Star Trek 2009: Third viewing (in as many days!)

[butterfly]

So, I actually ended up grabbing another viewing of Star Trek last night (I don't think that I've ever watched a movie three times in its opening weekend) and wanted to share additional squee and thoughts.

Comments

[butterfly]

He would have been bonded with someone, if not T'Pring. Unless you're thinking that he was bonded to someone and that person died? I'm just not sure how the Kelvin event could change the basic principles of Vulcan relationships.

I just can't get away from the fact that if it was a relationship established when she was a cadet, I'm thinking of Spock as a hypocrite for being all "follow the rules!" with Kirk at the beginning while breaking other rules himself. Which would make me not like him so much.

Part of what it feels like the movie is about, to me, is Spock relaxing his grip on his emotions and his rules and allowing himself to embrace his human half, which is why the relationship beginning during the movie works for me thematically.

(and it kinda makes it feel more like it's a throwaway relationship if they got together in the mysterious 'three years later' between Kirk joining up and Kirk cheating on the Maru test -- like the relationship with her isn't actually important to his development as a character. She feels more like a prop, which I find depressing)

[milly]

I completely forgot that the bonding was so early on for Vulcans - since he had no mention whatsoever about saving that person, or didn't mention anyone, I just assumed there was no one.

and it kinda makes it feel more like it's a throwaway relationship if they got together in the mysterious 'three years later' between Kirk joining up and Kirk cheating on the Maru test -- like the relationship with her isn't actually important to his development as a character. She feels more like a prop, which I find depressing

See, we have the same reading, but a different start point - to me, if the relationship just happens at that point and there was nothing prior, nothing there before Vulcan was destroyed and Spock found himself thrown and emotionally distraught, then to me it reads like a throwaway relationship. It just happened because the rules permitted it at that point, and she was there, and he needed someone. However, and that's probaby the biggest reason why I think it was a romantic, but not physical relationship before, if there were already emotions there, but the physical threshold was never crossed, then it puts more value into the relationship to me. You can have romantic emotions for someone and have them returned, if it's not physical/sexual it wouldn't break the rules, and therefore Spock is not a hypocrite.

[butterfly]

Oh, if you're assuming there were romantic feelings, but no explicit romantic acts (like kissing), I think we might actually be on the same page. I'm not adverse to them having had a romantic tinge to their relationship, I just can't see Spock having a sexual relationship with someone that he teaches (or allowing himself to act inappropriately with them) unless there's something devastating (like the destruction of Vulcan and the loss of his mother) shading the equation.

I mean, I think there are lots of people that Spock would have unmistakably (though politely) rejected if they'd done what Uhura did.