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Was Spock considering suicide at the end of "Amok Time?"

Until today, my only interpretation of the episode's ending was, because he killed his captain he would have to leave Starfleet and end up in prison, or whatever penalty Starfleet would have. But he said what he had not knowing that McCoy pumped in a drug that simulated death. Imagine if the Vulcans did testing on the noncorpse? Then would the Federation be guilty of meddling in another civilization's culture? Would Vulvan consider that an act of disrespect or aggression or reason to consider leaving the Federation?

It isn't inconceivable he might consider suicide for that. Or he might possibly involve Vulcan's cultural differences, hoping that the adjudicator involved is as lenient as Sisko was to Worf in "Sons of Mogh".

But, yeah, had McCoy not done his deed and the mischievous and Machiavellianism Vulcans got their way and Kirk died, leading to an incident with the proverbial tables turned (Kirk's still an outsider), would Spock have indeed felt guilt and torn, and depressed? Yes. Especially being half-human on top of Vulcan's own emotionally disciplinary paradigm, which the cunning, manipulative, and conniving T'Pring had set up sorts shows how the Vulcan system is remarkably ineffectual while treating beings as mere property. Or she was sleeping through classes and took crib notes to pass the tests with.

T'PRING: You have become much known among our people, Spock. Almost a legend. And as the years went by, I came to know that I did not want to be the consort of a legend. But by the laws of our people, I could only divorce you by the kal-if-fee. There was also Stonn, who wanted very much to be my consort, and I wanted him. If your Captain were victor, he would not want me, and so I would have Stonn. If you were victor you would free me because I had dared to challenge, and again I would have Stonn. But if you did not free me, it would be the same. For you would be gone, and I would have your name and your property, and Stonn would still be there.

Couldn't they just nix their tradition of arranged marriages, how to break them, and spare the barbaric bloodbath instead? Wouldn't that be more logical and less potentially alliance-threatening, given the participants involved?

It's also somewhat ironic that such an advanced, logical, mindful species would resort to such barbarism and try to hide it by painting a big label reading "We are logical and thus better than you, ha ha" over it.

At least she was honest and not wanting to be banged by a legend. Stonn was kinda hot anyway...

Spock still had the last multi-layered zinger, noting to whom he addresses with it:
SPOCK: Stonn. She is yours. After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true..

Or what if Spock died? She would still no less of endangering an alliance just for her personal jollies. Kirk or McCoy would surely have figured something out to make "Amok Time" a very special two-parter worthy of DS9?
 
I was just considering this logic: If your Captain were victor, he would not want me She really didn't know Jim at all, did she?
 
Couldn't they just nix their tradition of arranged marriages, how to break them, and spare the barbaric bloodbath instead? Wouldn't that be more logical and less potentially alliance-threatening, given the participants involved?
Unlike the reasons for arranged marriages on Earth it was imperative to the survival of the Vulcan race for them to be 'married', Bachelorhood is not an option for them, In ENT T'Pol had an arranged marriage but got out of it eventually without bloodshed. T'Pring's main crime (IMO) was bailing out at the last minute not giving Spock the opportunity to find someone else in time.
 
No, suicide would not be logical. But his conscience would require him to submit to any arrest, trial, penalty or punishment decreed.
I don't think Spock would kill himself, but he would submit to any punishment that Starfleet imposed on him. He killed his Captain and, more importantly, his friend/brother. someone that meant so much to him. It was like killing a part of himself. So I think he would let justice prevail.
 
At least she was honest and not wanting to be banged by a legend. Stonn was kinda hot anyway...

I thought he looked a bit chilly myself as he's the only Vulcan wearing a black polo neck! The truth of the matter is Lawrence Montaigne who played Stonn, refused to have his chest shaved so had to wear a shirt because Vulcan males have no chest hair! Although Leonard Nimoy had in Patterns of Force? Gene Roddenberry wouldn't hire Montaigne again after this bit of trouble anyways but it seems a waste considering the later faux pas!
JB
 
I was just considering this logic: If your Captain were victor, he would not want me She really didn't know Jim at all, did she?
She was right, Kirk might want to bed her but he would not want to keep her. He has commitment issues. However if she changed her name to Enterprise it might work!
 
Unlike the reasons for arranged marriages on Earth it was imperative to the survival of the Vulcan race for them to be 'married', Bachelorhood is not an option for them, In ENT T'Pol had an arranged marriage but got out of it eventually without bloodshed. T'Pring's main crime (IMO) was bailing out at the last minute not giving Spock the opportunity to find someone else in time.
Spock did not want her either, T'Pring was just a place holder. If there were no challenge he would have consummated the marriage and left the planet till he needed her again for another 7 years. IOW abandoned his wife.
(I wonder who looked after his needs 7 years later? That was quickly dropped from the franchise lol)
 
I was just considering this logic: If your Captain were victor, he would not want me She really didn't know Jim at all, did she?
Yeah, it's funny how that very significant avenue of logic was ignored. If I were conned into fighting and killing my friend and first officer, I would invoke the Vulcan concept of wives as "property of the victor" (Vulcan words, not mine), marry her and force her to stay in my Captain's cabin on the Enterprise. I'd show her something about the consequences of making assumptions when applying logic.
 
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One lesson you could take from this episode is the importance of going over your legal code regularly and weeding out obscure laws like this one. If the Vulcan legislature had been more on their toes, it wouldn't have been an option. T'Pring, Spock and Stonn could have hashed things out quite logically in a room with a Vulcan mediator. (Or Spock's lawyer, assuming poor Spock was in absentia, in no condition to be logical and under sedation in sickbay.)

I wonder what happened to Stonn''s original bondmate, or didn't he have one (widowed, never matched)? "You take mine, I take yours, everybody's happy...for now."
 
This might be a situation where the legal code defaults to common law. Given the biological factors in play and the fact the Vulcan mating instincts can override their' precious logic, they may have to live with this brutal and uncivilized law and custom. They are logical enough to know when they have no choice but to be illogical when it comes to mating. And, they are also logical enough to accept the terrible consequences of their ways.
 
Spock did not want her either, T'Pring was just a place holder. If there were no challenge he would have consummated the marriage and left the planet till he needed her again for another 7 years. IOW abandoned his wife.
(I wonder who looked after his needs 7 years later? That was quickly dropped from the franchise lol)

Perhaps it was T'Pring. She might have no problem having sex with him as long as she didn't have to marry him. Granted you have some major issues involved such as Stonn's views on this or Spock having sex with someone who tried to get him to kill KIrk but I wonder if even Vulcan logic would be enough to suppress all the emotions you would think that kind of situation would bring up. Would they take the "It will save Spock's life" reasoning as a good enough to do this once the marriage arrangment is no longer part of the equation.

Jason
 
In the DC comics I remember Stonn and T'Pring turning up on the Enterprise many years later and Stonn fully understanding Spock's words to him at the end of Amok Time! :rommie:
JB
 
In the DC comics I remember Stonn and T'Pring turning up on the Enterprise many years later and Stonn fully understanding Spock's words to him at the end of Amok Time! :rommie:
JB

I read that comic. I think it was connected to a murder mystery if I recall but I might have that part, wrong.

Jason
 
What I didn't understand was what caused Spock to be "cured" of his Pon'Farr condition. While on Vulcan, Spock didn't have sex with T'Pring, or anyone else for that matter. I don't recall Spock even making any physical contact with T'Pring. Yet by the end of the episode, Spock was back to normal.

A less savory way to look at it is: we don't know if whatever prison Spock might've been sent to (had he actually killed Kirk) would've allowed for conjugal visits during Pon'Farr, another seven years later. So, to quote McCoy, "the emotional pressures will simply kill him!"
I doubt that Spock had that in mind. Besides, prisons, being as unsavory as they are, I don't think Spock would have to worry about having his Pon'Farr needs being taken care of behind bars. :vulcan::vulcan:
 
I would think that's less of an issue in prisons of the 23rd century... I would hope so...

I've always figured the shock of Spock realizing he'd killed his friend broke the Pon Farr. No fodder for slash fiction there. ;)
 
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