Wht Spock Can't Turn His Emotions Off

[Christmas Canon Spock]

One of my favorite scenes in all of Trek is the Spock/Sarek exchange in TVH. Both of them are trying their best to hide their emotions, but it's pretty darn clear that there's a lot of emotion bubbling under that they're both trying to navigate, Sarek in particular. And it's also clear that he's pretty proud of his son and glad to have him back in the world of the living.

I agree, and I have always enjoyed Spock's last words to his father to tell his mother, "He feels fine." It feels so appropriate in their exchange.

 

[JoeZhang]

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5pocMUIWwU[/yt]

 

[Karzak]

And yet... we actually saw Spock's birth. Not once, but twice! Not seeing how the theory holds a lot of water, sorry.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I think Vulcans are difficult to write and even more so to act. I think that nuTrek attempted to show us an idealized Vulcan in Sarek, and where Spock could attain to, just like we see the ideal Starfleet officer in Pike, and what Kirk could be.

And yet this idealized Vulcan (I totally agree, BTW) stands in front of Spock in a time of crisis and flat out tells him "I married her because I loved her."

Vulcans control their emotions because their emotions are extremely powerful. It's their way of redirecting their otherwise overwhelming impulses into more creative and productive pursuits, without which they would be a race of murderous rapacious kleptomaniacs who make the Klingons look like Jehovas Witnesses.

Contrast this with the Romulan approach to these problems, where the only thing keeping them in line is an extremely rigid social order that redirects the unbridled passions of its people into the objectives of the State. Mental discipline is just as important for Romulans as it is for Vulcans, the only difference is that while Vulcans adhere to the edicts of Logic, Romulans adhere to the Empire.

Consider that the very few cracks in Spock's emotional control reveal the merest tip of what is actually an immense iceberg. If you ever happen to make the mistake of insulting Spock's mom, you'll find out what the rest of the iceberg looks like.

I feel sorry for the first dumb bastard who comes along and insults Uhura.

 

[Malaika]

One of my favorite scenes in all of Trek is the Spock/Sarek exchange in TVH. Both of them are trying their best to hide their emotions, but it's pretty darn clear that there's a lot of emotion bubbling under that they're both trying to navigate, Sarek in particular. And it's also clear that he's pretty proud of his son and glad to have him back in the world of the living.

I love that scene, too. Particularly the way Lenard manages to get that across without compromising his character. Sarek is never going to be a warm, touchy-feely guy who is comfortable expressing his emotions, but, within his limitations, he and Spock have a very touching moment there, where Sarek is as accepting of Spock's half-human nature as he can be.

"Tell my mother I feel fine."

Sarek (uncomfortable, but not critical): "Yes."

http://startrekgifs.tumblr.com/post/64766074538

Subtle.
I love that scene between Spock and Amanda. You can tell he loves his mother, just the way he takes her hand in his and tells her he hopes she won't take it as him insulting her if he will decide to go for kolinahr. That is the first of a series of defining moments for this Spock. It's like he tried so much to get accepted by the vulcans (and his father) but it was never enough and when they insult his mother he understands that he has to take a different path. Not being human, not being vulcan only. Just himself.
Ironically (or maybe logically ) he falls for a woman later whose job and passion is studying alien languages and cultures to create a bridge between them, and who can accept him being someone in the middle of two worlds. I get the sense that when Uhura comforts him, she on one hand knows that his human side needs comfort and affection, and in fact he accepts that, but at the same time she asks him what he needs and accepts his 'vulcan' reply and his own other ways to deal with his grief. It must not be always easy for her to meet him in the middle and for her to understand when he needs to be human and when he needs to be vulcan, but I love she treats him as a person who has his own personality and he is not an "alien" (whose concept in that reality is quite relative as the humans themselves are aliens)



(For mods: tumblr is an image hosting)