In the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5 titled "Charades," Lt. Spock's (Ethan Peck) journey through puberty is revealed to have occurred three times throughout his long life. After a shuttle crash, the Kerkhovians briefly transform Spock into a Human, offering him an opportunity to gain insights into humor, love, and bacon. However, this experience proves overwhelming for the Vulcan as he confronts the challenges of managing the flood of conflicting emotions that Humans often go through.
Spock's situation is likened to the experience of puberty, which results in intense mood swings, a constant hunger, and the development of awkward attractions towards Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong). To assist Spock in navigating his second puberty, his mother Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner) pays him a visit, and he also takes part in an important pre-wedding ritual involving T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) and her parents. Regrettably, this won't be the only occasion in the Star Trek canon where Spock has to relive puberty.
How Spock Went Through Puberty 3 Times In Star Trek
Spock had already passed through Vulcan puberty before "Charades". Both Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: The Animated Series have provided insights into Spock's challenging childhood and the teasing he endured due to his mixed parentage. This is referenced in "Charades" when Spock uses a mind meld to witness Amanda's memory of Vulcan children accepting him for the first time, highlighting a moment of acceptance in his life. Despite their ability to suppress emotions, it can be assumed that Vulcan puberty is less emotionally turbulent than the Human version depicted in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 5.
Years later, Spock goes through puberty once again when he is brought back to life on the Genesis planet in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The Genesis Device's shortcuts, implemented by David Marcus, result in Spock rapidly aging in alignment with the planet's accelerated evolution. This instance of puberty appears to be the most traumatic for Spock as it occurs at an accelerated pace, on a dying planet, with Klingon Warriors in pursuit.
Spock Also Went Through Puberty In J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek
In J.J. Abrams' first Star Trek film, the story begins with the young versions of Kelvin timeline's Kirk and Spock. Like the Spock in the Prime timeline, the young Spock (Jacob Kogan) faced bullying from his classmates due to being half-Human. These classmates constantly tried to provoke an emotional response from Spock, leading him to inform his father Sarek (Ben Cross) that there had been 35 such instances. Alongside dealing with the challenges of adolescence, this Spock also had to confront prejudice and bullying to transform into the Kelvin timeline's Spock (Zachary Quinto).
Fortunately for the Kelvin timeline's Spock, he only experienced puberty once, unlike his encounter with Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch), which didn't result in his death and rebirth. However, the loss of his mother Amanda (Winona Ryder) in the destruction of Vulcan offers little consolation. Sadly, it seems that Spock never had the chance to express his deep admiration for her, unlike his counterpart in the Prime timeline who does so poignantly in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
