History Literature / SpocksWorld

* ContinuityNod: Naraht, the ''Enterprise's'' only Horta crew member, is a walking nod to "The Devil in the Dark."
** Upon learning that [[spoiler:Moira has become self aware, Kirk reminds everyone of the last time a self aware computer was onboard: M5.]]

* GoToSleepEnding: In the last chapter, Kirk, after he and his crew have successfully kept Vulcan from seceding, wraps things up with Moira (who was instrumental in the process) and goes to take a well-deserved night's sleep.

* InsideAComputerSystem: The novel has several historical interludes. In one, a member of a pre-Reformation Vulcan family-ship crew spends considerable time participating in the mind-nets, a telepathic/computer net virtual reality. When a mutiny on board ship sends it on an uncontrollable course, she retreats into the mind-nets until the ship is destroyed.

* [[BitchInSheepsClothing Jerk In Sheeps Clothing]]: In ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', [[spoiler:T'Pring]] may have seemed [[JerkassWoobie semi-sympathetic]]. However, the book's depiction of her is as a self-centered jerk. [[spoiler: After the events of the kal-i-fee, T'Pring]] brooded over matters not having worked out exactly as [[spoiler:she]] wanted. Convinced [[spoiler:T'Pring]] was in love with Spock or someone else, [[spoiler:Stonn]] took a suicidal risk to make their bond "real". Afterwards, [[spoiler:T'Pring]] didn't even seem that upset about the loss itself, as opposed to not getting what [[spoiler:she]] wanted ''again''. This spurred the idea of hate-mongering Vulcan towards secession specifically to hurt Spock, ignoring how many millions of other people the movement would hurt.

-->An Andorian spirit dancer using a Ouiji board could do a better job. Though I must say I enjoyed your article on the evolution of blood sacrifice in Earth culture. That is ''not'' what major-league football is for...

* BusCrash: [[spoiler: Stonn]] died prior to the events of this book due to a hormonal imbalance invoked to recapture a [[spoiler:T'Pring]]'s attention.

* [[BitchInSheepsClothing Jerk In Sheeps Clothing]]: In ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', [[spoiler:T'Pring]] may have seemed [[JerkassWoobie semi-sympathetic]]. However, the book depiction is as more of a self-centered jerk. [[spoiler: After the events of the kal-i-fee, T'Pring]] brooded over matters not having worked out exactly as [[spoiler:she]] wanted. Convinced [[spoiler:T'Pring]] was in love with Spock or someone else, [[spoiler:Stonn]]took a suicidal risk to make their bond "real". Afterwards, [[spoiler:T'Pring]] didn't even seem that upset about the loss itself, as opposed to not getting what [[spoiler:she]] wanted ''again''. This spurred the idea of hate-mongering Vulcan towards secession specifically to hurt Spock, ignoring how many millions of other people the movement would hurt.

* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:T'Pring]] blames Spock for [[spoiler:Stonn]] taking a suicidal risk to cement their mating bond due to feat that [[spoiler:T'Pring]] still pined for Spock. [[spoiler: After the events of "Amok Time", she slowly began to brood about how things had not gone according to plan. Stonn grew jealous and artificially induced ''plak tow'' in himself to make their bonding 'real'. When he died, T'Pring decided it was Spock's fault.]]

* OhCrap: [=McCoy=] gets a huge one when during his research into the groups behind the secession movement, he spots a name that stuns him, and ''keeps'' finding it...[[spoiler:T'Pring.]]

** Played with concerning the BigBad. [[TheStoic Modern-day Vulcans]] do not rampage, but [[spoiler:T'Pring]]'s revenge is so epic in scope - trick an entire planet to secede [[spoiler:just to piss off her ex-husband Spock]] - it makes Human-driven roaring rampages pale in comparison. The exact Vulcan concept of revenge is called ''ashv'cezh'', literally, ''revenge worse than death'', and Spock mentally comments that simple death is a mercy if compared to ''ashv'cezh''.
* SadisticChoice: Spock and Sarek are nearly forced into this. If the planet secedes, Spock will be forced to choose between his career with Starfleet and his friends on the ''Enterprise'' or being able to live on Vulcan; Sarek will be forced to choose between living on Vulcan and living with Amanda who would be expelled as a non-native.

* WackyCravings: While pregnant, Amanda found herself wanting to eat only pickles. This annoyed her because of its cliche nature, but Sarek took it in stride, the closest he comes to complaining is merely taking note of the cost of shipping pickles from Earth to Vulcan.

* VengefulWidow:
** T'Theliah murders her captors with her PsychicPowers after one of them kills her husband.
** [[spoiler:T'Pring]] reveals this as [[spoiler:her]] primary motivation.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:T'Pring]], despite supposedly getting exactly what [[spoiler:she'd]] wanted last time. However, the it's revealed that Spock's [[wantingIsBetterThanHaving prediction]] came true and [[spoiler:T'Pring]] began brooding over things not going precisely according to plan. The ultimately results in the loss of [[spoiler:her]] mate, reputation, and freedom.

* BusCrash: [[spoiler: Stonn]] died in between this book and said character's last appearance due to a hormonal imbalance invoked to recapture a [[spoiler:T'Pring]]'s attention.

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler: Ruin T'Pring's happiness with Stonn by driving her beloved to suicide? She'll force the ''entire planet to vote to secede from the Federation'', which would either send Spock and his family into exile or else trap Spock on Vulcan forever, ending his heroic and legendary trek to the stars. It doesn't help that, much like the MisplacedRetribution trope spells out, T'Pring is more responsible for what happened to Stonn than Spock is.]]

* BusCrash: [[spoiler: Stonn]] died in between this book and said character's last appearance due to a hormonal imbalance invoked to recapture a mate's attention.

* DontYouDarePityMe: the BigBad has this reaction toward [=McCoy=] at the book's conclusion. He retorts that he's got no time for pity and that the BigBad needs to pull [[spoiler: herself]] together.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: The book portrays the recurring villain without any of the qualities that might have led to sympathy in their original appearance. After the secession movement has crumbled, they ask to see Spock and suggest he wants to mock them over their obviously failing plotting skills. He answers that if he did, no one would consider it blameworthy. They then attack Spock over his emotional reaction during their last encounter, saying that he only behaved as he did lest someone should think poorly of him, rather than his obvious guilt and devastation over [[spoiler: accidentally murdering his best friend.]]
* EvilGloating: The BigBad rubs it in Spock's face when it looks like Vulcan will actually secede, even saying that they plan to attend the referendum to watch the fun.

* GoAndSinNoMore: Kirk and [=McCoy=] tell the BigBad to get back out of prison and do some good with that intelligence.

* HaveYouComeToGloat: The BigBad [[spoiler: T'Pring]] asks Spock if he has the desire to mock the BigBad for slipping logic. Spock answers, "If that was my thought, there is nothing in it to do me ill credit." But he doesn't.

* [[BitchInSheepsClothing Jerk In Sheeps Clothing]]: the BigBad may have seemed [[JerkassWoobie semi-sympathetic]] when they first appeared. However, the book portrays them as more of a self-centered jerk. [[spoiler: After the events of the kal-i-fee,]] they ignored their mate due to brooding over matters not having worked out exactly the way they wanted. Said mate thought they were in love with Spock or someone else and took a suicidal risk to make their bond "real". When their mate died, the arch-villain didn't even seem that upset about the loss itself, as opposed to not getting what they wanted ''again''. They hate-mongered Vulcan towards secession specifically to hurt Spock, ignoring how many other thousands of people the movement would hurt.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler: T'Pring]] surprisingly won their last conflict with the ''Enterprise'' crew, but they don't know when to quit. Trying to talk Vulcan into secession to hurt Spock over [[spoiler: a mate's death]] leads to their nastier side being revealed to the entire planet and their being taken into custody.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Taken with the BigBad's last appearance, this applies to said character. The BigBad got what was supposedly said character's goal the last time. However, the BigBad reveals that the same began brooding over things not going precisely according to plan. The BigBad ultimately loses mate, remaining good name, and freedom.

* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Comes up often during the historical tales about how Vulcan came to be. [[spoiler: Becomes important when the BigBad reveals her motivation, that T'Pring is using the secession vote to hurt Spock over what happened to Stonn...]]

* ManipulativeBastard: the BigBad, [[spoiler: T'Pring]], who cunningly stirs up the anti-human attitudes on the planet using nothing more than words and the small estate left by the spoilered character's mate.

* MisplacedRetribution: The BigBad [[spoiler:T'Pring]] is doing this to punish Spock for a death in the family...except it's hard to see how he is responsible. [[spoiler:Spock considers pointing out how T'Pring was more to blame for Stonn's fall, but he can't bring himself to say it.]]

* MotiveRant: the Big Bad gives a calmer-than-usual version to Spock about how he was responsible for the death of said character's mate and said character not getting what they wanted, and therefore the Big Bad is going to force him into a sadistic choice.

* NeverMyFault: The BigBad [[spoiler:T'Pring]] blames Spock for said character's lover taking a suicidal risk to get close to them after believing their brooding over Spock was romantic. [[spoiler: After the events of "Amok Time", she slowly began to brood about how things had not gone according to plan. Stonn grew jealous and artificially induced ''plak tow'' in himself to make their bonding 'real'. When he died, T'Pring decided it was Spock's fault.]]

* PlotTriggeringDeath: [[spoiler: Stonn]]'s death caused said character's mate to think that "[they] did not have [their] desire" and set out to destroy Spock.

** Played with concerning the BigBad. [[TheStoic Modern-day Vulcans]] do not rampage, but [[spoiler:T'Pring]]'s revenge is so epic in scope - trick an entire planet to secede [[spoiler:just to piss off her ex-husband Spock]] - it makes Human-driven roaring rampages pale in comparison. The exact Vulcan concept of revenge the Big Bad follows is called ''ashv'cezh'', literally, ''revenge worse than death'', and Spock mentally comments that simple death is a mercy if compared to ''ashv'cezh''.
* SadisticChoice: The Big Bad hopes to force Spock into this. If the planet secedes, he will be forced to choose between his friends on the ''Enterprise'' and his planet.

* ThanatosGambit: [=McCoy=] theorizes that [[spoiler:T'Pau]] pulled this, given that [[spoiler:she passed on her katra to Amanda]] and that the spoiled character made it clear to the newspapers that said character had heard about the plot before dying.

* VengefulWidow: T'Theliah murders her captors with her PsychicPowers after one of them kills her husband.
** [[spoiler:T'Pring]] reveals this as the backstory for their actions.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: the BigBad, [[spoiler: T'Pring]], until [=McCoy=] uncovers the plot and Sarek has the truth sent to the media.

* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: Discussed by [=McCoy=] when talking to the BigBad at the end. He even mentions Spock's comment to the same effect.

* WomanScorned: [[spoiler: T'Pring, pissed at Spock for ruining her gambit during "Amok Time".]] Lampshaded by Kirk when [[spoiler: [=McCoy=] tells him T'Pring's name keeps cropping up in the various secession groups.]]

* BridgeBunnies: Subverted with Uhura. When Kirk casually asks her about how one of her dissertations is shaping up, she launches into a head-spinningly complex discussion of alien syntaxes, translation algorithms, and xenolinguistics that leaves Kirk utterly in the dust, privately ashamed for ever thinking that Uhura's job was some kind of glorified switchboard operator.

** Immediately before this, Sarek announces his resignation from his position within the heavy implication that he will be leaving Vulcan should they vote to secede. Given that [[spoiler:Sarek is a descendant of Surak and next in line to be Head of House]], this shocks the audience into absolute silence.

* MundaneUtility: Spock came up with the method of storing non-essential food and drink for long space voyages by keeping their patterns in the transporter buffer. The primary benefit as far as the crew is concerned isn't how much space is cleared up for other storage, it's that the coffee beans stay fresh as they don't age while within the buffer.

* HollywoodProvincialism: An hilariously odd variant. In a description of ''[[RefugeInAudacity Vulcan]]''- "Jim tended to think of it as southern California, but with less rain." [[note]]For those who have no idea why this is so funny, Capt. James T. Kirk hails from Iowa. Starfleet HQ is in California, but ''Northern'' California, not at all the same thing... Southern California averages about 35 rainy days per year near the coast in the winter and spring (less in the inland desert areas), with summer and autumn typically being rain-free or nearly so. From the other descriptions we get, the Vulcan climate seems more on par with Nevada in the summer, or perhaps the Middle East.[[/note]]

* EvilGloating: the BigBad rubs it in Spock's face when it looks like Vulcan will actually secede, even saying that they plan to attend the referendum to watch the fun.

* HollywoodProvincialism: An hilariously odd variant. In a description of ''[[RefugeInAudacity Vulcan]]''- "Jim tended to think of it as southern California, but with less rain." [[note]]For those who have no idea why this is so funny, Capt. James T. Kirk hails from Iowa. Starfleet HQ is in California, but ''Northern'' California, not at all the same thing... Southern California averages about 35 rainy days per year near the coast in the winter and spring (less in the inland desert areas), with summer and autumn typically being rain-free or nearly so.[[/note]]

* MundaneUtility: Spock came up with the method of storing non-essential food and drink for long space voyages by keeping their patterns in the transporter buffer.

* LandmarkSale: [=McCoy=] offers to sell Spock a bridge "with a great view of Brooklyn" after revealing that [[spoiler: T'Pring]] hadn't been honest about just how much money was required to set up the referendum.

* BestServedCold: The revenge planned by [[spoiler:T'Pring]]. Even Spock admires it for its "flawless logic" and efficiency.

* BlackComedy: At the beginning of his speech, Kirk references his near-death in "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime Amok Time]]" by saying that "those of you who know the circumstances under which [he] left [Vulcan would] guess [he] was rather glad to get away again."

** Followed seconds later by ''another'' such line. Sarek says that the government can't respond to that scheme without seeing solid evidence of it, and [=McCoy=] says, "Sir, I await your convenience." The author describes the reaction thusly: "And the room went mad."

** [[spoiler: T'Pau, who times her death with the revelation of the bribery scandal to make it seem the news had killed her, knowing it would shame the planet into rejecting the secession vote. Also, allowing her katra - her spirit/memory - to pass into human Amanda Greyson, which meant that if the secession vote succeeded the katra of the Surak bloodline would be forced off Vulcan.]]

* EvilGloating: the BigBad rubs it in Spock's face when it looks like Vulcan will actually secede.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Spock's conception is discussed.

* [[BitchInSheepsClothing Jerk In Sheeps Clothing]]: the BigBad may have seemed like a JerkassWoobie when they first appeared. However, the book reveals said character as this.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler: T'Pring]] surpisingly won their last conflict with the ''Enterprise'' crew, but they don't know when to quit. Trying to talk Vulcan into secession to hurt Spock over [[spoiler: a mate's death]] leads to their nastier side being revealed to the entire planet and their being taken into custody.

* MotiveRant: the Big Bad gives a calm speech to Spock about how he was responsible for the death of said character's mate and said character "not hav[ing their] desire", and therefore the Big Bad is going to force him into a sadistic choice.

* LittleGreenMen: after Amanda marries Sarek, she responds to a tabloid running the headline "I Married a Little Green Man" with the retort, "There is [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar nothing little]] about my husband."

* SoCalization: An hilariously odd variant. In a description of ''[[RefugeInAudacity Vulcan]]''- "Jim tended to think of it as southern California, but with less rain." [[note]]For those who have no idea why this is so funny, Capt. James T. Kirk hails from Iowa. Starfleet HQ is in California, but ''Northern'' California, not at all the same thing... Southern California averages about 35 rainy days per year near the coast in the winter and spring (less in the inland desert areas), with summer and autumn typically being rain-free or nearly so.[[/note]]

** A young (pre-Surak) Vulcan couple. They begin too look forward to their arrangef marriage when they realize, by living together, they can argue uninterupted by curfews.

** A young (pre-Surak) Vulcan couple.

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: in addition to the plot about the possible secession of Vulcan, there is a second plot about Vulcan history, which winds up with the story of Sarek and Amanda's courtship and marriage.

* BlindIdiotTranslation: [=McCoy=] calls a Vulcan, Selv, out on his poor translation of the human documents he is using to support his prejudiced claims.

* VulcanHasNoMoon: Discussed.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spocks_world_6041.jpg]]
A 1988 ''Franchise/StarTrek'' novel by Creator/DianeDuane. The ''Enterprise'' crew's shore leave is interrupted when Kirk, Spock, and [=McCoy=] receive an invitation to speak at a referendum. The topic? Whether or not Vulcan should secede from the Federation. As the trio make their way through the discussions, they encounter prejudice and secrets and an old enemy makes a surprising return. Can even the crew of the ''Enterprise'' keep Vulcan from withdrawing?

* [[MotiveRant Motive Explanation]]: the Big Bad gives a calm speech to Spock about how he was responsible for the death of said character's mate and said character "not hav[ing their] desire", and therefore the Big Bad is going to force him into a sadistic choice.