SPOCK HAS SOME LOVE PAINS

Episode Title:  Amok Time

Air Date: 9/15/1967

Written by Theodore Sturgeon

Directed by Joseph Pevney

Cast: William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk    Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock             DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              George Takei  as Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel          Eddie Paskey as Lieutenant Leslie                 Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant Hadley     Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov      Byron Morrow as Admiral Komack     Celia Lovsky as T'Pau              Frank Da Vinci as Vulcan Ceremonial Aide              Arlene Martel as T'Pring             Lawrence Montaigne as Stonn             Walker Edmiston as voice of Space Central                Charles Palmer as Vulcan Litter Bearer    Joe Paz as Vulcan Ceremonial Aide               Russ Peek as Vulcan Executioner                Mary Rice as T'Pring as Child          Mauri Russell as Vulcan Litter Bearer             Gary Wright as Vulcan Litter Bearer

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets:  Vulcan

My Spoiler filled summary and review:  The episode begins with Dr. McCoy confiding to Captain Kirk that he concerned about Mr. Spock.  He reports that the normally stoic Mr. Spock is seemly becoming emotionally unbalanced.  Kirk can’t believe it but when they see Nurse Chapel try to give Mr. Spock some soup that he likes they become witness to Spock throwing the bowl across the room and smashing it on the wall.  When Spock makes eye contact with Kirk he makes a request for leave on Vulcan.

The Enterprise’s current mission is to go to Altair VI for an important diplomatic visit.  Altair has an inauguration for its new president and Starfleet wants to make a good impression for strategically located vital ally against the Klingons.   Kirk would like to find out what was wrong with Spock so he would stop acting weird.  When he inquires about the First Officer taking leave elsewhere Spock refuses demanding Vulcan.  Kirk decides that Spock has done enough for them over the years and orders the ship to Vulcan before stopping on Altair.

Kirk and McCoy check in on Chapel 

Unfortunately as with all the best laid plans of mice and men Kirk’s plan falls astray.  Turns out the new President of Altair wants to have his inauguration early so the Enterprise no longer has time to stop at Vulcan.  Kirk apologizes and Spock says he understands.  Later, Kirk starts to feel guilty about not letting Spock go so he calls Chekov to see if they went at maximum warp would they be able to drop Spock off and attend the inauguration.  Chekov is confused because they were already heading back to Vulcan under orders from Mr. Spock.

 Kirk confronts Spock about him changing the course of the ship to which Mr. Spock claims he doesn’t remember changing the course but thinks it is very likely that he may have given his current condition.  Kirk then orders Mr. Spock to go to sickbay.  Spock goes reluctantly and submits to Dr. McCoy’s exam under the protest of “for all the good it will do us.” Ironically it does do both of them a lot of good.  Although Dr. McCoy can’t explain it he comes to the conclusion that whatever Spock’s condition is if it’s not treated it will be fatal.  The best place for Mr. Spock is on Vulcan.  Then McCoy advocates this in front of Captain Kirk who decides to speak with Spock one more time.

Kirk sees Spock in his quarters; Spock is still hesitant to talk.  Kirk reasons with him that if he has to lose his best officer at the very least he has the right to know why.  He tells his First Officer that he will treat whatever information Spock gives him in the strictest of confidence.  Spock begins by asking him if he ever wonder how Vulcans choose their mates.  Kirk says that most assume that the choice was a logical one.  This is where explains that Vulcans are like salmon.  They have to return to the point of origin in order to take a mate and reproduce or die in the attempt.   They have a ritual called pon farr where they shroud the whole thing in ceremony.   If he doesn’t go and complete the ceremony he will die.

Kirk contacts Starfleet Command and speaks with Admiral Komack.  He tells the Admiral that they can’t go to the inauguration and he can’t tell him why but is an emergency.  The Admiral is not at all impressed and tells Kirk he better be there or else.   Kirk thinks about it and realizes Spock has saved his life so many times that if cost him his career no big deal.  Kirk orders the ship to Vulcan.

Spock seems to calm down as the ship heads to Vulcan.  He even asks Nurse Chapel to make him some of that soup from earlier.  When they arrive at Vulcan they are received and the Vulcan government even arranges for a lady Vulcan named T’Pring to communicate with Spock.  When they ask Spock who she is he responds with “She’s my wife.”  However we later learn they are not quite married yet but they are more than betrothed.

T'Pring spoils the party

As he is about to leave Spock requests that Kirk and McCoy accompany him as it is his right to have his closest friends with him at the ceremony.  The three beam down together to the hot climate that is Vulcan.  They arrive at the ceremony and Spock has to strike a gong twice and then a parade of Vulcans arrive.  All sorts of Vulcans, some of them are very mean looking.  Among the company is a woman named T’Pau.  T’Pau is a big deal in the Federation and the only person to down a seat in the Federation Council.  Kirk is almost in immediate fanboy mode when she arrives.   He tells McCoy that he had no idea Spock’s family was so important. 

Everything seems to be going as planned until T’Pring prevents Spock from striking the gong again and demands kal-if-fee.  Kirk and McCoy are told that she has rejected Spock and demands he fight for her.  She continues to shock everyone when naming her champion to fight Spock she chooses Captain Kirk.  One Vulcan, named Stonn, objects claiming that he should be the one to fight, but T’Pau tells him to shut up.  Spock tries to get T’Pau to let Kirk off.  T’Pau gives Kirk and out but McCoy said he didn’t think Spock could take Stonn in his present condition.  Realizing that his fighting skills are supreme and famed throughout the universe, Kirk reasons he might be able to knock Spock out quickly.  If not he could just quit.  He then makes a mistake by not asking more about the rules and tells T’Pau he accepts.  Then T’Pau now decides to let him know that this is a fight to the death.

 The battle begins Kirk and Spock each fight with traditional Vulcan weapons.  Kirk’s is the greatest fighter in known universe but he is fighting with restraint not wanting to hurt Spock, while Spock is a blood lusted horny Vulcan who must kill to get laid.  In addition to that it is also very hot, so hot that McCoy is convinced that Kirk has no chance.  McCoy directly challenges T’Pau, unlike Kirk he is not a fanboy so he is not so intimidated.  He tells her that the contest is rigged without giving Kirk a chance.  She doesn’t understand what can be done and McCoy says that he can inject Kirk with medicine that will counter act the heat.  She agrees and McCoy does so.   Kirk says while being injected that he can’t believe he might have to kill Spock which was the opposite of why they came. 

  

Kirk is like "this isn't my party!"

The fight continues with Spock gaining the upper hand and strangling Captain Kirk to death.  Strangling Captain Kirk is apparently better than sex as Spock is then immediately cured.  Realizing what he has done however he is in a bit of shock.  McCoy says he is in command now and he orders the Captain’s body to be brought to the Enterprise and to have them plot a course to the nearest Starbase so he can turn himself in.

Yeah this not what Kirk thought he would be doing today!

  

Spock goes to T’Pring and demands to know why she invoked the challenge and selected Kirk as her champion.  She explains that Spock has basically become a celebrity on Vulcan because of his adventures and she did not want to be the wife of a celebrity.  In addition to that she and Stonn have fallen in love.  If Stonn had fought there was a chance he would lose and die.  By choosing Kirk she was assured that however won would be so disgusted with her that neither would have her.  Spock agrees to let her go and warns Stonn with one of Spock’s greatest quotes:

“You may find in time that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting.  It is not logical, but it is often true.”    

With that he says his good-byes to T’Pau and when she tells him to live long and prosper he responds by saying he will do neither.  He is full of guilt having killed Captain Kirk.  Fortunately for Mr. Spock his grief is short-lived as turns out Kirk is alive and well on the ship.  Turns out McCoy gave him a drug that would slow his body functions and simulate death.  Not only is Kirk alive but his career is saved as well.  T’Pau called Starfleet Command and explained that the Enterprise was at Vulcan on her request so Starfleet Command backed down and retroactively gave permission for everything that happened. 

There is just one more thing.  McCoy challenges Spock on his emotional outlet upon seeing Kirk alive, to which replies he was just showing the proper respect for Starfleet not losing such a fine captain.  So McCoy then asks if he is implying is that his response was based solely on logic.  Spock confirms it was.  As Kirk and Spock walk off McCoy says loudly “In a pig’s eye!”

Additional thoughts: Before “Amok Time” Mr. Spock was the only Vulcan fans had ever seen, and he was only half-Vulcan.  Fans often wonder what other Vulcans were like.  Well in this episode not only did we see other Vulcans but we get to go to Vulcan and see some of the inner working of their culture.  One of the major things we learn is that Vulcans are like salmon.  They are calm creatures who go crazy during mating season.  They must mate or strangle Captain Kirk, which is just as good as mating.

Our first post-Spock Vulcan is T’Pring, Mr. Spock’s intended.  Her name should be T’Prick because what a horrible person she is.  At first she seems sympathetic, she doesn’t want to go through an arranged marriage with a man who is now a celebrity and has she fallen in love with someone else.  However when she decides to pair two friends against each other in a fight to the death in order to traumatize the winner that is when she loses my sympathy.     She had other options; T’Pring could have reached out to Spock before pon farring starts and asked to be released.  Giving Spock’s high ranking family and celebrity status I think he could have easily found himself another mate. 

Everyone's least favorite Vulcans

Next we get T’Pau, the frail woman who is more powerful than Starfleet Command.  In her old age she doesn’t seem to be involved in a lot of planning ahead of things.  After all why didn’t she just tell Starfleet to bring Spock to her?  That would have avoided a lot of drama.  Also when Kirk gets invited to the challenge you think, given that Kirk is not from there, that she would have explained the rules better before he accepts.  I mean she did try to give him and out but you think she could have lead with “so you want to be in a fight to the death with your friend?”

All of Vulcan in one package!

I think a great deal of trouble could be avoided if human and Vulcan alike just learned to lie better.  If Spock has just said “I need to go to Vulcan to deal with a medical condition that only Vulcans can treat.” Would Kirk have been so hard on him?  Likely, if Kirk had said something of the same to the Admiral would the flag officer have given him such a hard time?

Spock says his good-byes and starts a tradition of Star Trek Fandom

Speaking of admirals we finally get to see one.  Another first from this to go along with planet Vulcan, Vulcans, pon farr, the Vulcan salute, and “live long and prosper;” we get our first admiral.  Up to this point every time we meet one Kirk’s Starfleet superiors it was always a commodore.  It was a good scene too, we got to see him rip Kirk a new one because Kirk can’t tell a little white lie.  Given the information Kirk was giving him I can’t blame him for his response. 

In the end everything turns out okay.  Spock and T’Pring both get what they wanted, Kirk is alive and his career is saved, and the crew of the Enterprise didn’t have to attend that boring inauguration.  All is well that ends well.

FINAL GRADE 5 of 5