ā¢ The episode title of course refers to a popular party game. In the PRO episode, āMindwalkā, the Protogies where had to communicate with Dal using charades, because he didnāt learn any Morse code.
ā¢ Both Nurse Chapelās and Spockās personal logs gives us a stardate of 1789.3.
| Episode | Stardate |
|---|---|
| āThe Broken Circleā | 2369.2 |
| āAd Astra per Asperaā | 2393.8 |
| āTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrowā | 1581.2 |
| āAmong the Lotus Eatersā | 1630.1 |
| āAmong the Lotus Eatersā | 1630.3 |
| āAmong the Lotus Eatersā | 1632.2 |
ā¢ The USS Enterprise is travelling to the Vulcan system, first seen in āAmok Timeā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Alternatively, one could argue that the first visit to the Vulcan system was when the Enterprise visited the planet Delta Vega to affect repairs after sustaining damage attempting to travel through the Galactic Barrier in āWhere No Man Has Gone Beforeā. Delta Vega is also the planet that Nero marooned prime Spock on (and Kelvin Spock marooned Kelvin Kirk on) in 2009ās āStar Trekā, and Spock was able to watch the destruction of Vulcan. In an interview, Robert Orci claimed they āmovedā the planet for the film because the easter egg of the name was more important than coming up with a new name fans wouldnāt be familiar with.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Both the 2011 Kelvin universe āStar Trekā comic series, and āThe Enterprise Warā novel attempt to reconcile this by claiming there are two Delta Vegas.
ā¢ We learn of the Kerkhov moon, and the fact that there was an ancient civilization there that vanished at one point. Other ancient civilizations which have disappeared from the galaxy leaving behind only ruins and mystery are:
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Greek Gods
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Arretans
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Preservers
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Tkon Empire
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Iconian Empire
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The DāArsay
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The HurāQ
ā¢ The Vulcan Science academy was first mentioned in āJourney to Babelā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ On Vulcan they preface everything by distinguishing that itās Vulcan because itās important to them that the rest of the galaxy be aware that itās theirs.
ā¢ āWhat are Korbyās three principles of archaeological medicine?ā Spock mentioned Roger Korby is referred to as the Pasteur of archaeological medicine in āWhat Are Little Girls Made Of?ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Roger Korby will be Chapelās future fiancĆ©e.
ā¢ The notion that Vulcans use nasal suppressants to overcome how debilitatingly pungent humans are was introduced in āThe Andorian Incidentā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ āNot to be indelicate, Captain, but the scent of humans is something most Vulcans must becomeā¦used to.ā Spock grew up with a human mother, and human adopted sister.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ In āBroken Bowā Archer comments that Vulcan females specifically have a heightened sense of smell, but in āThe Andorian Incidentā it is a male Vulcan monk who comments that the smell aboard the NX-01 āmust be intolerable.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Later in this episode, TāPril repeats the claim that Vulcan women are more sensitive to odours.
ā¢ āI am still not speaking to my father.ā It was established in āJourney to Babelā that Spock had not spoken to Sarek in 18 years, which would mean their communication ceased nine years prior to this episode.
ā¢ The shuttlecraft Spock and Chapel take to scan Kerkhov is the Cervantes, which was previously used on the mission to investigate the USS Peregrine after it was divested by Gorn hatchlings in āAll Those Who Wanderā, and transported Captain Pike, Laāan, and Doctor MāBenga down to Rigel VII where they lost their memories and were subject to a Starfleet yeoman turned Tyrant in āAmong the Lotus Eatersā, and maybe they should leave the *Cervantesā in the shuttlebay next time.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The Cervantes is also the shuttle Ortegas pilots herself, Chapel, and Uhura in back to the anomaly when they revisit it.
ā¢ āThe Vulcan Science Academy would be lucky to have someone of your experience.ā āBattle of the Binary Starsā established that as of 2249, ten years earlier, Michael Burnham was the only human to have attended the Vulcan Science Academy. However, in āBrotherā in 2257, Paul Stamets had accepted a full time teaching position there, so they werenāt entirely opposed to the idea.
ā¢ After the Cervantes crash, Spock had to be healed by the Kerkhovians who made him fully human. In āFacesā a Vidiian scientist split BāElanna Torres into two separate beings, one fully human, and the other Klingon. The Klingon died to save her human counterpart during the escape, and the Doctor was later able to restore BāElanna to her hybrid self using genetic material from the deceased Klingon.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ In āSpock Amokā Spock had a dream that he was human, fighting a fully Vulcan counterpart, but he later lied and claimed that in his dream he was the fully Vulcan half.
ā¢ The episode cuts off before Spock can finish saying, āWhat the fairly intriguing development.ā As we all know, Spock was unfamiliar with profanity until visiting Earthās 1980s in āStar Trek: The Voyage Homeā despite living on a starship and closely working with one Doctor Leonard McCoy.
ā¢ As a human Spock chooses to eat bacon despite most Vulcans including himself being vegetarian. In āAll Our Yesterdaysā Spock appears to be disgusted with himself for enjoying consuming animal flesh after being transported to the past causes him to regress to an earlier stage of Vulcan cultural development. As we all know, all humans eat meat, and this scene certainly didnāt disgust any vegans who might be watching and then later writing a point form list of how the episode ties in to other Trek canon.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ According to TāPol in āBroken Bowā, Vulcans also do not touch food with their hands, but we see Spock picking up the bacon with his fingers here. Of course, Spock also touched his food with his hands in āAll Our Yesterdaysā as well as his marshmallow in āStar Trek: The Final Frontierā so perhaps thatās a cultural practice that fell out of usage between ENT and DIS/SNW/TOS.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Later this episode, Sevet does not hesitate to go in on some tevmel with his hands.
ā¢ āI just thought that my field work would be relevant.ā In āJourney to Babelā Kirk argued to Amanda Grayson that Spockās time aboard the Enterprise was āa better opportunity for a scientist to study the universe than he can get at the Vulcan Science Academy.ā
ā¢ āShe did seem awfully enthusiastic about purchasing dilithium.ā The Federation of this era is a moneyless society, as established in such episodes as:
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ āMuddās Womenā - The character of Harry Mudd is transporting three women around to find them husbands out of the goodness of his heart, and lithium miners on Rigel XII offer to give the crystals to the Enterprise for free.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ āErrand of Mercyā - Kirk intimates to Spock that Starfleet would not be troubled by their potential deaths, because their training cost nothing.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ āCatspawā - Lieutenant DeSalle says he would make a bet on the effectiveness of their strategy, but there is no money and hence no gambling.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ āThe Trouble With Tribblesā - Cyrano Jones gives away exotic animals, and no one pays for drinks at the bar, because what would they pay with?
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ āThe Escape Artistā - We see several android duplicates of Harry Mudd captured by concerned citizens intending to hand him over to Federation authorities, because thereās no need to collect a bounty when everything is free. Also, Mudd doesnāt complain about Federation taxes, because what would they tax?
ā¢ Spock shows up wearing a toque to cover his rounded ears and eyebrows. In TOS Spock used a toque to hide his pointed ears in āCity on the Edge of Foreverā, āBread and Circusesā, and āPatterns of Forceā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The delta on Spockās toque is flipped backwards, perhaps implying that he hastily adhered it to the cap himself.
ā¢ The VāShal dinner appears to be a series of petty tests intended to determine the fitness of both individuals in a Vulcan relationship to join the otherās family, as determined by their parents. In āYou Are Cordially Invitedā the Lady Sirella put Jadzia through a similar ordeal before she could marry Worf and join the House of Martok.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ It is worth noting that we learned in āAmok Timeā that Spock and TāPring were not just betrothed to one another, but psychically linked as children by arrangement between their families.
ā¢ āPlus you arenāt a practiced liar.ā Spock lies all the damn time.
ā¢ The traditional Vulcan teapot has Vulcan script on it that appears to be composed of a fan-made alphabet based on what was seen on screen. Part of the lettering reads āJ O I N E D T O G E T H E R.ā
ā¢ TāPringās ring looks very similar to one the character wears in āAmok Timeā.
ā¢ This is the first time TāPril and Sevet have been seen on screen. Perhaps not surprisingly given the events that unfold, they were not in attendance for the Koon-ut-kal-if-fee in āAmok Timeā.
ā¢ Captain Pike has apparently offered the use of his quarters for the VāShal dinner. In āSpock Amokā TāPring noted that Spockās quarters were too human.
ā¢ Pikeās wrap tunic is not the same one he wore in āA Quality of Mercyā. That one had leather for the yoke and outer sleeves, where as this one does not. It does, however, add white piping parallel to the edge of the closure.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Kirk wore three different wrap tunics during the course of TOS.
ā¢ Pike claims the Enterprise āruns at a hotter temperature than a typical Vulcan kitchen.ā Vulcan is notably a hot world, so much so that it is uncomfortable for humans. Apparently they take pains to keep their kitchens cool.
ā¢ On one of the Cervantesā displays we see a map of the Vulcan system, and series motion graphics designer shared the map to his twitter account. It confirms the long held theory that Vulcan shares its orbit with another planet, and names that world TāKhut. We also learn that Vulcan has two other stars in the system, 40 Eridani B and 40 Eridani C, which orbit around the primary, 40 Eridani A.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ We know from another display, that Kerkhov is a Class-J planet orbiting Eridani C.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ No indication on the map of where Delta Vega is.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ When Ortegas suggest contacting the Enterprise, Uhura claims she canāt reach anything more than a light year away with all the interference. The diameter of our solar system is about .00127 light years.
ā¢ Restored, Spock is able to mind meld with Amanda to complete the Vāshal ritual. In āDagger of the Mindā Spock tells Bones he had never melded with a human before, and that it could be dangerous to do so. Of course, he also melded with Gabrielle Burnham prior to this, as seen in āPerpetual Infinityā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ The memory Amanda shares with Spock is of the first time Vulcan children asked him to play with them. In āYesteryearā we saw that other Vulcans bullied Spock as a child, specifically claiming that by marrying Amanda, Sarek brought shame to Vulcan.
ā¢ Spockās reaction to TāPril referring to Amanda as a āhandicapā echoes Kelvin timeline Spockās reaction when the ministers of the Vulcan Science Academy called Kelvin timeline Amanda a ādisadvantage,ā resulting in his refusing admission to the Academy.
ā¢ āWe have shared katras.ā TāPring is referring to the events of āSpock Amokā.
ā¢ TāPring and Spock decide to take time apart, but we know this isnāt permanent, as they are still involved in āAmok Timeā.
Ā Ā Ā Ā ā¢ Of course, in āAmok Timeā Chapel is surprised to when Spock reveals to the bridge crew that TāPring is his wife. That is the first time she says to Spock, āI donāt know. Shut up.ā
I have no problem with this solution. See for example, the other Paris.
You can reconcile this: To Vulcan males we really smell. To Vulcan females, we really, really smell.
Thereās a tendency to treat every alien race as a monoculture, but maybe Spock and TāPol just came from different parts of Vulcan.
I actually kind of assumed that it might have been facon. While I can see the Enterprise growing real plants on its five year mission (hence Pikeās preference of real herbs), I canāt see it breeding real pigs.
The real question is, when TāPring finds out about Spock and Chapel getting it on, will his excuse be that they were on a break?
There are plenty of examples of cities in different countries, or even different territories in the same country having the same name. I feel like itās different when weāre talking about a planet.
That tendency is built into Trek, for good or ill, and I would say it even applies to humans.
In āCharlie Xā Kirk does say to the galley chef, āOn Earth today, itās Thanksgiving. If the crew has to eat synthetic meat loaf, I want it to look like turkey,ā which would seem to imply that in this era fake meat is not outside the norm. The question is though, is Pike such a foodie that he would throw his weight around be certain that there is a supply of real bacon on the ship for him to use vs. whateverās coming out of the food synthesizers.
And thereās a whole other debate to be had about whether or not replicated meat would qualify as plant based which I donāt feel like the body of the post is the appropriate place to get into it. My personal opinion is that replicated meats would still not be suitable for a vegan diet, because at some point there was an original source that the replicator pattern must have been based upon.
I suppose I kind of figure that planets in the Star Trek world are more analogous to cities/countries in our world. Also, āDelta Vegaā is such a generic-sounding, human-centric designation anyway that in my head canon the full, formal designation of a planet in the Federation catalogue of stellar objects might be a lot longer, with āDelta Vegaā in this case just one part of the full name. Think about the billions of stars that Starfleet has catalogued, and thousands of planets containing life. Thereās surely room for more than one āDelta Vegaā. Not to mention that planets have different names used by different groups or contexts, just like Earth is also referred to as Terra, Sol III, Die Erde, La Monde etc. So I figure thereās different Delta Vegas around, and people know which one is being talked about from context.
Agreed, and put me down āfor illā, but I like the idea of explaining apparent canon contradictions by expanding the universe beyond the monocultures we usually see. One of my favourite little moments in Picard was Laris tapping Shaban on the Westmore appliance and calling him a āstubborn northernerā. In just those two seconds the Romulan culture got a lot more interesting.
If we ever see an episode where he hunts down a boar, guts it, dresses it and serves it to his crew with a nice sprig of coriander, weāll know for sure. ;-)
Pike is absolutely the kind of foodie whoād keep a supply of real bacon aboard. The good stuff keeps a while and theyāve probably got stasis fridges. Iām sure heās got a whole network of food purveyors across the quadrant to restock with meat and dairy every starbase visit.
I just assumed all meat we see in Trek is lab grown/replicated unless told otherwise.