Despite being known as the ever-logical half-Vulcan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has lost control of his emotions several times over the course of his many appearances in Star Trek. Throughout his time on Star Trek: The Original Series, it became apparent that Spock felt his emotions deeply even though he rarely expressed them. He clearly cared for his friends Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), as well as the rest of the USS Enterprise crew. While Spock tries to keep a tight lock on his emotions, even he cannot avoid the occasional outburst.
Vulcans feel their emotions more deeply than humans, but they learned to suppress them centuries ago to avoid returning to the violent ways of their past. Leonard Nimoy portrayed Spock this way - as a man who must keep his emotions tightly leashed to avoid being overcome. Ethan Peck's Spock of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has not yet learned to guard his emotions this closely. He has not fully embraced his Vulcan side and still struggles to reconcile it with his more human tendencies. Though the Spock of the current Star Trek shows is a younger, more emotional version of the character, Spock has never been completely without emotion. Here are 10 instances when Spock lost control of his emotions in Star Trek.
10 Star Trek: The Original Series - "The Naked Time"
While Spock does a good job of suppressing his emotions most of the time, sometimes outside forces cause him to lose control. In the Star Trek: TOS season 1 episode "The Naked Time," the crew of the Enterprise become infected with a contagion that causes them to act as if they are heavily intoxicated. As Spock tries to resist the effects of the polywater intoxication, he laments that he could never tell his mother he loved her and that he was ashamed of his friendship with Kirk. Though Kirk helps bring Spock somewhat back to his senses, it's clear that Spock is fighting hard to contain his overpowering feelings.
9 Star Trek: The Original Series - "This Side of Paradise"
Spock's lack of emotional control is brought on by alien plant spores in "This Side of Paradise." When the Enterprise visits the planet Omicron Ceti III, they discover that the people living in the Federation colony there are in perfect health despite the barrage of lethal radiation hitting the planet. Among the colonists is a young woman named Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland) who had been in love with Spock six years before. Leila brings Spock to a field of flowers, where he is exposed to plant spores that cause him to profess his love for Leila and ignore orders from Captain Kirk. Eventually, Kirk realizes what has happened and helps Spock snap out of it. While it's fun to see Spock so happy and in love, the episode ends on a sad note as Spock realizes what he has lost.
8 Star Trek: The Original Series - "Amok Time"
One of Spock's purest emotional outbursts happens in the classic TOS episode "Amok Time." After Spock returns to the planet Vulcan for his wedding to T'Pring, T'Pring insists that Spock and Kirk fight one another as part of the Vulcan kal-if-fee challenge. During the fight, Spock believes that he has killed his best friend. When Spock returns to the Enterprise, Dr. McCoy reveals the trick he pulled in making Kirk only appear to be dead. The pure joy on Spock's face when he sees Jim alive proves just how much he cares for his friend. Although Spock had been experiencing heightened emotions earlier as a result of pon farr, he is not under any outside influence when he sees Kirk. His reaction comes from his heart, proving that Spock has always felt deeply.
7 Star Trek: The Original Series - "All Our Yesterdays"
After Captain Kirk jumps into a time portal, Spock and Dr. McCoy attempt to follow him. While Kirk finds himself in a period resembling 17th-century England, Spock and McCoy end up in the ancient past during an ice age. A young woman named Zarabeth (Mariette Hartley) brings Spock and McCoy to a cave for safety. Being transported to the past soon causes Spock to regress to the ionate emotions of ancient Vulcans, and he falls in love with Zarabeth. Spock experiences happiness and love, as well as violent rage when McCoy insults Zarabeth. In the end, Spock must leave a tearful Zarabeth behind, and he returns to his former self when back in the future.
6 Star Trek: The Motion Picture
In the first Star Trek story to grace the big screen, Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew encounter a powerful entity known as V'Ger. To figure out what V'Ger wants, Spock attempts to mind-meld with the entity and learns that it was an old Earth probe tasked with gaining as much knowledge as possible. Having fulfilled that mission, V'Ger now feels lost without its purpose. In a scene from the Director's Cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Spock weeps over V'Ger, remarking: "As I was when I came aboard, so is V'Ger now, empty, incomplete, searching. Logic and knowledge are not enough." Spock almost never cries and his tearful confession here sees him finally realize the true importance of allowing himself to feel.
5 Star Trek (2009)
In J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films, Spock (Zachary Quinto) experiences more loss than he ever did in Star Trek: The Original Series. Not only does this Spock witness the destruction of his home planet Vulcan, but he also watches his mother die after trying and failing to save her. Though Spock does not break down immediately after the death of his mother, the shock and grief he experiences at that moment are clear on his face. Later, when James Kirk (Chris Pine) confronts him about his apparent lack of emotions, Spock finally loses control, taking his rage and grief out on Kirk before removing himself from duty.
4 Star Trek Into Darkness
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness introduces Captain Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise crew to a version of the infamous Star Trek villain, Khan Noonien-Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch). When Khan ends up being responsible for the death of Captain Kirk, Spock chases him throughout San Francisco, before engaging him in a violent fistfight. Spock pulls no punches in this fight, channeling all of his grief and rage into battling Khan. Even Uhura (Zoe Saldana), the woman he loves, only just manages to get through to Spock before he kills Khan, when she reveals to him that Khan's blood can revive Kirk.
3 Star Trek: Discovery - All of Season 2
Ethan Peck's Spock made his debut in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and the whole season is a bit of an emotional roller coaster for the half-Vulcan. Spock experiences a psychological breakdown after mind-melding with the time-traveling Red Angel he had been seeing in visions. Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Spock travel to Talos IV where the powerful Talosians repair Spock's broken mind. Even after this, Spock continues to struggle with everything he has been through, and he shares an emotional goodbye with Michael when she travels with the USS Discovery to the far future.
2 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - "All Those Who Wander"
After being encouraged to use his anger to battle the vicious Gorn, Spock unleashes a palpable rage as he goes after the dangerous hatchlings. Spock states earlier in the episode that "without proper mindfulness, Vulcan emotion is dangerous," and that becomes clear when he releases his fury. While his outburst helps him succeed in the fight, Spock struggles to rein in his anger afterward. Later, when Spock and the crew attend the funeral of Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak), Spock steps out into the corridor and punches the wall in rage. As Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) comforts him, it's clear that the Spock of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has a long way to go before he becomes the (mostly) self-controlled Vulcan seen in TOS.
1 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - "Charades"
The Strange New Worlds season 2 episode "Charades," finds Spock temporarily stuck as a human. Spock lets the new flood of human emotions get the better of him several times throughout the episode, with both positive and negative results. He offers an encouraging hug to Nurse Chapel when she's feeling overwhelmed, but tries to attack Lt. Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte) when he leaves a mess on the conference table. "Charades" ends up being a cathartic episode for Spock as he stands up for his mother and finally gives in to his feelings for Chapel. The complexity of Spock's struggles with his emotions represent Star Trek at its best, and it's not at all surprising that Spock has become one of the franchise's most iconic and enduring characters.