Mental Illness Tropes: Why I Dislike Spock's Portrayal in Star Trek: Discovery

I would like to start by saying that I am an avid Star Trek fan and that Mr. Spock is easily my favorite character from the franchise, if not one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

That being said, and perhaps it is my love for Spock, combined with the fact that I, and many others, struggle with mental health. That I loathe how his story was written when he guest-starred on Star Trek: Discovery, played by Ethan Peck.

Many tropes are frequently used in modern fiction that are deeply harmful to people with mental illness, and the entire Discovery subplot concerning Spock checks nearly all the boxes, put best by Selina J. Eckhert. Spoiler warning for those who have not watched this series or this particular season.

The first of these that Spock's Discovery arc raises flags on is that mentally ill people are dangerous and that places, where mental illness is treated, are fraught with unethical practices and shady therapists.

Even though Spock committed himself to the Starbase 5 psychiatric unit after obsessively pursuing intangible evidence of a reoccurring dream across several planets. He breaks out of the facility, assaulting his doctors and fleeing in a shuttle. Not only is that (in my opinion) not very in-character, it sets a harmful precedent that mentally ill people who are willing and ready to help themselves are still dangerous.

On top of that Section 31, the people sent after Spock, lie about his actions, claiming he killed his doctors, and Captain Leland, who promised Spock's family he'd get Spock treatment, secretly intended to strip him of his memories and do even more damage to Spock's mind, followed up by a rescue mission. Though Captain Leland is not a psychiatrist, it still carries the "people who are trying to help the mentally ill person are secretly dangerous" stereotype.

The next, most prevalent issue in the way Spock's mental illness is handled in Discovery is the idea that mental illness gives its victim creativity, intelligence, or other unique super abilities. When in truth, mental illness always works to the detriment of the person's wellbeing, not allowing them to live up to their full potential, otherwise it would not be considered an illness. Cancer doesn't give you superpowers, neither does depression.

Another variant of this trope is even though the individual is suffering from the negative effects of their mental illness, it's portrayed as a good thing or a sacrifice because an aspect of their mental illness somehow serves the plot or their disability was secretly never "real" and given to them by some outside antagonizing force (that isn't trauma).

This is done with Spock in multiple ways throughout his stint on Discovery, his deteriorating ability to experience time linearly, the chronic nightmares, and the "red bursts" he's suffered since childhood are actually dimensional anomalies. The story also uses Spock's dyscalculia as a plot device repeatedly. Both of which feed into the harmful tropes I previously mentioned.

I have no issue with Spock struggling with mental illness, nor do I have an issue with Ethan Peck's portrayal of Spock, it is how the writer's handled the story that upsets me.

Star Trek is well-known for its progressive messages and optimistic outlook, but this aspect of Discovery fulfills neither legacy. It is riddled by harmful mental illness stigmas and wrapped in poorly executed "dark" themes.

I find this is particularly harmful and upsetting because of the character they have done this to. Spock, who has been a pop culture icon for decades, and a symbol for all of us who feel "other".

For this character to be marred by writing and tropes that hurt those of us who are neurodivergent, and those who have come to identify with Spock for his otherness, this is a devastating blow.

The Star Trek franchise, the character of Spock, and neurodivergent people everywhere deserve better.