Back to Rachel's Home PageWhile Voyager investigates a nebula containing a possible source of energy, Tuvok begins suffering from disorientation and hallucinations. He attempts a Vulcan meditation called a Kithira to restore control, but is unsuccessful. The Doctor diagnoses the problem as a repressed memory, and Tuvok asks Captain Janeway to assist him with a Vulcan mind meld to bring the memory into the conscious mind.
The scene begins with Tuvok in his quarters, eyes closed, building a small structure out of odd-shaped decorated blocks and reciting a Vulcan meditation.
Structure. Logic. Function. Control. The structure cannot stand without a foundation. Logic is the foundation of function. Function is the essence of control. I am in control. I am in control.
The door opens and Kes enters. They discuss Tuvok's medical problem briefly, then turn to the meditation.
Kes: What are you working on?
Tuvok: It is called a Kithira.
Kithira. What does that mean?
The approximate translation is "structure of harmony". It is used as a meditational aid. Building it requires precise balance and spatial acuity. It helps to focus thought and refine mental control.
At the moment, it doesn't look very harmonious.
No, it does not.
I'm curious. What does a Kithira look like when it's done?
The form is not pre-defined. It is a reflection of the builder's state of mind. Thus, it is different each time.
I'd like to see it when it's finished.
There is more discussion of the Doctor's medical orders, then Kes leaves. Tuvok closes his eyes and returns to building the Kithira.
Structure. Logic. Function. Control. A structure cannot stand without a foundation. Logic is the foundation of function. Function is the essence of control. I am in control. I am in control.
Tuvok asks Janeway to assist in a special mind-meld technique to treat the repressed memory he is suffering from. The meld is usually done with a close family member, but Janeway is the closest thing he has to family on board. He considered turning to one of the other Vulcans on the ship, but a family member is usually chosen because of the trust involved, and she is the person he trusts most on the ship. She will serve as his Pelora (sp?), his guide or counsellor to help him reconstruct the repressed memory, bring it into the open, overcome it, and make it part of his conscious mind. She will be present as only an observer in the memory, leaving her the freedom to guide him objectively.
Captain Sulu: "Mr. Tuvok. If you're going to remain on my ship, you're going to have to learn to appreciate a joke. And don't tell me Vulcans don't have a sense of humor, because I know better."
Tuvok: "Sir, that is a most illogical line of reasoning."
Sulu: "You better believe it."
Tuvok states that the flashback is 80 years in the past, and he is 29 years old in the flashback, so he must be 109 years old.
His first assignment in his second Starfleet career was aboard the Wyoming. His first deep space assignment in his first Starfleet career was aboard the Excelsior. At the time of the events of Star Trek VI, he had been on board for 2 months.
Tuvok originally entered Starfleet Academy as a young man because of pressure from his parents. However, he greatly disliked humans because of bad experiences with humans on the ship and in the Academy, and because he didn't want to be there, and he resigned a short time after his assignment on the Excelsior. He was out of Starfleet for over 50 years. He returned to Vulcan and spent several years in seclusion, immersed in the Kohlinar. Six years into his studies, he began the Pon Farr and took a mate, T'Pel. They decided to raise a family and he postponed his studies of the Kohlinar as a result. When he was older, he recognized he had been wrong about leaving Starfleet, and there was much he could learn from humans and other races, so he decided to expand his knowledge of the galaxy.
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Rachel M. Thurston
surak@infinet.com