Sarek is the Best thing in this show

[Alan Roi]

Certainly not. Each new revelation is worse than the last.
I’m pretty sure Michael’s unforgivable sin was siding with Sarek against Spock.

AFAIC each revelation has been exactly that, a revelation. And as an example, my parents grew to hate each other, and wanted me to do the same. In that case, my 'sin' was refusing both their wishes and choosing to love them both for their virtues and despit their faults. If one can still be considered a parent, they cannot be considered all bad.

 

[bookworm8571]

Great take. Thinking back to "Journey to Babel" and that ending, I always wondered why Amanda married him, not the other way around!!

That’s the million dollar question. Some of the novels expand on the telepathic bond that develops between mates, a la T’Pol and Trip in Enterprise. I think we can probably assume that it would also exist between Vulcan Sarek and human Amanda. Sarek is a passionate man, underneath the facade, and he is also more affectionate with his wife in a private setting in Journey to Babel.

Amanda would also have had to deal with an out of control Sarek during pon farr. I wonder if they met when he was on earth through the Vulcan embassy and became friendly and formed a bond. Then, she was the only suitable female around when he went into an out of phase pon farr triggered by being off planet. She not only handled it and him, but enjoyed the experience enough to marry him and have his child. It’s apparently possible in Star Trek for a Vulcan and human (or Romulan and human) to conceive naturally, though there are more difficulties. I would guess they fostered Michael because It was too dangerous for Amanda to have a second child and they wanted a daughter.

 

[Ronald Held]

At this stage of Sarek's career, is he noteworthy?

 

[Nerys Myk]

At this stage of Sarek's career, is he noteworthy?

Well by TOS he's retiring with a pretty solid reputation. That had to happen before JTB.

 

[Greg Cox]

That’s the million dollar question. Some of the novels expand on the telepathic bond that develops between mates, a la T’Pol and Trip in Enterprise. I think we can probably assume that it would also exist between Vulcan Sarek and human Amanda. Sarek is a passionate man, underneath the facade, and he is also more affectionate with his wife in a private setting in Journey to Babel.

Amanda would also have had to deal with an out of control Sarek during pon farr. I wonder if they met when he was on earth through the Vulcan embassy and became friendly and formed a bond. Then, she was the only suitable female around when he went into an out of phase pon farr triggered by being off planet. She not only handled it and him, but enjoyed the experience enough to marry him and have his child. It’s apparently possible in Star Trek for a Vulcan and human (or Romulan and human) to conceive naturally, though there are more difficulties. I would guess they fostered Michael because It was too dangerous for Amanda to have a second child and they wanted a daughter.

She seems sympathetic to the Vulcan point of view. I always wondered if she came from a chaotic, dysfunctional background where people were prone to irrational emotional outbursts. In which case Sarek's self-control and reserve might have been very appealing by contrast.

 

[LizStargaryen]

Just because he wasn't a perfect father, doesn't mean he was a poor one. Even well meaning parents fail their children.

This.

I know Vulcans don't suffer from anxiety like we humans do, but my theory is that Sarek actually is far more emotional about his children than most Vulcans are, and overcompensates.

If he were human, Sarek's the kind of father who would never shut up about his kids.

 

[bookworm8571]

She seems sympathetic to the Vulcan point of view. I always wondered if she came from a chaotic, dysfunctional background where people were prone to irrational emotional outbursts. In which case Sarek's self-control and reserve might have been very appealing by contrast.

She tells Kirk, “It’s a better way than ours” about the Vulcan way of life. This was a human culture not too many generations removed from a devastating world war. Then there was the Xindi attack and the actions of the terrorists that followed and the Romulan war. Amanda and her generation grew up with that as a cultural backdrop. She was probably very interested in the Vulcans who turned to logic to control their aggressive impulses and lived in peace. She seems too emotional to be a wannabe Vulcan, but maybe she started out that way as a young woman who sought out the Vulcans at the embassy. Idealism, maybe a desire to build a bridge with her interspecies marriage, would have given her something in common with Sarek. But maybe she also had a dysfunctional family background. She runs hot and cold with Michael and later with Spock in Journey to Babel. She’s affectionate and then angry and rejecting when the child does something that displeases her — Michael admitting she said something cruel that has terribly damaged Spock and Spock refusing to have the surgery that would save his father because duty came first. She also seems to let Sarek take the lead in the household and her marriage.

I do think they’re both interesting characters who love each other and their children and meant well.

 

[ED-209]

He's not a lot like the original Sarek, but as a stand alone character I agree he rocks.

 

[Timo]

At this stage of Sarek's career, is he noteworthy?

He seems to do a disappearing act at the conclusion of every one of his interactions with Michael. It appears he is an indispensable person in the diplomacy circles, for having to handle all the relevant negotiations over and under the table, even in the middle of great adventures or a high warp run from A to B.

Or then he runs away and hides amidst his work because he has issues. Either way might result in him getting a significant reputation - the man who is always there can't help but get that.

What sort of reputation it is remains to be seen.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Dales]

is it me or is sarek loosing weight. the actor looked so skinny in 2x07 light and shadow,

 

[Alan Roi]

At this stage of Sarek's career, is he noteworthy?

He was noteworthy enough to be targeted for assassination.

 

[STR]

Completely agree with this. James Frain is a good actor, but he seems WAY too warm and fuzzy to be Sarek. He's always on the verge of breaking into a smile. He just doesn't feel like the same character.

Because he isn't? Maybe whatever plays out on Discovery changes Sarek?

 

[STR]

His distance between him and Spock was greatly enhanced by Kelvin Trek

Huh? ST09 had Sarek telling Spock that, no matter what, he was proud of him. That is not only the opposite of "enhancing distance" but is the one version of Sarek that's completely out of tune with the rest.

Like, that's a nice generically fatherly thing to say to your kid, but that's not Sarek at all. I guess I could chalk it up to shock...

 

[CommanderRaytas]

is it me or is sarek loosing weight. the actor looked so skinny in 2x07 light and shadow,

Have you ever seen him in Gotham? There's an episode where he wears a really tight catsuit thingie, and he's just as skinny there. James Frain seems to be a natural light-weight.

 

[Dales]

Huh? ST09 had Sarek telling Spock that, no matter what, he was proud of him. That is not only the opposite of "enhancing distance" but is the one version of Sarek that's completely out of tune with the rest.

Like, that's a nice generically fatherly thing to say to your kid, but that's not Sarek at all. I guess I could chalk it up to shock...

No, I disagree of 2 reasons.

1. This is movie sarek. it is very possible kelvin sarek was distance and cold to spock but since it is a movie, we will never know because there is not enough story to tell compared to a tv series, but that does seem to be the case, looking at the disappointment on sarek's face when spock turns down the vulcan science academy in trek 09

2. the death of Amanda was a game changer.
kelvin sarek only told spock he was proud of him and opened up a lot more after Amanda died.

so this is still the same sarek but with difference circumstances.

Have you ever seen him in Gotham? There's an episode where he wears a really tight catsuit thingie, and he's just as skinny there. James Frain seems to be a natural light-weight.

I dont watch gotham but he does look different. he was so darn good looking in season 1. please look at my profile avatar. he does not look as good anymore in recent episodes

 

[ITDUDE]

They are 50/50 on Spock's parents. They hit it out of the park with Mia Kirshner as Amanda, Frain just isn't very good.

Of course, that is just my opinion. And opinions are like assholes...

Everyone’s got one. Except if you’re a Klingon, then you got two

 

[STR]

No, I disagree of 2 reasons.

1. This is movie sarek.

Which means...what...exactly? Sarek's only lines of consequence in any movie were him being upset over the death of his son and the loss of his katra. Being pissed that the memory of his son is lost is a far cry from being a supportive parent during his life.

JJ-Sarek gave his little pep talk and then pretty much vanished out of the movie series, as JJ preferred Nimoy-Spock to play the father role with Quinto-Spock from there out.

2. the death of Amanda was a game changer. kelvin sarek only told spock he was proud of him and opened up a lot more after Amanda died.

Um...yeah? I already covered that. Death causes people to say a lot of things. I wouldn't call this a game changer. In fact, as TNG showed, the off screen death of Amanda in "the prime timelime" didn't change their relationship either. Maybe it prompted a thawing, for a time, but that's about it.

 

[fireproof78]

Huh? ST09 had Sarek telling Spock that, no matter what, he was proud of him. That is not only the opposite of "enhancing distance" but is the one version of Sarek that's completely out of tune with the rest.

Like, that's a nice generically fatherly thing to say to your kid, but that's not Sarek at all. I guess I could chalk it up to shock...

This is a misunderstanding of my point. My point was that Kelvin Trek gave more depth to that relationship by showing how that progressed and what could facilitate that change occurring sooner than in Prime.

What it did, for me at least, is show how their relationship was before and how it changed. It's informative of their attitudes and interactions.

I think that DEC and Kelvin Trek has both contributed to expanding that understanding.

 

[Terok Nor]

It doesn't make narrative sense that Frain hasn't become Lenard Sarek yet. We've already seen that Sarek in "Yesteryear" and Star Trek V prior to Discovery. He was not the warm, fuzzy smiling version Frain plays. He should already be the Sarek we know and love from TOS and TNG.

 

[Ronald Held]

People do not realize that Vulcans change slower than humans,likely due to culture and longer lifespan.