Vulcan culture: Spock's World
Spock's world was a novel by Diane Duane, printed in 1988, that was heavily influential in the way people looked at Vulcan culture, both fans and the writers for the official show. The plot is that Vulcan is considering seceeding from the Federation, and Enterprise goes there to attend the proceedings and so that Kirk, Spock, and McCoy can testify on the Federation's behalf, and also participate in some Vulcan intrigue as they try to figure out why this is happening. Each chapter is interspersed with a chapter about a particular event in Vulcan's history that either had a big effect on Vulcan development or was particuclarly representative of larger trends. I thought I'd summarize the historical material for those who haven't read it, and give some quotes I think are interesting. It's a very good book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it.
Quotes:
Amanda on raising Spock: "You know," she sad after a moment, "there were a lot of times when we were raising Spock that I felt I was being mean to him. At the same time I felt I had to: Sarek and I agreed that Spock needed to grow up as a normal Vulcan child, with the disciplines that Vulcan children have to deal with. If we had been on Earth, it might have been different. Earth people are a little more flexible about such things. But Vulcans expect ...." She broke off, then looked a little bemused. "They expect you to be very conservative. Everything has to meet the same status quo ... everything has to be the same."
And Amanda smiled. "It doesn't make much sense in terms of the IDIC, does it? Sometimes I think things have slipped a little."
Spock's World, page 198 (paperback)
Surak:
The spear in the Other's heart
is the spear in your own:
you are he.
There is no other wisdom,
and no other hope for us
but that we grow wise.
p. 21
Here is the first part of the secret. Cast out fear. There is no room for anything else until you cast out fear....
p.311-12
Interludes:
1) the planet is born and DNA starts to combine
2) Prehistory. Vulcan as a lush planet, easy to live on. Everything the developing Vulcans need is there for the taking, no work needed. One curious Vulcan explores and starts to develop language which spreads. BUT Vulcan's sun has a major flare which roasts the planet, kills most of the plants and animals and Vulcans living on it, melts mountains, boils the oceans, etc. A few survive. Life is incredibly difficult on the desert Vulcan has become, and they become a very suspicious people. Because they've learned that you can't trust the world around you or even the sun above you.
3) Tribal warfare. Resources are scarce, particularly water and food, and the tribe sticks together because it's the only way to survive. The Oldest Mother controls things, the male warriors are also influential. One clan develops a physical trait other vulcans don't have, uses it to conquer a good water source, starts a eugenics/breeding program to get as many advantageous physical traits as they can. Marriage is primarily about survival; losing their mate can drive someone mad.
4) Dawn of space travel. Vulcan is very disunified; warfare is everywhere. Some Houses (clans) are more influential and powerful than some nations. Marriages are arranged for alliance and for eugenics. Mind abilities (telepathy over long distances, sensing water or metal in the ground, etc.) are highly prized and bred for (and killed and kidnapped for). Two houses (one the most powerful on the planet) ally to mine Vulcan's sister planet, but the main thing the Oldest Mother of the most powerful house really wants is to breed a child who can kill people with a thought, who will be absolutely loyal to her. It goes wrong, and she and all her House is killed instead. Space travel is set back a long time, and alliances between houses becomes more rare.
5) Space travel. Distrust and violence have spread, even within Houses, some of which are simply self-destructing.
6) Surak (Guy who taught logic to Vulcan). Fairly ordinary guy growing up, worked in the family consulting business. Then one evening he saw on the news that one nation had tested an antimatter warhead on Vulcan's sister planet. Such weapons had always been confined to use against ships and asteroid colonies and such because they were too dangerous to use on a planet, but if they're being used on the planet T'Kuht, they'll be used on Vulcan itself soon, and then it's very probable that Vulcans will soon become extinct because they've cracked the planet's surface open like an egg. Surak gets in his car and drives out into the deep desert alone, where he has a couple of mystical experiences. He goes home and starts writing about casting out fear and taking joy in differences and cthia, which means "reality/truth," the way things are, and a'rie'mnu, which means mastering your passions so that they don't master you. Some people listen, some people scoff. Peace starts breaking out for the first time in Vulcan history. Then comes Vulcan's first contact with an alien species--pirates who want to conquer them and take all their leaders hostage. The pirates are defeated and destroyed. Some people say Surak's idea of peace is too dangerous in a universe with such creatures in it. They eventually left, and became Romulans. Surak's ideals slowly gained ground and took over, even after he died for them.
7) Sarek (Spock's dad). Started out as a computer programmer sent to Earth to head the tech team for the Vulcan academy (and also send reports home to the Eldest Mother of his house, T'Pau, who in the episode "Amok Time" is called "all of Vulcan in one package"). While he's out wandering the planet to find interesting things to send home reports about, he learns a lot about the people, so he is transferred to the main diplomatic staff and rises through the ranks, eventually meeting Amanda (who's there to help the Vulcan diplomatic staff with their English fluency, and work on equations for the Universal Translator). They get married and have Spock.