In the eighth episode of the fifth season of The Next Generation, Spock reveals his plan. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
God, this was just so satisfying for me, and everything I wanted out of an episode like this happened AND EVEN MORE.
Cowboy Diplomacy
Can we just assume that’s a slight reference to Captain Kirk? Well, I’m going to because THAT’S HALF OF THE ORIGINAL SERIES EPISODES. Truthfully, though, I think it’s a brilliant line because it helps explain why Spock’s behavior feels so unlike him and so dangerous. It’s not like Spock to ignore Federation protocol, especially not on a visit that’s so obviously controversial. I don’t think Spock was ever naïve enough to believe that his actions wouldn’t ruffle feathers back home. He simply hoped that he could do what he could, as a Vulcan, to fulfill a dream that had no real chance of success until this very moment.
I think it’s realistic, then, that Picard and Spock don’t necessarily get along during that initial meeting. They’re not openly hostile to one another or anything of the sort, but they’re not on the same page. Spock has his own interests at stake, and Picard has his duty to contend with. Even when Spock reveals what he’s trying to do – re-unify the Vulcan and Romulan people – Picard still isn’t quite ready to join forces with the legendary Starfleet officer. He doesn’t believe in the possibility, and you know what? I don’t blame him. I was skeptical of reunification as well. How do you undo generations worth of cultural hatred and prejudice in a matter of days? Yes, Spock just wanted to start the process, but even getting it started in a place like Romulus was an ambitious idea.
I don’t quite understand Spock’s motivations for the whole “cowboy diplomacy†he takes part in here, only because he’s referencing something I’ve not seen. (Will The Next Generation flash back to tell us what happened when the Klingon peace was negotiated?) Regardless, I found a lot of sense in Spock’s decision to give this complicated plan a chance.
It’s a Trap
Despite that Spock was very much aware that this might all be a trap, he persisted on with the plan to have the young Preconsul in the Senate introduce reunification. My wariness, though, stemmed from how easy it was for Spock to get the man to talk about something that most Romulans wouldn’t entertain for a second. Plus, I didn’t like the Preconsul’s face. HE LOOKED LIKE A LIAR. Honestly, though, any time a difficult task goes smoothly? I get suspicious. VERY SUSPICIOUS.
What’s interesting about the design of the second part of “Unification†is how there are multiple traps set by the Romulans, and all of them are avoided by ingenuity and intellect. It’s a very Star Trek resolution to these conflicts, you know? Riker reasons that the Vulcan ships that enter Federation territory aren’t what they seem; and Data and Spock use their minds to crack the Romulan computer encryption in order to pull a fast one on Commander Sela. (GOD, DENISE CROSBY IS SO GOOD AS A VILLAIN.) Which is a good thing, because holy shit, what Sela had planned was so devious and awful. It’s been a while since we’ve had an antagonist like her on the show, y’all! She’s oppressive, downright cruel, and poses a legitimate threat to the peace of numerous nations and peoples. It’s the closest The Next Generation has ever gotten to a Big Bad aside from The Borg, which still has only ever shown up twice.
I’M A BIG FAN OF THIS.
Humanity
Literally nothing is less okay than Data realizing that Spock has thrown away the very thing he’s been searching for his whole life. I don’t think I’ve ever felt a bigger punch to my heart from The Next Generation than that. Who wrote that? Who thought it was okay? Who hurt you so much that you had to hurt us?
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AND THEN THIS SAME EPISODE GIVES US A TEARFUL PICARD LOOKING ON AS SPOCK MIND-MELDS WITH HIM TO GET HIS FATHER’S MEMORIES AND FEELINGS? WHAT THE FUCK. I AM BUT ONE HUMAN AND THIS SHELL CAN ONLY STAND SO MUCH EMOTION.
Here’s the thing: if this show was gonna use Spock in a Next Generation plot, then it had to do him and his legacy justice. I honestly think this two-parter is a fine spectacle. It’s exciting, it’s thought-provoking, it does not provide the rebel Romulans with an easy solution, and it shows us potential. Could you imagine if Spock was around all the time? DO YOU REALIZE HOW GREAT THAT WOULD BE?
Bless this two-parter so much.
The video for “Unification, Part II†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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