When you want to, you know when the urge is there, you do it. T'Pol underwent the ritual, while Tuvok experienced a variation known as the "tal'oth". In the time of Star Trek: Enterprise, Vulcans are seen to be arrogant and cold in their behavior towards humans. The biological urge. "The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity." "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations represents a Vulcan belief that beauty, growth, progress -- all result from the union of the unlike. Vulcan mysticism tells us there is Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations in the universe. He further explained that this transference was "the Vulcan way, when the body's end is near. First aired January 28, 2005. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, along with other members of the cast and crew who I can't find by name, were absolutely livid at Roddenberry's hubris and crass commercialism they actually protested it, him and the episode to the point he had to be called to the set to negotiate a settlement before shooting could continue (and I'd like to point out that as much of a reputation as Shatner and Nimoy have for being prima donnas, it seems to me every time they've put their foot down, at least so far, they've been pretty squarely in the right). And from Josh Marsfelder's Vaka Rangi, anthropological/sociological Star Trek rewatch: Fans first heard of the IDIC in the summer of 1968 via a "Vulcan Pendent" [sic] announcement, probably written by Roddenberry himself and published in the first issue of Inside Star Trek (July 1968, pp. Since Gene never had the design registered, shortly after this episode aired, knock off IDIC pins showed up at SF conventions around the country, selling for higher prices than the Lincoln Enterprises "official" version. The Romulans had secretly made contact with V'Las and attempted to reunify their long-lost peoples. First seen in the TOS episode, "Amok Time", Vulcan is an arid world with a thinner atmosphere than Earth. Star Trek fans were immediately attracted to the IDIC and Lincoln Enterprises was soon flooded with orders. Tuvok expressed his love for his wife on a few occasions (without actually using the term), Sarek openly expressed affection for both his human wives, and a clear bond of love existed between T'Pol and her mother, T'Les. Throughout the period of Star Trek: Enterprise, the High Command's actions were the themes of several episodes. [29], Mind melds can be used both to erase and restore memories; Spock performs each of these on Captain Kirk during TOS 's third season. Words and dialogue are heard in the feature films Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. [44] As evidenced in some of his letters and memos, Roddenberry was fond of circle-and-triangle designs and had wanted to use them as early as the first season's "The Return of the Archons". Spock says that he has fought, and will fight again, but that he, too, is a "Vulcan, bred to peace.". In the TOS episode "This Side of Paradise" Spock is asked if he has another name, to which he replies, "You couldn't pronounce it.". Hence, no canonical source has given any family names to any Vulcan characters, and indeed, every one of the personal names previously mentioned are all officially described as being only Latin-alphabetical and English-phonetic approximations of the real ones. While Star Trek has always championed ethnic diversity, and has produced some iconic women like Lieutenant Nyota Uhura or Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager in decades past, it has never adequately applied the Vulcan philosophy of IDIC, or ”Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”, to gender and sexuality. Click here for related articles on Fanlore. Logic dictates that you should print this for yourself, your friends and family, and wear it with nerdy pride. Star Trek fandom quickly adopted the IDIC philosophy and internalized it to the point where it has become a cornerstone of real world fannish interactions. Perhaps emphasizing the importance the jewelry had to Roddenberry, the memo was titled 'Spock's Medallion. as an afterthought. [26] Although most often seen done with humanoids, mind melds can be performed with members of other species. [33] Some species are able to resist mind melds.[34]. In the 1st pilot episode, "The Cage", Spock showed much more emotion. Subsequently, the altered political climate on Vulcan caused the undercover Romulan operative Talok to leave Vulcan, apparently ending the infiltration. In the TOS episode, "The Man Trap", while Uhura is attempting to make conversation with Spock, he informs her that Vulcan has no moon. I.D.I.C. While most Vulcan marriages are arranged in childhood, adult Vulcans who have no mates may also declare the "koon-ut-so-lik", the ritual Vulcan marriage proposal. But one of the things that was done right was the Vulcan philosophy of Nome, meaning "All", symbolized by the stylized triangle-in-a-circle called the … In the DS9 episode "The Jem'Hadar", Quark mentions selling Vulcan IDIC pins, and in the DS9 episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite", Captain Solok and his Vulcan team, the Logicians, wear ball caps featuring the IDIC symbol. [22], Vulcans are telepaths. We could all use a reminder that diversity is good. It is also worth briefly talking about the IDIC. The symbol itself … Picard does, in fact, have tremendous difficulty controlling himself while experiencing Sarek's emotions during the meld, including the ambassador's supressed loves and hidden regrets. And it weaves in an explanation for why Klingons look different in the original TV series and the movies. The Vulcans learned that centuries before we did." [30][31] A mind meld was even used to rejoin Spock's katra (see below) with his physical body. Vulcan philosophy teaches IDIC—the universe contains Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.STARfest welcomes people from all walks of life, and we ask that you treat all guests, panelists, performers, vendors, and fellow congoers with respect, regardless of where they are from, whether they are in cosplay, or if they prefer Star Trek or Star Wars. We had it from the start of Star Trek, with toys and comic books, and the ship model, and the record albums. [23] Vulcans have also displayed telepathy at great distance and through walls. It usually requires physical contact with a subject, though instances of mind melds without contact have been seen. I saw a really nice one at a con made from a solid sterling silver Triangle, solid 22k gold circle, and zirconium for the gem, in a pro setting. Concord, as much as discord, requires the presence of at least two different notes. [32] Mind melds can also allow more than one mind to experience memories and sensations, and sometimes even interact with the memories. But there you have it: Just another friendly reminder about what Soda Pop Art, Gene Roddenberry attended part of the con, wearing a piece of Vulcan jewelry called an idic. The Vulcan philosophy of IDIC - "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" - wasn't just a slogan, but rather was a way of life. Here is some deleted dialog from the script that makes this clear: He stopped just short of having a special announcement at the end of the show offering IDIC to viewers for three Geritol labels and a dime. In 2105, the Vulcans and the Andorians agreed to a compromise over Weytahn/Pan Mokar. : Filmed July 1968, How is IDIC not completely antithetical to logic, IDIC: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means, https://fanlore.org/w/index.php?title=IDIC_(glossary_term)&oldid=1692211. According to Robert Wise's commentary in the Director's edition DVD, it was Gene Roddenberry's idea to have the Vulcans speak their own language. Not bad, but the knockoffs tended to be more robust. Dr. Miranda Jones understands the meaning of the Vulcan IDIC, which Spock is wearing as a pendant to honour her telepathic abilities and achievements. And then taking that philosophy and making it available to the fans was something I wanted to do. Vulcans are not depicted as having no emotions; although they themselves make this claim, Vul… [43], The Vulcan IDIC pendant was designed by Gene Roddenberry as a marketing premium to be sold through mail order to Star Trek fans. Typically, the phrase "Live long and prosper" is uttered when making the salute. Diminishing one part of the truth to conform to bias or prejudice or for any other reason, is illogical. The Hebrew sign for the letter Shin (שׁ), an emblem for Shaddai, “Almighty [God]” was the inspiration for the salutary Vulcan hand signal used for greeting others. "[18], Roddenberry was successful in inserting the IDIC into the episode "Is There In Truth No Beauty?". At the last minute, Roddenberry sent down several pages of new script for the dinner scene, in which Spock was to give a long-winded explanation of the philosophy. [24], A mind meld is a technique for sharing thoughts, experiences, memories, and knowledge with another individual, essentially a limited form of telepathy. "[7], Vulcans are vegetarians by choice and were omnivores in ages past. In 2009, Vividcon's Challenge show had IDIC as its prompt. In an issue of The Humanist, Majel Barrett claimed that the philosophy of "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" was based on the teachings of Rabbi Maimonides.[46]. The Vulcan IDIC is an acronym for "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations", the basis of Vulcan philosophy, celebrating the vast array of variables in the universe. Only around 10,000 managed to escape. Sussman, Michael and Bormanis, Andre. Vulcan Philosophy was a topic of study at Starfleet Academy by the 24th century. Several words are heard throughout the various television series starting with the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Amok Time". He missed the point. The brotherhood of man is an ideal based on learning to delight in our essential differences, as well as learning to recognize our similarities. Still, this was an interesting novel. offers a Vulcan client some Vulcan Port or chocolate, Roddenberry "The Making of Star Trek" 1967, "Dagger of the Mind" and "Devil in the dark", "The Immunity Syndrome", "A Taste of Armageddon", and "By Any Other Name", The quad-lobed brain structure of Ferengi make them unable to be telepathically read by other species, and with sufficient training and mental discipline, high-level Cardiassian military personnel and/or agents of the Obsidian Order are able to resist mind melds used to extract information. The Vulcan language name for this is Kol-Ut-Shan. Roddenberry may have been thinking of this practice when he thought of putting the IDIC on the show, rather than merely offering it to fans through mail order.[9]. The five symbols are Starfleet, Klingon Empire, The Borg, IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) Vulcan Philosophy, and Romulan Empire. 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