Computer: Initiate background check on "Commander Spock"
(Note: As a lot of his backstory in this alternate universe is somewhat vague, I’ll be pulling from his original backstory in many instances, and speculating in some cases. I’ll make note of what’s been pulled from TOS and what is and isn’t speculation.)
Spock was born to Sarek and Amanda Grayson in the city Shi’Kahr of the planet Vulcan in the year 2232. As a Vulcan-Human hybrid, Spock endured a lot of bullying from his Vulcan peers, who sometimes went to great lengths to try to provoke an emotional response. Such attempts included calling attention to his soulful “Human eyes”, or branding his father a traitor to Vulcans for marrying a Human. “You are neither Vulcan nor Human,” they’d say. “You have no place in this universe.” What eventually threw Spock into a blinded rage, however, was hearing them refer to his mother as a “whore”, and there was at least one instance where he violently beat up one of his tormentors in a learning pod, while onlookers watched in faintly restrained horror.
Even when Spock was able to walk away from such attacks with a stiff-lipped stoicism, Amanda’s original universe counterpart noted that his Human half was still crying on the inside. This likely held true in the alternate universe.
Once, Spock asked his father why he married a Human, to which he responded that, as an ambassador to Earth, it had been the logical thing to do, as it was his duty to learn everything he could about Human behavior. Such an answer likely left Spock feeling conflicted, as he loved his mother very much, and it probably bothered him that such insults against her honor didn’t seem to upset Sarek. Reconciling Surakian logic with his intense emotions was difficult for young Spock to do, and this incident only served to highlight his internal struggle at an early age.
It is said that at one point during Spock’s childhood, he decided to undertake the kahs-wan trial before his appointed time in order to prove himself a true Vulcan. This trial is a test of maturity and involves going ten days without food, water or weapons in Vulcan’s Forge, a dangerous desert canyon. The rest of the details are a bit hazy due to multiple timeline differences, though in one timeline Spock, embracing Surak’s philosophy of logic, decided to euthanize I-Chaya, his mortally wounded pet sehlat (who had protected him during his kahs-wan) rather than allowing him to live a painful extended life for his own selfish reasons.
(Note: In one of the older Star Trek movies, it was revealed that Spock had a half-brother named Sybok who was exiled from Vulcan due to his rejection of the traditional ways. Roddenberry seems to regard this bit of information as “apocryphal”, but seeing how Spock is very tight-lipped about this aspect of his family life, Sybok will unlikely come up in conversation in-game. But since Sybok is in one of the movies and there’s no reason for his existence to have changed, however, I will assume that Sybok still exists in the ’09 universe.)
As a child, Spock received his first lessons regarding computers from his father. This was the foundation of his career in the sciences, along with his studies at the Vulcan Institute of Technology, where he studied a variety of subjects. Growing up, he made sure to cultivate many options for his future, including aiming for admission into the prestigious Vulcan Science Academy (as per family tradition) and doing prep work for the kolinahr, a ritual in which one purges themselves of all vestigial emotion. He asked his mother if she would think less of him if he cut himself off from his emotions, but she told him that she would be a proud mother no matter what choices he made. This support likely meant a good deal to Spock, especially considering the lack of support from his peers, and quite possibly his father as well.
Spock performed admirably during his studies, displaying large amounts of talent and intellect in a variety of fields. At some point, he was probably awarded the Vulcan IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) medallion, which commemorates the vast diversity of the universe, and the “sea of possibility a Vulcan-trained mind can navigate”.
Ultimately, he was admitted to the Vulcan Science Academy, but rejected the offer upon hearing the council remark that his acceptance was remarkable because of his “disadvantage” of having a Human mother. The rejection was likely because, even after all these years, he was still resentful of the way many Vulcans looked down on his beloved mother simply because she was Human. Furthermore, the rigid conformity set down by Vulcan society probably didn’t suit Spock, as the very fact he was half Human made it impossible for him to completely achieve such conformity in the first place.
When told that no Vulcan had ever rejected admission into the school, Spock merely replied that their record was still untarnished because he was half Human.
He accepted entrance into Starfleet Academy instead. This was quite an unusual move, as Vulcans typically avoided joining the military, seeing that it would inevitably lead them to use force against other beings. Perhaps one of his underlying reasons for doing so was exactly because he wasn’t completely Vulcan; after all, with such a diverse mix of races serving under Starfleet’s command, a hybrid such as Spock would have no problems being recognized for his skills and talents, and not because of any ability to “triumph” over his Human half. Originally, this caused a rift between himself and Sarek that would last 18 years, but, as will be discussed later, events unfolded quite differently in this timeline.
By 2254, Spock graduated from the Academy with high marks, a specialization in computer programming, and a tracking toward science officer. At some point, he was awarded the title “Grandmaster” by the Federation’s Three-Dimensional Chess Organization.
After graduation, he became an instructor at the Academy, and taught classes over advanced phonology and interspecies ethics. By 2258, Spock had achieved the rank of Commander.
It is during this time in his life that Spock became close with Lt. Nyota Uhura, a cadet with the rank of Lieutenant. The details concerning their relationship are extremely vague in the movie, but considering there are probably regulations against an instructor dating his/her own students, I believe it’s most likely that nothing romantic happened between them until after Uhura had finished her classes under his tutelage.
(Note: Vulcan tradition dictates that most Vulcans become betrothed to their future mates while they’re still children. In the original universe, Spock was betrothed to a girl named T’Pring, and they were to be wed at the onset of Spock’s first pon farr, or mating cycle. Logically, there’s no reason for this to have changed in the alternate universe, yet it isn’t addressed at all. As a player, I will assume this still happened, and that Spock possibly entered the relationship with Uhura anyway, perhaps thinking that the pon farr wouldn’t be an issue due to his half-Human physiology. Another theory is that he was already aware that T’Pring had plans to reject him at the time of their wedding, as she did in TOS. It is also possible they did not officially enter a romantic relationship until after Vulcan was destroyed, and T'Pring was killed. Since Spock is rather tight-lipped about his personal life in canon, however, this likely won’t be brought up in-game for awhile.)
At some point, he designed the Kobayashi Maru test, a “no-win scenario” created to allow cadets aspiring for command to experience fear and develop skills necessary to stay in control in the face of certain death. No student had been able to save the program’s civilian freighter and survive the test’s ensuing battle with Klingon vessels with the starship in one piece - that is, until a cadet named James T. Kirk took the test for his third time. During his test, the Klingon’s shields mysteriously failed, allowing Kirk to destroy each one with a single photon torpedo strike. It didn’t take long for Spock to come to the conclusion that Kirk had somehow implanted a subroutine into the program, and he accused the cadet of cheating. A hearing with the Academy board was called, and Spock had his first personal encounter with Kirk, who claimed the idea of a no-win scenario in of itself was unfair. Spock was quick to remind him that, as the son of a man who’d died serving in Starfleet, he ought to be aware that no-win scenarios do, in fact, exist.
Before a verdict could be given, however, there was a distress call from Vulcan, and cadets from the graduating class were quick to man their newly-assigned posts. Spock had actually assigned Uhura to the Farragut in order to avoid the appearance of favoritism, but was quick to move her over to the Enterprise, her preferred choice, at her reminders of her exemplary performance in class. Spock also reported to the Enterprise as Captain Christopher Pike’s First Officer.
Spock was unaware that James Kirk, who was on academic probation until the hearing could reach a conclusion, had somehow gotten aboard the ship. Needless to say, he wasn’t pleased when he stormed onto the bridge while on their course for Vulcan, insisting that Romulans were actually attacking Vulcan. Of course, once Spock heard the reasoning behind Kirk’s deduction - mainly that Uhura had picked up a signal that said several Klingon ships has been killed by Romulans, as well as the fact the conditions matched the events surrounding the destruction of the Kelvin 25 years before - he conceded that his logic was sound.
Their arrival at Vulcan confirmed these suspicions, as they found that the ships that had warped before them had been destroyed by a Romulan vessel. Once they established contact with the ship’s captain, Nero, Spock was confused to learn that he seemed to know him, even though they had never met before. Nero demanded that Pike board the Narada, his ship, and although Spock was opposed to the plan, Pike left him in charge as acting captain - and promoted Kirk to the position of first officer, much to Spock’s dismay.
With Pike detained, Spock oversaw a mission (carried out by Kirk, Sulu and Olson) to dismantle the Narada’s drill, which was digging its way into Vulcan’s core and causing seismic activity. Although Olson was killed, Kirk and Sulu ultimately succeeded in disabling the drill. Unfortunately, however, they weren’t quick enough to stop the ship from injecting the planet with red matter, which in turn created a black hole that was set to destroy the entire planet. Witnessing such technology, Spock was quick to realize that this Romulan vessel was actually from the future.
The planet only had minutes left before being devoured. Spock personally beamed onto the planet so he could retrieve the Vulcan Council, who were tucked away in the katric arc of Mount Seleya, along with his parents. Before they could be beamed aboard the Enterprise, however, the ground collapsed beneath his mother’s feet. Spock reached out for her, but as the glow of the transporter beamed faded, the empty pad where she should have been standing stared back at him.
Amanda Grayson was among 6 billion beings killed upon the planet’s disintegration. Spock’s estimations placed the number of survivors at no more than 10,000 Vulcans. He was now part of an endangered species.
But Spock could not allow himself to grieve. Pike hadn’t returned from Nero’s ship, and he was forced to classify him as a hostage. During this time, he received comfort from Uhura. When she asked if there was anything she could do for him, however, the only answer he gave was that we wanted the crew to continue doing an admirable job. In reality, Spock was suffering from a profound sense of heartbreak and loss, but he did his best to keep a calm, efficient façade.
Despite Kirk’s protests, Spock decided to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk, insisting that they needed to head back to Earth, argued heatedly with the Vulcan. Unappreciative of Kirk’s disruptive presence on the bridge, Spock promptly ordered for him to be escorted to the brig. When Kirk began fighting against the security guards, he fell victim to Spock’s Vulcan neck pinch. Spock decided to have him thrown off the ship for his mutinous behavior, and Kirk was ejected from the Enterprise near Delta Vega via an escape pod.
Although Delta Vega was a dangerous planet, there was an outpost that was capable of picking up the signal from Kirk’s pod. As such, Spock felt no remorse for marooning him there, especially when his presence was hindering his ability to command the ship. He did, however, acknowledge Dr. Leonard McCoy’s difficult position, as he was good friends with Kirk, and yet he didn’t cause a scene when Spock chose to have him ejected off the ship. When McCoy essentially accused him of being heartless, Spock was quick to remind him that showing an excess of emotion would do nothing to improve the crew’s morale or their situation
While warping to the Laurentian system, Spock was understandably surprised to learn Kirk and a man named Montgomery Scott had beamed into the engineering room. Normally such a feat would have been impossible, but Spock was unaware his future self had provided Kirk and Scott with the knowledge to do so. Regardless, he didn’t waste any time sending a security team to apprehend them and bring them to the bridge for questioning. As usual, Kirk was uncooperative, and after a few failed attempts at rattling Spock, he accused him of not feeling anything for his slain mother.
In a split moment, those words destroyed all of the dams holding back Spock’s grief and rage from losing his planet and his mother. Blinded by his own fury, he violently lashed out at Kirk with his brutal Vulcan strength. The officers on the bridge could only watch in horror as he pinned Kirk to one of the consoles and began to choke the life out of him.
Ultimately, it was a single word from his father that brought Spock back to his senses. The fog in his mind dissipated, and he finally realized what had happened. Ashamed, he let Kirk go and announced that he was stepping down from command due to becoming emotionally compromised. As he retreated to the transporter room for some privacy, Captain Kirk made a ship-wide announcement, informing everyone on board that they were discontinuing their route to the Laurentian system, and changing course for Earth.
Spock had no choice but to accept Kirk’s plan of action. He was already struggling enough with the emotions his encounter with Kirk had triggered, making him feel as conflicted as he had during his childhood.
He was surprised when Sarek reminded him that, if his mother were there, she would tell him not to hide his anger and grief. His father went on to explain that he’d actually married Amanda because he’d loved her, not simply because it had been the logical thing to do at the time. This provided Spock some measure of comfort, as his own raging emotions were difficult to completely suppress at the moment. Hearing his father acknowledge Spock’s Human half in a non-disparaging way, as well as admit to his own emotional ties to Amanda, was in many ways a relief for Spock. This exchange was likely pivotal in smoothing over a lot of the tension that might have existed between them from Spock’s decision to join Starfleet.
In order to save Earth, it became imperative to beam aboard the Narada without getting caught. Spock returned to duty, and it was decided that the Enterprise would hide in Titan’s atmosphere. Because of the similarities between Vulcan and Romulan culture and language, Spock volunteered to sneak onto the Narada, and Kirk decided to accompany him. Knowing that his chances of success were slim, he permitted Uhura to kiss him publicly at the transporter pad before heading off for his mission.
Aboard the Narada, he and Kirk soon became engaged in a phaser fight. With Kirk covering him, Spock mind melded with an unconscious Romulan and discovered the location of Captain Pike, as well as the location of the ship - the Jellyfish -- that contained the red matter used to create black holes.
Spock didn’t expect the ship’s computer to recognize him, much less greet him as Ambassador Spock. He knew Kirk was withholding information from him, but Kirk wouldn’t give him anymore details. Instead, he left him to take command of the Jellyfish. Spock, realizing that the odds of him dying were high, was about to ask Kirk to deliver a message to Uhura for him, but Kirk was quick to tell him that they’d succeed and come back alive.
Using the Jellyfish, Spock was able to attack the ship from the inside and disable the ship’s drill. He promptly warped away from Earth, drawing the Narada away from it. Once he was in another part of the system, he turned the ship around and set it on a collision course with the Narada, well aware that it would ignite the red matter and create another black hole in the process. With a calm, steely determination, Spock was willing to give up his life in order to bring the murderers of his planet and mother to justice.
At the last moment, the Enterprise appeared on the scene and shot down enemy torpedoes. Just as the ship was about to crash, Spock was beamed back aboard, along with Kirk and Pike. The red matter ignited, and soon the Narada was on its way to being destroyed the same way it had destroyed Vulcan. Spock was surprised when Kirk offered to show Nero and his crew mercy. Typically such displays of compassion were condoned among Vulcans, and Kirk was quick to point out the logic behind it, but apparently Spock chose not to completely suppress his anger by declaring that he didn’t really like offering mercy in this instance.
Nero refused Kirk’s offer, and the Enterprise wasted no time in firing on the Narada until it was completely consumed by the black hole. The ship was almost consumed as well, but thankfully Scotty detonated the warp core, which propelled them out of harm’s way.
Upon returning to Earth, Spock intended to resign from Starfleet in order to focus his efforts on rebuilding the Vulcan colony. However, a surprise meeting with his counterpart from an alternate reality revealed to him that he might be better off staying in Starfleet after all. Apparently he had kept his presence a secret from Spock in order to make sure that he and Kirk learned to work together and become friends. Ambassador Spock wanted to see Spock form the same kind of friendship with Kirk that he’d had in his own reality - one that would change their lives and define who they were. In the meantime, the ambassador would join with the Vulcan colony and work to rebuild it in Spock’s stead.
Instead of the traditional Vulcan farewell, Spock was given a very Human-like “good luck”, and the advice that he ought to put his logic aside every so often in favor of doing what was right.
With this startling information in mind, Spock decided not to retire from Starfleet after all. He was well aware of the great measures his counterpart had taken in order to see that he and Kirk develop a close relationship. Despite Spock’s cold exterior, that kind of friendship and acceptance was probably something he wanted deep down.
He submitted his name as a possible candidate for First Officer, and Kirk, who’d been promoted to Captain for his exemplary service, gladly accepted.
Spock had been on the job only a day as they set out on their first official voyage under Kirk’s leadership. He was turning to get a routine sensor reading when he suddenly woke up in Landel’s...