Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site smu.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!vax135!houxz!houxm!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!smu!jay
From: jay@smu.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Saavik & Spock; Katra. Sex. - (nf)
Message-ID: <18200004@smu.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Jun-84 16:12:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: smu.18200004
Posted: Thu Jun 14 16:12:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 05:58:25 EDT
Lines: 67
Nf-ID: #N:smu:18200004:000:3903
Nf-From: smu!jay    Jun 14 15:12:00 1984

#N:smu:18200004:000:3903
smu!jay    Jun 14 15:12:00 1984

                        Saavik and Spock's Katra

     Spock placed his Katra in McCoy's mind.  This operation began with
"Remember..." but the scene was cut away to the bridge.  Therefore, the
exact time it took for placement is unknown.  Granted it could only be about
five minutes tops.  Then Spock dies.  Spock could not have told Saavik about
his placement of his Katra because he was in a bit of a hurry at the time
and couldn't afford the time it would take to establish a long distance mind
link (if he could have) or even make a small note with the ships computer -
he would have evaluted the time and determined that the needs of the many
outweigh the needs of the one (gosh that's good!).  So Spock dies and nobody
knows that his Katra is alive and in Georgia sipping mint julips.
     Saavik, upon learning of Spock's death, would immediately open her mind
and try to sense Spock's presence (as she does on Genesis).  Having been
unable to find the Katra, she would Know that he was dead.  She then fixed
things so that his coffin would land and not be extinguished.  This is logical
(from her semi-emotional viewpoint as well) because 1) normally, Vulcans (or
at least some) will have their minds preserve in the Hall of Thought and so
never really die so 2) to keep the body from being destroyed comes from the
conditioning (received from Spock and others {it hasn't been ruled out}) that
their may well be Something left.
     On Genesis, Saavik doesn't start yelling to David, "Oh, we've got to keep
this Spock alive and return him to Vulcan," because she rightfully believes the
mind of Spock to be gone.  When she finally learns that McCoy has Spock's
Katra, she also learns that they are trying to get to Vulcan to restore the
mind and so she doesn't need to restate what they all seem to know.
     On Vulcan, the ceremony takes time because of the mixture of Spock's
consciousness and McCoy's, that's logical.  As for real time, I don't know
of any references having been made to the length of the days on Vulcan and
in any case, the ceremony could have been started just before dawn.  The fact
that everyone was resting is somewhat expected considering what they've been
through.






                         Saavik and Spock's Encounter

     (Please be easy with the flames, but don't hesitate to correct)
     The Vulcan's mating cycle is every seven years, but that doesn't mean
that they can't reproduce whenever they wish.  Humans have the seven year
itch (if you believe that) so the Vulcans could simply have developed ritual
around the absolutely Necessary biological facts.
     The facts (as expounded):  Vulcans must return to "spawn" and the urge
comes every seven years.  After the first encounter I don't think it has been
made clear that the urge continues to occur.  If not then it could be a simple
survival instinct that has been so completely suppressed that it recurs with
great force in the Vulcan male every seven years on the average.  If it recurs
then
     Saavik performs the "mating" ritual with the new Spock but it could be
that she just mentally calmed him.  As demonstrated in "Amok Time", Spock
doesn't have to do it if his desire can be extinguished.  As a totally
primal Spock at that point, she could have just let him bleed off his
frustrations.  There is, of course, the point that this ritual doesn't seem
to occur again.  Spock must grow from a teenager to his former age and if
the desire manifested itself every seven years, Saavik would hardly have time
to take that nap, let alone do anything else.  Saavik doesn't have to be
pregnant and Spock doesn't have to be driven sexually mad anymore.  I don't
think it's logical to expect such a simple, unchangeable biological mechanism
in a lifeform that has been evolving for as long as the Vulcan race seems
to have been evolving.
     Well, let me hear your responses while I play rogue.