Synopsis: On his first day aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, Ensign Spock gets stuck in a turbolift with the vessel’s First Officer, Number One.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of how the conscious ego may try to suppress bits of material from the unconscious with which it is uncomfortable.
In “Q & A,” Ensign Spock is welcomed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise by the vessel’s First Officer, who tells him to call her Number One. Almost her first words to Spock are that he has not asked any questions in his first thirty seconds aboard the ship and she expected more from a science officer. That he should be barraging her and the crew with so many questions that he is considered an annoyance. Spock counters with enough questions for her to invite him to the bridge. However, on the way there, the two are trapped in a malfunctioning turbo lift together. A bit of a bond is established, and Number One asks Spock if she saw him smiling when he beamed aboard. She said that it was disconcerting to see a Vulcan, even a half-Vulcan smile. She further stated that although Starfleet was all about diversity, and that she would never want the crew to feel that they could not be their true selves aboard Enterprise, that if he was interested in working toward command, then he needed to keep his freaky to himself. Number One then breaks out into a Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Major-General’s Song.” Spock joins her and afterward she swears him to secrecy.
In this episode, what Number One is communicating to Spock is that he must suppress any tendencies that stray from Starfleet ideals in order to become successful in his career. One of my favorite exchanges in all of the Star Trek episodes also is contained in this short piece:
Spock: Have you ever considered that the Prime Directive is not only not ethical, but also illogical, and perhaps morally indefensible?
Number One: No Spock, I have not, and for the sake of your own sanity, might I suggest you cease doing so immediately. (Chabon & Pellington, 2019).
The reason I am fond of this piece of dialogue is that like the rest of the episode, it exposes the shadow of Starfleet and the optimistic nature of Star Trek itself. That Number One does not want to think about the Prime Directive can be compared to how the conscious ego tries to suppress bits of unconscious material that it does not want to admit are there, most specifically the shadow. But if the ego is to become stronger, these bits of unconscious material need to be acknowledged and integrated into it, making the psyche more whole in the process.
Reference:
Chabon, M. (Writer), & Pellington, M. (Director). (2019, October 5). Q & a (Season 2, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In A. Goldsman, H. Kadin, A. Kurtzman, O. Osunsami, E. Roddenberry, T. Roth, K. Siracusa, & J. Weber (Executive Producers), Star trek: Short treks.
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