Episode of the Week : Journey To Babel

[Marsden]

The only thing about this episode that rings false for me is the reveal of Spock's parentage. We're led to believe that:

a) Kirk, knowing how Spock/Vulcan's value privacy and also ingoing how out of place it is, asks Spock in front of the just arrived diplomats if he wants to go visit his folks. This is just a very awkward way to get to the hook.

and

b) Kirk doesn't know that Sarek is Spock's father. The captain of the ship, who calls his first officer his best friend, has no idea the Vulcan ambassador and his human wife are Spock's parents. Kirk never read Spock's dossier when he took command? It's not common knowledge? Are there so many Vulcan/human couples that Kirk never even got suspicious? Spock even once said, "my mother is a teacher, my father an ambassador." Kirk looks like an idiot all around, just so we can get to the big shock and loud music fade out.

Other than that, super episode all around.

Good point. I really don't have a good answer for this.

I'm just going to say, it does reinforce the fact Mr. Spock is a private person, he mentioned that information about his parents while under spore influence, and maybe Jim wouldn't pry into personal history of his crew unless it was mission required. And when would that have been mission required?

And one of the Beatles was working for Sarek and they didn't even mention it.

 

[Timo]

Are there so many Vulcan/human couples that Kirk never even got suspicious? Spock even once said, "my mother is a teacher, my father an ambassador."

To Kirk's defense, Vulcan might sport a thousand important ambassadors, what with its reputation as the sharp diplomatic end to the Federation's oft-bloodied halberd.

And does Kirk even know that the woman next to Ambassador Sarek is a human teacher? Vulcans and humans don't look that distinct (the 'do hides Amanda's eartips from Kirk), and while Kirk might be intimate with Spock's dossier, Sarek's point man might have decided in favor of a need-to-know basis.

This is just a very awkward way to get to the hook.

It is also a way for Kirk to get off the hook at an awkward moment. Ambassador Sarek has just rudely dismissed Kirk's trusted XO without explanation. Giving Spock something to do rather than just go to his cabin and sulk is a good move; doing it right in front of that rude diplomat is another. Kirk just can't come up with anything impressively important to trust Spock with, so he instead makes it personal and demonstrates his full confidence in )and perhaps even friendship with, to really rub it in) the man that way.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Old Mixer]

And one of the Beatles was working for Sarek and they didn't even mention it.

Beg pardon?

 

[Poltargyst]

And one of the Beatles was working for Sarek and they didn't even mention it.

Beg pardon?

Seriously. You can't just drop something like that and not explain it.

 

[Ithekro]

I am comfused on that one as well. But I don't recall what staff was traveling with Sarek either.

 

[Push The Button]

We have a precious few moments with Shras, the Andorian ambassador, and Kirk's awesome dropkick-off-the-wall move in his fight with Thelev. The Spock-Sarek-Amanda scenes are all excellent too. This is just a great episode, on so many levels.

 

[lizlovestrek]

One of my favorites that I've seen many times. One of my favorite parts is McCoy talking to Amanda and finding about about Spock's pet, he looked so amused about it and Spock has to make it sound better by mentioning it's six inch fangs.

 

[Maurice]

And one of the Beatles was working for Sarek and they didn't even mention it.

Beg pardon?

Seriously. You can't just drop something like that and not explain it.

I am comfused on that one as well. But I don't recall what staff was traveling with Sarek either.

Mop top to the right, I suspect (pic on Trekcore).

 

[Myko]

Trivia: That's Frank da Vinci, who appears in almost every episode, usually as a blue shirted crewman.

 

[The Old Mixer]

That's probably the Vulcan in question, but he's not reminding me of a particular Beatle. You could walk across the Atlantic on the heads of musicians wearing that hairstyle in '64-'65.

 

[Marsden]

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, the one Vulcan had that hairstyle and very slightly resembled Paul, but in Maurice's link it doesn't look anything like him at all.

 

[Saxman1]

Everyone has their own taste, but I give this one a 10 and agree with this being somewhat of a turning point post-"Babel." I saw the original series first run here and there as my mom would permit if it didn't look too scary. As the years have passed, while I am in the minority with being a huge fan of the new effects and remastering, I still find season one the best TO MY TASTE. After "Babel," I find "Tribbles," "A Piece of the Action" and "Return To Tomorrow" to be the ones in order I return to after viewing "Babel."

I realize I'm in the vast minority, but I really don't think season two was all that great, especially not in contrast with season one. There are some season three eps I like and don't find it a total disaster. I like almost all the animated eps because they are so goofy. To each his/her own.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The only thing about this episode that rings false for me is the reveal of Spock's parentage. We're led to believe that:

a) Kirk, knowing how Spock/Vulcan's value privacy and also ingoing how out of place it is, asks Spock in front of the just arrived diplomats if he wants to go visit his folks. This is just a very awkward way to get to the hook.

and

b) Kirk doesn't know that Sarek is Spock's father. The captain of the ship, who calls his first officer his best friend, has no idea the Vulcan ambassador and his human wife are Spock's parents. Kirk never read Spock's dossier when he took command? It's not common knowledge? Are there so many Vulcan/human couples that Kirk never even got suspicious? Spock even once said, "my mother is a teacher, my father an ambassador." Kirk looks like an idiot all around, just so we can get to the big shock and loud music fade out.

Other than that, super episode all around.

Good point. It would have been better to have then-newbie Chekov (in wide eyed curiosity) ask that question, and it would not be out of place.

 

[Timo]

...But, as said, this is in line with basically everything about Spock and the Vulcans being a revelation to our heroes. Really, the one thing about them that is not an onscreen surprise but rather something the Starfleet heroes already know in advance of the audience is the slapping therapy from "A Private Little War".

One wonders whether Starfleet had a major intelligence coup in getting Dr M'Benga into a position to learn as much as he did - and then made sure to put this expert on a frontline starship after getting all those reports of Spock's secret superpowers and connections and their significance to frontier ops and diplomacy.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Mytran]

...and perhaps also why he was reassigned to other ships so often!