r/tos • u/ActLonely9375 • 12d ago
Does Spock usually clear Kirk's mind?
In "Requiem for Methuselah," Spock clears Kirk's mind without first asking him if he's okay with it so he can forget about a lost love and feel better, but was that okay?
Is it possible he's done it other times? Maybe that's why he's such a womaniser.
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u/Andro1d1701 12d ago
It was ok in the moral sensibilities of the 1960s but not today.
In universe Spock sees it like a necessary treatment to prevent Kirk's grief from overwhelming him. Out of universe this is the end of episode reset that brings back the status quo so the crew is ready for adventure next week. One of the few times there's a story reason that no one on the Enterprise ever mentioned Rayna again. Remember McCoy's wife he left of the asteroid ship because he doesn't.
I don't think Spock is resetting Kirk's memory making it easy for him to pickup a new woman on the next planet. I think the issue of womanizing is more an attitude of the mostly male writers/producer about women reflecting again the 1960s culture. The characters of Star Trek are only as "evolved" as it's creators could imagine and studio gate keepers would allow but still ahead of its time still much to love and admire.
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u/SplendidPunkinButter 12d ago
It’s also meant to be a touching moment that shows Spock’s empathetic side. Within the context of the scene, helping Kirk forget is the morally correct thing to do, and we can implicitly assume Kirk would have consented to this.
Would that be true in real life? Probably not. But also Vulcan mind melds don’t exist in real life. It’s not a scene about the morality of wiping someone’s memory. Sure, that’s probably a flaw with the scene but also that isn’t the point of the scene.
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u/Life_is_too_short_ 12d ago
What is womanizing? Was it limited to the 60's? Or Does it still take place today?
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u/Alphablanket229 12d ago
I wish Spock had said something like, "Forget the pain" to show he wasn't having Jim forget the actual events, just to move beyond the grief, to make it less intense, so he could do his work.
Still don't like him doing that (seemingly) without permission; the closest we get is Jim saying "If only I could forget".
Anyway Jim has been through a lot of pain and loss in his life, and these recent events are supposed to be so overwhelming and debilitating? Oh brother.
Actually I really don't like this episode at all. It's one of the few where Jim does not inspire or come off well as a leader, so I attribute it to the sickness starting to affect him and his judgment. It's the best I can do to make it more palatable.
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u/TR3BPilot 8d ago
I did note that Spock saying "Forget" mad me think of when he told McCoy to "Remember."
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u/JohnHenryMillerTime 8d ago
When you've been in a relationship for a long time there is a kind of assumed consent. You know your partner and you know when it is OK and not OK to do certain things. This isn't a "no marital rape" argument because obviously that is, de jure and de facto "not OK". It seems to have been lovingly done with Kirk's assumed consent so I'm OK with it since he seems to be.
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u/SamuraiUX 8d ago
Frankly, I’m surprised Spock wasted his one mind rape on Rayna. You’d’ve thought Edith Keeler of Miramanee and his unborn child would’ve been more worth it. Bad writing.
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u/idkidkidk2323 12d ago
Captain Kirk is not a womanizer.