Comments | spock_uhura: Question about Vulcans and Sex

threeb_1973 in spock_uhura

Question about Vulcans and Sex

Sep 07, 2009 10:27

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but I am trying to separate canon from fanon when it comes to Vulcan mating habits.
My first question is whether Vulcans are capable of having sex outside of the seven-year pon farr cycle. The Original Series seems to contradict itself on the subject: in This Side of Paradise it is implied that ( Read more... )

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Comments 37

spocksgal September 7 2009, 15:55:53 UTC

Canon on Vulcan in fact on most things Star Trek is totally contradictory, even Gene Roddenberry was not consistant. So when it comes to Vulcan mating habits in stories its whatever the writer wants it to be.

threeb_1973 September 7 2009, 16:09:08 UTC

So I've noticed. The books, movies, and TV shows all seem to go in different directions.

bana05 September 7 2009, 15:58:38 UTC

I think Vulcans are able to have sex outside of pon farr, but I don't think it's as important to them as it is for humans. In my opinion, you can imply "taking a mate" is a more serious endeavor than merely having sex. During pon farr it is an imperative to mate, preferably with your bondmate, but it appears a willing female can do as well (which is how, I think, T'Pring and Stonn came to be). In my personal canon, I think Spock had gone through pon farr but could meditate out of it (which explains why he thought he could avoid the more unpleasant aspects of it). Just for some reason during "Amok Time", he could not (and yes, I do have my personal theory as to why ;)). And also in "Cloud Minders", according to Nimoy third-season writers were doing some weird things to Spock's established history so it's quite possible they had a writer who didn't know as much about Vulcans as previous ones did. Finally "taking a mate" could mean "procreating" and not merely sex for sex's sake.

The books aren't considered Star Trek canon, so ( ... )

threeb_1973 September 7 2009, 16:11:24 UTC

Just out of curiosity, what is your personal theory regarding "Amok Time" :-)

bana05 September 7 2009, 16:21:35 UTC

In one simple sentence: when he was 14, 21, and 28, he didn't know Nyota Uhura. ;)

threeb_1973 September 7 2009, 17:05:11 UTC

LOL :-)

Thread 9

dearland76 September 7 2009, 16:29:41 UTC

I would find it odd if they could only have sex during the Pon Farr, otherwise non-Vulcans would never marry them. At that time they need a mate to fulfill a biological imperative, which is different from sex for pleasure. I think it comes down to individual choice.

I also remember on ST: Enterprise, T'Pol had no problem with sex outside the Pon Farr. And if I remember correctly, Tuvok (Voyager) had develop feelings for a woman he met while stranded on a planet. The only thing that prevented him from acting on them was his marraige. Finally, I doubt Uhura would engage in a relation with Spock if they could only have sex every seven years.

From wikipedia spocksgal September 7 2009, 16:32:19 UTC

"Despite popular opinion, TOS writer and story editor, Dorothy C. Fontana, insists that Pon Farr is not the only time that Vulcans feel sexual desire or engage in sexual activity: "Vulcans mate normally any time they want to. However, every seven years you do the ritual, the ceremony, the whole thing. The biological urge. You must, but any other time is any other emotion - humanoid emotion - when you're in love. When you want to, you know, when the urge is there, you do it. This every-seven-years business was taken too literally by too many people who don't stop and understand. We didn't mean it only every seven years. I mean, every seven years would be a little bad, and it would not explain the Vulcans of many different ages which are not seven years apart." [1]"

Re: From wikipedia dearland76 September 7 2009, 16:49:16 UTC

Thanks for posting this

Re: From wikipedia threeb_1973 September 7 2009, 17:11:43 UTC

Thank you for posting this, it clarifies a lot. I always felt that Amanda and Sarek would not have stayed married if they could only have sex every seven years. It would also be extremely easy to commit genocide against and/or conquer the Vulcans (just wipe out an entire generation and it would be seven years before you could replace it.) Not to mention that it would be difficult to keep the whole pon farr thing a secret if all the citizens were seven years apart.

jlm121 September 7 2009, 17:05:54 UTC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03zrxTiWzN4

This video is actually probably one of the best mixes of canon and fanon that i've seen. It doesn't particularly answer your question but covers alot of information about Pon Farr, also has lots of clippy clips

It would be logical for Vulcans to be able to engage in sexual relations any time. The varying ages of children and need to replenish population would probably preclude Pon Farr only babies. Pon Farr seems to be the way of forcing mating and assuring the passing on of genetics.

This is speculation on my part but I would agree that the drive of Pon Farr gets stronger as they get older. The so called biological clock ticking harder and harder.

Again this is probably a mix of canon and fanon but jlm121 September 7 2009, 17:09:08 UTC

http://stogeek.com/wiki/Introduction_To_Vulcan_Physiology... )

Re: Again this is probably a mix of canon and fanon but threeb_1973 September 7 2009, 17:16:39 UTC

Thank you for this!

tristesses September 7 2009, 17:24:06 UTC

Hmm. Judging from the other responses, I think my perception of pon farr is somewhat skewed, but I always thought that a Vulcan male wasn't fertile until his first pon farr, and then every seven years after that his body would give him the biological urge to mate and continue the species, just in case he wasn't having sex without it. I thought pon farr was more of a "OMG MUST MAKE BABIES" thing than something purely libido-driven.