News Spock has already been cast

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

I'm waiting for it to be revealed as a bait and switch at some point. As in, they DID cast Spock, but it's a young Spock, not adult Spock. Most likely the same relative age as young Michael. I think the writers will examine their relationship in flash-back form in order to inform Michael's, and Sarek's current feelings about Spock and their search mission.

I really hope that my suspicions are wrong in terms of this being the only Spock we will see this season. Only because I can imagine the kind of angry backlash that might cause if Kurtzman did in fact allow fans to make the wrong assumptions just to be coy.

I'm pretty sure we're only going to see Spock as a child and that this is what Kurtzman was referring to, but there's a chance I could be wrong.

My suspicions are much the same, but personally, I would actually prefer it that way. Contemporary Spock stays offscreen, and we only feel his presence through his absence, so to speak. Younger Spock appears in flashbacks, perhaps even both as a child and a young adult. But of course, I could just as easily be wrong, too. Fans making the wrong assumptions is a ubiquitous phenomenon. I certainly have no special immunity.

Me neighter, not so much because of Quinto but because of how they chose to make him a hothead. No amount of "CHECK THE CIRCUIT" or "THE WOMEN!" references to early Spock in TOS will change the fact that most people expect Spock to keep his cool most of the time. Just didn't buy him as Vulcan.

It rather seems to me that one of the most fundamental dramatic purposes of Spock's "cool" was always to see him lose it. This actually happened a lot on TOS, not just a couple of times early on. The Vulcan façade is there to be broken through.

I've mostly enjoyed Quinto as Spock. As Nimoy before him, he's grown into the role admirably as he's gone along. Yet, I feel no particular attachment to him as "owner" of the role, and wouldn't mind the character being recast at all. My main concern is that any use of his character on this show should be for the purpose of building upon and revealing things about Michael (and Sarek, and perhaps Pike and others, of course). IMO, primary focus and agency should remain on and with her and her shipmates. DSC is their story. Spock has already had plenty of his own.

-MMoM

 

[Longinus]

It rather seems to me that one of the most fundamental dramatic purposes of Spock's "cool" was always to see him lose it. This actually happened a lot on TOS, not just a couple of times early on. The Vulcan façade is there to be broken through.

A bit of an exaggeration, it happened very rarely in TOS, and never in the original films. And in any case, if you do that too often it doesn't work, as then being a hothead just becomes the basic nature of the character.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

My prediction and why they haven't announced the exact casting yet—Lieutenant Spock shows up at the midseason cliffhanger, and what he tells the crew pushes us into the final stretch of episodes.

Part of me still hopes the "recast" is a bit of a bait-and-switch and that Quinto will still show up. Long shot I know. But a Trekkie can dream.

 

[CorporalClegg]

A bit of an exaggeration, it happened very rarely in TOS, and never in the original films. And in any case, if you do that too often it doesn't work, as then being a hothead just becomes the basic nature of the character.

But that's the whole point of the character. The fundamental difference between the two Spocks is one witnessed the destruction of the entire planet and his mother murdered literally right in front of him. To say "it changes a guy" would be a gross understatement.

 

[skylark14]

I really don't get the love for Quinto. He was really mediocre, definitely weakest of the reboot main trio. Whilst I think recasting Spock was a bad idea to begin with, they can easily do better than Quinto.

I have to agree with this. I never cared for him as Spock either, even though I originally welcomed a recasting. Would love to see them try again using a lanky, angular actor with a resonant voice and the ability to suggest some hidden depths. I never felt that Quinto was quite up to the task he was given. So many people bash SMG, but I think she does much better with her part than Quinto with his.

 

[TrickyDickie]

Spock is half Vulcan and half Human. One could say that Nimoy's Spock was scripted more toward the Vulcan side and Quinto's Spock was scripted more toward the Human side.

A third actor's Spock could be scripted either of those two ways or somewhere in the middle.

I have no problem with Quinto and the more Human side of Spock....

 

[fireproof78]

But that's the whole point of the character. The fundamental difference between the two Spocks is one witnessed the destruction of the entire planet and his mother murdered literally right in front of him. To say "it changes a guy" would be a gross understatement.

This. It is a ridiculous assumption that is made that Spock should weather the loss of his homeworld (you know, where he grew up), and his mom (someone who, even in TOS, was of great importance to Spock) without so much as a tear. I am generally amazed at how little humanity people allow fictional characters to experience when it comes to dealing with severe pain and loss.

 

[Longinus]

But that's the whole point of the character. The fundamental difference between the two Spocks is one witnessed the destruction of the entire planet and his mother murdered literally right in front of him. To say "it changes a guy" would be a gross understatement.

Whether or not it makes sense is not the point. It may make perfect sense that if Bruce Wayne's parents had not been killed he would have been completely different person, but I'm not interested in watching that.

 

[TrickyDickie]

Whether or not it makes sense is not the point. It may make perfect sense that if Bruce Wayne's parents had not been killed he would have been completely different person, but I'm not interested in watching that.

 

[Jedi_Master]

I hear Wil Wheaton is available.....

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

A bit of an exaggeration, it happened very rarely in TOS...

I'd argue that even if "a lot" might be an exaggeration, then so would be "very rarely":

"The Naked Time" (TOS)
"Dagger Of The Mind" (TOS)
"The Menagerie" (TOS)
"This Side Of Paradise" (TOS)
"The Devil In The Dark" (TOS)
"Operation -- Annihilate" (TOS)
"Amok Time" (TOS)
"Is There In Truth No Beauty?" (TOS)
"Day Of The Dove" (TOS)
"Plato's Stepchildren" (TOS)
"All Our Yesterdays" (TOS)

These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head, beyond the pilots, where Spock is shown to become overwhelmed and exhibit some sort of break in his practiced emotional composure and/or rationality. Sure, he is clearly under an outside influence in many of them...but that doesn't alter the fact that the writers were using his loss of control as a source of drama in those instances. (However, I excluded cases where he is deliberately pretending as a deception.)

We can also throw in young Spock in "Yesteryear" (TAS) and love-potioned Spock in "Mudd's Passion" (TAS).

...and never in the original films.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

And in any case, if you do that too often it doesn't work, as then being a hothead just becomes the basic nature of the character.

Part of the whole premise of not only Spock's character, but of Vulcans in general, is that they have even stronger and more violent passions and internal conflicts than we humans do, and that this is the very reason they value their logic so dearly and strive so hard to keep themselves hemmed in. Ever struggling to keep control, and ever at risk of losing it, is the basic nature of the character.

-MMoM

 

[Red Panda]

He's one of the biggest leads in This Is Us, which is a show so very much bigger than Star Trek right now so I really doubt he'd play a big role in Discovery?

His character is now dead in both the present day storylines and the flashbacks.

 

[Red Panda]

His character is now dead in both the present day storylines and the flashbacks.

Ignore me! They're doing more flashbacks with him.

 

[Greg Cox]

A bit of an exaggeration, it happened very rarely in TOS, and never in the original films. And in any case, if you do that too often it doesn't work, as then being a hothead just becomes the basic nature of the character.

Just off the top of my head: "The Naked Time," "This Side of Paradise," "Amok Time," " All Our Yesterdays."

So more than once a season.

Stretching a point: "Journey to Babel," "The Tholian Web" (where he and McCoy end up at each other's throats before Kirk's video talks them down), and THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, where he shows a real flash of anger when Valeris is exposed as the traitor.

 

[Marynator]

Ignore me! They're doing more flashbacks with him.

Oh yes, I don't see any way they're dropping Milo!

 

[fireproof78]

THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, where he shows a real flash of anger when Valeris is exposed as the traitor.

I found his slapping way of the phaser to be quite cool and collected. /s

 

[Longinus]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

I really don't understand what you mean here. Only in III was in any serious way out of control, and that was really not normal Spock to begin with.

Part of the whole premise of not only Spock's character, but of Vulcans in general, is that they have even stronger and more violent passions and internal conflicts than we humans do, and that this is the very reason they value their logic so dearly and strive so hard to keep themselves hemmed in. Ever struggling to keep control, and ever at risk of losing it, is the basic nature of the character.

People keep saying that, and I'm not buying it. Why are not Romulans overly emotional rage machines? No, the 'overly emotional' and 'dangerously violent' Vulcans of the past were pretty much like Humans (who also almost destroyed their planet via internal conflict.) Vulcans are not 'constantly struggling to not lose control,' their calm and control is so ingrained that the meditative and detached frame of mind is perfectly natural to them. It is only in truly extraordinary circumstances where this breaks.

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

I really don't understand what you mean here. Only in III was in any serious way out of control, and that was really not normal Spock to begin with.

TMP began with him failing to attain Kolinahr because he was unable to stop V'Ger from stirring his emotions. He later got giggly and touchy-feely with Kirk in sickbay. He also wept for V'Ger in some cuts.

You don't remember him furiously slapping the phaser out of Valeris' hand in sickbay and then the aftermath of their mind meld on the bridge in TUC?

 

[JKM]

Whether or not it makes sense is not the point. It may make perfect sense that if Bruce Wayne's parents had not been killed he would have been completely different person, but I'm not interested in watching that.

So then if I were you I probably wouldn't watch any more of the Kelvin timeline, but you can hardly blame the actor for the story.

 

[Greg Cox]

Part of the whole premise of not only Spock's character, but of Vulcans in general, is that they have even stronger and more violent passions and internal conflicts than we humans do, and that this is the very reason they value their logic so dearly and strive so hard to keep themselves hemmed in. Ever struggling to keep control, and ever at risk of losing it, is the basic nature of the character.

-MMoM

Exactly. That's always been my understanding of Vulcans as well. They're more passionate than humans, which is why they have to keep their emotions all bottled up and repressed most of the time. But when that emotional reserve is "compromised" somehow . . . watch out!

And I'm pretty sure that was stated explicitly on TOS from time to time, although I can't remember a specific quote off the top of my head.

And, honestly, that's far more interesting and dramatic a paradox than just assuming that they're naturally calm and unruffled all the time.