In the upcoming original Star Trek novel, Vulcan's Heart, the Enterprise's famously logical officer weds a fellow pointy-eared member of Starfleet.
The lucky gal (and Vulcan) is Commander Saavik, née Lieutenant Saavik, a character introduced to Trek fans in the franchise's second feature film, The Wrath of Khan. (Kirstie Alley was the screen's first Saavik; Robin Curtis assumed the role for the third and fourth movies. Leonard Nimoy is, of course, Spock's longtime alter ego.)
According to the official announcement from Pocket Books, the book's publisher, "Commander Saavik and Ambassador Spock, Son of Sarek, were married on the second day of the month of Sharveen at sacred wedding grounds belonging to the family of the groom."
It's the first marriage for both Spock, age 99 at the time of the ceremony, and Saavik, a spry 63. (In human years, Spock would be a middle-aged fiftysomething; Saavik, a thirtysomething, Pocket executive editor John Ordover notes.)
Guests in attendance included Spock's old (old) Enterprise shipmate, Dr. McCoy, Spock's dad, Ambassador Sarek, and a young Jean-Luc Picard. (The ceremony's set in the year 2329, pre-Next Generation time, so Picard isn't yet a starship captain and instead toils as a lieutenant on the Stargazer.)
Best-man material Kirk was a no-show, on account of that Nexus time-tunnel thing he got stuck in for Star Trek Generations, Ordover explains. (Coincidence or consequence? Not only is there no Kirk, there's no bachelor party, either.)
Vulcan's own T'Pau, the grim-looking high priestess lady of "Amok Time," the Spock's-in-heat episode from the original TV series, did the officiating honors.
In lieu of a Vera Wang original, Saavik wore her family's prized embroidered silver robes. Fun-lovin' Spock donned a "somber" ambassador's robe.
Hopeless romantics will be sad to learn that the Spock-Saavik union ain't exactly the second coming of Rhett and Scarlet. According to a plot summary from Booklist, Spock doesn't so much court Saavik as he "agrees to a bonding."
Ordover explains that what humans think of as a wedding, Vulcans think of as a betrothal. Hence, the participants aren't giddy with honeymoon plans because they're not going to, um, consummate the relationship until they're both officially mad with pon farr--that crazy Vulcan mating thing. (See: "Amok Time." Again.)
For those who must know such things (without giving away too much of the plot), Spock and Saavik do do the deed--FOURTEEN YEARS LATER.
The big moment is all handled rather tastefully, Ordover says. "We cut to the star field," he says.
The editor says the Spock wedding was a dream storyline opened up to the novel's writers, Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz, by a line from a Next Generation episode in which Picard remarks about attending the wedding of Sarek's son.
The decision to marry off one of the Enterprise's most eligible bachelors made, "then the question came down to who does he marry," Ordover says.
"We knew that whoever we picked we were going to be upsetting a lot of the audience," he says, adding that some simply will be ticked that Spock "isn't marrying them."
And Ordover's right--fan reaction is mixed. On one Internet newsgroup (alt.startrek.creative), discussion has ranged from whether the Enterprise's own Uhura wouldn't be better a match to whether Saavik was Spock's adopted daughter. (She is not.)
Stated one Netizen flatly: "...I still don't approve."
With the possibility of a brand-new, made-to-order bride ruled out, Ordover says the Spock sweepstakes came down to Saavik and Chervanek, whom Trekkies will remember as the fetching "Romulan Commander" in the 1968 TV episode, "The Enterprise Incident" (aka, The One Where Kirk Dresses Up Like a Romulan.)
In the end, Ordover says, Spock "chooses the good girl over the bad girl."
Star Trek: Vulcan's Heart is due to be published July 13. Rice not included.