Kirk and Spock is canon. Serious proof.
Back the fuck up, and sit the fuck down, because I'm about to blow your mind. Kirk and Spock (TOS) are canon, because Roddenberry himself wrote this book, it was made into a movie, and there is no other way to interpret this shit. I can't believe this is the first time I've seen it, and I've seen just about everything regarding Kirk/Spock and their epic love story.
I've been reading the TMP novelization because, well, I was attracted to the whole t'hy'la business and though the movie is for the most part slow and hard to watch from beginning to end, I thought reading the book may be better so I can see what's on their minds when these scenes are going on. I'm pleased to say that THIS WAS A WISE DECISION, because holy hell, did I find unexpected gold.
It's at the end of page 91 and the beginning of page 92, chapter 13 (baby, it should be chapter and verse because their love is biblical. Roddenberry 13:91-92, praise Jesus) The scene is the one where Spock first arrives on the Enterprise and everyone is so pleased to see him, most obviously Kirk, who breathes his name in perfect wonder and gazes at him like he's water after a week in the desert.
and no wonder, because Spock is indeed a tall drink of water right here
(slashy side note: in the next chapter it's Spock's POV, and he thinks back on what had just occurred on the bridge and how he's actually internally struggling with keeping emotions in check: "And on the bridge-Kirk! The mere name made Spock groan inwardly as he remembered what it had cost him to turn away from that welcome. T’hy’la!" Yep, that whole friend/brother/lover thing. This will be important to remember as I go on.)
It's Kirk's POV on the bridge and the most gayest thing to ever gay occurs right after he tells Chekov to change Spock's Starfleet status to 'active' as science officer. Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, and I can't believe I've never seen this before or heard about it until I read it.
"Although Kirk had been as dumbfounded as the others, he was pleased to note that he had recovered first and was now handling all this with some degree of command presence. But it still felt painful to be reminded so powerfully and unexpectedly of his friendship and affection for Spock-theirs had been the touching of two minds which the old poets of Spock’s home planet had proclaimed as superior even to the wild physical love which affected Vulcans every seventh year during pon farr."
I'll give you a minute to pick yourself off the floor, if you didn't sit down first like I told you to. Let's first look at the least earth-shattering part, and that's where Kirk refers to their friendship and affection as the touching of two minds. Now, this isn't a metaphor, because right after the author says these words he immediately clarifies them by saying that the old poets of Vulcan (I imagine before Surak's teachings became popular) raved about it, therefore he's being literal when he says the touching of two minds because he's speaking within a frame of reference, the mind meld. So Kirk and Spock are so close that they had touched minds. It's nothing concrete, but this certainly sounds like they might have been bondmates. I mean, for them to touch minds and be that close when Kirk's human and about as telepathic as a bowl of pudding is a huge thing.
Then Kirk says it is superior to the 'wild physical love' of pon farr. Whoa. Pon farr is not just a fuck-or-die fanfiction cliche, people. Pon farr is about bonding, about getting married and engaging in a bond. Soooo their 'friendship' was superior even to this ancient drive filled with passion?
Gee, and it also sounds like the Greek ideal that Roddenberry was aware of, that two men can share a connection that is above sex, soulmates. He even said the following about love between Kirk and Spock:
"Yes, there's certainly some of that -- certainly with love overtones. Deep love. The only difference being, the Greek ideal-- we never suggested in the series-- physical love between the two. But it's the-- we certainly had the feeling that the affection was sufficient for that, if that were the particular style of the 23rd century."
How does everyone not know about their love? Seriously? It's right there, people.
IMPORTANT EDIT REGARDING REBOOT:
lama_mama told me that in the version of the STXI script with all the cut scenes, the following was from what would have been Shatner!Kirk's voice-over at the end of the film:
KIRK/SHATNER (CONT'D)
You once said being a starship captain
was my first, best destiny... if that's
true, then yours is to be by my side. If
there's any true logic to the universe...
we'll end up on that bridge again
someday.
I KNOW RITE? THIS IS WHY I SHIP NONE OF THE HOT FAD PAIRINGS OF REBOOT, BECAUSE I'M ALL FOR TRADITION. Seriously, none of the others can compete with Kirk/Spock, and don't think I'm insulting other people, but this is just my personal belief. I mean, is Spock/Uhura this epic? Heck no, she was written in just to give someone Spock someone to cuddle after Vulcan went kablooey BECAUSE KIRK AND SPOCK WERE NOT FRIENDS YET. Imagine how that scene would have played out had this been a later movie. Can Kirk/McCoy be this epic? They are fine men, and yeah they have a different history than the Kirk and McCoy prime, but does the movie revolve around their childhood and then have Spock prime come and play Yenta to get them together? Holy hell I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT MOVIE. Spock and Uhura could have sex for half the movie and Kirk and McCoy could do it for the other half, but if there's just five minutes of Kirk and Spock playing a flirtatious game of chess it PWNS. Hyperbole, I has it. :P
I'm ruined, ruined for other slash.
I've been reading the TMP novelization because, well, I was attracted to the whole t'hy'la business and though the movie is for the most part slow and hard to watch from beginning to end, I thought reading the book may be better so I can see what's on their minds when these scenes are going on. I'm pleased to say that THIS WAS A WISE DECISION, because holy hell, did I find unexpected gold.
It's at the end of page 91 and the beginning of page 92, chapter 13 (baby, it should be chapter and verse because their love is biblical. Roddenberry 13:91-92, praise Jesus) The scene is the one where Spock first arrives on the Enterprise and everyone is so pleased to see him, most obviously Kirk, who breathes his name in perfect wonder and gazes at him like he's water after a week in the desert.
and no wonder, because Spock is indeed a tall drink of water right here
(slashy side note: in the next chapter it's Spock's POV, and he thinks back on what had just occurred on the bridge and how he's actually internally struggling with keeping emotions in check: "And on the bridge-Kirk! The mere name made Spock groan inwardly as he remembered what it had cost him to turn away from that welcome. T’hy’la!" Yep, that whole friend/brother/lover thing. This will be important to remember as I go on.)
It's Kirk's POV on the bridge and the most gayest thing to ever gay occurs right after he tells Chekov to change Spock's Starfleet status to 'active' as science officer. Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, and I can't believe I've never seen this before or heard about it until I read it.
"Although Kirk had been as dumbfounded as the others, he was pleased to note that he had recovered first and was now handling all this with some degree of command presence. But it still felt painful to be reminded so powerfully and unexpectedly of his friendship and affection for Spock-theirs had been the touching of two minds which the old poets of Spock’s home planet had proclaimed as superior even to the wild physical love which affected Vulcans every seventh year during pon farr."
I'll give you a minute to pick yourself off the floor, if you didn't sit down first like I told you to. Let's first look at the least earth-shattering part, and that's where Kirk refers to their friendship and affection as the touching of two minds. Now, this isn't a metaphor, because right after the author says these words he immediately clarifies them by saying that the old poets of Vulcan (I imagine before Surak's teachings became popular) raved about it, therefore he's being literal when he says the touching of two minds because he's speaking within a frame of reference, the mind meld. So Kirk and Spock are so close that they had touched minds. It's nothing concrete, but this certainly sounds like they might have been bondmates. I mean, for them to touch minds and be that close when Kirk's human and about as telepathic as a bowl of pudding is a huge thing.
Then Kirk says it is superior to the 'wild physical love' of pon farr. Whoa. Pon farr is not just a fuck-or-die fanfiction cliche, people. Pon farr is about bonding, about getting married and engaging in a bond. Soooo their 'friendship' was superior even to this ancient drive filled with passion?
Gee, and it also sounds like the Greek ideal that Roddenberry was aware of, that two men can share a connection that is above sex, soulmates. He even said the following about love between Kirk and Spock:
"Yes, there's certainly some of that -- certainly with love overtones. Deep love. The only difference being, the Greek ideal-- we never suggested in the series-- physical love between the two. But it's the-- we certainly had the feeling that the affection was sufficient for that, if that were the particular style of the 23rd century."
How does everyone not know about their love? Seriously? It's right there, people.
IMPORTANT EDIT REGARDING REBOOT:
lama_mama told me that in the version of the STXI script with all the cut scenes, the following was from what would have been Shatner!Kirk's voice-over at the end of the film:
KIRK/SHATNER (CONT'D)
You once said being a starship captain
was my first, best destiny... if that's
true, then yours is to be by my side. If
there's any true logic to the universe...
we'll end up on that bridge again
someday.
I KNOW RITE? THIS IS WHY I SHIP NONE OF THE HOT FAD PAIRINGS OF REBOOT, BECAUSE I'M ALL FOR TRADITION. Seriously, none of the others can compete with Kirk/Spock, and don't think I'm insulting other people, but this is just my personal belief. I mean, is Spock/Uhura this epic? Heck no, she was written in just to give someone Spock someone to cuddle after Vulcan went kablooey BECAUSE KIRK AND SPOCK WERE NOT FRIENDS YET. Imagine how that scene would have played out had this been a later movie. Can Kirk/McCoy be this epic? They are fine men, and yeah they have a different history than the Kirk and McCoy prime, but does the movie revolve around their childhood and then have Spock prime come and play Yenta to get them together? Holy hell I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT MOVIE. Spock and Uhura could have sex for half the movie and Kirk and McCoy could do it for the other half, but if there's just five minutes of Kirk and Spock playing a flirtatious game of chess it PWNS. Hyperbole, I has it. :P
I'm ruined, ruined for other slash.