[net.startrek] pon farr query

m1b@rayssd.UUCP (11/20/84)

	This may have come over the net already, so bear with me.

	During the series, when Spock goes through pon farr
("Amok Time"?), he goes to great lengths to return to Vulcan,
otherwise he will *die*.  Now, in STIII, there is no desire
to return to Vulcan.  My question to the panel of experts is:
why doesn't Spock die since he cannot possibly get to Vulcan?

	I have a possible solution but I don't want to bias the
responses that will probably be more clever!  Thanks.


Joe Barone,		{allegra, decvax!brunix, ccieng5}!rayssd!m1b
Raytheon Co,		 Submarine Signal Div., Portsmouth, RI

friedman@uiucdcs.UUCP (11/24/84)

In Amok Time, it wasn't a matter of returning to Vulcan for the sake of
being on the planet; it was a matter of going there because that was
where his bondmate was (T'Pring).

rcook@uiucuxc.UUCP (11/25/84)

    

    And to add to that, Spock had not reached "Pon Farr" yet as he was then
a young boy again.  He simply grabbed the first available lady that knew
what she was doing ( and Saavik just happened to be available )!

Rob Cook
 /* then again, I could be wrong! */

merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant) (11/28/84)

> 	During the series, when Spock goes through pon farr
> ("Amok Time"?), he goes to great lengths to return to Vulcan,
> otherwise he will *die*.  Now, in STIII, there is no desire
> to return to Vulcan.  My question to the panel of experts is:
> why doesn't Spock die since he cannot possibly get to Vulcan?
> 
> 	I have a possible solution but I don't want to bias the
> responses that will probably be more clever!  Thanks.
> 
> 
> Joe Barone,		{allegra, decvax!brunix, ccieng5}!rayssd!m1b


Well, let's see.  There are two good answers:

1.  It wasn't the fact that Spock was away from Vulcan that would
    have caused him to die, it was the fact that he was away from
    whatsername.  She just happened to be on Vulcan.  Ergo, Spock
    had to get to Vulcan.

2.  He had to return to the land of his birth.  Before, he was 
    born on Vulcan.  Therefor, he had to return to Vulcan.  In
    this case, he was "born" on Genesis.  He was already there
    so he didn't have to worry.

Good right margins, too.
--
                                                          Peter Merchant

frdish@aecom.UUCP (11/28/84)

> 
> 	This may have come over the net already, so bear with me.
> 
> 	During the series, when Spock goes through pon farr
> ("Amok Time"?), he goes to great lengths to return to Vulcan,
> otherwise he will *die*.  Now, in STIII, there is no desire
> to return to Vulcan.  My question to the panel of experts is:
> why doesn't Spock die since he cannot possibly get to Vulcan?
> 
> 	I have a possible solution but I don't want to bias the
> responses that will probably be more clever!  Thanks.
> 
> 
> Joe Barone,		{allegra, decvax!brunix, ccieng5}!rayssd!m1b
> Raytheon Co,		 Submarine Signal Div., Portsmouth, RI

I don't think it was Vulcan that was so important to Spock, but
the fact that T'Pring was on Vulcan.
-- 

		"It's either believe that, or else believe we're 
		 only characters in a series of stories being 
		 written by a couple of hacks who need the money."

Larry Freund
UUCP: {cucard,philabs,pegasus,esquire,rocky2,ihnp4}!aecom!frdish

boyajian@akov68.DEC (Jerry Boyajian) (11/28/84)

> From:	rayssd!m1b	(Joe Barone)

> 	During the series, when Spock goes through pon farr
> ("Amok Time"?), he goes to great lengths to return to Vulcan,
> otherwise he will *die*.  Now, in STIII, there is no desire
> to return to Vulcan.  My question to the panel of experts is:
> why doesn't Spock die since he cannot possibly get to Vulcan?

You totally misunderstand the concept of *pon farr*. In "Amok Time", Spock
has to get back to Vulcan, not because there's something about the planet
that will keep him alive, but because there lies the "cure" for his "afflic-
tion".
	Because of the *pon farr*, Spock is driven to mate with what's-her-ears
who is betrothed to him. If he doesn't he will die. If she had been aboard the
*Enterprise* at the time, there would have been no need to go to Vulcan ---
the two of them would have gone to his cabin or hers and gotten laid.
	So, the young Spock in THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, doesn't need to go back
to Vulcan, because there is a handy female right there where he is. And since
*this* Spock was betrothed to anyone in specific (I infer that there is some
sort of mind-meld business during the betrothal that links the two people),
any Vulcan woman would do.


--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA)

UUCP:	{decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian
ARPA:	boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA

bsa@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery) (11/29/84)

> Article <576@rayssd.UUCP>, from m1b@rayssd.UUCP
+----------------
| 	During the series, when Spock goes through pon farr
| ("Amok Time"?), he goes to great lengths to return to Vulcan,
| otherwise he will *die*.  Now, in STIII, there is no desire
| to return to Vulcan.  My question to the panel of experts is:
| why doesn't Spock die since he cannot possibly get to Vulcan?
| 

The question of _p_o_n_ _f_a_r_r has been considered before; something in one
of the Best of TREK suggested that pon farr has two stages:  one of bonding,
taking place in youth, and one taking place later in life.  The latter
was the subject of _A_m_o_k_ _T_i_m_e; the former, that of the scene in ST III.

--bsa
-- 
  Brandon Allbery @ North Coast Xenix  |   the.world!ucbvax!decvax!cwruecmp!
6504 Chestnut Road, Independence, Ohio |       {atvax!}ncoast!{tdi1!}bsa
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bsa@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery) (12/05/84)

> Article <24900064@uiucdcs.UUCP>, from friedman@uiucdcs.UUCP
+----------------
| In Amok Time, it wasn't a matter of returning to Vulcan for the sake of
| being on the planet; it was a matter of going there because that was
| where his bondmate was (T'Pring).

Exactly.  Now think hard:  _W_h_e_r_e_ _d_i_d_ _t_h_e_ _b_o_n_d_ _c_o_m_e_ _f_r_o_m_?
And why would Spock suffer pon farr so young if it took him so long to
have it the first time?

I still think Spock was in need of _m_a_k_i_n_g the bond, not consummating
it.

--bsa
-- 
  Brandon Allbery @ North Coast Xenix  |   the.world!ucbvax!decvax!cwruecmp!
6504 Chestnut Road, Independence, Ohio |       {atvax!}ncoast!{tdi1!}bsa
   (216) 524-1416             \ 44131  | E1439@CSUOHIO.BITNET (friend's acct.)
				       |    BALLBERY (161-7070) on MCI Mail
---------------------------------------+---------------------------------------
	      Keeping the Galaxies safe for Civilization... :-)