Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sarek
3. Sarek's Death In Unification Is Incredibly Significant
All good things, as a famous final episode once began, must come to an end. As long as they live, Vulcans are no exception, and, amongst this iconic species, neither is Sarek.
Having previously established his ill health from Bendii Syndrome in the episode Sarek, the Unification two parter would feature both Sarek and his son as the latter attempts covertly to reunify the disparate cultures of Vulcan and Romulus. With Spock missing, and accusations of defection, Picard visits a confused and restless Sarek for information on his son's whereabouts. Despite getting no information, Picard is trusted with Sarek's last words, a message to give to Spock: 'Live long, and prosper'.
The episode and its production would occur around the time of Gene Roddenberry's death, lending a great deal of significance to the similarly impending fate of Sarek, and an emotional gut-punch to the crew. Sarek's death also marks the first time a recurring character on the show would permanently pass away, with every previous death involving a resurrection somewhere down the line.
With elder statesmen of Star Trek, both within the narrative and beyond, ultimately meeting their end, Unification would mark a turning point for the show, with Sarek serving as an icon of this change.