Consider this a reminder for people currently watching Star Trek, old and new.
Logic and controlled emotion aren’t inherent to being a Vulcan. Somehow gaining Vulcan traits, or biologically transforming into a Vulcan, will not make you logical and emotionless. In fact, quite the opposite would happen.
Vulcans used to be warlike, barbaric (as Spock would describe them) and nearly wiped themselves out. It was the teaching of Surak in the philosophy of pure logic, after centuries of war, that made Vulcans what they are today. Vulcans do this by training logic and emotional control throughout their childhood and teenage years. Ultimately culminating in Kolinahr, the final stage to “purge emotion”. But Vulcans still experience emotion, and their state of control is something that requires constant maintenance through meditation and practice.
Vulcans are far more emotional and passionate than even Humans. If a Human so much as houses a portion of a Vulcan’s Katra (the mind/spirit), said Human would struggle immensely to keep their feeling under control.
I’m writing all this because I’m getting the feeling that this very important part about Vulcans is being forgotten (perhaps more-so by the current writers of Star Trek).
Plus yet another data point is the fact (if my memory is correct) that Romulans and Vulcans are the same species except one split off to go war mongering around the galaxy while the other devoted themselves to logic to control their emotions.
Yeah true, I suppose that kind of defeats my whole idea that Vulcans would self-destruct if they allowed emotions to control them.
They very nearly did. Romulans found another way to build their society.
Enterprise explores Vulcans who have rejected the teachings of logic and emotional control, and one of them end up mentally raping T’Pol.
There have been mentioned a huge exodus, or multiple exoduses away from Vulcan, where those that rejected the philosophy of logic wanted to start anew somewhere. Romulus is the only succesful world as a result of that past.