Why are Vulcans so popular?
I love Vulcans. I've loved them since I was a kid, and even now Tuvok and T'Pol are amongst my most popular TV characters. What is it about Vulcans that makes them so attractive to people? I know from conversations with other people that Vulcans are very popular. Why men like T'Pol is not such a difficult question to answer. I'm sure it has less to do with the Vulcan character than with what she looks like. But what about characters like Tuvok and Spock? And what is the appeal of T'Pol to women?
A short overview
I am not going to delve into the history and development of the Vulcan belief system and spirituality, but it basically boils down to this: the Vulcans believe that many problems in their past were caused by uncontrolled emotions, e.g. hate, jealousy, anger, greed. Vulcans used to have a very violent nature. At some stage, a Vulcan called Surak developed a philosophical system based on logic and meditation, on the control and suppression of emotions. His followers grew in number, and even though there were always some splinter groups, the Vulcans started to turn into the culture we know from Star Trek.So, Vulcans do have emotions, but they are hiding them deep within themselves, and T'Pol, for example, is seen meditating every evening to keep her cool, and it doesn't go too well when she is talked into abandoning that routine during one of the earlier episodes of "Star Trek - Enterprise".
What I find wonderful about Vulcans
There are many things about Vulcans that I like. To me, loyalty is something very important. And Vulcans are very loyal. A very fine example of this is Tuvok and his loyalty to Janeway. It is such a wonderful friendship. He would never let her down, and in a Vulcan way has a very deep, platonic connection to her. I think it's one of the most wonderful friendships. It also is the case with T'Pol and Archer (though I don't know everything that happens as I haven't seen season 3 and 4 yet!)
One point that made Vulcans very important to me, and turned them into some sort of role model was the huge inner strength it must initially take to get your emotions under control. It is not an easy thing to do, but I understand why they do it. In general, I find their philosophical background very interesting.
So, those are the main points I like: the loyalty, the inner strength, and the intelligence.
What is it that you like about Vulcans? Which one is your favourite?
I've always a liked Vulcans. I think it's because I admired their ability to remain cool and untroubled during difficult situations, and (especially in Spock's case) always have a logical way to proceed. I've always loved heroes whose strength resides within the mind more than outwardly (Sherlock being another good example), because in today's world, that sort of a strength would be more practical than any "superpower" or fighting ability.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post. I enjoyed it. :)