Did it start on the Enterprise, or was it pre-existing? This relationship is so ambiguous.. the more I watch the movie, the less I feel like I really know what's going on. Do you think they had been intimate before?
When did Spock and Uhura's relationship begin?
- Thread starter spaceoddity
- Start date
The best answer is that opinions on that question differ. Sometimes widely.
Well, what's your opinion?
I'm not totally sure, but I think the "Starfleet Academy" young adult novels are going to pin it down. Or they may already have, since I've only read the first, "The Delta Anomaly" which is before they got together.
MattWallace
Lieutenant
Seeing as Spock felt that assining Uhura to the Enterprise could be read the wrong way by people and the way Uhura spoke to him I'd say the relationship was on full boil while she was at the Academy. I get the impression they've been together for a while, not that it was a recent development.
If I were to have an opinion, it might look like this:
They would have met initially as instructor and student. Perhaps Uhura simply ended up in a course Spock was teaching. Perhaps she, as a gifted student, came to Spock's attention in his capacity as instructor of Advanced Phonology. In either case, Uhura's academic performance continued to be of superior quality, leading to more of a mentor/favored pupil relationship between Spock and herself which continued to the end of her Academy course of study. None of this is explicitly spelled out in the movie, but there are things which hint at it. Over time, there would also have developed a friendship between them, most likely very professional and probably not much extending outside the working academic environment.
My impression is that that's pretty much where things stood at the time the distress call came in from Vulcan, interrupting the Academy review hearing of one James T. Kirk, and that the romance didn't even begin until after Spock had witnessed the destruction of Vulcan and the death of his mother. Uhura saw a friend hurting—one with whom she had worked closely and cared about; one she probably knew better than anyone else at that time could—and she reached out, wanting to help or at least to comfort. Spock, right up until that point, may have had little or no clue that their relationship could or would ever be anything but a professional one.
If I were to have an opinion, anyway.
As I also said, there are those who watched the same movie and read the relationship between Spock and Uhura quite differently. Your own mileage may vary.
I think it was before the Enterprise. Remember when Uhura was ticked when she found out she was assigned to the Faragut and asked Spock to be assigned to the Enterprise? Spock said he only did that not to show favoritsm. Maybe that's why.
Prior to the destruction of Vulcan, they had formed a slight bond due to Uhura's exceptional ability, which impressed Spock. There was a mutual attraction, but nothing serious. It was only after the destruction of Vulcan, when Spock was in serious emotional pain, that they took their relationship to the next level.
If I were to have an opinion, it might look like this:
They would have met initially as instructor and student. Perhaps Uhura simply ended up in a course Spock was teaching. Perhaps she, as a gifted student, came to Spock's attention in his capacity as instructor of Advanced Phonology. In either case, Uhura's academic performance continued to be of superior quality, leading to more of a mentor/favored pupil relationship between Spock and herself which continued to the end of her Academy course of study. None of this is explicitly spelled out in the movie, but there are things which hint at it. Over time, there would also have developed a friendship between them, most likely very professional and probably not much extending outside the working academic environment.
My impression is that that's pretty much where things stood at the time the distress call came in from Vulcan, interrupting the Academy review hearing of one James T. Kirk, and that the romance didn't even begin until after Spock had witnessed the destruction of Vulcan and the death of his mother. Uhura saw a friend hurting—one with whom she had worked closely and cared about; one she probably knew better than anyone else at that time could—and she reached out, wanting to help or at least to comfort. Spock, right up until that point, may have had little or no clue that their relationship could or would ever be anything but a professional one.
If I were to have an opinion, anyway.
I like that explanation (it's exciting!).
It also helps explain why Spock would put Uhura on the Farragut to begin with. He was thinking like an instructor who is overly worried about impropriety. Uhura simply reminded him that regardless of their friendship, she fully merited an assignment aboard the Enterprise. If there had been a romance going on, I think both would've been far more emotional (and Uhura even angry) about her assignment to the Farragut.
While her feelings for Spock came out in the turbolift, his for her came out on the transporter pad before beaming to Nero's ship. I think Sarek's admission to Spock that he married out of love could also be taken by Spock that it's OK to pursue a romantic relationship with Uhura.
How could it have started on the Enterprise when the movie depicts the very fist mission and also shows that the relationship was well underway at the time?
MattWallace
Lieutenant
Uhura was also way out of line in forcing Spock to change the assignments. She said she requested the Enterprise, not that she'd been assigned or told she would be assigned to her. If it was anyone other than her boyfriend who was first officer, how far do you think her protests would have gotten her? They were facing a crisis and she's po'd about not getting the ship she wants? It wasn't even a permament assignment at the time, although it turned out to be. Presumably Kirk got to choose his crew. Funny that he left Spock out though.
does it? I don't see that. I see that they knew each other. Even cared about each other. I don't see any reason to think they were already romantically involved
MattWallace
Lieutenant
Why else would Spock be concered about apperances of them being on the Enterprise otherwise?
Way to take a cute scene about Spock's insecurity WAY too seriously.
And Spock was "left out" at the end because he was leaving Starfleet until his older self stopped him.
MattWallace
Lieutenant
Who was supposed to be Kirk's first/science officer then? Or was he expecting Spock to show up?
What other orders will Uhura get Spock to change? Override his choice of personnel on landing parties because she wants to go? Pressure him to give her a promotion? She already knows that he's willing to cave to her, why not go for more?
Maybe the Farragut would have survived if they had Uhura to man the communications station.
What other orders will Uhura get Spock to change? Override his choice of personnel on landing parties because she wants to go? Pressure him to give her a promotion? She already knows that he's willing to cave to her, why not go for more?
Maybe the Farragut would have survived if they had Uhura to man the communications station.
lol sorry i just bust out laughing
You mean about the appearance of favoritism in giving the most desirable ship assignment to his own Academy protégée?
He didn't cave to her on the assignment. He erred on the side of propriety. Too much so. What's worse is he didn't have to. He over-thought it. It was unfair to her for him to make his decision based solely on appearances.
She made a good case to him, reminding him of her qualifications. It was not a "lovers spat" or a tantrum. If Uhura had not been highly qualified to be on the Enterprise, I doubt Spock would've reassigned her (and I doubt she would've argued the point). It's where she belonged in the first place. He, of all people, knew that. So, he was actually using whatever relationship they had against her.
He didn't cave to her in the turbolift, either, even though he had every reason to. Indeed, I could even hear Nimoy delivering that line Quinto did about crewmen doing their duty. It was so Spock-like. He was in control and in command. And he reminded her of that in a tactful way.
