Vulcan motivations from first contact onwards

[MNM]

So, and bare in mind I havent seen every single episode, so if this point was actually made I apologise, but, was it ever said why the Vulcans stuck around after first contact and helped humans into space?

I mean, they are everywhere, helping Earth and Humans develop and everything but I have never seen any reason as to why?

Out of the goodness of their heart doesnt seem to fit with how they have ever been portrayed. Did they do this with every species they met?

 

[SFRabid]

They did it with other species as it was a source of conflict between them and the Andorians. As for motive? They thought they were doing the right thing by helping other races down the right path before venturing into space. Vulcans are not explorers. They see space as an opportunity to learn but also as a dangerous place with potential conflict at every stop. For them it is illogical to push too far to fast and they don't understand why others want to rush out into the unknown. The Andorians did not want to be held back, just as the humans didn't. It became a common ground for Andorians and Humans and helped them forage a relationship. It may also explain why Vulcans are not as prevalant and dominating in later trek as they are early on.

 

[MNM]

Alright, cool. thanks.

 

[JiNX-01]

Soval tells Admiral Forrest in "The Forge" that they feared the humans because we're a lot like the Vulcans were before Surak brought his teachings of logic and emotional control to them.

So naturally, they're going to put a lid on humanity's ambitions for space travel. Things were bad enough (Andorian animosity, the Orions, Nausican piracy) without us getting into the mix.

 

[MNM]

Ok, thanks.

Like I said, I havent seen every episode, and the ones I have seen, the Vulcans just seem to have intregrated themselves into Earth and are helping/"consulting" in may areas in regards to space travel and everything, always seen with the top brass.

But I never got the impression that they did that with other races, I know they were "hostile" to a point with the Andorians, but I thought that was simple terriotorial disputes.

So I wondered why they were doing it specifically with the humans. I'll have to watch the rest of the episodes at some point then.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Isn't Coridan some sort of Vulcan protectorate?

 

[Noname Given]

Isn't Coridan some sort of Vulcan protectorate?

Yes, and so was Mazar (and it shows that the Vulcans are indeed 'asisting' other races in the same way they are the humans in one of my favorite first season episodes: Fallen Hero).

 

[Sci]

I think it's pretty obvious that Vulcan has some pretty imperialistic foreign policies.

Think about it. Archer and all these other Humans resent Vulcans for "holding us back," and apparently interfered to keep Henry Archer from being able to test his Warp 5 Engine design (established in "Broken Bow"). The Vulcan Ambassador is constantly allowed in on internal United Earth Starfleet functions, including the hearing on the actions of Archer whilst in the Delphic Expanse.

The implication is pretty obvious: That the United Earth government has basically been deferring to Vulcan's wishes whenever the Vulcan government decided it didn't like something Humans were doing. The relationship seems akin to that between the United States and, say, one of the five thousand banana republics the U.S. government installed in Latin America in the 20th Century: Nominally independent, but bowing to the will of a stronger nation any time that stronger nation wants it.

The implication seems to be confirmed by what we see of other Vulcan relationships. We know that the Vulcans and Andorians seem to be involved in a sort of cold war. We know from "Shadows of P'Jem" that Vulcan is propping up the Coridanite government even as it faces a civil war (with the rebels being supported by Andoria). Meanwhile, we know from "Fallen Hero" that Vulcan was also in the business of helping one faction of Mazaarites depose another faction (through the justification that this other faction consisted of a "cabal of criminals").

To me, it looks like Vulcan engages in "soft imperialism" -- finding less technologically-developed worlds and moving in to control their development while the natives are still awed that there are actual aliens, until they have a local government in place that always or almost always does whatever Vulcan wants when there's a conflict.