Star Trek: Strange New Worlds explains the surprising reason Spock started playing the Vulcan lute

Decades of Star Trek have taught us one thing: when it comes to Vulcans, it is all about logic over emotions. And the most famous Vulcan in the Star Trek universe, Mr. Spock has stood by the belief. So seeing him play a musical instrument is always fascinating. While Star Trek: The Original Series first introduced Mr. Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) on the amusing Vulcan lute, we finally found the reason behind the Science Officer of the USS Enterprise taking up the instrument in the first place.

In Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a young Spock (played by Ethan Peck) is seen struggling with his emotions after his fight with the Gorn in Season 1. Dr. Joseph M’Benga (played by Babs Olusanmokun) will help the acting Captain Spock by introducing the Vulcan Lute to help him meditate through music and help manage stress. For the audience, it was not only a wonderful throwback to The Original Series but also gave us the quintessential Spock, who would occasionally let his emotions slip through the cracks.

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Spock is seen playing the Vulcan lute for the first time in Star Trek: The Original Series

Trekkies are well acquainted with the Vulcan flute that Spock will on occasion play in The Original Series. It is a wooden stringed instrument with several knobs, similar to a guitar, used for tuning. It was created by designer Wah Chang. In the Star Trek Fleet Technical Manual, the Vulcan Lyrette is described as,

“An unusually harmonious and melodic accompaniment or solo instrument, whose origin is lost in Vulcan antiquity. It combines the tonal qualities of a harp, lute, sitar, and to some extent, violin.”

In Season 1 of Star Trek: Picard, the instrument is referred to as ka’athyra. In the episode titled ‘Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1,' Dr. Altan Soong (played by Brent Spiner) shares that synthetic being Sutra (played by Isa Briones) is well versed with Vulcan culture and knows how to play ka’athyra.

The audience first sees the instrument in The Original Series, Season 1, episode 2, titled ‘Charlie X.’ In the episode, the crew members have gathered in the recreation room for some downtime. Spock was fiddling with the Vulcan flute as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (played by Nichelle Nichols) sang along playfully. Uhura will sing in jest alongside a grinning Spock.

“Oh, on the starship Enterprise, there’s someone who’s in Satan’s guise, whose devil ears and devil eyes, could rip your heart from you.”

The impromptu performance by the two Enterprise crew members lightened the mood and also gave Star Trek one of the more memorable scenes. In episode 13, ‘The Conscience of the King’, Uhura will play the instrument as well. As a matter of fact, she is only non-Vulcan who is seen playing the instrument in the franchise.

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Why Spock began playing the Vulcan lute

For the half-Vulcan, half-human science officer on USS Enterprise, everything centers around logic. At the end of Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Spock is struggling to deal with the grief caused by the death of Chief Engineer Hemmer (played by Bruce Horak). He had also let go of his emotions to defeat the Gorn, making him crumble under the stress after the events.

Spock will tell Nurse Christine Chapel (played by Jess Bush) that he was no longer able to control his emotions. He was unable to contain his rage, leaving him struggling to find his way back.

In Season 2, episode 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, titled ‘The Broken Circle,' Captain Christopher Pike (played by Anson Mount) leaves the Enterprise temporarily to help Commander Una Chin-Riley (played by Rebecca Romijn), who was being court-martialed for lying to Starfleet. Spock is left in command of the ship.

But Spock had his own problems, which did not have a logical solution. Unable to deal with it by himself, he would seek help from Dr. M’Benga.

Dr. M’Benga wanted Spock to channel his emotions with the human remedy, music. And it becomes the perfect therapy for Spock, who heavily relies on logical thinking. As it would be, Spock does find solace in the musical instrument. And with this we understand the character even more. After all, the galaxy is not an easy place to work, and Spock’s musical inclination adds a sort of whimsical touch to the galactic world.

Star Trek: The Original Series was created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966. Despite the show's cancellation after three seasons following low ratings, it went on to attract global fans because of syndication. This universe went on to spread its wings across comics, animated series, films, and spin-off television shows.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to premiere its Season 3 on Paramount+ on July 17, 2025.

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