Ten Minute Trek: Diplomacy Solves Everything

The Tellarites stalk off when an Andorian arrives on scene and interrupts. Apparently, Sarek and Gav the Tellarite debated before, and Gav lost. McCoy decides to use poor Spock's mother to get a dig or two in at Spock, and manages to get a story about Spock's pet sehlat from when he was a kid.

A couple of notes here. First of all, before answering, Amanda looks to Spock and he gives her a little nod. A lot of people who are new to Star Trek don't notice the inherent affection between Spock and McCoy, but it's there. The other thing is that the sehlat comes up again:

TAS: Yesteryear

Amanda describes it as a teddy bear. Not quite accurate, but close enough, I guess. But it's really the look on McCoy's face that's priceless here:

If there's one thing I hope for from Star Trek Beyond, it's that Karl Urban gets a few of these moments, because he is amazing as McCoy.

Back to the story. Sarek comes and collects Amanda and takes her to their quarters. Spock tries to disabuse McCoy of the whole cute teddy bear notion by describing the thing's size and the fangs (as pictured above). Kirk gets a call that there's some other ship pacing them, and calls a yellow alert (that won't bother the diplomats of doom at all). He helpfully orders (over shipwide intercom) his crew not to alarm the passengers. I just... brains.... ow....

On the bridge, they are barely tracking this unrecognizable ship. It isn't answering hails and is obviously following them.

Meanwhile, in their quarters, Sarek is on Amanda's case for embarassing Spock. Which, okay, yeah, probably, but Spock practically handed McCoy that ammo. Anyway, Sarek's saying that Spock needs respect to function in Starfleet, and Amanda's all like, wait a minute, you're proud of him! Big stinky liar. "It does not not require pride to ask that Spock be given the respect which he is due. Not as my son, but as Spock."

"I love you anyway," she tells him, and he literally rolls his eyes. "I know, it isn't logical." They have their cute little Vulcan embrace, and it looks like he smiles.

Of course, we've seen quite a bit of Sarek's emotions in later years:

My logic is... uncertain where my son is concerned.

Picard temporarily bears Sarek's emotions in TNG's "Sarek".

Spock, meanwhile, is continuing to track this ship. It flies past them at warp 10. Starfleet says there is no other Federation ship in their quadrant. They throw around that word, "quadrant", way too easily. Anyway, the ship goes back to paralleling them.

Sarek returns to the diplomat reception thingy. He takes a pill (mysterious!) and he and Gav get in an argument over his vote (Sarek, btw, intends to vote for admitting Coridan to the Federation). Gav demands to know why. They debate Coridan being admitted to the Federation and people stealing its dilithium and so forth. Kirk comes in and breaks it up when it starts to get physical and tells them that they have to keep it orderly. Gav threatens Sarek, Sarek snarks Gav, it's good times.

And then they find Gav dead.

Effffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.

A Lieutenant Joseph finds him in a Jeffries tube. The obligatory shot of Shatner without his shirt is used to cue the dramatic music. Credits.

Shatner stripping, circa 1967.

Someone broke Gav's neck. They used a technique called tal-shaya. It's a Vulcan technique. That Sarek knows. Kirk tells Spock about the argument with Gav and Sarek. Spock says that if Sarek had a reason, he could kill, logically and efficiently.

That had better be some reason.

Kirk comes to Sarek's quarters, but Amanda says he is meditating in private before resting. Uh oh, no alibi. Sarek enters and Kirk tells him about Gav. They ask him for an alibi. Sarek and Spock both agree that Sarek is a logical suspect. Sarek maintains that he has no alibi. And then he collapses in pain.