire many personal belongings as such an act was not deemed logical. ( ENT - The Romulan War novel : Beneath the Raptor's Wing )

After achieving their belief in logic, the Vulcan people estimated that other races had developed a similar "enlightenment" as well as the belief of peaceful exploration upon achieving warp travel but this was eventually proven wrong. To compensate with more 'emotional' races, they developed a complex behavioral algorithm that would allow them to model as well as predict another beings emotional response that would be calculated mentally. It was created as a form of self survival. The equations were very difficult to master but the Vulcan people had developed a wide variety in order to compensate for any situation. ( DS9 novel : The War of the Prophets ) To Vulcans, it was considered a breach of privacy to have their names called out loud in public. ( TOS novel : The Motion Picture ) Furthermore, Vulcans never carried weapons in public unless it was during the Kal-if-fee. ( TOS novel : The Abode of Life )

Due to their telepathic nature, the Vulcans had a number of mind rules in place over the governance and use of these powers. ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) As they were touch telepaths, they preferred not to have physical contact during greetings such as when two people shook hands as Vulcans had an unpleasant mental intrusion from the brief contact. This did not mean that they avoided shaking hands but they did so only when they had to. ( TOS novel : Recovery ) Early training was designed to strengthen personal barriers and erect mental shields designed to prevent constant intrusion. In fact, on Vulcan it was considered a heinous crime for forcing a mind meld which was considered an unforgivable invasion of spirit. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Students of the Vulcan mind-touch techniques were intimately familiar with the intricacies of telepathic communication. ( TOS novel : The Starless World ) One such technique allowed its adept to take the pain of another beings and drew strength from it. This ancient discipline was forbidden in modern Vulcan society as it was misused by many who sought to impose their will upon others allowing them to brainwash individuals to become loyal servants. ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

An ancient Vulcan custom was the offering of fire and water to guests allowing them to stay in a Vulcan home. ( Vulcan's Soul novel : Exodus ) Another involved casual contact which meant that others were not allowed to touch a Vulcan's body. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) This was partly attributed to their species being touch telepaths and any physical touch meant that the Vulcan in question was forced to peer into the mind of the other individual. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime ) Within their society, the Vulcan government was known to reward those individuals with advancement on meritocratic principles. ( ENT episode : " Awakening ") In addition, ninety eight percent of Vulcans had all held some form of public office by the time they were two hundred years of age. ( TOS novel : Spock's World ) There was a general belief that the Vulcan lifespan meant that they tended to fixate on their careers and stick to them during their long lifespans which led some to belief that their society suffered from some form of stagnation. ( ENT - The Romulan War novel : Beneath the Raptor's Wing ) Whilst they typically lived in large settlements, there were several isolationist villages scattered around their homeworld who shunned contact with the rest of their society with the closest human analogy being to that of the Amish communities. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets )

One saying attributed to the Vulcans was "When all rational solutions refuse to fit the available facts, then we seek an irrational solution that does." . ( TOS novel : The Starless World ) They also held a similar saying as the Human phrase "Speak of the devil and he will appear" . Though this was not superstition but simple observation on their part. ( TOS novel : World Without End )

Rituals [ ]

• Fal-tor-pan
• Koon-ut-so'lik
• Koon-ut-kal-if-fee
• Fal-tor-voh
• Rite of Tal'oth
• T'Ved-Surak ritual

Recreational [ ]

Poker was known to be extremely popular amongst Vulcans as it was a game of sublime logic and not of blind chance. Due to their logical nature and ability to calculate odds swiftly in their minds, Vulcans were known to possess the perfect poker face. ( TOS novel : Devil World ) Vulcans generally tended to be self conscious dancers though in relation to other arts, their fixation on logic did not preclude their appreciation of beauty. ( TOS novel : The Starship Trap )

Holidays [ ]

Martial arts [ ].

• Kareel-ifla
• Ke-tarya-yatar
• Taroon-ifla

Artifacts [ ]

• Stone of Gol
• Stone of J'Kah
• Katric ark (also known as a Vre'katra or Urn of Memory )

adronn feltara • anwoa sprout • b'lltarr • bertakk soup • c'torr • farr-kahli • filrak • forati sauce • gespar • iced fruit • ihntya • kahri-torrafeiaca • kalafruit • kleetanta • kreyla • lirs • L-Lersa • mia-zed • m'lu • n'gaan • plomeek • plomeek broth • plomeek soup • saffir • soltar • t'coraca • t'miirq soup • t'mirak rice • tolik fruit • tono'pak soup • ulan soup • vranto salad • wafer fruit

Beverages [ ]

• Vulcan brandy
• Vulcan port
• Vulcan Bill of Rights

Language [ ]

Technology [ ].

Vulcans are known to be an advanced spacefaring people that were exploring the stars long before humanity was capable of doing so, as early as the 3rd century . Early Vulcans were a violent people and much of their advanced technology was seemingly lost in the nuclear wars shortly before the reformation of the Vulcan people led by Surak in the Time of Awakening . ( EV comic : " Cloak and Dagger "; ENT episode : " Awakening ")

Technology from this period included psionic devices such as Katric arks and psionic weapons including the Stone of Gol , Tol par-doj and Vorl-tak . Psionic weapons were banned on Vulcan following the reformation, but survived in the lost colony of the last-of-all-Cities . ( EV comic : " Cloak and Dagger "; ENT episodes : " Awakening ", " Kir'Shara "; TNG episode : " Gambit ")

Even in the era of the Federation, the Vulcans contributed greatly in the fields of science. Sunok of Vulcan was responsible for the further refinement of transporter technology, making it virtually impossible for the machinery to malfunction, whilst many of Starfleet's starship design refinements came from advances in Vulcan science. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan )

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• DS9 episode : " Emissary "
• DS9 episode : " The Nagus "
• DS9 episode : " Vortex "
• DS9 episode : " The Forsaken "
• DS9 episode : " The Maquis, Part I "
• DS9 episode : " The Maquis, Part II "
• DS9 episode : " Crossover "
• DS9 episode : " Through the Looking Glass "
• DS9 episode : " Shakaar "
• DS9 episode : " The Visitor "
• DS9 episode : " Homefront "
• DS9 episode : " Bar Association "
• DS9 episode : " Rules of Engagement "
• DS9 episode : " Shattered Mirror "
• DS9 episode : " For the Cause "
• DS9 episode : " Broken Link "
• DS9 episode : " Trials and Tribble-ations "
• DS9 episode : " Rapture "
• DS9 episode : " Behind the Lines "
• DS9 episode : " Favor the Bold "
• DS9 episode : " Valiant "
• DS9 episode : " Image in the Sand "
• DS9 episode : " Afterimage "
• DS9 episode : " Take Me Out to the Holosuite "
• DS9 episode : " Prodigal Daughter "
• DS9 episode : " The Emperor's New Cloak "
• DS9 episode : " Field of Fire "
• DS9 novel : The Big Game
• DS9 novel : Devil in the Sky
• DS9 novel : The Soul Key
• PIC episode : " Firewall "

References [ ]

• ↑ FASA RPG module : The Federation

External links [ ]

• Vulcan article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 The Chase
• 3 Preserver (race)

How Star Trek's Vulcans Evolved Beyond Gene Roddenberry's Creation

While the in-universe history of the Vulcans in Star Trek is epic, the behind-the-scenes saga of their creation and development is equally important.

Quick Links

Creating the vulcans in the original series era of star trek, the vulcans stay at arm's length during the next generation era, how star trek: enterprise reimagined the vulcans and history with humanity, the vulcans and romulans are living in the days of futures past.

When Gene Roddenberry was first creating his " Wagon Train to the stars" in 1964, the Vulcans were the first alien species he created during development. Personified by Mister Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), these logical humanoids were imagined with pointed ears, green blood and, most importantly, no emotions. However, Nimoy, other actors and writers all contributed behind the scenes to making Vulcans the most important aliens in Star Trek history. What's interesting about the Vulcans is that along with being a logical and scientific people, they are also deeply spiritual and ritualistic. This seems a bit like an incongruity, especially knowing how adamant Roddenberry was about humanism over religion.

Later storytellers helped reconcile these two facets of the Vulcan culture by fleshing out the species' history. Along with strong psychic abilities, the Vulcans are not emotionless. Rather, they have very intense and destructive emotions, far different from their human cousins. Thus, ritualism and spirituality are the "scientific method" they use to suppress their emotions in healthy and constructive ways. In the modern, third wave of Star Trek series, the Vulcan culture continues to be examined with storytellers continuing to build on the foundation laid by Roddenberry, D.C. Fontana, Star Trek's "other" Gene , Nimoy and everyone from set designers to costumers.

'The Phone Didn't Ring': Walter Koenig Reflects on Career Struggles After Star Trek

When developing the first Star Trek pilot in 1964, Gene Roddenberry hadn't fully fleshed out the idea of what the Vulcans were. Vulcans existed only so far as making Spock half-human. "I wanted part of him to be at war with the other, the human part and the alien part," he said in The Fifty-Year Mission by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. Later, when developing the second Star Trek pilot, thanks to Lucille Ball , Roddenberry combined Spock's character with the "computer-mind qualities" of Number One, the woman First Officer discarded in the second version. That's how they became unemotional and logic-based.

In The Making of Star Trek by Roddenberry and Stephen E. Whitfield, the former envisioned that, despite the multispecies Federation, crews would be mostly human, Vulcan or other member species. As Spock became Star Trek 's central character , more stories about his people were created. Sarek, his father, was brought into the show. The classic Season 2 episode "Amok Time" introduced the Vulcan homeworld, while also establishing that Vulcans, while logical, were almost irrationally private about their most basic biological functions.

Leonard Nimoy was also essential to defining who the Vulcans were. He created the infamous Vulcan neck pinch and the salute, drawn from his Jewish heritage. Later, in the films, he would weigh in on Vulcan culture, defining it exclusively once he started directing. In The Center Seat - 55 Years of Star Trek , actor Robin Curtis who played Saavik described how Nimoy created the "love scene" between her and the reanimated Spock going through his first Pon Farr. Set and costume designers tried to marry the ideas Vulcans were scientific and logical as well as an ancient society. Their robes, ceremonial accessories and mostly stone structures were born from this notion.

9 Things About Star Trek: The Original Series That Make No Sense

When Gene Roddenberry was asked by Paramount to develop Star Trek: The Next Generation he turned to many of his collaborators from the days of the original series. Robert H. Justman, Dorothy Fontana, David Gerrold and others came back to help, though they didn't last long on the series. While many concepts from The Original Series were reused for The Next Generation , Roddenberry didn't want to include too many familiar elements. Primarily, this meant the Vulcans. There were no regular Vulcan characters in any of the second-wave series until Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager .

Despite the lack of regular Vulcan characters, there was significant advancement to the Vulcan story. The first came in Season 3's "Sarek," in which it's revealed that Vulcans live hundreds of years longer than humans. This episode also introduced what writer Marc Cushman called "the idea of a Vulcan going through senility," in The Fifty-Year Mission . Roddenberry liked the idea, but in the same book writer Ira Steven Behr reveals there was a massive fight with producers over whether they could even say Spock's name. Later, Paramount would convince Nimoy to bring Spock to Star Trek: The Next Generation to "pass the baton" and promote Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

The episode featured Spock seemingly defecting from the Federation to the Romulan Star Empire. Only he wasn't defecting. Spock wanted to bring the logic philosophy of Surak to Romulus in the hopes of reunifying the Romulans and the Vulcans into a single society again. Some fans felt the episode was too small, and executive producer Michael Piller said he was unhappy with his work on the episode. He called the episode "dark," "flat" and "talky" in The Fifty-Year Mission . In hindsight, it's a love swan song for the Spock character. He shares a lovely scene with Data, and his final mission puts him on a path to making the last great enemy of his time in Starfleet an ally.

Star Trek The Next Generation: When Does TNG Get Good?

Every new iteration of Roddenberry's universe since Star Trek: The Animated Series has been met with skepticism, and in some cases, outright hostility from fans. Star Trek: Enterprise perhaps received the most flak, in part because of how it depicted the pre-Federation history of the Vulcans and humans. Rather than dear friends, the Vulcans were antagonistic and did not trust the emotional humans to join the larger galactic society. Enterprise 's creators were trying to do something different without moving things too far from what makes Star Trek so identifiable.

Still, there were conflicts. Antoinette Stella recounted in The Fifty-Year Mission when an angry fan called Paramount to complain a Vulcan character lied. Her assistant, Juan Hernandez spoke to the fan, who pointed out Spock said Vulcans don't lie, quoting The Original Series . "And Juan took a beat and said, 'When Mr. Spock said that, he was lying." In fact, there are many examples of Spock lying, especially in The Undiscovered Country . The Enterprise storytellers made Vulcans more complete by showing they had the same kind of idiosyncrasies and character flaws as any group of people .

The showrunner for season 4, Manny Coto , helped to reconcile the Vulcans of Enterprise with the Vulcans fans knew. " I thought there was a great opportunity to do [a series of episodes] which bridged those two cultures and to develop a story about how they'd floundered from the original teachings of Surak ," he said in The Fifty-Year Mission . Not only did it help explain why these Vulcans seemed so different, it also underscored why Vulcans and humanity would be close allies while still maintaining the elements of secrecy and tension established in previous series.

Review: Discovery's Final Season Is a Bittersweet Star Trek Symphony

The third wave of series -- particularly Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds -- faced fan consternation as well, particularly because of their handling of Vulcan history. Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, was conceived as Spock's adopted sister, raised by Sarek and Amanda Grayson after her parents died. This gave viewers a new angle on Vulcan culture, from "logic extremists" to a reunified Vulcan and Romulan society in the 32nd Century . The producers know that Vulcans are extremely important to Star Trek , so they want to both honor the past and advance their story, justifying the use of the characters.

The best development to come of this is fixing the biggest mistake of the Kelvin Timeline films . The time-travel convention used to bring Nimoy's Spock into the past inadvertently meant his final mission was a failure. Yet, by the 32nd Century, Spock's mission to unify Vulcan and Romulans is a success, and they fully credit him for the development. This was an important element for Discovery Season 3, according to showrunner Michelle Paradise , allowing Burnham to discover just how far her adopted brother reached out to the galaxy.

In Strange New Worlds , however, some of the Vulcan cultural developments happen as they did in The Original Series era: out of story necessity. For example, the Vulcan V'Shal ritual "purely came out of [writers] breaking the story," co-showrunner Henry Alonso Meyers said . While the storytellers wanted to keep it authentic to Vulcan culture, it was created because it was funny to put Spock through a "when he's 'pretending' to be Vulcan" scenario. The danger of treating Star Trek Vulcans with too much regard for their sacred history is underserving the stories being told today . Thankfully, Star Trek has found that balance as it always does.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

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Published Nov 4, 2022

Vulcans and Romulans: A Primer on Unification

Exploring one of the most crucial schisms in the Star Trek universe.

StarTrek.com

A couple of weeks ago, Jake Black wrote an excellent article about how Spock’s dream of Vulcan and Romulan unification , as shown in The Next Generation episodes “ Unification , Parts I and II,” is incredibly relevant for the divided society we are today. But what, exactly, is unification, and why is it important to the Star Trek universe? I’m going to explore that in this primer on unification between the Romulans and Vulcans .

The Romulans and Vulcans descend from the same ancestor species — specifically, the Romulans are an offshoot of ancient Vulcans. From the Star Trek history we know, it’s unclear when the split between the two occurred, but it was likely during Vulcan’s war-torn period of history. Before they established logic as the foundation for their culture and history, Vulcans were similar to humans — emotional and warlike. They thrived on colonialism and conquest, establishing a large swath of colonies across space. Eventually, their empire fell and their society devolved into chaos.

Few records survive from this unstable time, so it’s unclear how the Romulan species was born, but they likely were established during this period. It’s possible that a faction of warlike Vulcans rejected the idea of peace and left to found their own civilization. It’s also possible that the Romulans are one of Vulcan’s outlying colonies that were abandoned by the homeworld and forgotten in the chaos. Either way, for centuries Vulcans were aware of the Romulans as an alien race, but had no idea that the two species shared an ancestral history.

In The Original Series episode “Balance of Terror,” the Enterprise encounters an unknown vessel (presumed to be Romulan) destroying Federation outposts along the Romulan neutral zone. Humans and Romulans had fought a vicious war in the past, but it was before viewscreens were common on ships and there were no captives taken during the conflict. As a result, no one had seen a Romulan in generations, and it was unclear what they looked like. Spock expressed real surprise that the species looked so similar to Vulcans and posited that the two had split during a violent period of Vulcan history, and that Romulans retained that warlike culture, while Vulcans had turned to logic.

Whenever the schism between the two species happened, it was long enough ago such that significant genetic differences have since evolved between Vulcans and Romulans. So while they have the same ancestors, the differences between them by the 24th Century, when The Next Generation is set, are deeper than just culture.

The pro-unification underground goes much further back in history than The Next Generation episode of the same name, where it was introduced. In Star Trek: Enterprise ’s “Kir’Shara,” which aired after TNG but chronologically took place before The Original Series , a secret Romulan agent posing as a Vulcan mentions the unification movement to a Vulcan collaborator (no Starfleet officers were present at this exchange, hence why their shared past remained a mystery). While its origins are unclear (and we don’t know whether Romulan culture retained the memory of their genetic history), the movement was apparently thriving long before it was first depicted on screen.

In “Unification, Parts I and II,” which brought Spock to The Next Generation , the revered ambassador is spotted on Romulus, and the Federation fears that he defected. The costs of his betrayal would be incalculable, so they send Captain Picard on a mission to uncover what’s happened. After a visit to Sarek, Spock’s ailing father, Picard and Data head to Romulus aboard a cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey .

They discover that Spock has not defected; instead, he’s been working with an underground movement to support the reunification of Romulans and Vulcans. Many members of the group had been declared enemies of the Romulan state because of their adherence to Vulcan philosophy; Spock’s goal was to both help them and also evaluate the greater potential of reunification, though, he admits the possibility may be unlikely.

Over the course of the episode, Spock is betrayed by his closest Romulan ally, Senator Pardek, and he, Picard, and Data are captured by the Romulan government. It turns out that the Romulans are interested in reunification, but one at gunpoint — they want to invade Vulcan and conquer it. (As an aside, the idea of the Romulans being able to successfully invade one of the founding worlds of the Federation with three ships and 2,000 troops is laughably arrogant.)

Spock, Picard, and Data manage to escape, but the ambassador chooses to remain on Romulus. He recognizes that unification won’t happen via political channels, but instead through the will of the Romulan people, and he wants to help shepherd it. He stays on Romulus for at least a few years, as the sixth-season episode “Face of the Enemy” once again confronts unification.

While Spock himself isn’t in this episode, his fingerprints are all over it. Counselor Troi is kidnapped by Romulans and altered to look like one of them. She pretends to be a member of the feared Tal Shiar, the Romulan secret police, and her job is to successfully transport high-ranking members of the Romulan government to the Federation as defectors. Spock and his associates are hoping to open a new path for Romulan dissidents to leave the oppressive Star Empire.

What we know about unification after this point is negligible. In the Kelvin universe, at least, Spock continued working with the Romulans in some capacity, as he was involved in efforts to prevent their sun from going supernova. In the time of Star Trek: Picard , the Romulans are scattered, without a home world. It’s unclear whether the movement continued when so many of their brethren were lost, but unification, and the desire to connect with one another, is an important part of Star Trek history that shouldn’t be forgotten.

A Closer Look at Romulans

This article was originally published on November 24, 2020.

Swapna Krishna (she/her) writes about tech, science, and sci-fi. She’s a contributing editor at SYFY FANGRRLS and has been published at Engadget, Gizmodo, Mental Floss, the Los Angeles Times, and more. You can find her on Twitter @skrishna.

Star Trek: Picard streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed concurrently by Paramount Global Content Distribution on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories, and in Canada it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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Star Trek: 7 Important Moments In Vulcan History

Much like the human race, Vulcan history is filled with several important events. These examples are some of the most noteworthy.

In the Star Trek universe, Vulcans were the one alien race that seemed to be willing to give humanity a chance when the rest of the galaxy was happy to avoid Earth. Vulcans were some of humanity's first and most loyal friends and were one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets. If not for their influence, galactic history might have taken a different turn.

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The years given are in the human calendar, the same as what was used on Earth during the 21st century. It might seem culturally insensitive to Vulcans, but it's safe to say most of the readers are Terrans from this place and time period.

7 The Time Of Awakening, 400

The art of training their minds for mental discipline had begun eons before this , but it was around the year 400 that Surak made the practice an intrinsic part of Vulcan philosophy. He traveled the planet with his message of logic and pacifism, and although his teachings weren't accepted everywhere it was enough to change the culture forever.

Thanks in part to Surak, peace returned to Vulcan, and those that rejected him left the planet to eventually become Romulans. This period in Vulcan history is referenced many times in Star Trek lore. One example is the TOS episode "The Savage Curtain" in which Surak is the historic figure that appears to Spock.

6 Return To Space, 1957

A long period of brutal wars set Vulcan's technological and scientific advancements back for centuries, and it was not until the mid-20th century that Vulcans were able to return to space. This rebuilding process took 1,500 years after their civilization had faced almost total annihilation, so it was a significant achievement.

RELATED: Star Trek: Spock's Biggest Mistakes & Failures

The knowledge wasn't exactly lost, as the Vulcans did have warp-capable ships and their designs, but it took some time to learn how to rebuild them; they wouldn't break warp 2 for another hundred years. One thing that impressed and surprised them during this period was the launch of Sputnik from a primitive planet in the Milky Way galaxy, on the part of a race that was supposed to be too backward for space travel.

5 First Contact With Earth, 2063

Other local alien races, such as the Andorians and Tellerites, thought that Earth was too primitive to be any of their concern. Vulcans, however, suspected that there was more to humans after the launch of Sputnick in the mid-20th century, and checked up on them from time to time.

That's why Vulcans were the first aliens to discover that humans had discovered warp speed, which prompted First Contact. Despite their first impressions of humans as "a savagely illogical race" the meeting between the two races was prescient. Humans and Vulcans would still view each other with suspicion for some time, but Vulcans and Humans would have more successful diplomatic ties than most other races.

4 The Treaty Of 2097

Weytahn was a barren planetoid, about the same size as Earth's moon, that was in a strategic location between Andorian and Vulcan space. Both races lay claim to Weytahn, but it was the Andorians who terraformed the planet and attempted to colonize it in 2050.

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Vulcans annexed the planet and forcibly expelled the colonists, and tensions were at a breaking point for decades. This Treaty effectively ended any hostilities surrounding the planet, giving full control of it to the Vulcan High Command, and it was renamed Paan Mokar. However, the Andorians held a grudge and attempted to invade the planet in 2152.

3 The Secret Of P'Jem, 2151

P'Jem was originally a remote Vulcan monastery located on a planet conveniently close to Andorian territory. Its strategic position, however, was always a point of suspicion , and it was eventually revealed that the Vulcan High Command was using the site covertly to spy on their rivals.

The Star Trek: Enterprise episode "The Andorian Incident" covers this part of Vulcan history in detail, including how T'Pol helped expose the secret. The fallout to T'Pol and her family back on Vulcan lasted much longer than the events of this episode.

2 The Coalition Of Planets, 2155

The idea of a united coalition on an intergalactic level was a revolutionary one at the time, something only humans could dream up and only Vulcans could support. The Founding Of The United Federation Of Planets became a reality less than ten years later in 2161.

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Although there were only five founding members that would grow to more than a hundred over the next two centuries. The UFD would maintain a tenuous peace for the next century until the Federation-Klingon War, which lasted from 2256-2257.

1 The Babel Conference, 2268

Sarek, one of the more notable Vulcans in galactic history, was pulled out of retirement to attend this crucial meeting. The USS Enterprise was deemed to be a safe, neutral site to transport the delegates safely to their meeting place, but the hostility between Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites proved otherwise.

The main issue at hand was admitting a new planet, Coridan, into the United Federation of Planets. Certain commercial interests were nervous about their mining and drilling rights, while some politicians were concerned about the denizens of Coridan making new and powerful friends.

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Vulcan May Not be Real, but Spock’s Home System is

It takes a little imagination to wish some favorite fictional universes into existence. But, for legions of "Star Trek" fans, they don’t have to wish: one star system really exists in our Milky Way galaxy. In Star Trek lore, Vulcan is the home of logic, learning and the deeply beloved first officer Mr. Spock. While Vulcan is fictional, the star system it belongs to–40 Eridani–is very real. It’s located only 16.5 light-years away from Earth and its primary star can be spotted with the naked eye. So how much is science fiction and how much is science fact?

“Could there be an Earth-like planet in this system? We have no way of knowing that now,” said Karl Stapelfeldt, chief scientist of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program. So while Vulcan (as far as we know) doesn’t exist, a fascinating triple sunset would occur on any rocky planet in the system, because 40 Eridani has three stars that circle each other.

See more: Interactive planets

The most massive is 40 Eridani A, a dwarf star that is the mythical Vulcan’s sun. The other two are a pair, orbiting each other at a distance from 40 Eridani A. This binary pair contains a red dwarf (40 Eridani C)­ and a white dwarf star (40 Eridani B). From the surface of Vulcan, “they would gleam brilliantly in the Vulcan sky,” according to Rodenberry in his 1991 letter to Sky & Telescope magazine.

If you believe in science fiction, Mr. Spock’s dreamt-up world lives in the habitable zone of the largest star, 40 Eridani A. The habitable zone, shown as the area in blue-green, is the distance from a star where liquid water is said to exist. Too far away from its sun and Vulcan would freeze like Pluto; too close and it would sizzle like Mercury. Vulcan is perched on the inner edge, lending the world its imagined desert-like quality (at least, in a timeline where the planet remains undestroyed).

But if there were a planet like Vulcan in the 40 Eridani system, would we be able to see it? Not yet. “We don’t yet have a way to detect it, but NASA is working on the technology to make it possible,” Stapelfeldt said.

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Screen Rant

Star trek writers break down that massive 'vulcan god' twist, new section 31 secrets, and more.

Writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing discuss the massive lore reveals in Star Trek #19 from IDW Publishing and what fans can expect next.

• Revealing T'Lir as an Organian adds depth to the godly theme in IDW's Star Trek series, enhancing the character's identity and Trek lore.
• Exploring advanced beings' interaction with humanity is core to Star Trek, setting up a grand, unified, and catastrophic story.
• Section 31's mysterious involvement and upcoming revelations promise an incredible and interwoven tale in the Star Trek universe.

The Star Trek universe is adding new characters and resurrecting old ones in its quest to deliver "the best Star Trek story ever told," and with its newest headline-making chapter, the IDW comic series is pulling no punches to achieve that goal.

With the latest issue of the series dropping more than one lore-changing bombshell in the true, 'divine' nature of Sisko's Vulcan crew member T'Lir, a new twist in the shadowy operations of Section 31, and Captain Benjamin Sisko's own mission from the Prophets, fans are reeling. So Screen Rant asked the writers themselves, Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, to break down the newest reveals.

Needless to say, there will be SPOILERS for Star Trek #19 ahead!

SR: One of the new series' biggest mysteries has finally been solved: the true identity (and nature) of the Vulcan T'Lir. When did you decide to bring the Organians back into this story? What was it about their previous appearances in Tre k?

Jackson Lanzing: Finally, it can be told! T’Lir has secretly been an Organian from the very first outline - if we were going to make this a story about “gods,” it was extremely important for there to be a character on the ship who represented what that word actually meant. Incarnating them in a Vulcan body was also extremely important to us, as Star Trek always feels more like Star Trek with a Vulcan in the room, but it also gave us a great stereotype to begin breaking down - either as T’Lir cries when they see the crystalline entities for the first time, or when they keep repeating their mantra to stay grounded and corporeal. The audience could slowly be let into the secret… so that by the time we got to this reveal, it felt like it didn’t invalidate the character you knew, but rather enhanced them.

Collin Kelly: That question of whether T’Lir is the person the audience has grown to care about - and how much their Organian identity means to them - is right at the center of what makes this story tick. They didn’t just *become* a fully adult Vulcan - they were born, they were raised, they’ve lived a full life, all with the memory of another life - another person - under their skin. To help clue the audience in, every issue of this arc will feature a page from T’Lir’s personal journal, one they were keeping when they were still one of the Organians that were actually on the planet to meet Kirk and Spock during that species’ first appearance in “Errand of Mercy.” In those, readers will find a full story for T’Lir… one that will have huge consequences as we get to the end of this arc.

SR: So with one gigantic twist comes another: a journey to the Pleroma, why Sisko is forbidden from attending, and even a search for Wesley Crusher... what made these strands of god-level Trek lore stand out for you to dig into, and find spaces within the existing timeline to further flesh out?

Jackson Lanzing: That interaction between advanced beings and evolved humanity is at the very core of what makes Star Trek, well, Star Trek. It’s been there since the first two episodes - “The Cage” tells us all about how technology might be used to dominate us and change our very reality, while “Where No Man Has Gone Before” asks us what it means for a human to achieve that kind of reality-warping power. We knew from the start that this would be the center of our run.

Collin Kelly: Exactly. These were plot lines that we have wanted to dive into since the very first outline - in fact, of all the stories we planned to tell, “Pleroma” is the tale most crucial to paying off the first arc and establishing momentum for what comes next. As for Wesley, we owe that entirely to PICARD - while we always knew that Wesley became a Traveler, the world only recently learned that the Travelers are ALSO part of the Supervisors, which we established in Star Trek: Year Five as the leadership of the time-and-space caretakers known as Aegis. Now, Aegis was our villain in Year Five - which folks can read in the extraordinary hardcovers IDW has begun releasing - but their context has changed after that story. Are they friend, foe, or something in between? With Beverly on our crew, and the blessing of Paramount, the opportunity to reunite mother and (first born) child was too good to pass up. Jackson Lanzing: As for why Sisko *very specifically* isn’t invited to this gathering of Gods… read on.

Bringing in a new plot involving Section 31 is a bombshell on its own, but to name that character "Sloan," and recruiting one of Sisko's crew?! For the fans who already know the group's deal, what about this new wrinkle do you want fans to be asking, speculating, or worrying about until the next issue?

Jackson Lanzing: As with everything Section 31, that is extremely classified. What I’ll note is the character’s not named Sloan - they just use Sloan’s authorization. Maybe he’s gained a certain notoriety among the Section 31 agent community? Maybe there are those who wish he’d been able to go further? Collin Kelly: As for what’s going on with Section 31, fans might actually find more of a hint in the distant past than in their recent actions in the Dominion War…

SR: Your editor Heather Antos has teased that the next chapter of your Star Trek opus will go "beyond the human mind's wildest imagination." That's a grand scope, so any further details or teases you can offer about where these next chapters fit into the larger Trek tapestry?

Collin Kelly: First you ask about Section 31, then you ask about secrets? Is this a set up!? What we can say is that this arc is the start of something incredible - not just for our book, but for the casts of Star Trek: Defiant and Sons of Star Trek as well. This line is truly telling an interwoven story - and the time is drawing near to reveal the secret shape of what’s to come. Jackson Lanzing: You don’t tell a story about the fragile nature of spacetime without breaking a few realities. Strap in - there’s never been a Star Trek story as grand, as unified, or as catastrophic as the one we’re building to. You thought Day of Blood was a big event? You ain’t seen nothing yet.

Star Trek #19 is available now from IDW Publishing.

Star Trek is one of pop culture's biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.

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Coming of Age

• Episode aired Mar 12, 1988

Picard finds himself facing a strenuous test of his loyalty to Starfleet, one which the other members of the crew are struggling to cope with, whilst Wesley faces an equally challenging entr... Read all Picard finds himself facing a strenuous test of his loyalty to Starfleet, one which the other members of the crew are struggling to cope with, whilst Wesley faces an equally challenging entrance exam at Starfleet Academy. Picard finds himself facing a strenuous test of his loyalty to Starfleet, one which the other members of the crew are struggling to cope with, whilst Wesley faces an equally challenging entrance exam at Starfleet Academy.

• Michael Vejar
• Gene Roddenberry
• Sandy Fries
• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• LeVar Burton
• 19 User reviews
• 13 Critic reviews

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

• Lieutenant Geordi La Forge

• Lieutenant Natasha 'Tasha' Yar

• Lieutenant Worf

• Doctor Beverly Crusher

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Commander Data

• Wesley Crusher
• Adm. Gregory Quinn

• Lt. Cmdr. Dexter Remmick

• Jake Kurland

• T'Shanik

• Oliana Mirren
• Technician #1

• Technician #2
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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Starting with this episode, Maurice Hurley took over the job of showrunner from Gene Roddenberry . Hurley was concerned that the show's writing process had stalled under Roddenberry's leadership, and so personally paid for a holiday for Roddenberry and Majel Barrett on the understanding that he would take over while they were gone. Upon his eventual return, Roddenberry opted to leave Hurley in charge of the writing staff.
• Goofs The crew informs Capt. Picard that the wayward shuttle is out of transporter range, but that simply isn't possible. If the Enterprise can use the transporter to transport people to and from the surface of the planet, how could it not be able to transport someone from a shuttle that is between the planet's atmosphere and the Enterprise? Even if the shuttle were, for some reason, out of the transporter range, the Enterprise is much faster than any of its shuttles, so it could very easily maneuver into transporter range or, if the transporter isn't functional, into tractor-beam range. It makes absolutely no sense that Capt. Picard doesn't immediately give the command to chase the shuttle once it is in danger. Maintaining a standard orbit in the face of this emergency serves no purpose.

Lt. Cmdr. Dexter Remmick : You don't like me very much, do you?

Lieutenant Worf : Is it required - sir?

• Connections Featured in Mr. Plinkett's Star Trek 2009 Review (2010)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User reviews 19

• May 28, 2023
• March 12, 1988 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
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• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Biography [ ]

The son of Skon , Sarek was born in 2165 and was willingly tutored by his own father. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; TNG : " Sarek "; TOS : " Journey to Babel ") He had a pet sehlat named I-Chaya . ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

Sarek's first child, Sybok , was conceived out of wedlock with a Vulcan princess . ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ; SNW : " The Serene Squall ")

Later, Sarek, while serving as ambassador to Earth , wed a Human named Amanda Grayson in the late 2220s . ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ; TOS : " Journey to Babel "; TAS : " Yesteryear ") A later recollection of Sarek's was that he had married her because, " at the time, it seemed the logical thing to do, " but in actuality he loved her. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel "; Star Trek )

Sarek, holding his newborn son Spock in 2230

Three years after their marriage, in 2230 , the two were in the city of ShiKahr where Amanda gave birth to Sarek's second son, Spock . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel "; TAS : " Yesteryear ") Upon first holding him, Sarek remarked that the newborn Spock was "so Human." ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) Sarek passed his pet sehlat I-Chaya on to Spock, and raised him and Sybok as brothers. ( TAS : " Yesteryear "; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Sarek in 2237

In 2237 , when Spock was aged seven, Sarek was involved in arranging for him to wed T'Pring , later in life. ( TOS : " Amok Time ") Sarek also gave Spock his first lesson in computers . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") However, as a seven-year-old, Spock was occasionally bullied by Vulcan children who claimed that Sarek had brought shame to Vulcan by marrying a Human. ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

In an alternate timeline created by the death of Spock at an early age, Sarek separated from Amanda Grayson, and did not remarry after Grayson died. Also he had been Federation ambassador to seventeen different planets between 2237 and 2269 . ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

When the Human parents of Michael Burnham were killed by Klingons , Sarek took her as a ward and raised her on Vulcan, where she became the first Human to ever attend the Vulcan Learning Center and the Vulcan Science Academy , the latter of which she entered in 2245 . ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ", " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry ") When Burnham was a child, the Learning Center was bombed by logic extremists and Burnham was rendered medically dead. Sarek came to her rescue and initiated a mind meld with Burnham, in order to revive her. As a result of this, a portion of Sarek's katra remained inside her mind, which later allowed him to communicate with her across interstellar distances. ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ", " Lethe ")

Sarek with Michael Burnham on board the USS Shenzhou in 2249

After Burnham's graduation from the Vulcan Science Academy, Sarek was forced to choose between Burnham and Spock on who should join the Vulcan Expeditionary Group . Sarek chose Spock over Burnham for this; he then arranged with Captain Philippa Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou that Burnham would serve on her ship after graduation. In 2249 , Sarek transported from Vulcan to the transporter room of the Shenzhou with Michael Burnham, and scolded her for being too rigid, refusing to follow human niceties by giving her hand to Georgiou; quietly he told Burnham to "behave" just before he departed from the ship. ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ", " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry ", " Lethe ")

However, he later regretted his favor to Spock; the latter decided to apply to Starfleet Academy instead of the Vulcan Science Academy, whereas Sarek wanted Spock to follow his father's teachings, just as he himself had followed the teachings of his own father. In 2250 , Sarek broke off his relationship with Spock and, for years to come, the two were estranged. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ")

Role in the Federation-Klingon War [ ]

Right before the Battle of the Binary Stars in 2256 , Michael Burnham called Sarek over a subspace channel seeking information about how to handle the Klingons. Sarek narrated to her how the Vulcans had handled them after their first contact in 2016 : by firing first , cautioning her this solution was unique to them. Further, he cautioned her from letting the fact that Klingons killed her parents affect her judgement. ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ")

During the Federation-Klingon War , Sarek travelled from Vulcan to a secret meeting on Cancri IV with a supposedly dissenting Klingon faction which could end the war. However, his Vulcan cruiser was disabled by the pilot V'Latak , who was actually one of the logic extremists and attempted to assassinate him by turning his own body into a bomb; though Sarek survived, the ship was disabled inside the Yridia Nebula . Gabriel Lorca of the USS Discovery launched an unauthorized rescue mission; Sarek was too injured to continue and Admiral Katrina Cornwell went in his place. However, the meeting was actually a trap orchestrated by Klingon General Kol to capture Sarek, and Cornwell was captured instead. ( DIS : " Lethe ")

Sarek in 2257

In 2257 , after the Discovery returned from the mirror universe , Sarek met the mirror counterpart of Philippa Georgiou, who offered her help with the war. Sarek and Cornwell (who had been liberated from her captors) wished all information regarding the crossover to be buried. He then negotiated with the Federation Council, received approval of Georgiou's plan, and it was decided that they had no choice but to proceed. ( DIS : " The War Without, The War Within ")

After the end of the war, Sarek, with Amanda, visited Paris for the victory celebrations, where they met with Michael, now reinstated as a commander and appointed science officer of the Discovery . ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Control crisis [ ]

After the appearance of the red bursts in 2257, Sarek left the Discovery to return to Vulcan and was assigned to the Federation task force investigating the mysterious signals. ( DIS : " Brother ")

Sarek confronting his family in the sacred crypt

After discovering Spock had disappeared in that same year, Sarek began to search diligently for him, to no avail. As it turned out, Spock had secretly returned to Vulcan, with Amanda hiding him in a sacred crypt and was shielded from telepathic searches due to the presence of Katra stones . When Burnham returned to Vulcan to join in the search for Spock, Amanda led her in secret to the crypt, but Sarek followed them in secret. Sarek confronted his wife about her deception and was able to convince them that the best course of action was to turn over Spock to Captain Leland . ( DIS : " Light and Shadows ")

Later that year, when the crew of the Discovery was planning to escape to the future as part of a plot to escape Control , Sarek was able to pinpoint the location of the Discovery using Burnham's katra. There, Sarek and Amanda said their goodbyes to Burnham, expressing their love for each other. Sarek agreed to look out for Spock, albeit from afar, at Burnham's request. Following this farewell, Sarek and Amanda returned to Vulcan. Following the Discovery 's nine-century voyage, Sarek swore to never speak of Burnham or the Discovery again, using his status as an ambassador to avoid interrogation. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

Reminisces by Spock [ ]

In 2266 , his estranged son Spock was serving in Starfleet aboard the USS Enterprise . That year he noted Balok as being reminiscent of his father, even stating – at one point early in the first contact between the First Federation and the Enterprise – that he regretted not having learned more about Balok. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")

While affected by polywater intoxication later that year, Spock remembered that he had respected Sarek and their Vulcan traditions but had been ashamed of his Human blood . ( TOS : " The Naked Time ")

In 2267 , while Captain James T. Kirk was attempting to aggravate Spock by making up false insults, he insisted that Sarek had been "a computer." ( TOS : " This Side of Paradise ") Later the same year, Spock evoked the authority of his father (as well as their male ancestors), while making an unsuccessful attempt to persuade T'Pau to prevent him battling Kirk in a kal-if-fee . ( TOS : " Amok Time ")

Coridan involvement and reconciliation [ ]

Sarek in 2268

Sarek's accomplishments as an ambassador of the Federation included the Coridanite admission debate of 2268 before the Federation Council. Sarek's involvement in the Coridan admission debate included attending multiple council sessions, at least one of which was before the conference on a neutral planet . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ")

Shortly before he left Vulcan with his wife and a group of aides, Sarek suffered two heart attacks . He did not inform his wife of these incidents, though his physician prescribed Benjisidrine for the condition. During the council session en route to the Babel Conference Sarek met and debated with Tellarite Ambassador Gav , winning their argument. He did not speak with Spock until Sarek survived a series of heart attacks and surgery , and they talked again only after a transfusion of rare T-negative blood from his son. This event resulted in a brief retirement and a rekindling of their relationship. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") The conference finalized the admittance of Coridan into the Federation. Despite several minor quarrels, Sarek cast the final vote in favor of Coridan's admittance. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Sarek and Spock remained on good terms as the Klingon détente bloomed in the 2280s . In 2285 , Sarek was briefed on Project Genesis and the report from James T. Kirk on the recent activation of the Genesis Device . That year Spock was left for dead on the Genesis Planet after sacrificing his life to save the USS Enterprise . Sarek, believing that Spock had put his katra in Kirk before he died, traveled to Earth to convince him to retrieve his son's body. It turned out it was Leonard McCoy who now possessed Spock's katra . On Vulcan, Sarek pushed for a fal-tor-pan , a fusion of Spock's katra and body; although aware of the dangers and complications of the ritual, Sarek stated that his logic was uncertain where his son was concerned. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

Three months later , Sarek finally apologized to Spock for his original opposition to Spock's decision to join Starfleet, recognizing Spock's friends as people of good character. Sarek attended a meeting of the Federation Council that had put the Enterprise crew under accusation; he witnessed the controversy over the Genesis Device, especially the arguments from them that Kirk be extradited . Sarek defended the Enterprise , accusing the Klingon Ambassador that his navy had attacked the Enterprise , citing Kruge 's attack on the USS Grissom and the death of Kirk's son ; he was shocked that the ambassador proudly admitted his men indeed did so. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

In 2287 , Sybok manipulated the starship USS Enterprise -A and reunited with his brother Spock. He caused an apparition in Spock's mind of his own birth; Spock saw his father holding him, commenting that the baby resembled a Human rather than a Vulcan. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Later career [ ]

Among Sarek's later accomplishments were his effort to bring about a Federation- Legaran treaty , which began in 2273 , and concluded in 2367, early treaties with the Klingon Empire ( Treaty of Alliance ), and the Treaty of Alpha Cygnus IX . ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Sarek in 2293

In 2293 , Sarek suggested that Spock initiate negotiations for a proposed Federation-Klingon Alliance with Chancellor Gorkon , hoping to bring together the two lifelong enemies after the destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis . That almost didn't happen, for Gorkon was assassinated. Captain Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy were arrested by the Klingons, having been framed for the chancellor's murder . Sarek was present in the Federation President 's office when several attempts to stop Kirk and McCoy being tried in Klingon territory were outlined, but he had to concede that the Klingons were within their legal rights and that the Federation could not interfere in their due process. Kirk and McCoy, with Spock's assistance, eventually escaped from imprisonment on Rura Penthe , and they arrived at the Khitomer Conference in time to prevent the assassination of the Federation President. ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ) Afterwards, Sarek was involved with the Khitomer Accords , and further helped the Federation and Klingon Empire establish their almost one-hundred-year peaceful co-existence. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Sometime after the Khitomer Conference, Spock left Starfleet and became an ambassador and representative of the Vulcans to the Federation. The two, however, split again over the Cardassian issue of the 24th century . Sarek was also dismissive of Spock's friendship with Romulan Senator Pardek , who he had met at Khitomer, and the prospects for a lasting Federation-Romulan peace. ( TNG : " Unification I ") By that time, Amanda had died, and Sarek had married another Human woman, named Perrin . Sarek was present at his son's wedding before they again stopped speaking to each other; it was at that event that Sarek first met Jean-Luc Picard . Soon after, Sarek studied Picard's career, describing his service record as "satisfactory", a choice of words Picard recognized as high praise from a Vulcan when he and Perrin later spoke of it. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Later years [ ]

Picard meeting with Sarek, shortly before his death in 2368

In 2366 , Sarek was diagnosed with Bendii Syndrome en route to the Legaran Conference . As his emotional control became very weak, he mind melded with Captain Picard at the suggestion of his wife, Perrin. Sarek was then stable enough to conclude the negotiations for a treaty with the Legarans. He told Picard, " we shall always retain the best part of the other inside us. " ( TNG : " Sarek ")

In 2368 , Sarek was visited by Captain Picard. Picard, who had been assigned to investigate Ambassador Spock's disappearance, came to see Sarek and ask if he had any knowledge of a person Spock might contact on Romulus . During their brief conversation, Sarek regained a measure of control over himself and told the captain about Spock's Romulan friend Pardek. Before leaving, Captain Picard gave Sarek the traditional Vulcan salute and the first half of a phrase often accompanying it: "peace and long life." Sarek tried to respond but was overcome by his illness. Shortly thereafter, he died at the age of 203. ( TNG : " Unification I ")

When meeting with Ambassador Spock on Romulus, Picard learned that Spock and his father had never mind melded, and offered Spock the chance to share what Sarek had shared with him. The meld passed along Sarek's true feelings of love and admiration for his son that he had never allowed himself to convey in life. ( TNG : " Unification II ")

In 2370 , after Julian Bashir told Elim Garak , " Before you can be loyal to another, you must be loyal to yourself, " the Cardassian attributed the quote to Sarek, but it was actually Bashir's own. ( DS9 : " Profit and Loss ")

The 24th century starship USS Sarek was presumably named in honor of Ambassador Sarek. ( DS9 : " Favor the Bold ")

Alternate timelines and realities [ ]

In the mirror universe , Sarek was member of a multi-species rebellion against the Terran Empire in 2257 . ( DIS : " The Wolf Inside ")

Sarek in 2258 of the alternate reality.

In an alternate reality created by Nero's incursion, in 2258 Sarek was rescued by Spock when Vulcan was destroyed, but his wife Amanda Grayson was killed. ( Star Trek )

Sarek's skull in Q's alternate timeline.

In an alternate timeline where Humans ruled the totalitarian Confederation of Earth , Sarek served as director of the Vulcan Science Academy . According to Q , after an encounter with General Jean-Luc Picard , at some point before 2401 , Sarek was " decapitated on the steps of the Vulcan Science Academy in front of a crowd that included his wife and son. " Q found that to be a "nice touch." Sarek's skull was later mounted on display in General Picard's library at Château Picard . ( PIC : " Penance ")

Key dates [ ]

• 2165 : Born to Skon
• 2227 : Marries Amanda Grayson
• 2230 : His second son, Spock , is born
• 2237 : Arranges for Spock to marry T'Pring
• 2240s : Takes Michael Burnham as his ward
• 2249 : Transports Burnham to Captain Georgiou 's care aboard the USS Shenzhou
• 2250 : Becomes estranged from his son Spock
• 2256 : Targeted by logic extremists en route to a peace meeting with the Klingon Empire on Cancri IV
• 2257 : After Sarek's negotiations with the Federation Council, Georgiou's plan is passed. End of the Federation-Klingon War
• 2268 : Reestablishes contact with Spock while en route to the Babel Conference aboard the USS Enterprise ; survives a series of heart attacks and surgery , following a transfusion of rare T-negative blood from Spock
• 2273 : Begins to make contact with the Legarans in order to start relations with the United Federation of Planets
• 2285 : Appeals for the search and rescue of Spock
• 2286 : Finally accepts Spock's decision to join Starfleet
• 2293 : Becomes politically involved in Federation-Klingon relations, attending the Khitomer Conference
• 2366 : Diagnosed with Bendii Syndrome ; mind melds with Captain Picard to conclude negotiating a treaty with the Legarans
• 2368 : Visited by Picard; dies on Vulcan at the age of 203

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Isn't it unusual for a Vulcan to retire at your age? After all, You're only 102. " " 102.437 precisely, doctor. Measured in your years. I… had… other concerns. "

" Tellarites do not argue for reasons. They simply argue. "

" It does not require pride to ask that Spock be given the respect which is his due…not as my son, but as Spock. "

" Threats are illogical. And payment is usually expensive. "

" Emotional, isn't she? " " She has always been that way. " " Indeed. Why did you marry her? " " At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do. "

" What you seek has not been done since ages past, and then only in legend. Your request is not logical. " " Forgive me, T'Lar. My logic is uncertain where my son is concerned. "

" Kirk, I thank you. What you've done is – " " What I've done, I had to do. " " But at what cost? Your ship. Your son. " " If I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul. "

" We demand the extradition of Kirk! We demand justice! " " Klingon justice is a unique point of view, Mister President. "

" Your vessel did destroy USS Grissom . Your men did kill Kirk's son . Do you deny these events? " " We deny nothing. We have the right to preserve our race! " " Do you have the right to commit murder? "

" Your associates are people of good character. " " They are my friends. "

" Do you have a message for your mother? " " Yes. Tell her I feel fine. "

" These walls are too bright! "

" I have been accused of many things in my life, never an excess of emotion. "

" I saw you crying. " " I did not cry. " " I was there, I saw the tears. " " You exaggerate, captain. I recall only one tear. " " So you were emotionally affected by the music. " " That is not possible. " " You still haven't answered my question, Sarek. Is it logical for a Vulcan to cry? "

" The Legarans trust only me. They will not meet with any other member of the Federation. I must be allowed to complete my mission. There are no other logical solutions. "

" I will not be spoken to in such a manner! " " Do I hear anger in your voice? " " It would be illogical for a Vulcan to show anger! It would be illogical! Illogical! Illogical! Illogical! "

" A mind-meld can be a terrible intimacy, captain. "

" My wife, you will leave me now. I require solitude. "

" No! It is… it is… wrong. It is wrong! A lifetime of discipline is washed away, and in its place… (laughs briefly then grunts) Bedlam… nothing but bedlam! I am so old! Nothing left but dry bones… and dead friends. Tired. Oh, so tired. "

" I will take my leave of you now, Captain. I do not think we shall meet again. " " I hope you are wrong, Ambassador. " " We shall always retain the best part of the other inside us. " " I believe I have the better part of that bargain, Ambassador. Peace and long life. " " Live long and prosper. "

" Sarek, you will listen! " " Go from me!! " " Picard is here. " " No more chaos!! No more. " " I will leave you alone with him. He will either acknowledge you, or he won't. "

" Sarek, I have come a long way to see you. " " I will not answer!! " " I must talk to you about your son. " " I wish no one with me!! " " About Spock. "

" I never knew what Spock was doing. When he was a boy, he would disappear for days into the mountains. I asked him where he had gone, what he had done, he refused to tell me. I insisted that he tell me. He would not. I forbade him to go. He ignored me. I punished him. He endured it, silently. But always he returned to the mountains. One might as well ask the river not to run. But secretly I admired him, the proud core of him that would not yield. "

" Sarek… We're a part of each other. I know that he has caused you pain. But I also know… that you love him." " Tell him, Picard… " [Sarek struggles to perform the Vulcan salute. Picard assists him, then returns the hand gesture] " Peace and long life. " " Live long and… and… Live long and… [starts sobbing] Spock… my son… " " …and prosper. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Vulcan Hello "
• " Battle at the Binary Stars "
• " The Wolf Inside "
• " The War Without, The War Within "
• " Will You Take My Hand? "
• " Brother "
• " Light and Shadows "
• " Perpetual Infinity " (archive footage)
• " Such Sweet Sorrow "
• " Stormy Weather " (picture only)
• TOS : " Journey to Babel " (First appearance)
• TAS : " Yesteryear "
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• " Unification I "

Background information [ ]

Identifying actors [ ].

Sarek was primarily played by Mark Lenard , except in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , where young Sarek was played by Jonathan Simpson , though voiced by Lenard. In a deleted scene from 2009 's Star Trek , the character was played by Ben Cross , who played his alternate counterpart in the film . In Star Trek: Discovery , Sarek is portrayed by James Frain .

Casting and first episodes [ ]

The first canonical evidence of Sarek was a very vague reference in " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", an allusion that was specifically Spock mentioning "one of [his] ancestors" who had married a Human female. From then on, Sarek was usually referred to in a more direct fashion, consistently described as Spock's "father" in later episodes of the first season .

A description of Spock in an early- 1966 publicity booklet released by NBC (and reprinted in Inside Star Trek: The Real Story ) suggested that his father not only was an extraterrestrial who had married a woman from Earth but also was possessed of "a precise, logical turn of mind" which Spock inherited.

During the run of the series, Sarek was referred to in the past tense in all but one episode; in " The Squire of Gothos ", Spock tells Trelane , " My father is from the planet Vulcan. " Sarek's occupation as an ambassador was first established in " This Side of Paradise ", whose teleplay was written by D.C. Fontana . This reference was a prime motive for Fontana later writing " Journey to Babel ". ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 2 , p. 84) While she did so, Fontana conceived the rift between Sarek and Spock, including it in the episode. ( Starlog issue #118, p. 18) It was also in that installment that Sarek was finally named.

Sarek's name was inspired by a memo in which Robert H. Justman proposed to Gene Roddenberry that Vulcan names should be no longer than five letters, begin with "S", and end with "k". ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., pp. 72 & 73)

The script of " Journey to Babel " included the following description of Sarek: " Because of Vulcan longevity, it is impossible to tell Sarek's age. He appears no more than late forties. He is actually one hundred two – middle age for a Vulcan […] Sarek's speech is almost without inflection. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 155 , p. 40) A scene cut from the same episode's final draft script would have established that Sarek's father was himself a well-renowned Vulcan ambassador, named Shariel. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 89)

Mark Lenard was cast in the role of Sarek apparently because he had made a good impression with the producers by playing the similarly pointed-eared Romulan commander in " Balance of Terror ". ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 71) D.C. Fontana recalled, " When we were casting in second season for 'Journey to Babel' and I was then the story editor and I had written that script, Gene said, 'What do you think about Mark Lenard for Sarek?' and I said, 'Whoopy-do! Let's go!' You know, I was all for it. He was perfect, again." (" Balance of Terror " Starfleet Access , TOS Season 1 Blu-ray ) Lenard was forty-three when he was cast for the part in "Journey to Babel". ( Star Trek: The Original Series 365 , p. 218)

Mark Lenard was artificially aged to play Sarek for the Vulcan's introductory appearance. " In those days, " he reflected, " they needed to fix my hair up with a little grey and they put wrinkles around my eyes, and then, of course, the ears. " ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - The Official Poster Magazine , p. 56)

By way of research before playing Sarek, Mark Lenard quizzed Spock actor Leonard Nimoy , shortly after they first met. " Mark was very curious about Vulcans and wanted to know as much as he could about them, " Nimoy recalled, " so we discussed this at length on the set. " Lenard found it easy to perform the Vulcan salute and helped devise the intimate ritual of Vulcan finger-touching . ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 71) He also developed a large degree of knowledge about the character of Sarek. In a 1987 interview, Lenard mused over Sarek's personality and his reaction to Spock opting to join Starfleet rather than the Vulcan Science Academy, commenting, " Sarek, like many people of strength and societal importance, believes in the superiority of the Vulcan way […] And the fact that Sarek's son, whom he nurtured and taught, the one who expresses the best that is the Vulcan society, should go off and share all this knowledge with others hurt him deeply, I think. " ( Starlog issue #117, p. 46)

The fan response to Sarek was immediate and, for two weeks after the initial telecast of "Journey to Babel", Mark Lenard's fan mail was even more numerous than that being sent to Leonard Nimoy. ( The World of Star Trek , 3rd ed., p. 146) Nimoy himself also approved of how Lenard portrayed Sarek in Star Trek: The Original Series , later stating, " Mark had a real sense of the dignity and authority the character needed. " ("To Boldly Go… Season Two", TOS Season 2 DVD & Blu-ray ) Nimoy also expressed, " The great dignity that he brought to the role of Sarek earned him a permanent place in the hearts of Star Trek fans. " ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 71)

In a deleted scene filmed for " Elaan of Troyius ", it was revealed that Sarek was an accomplished musician. He placed first in an all-Vulcan music competition; second place was awarded to Spock. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 197; [1] )

The character of Sarek proved so popular that D.C. Fontana intended to bring him back for the third season, and included the Vulcan ambassador in her original story outline for " The Enterprise Incident ". In this version, Sarek was escorted by the Enterprise for a diplomatic mission, and later helped in negotiating with the Romulan commander (who, in this outline, was a male), gaining time for Kirk and McCoy (both being surgically altered to look Romulan) to perform their covert mission. However, comments made by Robert H. Justman regarding the outline made Fontana realize that Sarek didn't serve much purpose in the story, on the contrary, he was taking attention away from the main storyline and the other characters, especially Spock (whose relationship with the commander, soon to be turned female, became a pivotal point in the episode), and was basically there only for "fan service". Hence, Fontana soon eliminated him from the episode. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Three )

Finally, Fontana was able to bring Sarek back for her 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series episode " Yesteryear ". ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 72) In the script of that installment, Sarek was initially described as "distinguished looking". The same teleplay later characterized him as having a "deceptively quiet, unhurried voice" that Spock "would recognize in an instant anywhere." The "Yesteryear" script went on to further describe Sarek thus; " He is a tall, broadshouldered Vulcan, obviously in physical trim. His sharply planed, strong features and deepset eyes make him attractive. " Before Mark Lenard was available for that animated episode, James Doohan recorded the character's lines of dialogue for the installment. It was intended that his voice would serve as Sarek's in the episode, though Lenard's voice was thereafter looped over Doohan's recordings. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 78)

Initial film appearances [ ]

In a story written by Jon Povill and proposed to become the first Star Trek film , a societal upheaval on Vulcan included one of the Vulcans arguing that Sarek should be confined. ( Lost Voyages of Trek and The Next Generation , p. 11) Sarek was also to have been mentioned by name during the Kolinahr scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and was included in the shooting script for that movie, though not in the film's final version. [2]

Sarek's inclusion in Star Trek III was arranged by Harve Bennett . ( Starlog issue #117, p. 49) In an early story outline that Bennett wrote for the film, Sarek was a prime minister on Vulcan during a politically critical situation, as a Vulcan faction had reverted to the primitive behavior of their ancestors. Upon the Enterprise visiting the planet, Sarek rescued a landing party from an attack by the rebellious faction, though his attitude toward the newcomers was somewhat cold and angry. Sarek told Kirk, in the prime minister's quarters, that many Vulcans were unhappy with the Federation having such a powerful weapon as the Genesis Device; though elected prime minister as a peacemaker, Sarek was barely retaining order. It was also at this point, rather than on Earth, that Sarek admonished Kirk for not returning Spock's body to Vulcan and inquired as to how Kirk had known Spock had not been in a transcendental state. Sarek finally instructed Kirk to bring him Spock, and advised the admiral to hope that he would still be there when Spock arrived. [3] Although Sarek additionally appears in the film's conclusion, this was not true of the outline. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 8 , p. 30; Trek: The Unauthorized Story of the Movies , p. 84)

Mark Lenard was very happy to reprise his role of Sarek in Star Trek III . He later reminisced, " I was given a wonderful part in the film […] [As director, Leonard Nimoy] really gave me some great opportunities to bring my character to life; I got to play an equal part in giving ideas for Sarek. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 137 , p. 48) With Lenard having become a frequent guest at Star Trek conventions by that point, fans rejoiced when he reappeared as Sarek in the movie. ( Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 89)

In reprising the role of Sarek, Lenard explained, " When I came in for the makeup tests for Star Trek III , nobody really knew how to do Sarek's look. They had a few general ideas. I brought a picture in to show them what the hair looked like. The original makeup artists from the TV series are gone; Fred Phillips has retired. We had to dig up 'Journey to Babel' and run it, just to see what the makeup was like, to look at the angle of the eyebrows. " Regarding his new look, Lenard continued, " You may have noticed that the ears have changed. They used to be much bigger; now, they're more delicate […] I like the new look. Aesthetically, it fits the face a little better. Also, the movie screen is so much bigger than the TV screen that you can be more delicate, things don't need to be emphasized so much. " Finally, Lenard added, " Agewise, I had been made to look older back during 'Babel', but when I came in for tests this time, Leonard Nimoy thought I looked just about right. But then they did the makeup test. Leonard looked as it and said, 'Mark, you look more like my brother than my father!' So, they whitened my hair some more, applied a stronger age makeup – all in the name of fatherhood. " ( Starlog #86, September 1984 )

Spock and Sarek at the Federation Council in 2286

Sarek's chat with Spock in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was conceived a little differently from how it turned out. In the earliest version of the discussion, Sarek basically admitted that, though he would never understand Spock's half-Human nature, he nonetheless accepted him. " It was originally much more bonding, but they [the producers] removed about half a page of dialogue, which changed things quite a bit, " related Steve Meerson , who was originally assigned to co-write the film's script. ( The Making of the Trek Films , 3rd UK ed., p. 64)

Sarek was talked about amid a story conference in which William Shatner , Harve Bennett and David Loughery tried to work out the details of the plot for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . At one point, Shatner voiced interest in Sarek's motives for marrying Amanda, following the death of Sybok's mother. Even though Loughery reminded Shatner that this event had been commented on in the series, Loughery did not consider this usable story material for the film, finding it superfluous to the storyline. Despite this, Shatner again briefly mentioned Sarek's relationship with Amanda as a potential element of the movie's backstory. The group briefly contemplated that Sarek may have fathered Sybok during his marriage to Amanda, bearing the child out of wedlock to another woman, but the team then opted for Sybok having been born before Sarek married Amanda. Sarek was also considered as having motivated Sybok's departure from Vulcan, out of fear regarding Sybok's influence on Spock. An alternative to this involved both of Sarek's children choosing to leave but Sarek then confronting Spock with an implied threat that, if Spock did decide to depart, he would be completely disowned by his own father. ( Captain's Log: William Shatner's Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , pp. 64 & 65) The film's eventual backstory concerning Sybok and Sarek's relationship with a Vulcan princess has long been considered apocryphal by some sources, which included Gene Roddenberry . ( citation needed • edit )

Depictions in TNG and final film [ ]

In " The Big Goodbye ", an illustration of Sarek was seen when Data was assimilating the Dixon Hill novels. This illustration was from the FASA RPG module The Federation .

Sarek's initial reappearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation originally came about because Gene Roddenberry – having at first been determined to separate that Star Trek series from the original one – became confident to try a character crossover between the series. This was due to The Next Generation gaining popularity by its third season . In hindsight, Mark Lenard reminisced, " I was in Gene's office and he said, 'You know, it's about time that Sarek comes back. After all, Vulcans age very slowly.' I thought that was a good way to put it, not that they live a long time, but that they age very slowly – because it took them another year and a half before they found a script for me to play! " ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , paperback ed., p. 136)

Although Sarek's previous appearances in the third and fourth Star Trek films could have been the last times he was featured in the franchise, Marc Cushman had other notions in 1988 , when Gene Roddenberry heard his idea for a plot involving the character. Cushman pitched Roddenberry a story in which the Vulcan ambassador had to be brought out of retirement for one final mission but was, unbeknown to those around him, in the initial stages of a debilitating neurological illness. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , pp. 72 & 74) Early in TNG's second season and six months after the 1988 Writers Guild strike began, Roddenberry notified Cushman that, although he wanted to do something with the story, he was reconsidering whether the plot's main character was to be Sarek. " He asked me to take Sarek out of the script, " said Cushman, " and make it a different Vulcan, or a member of a different race that has telepathic abilities. " Roddenberry's interest in excising Sarek from the story was because he wanted the plot to focus more on the regular characters of TNG and had changed his mind about linking the two Star Trek series together at such an early stage in the series run of TNG, still wanting it to stand on its own. " I didn't see where removing Sarek was going to improve the story, or get me more work with the show, " continued Cushman, " so I handed the outline off to Jake Jacobs , who was a writer I'd done some work with in the past. " Though Jacobs submitted a revised version of the plot to Roddenberry, neither Sarek nor the story he was to have been featured in were included in TNG Season 2. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 75)

Sarek was present in an initial form of the story for third season installment " Yesterday's Enterprise ", written by Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell . Recalled Stillwell, " Gene Roddenberry had circulated a memo saying […] that Mark Lenard might be interested in making a guest appearance. " [4]

This early version of "Yesterday's Enterprise" began with Sarek arriving at the time planet aboard the Enterprise -D. As a dignitary, he planned to rendezvous with a Vulcan archaeological team that had been using the Guardian of Forever , on the planet, to study ancient Vulcan history at the time of Surak , known as the Time of Awakening . Sarek not only intended to congratulate the archaeologists but also personally escort them back to Vulcan aboard the Enterprise , but before they could leave the planet's surface, the team accidentally altered the timeline so that Surak died before his time. ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 29-31) After being captured as a spy, Sarek convinced a wary Captain Picard – fundamentally altered by the changes in the timeline – to let him travel back in time, via the Guardian, and replace Surak during the Time of the Awakening, in order to restore history. In this way, the story would have accounted for Sarek's name being so similar to the name Surak.

However, Michael Piller vetoed the use of Sarek (as well as the Guardian of Forever) in this instance. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (1st ed., p. 117)) This was because Piller considered the character to be a gimmick from the original series that he'd rather avoid. [5] Eric A. Stillwell later reflected that Piller rejected the inclusion of Sarek while "telling me he had no interest in doing a story about Spock's father," though this attitude was to ultimately turn out to be "rather ironic." ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 34)

At the start of TNG's third season, Michael Piller, taking on the responsibilities of running the show due to Gene Roddenberry's health failing, actually wanted to return Sarek to the story which had been pitched by Marc Cushman. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 76) Sarek was reincorporated into the story after the writing staff decided that the guest character in that episode would be a member of Starfleet Command or of the Federation . In order to make the premise fit more easily into the science-fiction genre, someone suggested that a Vulcan experiencing psychological difficulties, due to some form of disease, might have extreme telepathic impact. " From that point it was really short-stepped to, 'What about Sarek?' " remembered Michael Piller. " Sarek is an extraordinarily honorable character who we felt obliged to protect and deal with in a very respectful manner. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , UK 3rd ed., p. 197) In this case, the use of Sarek maximized the extent to which the story had an impact on and involved the audience. Piller noted, " It brings home the idea that even the greatest of men is subject to mental illness. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (3rd ed., p. 127)) The episode's script, written by Peter S. Beagle without any of the changes Jake Jacobs had made to the story (though his name remained in the screen credits), introduced Sarek with the description, " Sarek is indeed old, but immensely commanding. A genuinely regal figure. " ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 76; [6] )

After the episode "Sarek" was green-lit, the character of Sarek was the subject of a discussion between Marc Cushman and D.C. Fontana when they met. Cushman apologized for having recently "stolen" the character and transferred it to TNG. Though Fontana seemed surprised because she had invented Sarek, she was also polite and gracious about the issue. " She said, 'Well, he belongs to the fans now,' " Cushman relayed. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 77)

For Michael Piller and others working on The Next Generation , there were parallels between the ailing Sarek of "Sarek" and Gene Roddenberry at the time of the episode's making, which Piller described as "what I remember most about that episode." He went on to relate the similarities between Roddenberry and the character; " Gene was beginning to go into decline. Not that he was uncommunicative, but it was clear that he was not the same man that he had been. We all respected him so much, and he had been such an important, strong leader of the franchise and everything it stood for. But here is this great man – and I've only known him for less than a year at this point – here is this great man going into decline, and I immediately felt a very strong connection to the premise of 'Sarek' […] If you go back and look at 'Sarek' closely, what that character is, is Gene Roddenberry. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission , p. 119) Piller also noted that this was the intention at the time the episode was written. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 8 , p. 66)

The makeup for Sarek in the episode of the same name was much as it had been in the previously produced films. " Because Vulcans have an extreme longevity, the years between Sarek's appearance in the motion [pictures] and his first appearance on TNG didn't present us with any problems in designing his makeup, " commented TNG Makeup Supervisor Michael Westmore . " We decided not to age him, and the studio agreed, suggesting that we use the natural lines of his face as contours. " ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , p. 78)

Leonard Nimoy had been appreciative of how Mark Lenard played Sarek in the episode of the same name as the character, describing this portrayal as "a beautiful performance." ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 325) Likewise, Ronald D. Moore thought the predicament Sarek finds himself in, during the installment which shares the character's name, made for an appealing episode. " Here was a respected, venerated figure in our Trek lore, and he had a problem, " Moore observed. " And it wasn't a problem where we were going to give him a hypo and solve it by the show's end. " ( The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 13 , p. 24) Moore clarified, " Mark Lenard has a chance to do some solid acting [in 'Sarek']. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 197)

The painting of Sarek in Star Trek VI

For Sarek's makeup in Star Trek VI , Jerry Quist , a makeup artist from TNG, agreed to join the film's makeup team – since the series was on hiatus while the film was in preproduction – and he alone concentrated on the character's prosthetics for the film. Makeup Supervisor Michael J. Mills recollected, " I just let Jerry take care of that, and he came up with an intermediate look for Sarek – something between what we'd seen in the previous features and what people would be seeing him as on TV. " ( Cinefex No. 49, p. 45) Also in Star Trek VI , a painting of Ambassador Sarek was hung in the USS Enterprise -A 's dining room.

The writing of Sarek's death in "Unification I" was inspired by the fact that, while the episode was being written, the writers were aware that Gene Roddenberry didn't have long to live. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 8 , p. 66) Ronald D. Moore commented that killing Sarek off took courage and, despite liking the character's final scene, he stated, " It wasn't pretty. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 23, No. 2/3, p. 54) Michael Piller approved of the depiction of Sarek in the "Unification" two-parter overall, enthusing, " I liked the stuff with Sarek, it was very moving. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 233) Concerning Sarek's final canonical appearance, Michael Westmore reflected, " We had to show the effects of the degenerative illness that had afflicted him. We again used the basic design and lines of Mark Lenard's face, but this time we aged him and showed him looking gaunt and drained. We used deeper shadows and placed rubber stretching around his eyes to show fatigue. " ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , pp. 78-79) Although Lenard enjoyed his small role in "Unification I" (saying, " It was a bit like King Lear "), he was unaware, during the making of the episode, that it contained a reference to Sarek having died. He explained, after-the-fact, " They only sent me part of the script. " ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , paperback ed., p. 136)

Interim [ ]

The realization that Sarek had apparently died in "Unification I" came as a sudden shock to Mark Lenard. " I was at a convention somewhere when the episode aired and I was surprised, " he reflected. Following the installment's broadcast, Lenard received mail from concerned fans, which he found emotionally moving, but he reckoned he might still reappear. " Jimmy Doohan, who was at that same convention with me, said to me, 'Well, did anybody see him die? Was anybody there?' " Lenard reported. " I said, 'No.' 'Well, then,' he told me, 'you're all right!' " ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , paperback ed., p. 136)

Ultimately, the role of Sarek was highly important in Mark Lenard's life. Mere months before he died in 1996 , Lenard commented, " I suspect that even though I've died on the screen, I will live and die as Sarek of Vulcan. There's no getting away from it anymore. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 137 , p. 48)

Despite Sarek making no appearances on Star Trek: Enterprise , the writing staff of that series at one time discussed the possibility of including a young version of the character on the show. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 103 , p. 18) " We always thought that […] Sarek was one of the assistants to Soval and that sort of colored his view of the humans, " revealed Judith Reeves-Stevens . ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 55, p. 17) However, this would have contradicted previously established canon which places Sarek's birth several years after the timeframe depicted in Enterprise .

Sarek, Amanda, and their newborn son, before the timeline diverged ( Star Trek deleted scene)

Sarek was so integral to the origin story of Star Trek that, in one form, he once again made a movie appearance; his alternate counterpart was featured in the 2009 film Star Trek . ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 77) Mark Lenard's portrayal of the role provided a basis for Ben Cross' performance in the movie, as the alternate reality Sarek. As such, a sampling of Lenard's presentment of the character was supplied to Cross by Paramount , to prepare Cross for his own take on the character. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , p. 67)

In the aforementioned deleted scene from the film, involving Ben Cross portraying the prime-universe Sarek, he arrives home in the aftermath of Spock's birth. The scene in question takes place before Nero 's incursion – dated, on screen, as 2230 (which later became canon in Star Trek Beyond ) – thereby making the scene's depiction of Sarek, in fact, "this" character. The movie's script described Sarek, in this scene, as "late 40's," rather than sixty-five (which is how old he would be in 2230 if he was born in 2165) – by comparison, the script for " Journey to Babel ", set thirty-eight years later, also said that he appeared "no more than late forties." The script also established that he deliberately arrives after Spock's birth, explaining that Vulcan tradition excludes the father from actual childbirth, despite Amanda Grayson having wanted him to be there. [7] However, Sarek's absence from Spock's birth is not spoken about in the final version of the scene, leaving the reason for his late arrival unknown. The scene, both as scripted and ultimately edited, showed Sarek as being responsible for naming Spock, taking the name from "one of Vulcan's early society-builders."

Renewal [ ]

James Frain described Sarek as "endlessly fascinating, and complex, and ambivalent." ( Star Trek Magazine Discovery Collector's Edition , p. 36)

The episode "Sarek" stated that Sarek's first wife was from Earth; clearly, this was intended to be a reference to Amanda and that Sarek was not married to the Vulcan princess spoken about in Star Trek V , which admittedly never explicitly says that Sarek ever married the princess, only that she was Sybok's mother.

Mark Lenard was highly impressed with the actresses who were cast to play Sarek's wives. Shortly after appearing in the episode "Sarek", Lenard stated, " As Sarek, I've been graced with my wives so far. They've all been good-looking and charming women. " ( The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 14 , p. 28)

In "Journey to Babel" and "Sarek", Sarek introduced Amanda Grayson and Perrin respectively as "she who is my wife."

Apocrypha [ ]

The novel Ishmael gives his full name as "S'chn T'gai Sarek".

FASA 's RPG sourcebook The Federation claims that Sarek was born in Remsusala, Vulcan.

In the Thirteenth UK Story Arc , Spock had a cousin named Horek. If Horek was Spock's first cousin, this implies that Sarek had a sibling, one of Horek's parents.

In the comic story Star Trek: The Next Generation - Perchance to Dream , the crew of the USS Enterprise -D was attacked by a telepathic weapon called the Chova, which forced its victims to experience dreams and hallucinations focused on their personal failures. However, it was discovered that people with multiple personalities could render the Chova inert (since the Chova could only attack one personality at a time). Picard was deliberately infected with the Chova, since his mind meld with Sarek, the probe that gave him the memories of Kamin , and the remnants of his memories as Locutus of Borg still in his mind all gave him the makings of a multiple personality disorder. The four defeated the Chova, but Locutus then attempted to regain control of Picard's body, nearly 'killing' Kamin and Sarek before Picard gathered the mental strength to stop Locutus.

The novel Avenger revealed Sarek's "Bendii condition" to be actually caused by a poison or special pathogen used by members of the Symmetrists, a Vulcan terrorist group, to murder him without causing suspicion. Spock was also poisoned in this way.

In the novel Engines of Destiny , Sarek became the leader of a resistance fighting the Borg in an alternate timeline where the Borg conquered the Alpha Quadrant during the events of Star Trek: First Contact . However, Sarek retained some memories of the original timeline, which allowed him to recognize Kirk and Scotty when they arrived in 'his' timeline; even having never met them, he knew that he could trust the two of them. In the end, Sarek sacrificed himself to buy time for the temporally-relocated Enterprise -D to return Kirk to the Nexus , as Kirk's presence was required for Picard to survive in order to defeat the Borg's time-traveling experiment.

In the Myriad Universes short story A Less Perfect Union , in which Terra Prime was successful and the Federation-like Interstellar Coalition was formed without an isolationist Earth, Sarek was kidnapped by the Romulans before a conference discussing Earth joining the Coalition, and replaced by Keras ( Mark Lenard's Romulan character from " Balance of Terror ") – who, being so similar in appearance that this required no cosmetic alterations of any kind, concluded that the two likely shared a common ancestor from before the Vulcan-Romulan schism.

His mirror universe counterpart appeared in the novel The Sorrows of Empire and was mentioned in Dark Mirror and Spectre , all of which exist in separate continuities.

External links [ ]

• Sarek at StarTrek.com
• Sarek at Wikipedia
• Sarek at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Sarek at the Star Trek Online Wiki

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Star Trek's Most Beloved Heroes Are Absolute Hypocrites

Posted: March 23, 2024 | Last updated: March 23, 2024

Star Trek’s Most Beloved Heroes Are Absolute Hypocrites

The longer you watch Star Trek, the likelier you are to see Vulcans dunking on humanity. Across The Original Series and especially in Enterprise, these aliens love to present themselves as superior to less “enlightened” races. In reality, the Vulcans are complete hypocrites, and the more you learn about their pre-logic past, the more you’ll understand how bad their hypocrisy really is.

Vulcan Logic Is Illogical

This isn’t Starfleet Academy, but we’ve still got a Star Trek pop quiz question. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Vulcans? In most cases, it’s their strict adherence to the principles of logic, something that has become a cultural cornerstone of their entire society.

That belief in pure logic is the main reason that these Star Trek aliens tend to look down their noses at other races. Vulcans see races like humanity making one emotional decision after another and see that as a sign of weakness. However, if more of the races that the Vulcans sneer down at knew about the early history of the planet, they’d never take any more guff from these green-blooded bullies.

The Teachings Of Surak

Before these Star Trek fan-fave aliens learned how to embrace pure logic, they were an angry and warlike species who were just as bad (if not worse) than humanity. The Vulcans only accepted logic after the famous Surak began preaching it, and his teachings didn’t catch on right away. In fact, during the so-called “Time of Awakening,” things got worse than ever before.

Vulcan Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Star Trek has only given us so much information about this time period, but we know that this was a time when different factions of Vulcans were at war with one another. Fighting was brutal: factions had access to conventional weaponry such as atomic bombs and more exotic telepathic weapons like the Stone of Gol (seen in The Next Generation episode “Gambit, Part II”). Over time, Surak’s peaceful lessons about logic took root in Vulcan society, and the more aggressive factions left for the stars, eventually becoming the villainous Romulans.

The Romulans

After 1,500 years of cultural recovery after the death of Surak, the Vulcans became the Star Trek aliens everyone knows and loves. However, when they start acting superior to everybody else, nobody ever throws their own throwback history back in their faces. These guys came close to destroying their entire world just like Earth did, and unlike the Vulcans, humanity’s recovery process didn’t create any major threats to peace like the Romulans.

Once Again, Vulcan Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Making matters worse is that the Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter “Gambit” makes it clear that Vulcan weapons from the Time of Awakening still pose a threat to people in the present day. That’s another area where humans are actually superior to Vulcans. Sure, humanity might have come close to destroying the planet, but at least the fallout from those early conflicts isn’t still threatening people hundreds of years later.

Vulcans Are Jerks

Not all of the ones we have seen in Star Trek have been ultra-snotty, but from Leonard Nimoy’s Spock onward, most Vulcans have looked down on humanity. At this point, we just wish the prickly Dr. McCoy knew more about early Vulcan history when he was clashing with Spock. He may be a doctor and not a bricklayer, but we’re confident he could have built a counterargument so strong even Spock’s Vulcan strength and unflappable eyebrows couldn’t knock it down.

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