Summary

• In Star Trek: Defiant #9, Spock acknowledges he could never live up to Kirk's reputation as Starfleet's greatest captain, but that he would not be able to control his desire to – leading him to never pursue the captain's chair.
• Spock suggests to Worf that there are more important things than being the captain of a starship, and that because of Kirk's influence on his life, he chooses to devote himself to greater causes.
• Spock's friendship with Kirk, and time under his leadership, made the Vulcan become the best version of himself, and helped him achieve greatness in his own way.

From the character's nascent days on The Original Series, to his current role as an advisor to Captain Worf in IDW's Defiant ongoing comic book series, Star Trek franchise – or at least, the most level-headed, with his explanation of why he never became a Starfleet captain serving as a sterling example of his character's most defining trait.

Star Trek: Defiant #9 – written by Christopher Cantwell, with art by Mike Feehan – concludes with Spock's frank, and highly self-aware, assessment of the reason why he never pursued the captain's chair of a Starfleet vessel; unsurprisingly, the reason has to do with his friend and former captain James T. Kirk.

Spock earnestly its that he would never have lived up to Kirk's reputation as Starfleet's greatest captain – and honestly, despite his Vulcan emotional fortitude, its that the desire to equal Kirk would have consumed him. At the same time, he notes there are more important things than captaining a starship.

Spock Didn't Want To Be Defined By Kirk's Legendary Reputation

Defiant #9 Gives The Vulcan His Most Insightful – And Vulnerable – Moment Yet

IDW's Star Trek: Defiant series, along with its main Star Trek title, have revitalized the franchise in many ways, offering a perfect compliment to the current on-screen Golden Age, which has included shows like Picard and the animated series Lower Decks. Uniting all-star casts of characters from across every iteration of Trek, the two ongoing comic book series recently reached the culmination of their epic "God War" crossover; as a member of the Defiant crew, Spock played a pivotal role in saving the day once more. Now that the Defiant series has moved on to its next arc, the high-action of the crossover's climax has given way to some strong, emotion-driven character work.

One of Defiant #9's stand-out moments comes on the final page, as Spock and Captain Worf debrief following an encounter with retrieving wanted individuals across the galaxy. At the conclusion of Defiant #9, Spock argues that perhaps their purpose is more grand than simply winning back Starfleet's approval.

Spock Is Driven By Kirk's Legacy – In The Healthiest Possible Way

His Proximity To Kirk's Greatest Helped Forge Spock Into Who He Is

"If I complete this mission, perhaps Starfleet might let me captain this vessel legitimately," Worf says. This prompts Spock's rhetorical question, which he follows up with his own answer. "I long refused captaincy, because truthfully there was a man whose shadow I always knew I would be chasing. The profession -- no matter the stakes -- would become petty, driven by ego." Beyond his Vulcan control of his emotions, what makes Spock so irable is his keen ability to understand his emotions, to analyze how they drive him, or could drive him. This, above all else, is what has always made him one of Trek's most insightful characters.

The recognition that he is not immune to ambition, nor to the desire to live up to – or even sur – Kirk as a Starfleet captain, is precisely why Spock never pursued his own long-term command. Yet as he goes on to say in Defiant #9, he has instead "devoted himself to greater causes." Spock's friendship with Kirk, and time under his leadership, undeniably made him become the best version of himself, pushing him to achieve greatness, not just as a footnote to the legendary captain, but in his own way. More than the defining figure in Star Trek lore, James T. Kirk remains the defining figure in Spock's life.

Star Trek: Defiant #9 is available from IDW Publishing!