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'"Amok Time"' is an episode of ''. It is episode #30, production #34, and first broadcast on September 15, 1967. It was repeated April 26, 1968. This was the first episode of the second season, and the first to air after the series moved to Friday nights at 8:30pm. It was written by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, scored by Gerald Fried, and directed by Joseph Pevney.
The episode features Mr. Spock returning to his homeworld for a brutal Vulcan marriage ritual. It is the only episode of the original series to have scenes on the planet Vulcan.
On stardate 3372.7, Mr. Spock, first officer of the starship USS ''Enterprise'', abruptly requests a leave of absence to his home planet of Vulcan after displaying irrational behavior for several days. Dr. McCoy witnesses one of Spock's outbursts, including the throwing of a bowl of Vulcan plomeek soup specially prepared for him by Nurse Chapel, and agrees Spock needs some "time off".
Captain Kirk is baffled by the strange behavior and Spock's unwillingness to tell him more than "I need rest", but honors Spock's request and diverts the ''Enterprise'' to Vulcan. Soon however, Kirk receives a priority signal with orders to proceed to Altair VI to represent the Federation at an inauguration ceremony for the planet's new president. Kirk tells Spock his leave will have to be delayed. Later, Kirk asks Mr. Chekov how long it would take to get to Altair if they diverted to Vulcan just long enough to drop off Mr. Spock; Chekov replies that Spock has already ordered a course change to Vulcan.
Kirk confronts Spock, who says he has no memory of having changed the order. Kirk orders him to report to sickbay for a full examination. Once there, Dr. McCoy discovers Spock's blood chemistry is extremely active and has the presence of unknown hormones. If the condition persists, Spock will die in eight days from the physical and psychological stress. Spock does not wish to discuss what is currently affecting him, but Kirk demands an explanation.
Seemingly embarrassed, Spock informs that his condition is called Pon farr, a very personal biological syndrome that all Vulcan males painfully endure periodically throughout their adult life. During this time, they must join with their wives, or die. Spock compares his need to return to Vulcan to the need for eel birds of Regulus to return every eleven years to the caverns where they hatched, and also to salmon of Earth who must return to the stream where they were born to spawn. Kirk gets the idea that it is essentially Spock's mating season.
Kirk contacts Admiral Komack at Starfleet Command Sector 9, and requests permission to divert to Vulcan. The Admiral denies permission, but Kirk ignores the order, arguing there are already two other starships attending the Altair VI ceremony. Spock seems to calm down once he learns Kirk is doing what he can.
The ''Enterprise'' finally arrives at Vulcan, and Spock invites Kirk and Dr. McCoy to accompany him to the surface. Once there, Kirk comments on Vulcan's extremely harsh environment and its atmosphere which is thinner than Earth's.
Spock explains to them that Vulcans are married as children with the understanding that they will fulfill this commitment when they become adults. His bride T'Pring, who was betrothed to him at the age of 7, awaits him. He must enter Kunat kalifee, his family's traditional place of the Vulcan marriage ceremony.
T'Pau, a highly respected member of Vulcan society, and best known as the only person to ever turn down a seat in the Federation Council, arrives to conduct the ceremony.
T'Pring arrives accompanied by Stonn, a pure-blooded Vulcan, who is obviously her lover, and invokes kal-if-fee, her customary right to a physical challenge between Spock and Stonn. But instead, she picks Kirk to be her challenger to fight Spock. The duel pains Spock, and he asks that T'Pau forbid it because Kirk "does not understand, he does not know", but T'Pau allows it. She tells Kirk to decide, telling him another champion will be selected if he declines. Kirk accepts the challenge, thinking he can let Spock win — then discovers that this is a fight to the death.
Regardless of Spock's condition, he displays superior strength and agility. Kirk is weakened by Vulcan's heat and thinner atmosphere and must struggle harder against Spock's strength. McCoy objects, telling T'Pau that Kirk is seriously disadvantaged, and suggests he inject Kirk with a tri-ox compound to compensate. T'Pau allows the injection. The combat continues and Spock garrotes Kirk with a traditional weapon, at which point McCoy pronounces the Captain dead and has his body beamed back to the ''Enterprise''.
With the battle over, Spock now realizes what has happened. He gives up his claim on T'Pring and sadly returns to the ship, though not before questioning T'Pring on her choice of Kirk as her champion; in a display of logic that impresses Spock in its flawlessness, T'Pring explains that with Spock's name near-legendary among their people, now, she instead developed a mutual attraction to Stonn than be the consort to such fame. However, as she could only legally divorce Spock through the kaliffee, and allowing Stonn to take the challenge as her champion would risk losing him, she instead chose Kirk, knowing that regardless of the outcome, she and Stonn would be together. On the ship, Spock announces his intention to resign from Starfleet and submit himself to whatever consequences await him for killing Kirk. However, he finds his Captain alive and well and expresses overt joy (unusual for a normally emotionless Vulcan) in the full witness of McCoy and Chapel. McCoy and Kirk then explain that McCoy actually injected the Captain with a neuroparalyzer drug that simulated death but merely knocked him out. Spock says that when he thought he had killed the Captain, he found that he had lost all desire for T'Pring, and the madness was gone. Furthermore, Kirk is let off the hook for disobeying orders when Starfleet retroactively grants permission to divert to Vulcan at T'Pau's request.
This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired February 17, 2007 as part of the remastered ''Original Series''. It was preceded a week earlier by "The Doomsday Machine" and followed a week later by "The Paradise Syndrome". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS ''Enterprise'' that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:
★ The appearance of the planet Vulcan from orbit was changed to match its appearance in the remastered version seen in "Journey To Babel".
★ A photo of T'Pring as a child was altered so that the previously flat color behind her was replaced by a garden.
★ A panoramic shot of Vulcan's surface has been created showing the characters walking across a stone archway to the temple which is atop a massive spire, and reminiscent of the temple seen in ''.
★ The idea that the ''pon farr'' occurs once every seven years was never spoken in the aired episode. Stephen Whitfield's book ''The Making of Star Trek'', published in 1967, quotes D.C. Fontana as follows: "The specific time interval between these occurrences varies from male to male and by other circumstances. The average is about once every seven Earth years when a Vulcan is separated from his people as is Spock, more often if living among his own kind." In subsequent versions of ''Star Trek'' the mating drive is specifically said to occur once every seven years. D.C. Fontana, in her novel ''Vulcan's Glory'', shows that Vulcans can have sex together at any time, but that the ''pon farr'' is the fertility cycle.
★ T'Pau would be referenced in an episode of '' by way of a starship bearing her name. She would appear on the holodeck in the '' episode Darkling. The character herself would appear decades later in the '' episodes "Awakening" and "Kir'Shara". Since these episodes take place more than a century before "Amok Time", and were made years after Celia Lovsky's death, the character is portrayed as a young woman, and by a different actress (Kara Zediker).
★ The model who was photographed as 7-year-old T'Pring (seen briefly on the viewer in Spock's quarters) is Mary Rice.
★ Unique among ''Star Trek'' episodes, the closing stills include shots of the characters T'Pau, T'Pring and Stonn under the relevant guest actors' credits.
★ This episode marks the first time that a Starfleet Admiral appears in a ''Star Trek'' production. The Admiral in the episode was known as "Admiral Komack".
★ ''TV Guide'' summarized this episode with the double-entendre "Mr. Spock succumbs to a powerful mating urge and nearly kills Captain Kirk".
★ Leonard Nimoy made mention of this episode on the January 16, 2007 airing of ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' in an attempt to explain that while Vulcans are logical, they can sometimes be quite emotional.
★ Gerald Fried fight music for "Amok Time" was re-used in many episodes throughout the second season and has become one of the most parodied elements of the series, having been spoofed numerous times:
★
★ ''The Cable Guy'': Jim Carrey's character fights Matthew Broderick's character in the same fashion, complete with fight music.
★
★ ''Futurama'': In "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?", Fry and Zoidberg do battle in a similar manner. The "Star Trek fight music" is used in the scene, but is referred to as the "Decapodian national anthem". The Vulcan weapons are also seen in that episode (though not used).
★
★ ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'': In ''Last of the Wild Horses'', an alternate universe Mike (in a parody of the ''Star Trek'' episode "Mirror, Mirror") is attacked by his universe's Crow who is singing the fight theme using the word "die" as its lyrics.
★
★ ''The Simpsons'': In "Deep Space Homer" Homer and Barney Gumble are made to fight with each other in a parody of the ''Star Trek'' episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion", with the fight music in the background.
★
★ ''Family Guy'': In "Peter Peter Caviar Eater" Stewie orders two butlers to "fight to the death" for his amusement, with the same background music.
★
★ ''Dexter's Lab'': In "Star Check Unconventional" Dexter must fight as punishment for the opening of a valuable collector's item.
★
★ In a Jimmy Neutron Valentine's Day episode, Sheen challenges Libby to a fight, to prove his love, and gives her a lirpa styled weapon he made.
★ The Spock theme was played by bassist Barney Kessel.
★ The British pop band T'Pau (who had an international hit with ''Heart And Soul'' in 1987) took its name from the character in this episode.
★ The British comedy programme ''The Grimleys'' has an episode called pon farr - regarding Gordon Grimley's unrequited love for Geraldine Titley.
★ Preview of the remastered “Amok Time” at Trekmovie.com
★ “Amok Time” at StarTrek.com
★ “Amok Time” at the Internet Movie Database
'"Amok Time"' is an episode of ''. It is episode #30, production #34, and first broadcast on September 15, 1967. It was repeated April 26, 1968. This was the first episode of the second season, and the first to air after the series moved to Friday nights at 8:30pm. It was written by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, scored by Gerald Fried, and directed by Joseph Pevney.
The episode features Mr. Spock returning to his homeworld for a brutal Vulcan marriage ritual. It is the only episode of the original series to have scenes on the planet Vulcan.
| Contents |
| Plot |
| Notes |
| References |
| External links |
Plot
On stardate 3372.7, Mr. Spock, first officer of the starship USS ''Enterprise'', abruptly requests a leave of absence to his home planet of Vulcan after displaying irrational behavior for several days. Dr. McCoy witnesses one of Spock's outbursts, including the throwing of a bowl of Vulcan plomeek soup specially prepared for him by Nurse Chapel, and agrees Spock needs some "time off".
Captain Kirk is baffled by the strange behavior and Spock's unwillingness to tell him more than "I need rest", but honors Spock's request and diverts the ''Enterprise'' to Vulcan. Soon however, Kirk receives a priority signal with orders to proceed to Altair VI to represent the Federation at an inauguration ceremony for the planet's new president. Kirk tells Spock his leave will have to be delayed. Later, Kirk asks Mr. Chekov how long it would take to get to Altair if they diverted to Vulcan just long enough to drop off Mr. Spock; Chekov replies that Spock has already ordered a course change to Vulcan.
Kirk confronts Spock, who says he has no memory of having changed the order. Kirk orders him to report to sickbay for a full examination. Once there, Dr. McCoy discovers Spock's blood chemistry is extremely active and has the presence of unknown hormones. If the condition persists, Spock will die in eight days from the physical and psychological stress. Spock does not wish to discuss what is currently affecting him, but Kirk demands an explanation.
Seemingly embarrassed, Spock informs that his condition is called Pon farr, a very personal biological syndrome that all Vulcan males painfully endure periodically throughout their adult life. During this time, they must join with their wives, or die. Spock compares his need to return to Vulcan to the need for eel birds of Regulus to return every eleven years to the caverns where they hatched, and also to salmon of Earth who must return to the stream where they were born to spawn. Kirk gets the idea that it is essentially Spock's mating season.
Kirk contacts Admiral Komack at Starfleet Command Sector 9, and requests permission to divert to Vulcan. The Admiral denies permission, but Kirk ignores the order, arguing there are already two other starships attending the Altair VI ceremony. Spock seems to calm down once he learns Kirk is doing what he can.
The ''Enterprise'' finally arrives at Vulcan, and Spock invites Kirk and Dr. McCoy to accompany him to the surface. Once there, Kirk comments on Vulcan's extremely harsh environment and its atmosphere which is thinner than Earth's.
Spock explains to them that Vulcans are married as children with the understanding that they will fulfill this commitment when they become adults. His bride T'Pring, who was betrothed to him at the age of 7, awaits him. He must enter Kunat kalifee, his family's traditional place of the Vulcan marriage ceremony.
T'Pau, a highly respected member of Vulcan society, and best known as the only person to ever turn down a seat in the Federation Council, arrives to conduct the ceremony.
T'Pring arrives accompanied by Stonn, a pure-blooded Vulcan, who is obviously her lover, and invokes kal-if-fee, her customary right to a physical challenge between Spock and Stonn. But instead, she picks Kirk to be her challenger to fight Spock. The duel pains Spock, and he asks that T'Pau forbid it because Kirk "does not understand, he does not know", but T'Pau allows it. She tells Kirk to decide, telling him another champion will be selected if he declines. Kirk accepts the challenge, thinking he can let Spock win — then discovers that this is a fight to the death.
Regardless of Spock's condition, he displays superior strength and agility. Kirk is weakened by Vulcan's heat and thinner atmosphere and must struggle harder against Spock's strength. McCoy objects, telling T'Pau that Kirk is seriously disadvantaged, and suggests he inject Kirk with a tri-ox compound to compensate. T'Pau allows the injection. The combat continues and Spock garrotes Kirk with a traditional weapon, at which point McCoy pronounces the Captain dead and has his body beamed back to the ''Enterprise''.
With the battle over, Spock now realizes what has happened. He gives up his claim on T'Pring and sadly returns to the ship, though not before questioning T'Pring on her choice of Kirk as her champion; in a display of logic that impresses Spock in its flawlessness, T'Pring explains that with Spock's name near-legendary among their people, now, she instead developed a mutual attraction to Stonn than be the consort to such fame. However, as she could only legally divorce Spock through the kaliffee, and allowing Stonn to take the challenge as her champion would risk losing him, she instead chose Kirk, knowing that regardless of the outcome, she and Stonn would be together. On the ship, Spock announces his intention to resign from Starfleet and submit himself to whatever consequences await him for killing Kirk. However, he finds his Captain alive and well and expresses overt joy (unusual for a normally emotionless Vulcan) in the full witness of McCoy and Chapel. McCoy and Kirk then explain that McCoy actually injected the Captain with a neuroparalyzer drug that simulated death but merely knocked him out. Spock says that when he thought he had killed the Captain, he found that he had lost all desire for T'Pring, and the madness was gone. Furthermore, Kirk is let off the hook for disobeying orders when Starfleet retroactively grants permission to divert to Vulcan at T'Pau's request.
This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired February 17, 2007 as part of the remastered ''Original Series''. It was preceded a week earlier by "The Doomsday Machine" and followed a week later by "The Paradise Syndrome". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS ''Enterprise'' that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:
★ The appearance of the planet Vulcan from orbit was changed to match its appearance in the remastered version seen in "Journey To Babel".
★ A photo of T'Pring as a child was altered so that the previously flat color behind her was replaced by a garden.
★ A panoramic shot of Vulcan's surface has been created showing the characters walking across a stone archway to the temple which is atop a massive spire, and reminiscent of the temple seen in ''.
Notes
★ The idea that the ''pon farr'' occurs once every seven years was never spoken in the aired episode. Stephen Whitfield's book ''The Making of Star Trek'', published in 1967, quotes D.C. Fontana as follows: "The specific time interval between these occurrences varies from male to male and by other circumstances. The average is about once every seven Earth years when a Vulcan is separated from his people as is Spock, more often if living among his own kind." In subsequent versions of ''Star Trek'' the mating drive is specifically said to occur once every seven years. D.C. Fontana, in her novel ''Vulcan's Glory'', shows that Vulcans can have sex together at any time, but that the ''pon farr'' is the fertility cycle.
★ T'Pau would be referenced in an episode of '' by way of a starship bearing her name. She would appear on the holodeck in the '' episode Darkling. The character herself would appear decades later in the '' episodes "Awakening" and "Kir'Shara". Since these episodes take place more than a century before "Amok Time", and were made years after Celia Lovsky's death, the character is portrayed as a young woman, and by a different actress (Kara Zediker).
★ The model who was photographed as 7-year-old T'Pring (seen briefly on the viewer in Spock's quarters) is Mary Rice.
★ Unique among ''Star Trek'' episodes, the closing stills include shots of the characters T'Pau, T'Pring and Stonn under the relevant guest actors' credits.
★ This episode marks the first time that a Starfleet Admiral appears in a ''Star Trek'' production. The Admiral in the episode was known as "Admiral Komack".
★ ''TV Guide'' summarized this episode with the double-entendre "Mr. Spock succumbs to a powerful mating urge and nearly kills Captain Kirk".
★ Leonard Nimoy made mention of this episode on the January 16, 2007 airing of ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' in an attempt to explain that while Vulcans are logical, they can sometimes be quite emotional.
★ Gerald Fried fight music for "Amok Time" was re-used in many episodes throughout the second season and has become one of the most parodied elements of the series, having been spoofed numerous times:
★
★ ''The Cable Guy'': Jim Carrey's character fights Matthew Broderick's character in the same fashion, complete with fight music.
★
★ ''Futurama'': In "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?", Fry and Zoidberg do battle in a similar manner. The "Star Trek fight music" is used in the scene, but is referred to as the "Decapodian national anthem". The Vulcan weapons are also seen in that episode (though not used).
★
★ ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'': In ''Last of the Wild Horses'', an alternate universe Mike (in a parody of the ''Star Trek'' episode "Mirror, Mirror") is attacked by his universe's Crow who is singing the fight theme using the word "die" as its lyrics.
★
★ ''The Simpsons'': In "Deep Space Homer" Homer and Barney Gumble are made to fight with each other in a parody of the ''Star Trek'' episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion", with the fight music in the background.
★
★ ''Family Guy'': In "Peter Peter Caviar Eater" Stewie orders two butlers to "fight to the death" for his amusement, with the same background music.
★
★ ''Dexter's Lab'': In "Star Check Unconventional" Dexter must fight as punishment for the opening of a valuable collector's item.
★
★ In a Jimmy Neutron Valentine's Day episode, Sheen challenges Libby to a fight, to prove his love, and gives her a lirpa styled weapon he made.
★ The Spock theme was played by bassist Barney Kessel.
★ The British pop band T'Pau (who had an international hit with ''Heart And Soul'' in 1987) took its name from the character in this episode.
★ The British comedy programme ''The Grimleys'' has an episode called pon farr - regarding Gordon Grimley's unrequited love for Geraldine Titley.
References
External links
★ Preview of the remastered “Amok Time” at Trekmovie.com
★ “Amok Time” at StarTrek.com
★ “Amok Time” at the Internet Movie Database
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