Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
Ok before I watch the One With the Whales I did want to write one post about Search for Spock, and specifically how it assumes a marriage-level of mutual responsibility between Kirk and Spock.
As I noted in my live blog, Sarek shows up at Kirk’s place and he’s furious that Kirk didn’t ferry Spock’s katra to Vulcan. He assumes a) that Kirk has received knowledge of this ritual, presumably from Spock, and b) that Spock would chose Kirk to do it.
Kirk has no idea what Sarek is talking about, because Spock doesn’t explain shit until it is well past the last possible moment. But when he does understand, he claims that Spock’s soul is his responsibility, and we get a dose of xenophobia from Starfleet. All very reminiscent of Amok Time.
MORROW: Now! Wait a minute! This business about Spock and McCoy. Honestly, I never understood Vulcan mysticism. KIRK: You don’t have to believe! I’m not even sure I believe. But even if there’s a chance that Spock has an eternal soul, then it’s my responsibility. MORROW: Yours? KIRK: As surely as if it were my very own!
Kirk’s entire motivation is that he’s failed to ensure Spock was buried according to his religion, and he needs to make it right. Kirk has no idea that Spock could be revived until the last scene of the movie. He’s also motivated to save McCoy, but it’s clear that regardless of who was carrying the katra, Kirk would have dragged them to Vulcan.
And then, of course, the ending, with Spock in white:
KIRK: What I have done, I had to do. SAREK: But at what cost? Your ship. Your son. KIRK: If I hadn’t tried, the cost would have been my soul. SPOCK: My father says you have been my friend. You came back for me. KIRK: You would have done the same for me.
Kind of wild that the first thing Sarek said to his back-from-the-dead son is “that man is your friend.”
This movie is about what we owe to those we love, even in death. And regardless of where you fall on K/S, it’s undeniable that Kirk and Spock take mutual responsibility for the resting places of each other’s souls.
