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Vulcan (Star Trek)
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Vulcans are a humanoid species in the fictional Star Trek universe who hail from the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. On early episodes, they were sometimes referred to as "Vulcanians". They were the first
extraterrestrial species encountered by Humans, and later became one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets. Vulcans are featured in all six Star Trek series, four of which featured a Vulcan as a main character.
BiologyPhysical and mental attributesThe main differences in the depiction of Vulcans from that of Humans are their arched, upswept eyebrows, and the top of their ears' pinnae, which tapers into a point. Vulcans, like Humans, display different races within the species, which are comparable to Human races. This means Vulcans may be played by actors of any race or ethnicity. Most caucasianoid Vulcan characters typically appear with a subtle greenish hue to their skin, much as Human Caucasians have subtle reddish hue to their skin. This is because Vulcan blood is copper-based and is copper or rust-colored when deoxygenated in the veins, and green when oxygenated in the arteries. Bruises and dermal abrasions therefore take on a green color.
In general, Vulcans are three times physically stronger than Humans, and live three times as long; Sarek lived just over two centuries. A Vulcan of less than a century in age is typically considered young.
Vulcans prefer higher temperatures than Humans do. In the episode "The Deadly Years", when Spock was affected by rapid aging, he noted how cold the EnterpriseEnterprise, was the...
seemed, and responded by turning the temperature in his room up to exactly 125°F. Vulcans are also seen to be able to breathe a much thinner atmosphere than Humans because of the atmospheric conditions on their homeworld.
Vulcans, particularly females, have a strong sense of smell, and Vulcans serving on Earth vessels may initially require medication to lessen their sensitivity to the odor of Humans.
Vulcans possess an inner eyelid, or nictitating membrane, which protects their vision from bright lights, a physical adaptation that evolved because of their long-term exposure to desert conditions. Spock's inner eyelid was activated in the TOS episode "" Although the intense light Spock was exposed to caused temporary blindness, his inner eyelid prevented the blindness from being permanent. It is also mentioned in the episode "The Forge"; during a journey across desert terrain, T'Pol says her inner eyelid protects her eyes in lieu of wearing sunglasses.
The internal layout of Vulcan organs differs somewhat from that of Humans, with the Vulcan heart located roughly where the Human liver is situated.
Although Romulans are descended from the same ancestors as Vulcans, they differ in behavioral customs. Over the centuries, Vulcans developed a culture dedicated to the complete mastery of logic, learning to suppress their once-violent emotions in nearly every aspect of their existence. Romulans, on the other hand, embraced their emotional natures. Furthermore, a minority of Vulcans are depicted with a small V-shaped ridge above the bridge of their nose, similar to Romulans.
Pon farrPeriodically, approximately every seven years, for males and bonded females, Vulcans experience an overpowering mating drive known as pon farr. Once triggered, Vulcans must have sexual contact with someone, preferably their mate, or else face insanity and death.
If a mate is not available, there are two other options that will relieve the effects of the pon farr. The first is meditation where the Vulcan must overcome the urge to mate through mental discipline. The other option is extreme shock; in the episode "Amok Time", Spock believed he had killed James T. Kirk, his best friend, thus providing sufficient shock to nullify the effects of pon farr. When he experienced pon farr, Tuvok of the starship USS Voyager made use of a holodeck simulation, created by Tom Paris, of a temporary mate which resembled his wife to relieve his condition. This holodeck simulation was created because The Doctor was unavailable; the dialog of this episode suggests that The Doctor had prepared a medicine to help Tuvok overcome his Pon Farr. Infection is another mechanism writers have used to induce pon farr in Vulcan characters.
It is possible for Vulcans to conceive with non-Vulcans: the first known Human-Vulcan offspring was a girl named Elizabeth, cloned out of DNA stolen from Charles Tucker III and T'Pol by the terrorist group Terra Prime. Elizabeth died as an infant because of a flaw in the cloning process, but her existence demonstrated that Human and Vulcan DNA could combine to produce a child ("Terra Prime"). Spock is the offspring of a Vulcan father and a Human mother ("Journey to Babel"). Crewman Simon Tarses of the Enterprise-D was a Human who declared himself one-quarter Vulcan on his Starfleet application, though it was later discovered that he was in fact one-quarter Romulan ("The Drumhead").
When Spock experienced pon farr, it was made clear that only contact with his mate, T'Pring, would be sufficient for him to survive the condition. In Spock's case, however, his pon farr evaporated after he supposedly killed Kirk, and T'Pring announced her intention to wed another man ("Amok Time"). There is little canon reference to Vulcans having siblings, with the exception of Spock, who has a half-brother, Sybok, and Tuvok, who has four children. Canon has never firmly established whether pon farr is a prerequisite for conceiving children. Until T'Pol underwent a virus-induced pon farr in the episode "Bounty", it was not established that Vulcan females actually experienced it; T'Pring showed no apparent signs of the condition in "Amok Time".
When Vulcans first experience pon farr has not been established, although events in the film suggest it begins in their teenage years.
Although it has been mentioned several times in the canon that pon farr occurs every seven years, it has never been established if this is truly a recurring event or only happens a limited number of times. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry said in a 1968 interview that the idea behind pon farr was inspired by African rhinoceros' alleged mating practices, wherein a female of the species dies five years after mating with the entire male herd population. In the TOS episode "This Side of Paradise", Leila Kalomi hints at having had a special relationship with Spock some six years earlier, which may suggest an encounter between them during pon farr. Likewise in the film , the regenerated adolescent Spock went through at least two pon farrs at accelerated speed.
Mental abilitiesMany Vulcans are contact telepaths, and have been observed taking part in a number of telepathy-related actions and rituals.
Vulcans also appear to possess total recall memory. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Spock is depicted as remembering in detail his own birth. However, whether this is a trait that is specific to Spock as it is in humans, or whether this memory was constructed through the recollection of his mother or father is not made clear.
Mind meldsA procedure known as a mind-meld involves physical contact with a subject (though instances of mind-melds without contact have been seen), making it possible to share thoughts, experiences, memories, and knowledge with another individual. Vulcans can perform mind melds with members of most other species, most notably Humans, with Jonathan Archer being the first known Human participant in such a ritual in 2154. Even the Earth Humpback Whale can be successfully melded with. The Ferengi are one of the few races known to be impervious to the mind meld; mentally disciplined Cardassians may also be resistant to mind melds if properly trained. It is un-established if this potential ability is inherent to Cardassians, or if members of any race could be trained to resist a mind meld. Machines, such as the Nomad probe, have been melded with even if only through complete contact. Though not canon, in the episode "One of Our Planets is Missing", a touch-less melding of a gaseous nebular entity was depicted.
Mind melds have been used to erase memories, as Spock performed on James T. Kirk in the episode "Requiem for Methuselah". Mind melds can also allow more than one mind to experience memories and sensations, and sometimes even interact with the memories, as seen in the episode "Flashback".
Because it essentially bonds two minds together, thereby sharing thoughts and secrets with one another, the mind meld can be considered a very intimate form of contact, and thus not one to be taken lightly. Although mind melds are frequently portrayed as amicable (thus between two consenting beings), they can also be very violating and potentially harmful under certain circumstances. An example of this is seen in , when Spock was required to mind meld (as a last resort) with Valeris in order to forcefully take from her information she had in order to prevent a war. The incident was visibly traumatizing for Valeris, as she tried to resist the mind meld before Spock overpowered her.
The use of the mind meld was taboo for a period of time. In the Vulcan timeline, this changed when experienced melders were shown to be able to cure Pa'nar Syndrome, a condition passed on by melders who are improperly trained and claimed to be incurable by the Vulcan government. Within a week of the Kir'Shara incident in 2154, the stigma against mind-melders was evaporating, and sufferers of Pa'nar were being cured in large numbers. By the mid-23rd century, the mind meld is a fully accepted part of Vulcan society, and was even used once to rejoin Spock's katra with his healed physical body#Katra|see below]]).
As originally depicted in TOS, mind-melds were considered dangerous and potentially lethal. Over the course of the original series, however, the element of risk was no longer mentioned, although it was revived on with the revelation that Pa'nar Syndrome can be transmitted this way.
For a number of years, it was held that not all Vulcans are genetically capable of initiating a mind-meld, such as T'Pol. However, the overthrow of the Vulcan High Command in 2154 revealed that this is not the case, and T'Pol conducted her first mind meld soon after.
It is not definitively established if all Vulcans possess contact telepathy, though Spock stated, "Limited telepathic abilities are inherent in Vulcanians" (not "some Vulcanians") in the TOS episode. "A Taste of Armageddon". It has been stated (most recently in the ENT episode "The Aenar") that Vulcans, on the whole, have some degree of telepathic ability.
Some Vulcans appear with advanced mental abilities. For example, in the TOS episode "A Taste of Armageddon", Spock was once able to briefly control the mind of a prison guard on Eminiar VII, and in the episode "The Devil in the Dark", he was able to perform a limited mind meld with a Horta without actually making physical contact with the being. It is made apparent that a touch-less meld is limited in effectiveness compared to physical melds. During more intense melds, the melder is sometimes shown using both hands.
Mind melds have at times been depicted as something from each person involved is shared. In the episode "Sarek", Jean-Luc Picard "shared" his composure with Sarek while Sarek more or less traded his emotional release at the hands of Bendii Syndrome when they melded.
BondingWhen Vulcans mate, a form of psychic bond is created between the partners. The specifics of this have yet to be fully explained in canon. It has been suggested that this bonding is the reason for periodic pon farr.
In the fourth season of , as T'Pol began to explore her newfound mental powers, she discovered that she was experiencing a psychic link with Charles Tucker III, sometimes over a range of many light-years during Tucker's brief posting aboard Columbia. This link was so strong that it rendered Tucker the only male aboard Enterprise immune to the mind-control powers of a group of Orion slave girls who tried to take over the ship ("Bound"). T'Pol deduced that she and Tucker established the link when they mated in the episode "Harbinger"; however, it is not known if the actual act of sexual coupling formed this link or if other factors came into play.
KatraSome Vulcans appear able to "cheat the grave" by implanting their katra, essentially their living essence or spirit, into an object or another person via a form of mind-meld just prior to death. The history and mechanics of the katra have never been discussed in great detail in canon. It was known at the time of Surak, and Surak successfully transferred his essence into a "katric ark" which remained hidden for 1,800 years until it was recovered by a Vulcan named Syrran in the 22nd century. Syrran melded with the ark and received Surak's katra, which guided him into creating the Syrrannite movement which fought to restore Surak's teachings to Vulcan, but was labeled a terrorist group by the Vulcan High Command.
Syrran was fatally wounded by a lightning strike while escorting Jonathan Archer and T'Pol across a desert region called The Forge in 2154 prior to a short-lived conflict between Vulcan and Andoria. He conducted a forced mind-meld on Archer and implanted Surak's katra into Archer's mind before he died. For a brief time, Archer found himself communicating with the long-dead Surak, and Surak began controlling, or at least strongly influencing, Archer's actions. Surak's katra was so strong that it resisted efforts to be transferred into T'Pau, but once the Syrrannites overthrew the High Command, the katra allowed itself to be transferred into a Vulcan elder. The ultimate fate of Surak's katra remains unknown.
Katras have been referenced several other times in Star Trek lore, and it is indicated that even by the 24th century not all Vulcans believe in them.
Fal-Tor-PanKatras can, on rare occasions, be returned to the body, effectively bringing an individual back from the dead. Such was the case with Spock, who, near the end of , implanted his katra into the mind of Deforest Kelley's Dr. McCoy prior to sacrificing his life to save the USS Enterprise. (Such was the strength of Spock's mental abilities that he was in fact able to function normally for several minutes despite depositing his "soul" elsewhere). Following Spock's death, McCoy began exhibiting Vulcan-like behavior and was briefly institutionalized. It was later discovered that Spock's body came to rest on the Genesis Planet after his burial in space, and was regenerated. He was recovered and was taken with McCoy to Mount Seleya on Vulcan where a Vulcan high priestess named T'Lar performed a ritual which removed the katra from McCoy and implanted it into Spock's regenerated body. Subsequently, Spock recovered, although it took some time to retrain his mind to the point where it was prior to his death. Eventually, Spock's original memories apparently reasserted themselves and he resumed his duties in Starfleet.
In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy comic book (which is not considered canon), a katra staying in a foreign mind for too long can cause the personality of the host to start to merge with that of the katra, potentially causing insanity. When the two personalities become intertwined, the katra cannot be removed, as happened to T'Prell, who died and gave her katra to her Romulan friend Selke, who was then captured and used as a spy for the Tal Shiar before she could return T'Prell's katra to Vulcan. There are some similar effects in canon, as both McCoy and Archer experienced negative reactions to carrying katras, and McCoy's sanity was at issue during his experience.
FullaraWhen Vulcans experience extreme emotional trauma, a ritual known as the Fullara can be performed by elders. The mechanics of the Fullara have yet to be fully explored in canon. T'Pol underwent the procedure at the P'Jem sanctuary c.2136 following a mission for Vulcan Intelligence in which she was forced to shoot and kill a fleeing prisoner. The act of killing face-to-face caused T'Pol to experience a nervous breakdown, and the only way for her to remedy this was to undergo the Fullara, which restored her emotional balance, but left her with no memory of the killing or her emotional state thereafter. Years later, the effects of the Fullara were undone when T'Pol was reminded of these events in the episode "The Seventh", resulting in a near-emotional collapse that was prevented in part by the presence of a trusted friend, Jonathan Archer. It has been noted that T'Pol's increased emotional state, noted in many later episodes of the series, began in earnest from this point. At that point in the timeline, the ritual is considered to be obsolete, but it has not been made clear what, if anything, took its place.
NeuropressureVulcans practice a form of acupressure known as neuropressure, which involves massaging and manipulating muscles and nerve centers on the body in order to relieve stress. Neuropressure is considered an intimate act, as some of the postures involved are pseudo-sexual in nature, and can elicit responses similar to sexual arousal and even climax, as demonstrated by T'Pol in the episode "The Xindi" when Charles Tucker III inadvertently triggers such a response. Specialized training is required in order to properly administer neuropressure, otherwise injury to the recipient can result.
CultureEmotion and maturityVulcans, as a matter of custom and policy, suppress all emotional influence by living lives of rigid emotional self-control through meditative techniques and training of mental discipline. Vulcans are not depicted as having no emotions; although they themselves make this claim, Vulcans are a very emotional people. They developed techniques to suppress their emotions precisely because of the damage they can cause if unchecked. In one episode of , Tuvok explains that Vulcans' natural emotions are "erratic and volatile" - if Vulcans do not strongly repress emotions, they can get violently angry in an instant. T'Pol once stated that paranoia and homicidal rage were common on Vulcan prior to Surak.
The advanced ritual of Kolinahr is intended to purge all remaining vestigial emotion; the word also refers to the discipline by which this state is maintained. Only the most devoted and trained Vulcan students attain Kolinahr; most Vulcans do retain control over their emotions, but do not completely eliminate them as Kolinahr attempts to do. In , Spock was unable to complete this ritual after receiving powerful telepathic signals from space and experiencing strong emotions as a result. The Vulcan masters conducting the trials concluded that since Spock's human blood was touched by these messages from space, he could not have achieved Kolinahr, and the ritual was halted.
The term for the purge of emotion is arei'mnu. It is stated that it does not translate properly into any Earth language. In Diane Duane's novel Spock's World, it was suggested that arei'mnu closely translates into "mastery of emotions", but that linguist Amanda Grayson, Sarek's wife and Spock's mother, in her work on the Universal Translator, had mistranslated the Vulcan word to mean "lack of emotions".
Some Vulcans, such as T'Pol, Sarek (in his later years), and Soval, carry their emotions close to the surface, and are prone to emotional outbursts, even without outside influences or illness; T'Pau certainly displayed restrained but definite emotions in the TOS episode "Amok Time", including suspicion of the Human visitors followed by admiration and approval of their friendship for Spock, and contempt for Spock's humanity. There is some evidence to support the hypothesis that Vulcans in close contact with Humans for an extended period of time may become more emotional than Vulcans who do not. Established canon has yet to make a definitive case for this.
Not all Vulcan characters follow the path of pure logic; some instead choose to embrace emotions. A group of renegade Vulcans who believed in this was encountered in the episode "Fusion", while Spock's half-brother, Sybok (seen in the film ), was also fully emotional. An episode of Enterprise entitled "E²" featured an elderly T'Pol in an alternate timeline who had embraced emotion and allowed her half-Human son, Lorian, to do likewise.
The speed at which a Vulcan matures "emotionally" seems to vary. It has been established that, with a lifespan of more than two centuries, a Vulcan as old as 100 Earth years will still appear, and be considered, relatively young. Vulcans as young as their 30s and even 20s have been shown in mature roles in their society, and acting older than their apparent ages (i.e. T'Pau and Spock). T'Pol, a Vulcan in her 60s, on the other hand, is still somewhat naïve and innocent compared to other Vulcans, and acts very much like a rational Human woman in her late 20s or early 30s.
In the pilot episode "The Cage", Spock showed much more emotion. Number One, played by Majel Barrett, was supposed to be the emotionless character. Although the test audience indicated they liked the actress, they disliked the character because they could not relate to a female who was so "cold". As a result, the character of Christine Chapel was created for Barrett and the "coldness" was transferred to the Spock character.
Family and ritualsTraditionally, Vulcans place high importance on family, placing the will of their family above their own.
Vulcans practice arranged marriage, in which a male and a female are married or affianced as children, with consummation at a later date. Following adult union, it is customary for the couple to remain on Vulcan for at least one Vulcan year before conducting off-world travel (presumably in order to produce offspring), though it is possible for the female to defer this requirement until a later date, upon negotiation with the male's family. The state of pon farr is not required for marriage to occur.
A Vulcan female can challenge the proposed bonding by calling for koon-ut-kal-if-fee, in which a challenger for marriage engages the bonded male in a fight to the death. Alternately, the bonded male has the option of rejecting his intended bride and choosing another. It is acceptable for a male to "release" his mate from marriage (effectively the same as a divorce). It is not established whether females have the same option, and T'Pring stated in "Amok Time" that a kal-if-fee challenge was the only way she could legally divorce Spock.
The canon has not firmly established a timeline for Vulcan marriages. Spock was in his 30s (at least) before he was called to Vulcan for his marriage ceremony in the aforementioned "Amok Time", while T'Pol was in her late 60s by the time her own marriage occurred, which she had put off for several years in order to remain aboard Enterprise.
It is customary for Vulcan children to undertake an initiation ordeal known as the kahs-wan (sometimes spelled kaswahn), in which they are left to fend for themselves in the desert for a specific period of time. Not all children survive this rite of passage. T'Pol underwent the ritual, while Tuvok experienced a variation known as the tal'oth. The kahs-wan was first introduced in the "" episode "Yesteryear" in which Spock's experience as a child was detailed; however, as the animated series is not considered canon, it has yet to be "officially" established that Spock experienced the ritual.
Contrary to the Vulcan image of expressing no emotion, family bonds can be strong and affectionate just as they are for Humans. Tuvok expressed his love for his wife on a few occasions (without actually using the term), Sarek openly expressed affection for both his Human wives, and a clear bond of love existed between T'Pol and her mother, T'Les. In addition, Vulcans also value close friendships, even with more emotional beings as attested to by the relationship of Spock with James T. Kirk, and, improbably, Leonard McCoy.
Many Vulcan children have pets, most notably domesticated sehlats, which are ferocious man-eaters in the wild. Both T'Pol and Spock had sehlats as children. Although one might consider keeping pets an emotional or even sentimental practice, it is not viewed as such on Vulcan, and may instead be viewed as a practice to instill a sense of responsibility and maturity.
NamesThe treatment of Vulcan names has been erratic throughout Star Treks production history. Early on, female Vulcans were typically given names beginning with "T" followed by an apostrophe then a "p". The earliest reference to Vulcan names following a set pattern dates back to a May 3, 1966 memo from producer Robert Justman to Gene Roddenberry (later reprinted in the book The Making of Star Trek) in which Justman recommended that all Vulcan names begin with "SP" and end with "K", and have exactly five letters. But this was not strictly followed, as in "Amok Time", T'Pring's lover is named Stonn.
Beginning with the Star Trek movies of the 1980s and continuing to today, a greater variety of names have been given to Vulcans beginning with other letters of the alphabet, such as Tuvok, Koss, Mestral, Valeris, and Xon to name a few (Xon being a Vulcan character created by Gene Roddenberry for his aborted series in the 1970s, and the actress Kim Cattrall, who played Valeris, chose the character's name). There have also been numerous examples of female Vulcans possessing S...k formatted names or variations thereof, such as Saavik and Sakonna. There has been at least one case of a male Vulcan with a T' name.
Vulcans have been identified in the Trek canon by only one name; however, the TOS episode "This Side of Paradise" has a scene in which Leila Kalomi says to Spock, "You never told me if you had another name", to which Spock replies, "You couldn't pronounce it." In "Journey to Babel", Amanda, Spock's mother, admits that she finally learned to pronounce her husband's family name after much difficulty, and only "after a fashion". Continuity writer Dorothy Fontana established Spock's family name in about 1968 as Xtmprsqzntwlfd. At the time, this was universally accepted by fan writers, some of whom went to considerable lengths to explain its linguistic elements.
CuisineVulcans are vegetarians, though they are known to sometimes consume seafood and were omnivores in ages past. In the episode "All Our Yesterdays", Spock willingly consumes meat; partly due to the effects of time-travel 5,000 years into the past, and partly because he reasons there is no other suitable food available given the harsh, ice-age climate in which they are trapped. Vulcans are repeatedly stated to be herbivorous in the (non-canon) episode "The Slaver Weapon", by the carnivorous Kzinti. Vulcans do not like to touch their food with their hands, preferring to use utensils whenever possible (though there are numerous cases where Vulcans have broken this rule). It is a Vulcan custom for guests in the home to prepare meals for their hosts.
Vulcans generally do not drink alcoholic beverages, though they are depicted "indulging" on special occasions or as circumstances warrant. In the episode "Repression", Humans and Vulcans are seen drinking a Vulcan alcoholic drink called "Vulcan Brandy". In the TOS episode "The Enterprise Incident", as part of his diversionary role during an espionage mission against the Romulans, Spock shares a drink (most likely Romulan Ale) with the female Romulan commander. In a later TOS episode "Requiem For Methuselah", Spock specifically requests a Terran brandy after Dr. McCoy, while serving himself and Captain Kirk, observes that he had no expectation that Spock would be joining them in a drink for fear that the alcohol would affect his logic faculties. In , when the Vulcans made first contact with Zefram Cochrane, he served them alcoholic beverages, which they took in lieu of dancing. In non-canon Trek-related literature, such as the novelization of , Vulcans are even depicted as immune to the effects of alcohol, but become inebriated by ingesting chocolate (this is also quickly alluded to in when Quark offers a Vulcan client some Vulcan Brandy or chocolate, which he infers something sexual when speaking of the chocolate).
Vulcans in StarfleetThe first Vulcan to serve in Starfleet was former Sub-Commander T'Pol, who received the rank of Commander and served aboard the Enterprise (NX-01) during the mid-22nd century, following her resignation from the Vulcan High Command. After spending a decade aboard Enterprise, she apparently continued to serve in Starfleet following the decommissioning of the NX-01 in 2161, coinciding with the founding of the United Federation of Planets and the introduction of Warp 7-capable starships. ("These Are the Voyages...")
In an alternate timeline seen in the episode "Twilight", T'Pol was promoted to Captain and commanded Enterprise for several years, although a similar promotion did not occur in the real timeline.
The best-known Vulcan in Starfleet was the half-Human Spock, who served aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and the USS Enterprise-A under Christopher Pike and James T. Kirk, respectively. Spock himself eventually rose to the rank of Captain, briefly commanding the NCC-1701 when it was used as a training vessel.
Although Spock was the first Vulcan depicted serving in Starfleet, in the timeline of the Star Trek Universe, T'Pol, at the very least, served before him. Neither was Spock the first to attend Starfleet Academy, since during the time of , an entire Federation starship of Vulcans, the Intrepid, was destroyed.
The films introduced several more Vulcans, including Commander Sonak (), Lieutenant Saavik (, , ) and Lieutenant Valeris ().
Vulcan Starfleet characters appear many times in later television series:
Martial ArtsAlthough generally adhering to a philosophy of non-violence, Vulcans have developed martial arts and techniques of hand-to-hand combat. Vulcan martial arts are highly ritualistic and based on philosophy, similar to Human counterparts such as karate and Silat. The most extreme example is the koon-ut-kal-if-fee, or fight to the death, described earlier, though one particular discipline is known as Suss Mahn (named for Star Trek: Enterprise producer Mike Sussman).
Many Vulcans are skilled in a self-defense technique known as the "Vulcan nerve pinch" or "neck pinch", which targets a precise location on the neck, rendering the victim unconscious (sometimes instantly, sometimes after a short delay depending on the subject). The mechanics of the pinch have never been explained in on-screen canon. While practiced mainly by Vulcans, it is not exclusive to their race; for example, Jonathan Archer and Jean-Luc Picard are depicted as having mastered the technique after each became involved in a Vulcan telepathic ritual (Archer holding the katra of Surak; Picard having undergone a mind-meld with Sarek). The android Data also displayed this ability, though none of the three characters were depicted using the skill regularly. Leonard McCoy attempted to use the "neck pinch" while carrying Spock's katra in , but was unsuccessful for reasons unknown. Tongo Rad, a Catullan, employed a similar technique to render a Starfleet officer unconscious by driving his thumbs suddenly and firmly into the sides of the officer's neck in the original-series episode "The Way to Eden".
The "Vulcan Death Grip" was a bluff used in the TOS episode "The Enterprise Incident". Spock pretended to administer it to Kirk to convince Romulan onlookers, apparently unfamiliar with Vulcan techniques, that Kirk had been killed. In fact, Spock had only used a particularly powerful nerve pinch, putting Kirk into a deep unconsciousness that resembled death. Kirk awoke a short time later with head and neck pain, but no lasting injury.
There is, however, a form of killing strike called Tal-Shaya, revealed in the TOS episode "Journey to Babel", which involves snapping the victim's neck quickly and painlessly.
EthicsBy the 23rd century, Vulcans adopted strong ethics that included a taboo on telling falsehoods. This concept was introduced in the original-series episode The Enterprise Incident, in which a Romulan officer asks Spock if is true that Vulcans are incapable of lying. He claims it is, though at the time he was engaged in an undercover mission to steal a "cloaking device" and to this end has already lied repeatedly about the behavior of Captain Kirk.
The ethic was hinted at in , when Spock is confronted by Lieutenant Saavik regarding a misleading damage report he'd transmitted. In response, Spock claims to have simply "exaggerated." The later film features a Vulcan Lieutenant Valeris, who willingly deceived her superiors. Tuvok fabricates the harsh conditions of Telsian prisons to a prisoner in the Voyager's brig at the command of | |
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