T'Pol's emotions opposed to Spock's

[2takesfrakes]

Jolene could act, which kind of shocked me. It's such a shame, though, that ENT never quite seemed to know what to do with her, outside of finding some trumped-up excuse to put her into a handbra. But I've always taken issue to her "drug addiction" storyline. I felt that cheapened the T'Pol character, not added to her. Her emotional threshold had enough Red Alerts without being addicted to hull plating, or whatever that shit was.

 

[Willow]

Jolene could act, which kind of shocked me. It's such a shame, though, that ENT never quite seemed to know what to do with her, outside of finding some trumped-up excuse to put her into a handbra. But I've always taken issue to her "drug addiction" storyline. I felt that cheapened the T'Pol character, not added to her. Her emotional threshold had enough Red Alerts without being addicted to hull plating, or whatever that shit was.

it was Trellium D- which was a substance they were going to use to reinforce the hull plating...and based on how T'Pol was "processing" it , it appeared to be some real nasty stuff.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Thanks, Willow! Yes, that's the stuff. What were your thoughts on a female Vulcan, especially one with the really good medical resources at her disposal, allowing her addiction to continue ... unabated? Yes, she was given the motivation of a heart-felt desire to interact on more friendly terms with the crew, but that ... even the half-Human Spock who desperately needed belonging would've balked at that idea. I'm not buying it, it seems much more like T'Pol liked getting high and that's all there was to it ...

 

[locutus101]

After recently completing a cherry-pick re-watch of ENT, I'm rewatching TOS and paying particular attention to Spock's behavior vis a vis T'Pol's. Two things come immediately across: Spock, despite his inner conflicts, is already more at peace with himself on the 1701 than T'Pol is on the NX-01.

Also, SPOCK SMILES A LOT MORE THAN YOU REMEMBER. Go back, watch, and really pay attention. Those emotions do creep through at times, although you can see how controlled they are. It's as though Spock is silently acknowledging that human half and occasionally indulging it, often to poke fun at his shipmates. Really. Watch!

Not to mention Spock's first mission with Pike where he was all smiles.

 

[T'Arwen]

Thanks, Willow! Yes, that's the stuff. What were your thoughts on a female Vulcan, especially one with the really good medical resources at her disposal, allowing her addiction to continue ... unabated? Yes, she was given the motivation of a heart-felt desire to interact on more friendly terms with the crew, but that ... even the half-Human Spock who desperately needed belonging would've balked at that idea. I'm not buying it, it seems much more like T'Pol liked getting high and that's all there was to it ...

T'Pol's addiction didn't make any sense. It was supposed to help her experience emotions? Did they forget she's a TOUCH TELEPATH? She was already getting that from doing neuropressure on Trip. It didn't just cheapen her, Phlox was negligent for letting her back on duty so fast.

 

[locutus101]

T'Pol's addiction didn't make any sense. It was supposed to help her experience emotions? Did they forget she's a TOUCH TELEPATH? She was already getting that from doing neuropressure on Trip. It didn't just cheapen her, Phlox was negligent for letting her back on duty so fast.

T'Pol's addiction wasn't entirely negative. It helped her understand the humans better.

 

[T'Arwen]

T'Pol's addiction wasn't entirely negative. It helped her understand the humans better.

I can't think of a more lazy way for the writers to do so.

 

[locutus101]

I can't think of a more lazy way for the writers to do so.

I agree.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Leonard Nimoy, Mark Lenard and Tim Russ gave really good performances of what I prefer to think of as The Vulcan Way. After these guys, STAR TREK seemed to like the Vulcan look, on girls, especially, but resented their disposition for being dispassionate. So, they always found a reason to get Vulcans we knew or wanted to like, to act emotional. The most blanketed version was Pon Farr, of course.

This was followed, closely, by having the Kishara become "lost," supposedly, even though - OK? - even THOUGH Surak "lived" right in their midst, within the Syranite Leader, himself. T'Pol finds herself drug-addicted. On TNG, Mark Lenard's Sarek got Vulcan Alzheimer's, so he got to channel his inner Richard III, there.

In TOS, Spock often found himself in situations so dramatic that he'd let some emotion loose. Like that time when alien plant spores made him loose, enough, to where he could engage in PDA's with his old flame, uninhibited. Why not just have Romulan citizens of the Federation, and stop stripping Vulcans of their veneer of discipline and self-control, to compensate for lack of talent, by these shitty-assed writers?

 

[eyeresist]

T'Pol's addiction didn't make any sense. It was supposed to help her experience emotions? Did they forget she's a TOUCH TELEPATH? She was already getting that from doing neuropressure on Trip.

As a "touch telepath" she can access the emotions of others. What she wanted was to experience her own emotions.

 

[Willow]

Thanks, Willow! Yes, that's the stuff. What were your thoughts on a female Vulcan, especially one with the really good medical resources at her disposal, allowing her addiction to continue ... unabated? Yes, she was given the motivation of a heart-felt desire to interact on more friendly terms with the crew, but that ... even the half-Human Spock who desperately needed belonging would've balked at that idea. I'm not buying it, it seems much more like T'Pol liked getting high and that's all there was to it ...

With humans, addiction can be a disease that is very difficult to overcome. And they explained in the show how the Vulcans suppress their emotions because they are afraid of them . I wonder if perhaps the disease of addiction is more powerful in them as well? And perhaps T'Pol did enjoy getting "high" - but then, the emotions themselves may have provided a "high" for her as well.

 

[eyeresist]

As with many taboo things, I can see emotions appealing to some Vulcans because they are forbidden.

Which naturally leads us to:

We psychiatrists have found that over 8% of the population will always be mice. I mean, after all, there's something of the mouse in all of us. I mean, how many of us can honestly say that at one time or another he hasn't felt sexually attracted to mice. I know I have. I mean, most normal adolescents go through a stage of squeaking two or three times a day. On the other hand, some youngsters are attracted to it by its very illegality. It's like murder - make a thing illegal and it acquires a mystique. Look at arson - I mean, how many of us can honestly say that at one time or another he hasn't set fire to some great public building? I know I have.

 

[SPCTRE]

Blalock and Ryan have that in common - they got cast for the wrong reasons, but they actually managed to produce some (in parts) brilliant acting with sometimes less-than-optimal scripts.

 

[locutus101]

Blalock and Ryan have that in common - they got cast for the wrong reasons, but they actually managed to produce some (in parts) brilliant acting with sometimes less-than-optimal scripts.

More accurately they were both cast for the same reason.

 

[eyeresist]

Well, there were both talented actors (unlike a certain person on DS9). There are plenty of hotties in Hollywood, but not many are good actors.

 

[T'Arwen]

As a "touch telepath" she can access the emotions of others. What she wanted was to experience her own emotions.

T'POL: The initial effects were overwhelming, but as they began to wear off I discovered I was able to access certain emotions. I wanted more. I began to experiment by ingesting small amounts of trellium. I devised a way to inject it into my bloodstream.

The dialogue doesn't make the distinction between her emotions and that of others. Even if it did, it's still half-assed writing. Besides, when you're an empath seeking emotion, does it matter if it's yours or someone else's?

Blalock and Ryan have that in common - they got cast for the wrong reasons, but they actually managed to produce some (in parts) brilliant acting with sometimes less-than-optimal scripts.

In the Blu Ray roundtable, Braga talked about how he needed to cast a beautiful women who could also act. The way he spoke, he seemed amazed those two things can coexist and it had all the actors cringing. Fortunately, Scott came to the rescue and cut him off.

 

[2takesfrakes]

In TERRA PRIME, T'Pol was very Human, and, I found myself not really minding. But it was only the emotional manipulation of the show, itself, that really softened me up, on that. Had she been rigidly and properly Vulcan, as a mother, it might've come across in an unflattering way, I suspect.

 

[eyeresist]

T'POL: The initial effects were overwhelming, but as they began to wear off I discovered I was able to access certain emotions. I wanted more. I began to experiment by ingesting small amounts of trellium. I devised a way to inject it into my bloodstream.

The dialogue doesn't make the distinction between her emotions and that of others. Even if it did, it's still half-assed writing. Besides, when you're an empath seeking emotion, does it matter if it's yours or someone else's?

Wut. When did T'Pol become an empath?
We know from seeing mindmelds that she can access the emotions of others without a problem. It's obvious in the quote she's talking about her own emotions.

 

[T'Arwen]

Wut. When did T'Pol become an empath?
We know from seeing mindmelds that she can access the emotions of others without a problem. It's obvious in the quote she's talking about her own emotions.

If you can read thoughts of others, you can also feel their emotions. Telepathy includes empathy. You're not refuting the point I made at all when you say that she can access emotions during mindmelds.

And no the quote is not obvious. Did anyone else interpret it the same way as you?

 

[Nyotarules]

Billions of Vulcans in the ST universe why expect them all to be the same? If crazy V'Las can run the whole Vulcan state, and no one call him out on his mess, then T'Pol in comparison is a Vulcan saint.