Star Trek: 10 CORE Spock Moments
9. Like Father, Like Son
In Journey To Babel, the audience is introduced to Sarek and Amanda Grayson, Spock's parents. While the episode Yesteryear would depict Spock's childhood on Vulcan more directly, the relationship between the three becomes a crucial piece of him, helping to expand Spock as a character.
Mark Lenard and Jane Wyatt proved to be a successful pairing when it came to depicting Spock's family. Lenard's dignified portrayal of the elder Vulcan made perfect sense when considering the context of Spock's behaviour. The latter's refusal to relinquish command of the Enterprise during a crisis, despite Sarek's need for a blood transfusion that only Spock could deliver, also helped to highlight both their estrangement and Spock's sense of duty.
Amanda's interactions with her son in this episode also help to highlight Spock's human side, effectively demonstrating where his more emotional actions come from. In slapping her son for his obstinacy, the audience was given a then-rare insight into Spock behind the uniform, so to speak.
D.C. Fontana, who wrote this episode, created for Spock a backstory that included an 18-year feud between father and son, one that would be further explored in Star Trek: Discovery. Spock's choice of Starfleet Academy over the Vulcan Science Academy helped to solidify that breakdown, a decision that crossed universes.
The first depiction of this frosty relationship served as the catalyst for one of the deepest and lengthiest familial struggles in Star Trek's history.