Vulcan Episodes

[Stoek]

Okay, I went through and looked for all the Trek episodes that feature Vulcan characters prominently and offer some kind of insight into the nature of Vulcan and Vulcan's or an interesting take on same.

So first up here is the raw list...

Enterprise

The Andorian Incident
Shadows of P’Jem
Fusion
Fallen Hero
Carbon Creek
The Seventh
Stigma
Cease Fire
Impulse
The Forge
Awakening
Kir’Shara


The Original Series


Amok Time
Journey to Babel
The Savage Curtain
All Our Yesterdays


The Animated Series


Yesteryear

The Next Generation


Sarek
Unification


Deep Space Nine


Take Me Out to the Holosuite
Field of Fire


Voyager


Learning Curve
Meld
Innocence
Alter Ego
Blood Fever
Gravity
Riddles


Now I'd be interested to hear suggestions for any episodes that anyone thinks need included that I missed or should be removed. I'd also appreciate if you would give a short reason why.

 

[T'Girl]

TOS, The Immunity Syndrome. Tells us that Vulcans can "feel" large groups of other Vulcans over vast distances. Helps explain Spock's behavior during All Our yesterdays. He was channeling the savage Vulcans back on the home world.

I like the Vulcan episodes that basically said Vulcan aren't just humans with funny ears. And they aren't what you'd respect. Persistence of Vision showed that Vulcans have a spiritual life, which some fans assumed they didn't possess.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Funny that Vulcan life, culture and history is far better explored in novels like Spock's World, Vulcan's Forge and The Lost Years than it ever was on-screen. It's amazing how little there actually is about them in canon Trek.

 

[Stoek]

TOS, The Immunity Syndrome. Tells us that Vulcans can "feel" large groups of other Vulcans over vast distances. Helps explain Spock's behavior during All Our yesterdays. He was channeling the savage Vulcans back on the home world.

I like the Vulcan episodes that basically said Vulcan aren't just humans with funny ears. And they aren't what you'd respect. Persistence of Vision showed that Vulcans have a spiritual life, which some fans assumed they didn't possess.

Thanks DC,

I've added those two also have added...

The Galileo Seven, because I think it gives a pretty good demonstration of how Vulcan Logic operates.

Gambit, because of it's dealing with an ancient Vulcan weapon.

Prime Factors, because it shows that Tuvok's dedication to Logic can sometimes supersede his dedication to Starfleet protocols, or even to his friendship with Janeway.

I also (grudgingly) added Flashback. Personally I think it's a really really weak episode but it does give us an idea of how difficult many Vulcan's find dealing with humans.

Funny that Vulcan life, culture and history is far better explored in novels like Spock's World, Vulcan's Forge and The Lost Years than it ever was on-screen. It's amazing how little there actually is about them in canon Trek.

SD,

I don't know that I entirely agree with you. While it is certainly true that after TOS/TAS Vulcans went largely ignored in favor of developing the Klingons I think that Voyager and Enterprise put quite a bit of focus on the Vulcans and did a very nice job expanding what we know about them. Best of all the people involved in Enterprise (especially in the fourth season) were aware of Spock's World and clearly used it as an inspiration for the Kir'shara trilogy if not a direct influence.

 

[sojourner]

Funny that Vulcan life, culture and history is far better explored in novels like Spock's World, Vulcan's Forge and The Lost Years than it ever was on-screen. It's amazing how little there actually is about them in canon Trek.

Considering the amount of information in the novels, this could be said for nearly every aspect of Star Trek.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Funny that Vulcan life, culture and history is far better explored in novels like Spock's World, Vulcan's Forge and The Lost Years than it ever was on-screen. It's amazing how little there actually is about them in canon Trek.

You'll note the the shows with a Vulcan in the main cast have more episodes about Vulcans. TNG and DS9 for the most part ignored them. Thats a pretty big chunk of canon.

 

[tighr]

Voyager episode Random Thoughts dealt with Vulcans quite prominently, in that we learn quite a bit about their telepathic abilities.

Tuvok is shown speaking telepathically with the Chief Examiner, and she asks him why he doesn't use his telepathic abilities more often. He replies that since there are few telepaths on Voyager, he prefers to speak. I didn't know that Vulcans were even capable of speaking telepathically with each other. Maybe they're not, but they can with other races.

He also uses a mind meld to transfer violent images to the black market thoughts seller, showing that Vulcans do have violent thoughts, they just repress them.

 

[Paradon]

I like the episode on DS9 that had the Vuclan serial killer in it.

 

[Stoek]

Voyager episode Random Thoughts dealt with Vulcans quite prominently, in that we learn quite a bit about their telepathic abilities.

Tuvok is shown speaking telepathically with the Chief Examiner, and she asks him why he doesn't use his telepathic abilities more often. He replies that since there are few telepaths on Voyager, he prefers to speak. I didn't know that Vulcans were even capable of speaking telepathically with each other. Maybe they're not, but they can with other races.

He also uses a mind meld to transfer violent images to the black market thoughts seller, showing that Vulcans do have violent thoughts, they just repress them.

Wow. If that one's not on the list it's purely an oversight on my part because it definitely needs to be. I remember it being one of the best episodes for driving home the point that Vulcans are actually more violently emotional in some ways than Klingons.

I like the episode on DS9 that had the Vuclan serial killer in it.

Oh yeah. That one's on the list. Its title is Field Of Fire.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

How is "Riddles" a particularly Vulcan episode?

 

[JB2005]

Deals with a Vulcan acting without emotional control...

 

[Mr Silver]

I'd add "The Naked Time" to that list. It deals with Spock completely losing his self control and breaking down over the fact he can't show his mother how much he feels for her. It's an episode that establishes that Vulcans do have emotions and feelings.

 

[erastus25]

I'd add "The Naked Time" to that list. It deals with Spock completely losing his self control and breaking down over the fact he can't show his mother how much he feels for her. It's an episode that establishes that Vulcans do have emotions and feelings.

Same could be said of This Side of Paradise.

Balance of Terror and The Enterprise Incident could also be considered - they both deal with the similarities between Romulans and Vulcans.

 

[Stoek]

I'd add "The Naked Time" to that list. It deals with Spock completely losing his self control and breaking down over the fact he can't show his mother how much he feels for her. It's an episode that establishes that Vulcans do have emotions and feelings.

I have to admit that I considered and rejected TNT for two reasons. One because it is so well known as to almost be cliche, and two, because I always felt more that it was still early days where the Vulcans were not fully formed conceptually and the lack of emotion had been more the original intention to highlight that by being half human Spock was going against the Vulcan norm by having feelings.

Over time of course it became more that most Vulcans have emotions but they control them tightly and that a few have purged them altogether which I think most fans much prefer.

 

[Stoek]

Same could be said of This Side of Paradise.

Balance of Terror and The Enterprise Incident could also be considered - they both deal with the similarities between Romulans and Vulcans.

True, and I'd be more likely to pick ... Paradise because it's a bit more tightly focused on Spock than ... Time is.

As for the other two episodes you cite, while I don't think that ... Incident is a strong enough episode to merit inclusion I have been and still am on the fence about Balance. It's a wonderful episode and Mark Lenard gives a truly standout performance. I had mostly hesitated because it's so well known but I think it is going to go ahead and get included, especially since it not only gives an important piece of back story for Vulcans but also gives a sense of the high mindedness that is part of Vulcan character. Spock truly does not take Stile's bigotry personally. Honestly Kirk seems more upset by it.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

Deals with a Vulcan acting without emotional control...

I don't consider it a very Vulcan episode at all.

 

[JB2005]

Deals with a Vulcan acting without emotional control...

I don't consider it a very Vulcan episode at all.

Since it's an episode with a Vulcan as the main focus...it's kinda explicit...

 

[Nerys Myk]

Deals with a Vulcan acting without emotional control...

I don't consider it a very Vulcan episode at all.

I guess we can mark most Spock-centric episodes off the list too.

 

[T'Girl]

Well, is this thread about "Vulcan episodes" or is it "Spock episodes?" Not every episode featuring Spock is a Vulcan episode, anymore than a McCoy episode is a Human episode.

It's like Persistence of Vision isn't really a Tuvok episode (although he in it), but it is a Vulcan episode because of the letter from home Tuvok recieves from T'Pel, and what it tells us about the Vulcan culture.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Well, is this thread about "Vulcan episodes" or is it "Spock episodes?" Not every episode featuring Spock is a Vulcan episode, anymore than a McCoy episode is a Human episode.

It's like Persistence of Vision isn't really a Tuvok episode (although he in it), but it is a Vulcan episode because of the letter from home Tuvok recieves from T'Pel, and what it tells us about the Vulcan culture.

Most episodes centering around Spock focus on his Vulcan traits, philosophy or culture. he is our window into Vulcan in TOS. Marriage rituals, inner eyelids, devotion to logic and IDIC, all in Spock episodes,