The Women Of Star Trek: Spock's Betrothed, T'Pring

by Laura Goodwin

T'Pring  (Arlene Martel)

We meet T'Pring in Amok Time. She and Spock were betrothed to one another at the tender age of seven. It was a match that was arranged by the parents.

As the years went by, Spock became something of a legend, but T'Pring, oddly, ultimately realized that she didn't want to be the consort of a legend. Instead, she wanted to be married to another Vulcan lad, Stonn, and luckily Stonn wanted her, too.

T'Pring couldn't simply divorce Spock to be free of him. The custom of the Vulcan from the most ancient of times is for the bride to challenge her parent's choice, and then to choose a man to fight as her champion. The victor of the combat wins the woman for a bride.

Normally, T'Pring would be expected to pit Stonn against Spock, and Stonn obviously attended the ceremony to make good on his chance in that role. But when T'Pring saw Spock show up with two rowdy human comrades in tow, she got a big, evil, clever idea.

T'Pring called for the Kalifee, then chose Captain Kirk as her champion. She figured that, one way or another, this would free her of Spock, and leave her precious, preferred Stonn untouched and ready for love.

Spock and Kirk did battle, and Kirk was felled. Spock, overcome by remorse and grief, suddenly came to his senses and rejected T'Pring, even though he had technically won her fair and square.

When all the excitement had died down and the dust had settled, T'Pring had Stonn, just like she wanted, and whether Kirk was dead and Spock was miserable didn't matter one whit to her.

This makes her a gal who knows how to play the system and get what she wants in very creative (and evil) ways, and it also makes her one of the most significant femme fatales of Star Trek.


All site contents Copyright L. Goodwin 1990 - 2003

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