Warning: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 5 - "Charades" contains spoilers. In this episode, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is revealed to have been taught how to lie convincingly by his mother in the time before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. The show follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the USS Enterprise several years prior to TOS. In "Charades," Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) seeks assistance from his human mother, Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner), to carry out a complex deception that involves a significant amount of lying.
Despite the popular belief that Vulcans are incapable of lying, various Vulcans have indeed been shown to lie for different reasons throughout the Star Trek franchise. Spock himself frequently engages in deceitful maneuvers alongside Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) on Star Trek: The Original Series. Although Spock has become more skilled at evading the truth by that point, the younger version of him in the Strange New Worlds season 2 episode "Charades" requires guidance in the art of lying.
Spock's Human Mother Teaches Him To Lie In Strange New Worlds
In the "Charades" episode of Strange New Worlds season 2, Spock undergoes an unexpected transformation into a human. To gain approval from his fiancée T'Pring's parents, Spock pretends to be a Vulcan. However, his mother, Amanda, easily detects his attempts to hide his newfound humanity and offers to assist him in becoming a better liar. Amanda reveals that as a human living among Vulcans, she has developed the skill of suppressing her emotions, suggesting that Spock can also learn to conceal the truth when necessary. Initially unsuccessful in his attempts to deceive others, Spock rapidly improves under his mother's guidance.
"Charades" suggests that although even the most proficient and logical Vulcans are capable of lying, many lack the skill. If a logical situation arises that requires deception, most Vulcans would likely resort to lying. However, they generally consider truth to be the most rational response. The majority of Vulcans do not feel compelled to lie, but Spock frequently finds himself in circumstances where deceit becomes necessary. By the time of Star Trek: The Original Series, Spock has essentially mastered the art of lying, primarily due to his mother's instruction.
Spock Lies Several Times in Star Trek: TOS & Movies
Throughout Star Trek: The Original Series and its subsequent films, Spock frequently engages in deception, often dismissing them as "exaggerations" or "omissions." In the TOS episode "The Enterprise Incident," a Romulan Commander questions Spock about the myth that Vulcans cannot lie. Spock initially affirms the veracity of this claim, but then proceeds to lie several times within the same episode. One notable instance includes Spock fabricating the existence of a Vulcan death grip and feigning the death of Captain Kirk in order to deceive the Romulan Commander. This occurrence exemplifies Spock's capacity for subterfuge, contradicting his earlier statement about Vulcans and their veracity.
In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Spock continues to employ falsehoods, much to the bafflement of his Vulcan protege, Lieutenant Valeris. However, it transpires that Valeris herself had been deceiving the Federation throughout the movie, illustrating the propensity for various Vulcans to lie when they perceive logical justifications. Notably, Spock resorts to lies only as a necessity, honing this skill through lessons imparted by his mother in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
