fortyeridania comments on On Straw Vulcan Rationality - Less Wrong
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I see what you are saying, but I think you have misjudged full-blooded Vulcans. They quite often fall into the stereotypes of Straw Vulcans, though they may do it less than Spock.
I think a good example is T'Pol. Isn't it a recurring plot element that she can't wrap her head around her emotional shipmates? She is always uptight, overly precise, and insistent upon presenting a controlled demeanor, just like a Straw Vulcan. Sarek is another (though perhaps less apt), with his bottled-up frustration and contempt betraying his failure to deal with his emotions effectively.
To be fair on both Spock and the Vulcans the difference seems to be how much screen time they have in which they happen to be the most suitable target for one of the more preachy writers. For example a Vulcan fortunate enough to be in an episode with Data is mostly protected by the even more convenient android target.
That makes sense, but as to your proffered example, I cannot recall an episode that includes both Data and a Vulcan. Has this happened? What am I missing?
Edit: Oops, I forgot about Unification. Thanks, /u/wedrifid.
I'm no expert myself---because I keep happing to leave the room while my girlfriend watches Star Trek because the alternative is too much urge to heckle the decisions advocated. Nevertheless, I can recall a few episodes involving Spock and Sarek.
Oh, right. Silly me, forgetting about Unification. Thanks!
Given that T'Pol is from the Enterprise series, I'd discount her as a source of evidence about the Vulcans as depicted in the original series: Enterprise is too far removed from TOS, and everything we see in it might be brain bugs.
Perhaps, but they're still Vulcans. The trope isn't Star TOS Vulcan, or Straw Non-Brain Bug Vulcan.
Thank you for causing me to read that =)
It's important to remember that this is cultural. Remember that Vulcans are the same subspecies as the highly emotional Romulans, only separating a couple of thousand years before the setting. There are real-life humans who are worse than T'Pol for that sort of thing.
</nerd>
Indeed, there are many full-blooded Vulcans that are also written as huge jerks. According to the Star Trek writers, Vulcan logic and mental discipline don't seem to have much to do with whether one is an asshole or not.
You're definitely right about Sarek, but I've not seen Enterprise, so I'm not familiar with T'Pol.
At the risk of going off topic, you're not missing much.