The Spock: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:spockredglasses.jpg|link=Star Trek: The Original Series|frame|"Captain, the [[Goggles Do Nothing]]. Your frame is still as wide as it was before."]]

 

{{quote|''"[[The Kirk|Captain]], the logical course of action in this situation is to let the inhabitants of [[Sugar Bowl|Pupolon]] fend for themselves. We need the [[MacGuffin|device]] keeping the planet's orbit stable, or risk endangering the very existence of [[The Federation]]. I am aware of [[The End of the World as We Know It|the consequences]] for the local population, [[The McCoy|Doctor]], but simply rushing in to '[[Save the Princess|save the]] [[The High Queen|high priestess]]' will leave us open to a [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Klingon]] [[Inescapable Ambush|ambush]] with a [[Ludicrous Precision|78.52% probability]] of [[Total Party Kill|outright destruction]].''}}

The Spock maintains audience sympathy by being willing to [[Take a Third Option]] and also by being as ruthless about his own life as the lives of his crewmates, if not more so. Even better, he is [[Stiff Upper Lip|utterly unflappable]] in the face of serious problems or danger; his friends know that no matter how terrifying or hopeless things get, he will [[Nerves of Steel|never lose his cool]] and will not stop working on a solution to save everyone.

 

 

Closely related to [[The Stoic]], [[Agent Scully]], [[Emotionless Girl]], and [[Little Miss Snarker]]. Often becomes a [[Straw Vulcan]], but occasionally ends up on the winning side of [[Emotions vs. Stoicism]]. Probably sides with the Enlightenment in [[Romanticism Versus Enlightenment]]. [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Well Intentioned Extremists]] often come across similarly when they believe they're working for the greater good. See also [[Spock Speak]].

 

Named (obviously) for Spock from ''[[Star Trek]]''. Compare with their eternal opposite, [[The McCoy]].

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* "D" from ''[[Parallel Trouble Adventure Dual]]''.

* Hoshino Ruri from ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' is both The Spock and a [[Little Miss Snarker]].

 

== Comic Books ==

* Brainiac 5 of DC's ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes (comics)|Legion of Super-Heroes]]''.

* Metron of the [[New Gods]] who was explicitly based on Spock.

 

== Film ==

* ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'' - Mr Pink is the most logical of all the crew, especially when he acts as the [[Foil]] to [[The McCoy|Mr White]]. The first scene shows him refusing to throw in money to tip the waitress, giving his ([[Your Mileage May Vary|logical]]) reason as to why. He is later distrustful of everyone, and disgusted that Mr White gave Mr Orange his real name and hometown, considering anybody, even the dying Mr Orange, could be the rat. {{spoiler|Not only is he right about everything, but he is the only character to survive the film.}} Subverted in that Mr. Pink is anything but cool—he's both logical and wildly neurotic.

* Dr. Egon Spengler from ''[[Ghostbusters]]''. In the sequel, he says that his parents did not believe in toys and he seems to be nigh-immune to the mood slime which makes the two most "positive" Ghostbusters try to kill each other. In the commentary for the original film, [[Word of God|Harold Ramis]] notes that he deliberately played Egon as a Spock-like character. He also notes that there is only one scene where he actually shows emotion, when Walter Peck tries to have the Ghostbusters arrested for an explosion that he caused himself.

 

== Literature ==

* Ivan of ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]''.

* Elinor Dashwood, the protagonist of ''[[Sense and Sensibility (novel)|Sense and Sensibility]]'', in contrast to her sister [[The McCoy|Marianne]]. Possibly the [[Trope Maker]], considering this is one of the first known intentional uses of it (Austen intended the sisters' [[Emotions Versus Stoicism]] to be a metaphor for [[Romanticism Versus Enlightenment]]). Also one of the few examples where The Spock is right, and [[The McCoy]] has to learn to be more reserved rather than the other way around.

* Voort "Piggy" saBinring from ''[[X Wing Series|Wraith Squadron]]''. He's a [[Pig Man]] from a species more known for violent aggression and stupidity, but brain tampering made him into a [[Genius Bruiser]], [[Good with Numbers]] and tending to be logical and calm. We see a bestial side exactly once, and it takes getting gut-shot to bring it out. Sort of similar to Vulcans, who practice emotional suppression precisely because their emotions are so violent and difficult to control compared with other species.

* The Mentats in the ''[[Dune]]'' series.

* C.S Forester is fond of this. The captains in ''The Good Shepherd'' and ''The Captain from Connecticut'' were very extreme Spocks. [[Horatio Hornblower]] was a slightly more mild version but still something of a Spock.

 

* Like [[The Kirk]] and [[The McCoy]], there's some [[Generation Xerox]] between the different series. Consider:

{{quote|'''Spock:''' Fascinating. You have an efficient intellect, superior physical skills, no emotional impediments... there are Vulcans who aspire all their lives to achieve what you've been given, by design.}}

* Cristina Yang from ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]''.

* Temperance "Bones" Brennan from ''[[Bones]]''. This becomes funny given that "Bones" from Star Trek is the original [[The McCoy|McCoy]]. Also, Zack Addy.

* Hauser in ''[[Alcatraz (TV series)|Alcatraz]]'' is a rather unpleasant version of this trope.

* Jack Harkness from ''[[Torchwood]]''. Interesting, in that he was [[The Kirk]] to the Doctor, originally.

 

* A rare main character example: Brutus from Shakespeare's ''[[Julius Caesar]]'', with either Cassius or Antony as [[The McCoy]]. A quiet, (literally) stoic, cool-headed intellectual who is a friend of Caesar's but is willing to do him in since, to quote the [[Trope Namer]], the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. ("Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more!")

* In Shakespeare's ''[[Troilus and Cressida]]'': Ulysses on the Greek side, with Agamemnon as [[The Kirk]] and Ajax as a fairly thickheaded variation on [[The McCoy]]. On the Trojan side, Hector fills this role, to Priam as Kirk and Troilus as [[The McCoy]]

 

== Toys ==

* [[An Ice Person|Kopaka,]] the resident [[The Stoic|Stoic]] in ''[[Bionicle]]''.

 

== Video Games ==

* Sasha Nein of ''[[Psychonauts]]''.

* Gale, in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]: [[Digital Devil Saga]]''.

** The [[Multiple Choice Past|Ruthless background]] [[Player Character|Shepard]] also qualifies, doing whatever it takes to get the job done, no matter how horrific, and usually in the middle of the action himself—the military's go-to guy for the most vital and most morally compromising missions. The Renegade [[Karma Meter|morality path]] also comes off as this in all the major decisions and in many of the conversations (with the rest of the time consisting of being a hardass, and in some instances in the first game, a bit of a xenophobe as well)

* Squall of ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' is a rare main character version. [[Raised by Wolves|Raised as a mercenary]], holds a cynical world over how the world works and doesn't allow his emotions to dictate his actions, strictly going by his duties. He doesn't even bat an eyelash after learning that one of his comrades, who he knew since he was child, was executed by the government. To say the least, most of the game he's at odds with the rest of his teammates because he's basically a lone Spock in a team full of [[The McCoy|McCoys]].

 

* Chou Yaru in ''[[Unicorn Jelly]]''.

* Vaarsuvius from ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' ''tries'' to be this in order to become more effective and overcome a great obstacle, but seeing as how the elf is anything but emotionless and is in fact haunted by the memory of a great failure, the result is disastrous.

* Zombie/Narrator/.../whatever you want to call him plays this pretty straight in ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]]''

* Mr. Raven in ''[[El Goonish Shive]]''.

 

== Web Original ==

* The AI Delta from ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' is logic personified. [[Literal Split Personality|Literally]]. Ironically, Delta is probably the most humane of the various Freelancer AIs, despite his noticeably incomplete understanding of human nature.

 

== Western Animation ==

* Wind Whistler of ''[[My Little Pony]]''

* In ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]], Twilight'' Sparkle takes this role in the first two episodes, not caring about "pointless" things like friends or fun. [[Character Development|She ends up coming around at the end of the second episode]], and the rest of the season documents her learning about just how kick ass friends are. She occasionally lapses into this when academic subjects are mentioned, especially magic. She has a very logical, scientific view of the world and though her excellent education means that she's often right, it does leave her rather inflexible. Her tendency to dismiss information that she finds illogical in particular has been called on more than once.

 

== Real Life ==

* Dr. Herman Khan. His works in the 1950s on nuclear war examine the aftermath in extremely dry terms. He was considered a sort of monster by some to actually argue that, while extremely horrible, a nuclear holocaust would not be the end of humanity.

* Within the [[Power Trio]] of the Allied leadership of [[World War II]], [[Josef Stalin]] played The Spock to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|FDR]]'s [[The Kirk|Kirk]] and [[Winston Churchill]]'s [[The McCoy|McCoy]]. When you're a dictator who sees himself as just [[I Did What I Had to Do|doing what it takes]] to ensure your country's survival (occasionally even half-admitting being [[Necessarily Evil]]), it sort of comes with the territory.

* Admiral Raymond Spruance

* [[Myers-Briggs|INTPs]] are stereotypically like this. [[Myers-Briggs|INTJs]], too. "Does it work?"

* Has a pretty firm footing in [[wikipedia:Alexithymia|alexithymia]].

* By his own admission, [[Israel]]'s current Defense Minister and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak. He and everyone around him quite frankly states that Barak's mind is like a steel trap: remorselessly methodical and logical, remembering everything, and expecting everyone to be just as logical as he. Barak, however, does have the humanity to admit that this is something of a double-edged sword: his logical method blinded him to the emotions of others, particularly the Palestinian and Syrian diplomats he tried to negotiate with at Camp David in 2000. This insensitivity—again by his own admission—probably cost him the deal of the century.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Logic Tropes]]

[[Category:Romanticism Versus Enlightenment]]

[[Category:Intelligence Tropes]]

[[Category:Seekers]]

[[Category:Emotion Tropes]]

[[Category:Introversion Tropes]]