![]() ![]() The implication seems to be that it provides some lowering of inhibitions and propensity for leisure. In typical Star Trek fashion, the exact effect produced by the spores is never elucidated. ![]() If we approach Spock as a closeted gay man, then the female object of his affections becomes a key element in his feeling of “belonging.” Therefore, it is possible to work within a metric where one might have a reason to remain closeted. The assumption that gay couples would likely be commonplace by the 23rd century aside, the fact remains that the show was produced in the 1960s and there are no canon gay couples to be found. A simple reading of this might be that the ability to process emotion gave Spock a sense of belonging, but there is once again another, deeper analysis to be made. Spock felt like he belonged when he was able to feel and express romantic love for a woman. With the negation of its effects comes a return to the inner turmoil he experiences every moment of every day. A substance that enables his full emotionality, effectively tipping the delicately balanced scales of his identity, provides a sort of relief. Consider Spock’s heritage: half-human and half-Vulcan, Spock constantly finds himself torn between two clashing cultures, truly “belonging” to neither. However, this one seems to carry a double meaning. Taken at face value, Spock’s comment is merely an observation that he is no longer being affected by them Spock often makes somewhat banal comments seemingly for the benefit of the audience’s comprehension. In the context of the episode, “belonging” is the eerie, almost cult-like description for one under the influence of the spores. Once he has his bearings and realizes that Kirk has intentionally riled him so that the spores lose their hold, the first thing he says is: The most striking result of his time spent under the influence is the melancholy that seems to overtake him once the effect is broken. The spores appear to render their hosts relaxed, blissful, and dazed, an effect which can be undone through displays of strong negative emotion. Spock spends the majority of the episode under the influence of these spores, canoodling with Kalomi and giggling while hanging from a tree branch, until Kirk roughly snaps him out of it and the stoic science officer returns to himself. Spock falls under the influence of alien spores that cause him to break down in what appears to be immense pain, before he confesses his love to a woman named Leila Kalomi, whose love for him had been unrequited for six years. ![]() One episode which deals particularly with Spock’s internal conflict vis a vis his mixed heritage is “This Side of Paradise,” the 24th episode of the first season. Many of the cues that might cause a gay viewer to feel reflected by Spock come via the quirks of his Vulcan nature. Spock’s relationship, and the subtext often burgeoning on text especially to a gay viewer, Spock’s perceived gayness extends beyond his ambiguous relationship with his Captain. Despite the caginess, both in canon and in external commentary, that Roddenberry and others employ in their discussions of the nature of Captain Kirk and Mr. Watching the original Star Trek many decades after it aired, I cannot help but feel as though the conclusions I draw from certain lines, scenes, and even entire episodes must not be exactly as initially intended. ![]()
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