So according to Memory Alpha both male and female Vulcans mate once every 7 years. How they have survived as a species is beyond me. The likelihood of two Vulcans being on the same cycle seems minuscule.
On earth females often have a mating cycle, are there any earth species were the males go through a mating cycle?
Since T’Pring and Stonn had obviously been getting it on for quite some time in Spock’s absence, I’d say Vulcans are far randier than they care to admit.
Judging from Spock’s description of the mating ritual, there’s apparently some sort of empathic bond between the betrothed that alerts the female as to when it’s time for pon farr.
Seconding what terentii said. Fontana was the story editor and author of 10 episodes of TOS. You can’t get much more authoritative than her. You could say she literally wrote the book on Star Trek.
IIRC, Vulcans are one of the most passionate humanoid races when they do not engage in their superhuman self control and emotional suppression. If they go 7 years without mating the super urges they suppress come to the surface and they can’t control them. Spock had apparently not mated in 7 years and was in “gotta have it” mode.
What I’m not sure of is why he had to go back to Vulcan to get him some. I’m sure there were some other she-Vulcans out there, and if not his father certainly was able to make do with a human and he was full Vulcan, unlike Spock who was already half human.
I just don’t think they ever fully developed it.
An interesting scene in a Voyager episode. Tuvok is discussing something about Pon Farr with another Vulcan. Both stare out of the view port, not looking at each other.
Because he was bound to T’Pring as a child. Not quite a marriage but more than a betrothal. She might have been able to walk away from it, but he clearly was not ready to. Women! :mad:
It would have been interesting to learn more about Sarek and Amanda’s courtship and marriage, beyond “it seemed the logical thing to do.”
Even she was only willing to walk away from it using the Vulcan cultural system that allowed for that. She wanted a proper divorce, and engineered a situation where it would happen.
Still, it does make the whole idea that “Spock will die if we don’t take him back to Vulcan” seem wrong. Kirk deliberately disobeys orders to pull it off. The only thing that makes it work for me is that Spock was so emotionally agitated that the other option didn’t occur to him.
I’m not saying he wouldn’t have preferred to go back to Vulcan, just that he wouldn’t have portrayed it as life or death.