Dating Game

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	Dating Game
Author(s):	Mary Suskind Lansing
Date(s):	1986
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:	at AO3
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Dating Game is a Kirk/Spock story by Mary Suskind Lansing.

It was published in the print zine Consort #2.

Summary

"After a crewwoman asks him out on a date, Spock gets the idea and then the courage to ask out the person he truly wants - Kirk."

Reactions and Reviews

1989

It is very difficult to write humorous k/s. This story is not only funny, it combines a rarely used technique: k/s from the crew's point of view. The author presents a believable premise and maintains consistent characterization throughout.

This edition of CONSORT has several of my favorite stories, but this one is a story I enjoy rereading because it is so believable.

1997

Charming and quite poignant, this story follows a crewmember on the Enterprise who sets her sights on Spock to snare and seduce that unapproachable Vulcan.

Trish, the hapless woman, dyes her hair a color she thinks Spock will find pleasing, feeds him food that he's allergic to, says the wrong things, and generally moons after him without a speck of response until finally she asks him for a date.

Her explanation is really adorable, but I felt so sorry for her and her state of complete oblivion.

They go to the dining room and all conversation quiets as they enter—this is all very nicely done as we feel the tension in the air and the surprise and interest of all the crew, including Kirk.

I just loved what she ordered: "Wasturv rice with mushrooms and a glass of Denebian lime juice". Spock is suitably impressed and acknowledges that this Vulcan dish is "an acquired taste".

Their conversation during dinner abruptly turns serious when she reveals how she left an unhappy marriage to join Starfleet. This personal stuff is used very well as it makes her a more fully realized character rather than just a silly woman who lusts after Spock. I loved that she ordered chocolate cake for dessert.

Their date was for dinner and the movies, which is cute, but I wasn't certain what kind of movies were being shown in the 23rd century, although popcorn was mentioned.

The cutest scene was when Spock "walks his date home" as they are followed by a crowd, and then he goes into her quarters while the crowd waits unobtrusively outside. She wants a goodnight kiss (after all it's traditional) and she gets a trunk to stand on.

The main difficulty was the ending which incomprehensibly dropped the Trish character without any wrap-up. But it was cute how Spock asks Kirk for a date.

2004

A “Mary Sue” story of the best sort—one that leads to K/S. Trish has the universe’s biggest crush on the first officer, and tries ploy after ploy to get Spock to ask her out. Finally she takes the initiative, and what follows is one sweet, clever, funny scene after another as the whole Enterprise crew bets on the outcome, and Kirk lurks fuming in the background. A wonderful story by one of fandom’s best authors.

2011

I really liked Trish, the OFC in this story. She's bright, determined — and knows when to cut her losses.

She's after Spock. Boy, is she after Spock. After trying sixteen different ploys, from 'being friendly but a little distant,' to baking him a loaf of banana bread (which almost kills him,) she finally decides on the direct approach. She asks him out on a date. It takes a bit of persuasion, Starfleet, after all, does not look kindly on fraternization between officers and subordinates (it turns out that's not quite the case for them,) but she finally gets him to agree to the date.

The night starts out with dinner, where we learn how Trish ended up on the Enterprise at the relatively old age of thirty. It turns out that her life was not one of adventure but pretty ordinary. She'd been married but found that she and her husband wanted very different things out of life. Since childhood, she'd dreamt of going into space. Now divorced, she had finally been able to follow her dreams.

But while she's extremely likable and intelligent, 'the earth doesn't move' when they kiss. Unknown to Trish, someone else already has Spock's heart. She's disappointed, but not as much as the crew members who have been placing bets on the outcome. Trish at least knows that they'll remain friends.

But Spock learns a great deal from the experience, especially from Kirk's reaction to it. So, using what he's learned, he asks Kirk out on a date. He's pretty sure of the outcome—enough to inform Sulu that he might recoup his losses by betting on the evening's events.

The story is light-hearted but not silly. A thoroughly enjoyable read.