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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Sarek (Review)

This January and February, we’ll be finishing up our look at the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and moving on to the third year of the show, both recently and lovingly remastered for high definition. Check back daily for the latest review.

Sarek is a rather wonderful episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation . It’s a celebration of the franchise’s history, but without being overwhelmed by the weight of continuity. It’s also a heart-breaking story about an old man coming to terms with his mortality, assessing the legacy that he leaves behind and the future he had hoped to shape. The beauty of Sarek , then, is the way that the episode ties these two threads together – offering a rather touching metaphorical exploration of Gene Roddenberry’s own influence on the franchise and his own deteriorating health.

Back to the future…

The first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation had never been particularly comfortable with its direct predecessor. Sure, Encounter at Farpoint had featured a cameo from DeForrest Kelley as an elderly Leonard McCoy, and classic Star Trek guest star Diana Muldaur had joined the cast in the second season as a direct stand-in for McCoy. Episodes like The Naked Now and Unnatural Selection had been pretty much direct adaptations of concepts used in the classic Star Trek .

However, the show had been reluctant to engage too directly with its history and its predecessor. References to anything that had unfolded after the classic Star Trek television show were generally kept vague. The show waited until the end of its first season to reintroduce Klingons and Romulans, preferring to create its own alien species. Pitches involving the character of Spock were routine rejected, even from senior members of the writing staff, like Tracy Tormé .

Melding two generations…

Indeed, this attitude prevailed even after Michael Piller took control of the writers’ room on the show. Writing in The Making of Yesterday’s Enterprise , Eric Sitwell reflects on the reaction Piller had to his original pitch for that episode, featuring familiar  Star Trek elements like the Guardian of Forever and Sarek:

When I was finished telling my tale, I could tell Piller was intrigued, but he immediately dismissed the idea of using the Guardian of Forever, calling it a “gimmick” from the original series. He wanted The Next Generation to stand on its own feet. He also dismissed the idea of using Sarek, telling me he had no interest in doing a story about Spock’s father (rather ironic, in retrospect).

Other writers faced similar problems. Melinda Snodgrass has talked about the pitch that she and writers Richard Manning and Hans Beimler suggested about revisiting Sigma Iota III from A Piece of the Action . There was a clear sense that the production was reluctant to delve into the mythology and back story of Star Trek .

Making music together…

Which, to be fair, isn’t a bad thing. It is very important for a spin-off to establish its own identity. One of the problems with the blatant homage in The Naked Now is that it comes far too early in the show’s run. It feels like the classic show is being used as a crutch rather than as part of the new series’ history. (Of course, there are other problems with The Naked Now .) One of the better aspects of the show’s troubled second season was a clear desire to figure out its own identity. Had the show been willing to tread out the Romulans and Klingons on a week-to-week basis, we never would have had the Borg.

Still, coming towards the end of what has been a pretty fantastic third season, it seems appropriate for The Next Generation to pause and pay homage to what came before. This is only the second major crossover with the classic Star Trek show, and the first since the show’s pilot episode. You can almost forgive the decision of the reference book These Are the Voyages to inaccurately credit Marc Cushman as the writer who pitched  “the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to include a character from TOS and thereby link the two series together.” Almost.

Tears of a Vulcan…

It’s worth conceding that Sarek is certainly the least high-profile of the classic Star Trek characters to crossover directly with The Next Generation . McCoy appeared in Encounter at Farpoint . Spock will guest star in Unification . Scotty will feature in Relics . Kirk will cross paths with Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation . Those are arguably the four biggest stars of the classic Star Trek show. Mark Lenard’s Sarek was just a one-shot guest character on the classic Star Trek show, albeit one who appeared in the another animated episode and then four of the six movies based on the television series.

Still, it’s great to have Mark Lenard back. Sarek is the actor’s most iconic character, but the actor is a veteran who appeared in the first season of the television show. He played the first Romulan commander to feature on the show in Balance of Terror , and he also popped up in Star Trek: The Motion Picture as the franchise’s first bumpy-headed Klingon commander. He is part of the fabric of Star Trek , and having him on board is a big deal – a conscious step forward from the decision to cast two-time classic Star Trek guest star Diana Muldaur in the second season of the show.

He is not Spock. He is apparently quite a lot cheaper…

In a contemporaneous interview, actor Mark Lenard credits Gene Roddenberry for finally allowing Sarek to appear on the show, taking advantage of Vulcan longevity to allow the character to make an appearance:

Gene had been talking about it for a year and a half. He said ‘Well, Vulcans age very slowly’, but the reason he put everything ahead about 89 years was that he didn’t want any of the people from the other show in it – he wanted to be sure they (the characters!) were all dead.  Of course De Kelley, who was a friend of his, managed to sneak in there as an ancient mariner of some sort, but none of the others.  I guess he’s mellowed a little over the years and decided maybe they could use some.

There is a strange sense of acceptance about Sarek’s guest appearance, as if The Next Generation is finally explicitly acknowledging its direct predecessor. Given that the show has been a tremendous roll lately, and how much it has grown over the third season, this feels quite appropriate.

A logically married couple…

There is a decidedly celebratory atmosphere to Sarek , as if the show is welcoming a guest star of honour on board. Picard’s opening log describes hosting Sarek as “a singular honour.” The ship seems to roll out the red carpet for Sarek in a way that it has never done for a diplomat-of-the-week before. Sarek is described as “someone who shaped the Federation” , which gives some measure of his importance and the respect that he is afforded.

“I remember studying his career in school,” Riker tells Picard, giving us a sense of just how iconic Sarek has become. He’s part of the fabric of this fictional universe. His appearance on the Enterprise is very much treated as a visit from royalty, reflecting his importance as an ambassador of the earlier series. (The episode even opens with the Enterprise in orbit above Vulcan, taking us back to Spock’s homeworld for the first time since  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .)

Touching…

Although Sarek gets his own plot that prevents the episode from wallowing in sentimental nostalgia, there is a sense that the show is building towards two very “big” moments for the Star Trek fans watching at home. These are two moments that can’t possibly be big moments within the show’s internal universe, but which are very big moments for those tuning into The Next Generation . These are two big shout outs to the classic Star Trek .

Picard’s sole mention of the name “Spock” , so carefully avoided throughout the rest of the episode (he’s referred to elsewhere as Sarek’s son), comes forty minutes into the show, five minutes from the end. It feels very weird that nobody on the Enterprise mentions Spock, even after Perrin explains that Sarek was very glad to be on board the Enterprise (again) and that he had followed Picard’s career since their brief meeting at “his son’s wedding.” In the show’s final scene, Picard and Sarek exchange the iconic “live long and prosper” salute.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this…”

These are clearly structure to come towards the end of the episode, despite the fact that they really shouldn’t be a big deal to anybody on the Enterprise. The “live long and prosper” salute is used just as often in introductions as in farewells. It seems highly unlikely that anybody serving on board the Enterprise would be unfamiliar with Spock’s name, so Picard’s dancing around that with Riker feels a little awkward.

Still, the point is quite clear. Sarek is a show about acknowledging and coming to terms with the franchise’s history. So mentioning the name “Spock” is a big deal for the show, and giving that iconic Vulcan salute is a big deal for the show. Those are both grand gestures about recognising that The Next Generation is part of a larger tapestry of Star Trek , and so they both feel strangely heart-warming.

Pooling their resources…

Of course, the production of Sarek was apparently a painful process – in what appears to have been standard operating procedure during the third season, the script was the source of considerable behind-the-scenes tension among the writing and production staff. The script got a page-one re-write from Ira Steven Behr and Ronald D. Moore . Apparently the use of Spock’s name was a point of much contention, as Ira Steven Behr recalled in the documentary Resistance is Futile :

So you think in an episode called Sarek, it would be a no brainer to mention at some point who he was the father of. So we had this scene that we wrote – this mind meld scene, which was a really good scene – and at one point we wanted to have this moment where Picard, who has mind melded with Sarek, would yell out the word “Spock!” And, in that moment, you’d realise all the fatherly feelings, all the feelings of missed opportunities, all the pain of being a Vulcan and being a dad and having a half-Vulcan son. There’s a lot to read into that word. “Absolutely not! We don’t reference those original characters! No way! No how!” “Why? You had McCoy in the pilot? “No way! We did that! We’re not doing it again!” “So we have Sarek who was… maybe… “ “Doesn’t matter. We’re not saying Spock!” This argument went on and on and on. So finally I’m in a meeting on another script with Rick, this is like a week later, and we’re about to shoot that scene. We’re having a totally different conversation. And it’s pleasant, everything’s good, and I’m thinking, “Yeah, this is okay, this is good!” Whatever we were doing, we were on the same page. So I go, “Rick, tell me again why can we say the word Spock?” And I remember very clearly the body language. He literally went back like this — like I had shot him. He wasn’t expecting it, we weren’t talking about it, that was a closed deal. And he went back in his chair and you could see the smoke. He was trying to think, but he’s not on that topic. And I could just see him trying to gain traction, purchase for all his reasons for not doing it. And he just wasn’t interested in doing it at that moment. And he just says, “I don’t know… he can say it once!” And that was it.

It’s a very silly argument, in retrospect, but it gives an idea of just how uncomfortable The Next Generation was with its place within the large Star Trek franchise at the time. After the third season, the show became a lot more relaxed and comfortable in itself.

Reflecting on it all…

That said, it is worth noting that Mark Lenard joked about how he was only the second choice guest star to appear on The Next Generation , just the most most cost effective one:

Although I think Gene Roddenberry probably didn’t want it originally, there is a kind of mad reference to Spock, but only in passing.  I understand they have a script for Leonard Nimoy as Spock, but he wanted a million dollars, so they settled for somewhat less and got me!

That gives an idea of the weird balancing act going on behind the scenes. The show wanted a Leonard Nimoy guest appearance, but it didn’t want to use Spock’s name in an episode involving the character’s father. It’s a very weird situation, and creates a sense of the conflicts at work on The Next Generation .

Stuck in the middle…

Still, the beauty of Sarek is not entirely related to the connections it fosters between the classic Star Trek and The Next Generation . Sarek stands remarkably well on its own two feet, divorced from these concerns of continuity and history. As Mark Jones and ‎Lance Parkin sum it up in Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier , “An episode that could have simply pressed fanboy buttons is, instead, a moving story of a great man brought low by old age and illness.”

Sarek is one of those great metaphorical Star Trek stories, using the fictional universe as a means to explore a more relatable and grounded issue. Sarek is the story of an old man facing the loss of his dignity, seeing his mental functions diminished by time. For all that Sarek is a Vulcan, and for all that his illness causes a psychic hate plague, the concerns at the heart of Sarek are very human. They are something that the audience will recognise, and something that rings true to life.

Picard takes note…

There’s the balance of trying to weigh an individual’s dignity against their wider obligations to the community. How do you tell somebody who helped to shape the world that their time has passed? How do ask an elder statesman that they’ve played their role and that they need to shuffle off the stage? Sarek does have some vague dramatic stakes – Sarek is apparently working on the most important diplomacy of his career, and the Enterprise is rocked with violence – but the story is strongest as the exploration of a proud man facing his own mortality.

And that’s where the real beauty of Sarek lies. It’s not just the connection to classic Star Trek history. Nor is it simply the metaphor about old age and dignity. It’s the union of the two. Because Sarek isn’t really the story about Sarek of Vulcan suffering from Bendii Sydrome on the eve of his important negotiations. It’s about something a lot more grounded. It’s about Gene Roddenberry and his continued involvement in the franchise.

Striking some dischord…

Michael Piller concedes as much in Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Continuing Mission :

Gene was beginning to go into decline. Not that he was uncommunicative, but it was clear that he was not the same man that he had been. We all respected him so much, and he had been such an important, strong leader of the franchise and everything it stood for. But here is this great man–and I’ve only known him for less than a year at this point–here is this great man going into decline, and I immediately felt a very strong connection to the premise of Sarek because I could see that it really was about the universe that we lived in on a daily basis. If you go back and look at Sarek closely, what that character is, is Gene Roddenberry.

It’s quite a touching sentiment. Indeed, the character of Sarek would remain linked to Roddenberry. Gene Roddenberry passed away in late 1991, shortly before the airing of Unification, Part I . The episode featured the last appearance of Leonard as Sarek, and featured the character dying without the chance to properly reconcile with his son.

Going through the emotions?

Roddenberry’s health had been in decline since the start of The Next Generation . According to original Star Trek writer David Gerrold, who worked on the first season of the spin-off, Roddenberry would even have small stroked during staff meetings . According to the Chicago Tribune, his health had been an issue for the two years prior to his death . His first major stroke occurred in September 1989, shortly before the start of the show’s third season.

As such, Roddenberry become a somewhat marginalised figure, as he had been on the movies spun off from the classic Star Trek show. He still held meetings with writers in the third and fourth season, and his influence could definitely be felt. Sometimes, it was for the better. Roddenberry was the creator who figured out how to make Déjà Q work as an episode. However, sometimes it was not for the better. Roddenberry fought against the production of The Measure of a Man and had Ira Steven Behr write a much blander version of Captain’s Holiday than he originally pitched.

Great actor face-off!

So Roddenberry was a complex figure within the grand Star Trek mythology. He was the man who had created the show and franchise. He had defined the universe and maintained the fandom in the long years when the series was off the air. However, he was also a writer with sever limitations, particularly later in life. He imposed awkward restrictions on the show and insisted on unworkable rules for a televised drama. He vetoed several great ideas, and almost strangled the best episode of the show’s first two years in the crib.

He was also a man with failing health, and who had a troubled relationship with the studio and the powers that be. And there’s a sense that he is being manipulated by his entourage, reflecting accusations made by David Gerrold about certain members of Roddenberry’s inner circle . There’s a popular rumour (which I’ve never been entirely able to substantiate) that the occasion of Roddenberry’s death saw Paramount forcible evicting several of his hangers-on from the studio lot within hours . So Sarek is really about trying to reconcile all of that, exploring an ageing genius facing the end of his era.

Geordi suspects Wes’ date might be a bit of a wash…

The episode itself makes this fairly clear. While Sarek’s deterioration is a very personal tragedy, it has much wider implications. His slipping mental control leads to all manner of problems on the Enterprise. It affects other people. Wesley Crusher, the boy genius who takes his given name from Roddenberry’s middle name, and who was played by an actor Roddenberry allegedly treated like a son, is a focal point from several of these outbursts.

Picard is warned about the risks he faces if he choses to make Sarek’s difficulties public. “ You are accusing the greatest man of his time of losing his mind on the eve of his greatest triumph,” Mednrossen, one of Sarek’s two assistants, advises the captain of the Enterprise. Picard’s dilemma is made quite explicit. He has to choose between the ageing hero and the institution that owes so much to the efforts of that man. “Then you must decide which is your greater obligation,” Riker informs him. “Your loyalty to Sarek or your duty to the Federation.”

Once more, with feeling…

It’s beautiful, thoughtful and introspective stuff – and it works even without this wider context. Although Behr and Moore’s script can be a little heavy on exposition and awkward dialogue, it contains any number of wonderful moments. The scene where Sarek cries at the ship’s reception is an absolutely brilliant piece of television – director Les Landau manages to perfectly convey everything that a single solitary tear might mean to a Vulcan, as well as silently documenting the various reactions of the by-standers. Perrin tries to cover it up, Picard is concerned, Sarek’s aides are worried.

Similarly, the episode leans on two fantastic actors. Mark Lenard is one of the strongest guest stars ever to appear in the franchise, and his portrayal of an ageing diplomat trying desperately to hold on to his dignity can’t help but seem affecting. Sarek has an incredible amount of pride buried beneath that cold Vulcan exterior, and Lenard captures the delicate balance perfectly. Sarek’s denial is entirely believable and completely heart-breaking.

Being diplomatic about it…

That said, the episode belongs to Patrick Stewart. Stewart is easily the strongest member of the show’s ensemble. In fact, there’s a credible argument to made that Stewart is the best actor ever to appear in Star Trek . He absolutely knocks his scenes out of the park, including the wonderful sequence near the end of the episode where Picard takes all of Sarek’s emotions unto himself, lending the ambassador some of his poise and dignity.

Sarek hits on something that’s been implicit from Encounter at Farpoint . Although there are no Vulcan regulars on The Next Generation , Picard is the show’s Spock character. He’s the disciplined and restrained lead. Picard’s self-control and repression is so strong that it allows Sarek to pull himself together in order to host those negotiations. Picard’s stoic nature is explicitly compared to that of a Vulcan.

Feeing run deep…

Indeed, Sarek offers a nice bit of foreshadowing as well, as Picard reflects on the debilitating effects of ageing. “It’s ironic, isn’t it?” he muses. “All this magnificent technology and we find ourselves still susceptible to the ravages of old age. The loss of dignity, the slow betrayal of our bodies by forces we cannot master.” This seems particularly ironic, given that Picard would undergo similar deterioration in the future presented in the show’s final episode, All Good Things …

Although Sarek unfolds entirely on the Enterprise, it is worth pausing note the wonderful lighting and set design at work here. In the third season, the show has been a lot more comfortable to play with darker sets and more atmospheric lighting. Quite a lot of the Enterprise can seem over-lit, even if the show’s production values are strong enough that this isn’t a problem in the way that it would be on eighties Doctor Who , for example.

A work of (Moz)art…

Still, it’s nice to get that sort of contrast, and Sarek ‘s recycled sets look suitably atmospheric and impressive. It’s not as extreme as the changes made for Yesterday’s Enterprise , but its till creates a sense of the Enterprise as more than just a series of standing sets. Marvin Rush’s cinematography is absolutely beautiful, and it’s this style of work that would make the more atmospheric approach used on Star Trek Deep Space Nine possible.

Sarek is an absolutely wonderful and an affecting piece of Star Trek .

Read our reviews of the third season of  Star Trek: The Next Generation :

• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1989) #1-2 – Return to Raimon/Murder, Most Foul
• Supplemental: The Ensigns of Command by Melinda Snodgrass
• The Survivors
• Who Watches the Watchers?
• Supplemental: Star Trek (DC Comics, 1989) #19 – Once a Hero…
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1989) #19 – The Lesson
• Supplemental: The Romulan Way by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood
• The Vengeance Factor
• Supplemental: The Sky’s the Limit – Suicide Note by Geoff Trowbridge
• The High Ground
• Supplemental: (DC Comics) Annual #1 – The Gift
• Supplemental: I, Q by John DeLancie and Peter David
• A Matter of Perspective
• Supplemental: The Lost Era – Well of Souls by Ilsa J. Bick
• Supplemental: The Last Generation
• Supplemental: Q-Squared by Peter David
• The Offspring
• Supplemental: Phase II (1978) – Kitumba, Parts I & II
• Captain’s Holiday
• Hollow Pursuits
• The Most Toys
• Supplemental: Sarek by A.C. Crispin
• Supplemental: Imzadi by Peter David
• Supplemental: Star Trek/X-Men: Star TreX
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1989) #47-50 – The Worst of Both Worlds
• Supplemental: Vendetta by Peter David

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Filed under: The Next Generation | Tagged: Emotion , gene roddenberry , Ira Steven Behr , Michael Piller , patrick stewart , picard , Sarek , spock , star trek , star trek: the next generation , star trek: the original series , Television , the next generation , tng , tos , Vulcans |

2 Responses

While the scene with Patrick Stewart could not be easily replaced, I was always troubled by the logic of Sarek melding with Picard as opposed to someone like Saketh. While Picard is disciplined, he does not have the full control of a trained Vulcan. One would have expected this to be the optimal solution to the problem of Sarek’s dwindling control of his emotions.

That being said, it would have of course eliminated possibly the single greatest single shot in television history. And that would have been a tragedy. Note the scene where he is in his quarters, the scene where he is struggling with Sarek’s emotions… One single shot was about 90 seconds as the camera slides around the room to capture this torment. I can’t think of many examples of a single shot like this. Such a powerful moment and a brilliant performance.

It is a fantastic shot.

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Vulcan ambassador Sarek becomes temperamental while on the Enterprise with his wife.

Colm Meaney

Mark Lenard

Joanna Miles

Rocco Sisto

John H. Francis

William Denis

Cast appearances.

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Marina Sirtis

Brent Spiner

Biography [ ]

The son of Skon , Sarek was born in 2165 and was willingly tutored by his own father. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; TNG : " Sarek "; TOS : " Journey to Babel ") He had a pet sehlat named I-Chaya . ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

Sarek's first child, Sybok , was conceived out of wedlock with a Vulcan princess . ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ; SNW : " The Serene Squall ")

Later, Sarek, while serving as ambassador to Earth , wed a Human named Amanda Grayson in the late 2220s . ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ; TOS : " Journey to Babel "; TAS : " Yesteryear ") A later recollection of Sarek's was that he had married her because, " at the time, it seemed the logical thing to do, " but in actuality he loved her. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel "; Star Trek )

Sarek, holding his newborn son Spock in 2230

Three years after their marriage, in 2230 , the two were in the city of ShiKahr where Amanda gave birth to Sarek's second son, Spock . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel "; TAS : " Yesteryear ") Upon first holding him, Sarek remarked that the newborn Spock was "so Human." ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) Sarek passed his pet sehlat I-Chaya on to Spock, and raised him and Sybok as brothers. ( TAS : " Yesteryear "; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Sarek in 2237

In 2237 , when Spock was aged seven, Sarek was involved in arranging for him to wed T'Pring , later in life. ( TOS : " Amok Time ") Sarek also gave Spock his first lesson in computers . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") However, as a seven-year-old, Spock was occasionally bullied by Vulcan children who claimed that Sarek had brought shame to Vulcan by marrying a Human. ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

In an alternate timeline created by the death of Spock at an early age, Sarek separated from Amanda Grayson, and did not remarry after Grayson died. Also he had been Federation ambassador to seventeen different planets between 2237 and 2269 . ( TAS : " Yesteryear ")

When the Human parents of Michael Burnham were killed by Klingons , Sarek took her as a ward and raised her on Vulcan, where she became the first Human to ever attend the Vulcan Learning Center and the Vulcan Science Academy , the latter of which she entered in 2245 . ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ", " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry ") When Burnham was a child, the Learning Center was bombed by logic extremists and Burnham was rendered medically dead. Sarek came to her rescue and initiated a mind meld with Burnham, in order to revive her. As a result of this, a portion of Sarek's katra remained inside her mind, which later allowed him to communicate with her across interstellar distances. ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ", " Lethe ")

Sarek with Michael Burnham on board the USS Shenzhou in 2249

After Burnham's graduation from the Vulcan Science Academy, Sarek was forced to choose between Burnham and Spock on who should join the Vulcan Expeditionary Group . Sarek chose Spock over Burnham for this; he then arranged with Captain Philippa Georgiou of the USS Shenzhou that Burnham would serve on her ship after graduation. In 2249 , Sarek transported from Vulcan to the transporter room of the Shenzhou with Michael Burnham, and scolded her for being too rigid, refusing to follow Human niceties by giving her hand to Georgiou; quietly he told Burnham to "behave" just before he departed from the ship. ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ", " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry ", " Lethe ")

However, he later regretted his favor to Spock; the latter decided to apply to Starfleet Academy instead of the Vulcan Science Academy, whereas Sarek wanted Spock to follow his father's teachings, just as he himself had followed the teachings of his own father. In 2250 , Sarek broke off his relationship with Spock and, for years to come, the two were estranged. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ")

Role in the Federation-Klingon War [ ]

Right before the Battle of the Binary Stars in 2256 , Michael Burnham called Sarek over a subspace channel seeking information about how to handle the Klingons. Sarek narrated to her how the Vulcans had handled them after their first contact in 2016 : by firing first , cautioning her this solution was unique to them. Further, he cautioned her from letting the fact that Klingons killed her parents affect her judgement. ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ")

During the Federation-Klingon War , Sarek travelled from Vulcan to a secret meeting on Cancri IV with a supposedly dissenting Klingon faction which could end the war. However, his Vulcan cruiser was disabled by the pilot V'Latak , who was actually one of the logic extremists and attempted to assassinate him by turning his own body into a bomb; though Sarek survived, the ship was disabled inside the Yridia Nebula . Gabriel Lorca of the USS Discovery launched an unauthorized rescue mission; Sarek was too injured to continue and Admiral Katrina Cornwell went in his place. However, the meeting was actually a trap orchestrated by Klingon General Kol to capture Sarek, and Cornwell was captured instead. ( DIS : " Lethe ")

Sarek in 2257

In 2257 , after the Discovery returned from the mirror universe , Sarek met the mirror counterpart of Philippa Georgiou, who offered her help with the war. Sarek and Cornwell (who had been liberated from her captors) wished all information regarding the crossover to be buried. He then negotiated with the Federation Council, received approval of Georgiou's plan, and it was decided that they had no choice but to proceed. ( DIS : " The War Without, The War Within ")

After the end of the war, Sarek, with Amanda, visited Paris for the victory celebrations, where they met with Michael, now reinstated as a commander and appointed science officer of the Discovery . ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Control crisis [ ]

After the appearance of the red bursts in 2257, Sarek left the Discovery to return to Vulcan and was assigned to the Federation task force investigating the mysterious signals. ( DIS : " Brother ")

Sarek confronting his family in the sacred crypt

After discovering Spock had disappeared in that same year, Sarek began to search diligently for him, to no avail. As it turned out, Spock had secretly returned to Vulcan, with Amanda hiding him in a sacred crypt and was shielded from telepathic searches due to the presence of Katra stones . When Burnham returned to Vulcan to join in the search for Spock, Amanda led her in secret to the crypt, but Sarek followed them in secret. Sarek confronted his wife about her deception and was able to convince them that the best course of action was to turn over Spock to Captain Leland . ( DIS : " Light and Shadows ")

Later that year, when the crew of the Discovery was planning to escape to the future as part of a plot to escape Control , Sarek was able to pinpoint the location of the Discovery using Burnham's katra. There, Sarek and Amanda said their goodbyes to Burnham, expressing their love for each other. Sarek agreed to look out for Spock, albeit from afar, at Burnham's request. Following this farewell, Sarek and Amanda returned to Vulcan. Following the Discovery 's nine-century voyage, Sarek swore to never speak of Burnham or the Discovery again, using his status as an ambassador to avoid interrogation. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

Reminisces by Spock [ ]

In 2266 , his estranged son Spock was serving in Starfleet aboard the USS Enterprise . That year he noted Balok as being reminiscent of his father, even stating – at one point early in the first contact between the First Federation and the Enterprise – that he regretted not having learned more about Balok. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ")

While affected by polywater intoxication later that year, Spock remembered that he had respected Sarek and their Vulcan traditions but had been ashamed of his Human blood . ( TOS : " The Naked Time ")

In 2267 , while Captain James T. Kirk was attempting to aggravate Spock by making up false insults, he insisted that Sarek had been "a computer." ( TOS : " This Side of Paradise ") Later the same year, Spock evoked the authority of his father (as well as their male ancestors), while making an unsuccessful attempt to persuade T'Pau to prevent him battling Kirk in a kal-if-fee . ( TOS : " Amok Time ")

Coridan involvement and reconciliation [ ]

Sarek in 2268

Sarek's accomplishments as an ambassador of the Federation included the Coridanite admission debate of 2268 before the Federation Council. Sarek's involvement in the Coridan admission debate included attending multiple council sessions, at least one of which was before the conference on a neutral planet . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ")

Shortly before he left Vulcan with his wife and a group of aides, Sarek suffered two heart attacks . He did not inform his wife of these incidents, though his physician prescribed Benjisidrine for the condition. During the council session en route to the Babel Conference Sarek met and debated with Tellarite Ambassador Gav , winning their argument. He did not speak with Spock until Sarek survived a series of heart attacks and surgery , and they talked again only after a transfusion of rare T-negative blood from his son. This event resulted in a brief retirement and a rekindling of their relationship. ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") The conference finalized the admittance of Coridan into the Federation. Despite several minor quarrels, Sarek cast the final vote in favor of Coridan's admittance. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Sarek and Spock remained on good terms as the Klingon détente bloomed in the 2280s . In 2285 , Sarek was briefed on Project Genesis and the report from James T. Kirk on the recent activation of the Genesis Device . That year Spock was left for dead on the Genesis Planet after sacrificing his life to save the USS Enterprise . Sarek, believing that Spock had put his katra in Kirk before he died, traveled to Earth to convince him to retrieve his son's body. It turned out it was Leonard McCoy who now possessed Spock's katra . On Vulcan, Sarek pushed for a fal-tor-pan , a fusion of Spock's katra and body; although aware of the dangers and complications of the ritual, Sarek stated that his logic was uncertain where his son was concerned. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )

Three months later , Sarek finally apologized to Spock for his original opposition to Spock's decision to join Starfleet, recognizing Spock's friends as people of good character. Sarek attended a meeting of the Federation Council that had put the Enterprise crew under accusation; he witnessed the controversy over the Genesis Device, especially the arguments from them that Kirk be extradited . Sarek defended the Enterprise , accusing the Klingon Ambassador that his navy had attacked the Enterprise , citing Kruge 's attack on the USS Grissom and the death of Kirk's son ; he was shocked that the ambassador proudly admitted his men indeed did so. ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

In 2287 , Sybok manipulated the starship USS Enterprise -A and reunited with his brother Spock. He caused an apparition in Spock's mind of his own birth; Spock saw his father holding him, commenting that the baby resembled a Human rather than a Vulcan. ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Later career [ ]

Among Sarek's later accomplishments were his effort to bring about a Federation- Legaran treaty , which began in 2273 , and concluded in 2367, early treaties with the Klingon Empire ( Treaty of Alliance ), and the Treaty of Alpha Cygnus IX . ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Sarek in 2293

In 2293 , Sarek suggested that Spock initiate negotiations for a proposed Federation-Klingon Alliance with Chancellor Gorkon , hoping to bring together the two lifelong enemies after the destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis . That almost didn't happen, for Gorkon was assassinated. Captain Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy were arrested by the Klingons, having been framed for the chancellor's murder . Sarek was present in the Federation President 's office when several attempts to stop Kirk and McCoy being tried in Klingon territory were outlined, but he had to concede that the Klingons were within their legal rights and that the Federation could not interfere in their due process. Kirk and McCoy, with Spock's assistance, eventually escaped from imprisonment on Rura Penthe , and they arrived at the Khitomer Conference in time to prevent the assassination of the Federation President. ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ) Afterwards, Sarek was involved with the Khitomer Accords , and further helped the Federation and Klingon Empire establish their almost one-hundred-year peaceful co-existence. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Sometime after the Khitomer Conference, Spock left Starfleet and became an ambassador and representative of the Vulcans to the Federation. The two, however, split again over the Cardassian issue of the 24th century . Sarek was also dismissive of Spock's friendship with Romulan Senator Pardek , who he had met at Khitomer, and the prospects for a lasting Federation-Romulan peace. ( TNG : " Unification I ") By that time, Amanda had died, and Sarek had married another Human woman, named Perrin . Sarek was present at his son's wedding before they again stopped speaking to each other; it was at that event that Sarek first met Jean-Luc Picard . Soon after, Sarek studied Picard's career, describing his service record as "satisfactory", a choice of words Picard recognized as high praise from a Vulcan when he and Perrin later spoke of it. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Later years [ ]

Picard meeting with Sarek, shortly before his death in 2368

In 2366 , Sarek was diagnosed with Bendii Syndrome en route to the Legaran Conference . As his emotional control became very weak, he mind melded with Captain Picard at the suggestion of his wife, Perrin. Sarek was then stable enough to conclude the negotiations for a treaty with the Legarans. He told Picard, " we shall always retain the best part of the other inside us. " ( TNG : " Sarek ")

In 2368 , Sarek was visited by Captain Picard. Picard, who had been assigned to investigate Ambassador Spock's disappearance, came to see Sarek and ask if he had any knowledge of a person Spock might contact on Romulus . During their brief conversation, Sarek regained a measure of control over himself and told the captain about Spock's Romulan friend Pardek. Before leaving, Captain Picard gave Sarek the traditional Vulcan salute and the first half of a phrase often accompanying it: "peace and long life." Sarek tried to respond but was overcome by his illness. Shortly thereafter, he died at the age of 203. ( TNG : " Unification I ")

When meeting with Ambassador Spock on Romulus, Picard learned that Spock and his father had never mind melded, and offered Spock the chance to share what Sarek had shared with him. The meld passed along Sarek's true feelings of love and admiration for his son that he had never allowed himself to convey in life. ( TNG : " Unification II ")

In 2370 , after Julian Bashir told Elim Garak , " Before you can be loyal to another, you must be loyal to yourself, " the Cardassian attributed the quote to Sarek, but it was actually Bashir's own. ( DS9 : " Profit and Loss ")

The 24th century starship USS Sarek was presumably named in honor of Ambassador Sarek. ( DS9 : " Favor the Bold ")

Alternate timelines and realities [ ]

In the mirror universe , Sarek was member of a multi-species rebellion against the Terran Empire in 2257 . ( DIS : " The Wolf Inside ")

Sarek in 2258 of the alternate reality.

In an alternate reality created by Nero's incursion, in 2258 Sarek was rescued by Spock when Vulcan was destroyed, but his wife Amanda Grayson was killed. ( Star Trek )

Sarek's skull in Q's alternate timeline.

In an alternate timeline where Humans ruled the totalitarian Confederation of Earth , Sarek served as director of the Vulcan Science Academy . According to Q , after an encounter with General Jean-Luc Picard , at some point before 2401 , Sarek was " decapitated on the steps of the Vulcan Science Academy in front of a crowd that included his wife and son. " Q found that to be a "nice touch." Sarek's skull was later mounted on display in General Picard's library at Château Picard . ( PIC : " Penance ")

Key dates [ ]

• 2165 : Born to Skon
• 2227 : Marries Amanda Grayson
• 2230 : His second son, Spock , is born
• 2237 : Arranges for Spock to marry T'Pring
• 2240s : Takes Michael Burnham as his ward
• 2249 : Transports Burnham to Captain Georgiou 's care aboard the USS Shenzhou
• 2250 : Becomes estranged from his son Spock
• 2256 : Targeted by logic extremists en route to a peace meeting with the Klingon Empire on Cancri IV
• 2257 : After Sarek's negotiations with the Federation Council, Georgiou's plan is passed. End of the Federation-Klingon War
• 2268 : Reestablishes contact with Spock while en route to the Babel Conference aboard the USS Enterprise ; survives a series of heart attacks and surgery , following a transfusion of rare T-negative blood from Spock
• 2273 : Begins to make contact with the Legarans in order to start relations with the United Federation of Planets
• 2285 : Appeals for the search and rescue of Spock
• 2286 : Finally accepts Spock's decision to join Starfleet
• 2293 : Becomes politically involved in Federation-Klingon relations, attending the Khitomer Conference
• 2366 : Diagnosed with Bendii Syndrome ; mind melds with Captain Picard to conclude negotiating a treaty with the Legarans
• 2368 : Visited by Picard; dies on Vulcan at the age of 203

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Isn't it unusual for a Vulcan to retire at your age? After all, You're only 102. " " 102.437 precisely, doctor. Measured in your years. I… had… other concerns. "

" Tellarites do not argue for reasons. They simply argue. "

" It does not require pride to ask that Spock be given the respect which is his due…not as my son, but as Spock. "

" Threats are illogical. And payment is usually expensive. "

" Emotional, isn't she? " " She has always been that way. " " Indeed. Why did you marry her? " " At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do. "

" What you seek has not been done since ages past, and then only in legend. Your request is not logical. " " Forgive me, T'Lar. My logic is uncertain where my son is concerned. "

" Kirk, I thank you. What you've done is – " " What I've done, I had to do. " " But at what cost? Your ship. Your son. " " If I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul. "

" We demand the extradition of Kirk! We demand justice! " " Klingon justice is a unique point of view, Mister President. "

" Your vessel did destroy USS Grissom . Your men did kill Kirk's son . Do you deny these events? " " We deny nothing. We have the right to preserve our race! " " Do you have the right to commit murder? "

" Your associates are people of good character. " " They are my friends. "

" Do you have a message for your mother? " " Yes. Tell her I feel fine. "

" These walls are too bright! "

" I have been accused of many things in my life, never an excess of emotion. "

" I saw you crying. " " I did not cry. " " I was there, I saw the tears. " " You exaggerate, captain. I recall only one tear. " " So you were emotionally affected by the music. " " That is not possible. " " You still haven't answered my question, Sarek. Is it logical for a Vulcan to cry? "

" The Legarans trust only me. They will not meet with any other member of the Federation. I must be allowed to complete my mission. There are no other logical solutions. "

" I will not be spoken to in such a manner! " " Do I hear anger in your voice? " " It would be illogical for a Vulcan to show anger! It would be illogical! Illogical! Illogical! Illogical! "

" A mind-meld can be a terrible intimacy, captain. "

" My wife, you will leave me now. I require solitude. "

" No! It is… it is… wrong. It is wrong! A lifetime of discipline is washed away, and in its place… (laughs briefly then grunts) Bedlam… nothing but bedlam! I am so old! Nothing left but dry bones… and dead friends. Tired. Oh, so tired. "

" I will take my leave of you now, Captain. I do not think we shall meet again. " " I hope you are wrong, Ambassador. " " We shall always retain the best part of the other inside us. " " I believe I have the better part of that bargain, Ambassador. Peace and long life. " " Live long and prosper. "

" Sarek, you will listen! " " Go from me!! " " Picard is here. " " No more chaos!! No more. " " I will leave you alone with him. He will either acknowledge you, or he won't. "

" Sarek, I have come a long way to see you. " " I will not answer!! " " I must talk to you about your son. " " I wish no one with me!! " " About Spock. "

" I never knew what Spock was doing. When he was a boy, he would disappear for days into the mountains. I asked him where he had gone, what he had done, he refused to tell me. I insisted that he tell me. He would not. I forbade him to go. He ignored me. I punished him. He endured it, silently. But always he returned to the mountains. One might as well ask the river not to run. But secretly I admired him, the proud core of him that would not yield. "

" Sarek… We're a part of each other. I know that he has caused you pain. But I also know… that you love him." " Tell him, Picard… " [Sarek struggles to perform the Vulcan salute. Picard assists him, then returns the hand gesture] " Peace and long life. " " Live long and… and… Live long and… [starts sobbing] Spock… my son… " " …and prosper. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Vulcan Hello "
• " Battle at the Binary Stars "
• " The Wolf Inside "
• " The War Without, The War Within "
• " Will You Take My Hand? "
• " Brother "
• " Light and Shadows "
• " Perpetual Infinity " (archive footage)
• " Such Sweet Sorrow "
• " Stormy Weather " (picture only)
• TOS : " Journey to Babel " (First appearance)
• TAS : " Yesteryear "
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• " Unification I "

Background information [ ]

Identifying actors [ ].

Sarek was primarily played by Mark Lenard , except in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , where young Sarek was played by Jonathan Simpson , though voiced by Lenard. In a deleted scene from 2009 's Star Trek , the character was played by Ben Cross , who played his alternate counterpart in the film . In Star Trek: Discovery , Sarek is portrayed by James Frain .

Casting and first episodes [ ]

The first canonical evidence of Sarek was a very vague reference in " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", an allusion that was specifically Spock mentioning "one of [his] ancestors" who had married a Human female. From then on, Sarek was usually referred to in a more direct fashion, consistently described as Spock's "father" in later episodes of the first season .

A description of Spock in an early- 1966 publicity booklet released by NBC (and reprinted in Inside Star Trek: The Real Story ) suggested that his father not only was an extraterrestrial who had married a woman from Earth but also was possessed of "a precise, logical turn of mind" which Spock inherited.

During the run of the series, Sarek was referred to in the past tense in all but one episode; in " The Squire of Gothos ", Spock tells Trelane , " My father is from the planet Vulcan. " Sarek's occupation as an ambassador was first established in " This Side of Paradise ", whose teleplay was written by D.C. Fontana . This reference was a prime motive for Fontana later writing " Journey to Babel ". ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 2 , p. 84) While she did so, Fontana conceived the rift between Sarek and Spock, including it in the episode. ( Starlog issue #118, p. 18) It was also in that installment that Sarek was finally named.

Sarek's name was inspired by a memo in which Robert H. Justman proposed to Gene Roddenberry that Vulcan names should be no longer than five letters, begin with "S", and end with "k". ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., pp. 72 & 73)

The script of " Journey to Babel " included the following description of Sarek: " Because of Vulcan longevity, it is impossible to tell Sarek's age. He appears no more than late forties. He is actually one hundred two – middle age for a Vulcan […] Sarek's speech is almost without inflection. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 155 , p. 40) A scene cut from the same episode's final draft script would have established that Sarek's father was himself a well-renowned Vulcan ambassador, named Shariel. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 89)

Mark Lenard was cast in the role of Sarek apparently because he had made a good impression with the producers by playing the similarly pointed-eared Romulan commander in " Balance of Terror ". ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 71) D.C. Fontana recalled, " When we were casting in second season for 'Journey to Babel' and I was then the story editor and I had written that script, Gene said, 'What do you think about Mark Lenard for Sarek?' and I said, 'Whoopy-do! Let's go!' You know, I was all for it. He was perfect, again." (" Balance of Terror " Starfleet Access , TOS Season 1 Blu-ray ) Lenard was forty-three when he was cast for the part in "Journey to Babel". ( Star Trek: The Original Series 365 , p. 218)

Mark Lenard was artificially aged to play Sarek for the Vulcan's introductory appearance. " In those days, " he reflected, " they needed to fix my hair up with a little grey and they put wrinkles around my eyes, and then, of course, the ears. " ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - The Official Poster Magazine , p. 56)

By way of research before playing Sarek, Mark Lenard quizzed Spock actor Leonard Nimoy , shortly after they first met. " Mark was very curious about Vulcans and wanted to know as much as he could about them, " Nimoy recalled, " so we discussed this at length on the set. " Lenard found it easy to perform the Vulcan salute and helped devise the intimate ritual of Vulcan finger-touching . ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 71) He also developed a large degree of knowledge about the character of Sarek. In a 1987 interview, Lenard mused over Sarek's personality and his reaction to Spock opting to join Starfleet rather than the Vulcan Science Academy, commenting, " Sarek, like many people of strength and societal importance, believes in the superiority of the Vulcan way […] And the fact that Sarek's son, whom he nurtured and taught, the one who expresses the best that is the Vulcan society, should go off and share all this knowledge with others hurt him deeply, I think. " ( Starlog issue #117, p. 46)

The fan response to Sarek was immediate and, for two weeks after the initial telecast of "Journey to Babel", Mark Lenard's fan mail was even more numerous than that being sent to Leonard Nimoy. ( The World of Star Trek , 3rd ed., p. 146) Nimoy himself also approved of how Lenard portrayed Sarek in Star Trek: The Original Series , later stating, " Mark had a real sense of the dignity and authority the character needed. " ("To Boldly Go… Season Two", TOS Season 2 DVD & Blu-ray ) Nimoy also expressed, " The great dignity that he brought to the role of Sarek earned him a permanent place in the hearts of Star Trek fans. " ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 71)

In a deleted scene filmed for " Elaan of Troyius ", it was revealed that Sarek was an accomplished musician. He placed first in an all-Vulcan music competition; second place was awarded to Spock. ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 197; [1] )

The character of Sarek proved so popular that D.C. Fontana intended to bring him back for the third season, and included the Vulcan ambassador in her original story outline for " The Enterprise Incident ". In this version, Sarek was escorted by the Enterprise for a diplomatic mission, and later helped in negotiating with the Romulan commander (who, in this outline, was a male), gaining time for Kirk and McCoy (both being surgically altered to look Romulan) to perform their covert mission. However, comments made by Robert H. Justman regarding the outline made Fontana realize that Sarek didn't serve much purpose in the story, on the contrary, he was taking attention away from the main storyline and the other characters, especially Spock (whose relationship with the commander, soon to be turned female, became a pivotal point in the episode), and was basically there only for "fan service". Hence, Fontana soon eliminated him from the episode. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Three )

Finally, Fontana was able to bring Sarek back for her 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series episode " Yesteryear ". ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 72) In the script of that installment, Sarek was initially described as "distinguished looking". The same teleplay later characterized him as having a "deceptively quiet, unhurried voice" that Spock "would recognize in an instant anywhere." The "Yesteryear" script went on to further describe Sarek thus; " He is a tall, broadshouldered Vulcan, obviously in physical trim. His sharply planed, strong features and deepset eyes make him attractive. " Before Mark Lenard was available for that animated episode, James Doohan recorded the character's lines of dialogue for the installment. It was intended that his voice would serve as Sarek's in the episode, though Lenard's voice was thereafter looped over Doohan's recordings. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 78)

Initial film appearances [ ]

In a story written by Jon Povill and proposed to become the first Star Trek film , a societal upheaval on Vulcan included one of the Vulcans arguing that Sarek should be confined. ( Lost Voyages of Trek and The Next Generation , p. 11) Sarek was also to have been mentioned by name during the Kolinahr scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and was included in the shooting script for that movie, though not in the film's final version. [2]

Sarek's inclusion in Star Trek III was arranged by Harve Bennett . ( Starlog issue #117, p. 49) In an early story outline that Bennett wrote for the film, Sarek was a prime minister on Vulcan during a politically critical situation, as a Vulcan faction had reverted to the primitive behavior of their ancestors. Upon the Enterprise visiting the planet, Sarek rescued a landing party from an attack by the rebellious faction, though his attitude toward the newcomers was somewhat cold and angry. Sarek told Kirk, in the prime minister's quarters, that many Vulcans were unhappy with the Federation having such a powerful weapon as the Genesis Device; though elected prime minister as a peacemaker, Sarek was barely retaining order. It was also at this point, rather than on Earth, that Sarek admonished Kirk for not returning Spock's body to Vulcan and inquired as to how Kirk had known Spock had not been in a transcendental state. Sarek finally instructed Kirk to bring him Spock, and advised the admiral to hope that he would still be there when Spock arrived. [3] Although Sarek additionally appears in the film's conclusion, this was not true of the outline. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 8 , p. 30; Trek: The Unauthorized Story of the Movies , p. 84)

Mark Lenard was very happy to reprise his role of Sarek in Star Trek III . He later reminisced, " I was given a wonderful part in the film […] [As director, Leonard Nimoy] really gave me some great opportunities to bring my character to life; I got to play an equal part in giving ideas for Sarek. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 137 , p. 48) With Lenard having become a frequent guest at Star Trek conventions by that point, fans rejoiced when he reappeared as Sarek in the movie. ( Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 89)

In reprising the role of Sarek, Lenard explained, " When I came in for the makeup tests for Star Trek III , nobody really knew how to do Sarek's look. They had a few general ideas. I brought a picture in to show them what the hair looked like. The original makeup artists from the TV series are gone; Fred Phillips has retired. We had to dig up 'Journey to Babel' and run it, just to see what the makeup was like, to look at the angle of the eyebrows. " Regarding his new look, Lenard continued, " You may have noticed that the ears have changed. They used to be much bigger; now, they're more delicate […] I like the new look. Aesthetically, it fits the face a little better. Also, the movie screen is so much bigger than the TV screen that you can be more delicate, things don't need to be emphasized so much. " Finally, Lenard added, " Agewise, I had been made to look older back during 'Babel', but when I came in for tests this time, Leonard Nimoy thought I looked just about right. But then they did the makeup test. Leonard looked as it and said, 'Mark, you look more like my brother than my father!' So, they whitened my hair some more, applied a stronger age makeup – all in the name of fatherhood. " ( Starlog #86, September 1984 )

Spock and Sarek at the Federation Council in 2286

Sarek's chat with Spock in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was conceived a little differently from how it turned out. In the earliest version of the discussion, Sarek basically admitted that, though he would never understand Spock's half-Human nature, he nonetheless accepted him. " It was originally much more bonding, but they [the producers] removed about half a page of dialogue, which changed things quite a bit, " related Steve Meerson , who was originally assigned to co-write the film's script. ( The Making of the Trek Films , 3rd UK ed., p. 64)

Sarek was talked about amid a story conference in which William Shatner , Harve Bennett and David Loughery tried to work out the details of the plot for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . At one point, Shatner voiced interest in Sarek's motives for marrying Amanda, following the death of Sybok's mother. Even though Loughery reminded Shatner that this event had been commented on in the series, Loughery did not consider this usable story material for the film, finding it superfluous to the storyline. Despite this, Shatner again briefly mentioned Sarek's relationship with Amanda as a potential element of the movie's backstory. The group briefly contemplated that Sarek may have fathered Sybok during his marriage to Amanda, bearing the child out of wedlock to another woman, but the team then opted for Sybok having been born before Sarek married Amanda. Sarek was also considered as having motivated Sybok's departure from Vulcan, out of fear regarding Sybok's influence on Spock. An alternative to this involved both of Sarek's children choosing to leave but Sarek then confronting Spock with an implied threat that, if Spock did decide to depart, he would be completely disowned by his own father. ( Captain's Log: William Shatner's Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , pp. 64 & 65) The film's eventual backstory concerning Sybok and Sarek's relationship with a Vulcan princess has long been considered apocryphal by some sources, which included Gene Roddenberry . ( citation needed • edit )

Depictions in TNG and final film [ ]

In " The Big Goodbye ", an illustration of Sarek was seen when Data was assimilating the Dixon Hill novels. This illustration was from the FASA RPG module The Federation .

Sarek's initial reappearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation originally came about because Gene Roddenberry – having at first been determined to separate that Star Trek series from the original one – became confident to try a character crossover between the series. This was due to The Next Generation gaining popularity by its third season . In hindsight, Mark Lenard reminisced, " I was in Gene's office and he said, 'You know, it's about time that Sarek comes back. After all, Vulcans age very slowly.' I thought that was a good way to put it, not that they live a long time, but that they age very slowly – because it took them another year and a half before they found a script for me to play! " ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , paperback ed., p. 136)

Although Sarek's previous appearances in the third and fourth Star Trek films could have been the last times he was featured in the franchise, Marc Cushman had other notions in 1988 , when Gene Roddenberry heard his idea for a plot involving the character. Cushman pitched Roddenberry a story in which the Vulcan ambassador had to be brought out of retirement for one final mission but was, unbeknown to those around him, in the initial stages of a debilitating neurological illness. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , pp. 72 & 74) Early in TNG's second season and six months after the 1988 Writers Guild strike began, Roddenberry notified Cushman that, although he wanted to do something with the story, he was reconsidering whether the plot's main character was to be Sarek. " He asked me to take Sarek out of the script, " said Cushman, " and make it a different Vulcan, or a member of a different race that has telepathic abilities. " Roddenberry's interest in excising Sarek from the story was because he wanted the plot to focus more on the regular characters of TNG and had changed his mind about linking the two Star Trek series together at such an early stage in the series run of TNG, still wanting it to stand on its own. " I didn't see where removing Sarek was going to improve the story, or get me more work with the show, " continued Cushman, " so I handed the outline off to Jake Jacobs , who was a writer I'd done some work with in the past. " Though Jacobs submitted a revised version of the plot to Roddenberry, neither Sarek nor the story he was to have been featured in were included in TNG Season 2. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 75)

Sarek was present in an initial form of the story for third season installment " Yesterday's Enterprise ", written by Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell . Recalled Stillwell, " Gene Roddenberry had circulated a memo saying […] that Mark Lenard might be interested in making a guest appearance. " [4]

This early version of "Yesterday's Enterprise" began with Sarek arriving at the time planet aboard the Enterprise -D. As a dignitary, he planned to rendezvous with a Vulcan archaeological team that had been using the Guardian of Forever , on the planet, to study ancient Vulcan history at the time of Surak , known as the Time of Awakening . Sarek not only intended to congratulate the archaeologists but also personally escort them back to Vulcan aboard the Enterprise , but before they could leave the planet's surface, the team accidentally altered the timeline so that Surak died before his time. ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 29-31) After being captured as a spy, Sarek convinced a wary Captain Picard – fundamentally altered by the changes in the timeline – to let him travel back in time, via the Guardian, and replace Surak during the Time of the Awakening, in order to restore history. In this way, the story would have accounted for Sarek's name being so similar to the name Surak.

However, Michael Piller vetoed the use of Sarek (as well as the Guardian of Forever) in this instance. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 1st ed., p. 117) This was because Piller considered the character to be a gimmick from the original series that he'd rather avoid. [5] Eric A. Stillwell later reflected that Piller rejected the inclusion of Sarek while "telling me he had no interest in doing a story about Spock's father," though this attitude was to ultimately turn out to be "rather ironic." ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 34)

At the start of TNG's third season, Michael Piller, taking on the responsibilities of running the show due to Gene Roddenberry's health failing, actually wanted to return Sarek to the story which had been pitched by Marc Cushman. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 76) Sarek was reincorporated into the story after the writing staff decided that the guest character in that episode would be a member of Starfleet Command or of the Federation . In order to make the premise fit more easily into the science-fiction genre, someone suggested that a Vulcan experiencing psychological difficulties, due to some form of disease, might have extreme telepathic impact. " From that point it was really short-stepped to, 'What about Sarek?' " remembered Michael Piller. " Sarek is an extraordinarily honorable character who we felt obliged to protect and deal with in a very respectful manner. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , UK 3rd ed., p. 197) In this case, the use of Sarek maximized the extent to which the story had an impact on and involved the audience. Piller noted, " It brings home the idea that even the greatest of men is subject to mental illness. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 3rd ed., p. 127) The episode's script, written by Peter S. Beagle without any of the changes Jake Jacobs had made to the story (though his name remained in the screen credits), introduced Sarek with the description, " Sarek is indeed old, but immensely commanding. A genuinely regal figure. " ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 76; [6] )

After the episode "Sarek" was green-lit, the character of Sarek was the subject of a discussion between Marc Cushman and D.C. Fontana when they met. Cushman apologized for having recently "stolen" the character and transferred it to TNG. Though Fontana seemed surprised because she had invented Sarek, she was also polite and gracious about the issue. " She said, 'Well, he belongs to the fans now,' " Cushman relayed. ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 77)

For Michael Piller and others working on The Next Generation , there were parallels between the ailing Sarek of "Sarek" and Gene Roddenberry at the time of the episode's making, which Piller described as "what I remember most about that episode." He went on to relate the similarities between Roddenberry and the character; " Gene was beginning to go into decline. Not that he was uncommunicative, but it was clear that he was not the same man that he had been. We all respected him so much, and he had been such an important, strong leader of the franchise and everything it stood for. But here is this great man – and I've only known him for less than a year at this point – here is this great man going into decline, and I immediately felt a very strong connection to the premise of 'Sarek' […] If you go back and look at 'Sarek' closely, what that character is, is Gene Roddenberry. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission , p. 119) Piller also noted that this was the intention at the time the episode was written. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 8 , p. 66)

The makeup for Sarek in the episode of the same name was much as it had been in the previously produced films. " Because Vulcans have an extreme longevity, the years between Sarek's appearance in the motion [pictures] and his first appearance on TNG didn't present us with any problems in designing his makeup, " commented TNG Makeup Supervisor Michael Westmore . " We decided not to age him, and the studio agreed, suggesting that we use the natural lines of his face as contours. " ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , p. 78)

Leonard Nimoy had been appreciative of how Mark Lenard played Sarek in the episode of the same name as the character, describing this portrayal as "a beautiful performance." ( I Am Spock , hardcover ed., p. 325) Likewise, Ronald D. Moore thought the predicament Sarek finds himself in, during the installment which shares the character's name, made for an appealing episode. " Here was a respected, venerated figure in our Trek lore, and he had a problem, " Moore observed. " And it wasn't a problem where we were going to give him a hypo and solve it by the show's end. " ( The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 13 , p. 24) Moore clarified, " Mark Lenard has a chance to do some solid acting [in 'Sarek']. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 197)

The painting of Sarek in Star Trek VI

For Sarek's makeup in Star Trek VI , Jerry Quist , a makeup artist from TNG, agreed to join the film's makeup team – since the series was on hiatus while the film was in preproduction – and he alone concentrated on the character's prosthetics for the film. Makeup Supervisor Michael J. Mills recollected, " I just let Jerry take care of that, and he came up with an intermediate look for Sarek – something between what we'd seen in the previous features and what people would be seeing him as on TV. " ( Cinefex No. 49, p. 45) Also in Star Trek VI , a painting of Ambassador Sarek was hung in the USS Enterprise -A 's dining room.

The writing of Sarek's death in "Unification I" was inspired by the fact that, while the episode was being written, the writers were aware that Gene Roddenberry didn't have long to live. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 8 , p. 66) Ronald D. Moore commented that killing Sarek off took courage and, despite liking the character's final scene, he stated, " It wasn't pretty. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 23, No. 2/3, p. 54) Michael Piller approved of the depiction of Sarek in the "Unification" two-parter overall, enthusing, " I liked the stuff with Sarek, it was very moving. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 233) Concerning Sarek's final canonical appearance, Michael Westmore reflected, " We had to show the effects of the degenerative illness that had afflicted him. We again used the basic design and lines of Mark Lenard's face, but this time we aged him and showed him looking gaunt and drained. We used deeper shadows and placed rubber stretching around his eyes to show fatigue. " ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , pp. 78-79) Although Lenard enjoyed his small role in "Unification I" (saying, " It was a bit like King Lear "), he was unaware, during the making of the episode, that it contained a reference to Sarek having died. He explained, after-the-fact, " They only sent me part of the script. " ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , paperback ed., p. 136)

Interim [ ]

The realization that Sarek had apparently died in "Unification I" came as a sudden shock to Mark Lenard. " I was at a convention somewhere when the episode aired and I was surprised, " he reflected. Following the installment's broadcast, Lenard received mail from concerned fans, which he found emotionally moving, but he reckoned he might still reappear. " Jimmy Doohan, who was at that same convention with me, said to me, 'Well, did anybody see him die? Was anybody there?' " Lenard reported. " I said, 'No.' 'Well, then,' he told me, 'you're all right!' " ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , paperback ed., p. 136)

Ultimately, the role of Sarek was highly important in Mark Lenard's life. Mere months before he died in 1996 , Lenard commented, " I suspect that even though I've died on the screen, I will live and die as Sarek of Vulcan. There's no getting away from it anymore. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 137 , p. 48)

Despite Sarek making no appearances on Star Trek: Enterprise , the writing staff of that series at one time discussed the possibility of including a young version of the character on the show. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 103 , p. 18) " We always thought that […] Sarek was one of the assistants to Soval and that sort of colored his view of the Humans, " revealed Judith Reeves-Stevens . ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 55, p. 17) However, this would have contradicted previously established canon which places Sarek's birth several years after the timeframe depicted in Enterprise .

Sarek, Amanda, and their newborn son, before the timeline diverged ( Star Trek deleted scene)

Sarek was so integral to the origin story of Star Trek that, in one form, he once again made a movie appearance; his alternate counterpart was featured in the 2009 film Star Trek . ( Star Trek Magazine Special 2015 , p. 77) Mark Lenard's portrayal of the role provided a basis for Ben Cross' performance in the movie, as the alternate reality Sarek. As such, a sampling of Lenard's presentment of the character was supplied to Cross by Paramount , to prepare Cross for his own take on the character. ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 145 , p. 67)

In the aforementioned deleted scene from the film, involving Ben Cross portraying the prime-universe Sarek, he arrives home in the aftermath of Spock's birth. The scene in question takes place before Nero 's incursion – dated, on screen, as 2230 (which later became canon in Star Trek Beyond ) – thereby making the scene's depiction of Sarek, in fact, "this" character. The movie's script described Sarek, in this scene, as "late 40's," rather than sixty-five (which is how old he would be in 2230 if he was born in 2165) – by comparison, the script for " Journey to Babel ", set thirty-eight years later, also said that he appeared "no more than late forties." The script also established that he deliberately arrives after Spock's birth, explaining that Vulcan tradition excludes the father from actual childbirth, despite Amanda Grayson having wanted him to be there. [7] However, Sarek's absence from Spock's birth is not spoken about in the final version of the scene, leaving the reason for his late arrival unknown. The scene, both as scripted and ultimately edited, showed Sarek as being responsible for naming Spock, taking the name from "one of Vulcan's early society-builders."

Renewal [ ]

James Frain described Sarek as "endlessly fascinating, and complex, and ambivalent." ( Star Trek Magazine Discovery Collector's Edition , p. 36)

The episode "Sarek" stated that Sarek's first wife was from Earth; clearly, this was intended to be a reference to Amanda and that Sarek was not married to the Vulcan princess spoken about in Star Trek V , which admittedly never explicitly says that Sarek ever married the princess, only that she was Sybok's mother.

Mark Lenard was highly impressed with the actresses who were cast to play Sarek's wives. Shortly after appearing in the episode "Sarek", Lenard stated, " As Sarek, I've been graced with my wives so far. They've all been good-looking and charming women. " ( The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 14 , p. 28)

In "Journey to Babel" and "Sarek", Sarek introduced Amanda Grayson and Perrin respectively as "she who is my wife."

Apocrypha [ ]

The novel Ishmael gives his full name as "S'chn T'gai Sarek".

FASA 's RPG sourcebook The Federation claims that Sarek was born in Remsusala, Vulcan.

In the Thirteenth UK Story Arc , Spock had a cousin named Horek. If Horek was Spock's first cousin, this implies that Sarek had a sibling, one of Horek's parents.

In the comic story Star Trek: The Next Generation - Perchance to Dream , the crew of the USS Enterprise -D was attacked by a telepathic weapon called the Chova, which forced its victims to experience dreams and hallucinations focused on their personal failures. However, it was discovered that people with multiple personalities could render the Chova inert (since the Chova could only attack one personality at a time). Picard was deliberately infected with the Chova, since his mind meld with Sarek, the probe that gave him the memories of Kamin , and the remnants of his memories as Locutus of Borg still in his mind all gave him the makings of a multiple personality disorder. The four defeated the Chova, but Locutus then attempted to regain control of Picard's body, nearly 'killing' Kamin and Sarek before Picard gathered the mental strength to stop Locutus.

The novel Avenger revealed Sarek's "Bendii condition" to be actually caused by a poison or special pathogen used by members of the Symmetrists, a Vulcan terrorist group, to murder him without causing suspicion. Spock was also poisoned in this way.

In the novel Engines of Destiny , Sarek became the leader of a resistance fighting the Borg in an alternate timeline where the Borg conquered the Alpha Quadrant during the events of Star Trek: First Contact . However, Sarek retained some memories of the original timeline, which allowed him to recognize Kirk and Scotty when they arrived in 'his' timeline; even having never met them, he knew that he could trust the two of them. In the end, Sarek sacrificed himself to buy time for the temporally-relocated Enterprise -D to return Kirk to the Nexus , as Kirk's presence was required for Picard to survive in order to defeat the Borg's time-traveling experiment.

In the Myriad Universes short story A Less Perfect Union , in which Terra Prime was successful and the Federation-like Interstellar Coalition was formed without an isolationist Earth, Sarek was kidnapped by the Romulans before a conference discussing Earth joining the Coalition, and replaced by Keras ( Mark Lenard's Romulan character from " Balance of Terror ") – who, being so similar in appearance that this required no cosmetic alterations of any kind, concluded that the two likely shared a common ancestor from before the Vulcan-Romulan schism.

His mirror universe counterpart appeared in the novel The Sorrows of Empire and was mentioned in Dark Mirror and Spectre , all of which exist in separate continuities.

External links [ ]

• Sarek at Wikipedia
• Sarek at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Sarek at the Star Trek Online Wiki
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

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'Star Trek: Discovery' ends as an underappreciated TV pioneer

Eric Deggans

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham. Michael Gibson/Paramount+ hide caption

First, an admission: Though this column will offer a lot of discussion and defense of Star Trek: Discovery as a pivotal show, it won’t spend much time talking up the series’ current, final season or its finale episode, “Life, Itself,” dropping Thursday on Paramount+.

That’s because, for this critic, the last few seasons of Discovery have been a bit bogged down by the stuff that has always made it a tough sell as a Trek series: overly ambitious, serialized storylines that aren’t compelling; new characters and environments that don’t impress; plot twists which can be maddening in their lack of logic; big storytelling swings which can be confusing and predictable at once.

'Star Trek: Picard' soars by embracing the legacy of 'The Next Generation'

The show’s finale features the culmination of a sprawling scavenger hunt which found the crew of the starship Discovery bounding all over the place, searching for clues leading to a powerful technology pioneered by an alien race which created humanoid life throughout the galaxy. Their goal was to grab the technology before another race, ruthless and aggressive, could beat them to it, laying waste to everything.

It's no spoiler to reveal that Discovery ’s heroes avoid that nightmarish scenario, wrapping its fifth and final season with a conclusion centered on Sonequa Martin-Green’s ever-resourceful Capt. Michael Burnham and fond resolutions for a multitude of supporting characters (there’s even a space wedding!)

Still, this good-enough ending belies Discovery ’s status as a pioneering show which helped Paramount+ build a new vision for Star Trek in modern television – breaking ground that more creatively successful series like Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would follow years later.

And it all began with a singular character: Michael Burnham.

A take on Star Trek for modern TV

Discovery debuted in 2017 on CBS All Access — the streaming service which would become Paramount+ — facing a serious challenge.

As the first new Trek series in a dozen years, it had to chart a path which offered a new vision of the franchise without going too far — carving out a new corner in the universe of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock not long after the release of Star Trek Beyond , the third feature film produced by J. J. Abrams featuring rebooted versions of those classic characters.

Producers set Discovery ’s story 10 years before the days of Kirk and Spock (originally depicted on NBC for three seasons starting way back in 1966). The new series wouldn’t be centered on a starship captain, but its second in command: Burnham, a Black woman who also happened to be the hitherto unknown adopted daughter of Vulcan ambassador Sarek, Spock’s father (she would get promoted to captain of Discovery much later).

A Black human woman who was raised among the emotionally controlling, super-intellectual Vulcans? Who Trek fans had never heard of over nearly 60 years? Before I actually saw any episodes, my own feelings ranged from cautiously intrigued to cynically pessimistic.

But then I saw the first episode, which had an amazing early scene: Martin-Green as Burnham and Michelle Yeoh as Discovery Capt. Philippa Georgiou walking across an alien planet – two women of color marking the first step forward for Star Trek on a new platform.

People once sidelined in typical science fiction stories were now centerstage — a thrilling, historic moment.

Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou and Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham in the very first episode of Star Trek: Discovery. Jan Thijs/CBS hide caption

And it got better from there. Back in the day, Trek writers often felt hamstrung by creator Gene Roddenberry’s insistence that, in the future depicted by the show, humans were beyond social ills like greed, prejudice, sexism, war, money and personal friction. The writers chafed, wondering: How in the world do you build compelling stories on a starship where interpersonal human conflict doesn’t exist?

But Discovery found a workaround, putting Burnham in a position where logic led her to mutiny against her captain, attempting a strategy which ultimately failed — leaving humans in open combat with the legendarily warlike Klingons. Discovery also featured a long storyline which played out over an entire season, unlike many earlier Trek shows which tried to offer a new adventure every week.

'First, Last And Always, I Am A Fan': Michael Chabon Steers Latest 'Star Trek'

The show’s first season had plenty of action, with Harry Potter alum Jason Isaacs emerging as a compelling and unique starship captain (saying more would be a spoiler; log onto Paramount+ and check out the first season). Fans saw a new vision for Trek technology, leveraging sleek, visceral special effects and action sequences worthy of a big budget movie, with design elements cribbed from several of the franchise’s films.

Later in its run, Discovery would debut Ethan Peck as Spock and Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, classic Trek characters who eventually got their own acclaimed series in Strange New Worlds . So far, five other Trek series have emerged on Paramount+ from ideas initially incubated on Discovery – including a critically acclaimed season of Picard which reunited the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Not bad for a series one TV critic eventually called among “the worst in the [ Trek ] franchise’s history.”

Discovery’s unappreciated legacy

Unfortunately, Discovery has taken some turns which didn’t work out quite so well. At the end of Discovery ’s second season, the starship jumped ahead in time nine centuries – perhaps to remove it from Strange New World ’s timeline? – placing it in an environment only distantly connected to classic Trek .

And while Discovery initially seemed cautious about referencing classic Trek in its stories, later series like Strange New Worlds and Picard learned the value of diving into the near-60-year-old franchise’s legacy – regularly tapping the show’s longtime appeal, rather than twisting into knots to avoid it.

There are likely fans of Discovery who would disagree with this analysis. But I think it helps explain why the series has never quite gotten its due in the world of Star Trek , initially shaded by skeptical fans and later overshadowed by more beloved products.

Now is the perfect time to pay tribute to a show which actually accomplished quite a lot – helping prove that Roddenberry’s brainchild still has a lot of narrative juice left in the 21st Century.

Den of Geek

The Star Trek Next Generation Character That Was Originally Drastically Different

Early plans for Star Trek: The Next Generation had very different conceptions of the main cast, including a security chief inspired by a space marine from Aliens.

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Yaphet Kotto as Jean-Luc Picard? Wesley Snipes as Geordi? Jenny Agutter as Dr. Crusher?

Gene Roddenberry considered all of these actors for Star Trek: The Next Generation before casting Patrick Stewart , LeVar Burton, and Gates McFadden. However, the most surprising alternate idea for a TNG character involved Tasha Yar, the ill-fated security chief aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise .

The Tale of Macha Hernandez

The TNG series bible, released before the show premiered as a guide for writers and actors, describes Yar in terms similar, if not completely one-to-one, with the character we know from the series. “Born at a ‘failed’ Earth colony of renegades and other violent undesirables, she escaped to Earth in her teens and discovered Starfleet, which she still ‘worships’ today as the complete opposite of all the ugliness she once knew,” the description explains.

Portrayed by Denise Crosby, Tasha Yar did show great loyalty to Picard and the Enterprise , even if that loyalty fell short of “worship.” And though we knew she had a terrible childhood, the full details wouldn’t be known until the season four episode “Legacy.”

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But the very first description written for Yar in preparation for auditions was very different. So different, in fact, that she wasn’t even called Tasha Yar.

“LT. Macha Hernandez – 26 year old woman of unspecified Latin descent who serves as the starship’s security chief,” read the first casting call for TNG . “She is described as having a new quality of conditioned-body-beauty, a fire in her eyes and muscularly well developed and very female body, but keeping in mind that much of her strength comes from attitude. Macha has an almost obsessive devotion to protecting the ship and its crew and treats Capt. Picard and Number One as if they were saints.”

If a space-fairing Latina warrior with muscles and an attitude sounds familiar, it should.

Macha Hernandez’s description also matches Vasquez, the standout space marine from Aliens . Portrayed by Jenette Goldstein, who also appeared in director James Cameron ‘s Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Titanic , Vasquez was the standout in a space marine corps filled with colorful characters. While the other marines struggled to shake off their cryosleep (save for Al Matthews’ Sgt. Apone, of course), Vasquez starts doing pull ups and fending off dumb jokes from Hudson ( Bill Paxton ).

Every single line that Vasquez delivers is an all-timer. When the xenomorphs descend upon the marines and overwhelm them, Vasquez shouts “Let’s rock!” and starts blowing them away. She’s got a fantastic final line, telling Gorman (William Hope) just before they both die in an explosion, “You always were an asshole.”

Unsurprisingly, the first actor the producers considered for the role of Macha was Goldstein, but how the heck would a character like that fit on the deck of the Enterprise ? Especially while Roddenberry was in charge? After all, the man was famous for restricting conflict among the crew, which accounts for many of the bumps in TNG ‘s infamously uneven first season. It’s hard to see how even a TV-softened version of Vasquez could work on TNG .

Part of the answer is in the casting announcement. Macha is loyal to the Federation and Picard. So while there would surely be moments in which Macha would have leaned toward violence, a word from Picard would have made her stand down, as often happened with Worf.

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Beside Goldstein, another early frontrunner to play the character that would become Tasha Yar was Marina Sirtis. No, the English daughter of Greek parents isn’t at all Latina. But for television producers of the 1980s, brown hair was enough to signify “unspecified Latin descent.” And Goldstein isn’t actually Latina either despite playing a Latina woman in Aliens .

Interestingly, the original description for Deanna Troi said the character was a “cool, Icelandic blonde, almost Spock-like,” according to Crosby . “Marina [Sirtis] was reading for Tasha. Somewhere, about the second or third audition, Gene Roddenberry had this idea: Let’s just switch them and see what happens.”

From Macha to Tasha

When Denise Crosby became the frontrunner for the Security Officer, not even the most incurious casting director could see her as someone named Macha Hernandez. Instead, the show rewrote the character as the Ukrainian-descended Tasha Yar. With the Hernandez connection severed, most callbacks to Vasquez disappeared as well. Yar became a tough character who was told to stop fighting much more than she actually fought, unfortunately turning her into a bit of a boring presence on the Enterprise deck. Yar died an ignoble death in the 23rd episode of season 1, “Skin of Evil,” but it’s hard to begrudge all involved for abandoning the character.

Of course, Crosby did get to return in various forms throughout the show’s run, getting a proper send off for Yar in the wonderful “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and then getting to play the fun villain Sela. And Goldstein eventually found her way to Starfleet too, as a science officer aboard the Enterprise -B in Star Trek Generations and voicing the Enterprise computer on Short Treks .

Even better, the other attempt to pull from Aliens was much more successful. Roddenberry and the other TNG creators loved Lance Henriksen’s gentle but still uncanny take on an android as Bishop. They looked to that quality for Data, which they first found in actor Mark Lindsay Chapman before going with Brent Spiner . Spiner proved to be the ideal choice, not just because he brought Bishop’s disquieting kindness to Data, but also because he could expand on the character to make him unique and not just knock-off.

With time and the right casting, would Macha Hernandez have also become a distinct and beloved character? Maybe under Yaphet Kotto’s Picard and alongside Wesley Snipes’ LaForge.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

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Published May 31, 2024

Robin Curtis Looks Back at Star Trek III: The Search for Spock For Its 40th Anniversary

Curtis on portraying Saavik, being directed by Leonard Nimoy, and more!

StarTrek.com

Forty years ago this weekend, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock inherited the monumental task of picking up the tale of Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the U.S.S. Enterprise crew following Spock's tragic death in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Written by Harve Bennett and directed by Leonard Nimoy himself, the film dealt with the aftermath of the battle with Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), the evolution of the newly-created Genesis Planet, and Kirk's unsanctioned jaunt to bring Spock's body and katra — a Vulcan’s living spirit — to be reunited on Mount Seleya.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Complete with Christopher Lloyd's portrayal of a ruthless Klingon commander named Kruge, the original Star Trek series' cast's signature camaraderie, and an adventurous spirit, the third Star Trek film welcomed Robin Curtis to the role of Lieutenant Saavik, the Vulcan officer who accompanied Kirk's son Doctor David Marcus (Merritt Butrick) during his expedition to the Genesis Planet. Curtis was kind enough to speak to StarTrek.com and help us celebrate The Search for Spock 's 40th anniversary by reflecting on her time as Saavik and the rare experience of playing a Vulcan while being directed by Leonard Nimoy.

Four decades later, and Robin Curtis recollects that her respect for Nimoy as a director and collaborator was established the instant they met. "Right out of the gate, I could express nothing but praise for working with him, and it's only gotten better over time. Like good wine, my experience with him has aged well," remarks Curtis. "I look back with such fondness at his sensitivity, his respect for other actors, his ability to orchestrate the existing cast — his fellow coworkers for so many years — and newcomers like myself and Christopher Lloyd."

During her audition for the role of Saavik, Curtis had the unique distinction of hearing Nimoy's insight into what an actor can do to truly become a Vulcan. "Mr. Nimoy took such a lovely, intuitive approach to directing. He said, 'Vulcans have 1,000 years of wisdom behind the eyes,'" says Curtis of Nimoy's early advice regarding the Vulcan nature. "When I was given the role, he told me I should look in the mirror [and practice] talking without using my face to express what I was saying. Being so still and so contained near about did me in, and I thought I was failing so miserably at it that I was going to be fired. I didn't feel the innate knack or confidence that I was nailing it."

The challenge of assuming a Vulcan disposition weighed even more heavily on Curtis' shoulders when placed in context with her desire to deliver an excellent performance. "I was as serious as a heart attack on the set! I didn't speak until I was spoken to, which is totally unlike my normally sociable self. I was very earnest, wanting to show and demonstrate that I was grateful for this part. I wanted to do a good job and hit it out of the park," adds Curtis, who sensed that Nimoy appreciated her devotion to the film and her role as Saavik, as well as her overall work ethic and approach to acting.

In spite of her doubts, Curtis had her morale boosted by a pact she made with the director. "I shook his hand on my very first day of filming, and I said, 'Mr. Nimoy, you seem to think I know what I'm doing. And I need to tell you I do not.' And he said, 'Robin, I will take you every step of the way. I will never take you out on the end of a limb and leave you there.' I said, 'Deal.' And we shook hands on it, and he fulfilled that promise in each and every scene," declares Curtis.

Curtis also attests that there were certain scenes which were easier to approach and more straightforward than others. Those involving Saavik and weighty emotions demanded more scrutiny and attention. For example, while holding Saavik, Kirk's son David Marcus, and a reborn Spock hostage on the Genesis Planet, Kruge ordered one of his soldiers to kill a prisoner in order to demonstrate his conviction toward acquiring the Genesis Device. The sentence was inflicted upon David, and Saavik was forced to report the death to the man's father. "That [moment] filled me with anxiety and dread. How could I possibly say that with the Vulcan demeanor?"

Those complexities also rang true on the other end of the emotional spectrum. With a rapidly aging Spock overwhelmed by the urges of the pon farr , or the Vulcan time of mating, Saavik guided him through the intimate process. This scene, with its close contact and affectionate hand gesture, represented another significant Vulcan hurdle to overcome. "The reverence and enormity and profundity of pon farr , and going into this cave with Spock," begins Curtis. "We came to the set with no sense of what that would look like. [Young Spock actor] Stephen Manley and I were both a little trepidatious about what Lenoard was going to have us do. What would a Vulcan love scene or Vulcan foreplay look like? In fact, I've only just learned recently that the simple gesture that Leonard introduced us to that day, the notion of [the characters] joining their fingers, was originally introduced by Spock's mother and Sarek in the television series."

Behind-the-scenes of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Of course, having pioneered the Vulcan temperament for nearly 20 years by the time The Search for Spock entered production, Nimoy was singularly suited to answer questions about such delicate matters. Whether dealing with Saavik's reaction to David's death, the intimacy of pon farr , or any of Curtis' other scenes, Curtis recalls Nimoy's valuable input. "He would take me aside before every scene, and we'd sit down at the edge of the set on the platform, and I'd say the lines. He would moderate me no differently than we do with our cars with the radio volume. I was so grateful for that," shares Curtis.

Shifting her focus to her overall impression of their professional association, Curtis conveys her appreciation for Nimoy's leadership on the film before admitting she does have one slight regret. "I absolutely love the man. Loved him as a person, loved him as a director, and I'm sorry that I was too shy to even hint or suggest that we would have a friendship outside the realm of the shoots themselves."

While their friendship was largely limited to the production itself, the director did leave an indelible impact on Curtis' personal life. "Leonard Nimoy was aware that my father was battling cancer at the time, and it wasn't looking good," notes Curtis. "The best thing I remember about Star Trek is that it was a colossally beautiful distraction from the agony we were feeling as a family. Leonard Nimoy reminds me of my dad, and they were the same age. And [Nimoy] was so sensitive and kind about the idea that Star Trek was such a gift and a bright light for my family in a time of suffering. Ultimately, my dad lived long enough to see the movie. I went home to be at the Riverside Mall in Utica, New York, with my neighbors and family, and my dad made it to the movie theatre. I will always be grateful for that."

Curtis' thankfulness extends to the many fans who regularly compliment her for her tenure as Saavik in The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . "I'm flabbergasted at the multitude of ways that [Star Trek] has enriched my life. My heart explodes over the tenacity of the fans and how the franchise only gets better and richer. People are very generous and sentimental about [ The Search for Spock ]. They understood it was part of a triumvirate [of films]," observes Curtis. Referring to her final on-screen moments in The Voyage Home , in which Saavik and Amanda Grayson remain behind on Vulcan, Curtis jokes, "What did she and [Amanda Grayson actor] Jane Wyatt get up to? [ laughs ] What happened with the pon farr ? Did she end up being pregnant? I think the fans were just as curious as I was."

Perceiving her connection with the fans as a gift, Curtis contemplates an unexpected phone call she received from a medical facility in Cleveland, Ohio. A young man who she had once met at a convention had been taken off of dialysis and given only two weeks to live. The staff member contacting Curtis informed her that the man's last wish was to share a meal with her. "I had shown him some kindness at a convention in Ohio in the '90s, and he remembered," reveals Curtis, who didn't hesitate to make the five-hour drive to Cleveland that very same day. Before leaving, Curtis advised the caller, "You tell him I'll be there for dinner, and I wouldn't miss it for the world." Arriving Friday evening, Curtis spent every waking hour of that weekend with the fan. After departing on Sunday, they talked each day until he passed the following week. "That was a gift to me, and I like to think maybe a small gift to him," explains Curtis, noting that their connection has endured via her ongoing friendship with the fan's aunt.

The Search for Spock clearly meant a lot to those who watched it repeatedly, but Curtis' own perception of the movie has evolved since its release. "I saw the film at the time and then never saw it again for so many years. My memory of it was that it was depressing [ laughs ]," confesses Curtis. "The fact of the matter is, everything dies. Genesis dies, the ship dies, Kirk's son dies. Spock comes back to life, but he starts out dead [ laughs ]." As was the case for many of us, the pandemic changed everything for Curtis. "We were all in our houses and seeking connection. I felt like I needed to go back, so I rewatched [ The Next Generation two-parter] 'Gambit,' and I rewatched the movie. And I thought, 'This is funny!' There's a lot of good parts in this film that aren't depressing. I don't know why I had that impression stuck in my brain, but maybe it's because my involvement was very serious. Everything I had to do dealt with great disappointment and loss and tragedy."

Looking back, Curtis cites Sarek's mind meld with Admiral Kirk as her favorite scene, describing the sentiment behind the characters' interaction, the cinematography, and the close up of the actors' faces as "gorgeous." Though she felt the mood on the set of The Voyage Home was more joyful and playful — after all, she still has Polaroids of herself making funny faces with Walter Koenig, George Takei, Kirk Thatcher, and other cast and crew, Curtis maintains fond memories of working on The Search for Spock . "The cast were so generous and classy with me, and they understood the weight upon my shoulders as the newcomer. They were reassuring. I remember Walter Koenig told me to keep a journal. And of course, like a jackass, I didn't listen. [ laughs ]," jests Curtis. "Now, I wish I had kept one."

The Search for Spock 's conclusion exuded hope and wonder, as Spock's body and katra were reunited in a ceremony on Mount Seleya. Following his resurrection, Spock passes by each crew member in attendance, eventually finding himself embraced by the group. Although a glance between Spock and Saavik was fleeting, much preparation went into that moment. "[Nimoy] approached me before the scene and asked, 'How would you feel if you were to suddenly come upon somebody that you loved or were intimate with on a New York City street? How would you imagine that?' In the matter of a split second, so many thoughts went through my mind," says Curtis. "First, what a personal question to ask. Then I felt tenderness, embarrassment, sentimentality, nostalgia, and vulnerability all at once. I looked up at him, then looked down. He said, 'That’s it!' And I thought, ' Oh, okay, I love you! ' It is so lovely and simple when a director does that. No arm wrestling had to happen, he just asked me a simple question and I got [the scene]."

As for The Search for Spock 's ending, when Spock's friends crowd around him on Vulcan, Curtis recollects that she and the other cast members were given a general direction to "be encouraged by that moment and confident that his katra had been restored. Sometimes we don't work those moments out, and it's all on the fly. It was very much off-the-cuff." Whether meticulously planned or inspired by the moment, these scenes combined to create a film that has stood the test of time and established itself as a crucial installment in the pantheon of Star Trek stories.

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

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Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

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'Star Trek: Discovery' ends as an underappreciated TV pioneer

First, an admission: Though this column will offer a lot of discussion and defense of Star Trek: Discovery as a pivotal show, it won’t spend much time talking up the series’ current, final season or its finale episode, “Life, Itself,” dropping Thursday on Paramount+.

That’s because, for this critic, the last few seasons of Discovery have been a bit bogged down by the stuff that has always made it a tough sell as a Trek series: overly ambitious, serialized storylines that aren’t compelling; new characters and environments that don’t impress; plot twists which can be maddening in their lack of logic; big storytelling swings which can be confusing and predictable at once.

The show’s finale features the culmination of a sprawling scavenger hunt which found the crew of the starship Discovery bounding all over the place, searching for clues leading to a powerful technology pioneered by an alien race which created humanoid life throughout the galaxy. Their goal was to grab the technology before another race, ruthless and aggressive, could beat them to it, laying waste to everything.

It's no spoiler to reveal that Discovery ’s heroes avoid that nightmarish scenario, wrapping its fifth and final season with a conclusion centered on Sonequa Martin-Green’s ever-resourceful Capt. Michael Burnham and fond resolutions for a multitude of supporting characters (there’s even a space wedding!)

Still, this good-enough ending belies Discovery ’s status as a pioneering show which helped Paramount+ build a new vision for Star Trek in modern television – breaking ground that more creatively successful series like Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would follow years later.

And it all began with a singular character: Michael Burnham.

A take on Star Trek for modern TV

Discovery debuted in 2017 on CBS All Access — the streaming service which would become Paramount+ — facing a serious challenge.

As the first new Trek series in a dozen years, it had to chart a path which offered a new vision of the franchise without going too far — carving out a new corner in the universe of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock not long after the release of Star Trek Beyond , the third feature film produced by J. J. Abrams featuring rebooted versions of those classic characters.

Producers set Discovery ’s story 10 years before the days of Kirk and Spock (originally depicted on NBC for three seasons starting way back in 1966). The new series wouldn’t be centered on a starship captain, but its second in command: Burnham, a Black woman who also happened to be the hitherto unknown adopted daughter of Vulcan ambassador Sarek, Spock’s father (she would get promoted to captain of Discovery much later).

A Black human woman who was raised among the emotionally controlling, super-intellectual Vulcans? Who Trek fans had never heard of over nearly 60 years? Before I actually saw any episodes, my own feelings ranged from cautiously intrigued to cynically pessimistic.

But then I saw the first episode, which had an amazing early scene: Martin-Green as Burnham and Michelle Yeoh as Discovery Capt. Philippa Georgiou walking across an alien planet – two women of color marking the first step forward for Star Trek on a new platform.

People once sidelined in typical science fiction stories were now centerstage — a thrilling, historic moment.

And it got better from there. Back in the day, Trek writers often felt hamstrung by creator Gene Roddenberry’s insistence that, in the future depicted by the show, humans were beyond social ills like greed, prejudice, sexism, war, money and personal friction. The writers chafed, wondering: How in the world do you build compelling stories on a starship where interpersonal human conflict doesn’t exist?

But Discovery found a workaround, putting Burnham in a position where logic led her to mutiny against her captain, attempting a strategy which ultimately failed — leaving humans in open combat with the legendarily warlike Klingons. Discovery also featured a long storyline which played out over an entire season, unlike many earlier Trek shows which tried to offer a new adventure every week.

The show’s first season had plenty of action, with Harry Potter alum Jason Isaacs emerging as a compelling and unique starship captain (saying more would be a spoiler; log onto Paramount+ and check out the first season). Fans saw a new vision for Trek technology, leveraging sleek, visceral special effects and action sequences worthy of a big budget movie, with design elements cribbed from several of the franchise’s films.

Later in its run, Discovery would debut Ethan Peck as Spock and Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, classic Trek characters who eventually got their own acclaimed series in Strange New Worlds . So far, five other Trek series have emerged on Paramount+ from ideas initially incubated on Discovery – including a critically acclaimed season of Picard which reunited the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Not bad for a series one TV critic eventually called among “the worst in the [ Trek ] franchise’s history.”

Discovery’s unappreciated legacy

Unfortunately, Discovery has taken some turns which didn’t work out quite so well. At the end of Discovery ’s second season, the starship jumped ahead in time nine centuries – perhaps to remove it from Strange New World ’s timeline? – placing it in an environment only distantly connected to classic Trek .

And while Discovery initially seemed cautious about referencing classic Trek in its stories, later series like Strange New Worlds and Picard learned the value of diving into the near-60-year-old franchise’s legacy – regularly tapping the show’s longtime appeal, rather than twisting into knots to avoid it.

There are likely fans of Discovery who would disagree with this analysis. But I think it helps explain why the series has never quite gotten its due in the world of Star Trek , initially shaded by skeptical fans and later overshadowed by more beloved products.

Now is the perfect time to pay tribute to a show which actually accomplished quite a lot – helping prove that Roddenberry’s brainchild still has a lot of narrative juice left in the 21st Century.

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