#playing a bit fast and loose with the romantic/lover aspect for Spock and Zarabeth

[lichqueenlibrarian]

Ah yes I see the formless super powerful beings have decided to take the forms of familiar people for the ease of communicating. T’Pau and George Samuel Kirk Jr (figures of authority), then Zarabeth (Zar’s mother and Spock’s brief lover), Jocelyn (McCoy’s ex wife) and… Gary Mitchell (he’s Kirk’s one time best friend!)

Interesting that they took two romantic options from Spock and McCoy, and then added Gary Mitchell in there as Kirk’s best friend and not… Carol Marcus, or literally any woman Kirk’s been involved with… hell, he’s been thinking on and off about his son, David. Winona Kirk recently died, but they briefly took the shape of Kirk’s childhood home (burned down prior to the action of the novel), and then divided up into the aforementioned characters.

Even looking at it from “these people are all significant representations of difficult/complicated/upsetting relationships in the characters’ lives” it’s fascinating. T’Pau and Zarabeth showing up makes sense as they’d be top of mind for Spock and Zar, even Sam Kirk makes sense since the life forms briefly took the shape of Kirk’s childhood home. But Gary Mitchell and Jocelyn? At this point McCoy’s been divorced for about 20 years, and Gary Mitchell has been dead about that long as well?

Why these specific people?