Surak Surak was a legendary Vulcan philosopher , scientist , and logic ian , considered the greatest of all who ever lived on and the father of the modern Vulcan civilization . ( ) Life . Surak lived in the 4th century , during the Time of Awakening . ( ) As a scientist , he was considered on the same level as Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton . ( ) Surak walked in Vulcan ' s Forge , beginning in the Gateway and crossing the Plain of Blood . His logic was said to have cooled it from the heat of battle . It was here that he founded the T ' Karath Sanctuary . ( ) Surak told stories of the IDIC . He stated that the IDIC " had no end , " and that its name was only a shadow of its true meaning . He was also an active mind melder . ( ) Surak ' s followers included T ' Klass , one of the first Kolinahr masters . ( ) During the Time of Awakening , Vulcan suffered from a series of devastating war s , which nearly destroyed the planet . In the early stages of what was to be another devastating war , Surak ' s followers sent emissaries to propose peace . Many of these emissaries were killed , but over time they achieved peace on their planet . ( ) Surak was killed in the last battle against " those who marched beneath the Raptor ' s wings . " ( ) He died from radiation sickness caused by atomic weapon s on Mount Seleya . ( ) Surak ' s " katra " . Just prior to his death , Surak ' s " katra " was taken and housed in a katric ark . This ark was discovered in 2137 by Syrran , who became the holder of Surak ' s " katra " . With Surak ' s " katra " , Syrran founded the Syrrannite movement . ( ) Syrran melded with his followers , letting them all touch Surak ' s mind . Syrran died in 2154 during a sandfire storm and transferred Surak ' s " katra " to Captain Jonathan Archer . ( ) Archer began having visions of Surak ' s time , and was able to find the T ' Karath Sanctuary and the Kir ' Shara . An attempt was made by T ' Pau to remove Surak ' s " katra " from Archer , but it failed , as Surak wished to remain within Archer . ( ) After Archer finished his quest , Surak ' s " katra " was placed in the mind of another Vulcan priest . ( ) Surak ' s legacy . Surak ' s original writings ( the " Kir ' Shara " ) were believed to no longer exist by the 22nd century , although his followers made copies of his teachings . ( ) These teachings led to the majority of Vulcans purging their emotions . ( ) " The Teachings of Surak " were translated into English by Skon prior to 2152 . ( ) As the " Kir ' Shara " was lost after Surak ' s time , his true teachings were largely forgotten by the mainstream Vulcan society by the 22nd century , resulting to many considering it a myth , while several radical sects claimed to follow his " real " teachings . ( ) A group of Vulcans for example , known as the " V ' tosh ka ' tur " , examined these writings , and believed that Surak wanted Vulcans to master their emotions , not purge them . ( ) Another of these sects was the Syrranite s whose leader , Syrran , possessed Surak ' s " katra " . After the " Kir ' Shara " was discovered in 2154 , it ushered in the Vulcan Reformation . ( ) In the 22nd century , the Vulcans named a class of starships for Surak . ( ) In the mid - 2270s , a long range shuttle used as a courier was named " Surak " . ( ) In 2285 , David Marcus believed that if Project Genesis had worked , his mother , Carol Marcus , would be remembered in the same breath as Isaac Newton , Albert Einstein , and Surak . ( ) Items from before his time were labeled as " pre - Surak " by the 24th century . ( ) Image of Surak . In 2269 , the Excalbian s created an image of Surak in their attempt to understand the differences between good and evil . Surak was paired with the image of Abraham Lincoln , as well as Captain James T . Kirk and Commander Spock as figures who were good . Spock displayed emotion when he met the image of Surak , something Surak understood and stated " " Let us speak no further of it . " " He was " pleased " to note the differences between Vulcans and Earth men . When Surak discovered the fact that the Excalbians wished them to " fight to the death , " he wanted no part in it . He first wished to arrive at a peaceful settlement with the four images of evil ( Genghis Khan , Phillip Green , Zora , and Kahless the Unforgettable ) . When Kirk began planning for the fight , Surak ' s logic told him that they should consider more peaceful actions . Surak considered the present situation analogous to the one that occurred in ancient Vulcan , and would not participate in any fighting , as it was " more logical to heal than kill . " Spock was touched by Surak ' s conviction to pacifism . After the others agreed , Surak walked to the enemy camp with his message of peace . After a long conversation with Colonel Green , Surak was killed and his voice was imitated by Kahless in an attempt to lure and kill Kirk , Spock , and Lincoln . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Surak ' s Excalbian image was played by Barry Atwater in . In , the character was portrayed by Bruce Gray . The original name of this character , as conceived by Gene Roddenberry , was " Lvak " . In an story outline for " The Savage Curtain " , Roddenberry likened the character to Abraham Lincoln , saying , " " [ He ' s ] an equally great figure from Vulcan ' s historical past – and the usually imperturbable Mr . Spock is as surprised and shaken as Kirk with Lincoln . " " On , researcher Joan Pearce – on the basis of male Vulcan names having been established with the routine of starting with the letter " S " – proposed " Savak , Solak , [ and ] Surak " as alternative names for the character . It was Fred Freiberger who selected " Surak " . ( " " ) In a letter to the editors of the fanzine " Eridani Triad " , which was dedicated to stories of Surak and the pre - Reform era , Barry Atwater stated that he had been " turned on " by the idea of Surak and commented , " " I had to fight with the director and the two lead actors in order to play Surak the way I wanted to . " " ( Barry Atwater , letter to the editors , facsimile printed in " Eridani Triad " 2 ( Doris Beetem and Judith Brownlee , eds . ) , March 1971 . ) The introduction of Surak in " The Savage Curtain " intrigued many " Star Trek " fans and consequently generated a massive amount of fan mail , generally from viewers who demanded to see more of the character . ( " The World of Star Trek " , 3rd ed . , p . 146 ) Surak proved to be such an intriguing character that he and his philosophy remained popular subjects of conversation among fans for decades after the episode first aired . ( " " , p . 340 ) In a memo from Gene Roddenberry to Harve Bennett ( dated ) , Roddenberry proposed there might be an " old legend " about the creation of Surak , from Vulcan ' s distant past , and that it might be established in . Surak , according to the backstory Roddenberry suggested , was essentially a composite Vulcan , resulting from a merge between the consciousness of a legendary , elderly Vulcan mystic and the body of a young , half - Vulcan priesthood acolyte . Before the joining , the Vulcan mystic had been " deep in mindmeld with another Vulcan " when a lightning bolt had struck the mystic with a lethal blow , and the same lightning bolt had glanced off the young acolyte , rendering him " mindless " but with his body intact . The merging ( which had taken place on Mount Seleya ) enabled " " the mystic to live on for still another full lifetime , growing in wisdom until he became the Great Surak who laid the groundwork for Vulcan turning from emotion and violence to its present practice of logic . " " At the same time , a prophecy was made that the same fate would befall another Vulcan in the future , to the further benefit of Vulcan . Roddenberry proposed this backstory as a way of explaining why Vulcans , who had heretofore been portrayed as having a highly logical society , were extremely interested in a ceremony reuniting Spock ' s mind and body ( on Mount Seleya ) , in the film ' s final draft script ( and in the movie itself ) . Additionally , Roddenberry pointed out that , although most Vulcans didn ' t believe the prophecy , " " yet the Great Surak is so revered for turning them from emotional savagery and showing them the way to logic that they can hardly ignore anything connected with him . " " In a script written by Eric Stillwell for the third season of TNG , Surak would have been killed due to the accidental interference of a Vulcan science team which had used the Guardian of Forever to observe their past . As a consequence , the Vulcans never embraced logic and evolved into a race more like the Romulans , fighting a war with what was left of the Federation in the 24th century – however , the timeline was restored when Sarek , aboard the to greet the returning scientists , went back to the Time of Awakening to take Surak ' s place . While the basic story – joined with one written by Trent Christopher Ganino , involving the reappearance of the " lost " – became , the aired version removed the Vulcan plot entirely , showing with the Klingons instead . ( " " , 2nd ed . , pp . 116 - 117 ) The statue of Surak in was designed by illustrator Doug Drexler . In " Awakening " , Surak is shown in two scenes . He at first seems relatively well . In the second scene , however , he is clearly suffering from radiation sickness until he actually dies . In the script of " Awakening " , the episode ' s initial representation of Surak was described thus ; " " A Vulcan man in his 5O ' s , he wears a simple tunic and exudes a powerful intensity and wisdom . " " For his second appearance in the installment , the script described the ailing Surak with the statement , " " The skin of his face is burned and peeled . . . his hair has partially fallen out . He ' s suffering from radiation sickness . " " Also , the ill Surak was to have demonstrated to Archer , by showing him their footprints were being scattered by wind , that " impressions fade with time , " though this part of the second scene is not included in the episode ' s final version . Despite not being referenced in the film , Surak was referred to once in that film ' s screenplay , telling Young that the reason their race followed Surak ' s teachings was that , long ago , the Vulcans had almost been destroyed by their own emotions . Apocrypha . The " Vulcan ' s Soul " series of novels show parts of Surak ' s life . The final novel in the trilogy , " Epiphany " , states that his " katra " remains at Mount Seleya , ready to serve his people . Chapter " Vulcan : Six " of " Spock ' s World " by Diane Duane also details the life of Surak . In " Beneath the Raptor ' s Wing " , Surak ' s " katra " is destroyed . In a number of Star Trek novels , particularly those written by Diane Duane , Sarek and Spock are scions of the House of Sarek ( and thusly , either directly or indirectly , his descendants ) . In the book " Orion ' s Hounds " , Counselor Troi wonders if Surak had the Vulcan equivalent of .