I loved everything about ‘human Spock’ in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, except this one thing

In Star Trek, fans are used to a logical Spock who would refrain from showing his emotions. But we know that the beloved Science Officer on board the USS Enterprise has a Vulcan and a human side. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 episode 5, titled ‘Charades’, gave us an amusing human Spock, portrayed brilliantly by Ethan Peck.

In the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, Spock temporarily becomes completely human just before the ceremonial engagement dinner with his fiancée T’Pring’s (played by Gia Sandhu) family. Throughout the episode, Spock will display an array of emotions that the audience was not previously accustomed to.

And as much as it was delightful to watch Spock as a human in the Star Trek universe, the episode made him appear more comical than needed. There is no doubt that 'Charades' is entertaining, but it would have also been ‘logical’ to see Spock embrace his human side without any dramatic frills.

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Encounter with the mysterious Kerkhovians

Spock had been working with Dr. Joseph M’Benga (played by Babs Olusanmokun) to help suppress his emotions. Spock also indulges in cooking with Captain Christopher Pike (played by Anson Mount), but fails to understand the importance of smell as he uses a nasal suppressant like Vulcans do.

Spock is informed by his fiancée T’Pring that they will be having the ceremonial engagement V’Shal dinner with her family. Her mother, T’Pril (played by Ellora Patnaik), does not support their union because of his human side, but T’Pring hopes that the ceremony will help her see Spock differently.

Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel (played by Jess Bush) take the shuttle for the survey of the moon of Kerkhov, located inside the Vulcan sector. It was the home world of the Kerkhovian civilization, which mystifyingly vanished.

Chapel and Spock have been sharing an awkward relationship because of their romantic feelings for each other. Their survey takes an unexpected turn when their shuttle is pulled into an energy field. When Spock wakes up, he is shocked to find that he has been turned into a human completely.

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Spock becomes fully human in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Captain Pike and crew try to contact the entity on Kerkhov. A ball of light referred to as Yellow appears and explains that, as per their law, they made remediation to Spock, who had mixed instructions and did not match the other humans. So, they remedied by ‘fixing’ them as the same species. Spock, meanwhile, tries to embrace his human side, not without its struggles.

While Chapel and M’Benga try to work on a solution to turn Spock back, he is worried about taking part in the V’Shal ceremony with T’Pring’s family. He will tell Captain Pike that he is experiencing too many emotions at once, such as anger, anxiety, and even constant hunger.

Previously, Spock used to sit expressionless as the other crew members shared jokes, but not anymore. He joins in and laughs the loudest, even, inviting stares from everyone else. During his cooking session with Captain Pike, he would get enthralled by the smell of bacon and eat as if he were starving for days.

He was angry at Lieutenant George Samuel Kirk (played by Dan Jeannotte) during a mission briefing for not cleaning up his plates, which he had previously ignored. He is restrained by other officers. He would later tell La’an Noonien-Singh (played by Christina Chong) that while emotions are new to him, for Vulcans, it is something that they suppress.

And in fact, Vulcans have more intense emotions compared to humans. La’an would playfully compare Spock’s new emotions to adolescence.

In one scene, Spock calls Christine by her name instead of Nurse Chapel, showing his personal connection with her. He even hugs her, leaving her surprised. Meanwhile, Chapel is ridden by guilt and decides to approach the Kerkhov again to fix the problem.

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Spock learns the Vulcan ways, again

Spock wants to postpone the V’Shal ceremonial dinner till his issue can be fixed, but Amanda shares that he cannot do that and could make things worse for the relationship between the two families. What follows is Amana and his colleagues teaching Spock the Vulcan ways.

It is ironic to watch his crew members coach Spock on how to talk and act like a Vulcan. In fact, the crew will end up having a little too much fun at his expense. M’Benga also fashions a prosthetic Vulcan ear that he can use during the ceremony.

During the V’Shal ceremony, Spock acts like the perfect Vulcan. At the same time, Chapel will bravely journey to Kerkhov with her colleagues and demand a solution. Just before the mind-meld ceremony, Chapel will give Spock the injection to get his original DNA back. He will be able to perform the mind-meld without any issue, completing the ceremony successfully.

However, Spock ends up revealing the truth about his accident to everyone. He tells T’Pril that though she considers his human side a handicap, he considers his mother the most resilient and compassionate of all. T’Pring is upset that Spock did not tell her the truth and decides to take time apart.

At the end of the episode in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Spock and Chapel meet each other. He tells her that he and T’Pring are taking time apart, and though he feels bad, it was necessary. Chapel will point out that he is a rare Vulcan with feelings. The two end up sharing a passionate kiss.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds shows us how it would have been if Spock were a human. Ethan Peck’s performance as he struggles with human emotions is brilliant, but the dynamics with the crew often appear like a caricature version of himself.

Star Trek: Strange New World Season 3 will premiere on Paramount+ on July 17, 2025.

ALSO READ: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally took us to the mysterious planet of Rigel VII and it was worth the wait

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