Star Trek: 10 Facts About Sarek That You Didn't Know

Sarek. Ambassador to the United Federation of Planets. Vulcan. Husband. Father. A character we've seen throughout the generations of Star Trek. In terms of attitude and mannerisms, Sarek is the textbook Vulcan. He lives his life by logic and expects the same of those around him. Yet, when it comes down to it, Sarek's a rather mysterious and guarded character.

There are so many questions following each segment of his life. From The Original Series to Discovery, and The Next Generation. It begs the question: How well do you think you know him? That's why we're diving into 10 facts about Sarek that you didn't know!

10 Four Separate Actors Have Played Sarek

Yes, four. There's the original Sarek, young Sarek, alternate-universe Sarek, and Discovery Sarek. The first is played by Mark Lenard, the second: Jonathan Simpson, the third: Ben Cross, and the fourth: James Frain. Most people tend to discount young Sarek as he's only shown briefly in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

Most fans picture Mark Lenard in their head at the mention of Sarek. Newer fans might picture Ben Cross or James Frain! Never does a fan picture Jonathan Simpson in their head. Are these Sareks equally important? Well, most fans would say no. But we'll let you rank them as you choose!

9 Sarek's Age Before Death

How old was Sarek when he passed? Sarek lived to be a 203-year-old Vulcan. That's right... 203. Now you might ask: How long is the average Vulcan lifespan? The average we really see varies between 150-220 years. That puts him right at average.

But wow, Imagine living out two terms of life. That's essentially what it is in human terms, two and some change, really. Sarek's decaying health in TNG episode, "Sarek" was a direct reference to Gene Roddenberry's declining health. We see Sarek's final moments at the beginning of TNG episode "Unification."

8 Sarek's Three Wives And Children

You may think you have the familial structure in Sarek's family down, but there is a touch of complexity to take into account. Sarek had three separate wives, as well as children. Sarek had his first child, Sybok, with his first wife, an unnamed Vulcan princess who died during delivery. Sarek then wed with a human, Amanda Grayson, where they had child number two, Spock.

Sybok and Spock were raised together until Sybok went off to explore emotion (banned to never return). Grayson and Sarek then adopted Michael Burnham into their family in the events of Discovery. Grayson eventually passes, and Sarek takes wife number three, another human named Perrin. Perrin and Sarek are seen in the decline of Sarek's livelihood. It is often said that Sarek had emotional love for both of his human spouses.

7 Sarek Had a Pet "Sehlat"

Some of you look confused. That's because of Star Trek: The Animated Series. TAS shows Spock to have a pet "Sehlat," which is a Vulcan animal, essentially being a dog-bear hybrid. Lore holds that Sarek passed down I-Chaya to Spock when he was a child.

We don't see much interaction between Sarek and I-Chaya, but we do know that he belonged to Sarek much before he was a companion to Spock. I-Chaya and Spock face a Vulcan beast which takes the life of I-Chaya, and as a result, leads Spock to pursue the Vulcan way like his father.

6 Sarek Has A Rare Blood Type

Sarek and his second son share the rare blood type of T-Negative. This is a prevalent plot point in TOS episode, "Journey to Babel". The episode centers around an assassination on board the Enterprise. The technique used in the murder resembled a Vulcan execution method, which led Sarek to be a primary suspect.

Sarek highlighted cardiac issues to be his alibi, which is then proven correct as he enters cardiac arrest. The only known blood donor who could save his life was his son, Spock. Spock had to make a risky decision about taking an untested stimulant to induce blood-cell production. The surgery and transfusion went off without a hitch, leading Sarek and Spock to a closer relationship with one another.

5 Sarek's Father, Skon

Sarek, child of Skon, child of Solkar. Sarek's father, Skon, is a character we really don't hear too much on. There were talks of highlighting the character, Skon, in Season 5 of Star Trek: Enterprise, but the season was never produced. Based on a Star Trek card game, Solkar (Sarek's grandfather) was highlighted as the Vulcan captain to greet Zefram Cochran in Star Trek: First Contact. This highlights the ties that Sarek's family line has with Earth, and humanity as a whole. It isn't too surprising seeing Sarek taking an interest in humans. What is interesting is the latent love we see to be present in his "romantic" relationships.

4 Sarek's Role In The Federation-Legaran Treaty And Khitomer

The famous Federation-Legaran treaty. Captain (at the time) Jean-Luc Picard made remarks on the impacts of this treaty. What you might not know is just how long it took for that treaty to come about. Sarek made it a mission to achieve a peaceful mediation between the Legarans and the Federation—and it took him 90 years to do it.

Sarek was a champion for peaceful Federation relationships. This is apparent in his efforts towards the Legarans, as well as in his presence in the Khitomer Accords. Sarek was a key component at Khitomer, and he effectively helped the Federation and Klingon Empire reach a long-term peace.

3 Sarek's Final Words

Sarek died in 2368. His final shown words were with Captain Picard as he was visiting to learn information about Sarek's second son, Ambassador (at the time) Spock. He wanted to learn the names of any potential Romulan contacts that Spock might have been meeting with beyond Federation space. Sarek and Picard share a rather interesting relationship, given their shared mind-meld in TheNext Generation episode, "Sarek".

In his late life, Sarek's health decayed with disease, which is what forced the aforementioned mind-meld in the time of the Legaran-Federation Treaty. Picard held the Vulcan salute before Sarek was overwhelmed once more by his illness. This is the last instance we see Sarek alive.

2 Sarek Has A Sense Of Humor

It's eminently clear that both Sarek and Spock alike have a sense of humor. This is true in many of the memorable quotes which we've heard from Sarek. Like when he said, "Threats are illogical. And payment is usually expensive," or when he said, "Tellarites do not argue for reasons. They simply argue."

Both examples are from TOS episode "Journey to Babel," where he was undoubtedly used as comic relief. Sarek and Spock both mock Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson, in a rather wholesome fashion. Sarek and Spock hold a rather distant relationship. Humor is an area where they share an odd similarity.

1 Sarek's Amount of Appearances

Sarek is a character we've debatably seen a lot throughout the life of Star Trek. His very first appearance was in TOS episode "Journey to Babel." Following the timeline, his next appearance would be in The Animated Series episode, "Yesteryear." Sarek is then present in ten Discovery episodes, followed by the latter four Original Series films.

Sarek's role reached its close in the TNG era. Sarek was also featured in the alternate universe as a critical role in the new films. Sarek is a clear staple to the famous storyline that is Star Trek. He's a character that fans recognize and love, regardless of how logical it may be.

Source: screenrant.com