Ever since Mr. Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) first appearance inStar Trek: The Original Series,Vulcans have been a staple ofStar Trekcannon. In shows likeStar Trek: Strange New WorldsorStar Trek: Voyageramong others, Vulcans stand front and center. In other shows, likeStar Trek: The Next GenerationorStar Trek: Discovery, Vulcans may not be on the bridge, but Vulcan characters nevertheless have a lot of influence. Even inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,where Vulcan characters are few and far between, the influence of Vulcans on the Federation as a whole remains palpable.
The reason for their influence is obvious: Vulcans are iconic. From their green blood tothe elegant Vulcan nerve pinch that few non-Vulcans can replicate, the various Vulcans ofStar Treknever fail to impress both audiences and crewmembers alike. But what really sets Vulcans apart are not their physical abilities, but their mental abilities. Vulcan logical philosophy undergirds the core values of the Federation, and hand in hand with that logic comes the uniqueVulcan virtue of extremely repressed emotions. Despite this ideal, however, at least eight Vulcans so far have lost control of their emotions, if only briefly.
8T’Pol
Star Trek: Enterprise
BecauseStar Trek: Enterpriseis set more than a century beforeThe Original Series,Enterprisewas able to tell the story of the early relationship between Earth and Vulcan. Central to that relationship is Vulcan science officer Subcommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock), the first Vulcan to serve as a science officer on a Starfleet vessel. T’Pol, however, was far from the perfect Vulcan.Her own mother commented that T’Pol’s emotions were always close to the surface, even as a child, and her record on theUSS Enterprisecertainly backs that up. T’Pol is, for a Vulcan, highly emotional.
After 19 Years Away, Star Trek: Enterprise’s T’Pol Is Back & It’s Perfect
Jolene Blalock last played T’Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise’s series finale in 2005, and Star Trek: Lower Decks has brought her Vulcan back.
ThroughoutEnterprise,T’Pol has a lot of great episodeswith many small emotional reactions. In season 1, she had an emotional response to Jazz music, and in season 4, T’Pol is visibly moved when Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) gives her an antique compass. An infection even makes T’pol go through the Vulcan mating cycle, Pon Farr, prematurely. Most dramatically, after an exposure to trillium-D in season 3, a chemical that removes a Vulcan’s ability to suppress their emotions, T’Pol developed an addiction to the substance and the emotional highs it produced.Even after she stopped using trillium-D, T’Pol was never able to fully suppress her emotions again.
7Lt. Spock
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
One of the most exciting things aboutStar Trek: Strange New Worldsis the opportunity to see classic characters fromThe Original Seriesbefore they have fully matured into the characters that made the show iconic. In particular, seeing a younger Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) meansLieutenant Spock is a version of Spock who hasn’t quite grown into the (mostly) serene and logical Vulcan that Captain Kirk depends upon.For example, when Lt. Spock fights the Gorn in season 2, he gives into his rage so strongly that he punches a hole in the wall.
As a human, Lt. Spock doesn’t feel the same need to repress his emotions, and so can reveal the feelings that he normally keeps under the surface.
Most revealing is theStrange New Worldsseason 2 episode “Charades,“where Lt. Spock is made fully human. As a human, Lt. Spock doesn’t feel the same need to repress his emotions, and so can reveal the feelings that he normally keeps under the surface. He calls out rude behavior from colleagues, he stands up for his human mother, and he finally gives into his feelings for Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush). While his human state arguably means that Lt. Spock wasn’t a “Vulcan” giving into his emotions in “Charades,“the episode was nevertheless an opportunity to see what’s in the heart ofStar Trek’s most iconic Vulcan.
6Mr. Spock
Star Trek: The Original Series
Leonard Nimoy’s Spock was, for many viewers, an introduction not only to the character of Spock but to Vulcan culture as a whole. From the beginning ofStar Trek:The Original Series, two things are clear about Mr. Spock.First, he values logic above emotions. Second, he cares deeply about his friend, Captain Kirk (William Shatner).It’s not surprising, then, that as early as season 1 there were episodes that caused Spock’s emotional suppression techniques to break down. He gets an infection in “The Naked Time,” or is contaminated by spores in “This Side of Paradise,” and these outside influences bring forth Spock’s emotions.
10 Times Spock Lost Control Of His Emotions In Star Trek
Though Spock tries to suppress his emotions in Star Trek, even the logical half-Vulcan sometimes loses control.
But the most impactful emotional outbursts from Mr. Spock come when he is under the influence of nothing but his own heart.In “Amok Time,” chooses to fight Captain Kirkduring the pon farr, and believes he killed his best friend.When Captain Kirk reveals that he’s still alive, Mr. Spock’s smile shows the true depths of his emotional connection to his friend.By this point, Mr. Spock has gone through the emotional turbulence of pon farr, and is, in theory, in his right mind once again. So this emotional outburst is perhaps the most heartfelt Vulcan emotion inStar Trek.
5Sarek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek’sVulcan Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard)is perhaps most famous for his relationship with his children, son Spock and foster daughter Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), and for his role in the Federation-Klingon war. In contrast to his emotional children,Ambassador Sarek is the ultimate symbol of Vulcan logic, propriety, and emotional control.Indeed,Ambassador Sarek’s unwillingness to show fatherly love to Spockdrove a tragic rift between father and son explored inThe Next Generation. Because of this history of dignity and strength, the one time Sarek does lose control, it is all the more impactful.
The mind meld that Sarek shares with Captain Picard ends up forging a connection between Captain and Ambassador that affects Picard for the rest of TNG.
The crack in Ambassador Sarek’s perfect emotional armor was revealed in theStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode, “Sarek.” In his old age, Sarek developed Bendii Syndrome, which affected his telepathic and emotional abilities.So, instead of negotiating an important treaty, Ambassador Sarek ended up projecting his emotions onto the crew of theEnterprise,and, once, openly weeping. Ultimately, Ambassador Sarek had to mind-meld with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) in order to complete the mission. Luckily, there was a silver lining to Ambassador Sarek’s emotional breakdown: via Captain Picard, Sarek was finally able to show his love for Spock in “Unification.”
4Lt. Commander Chu’lak
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nineis one of only a fewStar Trekshows where Vulcans and Vulcan influence are not central to the storyline. One of the rare Vulcan characters to appear inDeep Space Ninewas Lt. Commander Chu’lak (Marty Rackham).Lt. Commander Chu’lak is one of the only Vulcans who commits murder inStar Trek, and he kills “Because logic demanded it.” Nevertheless,Counselor Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer)points out that his murders came from the trauma seeing his former crewmates die. So, despite Chu’lak’s defense, his killing came from an emotional breakdown.
Perhaps what is most interesting about Lt. Commander Chu’lak is what happened to him off screen afterDeep Space Nine.While one might assume that an emotional murder spree might have resulted in a full discharge from Starfleet, butStar Trek: Prodigyshows that this is not the case. In “Supernova Part 1,” the crew roster for theUSS Dauntlessflashes on screen, where Chu’lak is serving as chief science officer (despite being one ofStar Trek’s only Vulcan villains), alongside Chief of Security Tuvok and Chief Engineer Vorik. It seems Vulcan therapies are so effective that even after a lethal emotional breakdown,it’s possible for Vulcans to be rehabilitated.
3Lt. Tuvok
Star Trek: Voyager
Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ) had reached the ripe old age of 107at the start ofStar Trek: Voyager,making him one of the oldest Vulcans to be a central character inStar Trek. As such, Tuvok has a somewhat different relationship with his emotions than the other Vulcans on this list.Tuvok is mature, healthy, and, most importantly, confident in his Vulcan identity.As such, Lieutenant Tuvok feels no shame about displaying annoyance towards Neelix (Ethan Phillips),cracking the occasional hillarious joke, or reflecting with Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) about missing his wife. In other words, Lieutenant Tuvok has nothing to prove.
Lieutenant Tuvok feels no shame about displaying annoyance towards Neelix
But even accounting for Lieutenant Tuvok’s more laid-back attitude towards emotions, there are still a few occasions when his emotions come out. The episode “Gravity” reveals that when he was an adolescent,Tuvok fell so passionately in love that he rejected logic entirely for a time.As part of his duties as chief of security, Lieutenant Tuvok initiated a mind meld with a murderer, and for a long time afterwards Lieutenant Tuvok struggled with the rage transferred in the meld. Emotional moments like these, however, did not take away from Lieutenant Tuvok’s overarching emotional control.
2Ensign Vorik
For most ofStar Trek: Voyager,Vorik (Alexander Enberg) is a background engineering ensignthat Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) can use for assignments. However, in the episode, “Blood Fever,” Ensign Vorik goes through the pon farr. Although this was only the second timeStar Trekhad shown the pon farr - Lieutenant Tuvok would experience it in a later episode ofVoyager -the pon farr was an established part of Vulcan biology.Nevertheless, Ensign Vorik experienced a loss of emotional control above and beyond what might reasonably be expected for a Vulcan going through the pon farr.
Ensign Vorik’s first instinct was to mate with Lt. Torres, causing her to experience the symptoms of the pon farr as well. He rejected the Doctor’s (Robert Picardo) solution of a holographic mate - the solution that Lt. Tuvok used - and insteadEnsign Vorik tried to fight Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) to the death to satisfy his urges. In the end, he is only stopped when Lt. Torres fights him herself to complete the pon farr. So, while the pon farr is a normal emotional lapse for Vulcans, Ensign Vorik’s experience was an even more extreme version of emotional anarchy.
1Commander Spock
Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness
In JJ Abrams’sStar Trekfilms, Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) has a very different trajectory than other iterations of Spock. Becausethe JJ Abrams movies exist in a different timeline than the mainStar Trektimeline, Commander Spock can have terrible things happen to him that could never occur in the rest ofStar Trek.Notably, the entire Vulcan home world is destroyed, and Commander Spock has a romantic relationship with Uhura (Zoe Saldana). By the end ofStar Trek (2009),when Commander Spock’s mother dies, he has an emotional breakdown so severe that Commander Spock removes himself from duty.
Spock’s 2 Star Trek Heartbreaks Explain Why The Vulcan Never Pursued Love Again
Loving two women who rejected him made Spock choose not to pursue romance in the future. It isn’t logic that makes Spock reject love, but heartbreak.
Things only get more intense inStar Trek Into Darkness.When Khan Noonien-Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) kills Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Commander Spock essentially goes on a rampage. ThroughoutStar Trek, the explanation for why Vulcans suppress their emotions so strongly is that Vulcan emotions are violently strong when uncontrolled. So when, inInto Darkness,Commander Spock believes his best friend has died and he casts aside his inhibitions,audiences finally get to see what happens when a Vulcan fully gives into passionate grief and rage.
Cast
Star Trek follows the U.S.S. Enterprise on its five-year mission to explore the galaxy, led by Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Mr. Spock. The crew confronts a variety of challenges, including Klingons, Romulans, and genetic supermen, as they search for new life and civilizations.
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
In this sci-fi series, the starship Voyager becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light-years from Earth. The diverse crew, led by Captain Janeway, embarks on a perilous journey home, encountering unfamiliar species and challenges while adhering to Federation principles in uncharted space.
Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Into Darkness follows Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise as they return home to find their organization under threat from a force within. Kirk leads a mission to apprehend a formidable adversary, navigating personal and professional challenges during this pivotal confrontation.
