(Start of Season 2)
As though the stress we suffered on Spock's behalf in Episode 29 wasn't enough, we enter Season 2 of The Original Series watching Spock struggle to retain control over his emotions. The end of Season 1, Episode 29, also invited us to consider, though there briefly, what it would be like to watch best friend's fight. Our Star Trek staff pushes us now to suffer the strain of our beloved Spock losing control, and to face the ultimate risk--best friend's fighting to the death.
Episode Summary
The episode opens with Spock clearly struggling to keep himself together. He turns to the captain and requests a leave of absence to return to Vulcan, his home planet. Kirk asks Spock to explain his reasons. Instead, Spock only answers that there are some events Vulcans cannot speak about. As a result, Kirk declines. Spock emphasizes again his absolute need for the leave. Again, without adequate explanation from Spock, Kirk declines.
Soon after Spock has a violent outburst. After a medical examination, McCoy declares that Spock's life is at stake. If he does not return to Vulcan within 8 days, he will die. Hearing there is nothing McCoy can do, Kirk diverts the ship to Vulcan. But immediately following he is told by Star Fleet that they're needed at the inauguration ceremony of the new president for another planet in the area. Kirk decides they have enough time to do both, and Spock's health is worth the risk of demotion. Again, the deepening of Kirk's feelings as shown at the end of the previous season has been confirmed.
Soon after arriving on Vulcan, Spock turns to Kirk and McCoy and explains that he has entered a phase that Vulcans go through unavoidably every 7 years. Telling them that he can bring his two closest friends, Spock asks Kirk and McCoy to face the trial with him. We discover, that the difficulty Spock must face is a return to both his biology and his betrothal. That is, he must return to mate with the woman he has been committed to since the age of 7. We discover, then, too that even in the midst of his antagonism with McCoy, in actuality the two do consider each other friends.
Spock, Kirk, and McCoy, then, go together to the sacred site on Vulcan where a betrothed couple are to reunite. Shortly after arriving though Spock's wife, T'Pring, invokes her right to call a challenge for her hand. She asks Spock to fight a man of her choosing. He is bound by duty, and so agrees, though the fight must be to the death. T'Pring then chooses Kirk.
McCoy and Kirk are horrified. It is clear that Spock is physically stronger, not to mention more passionately driven by circumstance, and so will no doubt beat Kirk. But because they have attended as Spock's companions to the ceremony, Kirk is bound by duty too. He agrees to fight, hoping one of them will solve the problem so that both Kirk and Spock can escape with their lives.
Kirk and Spock fight.Episode Tidbits
Oh dear lord! The drama! Either we lose Kirk, or we lose Spock. How could either be acceptable?
Even more dramatically, our dear Spock reveals his vulnerabilities. Even a man approaching such perfection is utterly weak in the face of his own biology. Our dear Spock reminds us that reason will not save us. We are beholden to the demands of our bodies. This episode also allows Spock to show us the importance of friendship. At the end Spock believes himself to have killed Kirk and is horrified at his own actions, even if he was under the power of his Vulcan lust. In the end when we discover Kirk to be saved (of course Kirk is saved--the how I'll leave you to discover while watching the episode), we receive a full-hearted, dramatic smile from Spock. Friendship is important enough to push him into genuine feeling beyond his commitment to logical self-control.
The importance of friendship is also emphasized through the political explorations of the episode. Though Kirk's refusal to simply follow Star Fleet orders means he could face punishment for his actions, in the end his commitment to Spock is the very thing that saves him from such response.
This is the first episode that brings us to the planet Vulcan. It is also the only episode in The Original Series in which we travel to Vulcan. We don't see the planet again until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Beautiful Spock embracing his best friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment