Amok Time ( episode ) Suffering through his first infliction of " pon farr " , the Vulcan biological mating urge , Spock must return to Vulcan to marry his betrothed or he will die . However , when the " Enterprise " arrives at Vulcan , complications at the ceremony may endanger Captain Kirk as well . " ( Season Premiere ) " Summary . Teaser . Dr . McCoy notices that Spock is growing restless and has stopped eating , and decides to discuss this with Captain Kirk in the corridor outside Spock ' s quarters . As the two men discuss this , they come upon Spock ' s quarters , in time to see the first officer throwing Nurse Christine Chapel out of his quarters and physically flinging the Vulcan plomeek soup she has specially prepared for him after her . After this outburst , he demands that Captain Kirk grant him a leave of absence on his home planet . Act One . Captain Kirk is baffled by Spock ' s behavior , but orders the " Enterprise " to Vulcan . However , a priority message forces him to change course to Altair VI in order to be on time for the planetary President ' s inauguration ceremony , which is to take place a week earlier than planned . When Kirk later asks Ensign Chekov how late they would be if they diverted to Vulcan , the puzzled navigator reveals that they are already on course for Vulcan , as ordered by Commander Spock . When questioned by Kirk in a turbolift , Spock is visibly confused and says he does not remember doing this , though he admits that if Chekov says he did , he must have . Kirk orders Spock to sickbay , where McCoy examines him and finds that he is suffering from extreme stresses resembling those produced by high levels of adrenaline in Humans . McCoy informs Kirk that Spock will die from this condition within eight days at most if he is not taken to Vulcan . Act Two . Upon hearing this news , Kirk confronts Spock in his quarters . As Kirk walks in , Spock is looking at a picture of a Vulcan girl and turns the screen off immediately . Spock says he cannot tell the captain the cause of his problem because it is a deeply personal affair , and that no " outworlder " may know except those that have been involved . Kirk eventually persuades Spock to reveal that his problem is " Vulcan biology , " which Kirk correctly infers to mean Vulcan reproduction . Spock explains to Kirk that , like the giant eel - bird s of Regulus V or the salmon of Earth , Vulcans must also periodically return home to mate . Vulcans do not typically discuss this mating cycle even among themselves , instead cloaking it in archaic ritual , as it is shameful for such a logic al race to be overcome by urges so powerful as to strip them of their intellect and veneer of civilization . Spock has reached his time , the " pon farr " , and if he doesn ' t return to Vulcan immediately to mate , he will die . Kirk jeopardizes his career by disobeying a direct order to the contrary from Admiral Komack of Starfleet , and proceeds with all possible speed to Vulcan . Nurse Chapel visits Spock in his quarters to tell him they are going to Vulcan . Spock notices she has cried and asks for plomeek soup . Upon the arrival of " Enterprise " at Vulcan , Vulcan Space Central establishes contact . A beautiful Vulcan woman appears on the viewscreen , and she exchanges formal greetings with Spock . When asked by Lieutenant Uhura who she is , Spock states that she is " T ' Pring , my wife " , much to the shock of Kirk , McCoy , and especially Chapel . Act Three . Kirk , Spock , and McCoy beam down to the surface of Vulcan , to the ancestral lands of Spock ' s family . This is their first time on Vulcan , and McCoy states he now understands the phrase " hot as Vulcan . " Spock explains to his companions that he actually has not seen T ' Pring since they were both seven years old : at this age , Vulcan children enter into arranged marriages during a ritual ceremony . Spock further clarifies that while he earlier called T ' Pring his " wife " , this childhood bond does not have an exact correspondence with Human pairing , as it is " less than a marriage , but more than a betrothal " . As Spock ' s friends , Kirk and McCoy are invited to witness the marriage ritual – the " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " . The mistress of ceremonies is T ' Pau , whom Kirk recognizes as the only person ever to turn down a seat in the Federation Council – one of the most famous and respected Vulcans alive . Trouble starts when T ' Pring announces she would rather not marry Spock . T ' Pring invokes the " kal - if - fee " – her right to have Spock fight for her . Spock retreats to the side of the platform , hunched over and speechless . Kirk tries to speak with him ; T ' Pau warns him off , explaining that he is deep in " plak tow " . T ' Pring chooses Kirk as her champion , over the strenuous objections of Stonn , another member of the wedding party , who will not be silenced about his traditional rights until T ' Pau commands " " Kroykah ! " " ( meaning " " Stop ! " " ) . Stonn promptly apologizes , asks for forgiveness , and remains silent . Spock tries to protest to T ' Pau , but in vain . Both Kirk and McCoy correctly guess that Stonn is T ' Pring ' s actual choice and would be chosen next should Kirk decline . Fearing Spock , in his current condition , is now too weak to fight Stonn , Kirk agrees to the challenge . It is only then Kirk is informed that this is to be a fight to the death and is given a Lirpa . Act Four . The fight begins and Spock quickly demonstrates physical superiority . However , Kirk survives the first round . McCoy objects to T ' Pau that Kirk isn ' t used to the Vulcan atmosphere and climate . He asks permission to inject the captain with a tri - ox compound to compensate . T ' Pau agrees and Kirk is given the injection . During the fight , Spock apparently strangles Kirk to death , and McCoy accompanies the captain ' s body back to the " Enterprise " . Spock , his mating urges apparently subsiding , demands to know why T ' Pring took Kirk as her champion . T ' Pring reveals that she did not want to be the " consort of a legend " , as Spock had become to his people , and instead desired Stonn . She chose Kirk as her champion , reasoning that Kirk would not wish keep her as his bride , while Spock would again leave Vulcan and probably release her because she had challenged the marriage , allowing her to be with Stonn in either case . Agreeing with her logic , Spock relinquishes T ' Pring to Stonn , but advises him that " " having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting . " " Spock then returns to the " Enterprise " , expecting to face court - martial at the nearest starbase for the murder of his commanding officer . Back on the ship , McCoy repeatedly attempts to explain something , but Spock cuts him off , continuing to speak of his guilt and its consequences . When he tells McCoy that Scott must take command of the " Enterprise " , Kirk comes in behind him and playfully asks , " " Don ' t you think you ' d better check with me first ? " " Seeing Kirk alive , Spock betrays his joy with a big smile , which he quickly suppresses when he realizes that Chapel and McCoy have seen it . Kirk then reveals that McCoy did not give him a tri - ox injection , but a neuro - paralyzer to simulate death . When asked about the final outcome of the marriage , Spock explains that when he realized he had killed Kirk , he no longer had any interest in T ' Pring . Kirk then receives a message from Starfleet granting him permission to divert to Vulcan at T ' Pau ' s request . Memorable quotes . " " Jim , when I requested to Spock that it was time for his routine check - up , your logical , unemotional first officer turned to me and said : ' You will cease to pry into my personal matters , doctor , or I will certainly break your neck ! ' . " " " " Spock said that ? " " " " It is undignified for a woman to play servant to a man who is not hers . " " " " How do you figure it , Chekov ? First we ' re going to Vulcan , then we ' re going to Altair , then we ' re headed to Vulcan again , and now we ' re headed back to Altair . " " " " I think I ' m going to get space sick . " " " " How do Vulcans choose their mates ? Haven ' t you wondered ? " " " " I guess the rest of us assume that it ' s done . . . quite logically . " " " " No . It is not . " " " " But you ' re not a fish , Mister Spock . You ' re – " " " " No . Nor am I a man . I ' m a Vulcan . " " " " It would be illogical for us to protest against our natures – don ' t you think ? " " " " Hot as Vulcan . Now I understand what that phrase means . " " " " He never told us his family was " this " important . " " " " What thee are about to see comes down from the time of the beginning , without change . This is the Vulcan heart . This is the Vulcan soul . This is our way . " " " " It is said thy Vulcan blood is thin . Are thee Vulcan ? Or are thee Human ? " " " " All of Vulcan in one package . " " " " Kill Spock ? That ' s not what we came to Vulcan for , is it ? " " " " Now be careful . " " " " Sound medical advice . " " " " After a time , you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting . It is not logical , but it is often true . " " " " Live long and prosper , Spock . " " " " I shall do neither . I have killed my captain and my friend . " " " " Captain . . . ! Jim ! ! " " " " There ' s just one thing , Mr . Spock . You can ' t tell me that when you first saw Jim alive that you weren ' t on the verge of giving us an emotional scene that would have brought the house down ! " " " " Merely my quite logical relief that Starfleet had not lost a highly proficient captain . " " " " Yes , Mr . Spock . I understand . " " " " Thank you , captain . " " " " Of course , Mr . Spock , your reaction was quite logical . . . " " " " Thank you , doctor . " " " " . . . in a pig ' s eye ! " " Background information . Remastered information . The remastered version of " Amok Time " first aired during the weekend of . In addition to new space sequences showing the " Enterprise " arriving at the planet Vulcan , a sequence was inserted showing digital representations of Kirk , Spock and McCoy walking over a large natural outcropping to Spock ' s family ceremony site . This is the first instance in the remastered edition episodes in which original sequences have been replaced with all - new computer - generated shots . Shots of the Vulcan landscape also featured a glimpse of the city of ShiKahr from . The background in the image of a young T ' Pring was updated to resemble the entrance set seen in T ' Pol ' s mother ' s house in . Links and references . References . adrenaline ; ahn - woon ; air ; Aldebaran shellmouth ; Altair VI ; Altair VI president ; Altair system ; atmosphere ; bee ; betrothal ; biocomp ; biology ; bird ; " Bones " ; bowl ; cavern ; climate ; commission ; crime ; divorce ; dream ; Earth ; eel - bird s ; fasting ; Federation Council ; Finagle ' s Law ; first name ; fish ; flight plan ; fracture ; ; heart ; hypospray ; Inauguration attendees ; inauguration ; insanity ; " kah - if - farr " ; " kal - if - fee " ; " klee - fah " ; " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " ; " kroykah " ; leave of absence ; light day ; lirpa ; logic ; marriage party ; neck ; neural paralyzer ; " plak tow " ; plomeek soup ; " pon farr " ; president ; quarterly physical ; Regulus V ; reproduction ; salmon ; Sarek ; ; sedan ; servant ; ShirKahr ; solar day ; soul ; space sick ; standard orbit ; stream ; tri - ox compound ; sailor ; Sector 9 ; shore leave ; strangulation ; stress ; tear ; temperature ; tray ; ; Vulcan s ; Vulcan lute ; Vulcan Space Central ; year