Most people think I’m quirky and would never guess I was Autistic until I told them. Thanks for the slight though… kinda weirdly judgy for a Star Trek sub
Thats fair I guess. Its IS kind of risky to make a joke at another persons expense though if you arent meaning to offend, especially when tone cant be applied
I always hoped for the opposite: a human psychopath as a major “alien” character. Some guy Starfleet tries their best to rehabilitate with a little blinky light on his temple that tells him when he’s socially expected to be kind, apologetic, concerned, etc. Utterly free to ignore it. Pointedly lets it go wild in some tense interactions with fellow crew. But he and any Vulcan or android-ish bridge members would get along shockingly well.
This is the same darker-and-weirder pitch that would make the ship’s doctor a Cardassian. A foremost expert on the human animal! Looking at my notes, I’d also stick a Ferengi on the bridge crew, as one of the more humane characters. Some guy obsessed with wealth in abstract forms, so that even mentioning he was part of this ship was a sign of prestige. Honestly, “Enterprise” is an ideal ship name for a manic business type.
People often ask me if I’m pissed off or if everything is okay if they catch me unawares.
Like no I just didn’t see you there and couldn’t get my face ready in time.
My wife has several immediate and extended family members on the spectrum and she still tells me things like “I don’t know why you say you don’t like parties, you did great and looked like you had a fantastic time”
Apparently “you were all SUPPOSED to think that” is not the correct response.
I tried to explain this AT a party once to people I didn’t know at all. They thought I was pulling their leg. And I somehow doubt they even noticed when I left due to spoon depletion.
No they just see emotions as useless/illogical iirc. They don’t see any logic in emotional reactions so they reject them.
Though the more I think about it the more sense it would make for more Vulcans to do this as it would end a lot of the typical misunderstandings and awkward situations.
I think its worth remembering that most vulcans allow some emotion in interpersonal relationships, especially older vulcans. Spock is just trying to be super duper logical to prove he’s vulcany enough even with his half human heritage (which is ironically an extreme emotional reaction)
Actually they are hyper emotional by nature, which has given them a lot of grief (in the form of brutal violence and wars against each other) over the millennia until one guy came up with their philosophy of pragmatic rationality, which as its core element asks vulcans to learn to ritually suppress their emotions.
It isnt so much them considering emotions as useless, more them being very wary of them due to their past, and their philosophy/belief system teaching and emphasizing rational thought as paramount and the highest ideal, and (their) emotions being fundamentally irrational. So they are often a bit miffed when humans for example make obviously emotional decisions.
IIRC the cause for the split isnt completely fleshed out, but supposedly it happened around that time with the romulans rejecting the new philosophy. I am not sure if they simply left or were exiled though.
What I also find interesting in this regard is that the vulcans are slightly telepathic, and the romulans are not. Perhaps it is an ability that developed from generations of mental discipline the vulcans went through.
Another fun (and not very likely) take I once read is that the vulcans we know are actually augments, similar to the ones earth made and banned after they became tyrannical.
The theory here being the original vulcans (physically romulans) tinkered with genetic engineering, creating the modern form of the vulcans with increased mental capacity and psionic potential, also losing the romulan forehead in the process. Then they would go the same route as the human augments, paired with their violent emotions, and start a civil war with their regular brethren who then eventually lose this war and leave or are exiled.
The new vulcans then start warring with each other until eventually surak shows up with their modern philosophy.
Trouble of course is if they feign emotion but are not convincing to their hosts they’ll alienate people even more than if they just act in their natural Vulcan way
As someone who’s leaning more towards the introverted side of the specturm this is just what I do at house parties when my social energy for the day has left me, but it’s not socially acceptable to go home yet. The longer the night goes on, the more I’ll be in the bathroom. Not because I drink so much, but because it’s the place where I’ll be guaranteed a few minutes to myself where I don’t have to keep pretending that I’m enjoying this.
I’m pretty sure my relatives think I have some sort of horrible digestive issue. I spend like 25% of holiday gatherings in the bathroom. I just need a few minutes of dark, quiet, not having to think about what to say or what expression I should be making.
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