Original air date: November 17, 1967
SYNOPSIS
The Enterprise hosts a number of quarrelling diplomats, including Spock’s father, but someone on board has murder in mind.
CANON CONTEXT
Wyatt had been widely known for the 1950s sitcom Father Knows Best, where she played Elinor Donahue’s mother. On a previous Star Trek episode, Donahue was a guest actor, playing Commissioner Nancy Hedford, who became Zefram Cochrane’s “Companion”.
This episode introduced the Andorian and Tellarite species.
RECAP
The time has come, after a full season + 10 that we meet Spock’s parents. Now, I have to admit I’ve watched Strange New Worlds which, as you may or may not know already, features Spock as well as his parent’s, prominently. I will say the stark contrasts and similarities between how the actors choose to play their parts is remarkable in both instances.
The Enterprise has been tasked to house several dozen dignitaries and representatives from various planets who are coming together for a very important vote.
Think of it like a meeting of the United Nations to vote a new nation into the club. Some are all for it but there are always those who are adamantly against it. at such times, a mingling party is always in order.
While at the party we discover an alien race demands to know how Sarek, Spock’s father, intends on voting. Ever the stoic, strong and silent type, he refuses to answer. A bit of harsh words are exchanged before Kirk intervenes.
Kirk thinks Spock and his parent’s might want to spend some time together to catch up, unaware of the strain that has been present between Spock and his father.
I must say I appreciated every single scene with Jane Wyatt, of Father Knows Best fame and other notable roles. Especially those with her and Kirk.
She is indeed a formidable woman and not one to be treated as anything less than the wife of Sarek, a very important man in his own right on Vulcan. Very bad ass, for sure. A pleasant change of pace from what I’ve grown accustomed to seeing with all the femme fatales fawning and falling all over the place.
There is clearly a mutual show of respect and love between Sarek, a Vulcan and Amanda, his human wife. I love to see it.
Eventually a mystery begins when the alien who confronted Sarek demanding to know how he would vote is found to be dead. The manner in which he was killed could only be known by someone of Sarek’s previous station so he becomes a suspect. However, that quickly changes when he falls ill and in need of a blood transfusion. But he is Vulcan and as we are always reminded, his blood is not red like ours. His son has half Vulcan blood so he is the nearest and best candidate. However, Kirk is taken out of commission when he is attacked just walking his own ship! Madness!
Spock refuses to give up command of the ship to someone else just so he can save his father’s life. It is illogical. Even when his mother confronts him about how stubborn both he and his father are being. She slaps Spock! And for the first time I feel like I’m seeing some really amazing acting coming out of this show! If you haven’t seen this episode it would easily be in my top 5 favorites across all of TOS.
Kirk is forced to hide just how severe his injuries are to trick Spock into leaving the bridge and report to surgery to do the blood transfusion to save his father’s life. Which he does. Is there nothing Kirk can’t do or fake?
There is a touching moment at the end which, upon reflection, I wonder if it were logical to have happened being that Vulcans are not one to express emotion. Is not humor and sarcasm an emotion? Hmm…
DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?
Amanda: And you, Sarek, would you also say thank you to your son?
Sarek: I don’t understand.
Amanda: For saving your life.
Sarek: Spock acted in the only logical manner open to him. One does not thank logic, Amanda.
Amanda: Logic! Logic! I’m sick to death of logic! Do you want to know how I feel about your logic?
Spock: Emotional, isn’t she?
Sarek: She has always been that way.
Spock: Indeed. Why did you marry her?
Sarek: At the time it seemed the logical thing to do.
