Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. Portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, he is one of the three central characters in the original Star Trek series, alongside Captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. On that series, Spock served as first officer and science officer of the starship Enterprise. Spock's mixed human–Vulcan heritage serves as an important plot element in many of the character's appearances. As one of the most popular Star Trek characters, Spock has made return appearances in many later installments of the franchise.
Spock was played by Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, eight of the Star Trek feature films, and a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Multiple actors have played the character since Nimoy; the most recent portrayal is Ethan Peck, who since 2019 has portrayed Spock at an earlier period of his career than the original series, appearing in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery, in Star Trek: Short Treks, and as a main character in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Additionally, Zachary Quinto played an alternate-reality version of Spock in the feature films Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. Although the three films are set in the aforementioned alternate reality, Nimoy appears in the first two as the original timeline's Spock.
Aside from the series and films in the Star Trek franchise, Spock has also appeared in numerous novels, comics, and video games. Nimoy's portrayal of Spock made a significant cultural impact and earned him three Emmy Award nominations. His public profile as Spock was so strong that both his autobiographies, I Am Not Spock and I Am Spock, were written from the viewpoint of coexistence with the character.
Appearances
Back story
Born to the Vulcan Sarek and the human Amanda Grayson, Spock's backstory has been addressed during several episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, the 2009 film Star Trek and Star Trek: The Animated Series. His mixed heritage led to a troubled childhood; full-blooded Vulcan children repeatedly bullied him on their home world to incite the emotions of his human nature. For a time, he grew up alongside his older half-brother Sybok, until Sybok was cast out from Vulcan for rejecting logic. In Star Trek: Discovery, it is revealed that Spock has a human adoptive sister, Michael Burnham. According to the episode "Amok Time", Spock was betrothed to T'Pring during his childhood.Sarek supported Spock's scientific learning and application to the Vulcan Science Academy, as mentioned in "Journey to Babel". In the 2009 film Star Trek, Spock rejects his acceptance into the Vulcan Science Academy on the basis that they would never fully accept someone who was only half-Vulcan. Although this scene was set in the parallel timeline of that film, writer Roberto Orci stated that he felt that Spock's life had not yet been altered at this point and this scene would have occurred in the same manner prior to The Original Series. Because Spock did not enter the VSA and sought to join Starfleet instead, he did not speak to his father for the following 18 years.
"The Cage" and the first season
Spock appeared as the science officer on the USS Enterprise in the unaired first pilot for the series, "The Cage". The events of the episode were formally canonized and shown in the two-part episode "The Menagerie" of the first season, and Spock's previous 11 years of service on the Enterprise were described. Spock also appeared in the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", which was broadcast initially as the third episode. During the events of that pilot, Spock became concerned at the risk to the ship posed by Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell and suggested possible solutions to Captain James T. Kirk.The earliest appearance of Spock in the series as broadcast was in "The Man Trap". When he needs to knock out an evil version of Kirk in "The Enemy Within", he uses a Vulcan nerve pinch, marking the first appearance of that iconic move. Spock and Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott work together to rejoin the good and evil versions of the Captain, which had been split following a transporter accident. During "Miri", he finds himself to be the only member of the landing party to be immune to the physical effects of the disease affecting human adults on the planet. However, he realizes that he is probably a carrier and could infect the Enterprise if he were to return. Doctor Leonard McCoy manages to devise a cure, allowing the team to return to the ship.
File:Spock at console.jpg|thumb|Spock at the console of a shuttlecraft on the USS Enterprise|upright=1.0|left
When Simon van Gelder enters the bridge armed with a phaser in "Dagger of the Mind", Spock subdues him with a nerve pinch. He later conducts a mind meld with van Gelder as part of the investigation into the activities of the nearby colony. After power to the colony is shut down, and a protective force field drops, Spock leads an away team to rescue Kirk. Spock is reunited with Christopher Pike in "The Menagerie". Pike had been promoted to Fleet Captain but suffered an accident, resulting in severe burns and confining him to a wheelchair and restricting his communication to yes/no answers via a device connected to his brainwaves. Spock commits mutiny and directs the ship to travel to Talos IV, a banned planet. He recounts the events of "The Cage" under a tribunal to Kirk, Pike and Commodore Jose I. Mendez. As the Enterprise arrives at the planet, Mendez is revealed to be a Talosian illusion. At the same time, the real Mendez communicates from Starfleet, giving permission for Pike to be transported to the planet, and all charges against Spock are dropped.
While the Enterprise is under threat in "Balance of Terror", Spock is accused by Lieutenant Stiles of knowing more about the Romulans than he admits when the alien's similar physical appearance is revealed. Spock hypothesizes that they are an offshoot of the Vulcan race. He saves the Enterprise, manning the phaser station and saves the life of Stiles in the process. In "The Galileo Seven", Spock leads a landing party on the shuttlecraft Galileo, which is damaged and pulled off its course before landing on the planet Taurus II. Lieutenant Boma criticizes Spock's fascination with the weaponry of the natives after the death of Lieutenant Latimer at their hands. After Scotty uses the power packs of the party's phasers to supply enough energy to get the damaged shuttle back into orbit, Spock decides to dump and ignite the remaining fuel to attract the attention of the Enterprise. The procedure is successful and the crew on the shuttle are rescued.
Spock encounters old acquaintance Leila Kalomi in "This Side of Paradise" after joining an away team to the planet Omicron Ceti III. After being affected by mind-altering spores, Spock begins acting out of character and with overt emotion, engaging in a romantic liaison with Kalomi, whom Spock had previously rejected when she made advances toward him. The impact of the spores on him is cured after Kirk goads him into anger, and once freed of the effects, Spock is able to initiate a solution which cures the rest of the crew. Spock attempts to mind meld with the non-humanoid Horta in "The Devil in the Dark". Following the mind meld, Spock relays the history of the Horta and is able to create peace between the aliens and a nearby colony. Both Spock and Kirk undertake guerrilla warfare against the occupying Klingon forces on the planet Organia, prior to the establishment of the Organian Peace Treaty in "Errand of Mercy". To restore the timeline, he travels with Kirk back to 1930's New York City in "The City on the Edge of Forever". He uses technology of that period to interface with his tricorder over the course of the weeks they spend in the period before witnessing Edith Keeler's death.