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(written from a Production point of view)

For the PRO episode with a similar title, please see "Time Amok".

Spock undergoes the Vulcan mating ceremony. (season premiere)

Summary[]

Teaser[]

Dr. McCoy notices that Spock is growing restless and has stopped eating, and decides to discuss this with Captain Kirk in the corridor outside Spock's quarters. As the two men discuss this, they come upon Spock's quarters, in time to see the first officer throwing Nurse Christine Chapel out of his quarters and physically flinging the Vulcan plomeek soup she has specially prepared for him after her, furiously shouting that if he'd wanted anything from her he'd have asked for it. After this outburst, he demands that Captain Kirk grant him a leave of absence on his home planet Vulcan.

Act One[]

Captain Kirk is baffled by Spock's behavior, but orders the Enterprise to Vulcan. However, a priority message forces him to change course to Altair VI in order to be on time for the planetary President's inauguration ceremony, which is to take place a week earlier than planned. When Kirk later asks Ensign Chekov how late they would be if they diverted to Vulcan, the puzzled navigator reveals that they are already on course for Vulcan, as ordered by Commander Spock. When questioned by Kirk in a turbolift, Spock is visibly confused and says he does not remember doing this, though he admits that if Chekov says he did, he must have.

Kirk orders Spock to sickbay, where McCoy examines him and finds that he is suffering from extreme stresses resembling those produced by high levels of adrenaline in Humans. McCoy informs Kirk that Spock will die from this condition within eight days at most if he is not taken to Vulcan.

Act Two[]

Upon hearing this news, Kirk confronts Spock in his quarters. As Kirk walks in, Spock is looking at a picture of a Vulcan girl and turns the screen off immediately. Spock says he cannot tell the captain the cause of his problem because it is a deeply personal affair, and that no "outworlder" may know except those that have been involved. Kirk eventually persuades Spock to reveal that his problem is "Vulcan biology," which Kirk correctly infers to mean Vulcan reproduction.

Spock explains to Kirk that, like the giant eel-birds of Regulus V or the salmon of Earth, Vulcans must also periodically return home to mate. Vulcans do not typically discuss this mating cycle even among themselves, instead cloaking it in archaic ritual, as it is shameful for such a logical race to be overcome by urges so powerful as to strip them of their intellect and veneer of civilization. Spock has reached his time, the pon farr, and if he doesn't return to Vulcan immediately to mate, he will die. Kirk jeopardizes his career by disobeying a direct order to the contrary from Admiral Komack of Starfleet, and proceeds with all possible speed to Vulcan.

Nurse Chapel visits Spock in his quarters to tell him they are going to Vulcan. Spock notices she has cried and asks for plomeek soup.

Upon the arrival of Enterprise at Vulcan, Vulcan Space Central establishes contact. A beautiful Vulcan woman appears on the viewscreen, and she exchanges formal greetings with Spock. When asked by Lieutenant Uhura who she is, Spock states that she is "T'Pring, my wife," much to the shock of Kirk, McCoy, and especially Chapel.

Act Three[]

Vulcan arena and city - remastered

Spock's ancestral lands

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to the surface of Vulcan, to the ancestral lands of Spock's family. This is their first time on Vulcan, and McCoy states he now understands the phrase "hot as Vulcan."

Spock explains to his companions that Vulcan children enter into arranged marriages during a ritual ceremony. Spock further clarifies that while he earlier called T'Pring his "wife," this childhood bond does not have an exact correspondence with Human pairing, as it is "less than a marriage, but more than a betrothal." He explains that a bonding ceremony was held when they were seven years old, where they touched and "felt each other's thoughts," so when the time came they both would be drawn to Koon-ut-kal-if-fee due to the psychic bond. It is unclear if this bonding ceremony in childhood is a mind melding ceremony or if some other form of Telepathy is used. (See: Telepathic mating bond)

Kal-if-fee

T'Pring rejects Spock

As Spock's friends, Kirk and McCoy are invited to witness the marriage ritual – the koon-ut-kal-if-fee. The mistress of ceremonies is T'Pau, whom Kirk recognizes as the only person ever to turn down a seat in the Federation Council – one of the most famous and respected Vulcans alive. Trouble starts when T'Pring announces she would rather not marry Spock. T'Pring invokes the kal-if-fee – her right to have Spock fight for her. Spock retreats to the side of the platform, hunched over and speechless. Kirk tries to speak with him; T'Pau warns him off, explaining that he is deep in plak tow.

T'Pring chooses Kirk as her champion, over the strenuous objections of Stonn, another member of the wedding party, who will not be silenced about his traditional rights until T'Pau commands "Kroykah!" (meaning "Stop!"). Stonn promptly apologizes, asks for forgiveness, and remains silent. Spock tries to protest to T'Pau, but in vain.

Both Kirk and McCoy correctly guess that Stonn is T'Pring's actual choice and would be chosen next should Kirk decline. Fearing Spock, in his current condition, is now too weak to fight Stonn, Kirk agrees to the challenge. It is only then Kirk is informed that this is to be a fight to the death and is given a Lirpa.

Act Four[]

The fight begins and Spock quickly demonstrates physical superiority. However, Kirk survives the first round. McCoy objects to T'Pau that Kirk isn't used to the Vulcan atmosphere and climate. He asks permission to inject the captain with a tri-ox compound to compensate. T'Pau agrees and Kirk is given the injection.

During the fight, Spock apparently strangles Kirk to death, and McCoy accompanies the captain's body back to the Enterprise. Spock, his mating urges apparently subsiding, demands to know why T'Pring took Kirk as her champion. T'Pring reveals that she did not want to be the "consort of a legend," as Spock had become to his people, and instead desired Stonn. She chose Kirk as her champion since every outcome she calculated was advantageous to her: if the human won, Kirk would not wish keep her as his bride, while if Spock won he would probably release her because she had challenged the marriage, and even if he kept her he would quickly return to space. In all cases, T'Pring would be free to have Stonn. Complimenting her logic, Spock relinquishes T'Pring to Stonn, but advises him that "having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true." Spock then returns to the Enterprise, expecting to face court-martial at the nearest starbase for the murder of his commanding officer.

Back on the ship, McCoy repeatedly attempts to explain something, but Spock cuts him off, continuing to speak of his guilt and its consequences. When he tells McCoy that Scott must take command of the Enterprise, Kirk comes in behind him and playfully asks, "Don't you think you'd better check with me first?" Seeing Kirk alive, Spock betrays his joy by calling the Captain "Jim!" with a big smile, which he quickly suppresses when he realizes that Chapel and McCoy have seen it. Kirk then reveals that McCoy did not give him a tri-ox injection, but a neuro-paralyzer to simulate death.

When asked about the final outcome of the marriage, Spock explains that when he thought he had killed Kirk, he no longer had any interest in T'Pring. Kirk then receives a message from Starfleet retroactively granting him permission to divert to Vulcan, apparently per T'Pau's request.

Log entries[]

Memorable quotes[]

"Jim, we've got to get Spock to Vulcan."
"Bones, I will, I will, just as soon as this mission-"
"No! Now; right away! If we don't get him to Vulcan within a week, eight days on the outside and he'll die! He'll die. Jim!"

- McCoy and Kirk after Spock's medical check-up

"Jim, when I requested to Spock that it was time for his routine check-up, your logical, unemotional first officer turned to me and said: 'You will cease to pry into my personal matters, Doctor, or I will certainly break your neck!'."
"Spock said that?"

- McCoy and Kirk, about Spock


"It is undignified for a woman to play servant to a man who is not hers."

- Spock to Kirk and McCoy, after throwing Chapel's soup bowl


"How do you figure it, Chekov? First we're going to Vulcan, then we're going to Altair, then we're headed to Vulcan again, and now we're headed back to Altair."
"I think I'm going to get space sick."

- Sulu and Chekov, on the changing flight plans between Vulcan and Altair VI


"How do Vulcans choose their mates? Haven't you wondered?"
"I guess the rest of us assume that it's done… quite logically."
"No. It is not."

- Spock and Kirk


"But you're not a fish, Mister Spock. You're –"
"No. Nor am I a man. I'm a Vulcan."

- Kirk and Spock, on comparing salmon spawning with pon farr


"It has to do with biology."
"What?"
"Biology."
"What kind of biology?"
"Vulcan biology."
"You mean the biology of Vulcans? Biology as in reproduction? Well, there's no need to be embarrassed about it, Mr. Spock. It happens to the birds and the bees."
"The birds and the bees are not Vulcans, Captain."'

- Spock and Kirk, on the subject of Vulcan biology


"It would be illogical for us to protest against our natures – don't you think?"

- Spock, to Chapel


"Hot as Vulcan. Now I understand what that phrase means."

- McCoy, on his first visit to Vulcan


"He never told us his family was this important."

- Kirk on T'Pau's attendance at Spock's wedding


"What thee are about to see comes down from the time of the beginning, without change. This is the Vulcan heart. This is the Vulcan soul. This is our way."

- T'Pau, as the Vulcan ceremony begins


"It is said thy Vulcan blood is thin. Are thee Vulcan? Or are thee Human?"

- T'Pau, before Spock accepts T'Pring's challenge


"All of Vulcan in one package."

- Kirk to McCoy, describing T'Pau


"I can forgive such a display only once!"

- T'Pau


"Kill Spock? That's not what we came to Vulcan for, is it?"

- Kirk to McCoy, during a break in the fight


"Now be careful."
"Sound medical advice."

- McCoy and Kirk, after McCoy uses a hypospray on him


"After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."

- Spock to Stonn, on winning T'Pring


"Live long and prosper, Spock."
"I shall do neither. I have killed my captain and my friend."

- T'Pau and Spock, before he returns to the Enterprise


"Captain…! Jim!!"

- Spock, pleased and widely grinning after seeing Kirk alive


"There's just one thing, Mr. Spock. You can't tell me that when you first saw Jim alive that you weren't on the verge of giving us an emotional scene that would have brought the house down!"
"Merely my quite logical relief that Starfleet had not lost a highly proficient Captain."
"Yes, Mr. Spock. I understand."
"Thank you, Captain."
"Of course, Mr. Spock, your reaction was quite logical…"
"Thank you, Doctor."
"…in a pig's eye!"

- McCoy, Spock, and Kirk, regarding Spock's outburst

Background information[]

Story and script[]

  • As the first ever Star Trek episode to feature any Vulcan characters other than Spock, this episode introduced several important elements of Vulcan culture. Besides establishing the concept of pon farr, it also marked the first use of the Vulcan salute (by T'Pau) and of the words, "Live long and prosper" (by Spock). It also established the trend among almost all female Vulcans to have a name beginning with a "T" and apostrophe (in this case T'Pau and T'Pring).
  • Kirk at one point says to Spock, "You have been called the best first officer in the fleet." It was McCoy who said this, in "Operation -- Annihilate!"
  • In Theodore Sturgeon's original script, Kirk did not have to depend on T'Pau's influence to justify the departure to Vulcan. He knew the officials on the other planet, and asked them to delay the ceremonies until he got Spock back from Vulcan. This planet (Altair VI in the episode itself) was named Fontana IV in the original script, as a tribute to writer and then-story editor D.C. Fontana. During the combat, when the ahn-woon was announced, Kirk was surprised for not receiving a new weapon, as ahn-woon meant "unarmed combat." (The Star Trek Compendium, pp 74-75)
  • In the original script, there were a few more Vulcan words. Spock described Kirk and McCoy as his lak noy, the equivalent of best man. When T'Pring makes her challenge, the wedding party begins to discuss what's going on, all in Vulcan, until T'Pau shuts them up.
  • This episode was originally pitched for the first season, and NBC was quite adamant about putting it into production as soon as possible. Spock was by far the most popular character among audiences, and viewers were eager to get to know more about his cultural background. However, as Sturgeon was known for his extremely slow and cumbersome writing process (see: "Shore Leave"), the production staff shelved "Amok Time" for the early second season. (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two)
  • In Sturgeon's original script, Stonn was named "Spor," which Robert H. Justman felt to be too much of a "Freudian slip" and the character was renamed. (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two)

Cast and characters[]

  • James Doohan (Scott) does not appear in this episode, although Spock mentions him.
  • Arlene Martel was among the actresses considered for the role of Doctor Elizabeth Dehner in the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". However, she turned the offer down because she felt wearing silver contact lenses would damage her sensitive eyes. Later she auditioned for the role of Sylvia in "Catspaw", but she was not cast because the production staff had seen her as the ideal candidate for the role of T'Pring. [1]
  • Lawrence Montaigne (Stonn) previously appeared as the Romulan Decius in "Balance of Terror". Montaigne, along with his "Balance of Terror" co-star Mark Lenard, was considered to replace Leonard Nimoy in the role of Spock, if Nimoy would choose not to return for the second season (during a legal battle concerning the actor's salary). Eventually, Nimoy's agent relented, and Montaigne ended up being offered this guest spot. However, his contract specified an option for returning in case Nimoy would change his mind. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story)
  • According to Nimoy, Celia Lovsky couldn't actually do the Vulcan salute naturally, so she had to use her other hand to put her fingers in the right pattern below camera, then hold it up at the right moment. (Leonard Nimoy's Star Trek Memories)
  • Mary Rice was photographed as a young T'Pring on 16 June 1967 during the filming of the episode. She only wore one pointed ear since only one side of her face would be visible in the photo. Also, the ear was clearly made for an adult, as it does not fit the young girl.
  • Although this episode was originally aired as the second season premiere, this was the last episode filmed in which Walter Koenig wore a wig. He had worn a wig in three previously shot episodes while his hair grew out.
  • Spock has definitely been promoted from lieutenant commander as of this episode. The nameplate outside his quarters reads "Commander Spock," and Vulcan Space Central later asks for him as "Commander Spock."

Sets[]

  • When McCoy emerges from the doorway in the first scene, there is no elevator set inside. The elevator is accessed from a side doorway for this episode. This was probably done in advance of the next episode filmed, "The Doomsday Machine", to show the wrecked condition of Matt Decker's starship. When the landing party beams onto the Constellation, the door is open at the end of this same corridor and no turbolift is inside. In "The Ultimate Computer", a turbolift is located right outside sickbay and the one at the corridor terminus is not utilized. Set drawings indicate the doorway at the end of that corridor did not regularly contain an elevator, however.
  • A change in this season is thick painted stripes across the corridor floors.
  • This is the first episode of the second season to offer a look at the further-expanded sickbay that now includes McCoy's new office. In "The Deadly Years" more beds in the infirmary section of the sickbay are added.
  • This is the first time Spock's quarters are seen fully. A very brief shot of his quarters is seen in "The Menagerie, Part I", with a tricorder and red glass statue seen behind him to make the room look different from the Kirk's quarters set. Here, a large statue with blinking lights, red curtains and objects resembling molecular models are seen, among other "Spockian" decor.
  • The statue in Spock's quarters appears to be the same statue seen outside the door of the ruins in "The Man Trap". It later appeared in his quarters in "The Paradise Syndrome", "The Tholian Web", and "The Way to Eden".

Production[]

Other information[]

  • Since the Vulcans' mating cycle seemed to be too adult a topic for West German TV at the time, ZDF aired a version that radically changed the dialogue, rearranging some scenes, while cutting others. As a result, Spock, instead of going through pon farr, suffers from some lethal disease (the German episode title "Weltraumfieber" translates as "space fever"). To save his life, McCoy administers an experimental drug that leaves Spock delusional. Large parts of the episode – such as the Enterprise visiting Vulcan, Spock fighting and eventually killing Kirk – are explained away as hallucinations. In 1996, using the title "Pon Farr," the episode was re-dubbed, restoring the original story.
  • This episode was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1968 as "Best Dramatic Presentation."
  • The book Star Trek 101 (p. 17), by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, lists this episode as one of "Ten Essential Episodes" from the original Star Trek series.
  • Bantam Books published a series of novelizations called "foto-novels," which took photographic stills from actual episodes and arranged word balloons and text over them, to create a comic book formatted story. The twelfth and final installment was an adaptation of this episode.
  • James Blish adapted this episode in his compilation Star Trek 3. His description of the aftermath of the fight, wherein a paralyzed Kirk overhears the conversation between Spock and the others, is reproduced verbatim in Planet of Judgment by Joe Haldeman.
  • Mike Johnson adapted the episode for the alternate reality in the three-part "After Darkness" story for IDW Publishing's Star Trek: Ongoing comic book series.
  • A cat version of "Amok Time" was featured in Jenny Parks' 2017 book Star Trek Cats.

Reception[]

  • Leonard Nimoy remarked, "I remember ['Amok Time'] very well. Excellent script. Very poetic, very dramatic, intense and important I felt immediately – for Spock and Vulcans." He concluded, "It was a very, very exciting episode to shoot and perform – it was so beautifully written and [had] great casting of the other people – it was very good." ("To Boldly Go…": Season 2, TOS Season 2 DVD special features)
  • Arlene Martel recalled, "The set was just staggering. That was my first impressive set, other than on The Outer Limits, which was really massive too. The sky was wonderful, that angry, passionate color. (…) The whole ritual was so compelling and exciting. And the story had such substance. I was just caught up in the fervor of it; what it was about – being true to your nature; being true to your impulses; and I was very in tune with that concept. (…) And the script was kind of honoring T'Pring as a woman, I think. She wasn't taught our cultural thing of, you know, you do as you're told. She was very respectful of who she was. I thought that she was very logical, and intellectually centered rather than emotionally controlled." (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two, pp. 130-131)
  • Director Joseph Pevney also considered "Amok Time" among the highest achievements of the series. (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two, p. 131) An element of the installment he approved of was the fight scene on Vulcan. "What made the fight in 'Amok Time' dramatically interesting," he stated, "is that it took place between Kirk and Spock." (Smithsonian magazine, May 2016 issue, p. 59)
  • "Amok Time" was first shown on the 1967 World Science Fiction Convention in New York City, ca. two weeks before the season premiere, and received an overall positive reaction. One of the most pleasant and significant surprises for fans was the addition of Ensign Chekov to the Enterprise crew (rumors about a young crewman signing on for the purpose of attracting younger female viewers were in circulation for about a month by then). The audience welcomed his presence in the cast and anticipated that he would provide many good moments in the future. (The Star Trek Compendium, p. 69)
  • The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writers thought about using a particular scene from "Amok Time" to be reedited for "Trials and Tribble-ations" and used to show Sisko meeting Kirk. Ronald D. Moore commented "In 'Amok Time' there's a scene with Kirk and Spock in a turbolift. Spock is freaking out, doing the whole pon farr thing, and Kirk is watching him with this weird look on his face. Finally, Kirk says 'report to sickbay, have Doctor McCoy give you a full physical'. It would have been funny to have Sisko stumbling all over himself saying to Kirk 'I just came to tell you what an honor this is to meet you', and Kirk is looking at him like he's crazy and then tells him to go to to sickbay for a full physical. The "Amok Time" scene was not used for fear of making Sisko "look silly, not sweet." (The Magic of Tribbles: The Making of Trials and Tribble-ations)
  • Gene Roddenberry picked this as one of his ten favorite episodes for the franchise's 25th anniversary. (TV Guide August 31, 1991 issue) Five years later, TV Guide ranked this as the second best Star Trek episode for their celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary. (TV Guide August 24, 1996 issue)
  • Anthony Rapp described this as one of his two favorite Star Trek episodes, the other being "The Devil in the Dark", and clarified that what he appreciated about both episodes was how they depicted Spock. Rapp elaborated, "I love […] what those two episodes tell us about him and about what he's going through as a half-Human half-Vulcan person [...] Also, the incredible storytelling of 'Amok Time', the twists involved. Being able to watch Leonard Nimoy do anything, but especially the work that he did in those two episodes, was really extraordinary." [4]
  • Michael Chabon saw part of this episode on its first airing in 1967, at the age of 4. His father considered it "the second-best episode" of Star Trek" (after "The City on the Edge of Forever"). The younger Chabon disagreed slightly: ""Amok Time" might not be the best, but I think it’s the most important, I said. ... By addressing the question of Spock’s sexuality, and the nature of desire in a culture that eschews emotion, it makes the classic fan-fiction gesture: to find a hole in the quilt of canon, and patch it. Look at the earliest "Trek" fanzines, like Spockanalia, the first issue of which came out right around when "Amok Time" aired: they’re obsessed with Spock’s Vulcan heritage, his childhood, and, above all, his sexuality. "Amok Time" tried to patch those holes. It rewarded the fanfic impulse, rewarded fandom itself. That probably explains why "Trek" is still around after all these years."

Production timeline[]

Video and DVD releases[]

Remastered information[]

The remastered version of "Amok Time" first aired during the weekend of 17 February 2007. In addition to new space sequences showing the Enterprise arriving at the planet Vulcan, a sequence was inserted showing digital representations of Kirk, Spock and McCoy walking over a large natural outcropping to Spock's family ceremony site. This is the first instance in the remastered edition episodes in which original sequences have been replaced with all-new computer-generated shots. Shots of the Vulcan landscape also featured a glimpse of the city of ShiKahr from Star Trek: The Animated Series. The background in the image of a young T'Pring was updated to resemble the entrance set seen in T'Pol's mother's house in "Home".

Links and references[]

Starring[]

Also starring[]

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Guest star[]

Also starring[]

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Featuring[]

Uncredited co-stars[]

Stunt doubles[]

Stand-ins[]

References[]

3rd century; 2230; 2237; adrenaline; advice; ahn-woon; Aldebaran shellmouth; Altair VI; Altair VI president; Altair system; answer; atmosphere (aka air); audio; authority; bee; behavior; betrothal; biocomp; biology; bird; "the birds and the bees"; blood; body; body function; "brought the house down"; bloodstream; "Bones"; bowl; career; "carry on"; cavern; confidential; central viewer; champion; choice; civilization; climate; commanding officer; commission; compliments; consort; Constitution-class decks; course; cowardice; creature; crime; custom; day; death; demonstration; divorce; doctor; dozen; dream; Earth; eel-birds; emotion; emotional pressure; eye; face; faking death; fasting; Federation Council; Federation starship attendees; "fighting chance"; Finagle's Law; first name; fish; flight plan; fracture; friend; friendship; Grayson, Amanda; hailing frequency; hand; harm; heart; heat; honor; Human; hypospray; "in a pig's eye"; inauguration; insanity; insight; kah-if-farr; kal-if-fee; klee-fah; Klingon Empire; koon-ut-kal-if-fee; kroykah; land; landing party; law; leave of absence; legend; light day; lirpa; logic; madness; marriage; marriage party; maximum warp; mind; Mind meld; "mind the store"; minute; mission; name; nature; neck; nesting ground; neural paralyzer; office; Outworlder; permission; person; phrase; place; plak tow; plomeek soup; plot; pon farr; present condition; president; property; quarterly physical; Regulus V; reproduction; ritual; sailor; salmon; Sarek; schedule; Scott, Montgomery; Sector 9; sedan; servant; ship surgeon; ShirKahr; shore facility; shore leave; solar day; soul; space sick; spawn; spawning ground; speed; standard orbit; starbase; Starfleet channel; Starfleet Command; strangulation; stream; stress; surface; tear; Telepathy; Telepathic mating bond; temperature; thing; thought; tradition; tray; tri-ox compound; Vulcan; Vulcans; Vulcan ceremonial ground city; Vulcan language; Vulcan lute; Vulcan salute; Vulcan Space Central; wedding; week; "what the devil"; wife; word; year

Unreferenced materials[]

Endeavour, USS; Excalibur, USS; Westervliet

External links[]

Previous episode produced:
"Who Mourns for Adonais?"
Star Trek: The Original Series
Season 2
Next episode produced:
"The Doomsday Machine"
Previous episode aired:
"Operation -- Annihilate!"
Next episode aired:
"Who Mourns for Adonais?"
Previous remastered episode aired:
"The Doomsday Machine"
TOS Remastered Next remastered episode aired:
"The Paradise Syndrome"
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