On Starship Captains and Vulcans
May. 25th, 2009 10:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakTomorrow evening I'll see the new ST movie again, and finally undubbed, being now back in Munich. You know, two weeks of travelling have led me to the slow realization that it has resulted in a new personal ranking of Favourite Starship Captains. No, Kirk hasn't moved up. (Nothing against Kirk. I have my moments of eyerolling both during TOS and the movies, but the Shatner-less James T. has not inspired them yet. Still, he'll never be among my Top Three Captains.) But Pike has, and I entirely blame the reboot, because if both The Cage and The Menagerie left me awed by anyone, it was Number One. (Oh, Majel Barrett.) Pike Prime left no big impression one way or the other. Reboot!Pike, on the other hand? Mmmmm. He's middle-aged, he's smart, has a quiet sense of humour and can handle messed up boys and Romulan guards alike. Clearly, he's my type.
But of course my all time favourite Starship Captain has remained unchanged. Tonight I rewatched the TNG episode Sarek in a mixture of Vulcan and TNG nostalgia, and while I was at it, I added Unification. (Does this make an unofficial Vulcan-themed trilogy in TNG? I believe it does.)andrastewhite has the theory that the best Doctor Who episodes are the ones that you couldn't transfer from one specific incarnation of the Doctor to another. So Curse of Fenric, while being the quintessential Seven and Ace story, couldn't possibly work as well for any of the others. City of Death is a Four and Romana story, and wouldn't work with *insert any other number of Doctor* and Romana; I'd call both Runaway Bride and Fires of Pompeii as being specifically Ten and Donna. And so forth. Anyway, I think with some caveats you can apply this to the Star Trek franchise, too. In the Pale Moonlight or Duet are DS9 only stories. These specific episodes, drawing on the series-specific mixture of politics, shades of grey and past and present guilt couldn't possibly be transferred to any of the other shows. There is a reason why Q, with the arguable exception of Death Wish, never worked quite right in either DS9 or Voyager; he's very much TNG specific as a foil for Picard and an element of chaos in the by and large unchaotic TNG world. And an episode like The Corbomite Maneuvre is quintessential TOS with its interplay between Kirk, Spock and McCoy and its reliance on Kirk's bluffing.
Rewatching Sarek, it occured to me that as an episode it falls in this untransferable category, and not simply because of the circumstances. (I.e. excepting the pilot with its DeForrest Kelley cameo, this was the first time one of the TOS era characters appeared on TNG, and the kind of emotion this produced in long time viewers just can't be guaranteed on repeat.) It also couldn't work for any of the other shows because plot and execution are so very TNG specific. As has been sneeringly observed in several reviews I've seen in recent weeks, TNG by and large was big on the peaceful solutions, and so that last mission Ambassador Sarek is on before wrapping up his diplomatic career is about concluding negotiations, not a shoot-out. One of the warning signs that something is wrong are the random bickering and arguments starting up between the crew. This would be every day life on DS9, bless. (BTW this doesn't mean that, contrary to the cliché spouted these days, the TNG crew was presented as boringly perfect and above arguments; they weren't. But they were definitely more relaxed on your typical every day mission.) Most importantly, though, the solution to the central problem - Sarek is suffering from Bendii-Syndrome (which makes Vulcans over 200 first lose emotional control and then starts shutting down all their other facilities), the people he's supposed to negotiating with won't trust anyone else - wouldn't have worked with another crew and captain. Picard is himself a deeply private person and most times a stoic, used to controlling his emotions. So you believe that a) he'd empathize with Sarek's need to maintain his dignity, and b) Sarek would see a mind-meld with Picard as an acceptable way to maintain control for the crucial negotiating hours. From a Doylist pov, there is also the fact that the climactic scene, when Sarek's unleased emotions run rampant in Picard while Sarek is negotiating once more in possession of supreme self control, wouldn't work on the audience with another Captain in Picard's place because the contrast wouldn't be big enough. We've seen Kirk and Sisko emote openly on a regular basis (though in different ways), and Janeway. When Picard loses it, it's a big deal because it happens so rarely. (Also because Patrick Stewart rocks, but that's another matter.) So the force of Sarek's pent-up regret, anger, grief and longing channelled through this other usually so restrained man really hits you.
And I love the aftermath, which again wouldn't have worked in another combination. I think the other captains, after having given access to Sarek's memories and emotions, would have insisted on talking with Sarek about what they've learned. (If only because Janeway in her way is the mothering type - be you Maquis or Borg, she knows what's good for you and that is the human, Federation way - and the Sisko, having a good relationship with both his father and son, would not be able to leave without a comment on Sarek's, err, less than smooth history in this regard. As for Kirk, getting Vulcans to admit feelings is his hobby.) Instead, you have the deceptively simple "something of you will always be with me, and something of me will remain with you" - "I believe I have the better part in this, Ambassador" - and it carries such a lot with it in its restraint. (I also like Picard's interactions with Perrin; he's courteous to her both before and after the mind meld, but after there is a subtle awareness that he now has gone through Sarek's feelings and memories for her on both their parts.)
Unification as a whole is a less successful TOS/TNG crossover, with random Sela thrown in (though Data's "maybe you would be happier in another job" is priceless), but both Sarek's near-dying scene with Picard at the start and Spock's scenes with Picard (and Data) in the second part are excellent). Of interest as this is something touched on in debates re: characterisation in the new movie: Picard says, re: Spock to the dying Sarek "I know you love him deeply", and Sarek (in extremis and ill, granted, but still) replies "tell him". Later on, Picard finds a very Vulcan way of doing this when Spock says that he misses the arguments with his father as he found them "inspiring", by replying that Sarek also found them inspiring. Spock coming somewhat to terms with his Sarek issues both via arguing and ultimately mind-melding with Picard is poignant (and also leaves me with the thought that in the new AU, he'll have the chance to do so with another version of his father - Spock Prime, I mean. Alt!Spock didn't go through the whole 12 years of enstrangement and ensuing edgy relationship to begin with.) .
Lastly, I got my hands on Countdown, the comics prequel to the new movie, which does deliver an explanation for Nero's and the other Romulans looks in same but more importantly turns out to be another TNG crossover, as it stars Data, Picard and Worf in addition to Spock and Nero. In said comics, Picard's post-Enterprise life turns out to have led him to, wait for it, Vulcan, where he's the Federation's ambassador. Coming full circle. I think Sarek would be pleased.
But of course my all time favourite Starship Captain has remained unchanged. Tonight I rewatched the TNG episode Sarek in a mixture of Vulcan and TNG nostalgia, and while I was at it, I added Unification. (Does this make an unofficial Vulcan-themed trilogy in TNG? I believe it does.)
andrastewhite has the theory that the best Doctor Who episodes are the ones that you couldn't transfer from one specific incarnation of the Doctor to another. So Curse of Fenric, while being the quintessential Seven and Ace story, couldn't possibly work as well for any of the others. City of Death is a Four and Romana story, and wouldn't work with *insert any other number of Doctor* and Romana; I'd call both Runaway Bride and Fires of Pompeii as being specifically Ten and Donna. And so forth. Anyway, I think with some caveats you can apply this to the Star Trek franchise, too. In the Pale Moonlight or Duet are DS9 only stories. These specific episodes, drawing on the series-specific mixture of politics, shades of grey and past and present guilt couldn't possibly be transferred to any of the other shows. There is a reason why Q, with the arguable exception of Death Wish, never worked quite right in either DS9 or Voyager; he's very much TNG specific as a foil for Picard and an element of chaos in the by and large unchaotic TNG world. And an episode like The Corbomite Maneuvre is quintessential TOS with its interplay between Kirk, Spock and McCoy and its reliance on Kirk's bluffing. Rewatching Sarek, it occured to me that as an episode it falls in this untransferable category, and not simply because of the circumstances. (I.e. excepting the pilot with its DeForrest Kelley cameo, this was the first time one of the TOS era characters appeared on TNG, and the kind of emotion this produced in long time viewers just can't be guaranteed on repeat.) It also couldn't work for any of the other shows because plot and execution are so very TNG specific. As has been sneeringly observed in several reviews I've seen in recent weeks, TNG by and large was big on the peaceful solutions, and so that last mission Ambassador Sarek is on before wrapping up his diplomatic career is about concluding negotiations, not a shoot-out. One of the warning signs that something is wrong are the random bickering and arguments starting up between the crew. This would be every day life on DS9, bless. (BTW this doesn't mean that, contrary to the cliché spouted these days, the TNG crew was presented as boringly perfect and above arguments; they weren't. But they were definitely more relaxed on your typical every day mission.) Most importantly, though, the solution to the central problem - Sarek is suffering from Bendii-Syndrome (which makes Vulcans over 200 first lose emotional control and then starts shutting down all their other facilities), the people he's supposed to negotiating with won't trust anyone else - wouldn't have worked with another crew and captain. Picard is himself a deeply private person and most times a stoic, used to controlling his emotions. So you believe that a) he'd empathize with Sarek's need to maintain his dignity, and b) Sarek would see a mind-meld with Picard as an acceptable way to maintain control for the crucial negotiating hours. From a Doylist pov, there is also the fact that the climactic scene, when Sarek's unleased emotions run rampant in Picard while Sarek is negotiating once more in possession of supreme self control, wouldn't work on the audience with another Captain in Picard's place because the contrast wouldn't be big enough. We've seen Kirk and Sisko emote openly on a regular basis (though in different ways), and Janeway. When Picard loses it, it's a big deal because it happens so rarely. (Also because Patrick Stewart rocks, but that's another matter.) So the force of Sarek's pent-up regret, anger, grief and longing channelled through this other usually so restrained man really hits you.
And I love the aftermath, which again wouldn't have worked in another combination. I think the other captains, after having given access to Sarek's memories and emotions, would have insisted on talking with Sarek about what they've learned. (If only because Janeway in her way is the mothering type - be you Maquis or Borg, she knows what's good for you and that is the human, Federation way - and the Sisko, having a good relationship with both his father and son, would not be able to leave without a comment on Sarek's, err, less than smooth history in this regard. As for Kirk, getting Vulcans to admit feelings is his hobby.) Instead, you have the deceptively simple "something of you will always be with me, and something of me will remain with you" - "I believe I have the better part in this, Ambassador" - and it carries such a lot with it in its restraint. (I also like Picard's interactions with Perrin; he's courteous to her both before and after the mind meld, but after there is a subtle awareness that he now has gone through Sarek's feelings and memories for her on both their parts.)
Unification as a whole is a less successful TOS/TNG crossover, with random Sela thrown in (though Data's "maybe you would be happier in another job" is priceless), but both Sarek's near-dying scene with Picard at the start and Spock's scenes with Picard (and Data) in the second part are excellent). Of interest as this is something touched on in debates re: characterisation in the new movie: Picard says, re: Spock to the dying Sarek "I know you love him deeply", and Sarek (in extremis and ill, granted, but still) replies "tell him". Later on, Picard finds a very Vulcan way of doing this when Spock says that he misses the arguments with his father as he found them "inspiring", by replying that Sarek also found them inspiring. Spock coming somewhat to terms with his Sarek issues both via arguing and ultimately mind-melding with Picard is poignant (and also leaves me with the thought that in the new AU, he'll have the chance to do so with another version of his father - Spock Prime, I mean. Alt!Spock didn't go through the whole 12 years of enstrangement and ensuing edgy relationship to begin with.) .
Lastly, I got my hands on Countdown, the comics prequel to the new movie, which does deliver an explanation for Nero's and the other Romulans looks in same but more importantly turns out to be another TNG crossover, as it stars Data, Picard and Worf in addition to Spock and Nero. In said comics, Picard's post-Enterprise life turns out to have led him to, wait for it, Vulcan, where he's the Federation's ambassador. Coming full circle. I think Sarek would be pleased.
