Pon farr The pon farr was a Vulcan time of mating , and the rituals following it were shrouded under a veil of mystery and secrecy . It was considered to be a very private matter within Vulcan society , so much that only a handful of Starfleet doctor s had ever handled it . Among themselves , Vulcans found it inappropriate to involve themselves with another ' s " pon farr " . ( ; ) Biology of " pon farr " . During " pon farr " , adult Vulcans undergo a neurochemical imbalance that take on a form of madness ( culminating in the " plak tow " ) . A Vulcan could die within eight days if their " pon farr " is not satiated . ( ; ) Vulcan male s experienced " pon farr " every seven years of their adult life . ( ; ) The imbalance during " pon farr " can be transferred to others via a telepathic mating bond . It can also be transferred to other species during the same telepathic bond . ( ) Certain microbe s are also known to trigger " pon farr " prematurely . ( ) Also during this period , the affected Vulcan ' s cortical levels rise and falll , as the brain ' s regulatory system appears to shut down when serotonin levels became unbalanced . ( ) Vulcan female s also endure " pon farr " . ( ) Normally , their hormone s and endorphin s rise to dangerous levels . Like males , females had to mate or otherwise receive treatment to survive . ( ) Rituals surrounding " pon farr " . During ancient , pre - Surak times , Vulcans typically killed to win their mates . After the Time of Awakening , the " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " was adopted , and many Vulcans became telepathically bonded at youth . ( ) In the early stages of mating , Vulcans generally touched fingers before touching their faces together . ( ) There were three options open to Vulcans that usually ended a " pon farr " : ( ) Notable instances of " pon farr " . T ' Pol . In 2153 , Sub - Commander T ' Pol of underwent " pon farr " after exposure to an unusual microbe . She was confined to Decon and treated by Doctor Phlox . Her premature " pon farr " ended when the microbes were eliminated . ( ) " In the mirror universe , Lieutenant Commander of the underwent " pon farr " at some point before 2155 . She was assisted through this period by Commander several times . " ( ) Spock . On stardate 3372 . 7 , Spock had his first " pon farr " during a historic five - year mission which the was undertaking . At the time , Captain James T . Kirk was under direct orders from Starfleet to proceed directly to Altair VI for an inauguration ceremony , with no time to stop off at , but after coaxing Spock into telling him what was happening to him , Kirk took Spock to Vulcan anyway , knowingly risking his career . Spock invited Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy to attend his " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " ceremony . At the ceremony , hosted by Vulcan Ambassador T ' Pau , Spock ' s betrothed , T ' Pring , claimed " kal - if - fee " and chose Kirk as her champion , in a move calculated to ensure that she would have her desired mate , Stonn , regardless of the outcome of the fight . During the fight , McCoy dosed Kirk with a neural paralyzer , and Spock seemingly killed Kirk , breaking his " plak tow " . When he returned to the " Enterprise " , intending to immediately surrender himself to the authorities , Spock was delighted to find that Kirk was alive and well , after all . ( ) On stardate 8210 . 3 , the regenerated but mindless body of Captain Spock experienced the " pon farr " on planet . Lieutenant Saavik was present and assisted Spock through this time . ( ) Tuvok . Tuvok went through " pon farr " in 2304 . He took his mate , , at this time . ( ) Tuvok and T ' Pel conceived Asil following his eleventh " pon farr " . ( ) In 2370 , Tuvok underwent " pon farr " . He informed Kathryn Janeway that he was suffering from Tarkalean flu . On stardate 54238 . 3 , Tuvok began the early stages of another " pon farr " . Since he was stranded aboard the in the Delta Quadrant , returning to Vulcan was impossible . He intended to control his " pon farr " with a combination of disciplined meditation and specially prepared medication . His neurotransmitter s did not absorb the medication , and The Doctor was not present to prescribe an alternative . Tom Paris designed a hologram of T ' Pel to handle the situation . Tuvok once again claimed to be suffering from the Tarkalean flu , although this time around , Janeway privately revealed that she was fully aware of the true circumstance in both instances . ( ) Vorik . On stardate 50537 . 2 , Ensign Vorik of the USS " Voyager " underwent his first " pon farr " . Due to " Voyager " s presence in the Delta Quadrant , he was unable to return to Vulcan and mate with his intended . He declared " koon - ut - so ' lik " , a marriage proposal , to B ' Elanna Torres , in order to gain a mate . Vorik was injured unconsciously attempting to form a telepathic mating bond with Torres . While in sickbay , The Doctor determined that Vorik was undergoing " pon farr " . Vorik noted his intention to satiate his needs through meditation . He was confined to his quarters and wore a cortical monitor . After discovering from Tuvok that Torres had also undergone " pon farr " , Vorik had trouble maintaining his composure . The Doctor began administering medication to control Vorik ' s serotonin levels . The Doctor also designed a holographic Vulcan named T ' Pera to serve as Vorik ' s " self - healing " technique . The Doctor declared Vorik cured of his " pon farr " when his cortical levels nearly stabilized following mating with T ' Pera . This was a ruse , however , in order to transport to a nearby planet and attempt , once more , to mate with Torres . After disabling communications , Vorik arrived at the planet . Once he learned that Torres intended to declare Tom Paris as her mate , Vorik declared " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " . Torres chose herself as champion , and the " kal - if - fee " was officiated by Tuvok . Vorik was knocked unconscious by Torres , and his " pon farr " ended . ( ) Sek . Sek , child of Tuvok , underwent " pon farr " between 2371 and 2374 . His mate conceived a child , , from this union . This news was delivered to Tuvok in 2374 , on board the USS " Voyager " , via the Hirogen communications network . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Originally , the Vulcan time of mating was to have been called " Amok - Time " and was said to affect Vulcan males " about once every 26 years . " Gene Roddenberry described it that way in a memo he wrote Gene Coon ( on ) . Both the episode and the film state that " pon farr " is particular to Vulcan males . This is , therefore , at odds with , in which " pon farr " is attributed to both sexes . " Pon farr " is also mentioned in the outings and . It was additionally referenced in the first draft script of TAS episode " Point of Extinction " . In one draft of the script for the film , screenwriters and producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman made a reference to " pon farr " . " " We [ . . . ] thought we should save it instead , " " the writers said of the reference . ( ) Apocrypha . In the Pocket TOS novel " Savage Trade " , it was revealed that the mating bond did not affect Vulcans who were twin s , as they already shared a similar " platonic " mental connection . The alternate reality - set " " comic " " " " featured a story arc in which some Vulcans rejected the teachings of Surak due to their emotions about the destruction of their homeworld . Subsequently , they formed a group called the " " and turned feral . briefly joined the group during his " pon farr " . This storyline also established that part of " pon farr " involved returning to Vulcan itself , with part of the current problem being the Vulcans ' inability to return to their original homeworld following its destruction . was able to devise a " treatment " where a transporter could be modulated to essentially recreate the conditions of beaming to Vulcan so that they could ' trick ' those suffering from " pon farr " into " believing " that they were home .