Sarek (TOS)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sarek |
| Occupation: | diplomat |
| Relationships: | Amanda Grayson (second wife); Spock (son); Sybok (son by first partner); Michael Burnham (adopted human daughter) |
| Fandom: | Star Trek TOS, Star Trek: Discovery |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Sarek is Spock's father in the Star Trek franchise. He is introduced in the original series episode "Journey to Babel" and later appears in three of the films and two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is played by the late Mark Lenard.
The character returned in Seasons One and Two of Star Trek: Discovery, now played by James Frain.
Canon Background
See Sarek's entry on Memory Alpha for more details.
Sarek is the Vulcan ambassador to Earth during the original series and has married Amanda Grayson, a human woman, ostensibly because "it seemed the logical thing to do." They have one child together, Spock. Fans have long speculated as to the true nature of their relationship, but the most recent film definitively states that it was a love match.
Sarek has a strained relationship with Spock; they were estranged following Spock's decision to join Starfleet, but even after their reconciliation in "Journey to Babel", their onscreen moments together look awkward (or just really Vulcan?).
Sarek dies in the TNG era of a Vulcan equivalent to Alzheimer's disease.
D.C. Fontana's Comments (1973)
From D.C. Fontana's open letter, STAR TREK is coming back as an animated series!:
The only description I had of Sarek is as follows: "The Ambassador is tall, lean, handsome in the Vulcan way of sharply planed, hawklike features. Because of Vulcan longevity, it is impossible to tell his age merely by looking at him...he appears to be no more than forty. He is actually one hundred two... middle age for a Vulcan." Everything else came out of dialogue and reaction and, of course, the casting of the character and Mark's interpretation. I thought he was fantastic myself and wanted to bring him back in another story as Sarek. Maybe I can do it in the animated version of STAR TREK.
Pairings
Sarek is almost always paired with his wife, Amanda Grayson. See Sarek/Amanda.
Examples of Sarek in Fan Fiction
- "It Seemed The Logical Thing", short story by Ruth Berman published in T-Negative #9 begins "You're what?" "You heard me."
- "Let Me Count the Ways", fan novella by Judith Brownlee published in Eridani Triad #2, about Sarek and Amanda's marriage
- The Night of the Twin Moons, early influential zine novel by Jean Lorrah about Sarek and Amanda
- Jean Lorrah's Sarek Collection
Examples of Sarek in Fan Art
from Signe Landon Star Trek Postcards (1976)
from Daring Attempt #4, Vel Jaeger
from The Other Side of Paradise #2, V.M. Wyman
by Mary Stacy
from Star Trek Nuts & Bolts #20 by Kathi Lynn Higley
Art from Nova Trek by Beverly Chick (1990)
Meta
- Re-reading Jean Lorrah’s “Night of the Twin Moons” (Part One of Two); archive link - Re-reading Jean Lorrah’s “Night of the Twin Moons” (Part Two of Two); archive link by Steven H. Wilson (August 15, 2018, August 23, 2018)