Legality Issues in Amok Time

[Albertese]

So I just watched Amok Time again and I was wondering, if the Koon-ut-kalifee is a super important and legally binding ceremony on Vulcan, should Kirk, Spock, and especially McCoy have been indicted for fraud on Vulcan? I mean, the deal is Spock has to kill or be killed and since he really didn't, the combat wasn't resolved and there would still be a legal question as the ownership(?!?) of T'Pring. Do you suppose Ambassador Sarek was simply able to pull in some favors to have the whole incident swept under the rug?

 

[Christopher]

Well, T'Pau said the combat was "to the death." She didn't say anything about afterward. If Kirk was clinically dead at the end of the combat, then technically the conditions were met.

Of course, Kirk's clinical death came at McCoy's hands, not Spock's. But it could be argued that Spock's victory was inevitable anyway and McCoy's actions didn't change the outcome of the combat per se.

Besides, technically, the "defrauded" parties are the ones with a direct stake in the contest, namely Spock and T'Pring. And neither of them would have any interest in challenging the outcome or suing for a change in the decision. After all, Spock "won" T'Pring but released her from her obligation. If Spock could do that so simply, just by saying it, I doubt the legal forms surrounding koon-ut-kal-if-fee are particularly rigid. It's more a matter of ancient passion and ritual than one of formal law; Vulcans try to avoid thinking about it except when they must. I doubt Vulcan lawyers and jurists would be any different. Whatever "laws" surround it are probably along the lines of common law, and as we saw with T'Pring's and Spock's decisions, that allows for a fair degree of flexiblity.

 

[Elder Knight]

Dammit, he's a doctor, not a lawyer.

 

[WHF]

Well, T'Pau said the combat was "to the death." She didn't say anything about afterward. If Kirk was clinically dead at the end of the combat, then technically the conditions were met.

I don't think Kirk was clinically dead. McCoy said he was dead, but most likely he lied, and Kirk was just unconscious.

 

[Christopher]

Well, Kirk said the neural paralyzer injection "simulated death." Although admittedly, that probably just meant that it induced a form of suspended animation, like one heartbeat per minute or something. So yeah, I'll concede that point; he probably wasn't clinically dead.

 

[Christopher]

Well, Kirk said the neural paralyzer injection "simulated death." Although admittedly, that probably just meant that it induced a form of suspended animation, like one heartbeat per minute or something. So yeah, I'll concede that point; he probably wasn't clinically dead.

 

[Dayton3]

In the James Blish adaptation of "Amok Time" there is an extra throwaway line where McCoy says Kirk "would've been dead if he hadn't gotten him back to the Enterprise so quickly".

indicating that the intention of the episode was that McCoy induced a clinical death and revived Kirk aboard the Enterprise.

That might've been the original intention anyway.

 

[Kryton]

The error is the error...vhat can be done?

 

[Christopher]

In the James Blish adaptation of "Amok Time" there is an extra throwaway line where McCoy says Kirk "would've been dead if he hadn't gotten him back to the Enterprise so quickly".

indicating that the intention of the episode was that McCoy induced a clinical death and revived Kirk aboard the Enterprise.

That might've been the original intention anyway.

Or it might have been something Blish chose to interpolate. Either way, your reasoning doesn't follow. "Would've been dead if..." doesn't mean he was dead -- just the opposite, that he was near death and in danger of dying for real if not treated promptly.

 

[Dayton3]

Given the abbreviated nature of Blish's adaptations, I doubt he would've added anything unnecessarily.

But I always took "would've been dead" to mean "clinically dead and would've been dead if not promptly beamed back to the ship and revived".

 

[Brutal Strudel]

It could also mean that the paralysis would cause death if left untreated for too long.

 

[Timewalker]

In one of the Valjiir stories published in the In A Different Reality fanzine back in the '80s, this very issue was tackled in a pivotal chapter of the series. Spock had fallen in love with Ruth Valley, his Assistant Science Officer, and they decided to get married. The only problem was... Spock was still legally married to T'Pring.

The result of McCoy's decision to simulate Kirk's death in "Amok Time" was that Spock thought he was divorced, but he wasn't. T'Pring chose not to make an issue of it until she found out about Spock's intended marriage to Ruth. So T'Pring basically blackmailed Spock and Sarek... Sarek had to give up part of his clan's ancestral land to T'Pring's family so she would release Spock from his legal obligation to her. From T'Pring's point of view it was, of course, quite logical. From everybody else's point of view, T'Pring was considered a selfish bitch.

Anyway, it all worked out; Spock and Ruth got married and the series continued...

 

[EnsignHarper]

In one of the Valjiir stories published in the In A Different Reality fanzine back in the '80s, this very issue was tackled in a pivotal chapter of the series. Spock had fallen in love with Ruth Valley, his Assistant Science Officer, and they decided to get married. The only problem was... Spock was still legally married to T'Pring.

The result of McCoy's decision to simulate Kirk's death in "Amok Time" was that Spock thought he was divorced, but he wasn't. T'Pring chose not to make an issue of it until she found out about Spock's intended marriage to Ruth. So T'Pring basically blackmailed Spock and Sarek... Sarek had to give up part of his clan's ancestral land to T'Pring's family so she would release Spock from his legal obligation to her. From T'Pring's point of view it was, of course, quite logical. From everybody else's point of view, T'Pring was considered a selfish bitch.

Anyway, it all worked out; Spock and Ruth got married and the series continued...

Technically, Spock released T'Pring from her obligation so she could 'legally' be with Stonn - which what T'Pring wanted in the first place! Spock even acknowledges how logical her plan was...

What is interesting is the timing of the last act - how in heck does McCoy revive Kirk, then Kirk apparently somehow contacts T'Pau, then T'Pau contacts Starfleet asking for the Enterprise to divert to Vulcan, then Starfleet contacts the Enterprise to divert to Vulcan - all theoretically in between the time Spock beams back to the ship, then runs to Sickbay to tell McCoy he is resigning....unless Spock ran to his quarters to meditate for a couple of hours or so....

 

[Nerys Myk]

I've alway thought T'Pau contacted Starfleet when or slightly before Kirk, Spock and McCoy beamed down. So by the time they got back, Starfleet had cleared the Enterprise for the trip to Vulcan.

 

[EnsignHarper]

I've alway thought T'Pau contacted Starfleet when or slightly before Kirk, Spock and McCoy beamed down. So by the time they got back, Starfleet had cleared the Enterprise for the trip to Vulcan.

No - because when she sees Kirk and McCoy at the ceremony, she questions Spock about the 'off worlders' observing what is a very private Vulcan thing...

 

[Kryton]

It's so private even Spock's parents don't bother to attend!

 

[Nerys Myk]

I've alway thought T'Pau contacted Starfleet when or slightly before Kirk, Spock and McCoy beamed down. So by the time they got back, Starfleet had cleared the Enterprise for the trip to Vulcan.

No - because when she sees Kirk and McCoy at the ceremony, she questions Spock about the 'off worlders' observing what is a very private Vulcan thing...

She used her pull to get the Enterprise officially diverted to Vulcan. She didn't know Spock would be bringing off worlders to the ceremony.

 

[Pinkle]

It's so private even Spock's parents don't bother to attend!

Interesting thought, there! Is it customary for the family to attend?

 

[Timo]

Well, the arena was said to be a family heirloom of sorts, but nothing was said about the whole family having a picnic there during pon farr fights.

Perhaps there are customs calling for extreme privacy, and perhaps Sarek's family would be traditionalists following such customs, considering that they bother to have this archaic arena in the first place. But it's just as possible that Sarek shuns tradition and thus doesn't follow the one that calls for family attendance. He's a radical who married an ape from outer space, after all!

OTOH, Sarek and Spock aren't in speaking terms during this episode. Word about the fight might not have gotten around, or Sarek might have refused to attend out of spite. And it probably wouldn't have been possible for Amanda to attend in defiance of her husband's choices, considering how subserviently she describes her position in "Journey to Babel".

Kirk and McCoy would know nothing about such matters, of course, and could not question the absence or presence of family members or officials in the ceremony.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[ClayinCA]

It's so private even Spock's parents don't bother to attend!

I think there's an explanation for this in one of the novels. Not sure which one, though...

Sarek and Spock aren't in speaking terms during this episode. Word about the fight might not have gotten around, or Sarek might have refused to attend out of spite. And it probably wouldn't have been possible for Amanda to attend in defiance of her husband's choices, considering how subserviently she describes her position in "Journey to Babel".

If memory serves, this is more or less what it says in whatever novel it is that I can't...um...remember.