Vulcan The Vulcans , or Vulcanians , were a warp - capable humanoid species from the planet . They were widely renowned for their strict adherence to logic and reason as well as their remarkable stoicism . In 2161 , their homeworld became a founding member of the United Federation of Planets . ( ; ; ; ) Vulcans were known by the Borg as Species 3259 . ( ) History and politics . In 2154 , T ' Pol stated that Vulcans had evolved on Vulcan . ( ) Roughly a century later , however , Spock theorized that the Vulcans might be descendants of Sargon ' s species . ( ) In 2369 , evidence was discovered that several species including the Romulan s , and therefore also the Vulcans , could be traced back to DNA that had been seeded on many planets by ancient humanoid s 4 . 5 billion years ago . ( ) The Vulcans were once an extremely violent and emotion al people ( even by Earth standards ) who waged almost constant warfare on one another . ( ; ; ) Paranoia and homicidal rage were common . ( ) They believed in a variety of god s , such as war , peace , and death . ( ) As their level of technology improved , the Vulcans eventually reached a point where their violent nature threatened the extinction of their own species . ( ) In an effort to avoid this fate , a Vulcan named Surak developed a new philosophy , thereby igniting the Time of Awakening . Surak maintained that the root cause of all the problems on Vulcan lay in the uncontrolled outpouring of the people ' s emotions . His followers swore to live their lives by an ethical system devised by Surak and based purely on logic al principles . Emotions were to be controlled and repressed . ( ) Although this new philosophy spread rapidly across Vulcan , a minority , many of whom were known as " those who march beneath the raptor ' s wing s " , rejected Surak ' s ideals . A destructive war began , including the use of atomic bomb s , and among the victims was Surak himself . ( ) Eventually , however , those who opposed logic left Vulcan and founded colonies elsewhere ( ) – most notably on the planet Romulus , where they founded what eventually became the Romulan Star Empire . ( ; ) At some point in history , the Romulans and the Vulcans engaged in a hundred - year - long war against one another . The war was instigated by the actions of a member of the Q Continuum . ( ) Another group that rejected Surak ' s philosophy was known as the " " v ' tosh ka ' tur " " , or " Vulcans without logic " . The " v ' tosh ka ' tur " believed in controlling emotions by allowing themselves to actively experience them rather than suppressing them . Many of these also left Vulcan , and took up a ic existence . ( ) At least one planet studied by the Federation was inhabited by " proto - Vulcan humanoid s " without warp technology or any direct ties to the Vulcans or the Romulans ; the Mintakan s possessed technology identified as Bronze Age , but their culture was described by Federation scientist s as generally peaceful and highly logical , much like their Vulcan brethren . Eventually , an error during a Federation science mission led to the exposure of Mintakans to Federation technology and society , exempting them from the Prime Directive . ( ) The Vulcans conducted a series of survey missions to the Sol system , as early as 1957 . ( ) Vulcans were , in fact , one of the first species to develop warp drive , though a century passed between the first warp flight and the breaking of the warp 2 barrier . ( ) T ' Pol told Archer that Vulcans " don ' t share " Human s ' " enthusiasm for space exploration , " but a Syrrannite on Vulcan later advised Archer that this may not have been true . ( ) The official First Contact between Vulcans and Humans came on April 5 , 2063 , when a Vulcan survey ship , the " " , detected the warp flight of Zefram Cochrane ' s " Phoenix " . The Vulcans met with Cochrane at his launch site on the day following the flight . ( ) The Vulcans eventually became Earth ' s " big brothers " in a way , advising Earth officials on how to proceed into the galaxy . The Vulcan High Command considered Humans volatile and similar to Vulcans before the Time of Awakening , and so attempted to slow down Humanity ' s move into the galaxy until the time was right . ( ) By the 21st and 22nd centuries , the Vulcans had also made contact with the Cardassian s , Trill , Tholian s , Klingon s , and scores of other races . ( ; ) In contrast to their tradition of peaceful exploration , the Vulcans had a long history of border skirmishes with the neighboring Andorian s . The Humans helped negotiate a peace between the two over a disputed class D planetoid known to the Vulcans as Paan Mokar . ( ) In the 22nd century , the Vulcan High Command , once in charge only of space exploration and planetary defense , gained much more control over civilian affairs . Under the High Command ' s leadership , Vulcan policy toward other planets became more aggressive and interventionist , using an ancient monastery at P ' Jem to spy on Andorian activities . ( ) Vulcan also became less tolerant of political and philosophical challenges towards the High Command ' s operations , notably engaging in purges of the Syrrannite group , who claimed that Vulcan society was no longer following the teachings of Surak . These tensions came to a head in a crisis called the Vulcan Reformation , which resulted in the overthrow of the High Command ( and its leader , V ' Las , who was secretly allied with the Romulans ) , and a restructuring of the Vulcan government under the leadership of Kuvak and T ' Pau . One of the first acts of the new government was to end the policy of holding back Human expansion into the galaxy . ( ) As of the 23rd century , Vulcan had never been conquered in its collective memory . That memory went so far back that Vulcans could not conceive of a conqueror . ( ) By the 24th century , Vulcan remained one of the principal Federation members , and was deeply involved at all levels of that society . Vulcans were present in the Federation colonies found within the Demilitarized Zone established between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union by the terms of the Federation - Cardassian Treaty of 2370 ; they were among the colonists ' representatives during discussions with the Cardassian s concerning terrorist attacks by the anti - Cardassian Maquis movement established in the Zone . At least one Vulcan , Sakonna , acted as a gun runner and interrogator for the Maquis and made use of her people ' s ability to mind meld in the latter role . ( ) The Vulcans ' tradition of exploration continued ; in the 24th century , a Vulcan ship was the first to make formal contact with a Gamma Quadrant civilization , upon encountering the Wadi . ( ) The Vulcans were at the forefront of exploration in the Gamma Quadrant , encountering the Rakhari and finding the remains of the Hur ' q civilization . ( ) In the 24th century , the Vulcan ministry of security was known as the V ' Shar . ( ) By 2369 , the Vulcans had a saying known to the Federation : " " We ' re here to serve . " " ( ) Despite the enmity between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire , some Vulcans attempted to forge a more cordial relationship with their cousins , ultimately hoping to reunify the two cultures . Many of these efforts met with little success . ( ) Mirror universe . History turned out much differently for the Vulcans of the mirror universe . When the Vulcans made first contact with Earth of this universe in 2063 , shot the first Vulcan to publicly set foot on Terran soil , believing his vessel to be the vanguard of an intended invasion . The Terrans stormed the " " and studied Vulcan technology . Eventually , the Vulcans were conquered by the Terran Empire . ( ) By the 2150s , Vulcans were considered slave s to Humans and not treated as equals . A number of Vulcans and Vulcan ships rebelled against the Terran Empire , but by 2267 , their attempts seem to have been unsuccessful . By that time , however , it appeared that Vulcans , such as , were treated with more respect and feared by some Terrans . ( ; ) In the 2370s , the Vulcans served as slaves to the Klingon - Cardassian Alliance . Using fans , several of them cooled aboard . ( ) Some Vulcans , such as , joined the Terran Rebellion . ( ) Alternate reality . In the alternate reality , the planet was destroyed by a Romulan named Nero in 2258 . Over six billion Vulcans were killed , with an estimated 10 , 000 survivors . After witnessing the atrocity , noted in his log that the Vulcan species had become endangered . ( ) Spock ' s prime reality counterpart founded a colony for the survivors , which , by the following year , had been settled and named New Vulcan . ( ) Physiology . Vulcans were generally similar to Humans in appearance , distinguished mainly by their pointed ears and up - swept eyebrows . Their skin color was most commonly pale with a bronze or greenish tint , though some had brown skin . Vulcan physiognomy could resemble Humans of Europe an , Asia n , or Africa n descent . ( ; ; ) Most Vulcans had straight , glossy black hair , though brown and / or curly hair was also possible . Vulcans had body hair similar to Humans , and some males could be very hirsute . Vulcan males were capable of growing facial hair but most chose to shave it . ( ; ; ; ; ) Vulcan teeth included anterior tricuspid s . They might be protected from decay for decades by sealing them with a trifluorinate compound . ( ) In contrast to their external similarities , Vulcan internal anatomy differed radically from that of Humans . For instance , their heart was where a Human ' s liver would normally be , ( ; ) and beat several hundred times per minute . ( ) They also had no appendix . ( ) They had mitochondria . ( ) Vulcan blood was copper - based and was copper - or rust - colored when deoxygenated in the veins and green when oxygenated in the arteries ( although it is unclear if this transport mechanism was a hemocyanin as in Earth molluscs ) . Bruises and dermal abrasions took on a greenish color . ( ; ; ; ) ; ( see also ) Vulcan body chemistry used little , if any , sodium chloride compared to that of Humans . ( ) Vulcans possessed a highly efficient respiratory system to extract the oxygen they needed from Vulcan ' s thin atmosphere . They were most comfortable in high temperatures , which was natural given the hot , arid climate of their homeworld . A Vulcan of advanced age may become more sensitive to lower temperatures . ( ; ) The Vulcan digestive tract was highly adaptable . Although alien food s , notably Human food , would occasionally disagree with a Vulcan , given time , their body could adapt to the alien food . ( ) Vulcan hearing was very sensitive . ( ; ) Vulcan females possessed a heightened sense of smell . ( ) Having evolved on a planet which was mostly desert , Vulcans developed ways of surviving in desert conditions . For example , they could survive for several days without water and had inner eyelid s which protected their eye s . ( ; ) Vulcans had a superior metabolism to Humans . Caffeine and sapotoxin s had little effect on them . ( ) They were also capable of surviving for long durations without food or sleep . Under stress , Vulcans could do without sleep for weeks . ( ) Tuvok once claimed that , as a Vulcan , he was capable of going without sleep for two weeks , ( ) although , shortly after making this claim , he was observed to fall asleep in the command chair after having gone a little over ten days without sleep . ( ) Vulcans were , on average , three times physically stronger than Humans , and had considerably faster reflexes . ( ) Vulcans were very sensitive to nitrous oxide gas , which rapidly rendered them unconscious . ( ) Vulcans typically had a lifespan of two hundred years or more . ( ; ) Brain . Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Vulcan physiology was the brain . The Vulcan brain was described as " " a puzzle , wrapped inside an enigma , housed inside a cranium . " " ( ) A Vulcan ' s brain was in direct control of most of the bodily functions , acting as a control unit for many organs . Despite this , a Vulcan body from which the brain had been removed was capable of functioning and even walking around ( albeit in a zombie - like state ) with a portable life support system . ( ) Unlike most humanoid species , traumatic memories were not only psychologically disturbing to Vulcans , but had physical consequences as well . The Vulcan brain , in reordering neural pathways , could literally lobotomize itself . ( ) Vulcans learned to gain conscious control of many of these functions , allowing them to regulate their bodies to a high degree by simple will power . When injured , a Vulcan could go into a trance - like state , using this ability to concentrate all of his or her energy on repairing the injury . ( ) This trance could be self - induced and gave the physical appearance of near - death . It was similar , in principle , to Vulcan neuro - pressure techniques which could be used to relax the mind and body . ( ; ; ) The substance trellium - D acted as a neurotoxin to Vulcans , destroying the neural pathways which controlled their emotion s . Treatment had to be provided quickly after exposure ; otherwise , the damage was irreversible . ( ) The most famous aspect of the Vulcan brain was the inherent telepathic abilities , such as the Vulcan mind meld . Vulcans were natural touch - telepaths . Though considerable training was required to utilize this ability to the fullest ( this would be performing the " fal - tor - pan " ) , simpler contacts did not require any concentration , training , or even conscious knowledge of the act . ( ) Vulcans called focal points in the bioelectric field of the brain " qui ' lari " . ( ) Stronger minds were capable of non - contact telepathic projection and scanning , usually over short distances , ( ; ) but sometimes even over interstellar distances . ( ; ) Another psionic ability of the Vulcan race was the telepathic suggestion or compulsion , consciously performed by Spock , ( ) Sybok , ( ) Tuvok , ( ) and T ' Pol , ( ) and unconsciously performed by Sarek . ( ) Although Vulcans did not , typically , allow themselves to experience uncontrolled strong emotions , they could sense them in others . ( ) Besides the Trill , who achieved this through the " zhian ' tara " ritual , Vulcans were the only other known humanoid race capable of performing a synaptic pattern displacement , or the transfer of one individual ' s consciousness into another . Similar feats were also performed by the people of Sargon ' s planet , Janice Lester , Dr . Ira Graves , Rao Vantika , and Tieran , though they used technology instead of psionic abilities to achieve it . ( ; ; ; ; ) Some Vulcans may have demonstrated an ability known as telekinesis . ( ) The psycho - suppression system responsible for the Vulcan suppression of emotions was located in the mesiofrontal cortex . ( ) Approximately every seven years , adult Vulcans had to endure " pon farr " , the Vulcan mating period . It was marked by intense emotions and primal urges ( known as " plak tow " , or " blood fever " ) that could kill the Vulcan if not satisfied . Physiological symptoms included elevated dopamine levels and fever . For such an orderly society of quiet sobriety , the madness which accompanied the outbreak of " pon farr " was an unavoidable evil . ( ; ; ) Medical conditions . There were several diseases from which the Vulcan species suffered , including : Hybridization . Vulcans and Humans cannot reproduce without medical intervention , per T ' Pol and Phlox . ( ) In 2155 , Terra Prime extremists created a binary clone from T ' Pol and Trip Tucker . The child , whom they called Elizabeth , had many genetic flaws due to her creation and died . ( ) In 2230 , Spock was born on Vulcan to Sarek and Amanda Grayson . He was the first Vulcan / Human hybrid to survive to adulthood . ( ; ; ) Society . The government on Vulcan was a representative democracy . Individual political advancement was based on meritocratic principles . ( ) The Vulcans held a number of spiritual beliefs , though little is known about the details . Their religious system was polytheistic . They also believed in the " katra " , the soul and consciousness of a person , which could be transferred psionically prior to death . ( ; ; ; ; ) Vulcans were generally non - violent , but logic dictated that combat was sometimes necessary . Vulcans could and did use weapons and practiced martial arts called " tal - shaya " and " Suus Mahna " . Most later Vulcans were vegetarian s . ( ; ; ) Vulcans were known for their high degree of honesty . They were extremely reluctant to tell a lie , and indeed it was said that " Vulcans " could not " lie . " However , they would do so for what they perceived as logical reasons , though they rarely referred to their dishonesty as " lying . " ( ; ; ) For instance , a Vulcan elder denied the existence of technology and spies at the monastery at P ' Jem in order to protect an ongoing surveillance operation . ( ) . Also , T ' Pol ' s second foremother directly lied to another Vulcan , telling the commander of a rescue party that her crewmate had died in a shuttle crash , so that he could remain on Earth to " study " humanity . ( ) On at least one occasion , Spock lied without any apparent logical reason ( and , in fact , for a reason apparently consisting of nothing more than humor ) , when he claimed to not have seen Kirk ' s last orders to himself and Doctor McCoy . ( ) However , this may , in fact , have been a result of those orders themselves , as Kirk had , in the orders , instructed Spock to follow McCoy ' s lead on intuitive and emotional matters , and McCoy had just refused to admit to seeing the orders . Tuvok revealed a most instructive insight into Vulcans ' attitude toward lying when responding to Seven of Nine questioning him as to whether Vulcans were capable of lying ; he replied , " " We are capable of telling lies . However , I have never found it prudent or necessary to do so . " " ( ) Development of a Vulcan ' s life of logic began at a young age . Vulcan parents utilized learning tools , such as " pleenok s " , to train their infants in primary logic . ( ) Vulcan children then learned to detach themselves from their emotions at an early age . ( ; ; ) Despite this early training in logic , Vulcan children in nursery school were allowed to dance . These dances were reminiscent of the dances of Orion slave girl s , just not as well coordinated . ( ) As parents , Vulcans never shielded their children from the truth . Doing so only hindered their ability to cope with inevitable difficulties . A Vulcan parent ' s attachment to their children could not be described as an emotion . They were part of the parent ' s identity and the parent was incomplete without them . ( ) Vulcans sometimes had mates chosen for them by their parents at the age of seven . The mates were joined in a ceremony that linked them telepathically in a manner that was " less than a marriage , more than a betrothal . " When the two came of age and underwent the " pon farr " , the link compelled them to follow through with full marital rituals , which cemented their relationship . ( ; ) If , for whatever reason , the female did not wish to go through with the marriage , then the ceremony of " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " ( " marriage or challenge " ) was invoked . The male fought for the right to keep his mate against a challenger of her choosing . The female became the property of the male who won the contest , unless he chose to release her . The " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " was a fight to the death . ( ) As of 2266 , hearsay held that Vulcan men treated their women strangely . ( ) Contrary to stereotype , Vulcans did possess emotions . For instance , emotions like remorse , relief , joy , and embarrassment were all displayed by Spock when he thought Captain Kirk was dead . ( ) Additionally , T ' Pol showed romantic interest in Commander Tucker on , especially due to imbalances caused by exposure to trellium - D . ( ) Indeed , Vulcan emotions were far more intense , violent , and passionate than those of many other species , including even Humans . ( ) It was this passionate , explosive emotionality that Vulcans blamed for the vicious cycle of wars which nearly devastated their planet . As such , they focused their mental energies on mastering them . The essence of their logical society was in arriving at the truth through logical process . Emotions were illogical , thus making them impure , and deterrent to truth . Vulcans were born with the same emotions that afflicted their violent ancestors , but continual mental conditioning generally gave them the impassivity they sought . ( ) Though not all could arrive at the ultimate pure logical state , the exacting process of mental control gave Vulcans enough to conform to the ideals of Vulcan society . The ultimate level of logical thought was achieved through the attainment of " kolinahr " , which was said to purge them of all remaining emotions . ( ) Vulcans believed knowledge to be the best defense against unknown dangers , and pursued it with the intellect and logic that made them some of the finest scholars in the Federation . Vulcans considered death to be the completion of a journey . Therefore , they did not fear it happening ; however , the loss of one ' s " katra " was to be avoided if possible , since the " katra " lived on beyond the physical death . ( ) They also practiced euthanasia for the infirm and elderly , and saw nothing wrong with practicing ritual suicide when they reached a certain infirmity with age . ( ) Although Vulcans were highly integrated into the Federation , in the 23rd century , some Vulcans viewed service in Starfleet to be less prestigious than attending the Vulcan Science Academy , ( ) though in the twilight years of that century , this apparently became much less of an issue . ( ) Furthermore , among all the Federation members whose people served in Starfleet , Vulcans were the only ones to be accommodated with starship s crewed entirely by their own species , such as the and the . ( ; ) Culture and tradition . Vulcans were fermenting wine s , notably Vulcan port , during the 21st century . ( ) Although not always , most Vulcans were vegetarians . They also did not touch food with their hands unless wearing special gloves . ( ) Guests in a Vulcan household were expected to rise before sunrise to prepare the morning meal . ( ) Plomeek broth was considered a traditional Vulcan breakfast . ( ) Vulcans played a game known as " kal - toh " . ( ) What little is known about Vulcan religious beliefs indicates that , beginning prior to the " Time of the Awakening " , they were polytheistic . Surak ' s teachings became the primary focus of Vulcan spirituality / mysticism , but , as late as the 23rd century , it was still not unheard of to find Vulcans honoring the traditional gods . There were , however , no demon s in Vulcan literature . ( ; ; ) Many Vulcan females had names beginning with " T ' P " ( T ' Pol , T ' Pring , T ' Pau , T ' Pel , T ' Pan ) , but not all ( Valeris , Sakonna , Saavik , Selar ) ; many males had names beginning with " S " ( Spock , Sarek , Sybok , Surak , Stonn , Soval ) ; again , though , there was variation ( Tuvok , Lojal , Vorik , Taurik , Koss ) . Touching each other with both the middle - and the forefinger was a custom practiced by married couples and was part of the Vulcan marriage ceremony . ( ; ; ) It could also help to calm down male Vulcans during " pon farr " . ( ) Vulcans had a traditional funeral dirge . ( ) Vulcans occasionally gave gift s . However , Vulcan custom did not include receiving a gift back from a recipient . ( ) People . Vulcans did possess family name s , although they were pronounceable by Humans only after many years of practice . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The term " Vulcanian " has been described as an " " Obsolete term meaning a native of the planet Vulcan . The term ' Vulcan ' has come to mean both the planet and the native of same . " " ( " Star Trek Concordance " , p . 248 ) The origin of the term from a production standpoint dates to , when NBC prepared a twelve - page booklet , entitled " Advance Information on 1966 - Programming : " Star Trek " " , which described the series ' regular crewmembers . The description of Spock mentions that his father was a native of " Vulcanis , " and his people were known as the " Vulcanians " . ( " The Star Trek Compendium " , p . 25 ) As a result of early " growing pains " in the writing staff , the term " Vulcanian " was used sporadically ( and sometimes interchangeably ) during the first season , where it was heard in , , , , and . The Bajoran s suffered similar " growing pains " when they were briefly known as the " Bajora " during their early appearances . The name " Vulcan " itself , in reference to the people , was first heard in . See also : Vulcanian expedition and Vulcanian Scientific Legion of Honor . In notes that Costume Designer Robert Fletcher wrote about the various aliens in the film , he included a description of the Vulcans . After pointing out the Vulcans were " from tv series " , the brief continued as follows : " " Observed in the movie as Mr . Spock , others among crew , and the Masters on Vulcan planet scene . Unemotional , scientific people , their culture based on cold logic , reason and control . One of the Federation ' s most advanced races [ . . . ] Vulcans are mostly tall , slender , beautiful people , with strong sense of honor . Physically distinguished by upswept eyebrows and pointed ears . Their green blood is copper - based . " " Fletcher also imagined that , because their homeworld was rich in jade , the Vulcans made extensive use of that substance , such as with ruby jewellry and a red - colored giant statue is visible on the planet ' s surface , in the film . ( " " , p . 133 ) In a story idea that the writers had that eventually became the two - parter and , the Vulcans were to withdraw from the Federation . The cause of this schism was to be their concern that the Federation was becoming too concerned with the Changeling infiltration at the cost of civil liberties . Starfleet was to assume incorrectly that the Founders had infiltrated Vulcan society . ( " " ) Regarding the depiction of crazed Vulcan crewmembers of the starship " Seleya " in , Brannon Braga once remarked , " " I loved the idea of Vulcan zombies . " " ( ) In the unproduced animated series " " , set in the far future , the Vulcans left the Federation at some point in the 25th century to discuss reunification with the Romulans . In an ultimately unused line of dialogue from the script of , Spock explained , " " Cthia ' is the stricture that binds our emotions . . . but few of us are that perfectly Vulcan . " " For , Vulcan ear prosthetics , in encapsulated silicone , were created by makeup artist David Snyder . A few changes were made to the Vulcan ears when compared to those from the previous film , , on which Snyder had also worked . David LeRoy Anderson , the Makeup Department Head for " Into Darkness " , explained , " " Our modifications were strictly mechanical , based on Dave ' s desire to make the application a little easier . Dave did a clay press of the existing sculpt and remodeled the ears to help mass - produce the pieces , and that gave us great edges . " " The ears were applied by Snyder , using a cotton swab , and ( at least in the case of Zachary Quinto as ) a tiny amount of acetone . ( " Cinefex " , No . 134 , p . 77 ) Apocrypha . According to " Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual " ( published in 1977 by " Star Fleet Productions , Inc . " ) : Vulcan blood vessels are more dilated than humans ' . The larger blood vessels are the reason Vulcan blood pressure is lower . The dilated blood vessels and fast heart rate also play a key role in regulating Vulcan body temperature . A standard 91°F body temperature is maintained by the internal cooling mechanism of fast blood circulation . ( " Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual " ) Vulcans do not have sweat glands , and cannot rely on evaporation as a means of cooling their bodies in the harsh heat of their planet ' s desert climate . Expelling heat through radiation is insufficient . Vulcans evolved an internal cooling mechanism . With an average body temperature of 91 °F , the high blood flow circulates cool blood throughout their body . ( " Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual " ) This systematic means of cooling gives credence to McCoy ' s comment " that green ice water you call blood . " ( ) While implies that Vulcans were not warp - capable until at least 1947 , in the novel " " they already possessed such technology in 1908 : a Vulcan survey ship was responsible for the mysterious , redirecting a large meteor about to hit Western Europe – where it would have killed millions and done irreparable damage to Human civilization – so that it instead impacted in an area so remote that no Human deaths were recorded .