Am I suffering some kind of confirmation bias, or does Spock spend an unusually large amount of time expressing emotions, for someone who’s supposed to never express emotions?
EDIT: By way of addressing some of the replies to this post, without replying to them all individually, I just wanted to add this:
I’m not critiquing the handling of Spock’s character in relation to TOS or movies, Peck’s a great actor and is doing a fine job at interpreting this role.
The point I’m trying to make is that Spock (and data, T’pol, Tuvok, etc. after him) gets juxtaposed so often, it seems more entertainment-oriented than story-oriented. Like, “wouldn’t it be cool if they had to…”. The classic sitcom trope of putting the awkward person in a public-facing position, with hilarious consequences. It just seems like these hilarious consequences are occurring too often to call it character development.
The first episode of the season had Spock discussing with Doctor M’Benga the fact that embracing his anger to help him fight the Gorn last season in “All Those Who Wander” broke down his mental conditioning. It’s also been shown in three of four recaps at the beginning of episodes this season. I would assume they’re building towards something.
As for Spock “never” having emotions, I’d suggest rewatching some TOS. His wry enjoyment when Uhura teases him with her song in “Charlie X”, his outburst at seeing Kirk alive at the end of “Amok Time”, and just how ridiculously horny he is in “The Cloud Minders” all come to mind, never mind those instances when he’s affected by some outside force suppressing his conditioning.
I think the point we are supposed to take away is that he’s very young, relatively speaking, to the Spock we know and love from the movies and TNG. He’s a work in progress on his way to becoming that person
So much so that I’m at the point where I’m wondering if this show is still canon.
I really like Strange New Worlds. The episodic nature with overarching storylines is the right direction for Star Trek, but really wish they had used this cast to make a show with a new crew in a new ship set post-DS9.
I disagree. I really enjoy this show and I can give the writers some creative license as a prequel for a show that’s almost sixty years old.
Spock has to have a moment of crisis that brings him to the state of character he’s in in TOS. I think there’s plenty of room to breathe over the course of the show to allow that. I haven’t watched The Cage in several years, so I don’t exactly recall, however from what I do recall, Spock shows a lot more emotion in the pilot vs. the beginning of the series with Kirk.
I largely agree with that idea. It feels like at some point Trek will need to let go of all old characters, to ensure its long-term viability. Personally, I’d be happy to get to know a new group (crew) of characters, even if they’re not a famous character’s offspring. I guess that was the idea with Discovery, but the universe/story arcs that they created didn’t interest me too much.
I know that’s not really how shows work, people get enamored with the cast and roles, but I’d love to see a semi-regular shift in crew or ship, while the writers tackle the issues of the day allegorically.
Yep, I think so, too. I suppose it’s just reflective of the time that it’s made in; so much of film and TV (and games) is just re-boots, pre/sequels, remasters and remakes. It’s like it’s too big a risk, to try an stray too far from a perceived existing audience.
The point I dwell on for longer is the need for humour to be so prevalent in what is essentially a drama series. I keep repeating this in various threads, but I don’t like how often it’s used and how weak it is. I guess I’d rather watch something that’s Hornblower, rather than Family Guy.
Am I suffering some kind of confirmation bias, or does Spock spend an unusually large amount of time expressing emotions, for someone who’s supposed to never express emotions?
EDIT: By way of addressing some of the replies to this post, without replying to them all individually, I just wanted to add this:
I’m not critiquing the handling of Spock’s character in relation to TOS or movies, Peck’s a great actor and is doing a fine job at interpreting this role.
The point I’m trying to make is that Spock (and data, T’pol, Tuvok, etc. after him) gets juxtaposed so often, it seems more entertainment-oriented than story-oriented. Like, “wouldn’t it be cool if they had to…”. The classic sitcom trope of putting the awkward person in a public-facing position, with hilarious consequences. It just seems like these hilarious consequences are occurring too often to call it character development.
The first episode of the season had Spock discussing with Doctor M’Benga the fact that embracing his anger to help him fight the Gorn last season in “All Those Who Wander” broke down his mental conditioning. It’s also been shown in three of four recaps at the beginning of episodes this season. I would assume they’re building towards something.
As for Spock “never” having emotions, I’d suggest rewatching some TOS. His wry enjoyment when Uhura teases him with her song in “Charlie X”, his outburst at seeing Kirk alive at the end of “Amok Time”, and just how ridiculously horny he is in “The Cloud Minders” all come to mind, never mind those instances when he’s affected by some outside force suppressing his conditioning.
I think the point we are supposed to take away is that he’s very young, relatively speaking, to the Spock we know and love from the movies and TNG. He’s a work in progress on his way to becoming that person
100%
So much so that I’m at the point where I’m wondering if this show is still canon.
I really like Strange New Worlds. The episodic nature with overarching storylines is the right direction for Star Trek, but really wish they had used this cast to make a show with a new crew in a new ship set post-DS9.
I disagree. I really enjoy this show and I can give the writers some creative license as a prequel for a show that’s almost sixty years old.
Spock has to have a moment of crisis that brings him to the state of character he’s in in TOS. I think there’s plenty of room to breathe over the course of the show to allow that. I haven’t watched The Cage in several years, so I don’t exactly recall, however from what I do recall, Spock shows a lot more emotion in the pilot vs. the beginning of the series with Kirk.
I largely agree with that idea. It feels like at some point Trek will need to let go of all old characters, to ensure its long-term viability. Personally, I’d be happy to get to know a new group (crew) of characters, even if they’re not a famous character’s offspring. I guess that was the idea with Discovery, but the universe/story arcs that they created didn’t interest me too much.
I know that’s not really how shows work, people get enamored with the cast and roles, but I’d love to see a semi-regular shift in crew or ship, while the writers tackle the issues of the day allegorically.
You know, I really tried to like Discovery, but then they tried to be a prequel and a sequel and I just couldn’t do it.
Another Spock sibling we’ve never heard of? 🙄
Strange New Worlds is great, I’d just really like them to stop relying on the nostalgia.
Yep, I think so, too. I suppose it’s just reflective of the time that it’s made in; so much of film and TV (and games) is just re-boots, pre/sequels, remasters and remakes. It’s like it’s too big a risk, to try an stray too far from a perceived existing audience.
The point I dwell on for longer is the need for humour to be so prevalent in what is essentially a drama series. I keep repeating this in various threads, but I don’t like how often it’s used and how weak it is. I guess I’d rather watch something that’s Hornblower, rather than Family Guy.