Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is shaping up to be a tragedy for Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck). Debuting in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Ethan Peck plays the younger version of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Star Trek’s Prime Timeline. In the years before he joins Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek: The Original Series, Lt. Spock serves as Chief Science Officer on the USS Enterprise, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). But Spock’s road to becoming the Vulcan Leonard Nimoy embodied hasn’t been easy.
Star Trek: Discovery season 2 reintroduced Spock as the adoptive half-brother of Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), who was estranged from Spock since childhood. Burnham found Spock suffering from a psychological breakdown after an encounter with the Red Angel (Sonja Sohn). Ultimately, Spock and Michael reconciled before she led the USS Discovery on a one-way trip 930 years into the future. Spock returned to his duties aboard the Starship Enterprise on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but the Vulcan Science Officer’s journey hasn’t been any easier since his sister vanished into the far future.
Why Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Is Really Spock’s Tragedy
Spock suffers a lot of heartache in Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has tested Lt. Spock since the series began, and the Vulcan’s time aboard the USS Enterprise thus far has been a series of romantic tragedies. Spock was engaged to T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), but that relationship fractured as Spock pursued his feelings for Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush). But in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ musical, Chapel broke it off with Spock with a song, “I’m Ready,” in front of many of the Enterprise’s crew. At Terrificon, Ethan Peck addressed how Spock’s traumatic moments are shaping him into the Spock Leonard Nimoy played in Star Trek: The Original Series:
I think the intention with that, and I’m just sort of theorizing here, is that Spock becomes the way he is, I think, because of these interactions that really crush him… He decides maybe I won’t be so human because it’s much easier to go through the world and the universe feeling less… So I think that’s sort of the intention of [Nurse Chapel’s song] “I’m Ready”…
Ethen Peck confirms Spock’s experiences on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds “really crush him.” Indeed, Lt. Spock’s heartache seems to compound. Spock felt he wasn’t Vulcan enough for T’Pring, despite her stating that she accepts both his Vulcan and human sides. Meanwhile, Spock allowed himself to be vulnerable to Chapel, and he was hurt when she chose to pursue her career instead. The more Spock gets hurt emotionally on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the clearer his course to becoming Leonard Nimoy’s version of Spock gets.
Spock Is More Vulcan In Star Trek: The Original Series Because Of Strange New Worlds
Now we know why Spock defines himself as Vulcan
Given the disappointments and very human pain Lt. Spock endures in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it’s evident why Leonard Nimoy’s Spock decides to subsume his human side and present himself as fully Vulcan. In Star Trek: The Original Series, Spock often derides humans and proudly extols Vulcan logic.Strange New Worlds now contextualizes Spock’s behavior as a defense mechanism born from his experiences on Captain Pike’s Enterprise. Of course, Spock does still feel love and occasionally shows his humanity in TOS, but he quickly reverts to his cool Vulcan demeanor.
While Spock’s love life is in shambles in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the Vulcan Science Officer does embark on a bromance. Lt. Spock met Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, and their friendship will further develop in season 3. Kirk becomes the most important person to Spock, and vice versa, with their friendship spanning decades of adventures, heroism, and mutual sacrifice. Spock’s time on the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds may be defined by tragedy, but there’s also the spark of what will be between Leonard Nimoy’s Spock and William Shatner’s Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series.