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ichayalovesyou · 3 years

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Why Bones & Spock NEED Each Other (Grief)

So over my tenure in this fandom I’ve seen some one sided stuff about Bones being mean to Spock, and vice versa and I’m like

Thing is y’all: You’re both right, but you’re also both wrong!

Bones is mean to Spock you’re right! But you know what? That’s a good thing!

Spock is mean to Bones because of course he is! And guess what? That’s also a good thing!

They both need it, and they can only get it (safely) from each other! What they have is (in a weird way) healthy! But it’s only healthy for these two specifically because they understand each other so well!

Prime examples? Somebody has died or gone missing (usually Jim)!

Let’s talk about how Spock & Bones grieve!

Let’s address how each character (generally) moves through the 5 stages of grief

Bones: Anger, Denial, Depression, Bargaining, Acceptance

Spock: Bargaining, Denial, Depression, Anger, Acceptance

They are each individually perfectly equipped to handle each other’s grief (or refusal to grieve)!

Bones initial reaction to death is usually Anger, he blames himself and anyone in proximity. Quickly followed by a weird form of denial, in which he doesn’t deny someone is dead, but he denies that other people think the person is gone and that they felt it when it happened because he’s dunked so hard under his own grief his usually high empathy has switched off.

Now, Bones is highly familiar with grief as a medical professional (and having lost his father). He establishes how important and deeply believes in that process in And The Children Shall Lead.

I think Bones is acutely aware of how he grieves, and is equally aware that throwing these feelings out at just anybody could really hurt them.

But Spock isn’t just anybody, he’s a (half) Vulcan, it’s like shouting at a brick wall, Bones knows Spock can take it. I also believe Spock understands that this state is temporary, which is why he handles it with such grace.

What happens when Bones isn’t able to go off at (not truly “on”) Spock is that Bones keeps that anger to himself and gets bordering-on-suicidal (Depression phase of grief). It happens in Miri (self injection), For The World is Hollow & I Have Touched The Sky (trying to stay behind), and The Empath (the whole freakin episode). Jim is good for comfort, but Spock is good for a slap in the face reality check.

They both know that. It’s why they’re still friends despite how much shit they throw at each other

Not only that, but Bones (almost) ALWAYS apologizes, from their worst fights I can rattle off:

“They were wrong, and I was wrong I’m sorry” (Paradise Syndrome)

“Pawns huh? Well if it makes any difference, this pawn is extremely sorry.” (Day of The Dove)

“Spock I- I’m sorry, it does hurt doesn’t it?” (The Tholian Web)

And that’s not including implied/non-verbal apologies.

Bones needs Spock to help him grieve because otherwise he’s gonna take an emotional nosedive toward attempted Martyrdom. Spock’s stoicism punctured by occasional genuiness helps Bones move to the Bargaining stage (making peace with Spock and everything that’s happened) and later Acceptance.

The inverse of this is also true so let’s address how Bones uses his belligerent nature to jump start Spock’s healthy grieving process!

Bones grieving style (and his confrontational nature in general) is uniquely suited to make Spock honor his Human side, his emotions in the matter. Because we know a softer touch (like Jim’s) while more comfortable for Spock, seldom cracks open that wall of emotional repression unless Jim’s in danger.

Bones doesn’t give a shit, and that ultimately a good thing! Both he and Spock constantly need to be directly shoved against their default reactions to interpret things in a balanced way, which is why they’re perfect for each other.

Without Bones, Spock would never let himself grieve, ever. We also know that, more deeply than Spock, Bones understands grief and how to move through it, he’s familiar with loss (which is why I think he’s so quick to accept someone is dead whenever it happens, it’s the reaction of someone whose had to lose a lot of people and is more comfortable grieving than hoping). There’s a lot of evidence for this in Gamesters of Triskellion & Return To Tomorrow.

He also honors Spock’s human half a lot more than Spock does, it’s one of the fundamental power sources for Bones & Spock’s “the racism’s mutual” banter. And it is mutual, I feel like people forget how often Spock compares modern humans to the worst examples of their/his ancestors and treats them as inferior out of internalized hatred and the general xenophobic attitudes of Vulcan culture. Bones of course responds in kind, usually in cockamamy insults, he’s not as well versed in Vulcan history as Spock is in Human. Although I admit Bones does start it a lot, I think arguing accounts as a love language for him lmao.

So when Bones sees Spock trying to stunt and stifle his grieving process, especially since Bones knows he’s at least partly human and it is affecting Spock’s judgement, it hits literally ALL of Bones nerves.

Bones uses reverse psychology to get Spock to admit he is human and he has feelings ALL THE TIME especially where Jim is concerned. Bread & Circuses, The Immunity Syndrome, The Tholian Web & Requiem for Methuselah!

Spock will absolutely refuse to grieve or at least move on from the self-destructive bargaining/denial loop he gets trapped in unless Bones smacks him around a little. Just like how Bones will get self-destructive unless Spock recenters him via logic.

Again, I think on a subconscious level they both know that, and it’s why they never take each other’s smack downs to heart.

An excellent example, Chekov’s “death” in Spectre of The Gun:

Spock isn’t grieving, but everyone else is, Spock was close to Pavel but isn’t letting himself feel it, which could later backfire. Bones is currently grieving, but there’s no time to grieve because they’re all gonna die in 20 minutes if they don’t find a solution to their dilemma.

Transcript & Breakdown:

Bones: You talk about another man’s [Jim’s] feelings? What do you feel Spock?!

Are you grieving? He was like son to you you’re not acknowledging it, again.

Spock: My feelings are not subject for discussion Doctor.

No, and I’m not going to, leave me alone.

Bones: Because there are are no feelings to discuss!

Well I’m grieving! And I’m gonna reverse psychology your Vulcan ass until you start your grieving process so that I can move on!

Scotty: Mr. Spock Chekov is dead! I say it now and I can hardly believe it, but you worked closely with him! That deserves some memorial!

Bones: Spock will have no truck with grief Scotty, it’s human.

Alright, that first comment didn’t work, maybe “insulting” him will get that thick head of his to acknowledge his feelings.

Jim: Bones! Scotty!

Spock: It’s quite alright Captain, they forget I am half human.

Fine, yes I am grieving for Pavel in my own way. Are you satisfied Dr. McCoy?

Bones: [looks surprised and thoughtful, satisfied with Spock’s answer]

Wow, you said you were human without any disgust this time... huh... good job.

Scotty:[looks ashamed]

The 5 o’clock duel bell rings.

#star trek #star trek tos #spock #bones #spones #grief #tw suicidal thoughts #tos #the tholian web #spectre of the gun #the Empath #Miri #for the world is hollow and i have touched the sky #bread and circuses #the paradise syndrome #day of the dove #meta thoughts #meta #meta analysis

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calliecat93 · 3 years

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When I started TNG, the biggest curiosity I had was why Dr. Pulaski was so hated. I heard plenty about why, but at the same time I wanted to see for myself and be able to draw my own conclusions. Well now that I’ve finished S2, I think that I can safely state my opinion and the reasons why she had such a bad reception.

My general opinion is… Pulaski’s fine, but she got an bad start. She’s a very competent doctor who is devoted to her duty. She’s a bit of a smartass, but otherwise a friendly enough person. She’s a VERY much based off a certain CMO form a certain other Star Trek show that came out before this one, but we’ll get to that later. Pulaski honestly had a lot working against her and she just wasn’t able to get over them despite her actress Diana Muldaur (who played Miranda Jones in TOS) doing an excelent acting job. It ultimately ended with Pulaski being dropped all together and Crusher returning in Season 3.

While I understand the hate against Pulaski and can’t say that it’s unwarranted to an extent, I think that a lot of it that I saw was overblown. Now if people disliked the character, that’s fine. Everyone has different tastes and reasons for what they like and dislike and should be free to have and express those thoughts. But a lot of the issues with her that I had were taken care of very early on and she became much better by the end of her tenure. So why do I believe that Pulaski ultimately failed? Well I’ve come up with three explanations based off my own observations from watching the show and what I got from fandom consensus. Now this is all my opinion based on those observations and is not objective fact whatsoever, so take this with a grain of salt. So I believe the reasons that Pulaski failed are:

#1. She Is Essentially a Female Dr. McCoy… Sort Of: Pulaski was clearly heavily based on Dr. McCoy from TOS. She’s an middle-aged, somewhat world-weary doctor. She’s stubborn, grumpy, and doesn’t put up with anyone’s crap. She’s witty and always ready with a biting comment. She has the dedication to her job. She has the bantery relationship with the Science Officer, which we’ll go into that here soon. She is a doctor before she is an officer and that will always be her top priority, even at great risk to herself. She has a zero tolerance towards authority and isn’t afraid to talk back to anyone no matter how much they outrank her. She even outright has a hatred of teleporters that McCoy had. The parallels are all there. It may be why I’m a bit more lenient on her since McCoy is very much my favorite character in TOS and so far all of ST. But I think it is very much the root of the problem.

While Pulaski has several of McCoy’s traits, I think the writers really only understood McCoy on a surface level. They forget to include his compassion, his empathy, his humanism, his loyalty to the captain even when he opposes his actions, all of the things that make McCoy… well, McCoy. I don’t even know if the pacifism is there. Also McCoy had over 70 episodes of TOS and at that point five films (Undiscovered Country hadn’t been made yet). Pulaski had about 20 episodes and her relevance depended on the episode. McCoy had that as well, but he also had more material so we had FAR more time to get to know him. Pulaski didn’t get to have the time to gain that depth or care from the audience. Like… can I imagine Pulaski hypoing someone so that she can be tortured in their stead and it have the same impact that The Empath did? Can I see her counseling and assuring Picard if he’s having doubts like McCoy did for Kirk in The Ultimate Computer (okay tbf that would be Troi’s job but still)? Could I imagine any of the main cast being crushed about Pulaski dying of a terminal illness and choosing to stay on essentially a doomed spaceship with someone she just met and feel as gutted as I did in For the World is Hollow…? Honestly… given time maybe but in the end no. Now could I imagine McCoy risking getting an aging illness to possibly cure a child and others of it ala Unnatural Selection? Yes, albiet I think he’d be smart enough to bring protective equipment with him to be safe. Could I imagine McCoy telling someone like Data they’d be wrong to sit by a woman giving birth because he wasn’t human ala The Child? Hell no. Maybe he would if he was worried it would cause potential distress the one giving birth, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be because they’re an android. But I could imagine that someone who just saw McCoy as ‘grumpy doctor with a bad bedside manner who says witty lines and argues with the logical Vulcan character’ would get that interpretation. Thus why I think that Pulaski may have ended up how she did.

Now mind you I do think it IS a double standard to excuse McCoy’s dickish momemts and flaws, but demonize Pulaski for her’s. It’s like saying a man can be that way because it’s just expected of them and they can be forgiven, but a woman doing so or being assertice is wrong and they are horrible and unforgivable for having these traits or having flaws even if they correct them. That being said I do think that it’s more than that and it all comes down to the fact that TOS and TNG are two different shows with different character dynamics and ways of doing things. TOS mainly followed a Triumvirate (for the most part but that’s a different post entirely), TNG is much more of an ensemble. Pulaski didn’t have a Kirk nor a Spock to bounce off of or either let her traits shine or be kept in check like McCoy did nor did she really develop any unique relations for herself aside from maybe with Troi. We hear about her empathy and humanitarianism, but we don’t really see it on-screen like we did with McCoy. She has his surface level traits, not the deeper ones that the Triumvirate dynamic along his doctor position allowed him to showcase. In other words, Pulaski was put in a series that wasn’t designed for her while McCoy was exactly where he needed to be in order to thrive. It really speaks to how much the TNG writers didn’t really seem to get McCoy or why and how his character worked, which is strange since they got him right when he showed up in the series premiere. But maybe that was due to DeForest Kelley and him absolutely knowing the character he’d played for so long. But yeah they tried to replicate McCoy, and it just didn’t work with TNG’s already established character dynamics nor did they fully get the character that they were trying to recreate. If I want McCoy, I’ll go watch TOS or AOS. I didn’t need Pulaski for that.

#2. Data and Misconstrued Character Dynamics; This is in relation to the first reason and REALLY shows how much the writers didn’t think the dynamics through. We all know how much Spock and McCoy bantered. How they are opposite ends of the spectrum and how their perspective points helped Kirk in making his decisions. Well clealry they wanted to re-create that with Pulaski and Data. Makes sense, Pulaski represents the humanism and Data the logical. But there’s one big, BIG problem with that: Data is NOT Spock. A lot fo people have pointed this out, but here’s the thing about Spock. Despite whatever he may have said, Spock DID have emotions. He kept them suppressed due to the issues in his upbringing and that wasn’t necessarily healthy, but he did have them. And despite speaking in a calm manner, he was also an utter sass bucket, could be rude, and had no issue putting down humanity if he had a point to make. He and McCoy were very much equal in their bantering and yes maybe McCoy could go too far with his insults, but there was always an equal balance and Spock was also perfectly capable of starting/escalating their spats. There were also plenty of moments to show that in spite of it, they were still friends and cared a great deal about each other with probably the best examples of this being The Immunity Syndrome, Bread and Circuses, The Empath, and plenty of moments in others like Miri and For the World is Hollow… Those who have been following me know how much I love the Spock/McCoy dynamic and I could go all day, but the point is it’s a complex relationship that may seem like disdain on the outside, but is so much more when you examine it up close.

Data however? Data is intelligent and the Science Officer with a calm demeanor, but that’s about where the similarity between him and Spock ends. Data is an android. I do not believe that he is emotionless, he just has a different wiring that causes him to feel things differently. He’s never shown disdain towards humanity at least from what I’ve observed thus far. If anything, he actively seeks to understand it and emotions more. He actively has hobbies like Sherlock Holmes. He tries things like sneezing and growing a beard in an effort to understand more. Data is more or less a child with a child-like understanding of things and he doesn’t really understand social cues or things like humor, but he DOES have emotions and feelings. There’s too much on-screen evidence to say otherwise. He just has his own way of processing it. This is what makes Pulaski look so bad. When she calls Data a machine, says he can’t understand, and even purposefully mispronounces his name, she comes across as an outright bully. She is essentially bullying a neurodivergent child. Do I need to explain why that’s awful? Data, while by no means a doormat, isn’t the type to sass back or make any biting comments back like Spock would. There is no balance. There is no equal footing. There are not enough positive interactions outside the banter to show that there is something deeper there at the end of the day like Spock and McCoy did. Heck you can even compare how Pulaski and McCoy talk to Data via McCoy’s guest appearance in Encounter at Farpoint. He DOES make a quip about Vulcans when talking to Data and when Data points out he’s an android not a Vulcan, McCoy mumbles “Just as bad.” But immediately after he gives Data genuine heartfelt advice on treating the Enterprise with care. It’s clear that ultimately it’s McCoy being his usual grumpy self who’d be acting the same way towards anyone else and is otherwise perfectly civil and encouraging to Data. We’ve known him long enough to know this. Pulaski didn’t have that luxury, coming off as condescending towards Data at best and considering that she’s a doctor, it looks especially bad.

Now to be fair this only lasts for about four episodes. Pulaski does start catching herself by her second episode, and stops completely after Unnatural Selection when Data helps her and stays with her after she gets the aging virus. After that she’s MUCH moe civil to him, even defending his choice going against the Prime Directive in Pen Pals and was at his retirement party in The Measure of a Man. But clearly the damage had been done. Data is a very beloved character and by Oulaski’s intro had already been established and well-liked character. Data was treated equally and was valued as far more than just an android among the rest of the crew, Crusher included, so Pulaski coming in a season later and acting that way also didn’t help. The writers did not think through why Spock and McCoy worked and how to try figure out a unique dynamic for Pulaski and Data. Instead they just tried to copy TOS, and it utterly failed. It ruined Pulaski’s chances before she could even really start running. But I do believe that she could have rebounded and as I said, she DID get past it. She did relapse some at the end of the season in Peak Performance to the point I wanna say that maybe it chronologically happened earlier in the season, but even then she felt realized her screw up and apologized. It’s still an improvement from early on. But things just weren’t meant to be, which leads is to…

#3. She Only Lasted One Season/She Replaced Dr. Crusher: I believe that the biggest thing that worked against Pulaski is simple: she was cut after Season 2. Pulaski was created when Gates MacFadden left the show. I’ve seen conflicting reasons as to why, but regardless she left and a CMO was needed. IDK how popular Crusher was, but I had really enjoyed her. She was essentially the mom of the ship which added something different from TOS (wel McCoy was also the mom lets be real XD), had a son onboard which also added something new, was very much capable and devoted to her job, and was a badass when she got to use a phaser. Her being written out sucked, but that’s not necessarily a reason to hate Pulaski. But as I highlighted above, she just didn’t work. They tried to make McCoy, but without the dynamics and depth that let McCoy flourish. TNG is not TOS. Whenever TNG tried replicating TOS like with The Naked Now? It blew up in their faces. The key to a spinoff or reboot is to keep certain themes and tone alive, but to not just replicate what came before. TNG flourished when it began to find it’s own footing, and ultimately lasted four seasons longer than it’s predecessor due to it.

I genuinely believe that Pulaski COULD have developed into her own character and could have found her place the same way that McCoy did. But alas that didn’t happen. People wanted Crusher back, so they managed to get MacFadden to return and thus Crusher was put back in her rightful place. Because of it, Pulaski was just forgotten about. She didn’t get the chance to form her own character. She didn’t the chance to develop further and leave her early days behind. Why? Because she simply wasn’t given the opprotunity to do so. I can’t say it was the wrong choice, but it’s an utter shame because I do believe that Pulaski was on her way to improving. But it was too late. Her bad start with Data, her character not working in the TNG dynamic, and her replacing an already perfectly likeable character who did fit the dynamics all amounted to the character’s abrupt end. And because she didn’t get the chance to develop further and find her own path, her bad reputation has stuck to this very day.

In the end, the whole thing just feels like a waste. Pulaski had potential, but it just didn’t work in the end. I can’t say that I hate her. If anything, I feel bad for her. The writers failed her at the end of the day and by the time they tried correcting their errors, the audience had already made their judgement. It may have been for the best to just drop her and bring Crusher back, but I also hate seeing character potential just so utterly wasted. I hope that if any side material used Pulaski, they were able to find a much better direction for her. I can’t say that I love Pulaski. In a more TOS-like setting maybe she’d have worked better. But in the end I think that Pulaski was a decent character who just had too much working against her and they caused her to crash and burn. Just an unfortunate case all in all.

(Image Source)

#this is all mainly opinion so feel free to ig kre

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taxicabinmemphis · 3 years

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Pick any star trek ship and roll with it (sorry I don't really know about them)

Spirk bc they are my current fixation. also you are adorable and a very kind friend for playing to my interests, even ones you don’t know. ily

when I started shipping it: idk it kinda came from the influence of star trek tumblr bc I watched star trek before I knew what gay was and couldn’t realize they were gay lmao

my thoughts: married. husbands. we all know they’re gay. my friend has seen one (1) episode (one that I don’t even remember as really spirk-y) and she went “you are so right. [this moment]? pretty gay.” so like it’s obvious. they’re made for each other. in the search for spock kirk was like “spock? dead? I won’t accept that. even if I have to risk my life, my son, my ship, and my career to save him, I will” among other obvious gay moments throughout the movies and series.

what makes me happy about them: they’re funny and I think they’re honestly just. so cute. like the cuteness factor is much higher than you’d think for them (if you consider the characters separately).

what makes me sad about them: not canon.

things done in fanfic that annoy me: idk maybe spock being just a bit too emotional than he should be maybe? like emotional breakdowns are all fine and good but like it kinda is weird to me if people write him as ‘now very loving and visually emotional as a person in a casual, normal environment’ because I don’t think spock’s personality has to or should change just because he has a boyfriend. kirk’s already smitten so he ain’t got to do anything to appease him. spock can still be not very visually emotional and still express love. ever heard of vulcan kissing. so easy. he probably does that all the time. i mean they’ve already shared many a vulcan kiss in the series so

things i look for in fanfic: mutual pining. there’s so much for them as husbands which is fully valid I am just personally a HUGE mutual pining fan.

who i’d be comfortable them ending up with if not each other: they are soulmates and don’t belong with anyone else but i mean spones is valid i guess. I don’t really like any other kirk ship though. i mean sure he loved edith keeler but we all know the iconic “edith keeler must die” so like. doesn’t work. but idk they both show so much love for each other, spock through literally any of his self sacrificing (for either kirk or the ship, see the apple and the immunity syndrome for those examples respectively) actions, and kirk’s every action in the search for spock. also how do you explain spock wanting to undergo kolinahr after retiring from starfleet, cishets? hmm? it’s just weird to think of them with anyone else, at least for me. tho again spones is valid

happily ever after with them: together. space husbands being domestic. idk.

big spoon/little spoon: they both give off little spoon energy idk what to tell you so they probably take turns. maybe tho spock is little spoon kirk is big spoon bc spock’s little spoon energy is higher than kirk’s.

favorite activity: idk. chess maybe. being smart with each other. who knows.

#ask #somehow-i-got-an-account #ask game #sorry i'm posting this in the morning i was just busy lol

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beastlyanachronism · 4 years

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Fandom Ask Game

I was kindly tagged by @wolfiejimi for Star Trek TOS, so here goes

(I'll limit this to the series itself because the movie era is a whole other kettle of fish) My favourite female character: Nyota Uhura. There is a decided paucity of good female characters in TOS, but fortunately Uhura is there as a great example of a real "strong female character" – i.e. not a gun-slinging hard-hitting "hero" but a well-rounded person that balances competency with warmth. She always gives the impression of having an actual life beyond the framework of the events we see in the episodes. My favourite male character: Well, it has to be Spock. The idea of Star Trek without Spock is just inconceivable. (Although I don't like when people suggest that Spock is the main character of TOS. Kirk is 100% the main character.) I relate to his reserve and aspire to his stoicism, I suppose. My favourite book/season etc.: Season 3 gets an awful bad rep so I'm going to say Season 3 just to be contrary. It's the first one I encountered, it has many gems (no empath pun intended) and even at its worst, it's mostly enjoyable. Besides, half the fun of watching TOS is shouting "what???" at the screen at frequent intervals. My favourite episode (if it's a TV show): The Immunity Syndrome. Why? No guest stars! Just the crew of the Enterprise being protective of each other without interruption! And there's an amoeba in space aaaaah! My favourite cast member: DeForest Kelley. Every anecdote about him is so endearing. It seems he really was a true gent. My favourite ship: Well my mind says "spirk" and my heart says "spones", so I take a leaf out of Spock's book and use my intellect to bridge my two warring halves, leaving me with the galaxy-brained answer, mcspirk.

When we see them during TOS I don't think they're together yet, I just think Kirk has an attraction to Spock that he presumes is unreturnable. I like to think Kirk and Spock get together after Turnabout Intruder (maybe immediately after?) but it would take many years more before the Spock-McCoy relationship mellows enough for Bones to join the family.

I am somewhat loath to solve clashing ships with polyamory, but if there was ever a case where it would be realistically viable, mcspirk is it. Also, Bones is incapable of reaching fulfilment unless he gets a happy marriage, and no-one is good enough for him except S and K. I love the platonic triumvirate friendship, but mcspirk is endgame in my opinion. A character I'd die defending: Hmm. I suppose this would be Bones. When I watch the show, he annoys me sometimes, but fanon explores the depths of his character and motivations, showing that he is really a cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure. He's so vulnerable to hurt and despair, he must be protected at all costs. A character I just can't sympathise with: Gary Mitchell. In Where No Man Has Gone Before, I think that Kirk thinks "oh what a tragedy, my witty and talented friend just couldn't handle having godlike powers because no man can handle that level of responsibility". However, I think that Kirk had a blind spot regarding Mitchell, who was actually a manipulative, conniving narcissist even in their academy days.

I think this opinion is backed up by the script (he definitely had undue influence over Kirk if he nearly made him marry someone?). [Also, if you explore the idea that Kirk could be trans, and that Mitchell's "James R Kirk" gravestone was a deliberate jab at his deadname, it all fits together weirdly well.]

But I also admit that my dislike of Gary Mitchell stems largely from my naive jealousy, on behalf of Spock and Bones, that Jim ever had a real best friend before they came along.

A character I grew to love: Christine Chapel. When I first came across Trek through tumblr, I assumed that this beautiful lady in the background was just a typical 1960's dumb blonde background character, just there to look pretty and be in distress. I eventually realised I was totally wrong. The scenes where she seems to have got over her crush on Spock in a mature way (e.g. Plato's Stepchildren) and especially the scenes where she secretly tricks patients into being afraid of McCoy, unbeknownst to him, show her intelligence and depth.

My anti-OTP:

Kirk and the girl of the week. This is where Season 3 kind of lets itself down, because in most of Season 1 it's made quite clear that Kirk seeks to avoid involvement with women because his captaincy requires all his concentration. I don't mind when he flirts deliberately and cynically for an ulterior motive (e.g. Catspaw, Gamesters of Triskelion etc etc) or when he genuinely falls in love in a realistic way (Edith Keeler), but when he starts thinking he's in love with someone he just met, it's stupid and OOC. [I'm looking at you, Requiem for Methuselah...]

If you see this post and would like to do this for a fandom of your choice, feel free to say that I tagged you!

#star trek tos #ask game #unmitigated bleat

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bemusedlybespectacled · 6 years

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one of the things that pisses me off about pop culture’s idea of kirk is this notion that kirk is like

an asshole

like not just in the sense of being a womanizer (which is also not supported by canon at all) but in the sense of breaking rules for no reason, fighting because it’s fun, and winning on luck rather than by intelligence

which

we know that kirk is better than spock at 3D chess (because he plays on intuition and a knowledge of his opponent, rather than on pure logic). so the idea of him being a mindless thug just doesn’t fly. and we see him risking his life over and over again to help various alien cultures. kirk’s main trait isn’t assholery, it’s optimism.

let me explain that a little bit: kirk is supposed to be the middle ground between spock (mostly logic with little emotion) and mccoy (mostly emotion with little logic). spock’s flaw is that he sometimes fails to consider human emotions and reactions when making a decision; mccoy’s flaw is that sometimes sentiment can cloud his judgement about what the correct course of action is. kirk is supposed to have spock’s intellect with mccoy’s human feeling and understanding.

the added bonus, though, is the optimism. in general it’s a love of humanity and a belief in the goodness of others; more specifically, we see kirk gamble a lot. the corbomite maneuver (which he pulls twice) is explicitly compared to bluffing in poker. kirk often chooses risky options if it means helping people (rescuing spock from the space amoeba in “the immunity syndrome,” for example). kirk doesn’t beat the kobayashi maru because he likes to win or because he thinks he must win because he’s hot shit: kirk beats the kobayashi maru because he doesn’t believe there is such a thing as a no-win scenario.

miss me with your kirk shaming and stop confusing him with zapp brannigan

#star trek #star trek tos #captain james t kirk #kirk #personal #hall of fame

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astrangergivingthestrangewelcome · 7 years

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Why I don't Believe in Star Trek's Triumverate

When I say Triumverate I mean the belief that many people hold which is that Spock Bones and Kirk have some sort of special bond that goes all three ways. Some people make it romantic (I ship Spirk, let’s get that up front now) other people make it one big bromance, but the key thing is that all three men feel the same way about each other.

This simply isn’t true if we look at the the canon material. The one exception would be the Final Frontier, Shatner practically beat us over the head with Triumverate in that film.

The thing is what was portrayed in that movie was not consistent with what we had seen up to that point.

While I personally though several bits of Final Frontier had merit (particularly the “Not in front of the Klingons” business but I’m biased) it’s scenes like the three of them singing Row Row Your Boat around a campfire and saying good night fifty million times that show why the film is considered the series’ worse. The Triumverate scenes don’t fit.

The relationships between the three men in TOS are completely different. Briefly: Kirk and Spock are in love, Kirk and Bones are best friends, Bones and Spock are a mess.

Okay. If you disagree with my breakdown I’d love it if you kept reading. I’d love some friendly discourse.

So I really want to get into how I perceive the relationship between Spock and McCoy, because that’s where I find myself shaking my head and going, “This feels wrong” in fics I read and posts I see. I *think* most people who’ll be reading this seeing as it is Tumblr will agree with me that Spock and Kirk are head overheels, always touching, dig it in there Mr. Spock in love with each other. And I hope many of you will agree that Bones and Kirk have always been there for one another through out their adventures and they really are like family to one another.

But there’s this sentiment in the fandom over how good of a relationship Spock and Bones have and this is what I have the most issue with.

I’m not gonna go saying how Spock and Bones are enemies or anything like that because that’s really not my point at all, I don’t believe that. Just watch The Empath. McCoy wasn’t about to let Spock die for him. Likewise in All Our Yesterday(ya know Bones and Spock get stranded on the ice planet) Spock wasn’t about to leave McCoy behind.

However the only times we see the two of them getting along and actually maybe being nice to eachother is under dire circumstances. Whenever it’s just normal day to day interactions they yell at eachother (hell they yell at eachother in dire circumstances as well most of the time). This isn’t normal. People like to pretend it’s all friendly bickering but it isn’t. Spock makes that quite clear in All Our Yesterdays with this little interaction

“You listen to me, you pointed-eared Vulcan.”

“I don’t like that. I don’t think I ever did and now I’m sure!”

Kirk enjoys an easy relationship with both of them. Kirk and Spock play chess together, Kirk and Bones drink and laugh.

Spock and Bones don’t have anything like that. They insult each other. That’s all they do.

Now I think McCoy is a good guy. I think he’s an excellent doctor with excellent bedside manner plus the fact he’s just always ready to fight amuses me to no end.

But he doesn’t understand Spock and he thinks that he does and it Bothers me So Much because after years of working with someone like Spock it’s like he never bothered to look past the surface.

For example the end speech of Requiem for Methuselah where McCoy goes on about how Spock will never know love and how pitiable that is and right after he leaves, right after he leaves, Spock tenderly goes up Kirk, puts his arms around him and goes “Forget.”

But Spock doesn’t know how to love someone remember? That’s what McCoy said.

Look at the space amoeba episode “Immunity Syndrome”. Those two idiots were at eachother’s throats the entire episode over who gets to go on a suicide mission to the point it was getting hiralious. Kirk’s over here sad and agonizing over which of the two people he loves the most he’s going to send to go die basically and meanwhile Spock and Bones are literally bickering over who gets to die first. My favorite thing is when Kirk decides to pick Spock and says the words “I’m sorry Spock” because,,, ya know,,, it’s a suicide mission and Kirk is sorry Spock’s going on one and Bones thinks that that means he got the job, because he’s just that eager to go on the suicide mission. (Like I said, idiots.)

Anyway look at this interaction right before Spock goes off into space.

MCCOY: You’re determined not to let me share in this, aren’t you?

SPOCK: This is not a competition, Doctor. Whether you understand it or not, grant me my own kind of dignity.

MCCOY: Vulcan dignity? How can I grant you what I don’t understand?

SPOCK: Then employ one of your own superstitions. Wish me luck.

(Silence and stares, then McCoy opens the hangar deck door. Spock walks across and into the Galileo. The doors shut.)

MCCOY: Good luck, Spock.

McCoy gets it wrong. Again. Spock’s not interested in hogging an important scientific discovery to himself, he’s not selfish like that, he never was. Spock thought he was the best fit for the job, that was it end of story. McCoy doesn’t get him. It also speaks to how messed up their relationship is that McCoy can only say good luck when Spock can no longer hear.

But the strongest evidence for just how much McCoy doesn’t understand Spock is in the episode Tholian Web. Bones and Spock are both grieving the loss of Captain Kirk and Bones antagonizes Spock. I find it unbelievable, Bones really does question Spock’s every decision. If you don’t remember the episode basically the ship lost Kirk, there’s a thin hope they could get him back, but the Tholians are ordering them to get out of Tholian space. Tensions run high as Spock risks every thing to try and get him back.

Take a look at this interaction between Spock and Bones

MCCOY: (looking at a medal) He was a hero in every sense of the word, yet his life was sacrificed for nothing. The one thing that would have given his death meaning is the safety of the Enterprise. Now you’ve made that impossible, Mister Spock.

SPOCK: We came here for a specific purpose, Doctor.

MCCOY: Maybe not the same one. I really came here to find out why you stayed and fought.

SPOCK: The Captain would have remained to recover a crew member at the risk of his own life or even his own ship.

MCCOY: Yes, he would, Mister Spock, but you didn’t have that decision to make. What would you gain by fighting the Tholians? You could have assured yourself of a captaincy by leaving the area. But you chose to stay. Why?

SPOCK: I need not explain my rationale to you or any other member of this crew. There is a margin of variation in any experiment. While there was a chance, I was bound legally and morally to ascertain the Captain’s status.

MCCOY: You mean to be sure if he was dead. Well, you made certain of that.

Yeah. What the hell. The fact that McCoy can’t put together that maybe Spock stayed because he would do anything to save his Captain, the fact that he would think Spock would WANT the captaincy at the expense of Jim’s life, that he would be eager and happy to take off and leave Kirk behind is baffling to me.

How the hell can you know a man for so long and yet get everything he is and everything he stands for so completely wrong.

Spock’s not an open book. He was taught to repress all his emotions when he was a kid and this has caused him so much damage it’s incredible. He has absolutely no idea how to handle his emotions in a healthy way, so when shit really hits the fan like it did in Tholian Web and he’s really hurting that’s when he puts up his shields the most because he can’t deal with what he’s experiencing. That’s when he really needs to be given a break but that’s exactly when he can’t get them because he’s the first officer and the whole ship is counting on him.

So it’s not easy to get to know him. But Jim does. Jim understands Spock completely. He doesn’t have to say a thing. He understands and has the uptmost respect for the bravery, competence and selflessness.

Bones doesn’t. He just doesn’t.

#star trek #jim kirk #spirk #triumvirate #leonard mccoy #mr. spock #spock #the original series #st:tos

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