#i've already accepted they will ruin what i like about spock and kirk's relationship. it's just validating to know that this book sees it in

[lenievi]

this book

“If anything, [Kirk’s] problem finding his balance with you is that you’re too much like him. You don’t give him the counterbalance he’s used to.”

“Maybe [Kirk] just needs to find a new equilibrium. Once he gets used to you being the more regimented, unemotional one, maybe he’ll give himself the freedom to loosen up some. Maybe he’ll finally feel free to embrace the emotional instincts that are such an important part of his success as a commander—even if he doesn’t always realize it.”

(C. L. Bennett - The Captain’s Oath)

why is it that in my Trek fandom experience people always only talk about how Kirk and Spock are opposites??? 🙄 when this book gets it. Good first weeks of their acquaintance~ 

I’m also just gonna copy something I wrote a while ago, but never posted, since it’s related:

Kirk is very serious, no-nonsense, by the book, and in some ways cold, and holds everyone at an arm’s length.

Which is why at the beginning of the series, it’s actually Kirk who McCoy argues with directly. He’s trying to connect him to his humanity and melt some of his cold and logical demeanour. McCoy also approaches him "on the most intimate personal levels” (this is actually a quote from ST Writers’ Guide, not me lol), making sure that Kirk won’t get lost, that he won’t do something he would regret. As a human. As a person.

But obviously, McCoy knows nothing about command and command decisions. Spock does. And Spock’s thoughts and ideas are actually pretty similar to Kirk’s own. That’s why Kirk searches him out, that’s why he asks him for opinions even when he doesn’t have to because it gives him “emotional security” knowing that this logical Vulcan agrees with his chosen course of action. If Spock does, it means it’s right. Spock being his XO allows Kirk to take some things more lightly, to be more reckless, to open himself up more as a captain. (The idea that Spock calms Kirk down is so ??? to me.)

If Kirk goes too far he knows there will be two people who will stop him and catch him and bring him back to the correct path. Not just one. Both of them. That’s why every time he goes too far, it’s both Spock and McCoy who confront him. Not just one of them. (and when he dies neither is there, which is actually very poetic, and I love it worked that way, even though it wasn’t planned)

When McCoy sees that Spock’s logic has the ability to influence Kirk, and even allows him to become more open, he starts to argue with Spock and ceases to challenge Kirk, because next to the Vulcan XO, Kirk can be just a little bit more human (with a different XO, Kirk wouldn’t be able to do that. When Mitchell was still alive, Kirk had to keep his bravado and serious mask up, he wasn’t allowed to truly open up. Only the combination of McCoy and Spock at his side allowed him to do it, because McCoy, in contrast to Mitchell, also knows when to not rely on emotions because he is a surgeon and he needs to be able to turn them off in order to do his job well. And when he sees that Kirk gets too emotional, McCoy is able to bring him back. Mitchell would only encourage it.)

And today’s addition:

maybe this “I can be more human because of Spock” is also why Kirk focuses so much on “you seem quite human, we’ll make a human out of you yet, his soul was the most human” because he wants him to free himself, because he knows personally how hard it is to kill a part of himself... 

#leni reads trek books #tos nonsense #headcanon times #just in case :D #since the mitchell stuff is mostly just my own interpretation #my 'rant' was written in relation to some of my fears about SNW lol but I won't post the whole thing #i've already accepted they will ruin what i like about spock and kirk's relationship. it's just validating to know that this book sees it in #the same way #unless there's something later in the book that will contradict it lol we'll see #(but maybe snw will surprise me and will characterize them well and in accordance with the 2nd pilot and early s1) #my wish for s2 is them never actually interacting. that would make the most sense #or if so it's just a very surface level kind of interaction #at the end of the day if they want to stay loyal to tos the development of their relationship happened during tos not before it #people might think i don't want them to interact because i don't ship them or whatever - that's literally irrelevant. #i would hate if mccoy and spock met during snw too