3 Things We Learned From Spock’s Arrival on Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery finally did the thing. After much teasing, we got our first glimpse of Ethan Peck‘s Spock this week, and we learned surprising new details about the iconic character in the process.

Showrunner Alex Kurtzman, who will share top duties with writer Michelle Paradise next season, teased a very different Spock, and he’s stayed true to his word. While we hadn’t seen Spock up until now, the series has painted a pretty clear picture of where he is in previous episodes. This a conflicted Spock whose inability to grasp the logic behind apocalyptic visions of a Red Angel has essentially broken his brain. After checking himself into a psychiatric facility on Starbase 5, he subsequently broke free, allegedly killing several Starfleet officers in the process, and has been on the run as a wanted man ever since.

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Thursday’s episode, titled “Light and Shadows,” tracked down the troubled Vulcan, who’d been hiding out on his home planet with help from his mother Amanda (Mia Kirshner). A stunned Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) found a disheveled Spock in a cave, feverishly uttering the First Doctrines of Logic over and over again while etching the same six numbers on the walls. A heated family debate between Burnham, Amanda and Sarek (James Frain) ended with Burnham turning Spock into Section 31’s custody, where Leland (Alan Van Sprang) planned to extract his memories — a move that would have fried his brain. With help from Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), Burnham and Spock were able to escape from the covert organization. Back on the run, Burnham finds herself headed to Talos IV in search of answers about her brother.

Here’s what we learned from the revealing episode…

Ethan Peck, Star Trek: DiscoveryPhoto: CBS All Access

1. Spock had dyslexia as a child
We already knew that growing up as a half-human, half-Vulcan was difficult for Spock. However, it turns out there’s more to the story. This week’s episode revealed that he inherited a learning disability similar to dyslexia from his human mother, making it difficult to read and write. In an effort to help her son cope, Amanda read Alice in Wonderland to him — the same book she read to Burnham after her arrival.

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2. His brain might be broken, but he’s not crazy
Repetitive mutterings aside, Spock’s writings on the wall weren’t total nonsense. As Burnham figured out, he’d been scribbling coordinates to the planet Talos IV, the home of the Talosians. It’s unclear what business he might have with the big-brained, telepathic aliens, but now that Burnham set a course for the class M planet, we’re close to getting answers.

3. He didn’t always hate Burnham
Spock wasn’t exactly receptive to Burnham when Sarek and Amanda first brought her home. He slammed a door in her face when she extended her hand, setting the tone for a rocky relationship. Their years-long estrangement suggests things may not have improved much in that department. But a flashback showed at least one genuine moment between the pair, with Spock seemingly intrigued by his new adoptive sister. With Burnham fighting so hard to save him, it’s clear that there’s much more to this already complicated dynamic.

Catch Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c exclusively on CBS All Access.

(Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation.)

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