Spock-the legend, the icon, you say. But why? What's the appeal? How has this largely unprepossessing character--originally intended as an undefined background oddity, who very nearly didn't survive the first pilot episode, and who inherited his ultimate personality from another character who was 'axed' because she was a woman in authority (Yech!)--managed to overshadow even the charismatic, larger-than-life, some might even inexplicably say 'sexy' Captain Kirk in the minds and hearts of so many die-hard Star Trek fans? As you might well expect, I have a theory.
On the one hand, Spock is deeply flawed, constantly 'handicapped' by his cultural need to suppress his emotions. It's no coincidence that these are the self-same emotions with which WE have struggled all of our lives; you know the ones that confuse us, make us miserable, get us into trouble. Being who we are, we anxiously watch for him to fail in his endeavor, so that we can sub-consciously feel a little better about our own shortcomings. When he DOES 'stumble', showing the ghost of a smile, or a twinkle in the eye, or making an enthusiastic outburst upon seeing a crewmate alive who was thought to be lost, our own humanity is somehow vindicated.
On the other hand, he routinely succeeds in his struggle to find himself--not only surviving, but THRIVING--and this also feels like a 'win' for us. Despite his inherent 'strangeness', a ubiquitous starting point for every human psyche, he has earned the respect and admiration of his peers. He has broken out of the mold of 'just another weird guy' to become the go to hero of his associates--something we all secretly aspire to, whether or not we've dared to admit it to ourselves. Best of all, he forces those around him to accept him ON HIS TERMS, sacrificing nothing of himself in the dubious process of 'blending in'. What a guy!
But that's all just surface stuff, serving only to lure us in. As we watch Spock for our ego justification fix, a strange and subtle sub-conscious interaction begins between ourselves and the character. His attributes are (however unconsciously) seemingly designed to provoke certain responses in us, thus--optimally--leading to a little 'incidental' personal growth of our own.
Spock is BRILLIANT. When we are confronted with an intellect of this magnitude in 'real life', the natural human response is to be intimidated and resentful, compelled to 'try and knock this blowhard down a peg or two'. Simple genetically encoded 'fight or flight'. It aint goin' away anytime soon. Learn to live with it. But this misperceived threat is largely nullified by a fictional character, confined to our T.V. monitor screens. We begin to see vast knowledge as a potentially good thing, a problem solving tool as well as a source of personal peace. We begin to want to know what he knows. We start to OPEN UP to the possibility of THINKING through our own daily personal struggles. Before we know it, our lives get better and we may not even realize why.
Spock is MYSTERIOUS. Again, we humans most typically despise and disparage anyone around us who isn't EXACTLY LIKE US, but we're apparently more willing to take it from a guy who isn't real in the first place. We want to draw him out, to plumb his depths, to encourage him to be, and to express himself in the fullest possible measure. We are treating Spock as we each inwardly wish we were treated. Even a dim, beginning awareness of this newfound insight might--ideally-- take us to the next plateau.
Spock is TOLERANT and OPEN-MINDED. Aren't you really and truly just BITTERLY bored with the myriad ludicrous ways in which we artificially separate ourselves from one and other? Black or white, Republican or Democrat, straight or gay, male or female, rich or poor, religious or not...and on and on and on, ad nauseum? Don't you just love a guy who simply can't be bothered with all that fake B.S.; who recognizes the most basic necessity of respecting all life, regardless of--or, perhaps, BECAUSE of--all of our little differences? Don't you find it deliciously ironic that the 'non-human' character on Star Trek can show us more about the best of humanity that any of the other characters?
Spock is EMOTIONAL. Yeah, I said it. At his core, he's just like us...only better at it! Sure, he shows us that a little control can go a long way, but more importantly, he makes it alright for us to go ahead and feel. He HAS emotions, but he's NOT a helpless, hapless prisoner of them! As many of you know, I've spent my lifetime repeatedly asking myself the question, "What would Spock do in a situation like this?", and I have to tell you, I've had a very satisfactory life because of it. And, yes, I believe that I am a significantly better person than I might have been without his kindly influence.
Is Spock 'hot', or 'cute', or 'sexy'? I really have no bloody idea about that, I can assure you. But is he the number one, all-time popular fiction 'poster boy' for intellectual freedom, positively directed emotional expression, fair and equal regard for all life, and personal honesty, decency, loyalty and capability? Is it, in fact, too much to say that a role model like Spock could actually be mass-patterned into the very hope of humanity?
Seems logical enough to me.
On the one hand, Spock is deeply flawed, constantly 'handicapped' by his cultural need to suppress his emotions. It's no coincidence that these are the self-same emotions with which WE have struggled all of our lives; you know the ones that confuse us, make us miserable, get us into trouble. Being who we are, we anxiously watch for him to fail in his endeavor, so that we can sub-consciously feel a little better about our own shortcomings. When he DOES 'stumble', showing the ghost of a smile, or a twinkle in the eye, or making an enthusiastic outburst upon seeing a crewmate alive who was thought to be lost, our own humanity is somehow vindicated.
On the other hand, he routinely succeeds in his struggle to find himself--not only surviving, but THRIVING--and this also feels like a 'win' for us. Despite his inherent 'strangeness', a ubiquitous starting point for every human psyche, he has earned the respect and admiration of his peers. He has broken out of the mold of 'just another weird guy' to become the go to hero of his associates--something we all secretly aspire to, whether or not we've dared to admit it to ourselves. Best of all, he forces those around him to accept him ON HIS TERMS, sacrificing nothing of himself in the dubious process of 'blending in'. What a guy!
But that's all just surface stuff, serving only to lure us in. As we watch Spock for our ego justification fix, a strange and subtle sub-conscious interaction begins between ourselves and the character. His attributes are (however unconsciously) seemingly designed to provoke certain responses in us, thus--optimally--leading to a little 'incidental' personal growth of our own.
Spock is BRILLIANT. When we are confronted with an intellect of this magnitude in 'real life', the natural human response is to be intimidated and resentful, compelled to 'try and knock this blowhard down a peg or two'. Simple genetically encoded 'fight or flight'. It aint goin' away anytime soon. Learn to live with it. But this misperceived threat is largely nullified by a fictional character, confined to our T.V. monitor screens. We begin to see vast knowledge as a potentially good thing, a problem solving tool as well as a source of personal peace. We begin to want to know what he knows. We start to OPEN UP to the possibility of THINKING through our own daily personal struggles. Before we know it, our lives get better and we may not even realize why.
Spock is MYSTERIOUS. Again, we humans most typically despise and disparage anyone around us who isn't EXACTLY LIKE US, but we're apparently more willing to take it from a guy who isn't real in the first place. We want to draw him out, to plumb his depths, to encourage him to be, and to express himself in the fullest possible measure. We are treating Spock as we each inwardly wish we were treated. Even a dim, beginning awareness of this newfound insight might--ideally-- take us to the next plateau.
Spock is TOLERANT and OPEN-MINDED. Aren't you really and truly just BITTERLY bored with the myriad ludicrous ways in which we artificially separate ourselves from one and other? Black or white, Republican or Democrat, straight or gay, male or female, rich or poor, religious or not...and on and on and on, ad nauseum? Don't you just love a guy who simply can't be bothered with all that fake B.S.; who recognizes the most basic necessity of respecting all life, regardless of--or, perhaps, BECAUSE of--all of our little differences? Don't you find it deliciously ironic that the 'non-human' character on Star Trek can show us more about the best of humanity that any of the other characters?
Spock is EMOTIONAL. Yeah, I said it. At his core, he's just like us...only better at it! Sure, he shows us that a little control can go a long way, but more importantly, he makes it alright for us to go ahead and feel. He HAS emotions, but he's NOT a helpless, hapless prisoner of them! As many of you know, I've spent my lifetime repeatedly asking myself the question, "What would Spock do in a situation like this?", and I have to tell you, I've had a very satisfactory life because of it. And, yes, I believe that I am a significantly better person than I might have been without his kindly influence.
Is Spock 'hot', or 'cute', or 'sexy'? I really have no bloody idea about that, I can assure you. But is he the number one, all-time popular fiction 'poster boy' for intellectual freedom, positively directed emotional expression, fair and equal regard for all life, and personal honesty, decency, loyalty and capability? Is it, in fact, too much to say that a role model like Spock could actually be mass-patterned into the very hope of humanity?
Seems logical enough to me.
We love you, Lenny.
