Across the Star Trek Franchise, there is an embarrassment of unforgettable and deeply cherished characters. However, one character might be the Starfleet Officer to Rule Them All (oops, wrong genre franchise). I speak, of course, of Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
For this week’s Trek Tuesday, we’re revisiting a trilogy of episodes that spotlight Spock and his legacy in the Star Trek universe: “Unification,” Parts I, II and III.
Before Unification
Before Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5’s “Unification, Parts I and II,” there was a clamor for the return of Spock on The Next Generation. Previously, a character who seems to be Leonard “Bones” McCoy had appeared in The Next Generation pilot, “Encounter at Farpoint.” However, Bones is never referred to by name, so it wasn’t exactly a full crossover with Star Trek: The Original Series. Later, Sarek (Mark Lenard) appeared in the Season 3 episode “Sarek.” But he wasn’t one of the USS Enterprise‘s bridge crew.
Meanwhile, Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan) would appear on The Next Generation, but not until Season 6. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) would crossover with The Next Generation characters, but only on the big screen, in Star Trek: Generations (produced and released after The Next Generation had concluded).
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In his memoir I Am Spock, Nimoy reflected on the Trekkie demand for connection between The Next Generation and The Original Series. “For many years, I’d often been asked at… speaking engagements and Star Trek conventions…whether Spock would ever appear on [The Next Generation],” wrote Nimoy.
After filming “Unification, Parts I and II,” Nimoy had one such convention appearance. There, he was asked by a young lady in the audience if he’d ever appear on the then-ongoing series. In response, Nimoy shared that he had already filmed such an appearance and that the episode would air in the not-to-distant future. In I Am Spock, Nimoy also described the response to this statement. “I’ve gotten quite a bit of applause at these conventions—but I had never before heard anything so explosive from an audience.” Nimoy admits to having been “emotionally overwhelmed.”
Unification, Parts I and II
Nimoy also writes in I Am Spock, “According to fan lore, the name ‘Spock’ means ‘Uniter’ in the Vulcan language.” As a character with a human mother and a Vulcan father, Spock served as a kind of uniter aboard the USS Enterprise. Over the course of his character arc throughout The Original Series and the associated movies, Spock made his peace with this internal duality.
But what does Spock do when he’s resolved his internal issues? What goal does he pursue next, given the centuries-long lives of Vulcans? Building off a revelation first delivered in The Original Series Season 1’s “Balance of Terror,” The Next Generation‘s “Unification” sees Ambassador Spock traveling to Romulus to reunite the Romulans with the Vulcans. This effort is one function of the episode’s title.
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Spock’s effort towards united Vulcans and Romulans does not come to fruition in these episodes. However, as we will see in Star Trek: Discovery‘s “Unification III,” his dream of unity eventually comes true. However, one unification was accomplished by his appearance: the unification of The Next Generation and The Original Series.
Finally, the title “Unification” serves a third purpose. That is the unification between Spock and his estranged father, Sarek. As seen in virtually any episode in which Spock and Sarek appear, the relationship between the father and son is filled with friction and strife. In “Unification,” Sarek passes away before he and Spock reconcile. But this is complicated by the mind-meld between Spock and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) at the conclusion of “Unification, Part 2.” Through this, Sarek and his son can achieve a kind of unification after the father’s death.
Unification III
Interestingly, “Unification III” appears in the middle of Discovery Season 3. This is after the crew of the USS Discovery have leapt through time, traveling from the 22nd century to the 31st century. In the distant future, Vulcan has left the Federation of Planets. However, Spock’s dream of unification between the Vulcans and the Romulans has finally come to pass. Because of this, the planet Vulcan is now named “Ni’Var.” Furthermore, it is home to both Vulcan and Romulan citizens.
In “Unification III,” Spock’s sister, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), who was largely raised on Vulcan, returns to her adopted homeworld. Distressed that Vulcan has left the Federation, she hopes to prove to be a uniter herself.
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By the conclusion of “Unification III,” Burnham does not successfully bring Ni’Var back into the Federation. However, she lays the groundwork for Ni’Var to rejoin the following year in Season 4’s “All is Possible.”
But there’s another parallel between “Unification, Parts I and II” and “Unification III.” Just like Spock, Burnham is somewhat estranged from one of her parents. In this case, it’s her birth mother, Gabrielle Burnham (Sonja Sohn). Michael has been shaped by Vulcan culture and beliefs. But Gabrielle has joined the Qowat Milat, a sect of Romulan warrior nuns. Nevertheless, “Unification III” sees mother and daughter mending a relationship that had been fractured for most of Michael’s life: unification.
Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery are currently available to stream on Paramount+. Discovery cover image credit: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2020 CBS Interactive, Inc.
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