T ' Pring T ' Pring , born in 2230 , was a Vulcan female who was bonded to Spock as a child . In 2267 , when Spock began suffering from " pon farr " , he returned to to mate with T ' Pring . T ' Pring , however , preferred Stonn instead , and executed her right to claim " kal - if - fee " at the " koon - ut - kal - if - fee " ceremony ( a Vulcan wedding ) . She picked James Kirk as her champion , and he accepted while being unaware that the fight was to be to the death . T ' Pring reasoned that if Spock won , he would reject her for having chosen another , and she would have Stonn . If Kirk won and killed Spock , he would not want her , and she would still have Stonn . However , should Spock still accept her , he would likely be gone for several extended periods of time following his career in Starfleet , thus allowing her to be with Stonn . Spock complimented her on her " flawlessly logical " reasoning , yet found a way to express his true opinion of her : he " congratulated " Stonn on winning T ' Pring , but cautioned him that " having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting . " T ' Pring for her part was " honored " at the compliment that Spock had thought her logic was flawless ( ) Appendices . Background information . The adult T ' Pring was played by Arlene Martel . Although no reference work notes the name of the girl depicted as the young T ' Pring , she was played by Mary Rice . Upon describing the girlhood photograph of T ' Pring , the revised final draft script of " Amok Time " stated , " " There is a sweetness about her features that promises a loveliness when grown . " " The same script described the adult T ' Pring as " graceful , lithe , beautiful . " T ' Pring ( as depicted in the photograph of her ) was the first female Vulcan seen in " Star Trek " . Apocrypha . T ' Pring appears in a story line in " Star Trek ( DC volume 2 ) " issues 66 - 68 , in which it is revealed that she and Stonn have a daughter , T ' Ariis . The characters recollect that T ' Pring entered religious study six years after her marriage . She refused to return home to Stonn and T ' Ariis , choosing instead to become a Matriarch at the Temple of Kolinahr . In the novel " The Vulcan Academy Murders " , Spock confesses to Sarek that he was unable to feel more than the barest connection with T ' Pring in his mind . He ascribed this " failure " to his mixed heritage , and regarded her photo in his quarters as a way of trying to find the connection again . Sarek , inwardly appalled , realizes that T ' Pring had ejected Spock from her mind as much as possible , even before his arrival on Vulcan . In the novel " Spock ' s World " , T ' Pring plots revenge on Kirk and Spock . T ' Pring is vengeful because after marrying Stonn , Stonn died trying to induce " pon farr " . T ' Pring ' s plot to have Vulcan secede from the United Federation of Planets is foiled by the " Enterprise " crew . Similar events apparently occur in the novel " The Lost Years . " She is also shown extorting Spock for " the bride price " in D . C . Fontana ' s novel " Vulcan ' s Glory " , which takes place during the Christopher Pike era . T ' Pring also appears in the of the " " comic series . Unlike earlier non - canon portrayals , the character is shown in a much more positive light ; she has a friendly meeting with Spock soon after his return to Vulcan to begin his " Kolinahr " training , accurately predicting that he would not find peace , or any of his answers , on Vulcan , which he never would have left if what he sought " was " there ( responding to Spock ' s statement that she barely knows him by saying that she always has , and always will ) , and that whatever he came back to the planet for , he should find it quickly , since space is where he truly belongs . An alternate version of T ' Pring from a world on which the Human race died out before First Contact occurred was featured in the novel " Forgotten History " – resulting in the Vulcan High Command never abandoning their more militaristic ways as Captain Jonathan Archer never discovered the lost " Kir ' Shara " – when her ship accidentally switches places with the " Enterprise " during a survey of a dimension - shifting planet . During this time she briefly works with Spock – who was on a different ship when the transfer took place – even helping him deal with his latest " pon farr " as his body responds to her due to his engagement to his world ' s version of her , this T ' Pring expressing greater sympathy and understanding of Spock . In return , Spock advises her on where she might find her world ' s version of Surak ' s lost writings , helping her world ' s Vulcans return to the vision that Surak had of their culture rather than what it has become in that world . In flashbacks in the novel " Sarek " by A . C . Crispin , Amanda strongly disapproves of Sarek ' s choice to affiance Spock to T ' Pring , remarking that , even for such a young child , she seems very cold and calculating . In the " " comic " " , it is revealed that an alternate reality T ' Pring survived the destruction of . She greeted when he returned to New Vulcan to deal with the onset of " pon farr " , much to ' s surprise . Later , when he joined a group of rebel Vulcans called the Sasaud , she informed the crew of the about his whereabouts .