Recap / Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S1E05 "Spock Amok"

After the beating Enterprise took during her encounter with the Gorn, the ship has retreated to Starbase 1 for repairs and well-earned shore leave. Most particularly, T'Pring has arranged to visit Spock. However, things go Off the Rails almost immediately, as Spock is called to duty: the Federation is seeking a treaty with the R'ongovians, sapients who control safe passage to the Beta Quadrant, and Spock is needed for the negotiations, dashing the young couple's plans. T'Pring is particularly irate (in the serene way only Vulcans do) because she declined work while abroad, despite having a major opportunity to further her career in rehabilitating wayward Vulcans. (Plus, she made dinner.)

Ortegas, Chapel, and M'Benga head out for shore leave. Number One and La'an see them off, both on duty without question; they learn that this is expected of them, as the two have been nicknamed "Where fun goes to die". While the ship is empty, they respond to a security breach in Airlock 4 and discover two ensigns attempting an unauthorized spacewalk as part of "Enterprise Bingo," which neither of the two bridge officers have ever heard of— primarily because it's performed by ensigns and below. After confiscating a checklist from an ensign's quarters, the two, somewhat resentful of the fun-hating attitude ascribed to them, attempt fun.

Spock and T'Pring attempt to reconcile by performing an advanced Mind Meld which involves direct soul-to-soul contact. Unfortunately, it goes wrong, leading to a "Freaky Friday" Flip. They are forced to admit the situation to Captain Pike when the R'ongovians send him to announce that they will only negotiate with the Vulcan. "Spock" accepts the duty, with T'Pring taking the opportunity to walk a mile in her fiancé's shoes; "T'Pring" does the same when her co-worker requests assistance in convincing a fugitive Vulcan to submit himself to reconditioning ("T'Pring" apprehends him via a time-honored human tradition: a Tap on the Head). Spock takes the opportunity to tell Nurse Chapel of the situation; she and M'Benga are able to devise a medical solution and restore Spock and T'Pring's katras to their rightful places.

Captain Pike, watching the negotiations with the R'ongovians, notices their reactions: when dealing with a Tellarite ambassador, they managed to one-up the latter's notorious rudeness; when dealing with Spock, they became formally logical; when they first introduced themselves to Pike, they mentioned that radical empathy is a hallmark of their species. As such, when closing negotiations, he plays a hunch: he admits that, while membership in The Federation brings its advantages, it will also have its costs. He sees things from their point of view. This is apparently what the R'ongovians are waiting for, as they formally accept the treaty. Meanwhile, Una and La'an find a way to win Enterprise Bingo for good and all: one of the goals is to sign The Scorch, the oldest hull plate on the Enterprise, which is what the two ensigns were planning to spacewalk for. The two do it without EVA suits, using their senior officer powers to extend a forcefield and atmo over the saucer section. And, last of all, Spock and T'Pring, each with a better understanding of whom they are betrothed to, finally achieve their long-delayed consummation.

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Tropes:

• Acting Unnatural: Spock and T'Pring try to disguise that they've swapped bodies, rather unconvincingly, when Pike comes calling. It does not escape Pike's notice that something is up, but he figures it's a relationship thing and ignores it until the two are forced to admit what's happened.
• Answer Cut: When April tells Pike that the R'ongovians don't want to talk to him anymore, he asks who they do want to talk to. Cut to Spock and T'Pring trying to switch back into their own bodies.
• Anything but That!: When Una punishes the ensigns by taking away their shore leave and making them work with Chief Kyle, they both squeak this, as "he's too mean".
• Artistic License – Gun Safety: One of the tasks in Enterprise Bingo involves a duel using phasers on minimal power setting. Considering the phaser has settings ranging from mild sting to vaporize, this is a gross violation of any sort of safety rules. Justified, as the whole point of Enterprise Bingo is to break the rules, but this still stands out as the most unsafe task on the list if one were careless (unsanctioned spacewalk being a close second).
• "Ass" in Ambassador: The R'ongovian ambassador seems to outdo the Tellarites in terms of being undiplomatic. Later on, however, he's more logical and restrained with Spock (or T'Pring-as-Spock) and quite agreeable with Pike. It turns out that R'ongovians mirror the attitudes of whomever they're dealing with, in the hope that the other side will do the same to them.
  Vasso: (to the Tellarites) Your beard is as ridiculous as your proposals! Every word you speak is an insult to R'ongovia!
• Batman Gambit: For the final negotiation, Pike makes a gamble and instead argues against the R'ongovians joining the Federation, citing every reason they might have to distrust such an alliance. April and Uhura think he's lost it, but he explains that the R'ongovians have been matching the personality traits and point of view of the different species they've interacted with; aggressive with Tellarites, reasonable and open-minded with humans, and logical with Vulcans, but don't come any closer to agreeing with them. Based on their positive reaction to him defending Spock with empathy, what they really seem to want is their point of view to be acknowledged and understood, including their concerns about allying with the Federation. His gambit pays off, and they agree to an alliance.
• Blatant Lies: When Una asks Chief Kyle if he was aware of the nickname the yeomen have for her, he very unconvincingly denies any knowledge.
• Breather Episode: Coming off of the life-and-death stakes of "Memento Mori", this is a silly low-stakes episode.
• Brutal Honesty: Pike wins over the R'ongovian by voicing out loud their point of view and acknowledging their concerns: Aligning the Federation is a gamble that may make enemies out of the Klingons and Romulans. The Federation's promise of support may in fact be support for trouble that arises because they allied with the Federation. They may get pulled into any conflict the Federation gets involved in. Admiral April and Uhura are shocked by this, thinking Pike torpedoed their chances, but it turns out it's what the R'ongovians wanted to hear: that the Federation understands and acknowledges their concerns.
• Call-Back:
  • T'Pring's fugitive is part of V'tosh ka'tur, or "Vulcans without logic". Captain Archer met some on Star Trek: Enterprise.
  • The Scorch is so named because it's covered in burn marks — which were caused when a torpedo embedded in the saucer exploded, taking a big chunk out of the forward hull, in DSC: "Such Sweet Sorrow, Pt II".
• Call-Forward:
  • The Dream Intro recalls Spock's kal-if-fee from "Amok Time", several years later in-universe. The episode's title is another reference.
  • While Chapel seems mostly devoted to casual, no-strings-attached physical relationships, she has some Ship Tease with Spock. By the time of The Original Series, Chapel is quite explicitly in a "All Love Is Unrequited" situation with him.
  • Una punishes the two ensigns with Transporter Room duties, namely cleaning the transporter pad.
  • One of the Enterprise Bingo requirements is to reconfigure a Medical Tricorder to display the results for a Vulcan marsupial. In the Voyager episode "Life Line", the Doctor got extremely aggravated when Lewis Zimmerman pulled the exact same stunt on him.
• Catapult Nightmare: Happens to Spock after he wakes up from his Dream Intro.
• Captain's Log: Spock records his log entry while Enterprise is docked at Starbase 1. It gets interrupted when T'Pring shows up— appropriately, just as he mentions her.
  "Science officer's log, stardate 2341.4. After our harrowing encounter with the Gorn, Enterprise has returned to Starbase 1, one of the oldest, most venerated space stations in the Federation, newly repaired after the Klingon War. Here, the crew will be adjourning for some much-needed rest and relaxation. While I have agreed to assist the captain with a diplomatic matter, I plan to spend most of my time here with my fiancée T'Pring, who has arranged to join me since our last visit was cut short by—"
• Central Theme: Seeing each other's point of view.
  • The R'ongovians practice "radical empathy", which is all about seeing another's perspective. Pike wins them over by voicing their concerns about joining the Federation.
  • Spock and T'Pring perform the soul-sharing ritual to better understand each other. Switching bodies allows them to live each other's lives for a day.
  • Una and La'an don't understand the appeal of "Enterprise Bingo" until they decide to play it and come to appreciate the thrill of breaking the rules.
• The Comically Serious:
  • Spock and T'Pring, with the utmost seriousness, complain about the need for "hijinks" in their current situation.
  • Una discovers she has the nickname "where fun goes to die" among crew members, which she takes surprisingly personal. Her and La'an do end up bonding by playing the ensigns "Enterprise Bingo" game, which is made hilarious because they remain generally serious characters while doing so.
• Contrived Coincidence: The R'ogovian's will speak only to Spock. Barjan T'Or will speak only to T'Pring. It's been mere hours since they've found themselves in each other's bodies.
• Cool Ship: The R'ongovian flagship is an antique solar sail ship they use for diplomatic meetings, flying the flag of their ally when a treaty is signed (making it a very literal application of the term "flagship").
• Cross-Referenced Titles: With "Amok Time".
• Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: The Enterprise Bingo PADD uses a snippet of the Star Trek opening fanfare as a chime.
• Dope Slap: Chapel does this to Spock to set him straight on making time for T'Pring.
• Dream Intro: The episode starts with Spock having a nightmare being caught in kal-if-fee between his human and Vulcan halves, complete with the iconic "Amok Time" battle theme.
• Fantastic Racism:
  • Barjan T'Or is not shy about expressing his disdain for humans.
  • Spock explains to T'Pring that his decision to go into Starfleet rather than the Vulcan Science Academy was because he saw nothing but contempt for his mixed race identity among Vulcans, while Starfleet allows him to just be himself.
• "Freaky Friday" Flip: The episode's A-plot is all about the body swap between Spock and T'Pring, and the ensuing hijinks. In an interesting spin, Spock and T'Pring quickly give up trying to pretend to be the other and just explain the situation to Pike, although the plot of the episode still requires them to have to assume one anothers' roles. The two actors actually do a bang-up job of imitating one anothers' characters' subtle mannerisms too, like the way each of them folds their hands while in a relaxed posture.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • The entire Enterprise Bingo checklist is easily readable if one pauses. The rules require you to complete 10 of 11 items and not get caught. Una and La'an are seen doing the top three and bottom two:
    1. Use transporter to re-flavor gum.
    2. Phaser stun duel.
    3. Turbolift two-floor shout challenge.
    4. Set the Universal Translator to Andorian.
    5. Gravity boot hang challenge.
    6. Medical tricorder challenge: Vulcan marsupial.
    7. Food replicator challenge: durian fruit.
    8. Sneak a tribble into the transporter buffer.
    9. Sit in the captain's chair.
    10. EV suit challenge: unsanctioned space walk.
    11. Sign the Scorch (the oldest unreplaced hull plate on the Enterprise).
  • If one pauses at the right moment while La'an and Una are signing the Scorch, it's possible to see Lucille Ball's signature among the other names on the plate. Lucille famously took a chance on the Original Series by agreeing to produce it through her company, Desilu Studios; it's very possible that without her, Star Trek as we know it would never have been made.
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: La'an calls the "bad cop" role when she and Una catch two ensigns playing "Enterprise Bingo".
• Hate Sink: Just in case viewers might sympathize with a Vulcan seeking to not live under the strictures of Logic, Barjan T'or exudes a rude arrogance and racism that emphasizes just how much of Vulcan emotion is being tempered by the strict adherence to Logic. Under the circumstances, even T'Pring agrees that Spock-As-T'Pring's response to sucker-punching him out cold to apprehend him was "logical".
• The Hilarity of Hats: M'Benga sports a floppy fly-fishing hat for his trip. Everyone gives the poor doctor hell over it and he removes it before he leaves. However, he's wearing it later while fishing.
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog: La'an really does not want to be in proximity to diplomatic affairs, and degenerates into Buffy Speak when trying to extricate herself.
  Pike: And you've already met Lieutenant Noonien-Singh.
  La'an: Sir, I should go... do the... security things. (escapes)
• Incredibly Lame Fun:
  • Una and La'an discuss things they would do rather than go on shore leave. Una is thrilled to refresh the duty roster, while La'an wants to refit the artillery.
  • La'an and Una decide that "Enterprise Bingo" is kind of boring because they aren't breaking any rules doing it, being senior officers. Una decides to escalate things by taking the spacewalk idea and doing one better: a spacewalk without an EVA suit (using forcefields instead).
• It Was with You All Along: Pike and April scramble to figure out the correct approach to take with the R'ongovians until Pike realizes that Captain Vasso told them the key at the very beginning.
  Captain Vasso: We, too, listen. Empathy is a hallmark of our people. Few understand that.
• Jerkass: Barjan T'Or gives Spock-as-T'Pring no end of complaints about bringing along a human and dating a Half-Human Hybrid, to the point that Spock eventually loses his temper and punches the guy out. Even T'Pring agrees with his course of action.
• Kilroy Was Here: The last item on the Enterprise Bingo list is to sign "The Scorch", the oldest un-replaced plate on the 'Enterprise's outer hull. Normally this would require an EVA walk (which also happens to be the second-to-last item on the list) with a space suit, but Number One opts to engage in the true spirit of Enterprise Bingo (i.e. breaking the rules) and exploits her technical authority as First Officer to extend a forcefield containing atmosphere over the hull to reach the Scorch without the use of space suits. ("Technical" authority because if Pike found out, he'd possibly box her ears for exerting her authority for something so frivolous). Both of the notoriously uptight senior officers leave their signatures on the old plate, leaving a perplexing curiousity for any subsequent ensign who makes it to the Scorch for Enterprise Bingo.
• Metaphorgotten: Una says she's happy to be "Fun's funeral". La'an corrects her that they are referred to as "Where fun goes to die".
• Mirror Match: Spock's dream features a duel between his human and Vulcan halves.
• Mundane Fantastic: Pike accepts Spock and T'Pring's body swap as vaguely humorous but unimportant in comparison to the other things going on aboard Enterprise. Nurse Chapel, a licensed medical professional, merely laughs and comments that it must be weird for Spock to be in his partner's body. T'Pring merely wants to change back and seems to have no thoughts on the swap. Spock says that he hasn't had time to focus on the oddity of being in T'Pring's body and he's more worried about jeopardizing her career by having to impersonate her. Dr. M'Benga doesn't ask to do any observations or take any readings. He merely sets about undoing their swap after noting that anything katra related is a step beyond the medical, so he just uses the textbook solution to resolve the matter.
• Mythology Gag:
  • During the kal-if-fee ritual combat, the episode's composer replicates the iconic fight fanfare of "Amok Time".
  • When checking off boxes on the "Enterprise Bingo" checklist, the PADD plays a brief ringtone version of the "Space. The final frontier." motif.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Ortegas has scars from fighting with a lirpa (the two-handed weapon used by Vulcans during mating duels) after getting involved in a Vulcan Love Triangle.
  • Chapel had a relationship with another woman which ended with her having to dodge phaser fire.
• The Only One: The body-swapped Spock and T'Pring both have to do jobs that only the other person could do, as the R'ongovians will only talk to Spock and the fugitive that T'Pring was pursuing will only surrender to her.
• Peace Conference: Pike and T'Pring-as-Spock negotiate with the R'ongovians to join The Federation before either the Klingons or the Romulans can win them over. At the end, the R'ongovians hoist the Federation flag to show that the negotiations have succeeded.
• Planet of Hats: The R'ongovians value empathy, employing a deliberate form of mirroring. They temporarily adopt the hat of whichever culture they speak to (being rude to Tellarites, reasonable with humans and logical with Vulcans), with the hope that the opposite side will likewise demonstrate an ability to empathize with their needs and perspectives (in this case, their concerns regarding joining the Federation).
• Played for Laughs: Discussed In-Universe, with characters talking about their "hijinks".
• Rewatch Bonus: Once it's revealed that the R'ongovians are an empathetic society that mimics the cultural norms of their host culture, their seemingly erratic behavior and temperament gains context. Initially, they are aggressive because their first Federation contact was with the abrasive Tellarites. When the human Admiral April, Captain Pike, and Cadet Uhura are soft spoken, polite, and smiling, the R'ongovians become chatty and friendly. When they want to decide to deal directly with Spock, they are inquisitive and unemotional.
• Series Continuity Error: Since Chapel is in love with Spock, "Amok Time" makes a big deal of her meeting T'Pring for the first time and being astonished that the latter character exists. Given that the two of them met during this episode, that reaction looks odd.
• Shout-Out: The title is a reference to "Amok Time".
• Weirdness Magnet: It is generally accepted that weird things happen to the crew of Enterprise. The body swap barely registers beyond an inconvenience to the people who learn of it.
• Wet Blanket Wife: Technically fiancé, but T'Pring is vocal with Spock over his inability to make time with her while performing his Starfleet duties (as it is a foregone conclusion that they will not marry as depicted in TOS). That said, she does show empathy and forgiveness for his mistakes and the body-swap events of the episode allow her to understand the responsibilities he has.

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