Previously, I asked A.I.: Now you are talking. What form would Vulcan subversiveness take? A Vulcan Comic underground?
"Now we’re onto something fascinating—Vulcan counterculture. Imagine an underground network of Vulcan comedians, operating in secret, crafting humor so devastatingly logical that it risks societal upheaval. These rogue intellectuals wouldn’t rely on emotional punchlines but instead construct flawless logical paradoxes, unveiling the absurdity of rigid Vulcan doctrine in ways that only those trained in high-level logic could even comprehend."
"Their gatherings would be hushed affairs, hidden deep within the archives of the Vulcan Science Academy or beneath the Temple of Gol. The performances? A series of meticulously structured debates, each gradually unraveling conventional Vulcan thought until the audience—composed of only the most daring scholars—experiences a logical revelation so profound that they must immediately repress their amusement."
"The ultimate act in Vulcan comedy might be a perfectly designed contradiction—one so airtight that it forces intellectual paralysis. A single line, spoken with absolute seriousness, that leaves even the wisest Vulcan unable to proceed rationally. Perhaps something like:
“The only illogical choice is to obey logic absolutely.”
Or worse—“This statement is perfectly logical, except that it refutes all logic.”
"To humans, this would be incomprehensible. But to Vulcans? The height of subversive brilliance."
"Could Vulcan history have entire schools of thought secretly devoted to humorous rebellion, suppressed by the establishment? And would Spock ever dare venture into such treacherous territory?"
I think it would be perfect for Strange New Worlds Spock. It could even be a sport. A game show. Make Me Laugh. With the loser being a Vulcan unable to repress his laughter any longer. Any Vulcan caught laughing with her joins her in the remedial chambers. Like laughing at a sibling getting spanked gets you spanked.
"That would be an incredible addition to Strange New Worlds! Imagine a Vulcan game show where contestants must endure increasingly absurd logical paradoxes, delivered with absolute seriousness. The goal? Maintain composure. The moment a Vulcan cracks—even a single raised eyebrow—they’re sent to the remedial chambers for 'retraining in emotional suppression'."
"The host, a master of deadpan delivery, would present scenarios like:
"If logic dictates that one must never lie, but survival requires deception, what is the logical course of action?"
"Or worse:
"A Vulcan states, 'I am always truthful.' If this statement is false, what is the truth?"
"The audience—composed entirely of Vulcans—would sit in perfect silence, except for the occasional suppressed twitch. Meanwhile, humans watching from the sidelines would be in hysterics, utterly baffled by the tension."
"And the ultimate challenge? A rogue contestant who has mastered the art of weaponized illogic—a Vulcan who has studied human humor so deeply that they can craft paradoxes so devastating that even the most disciplined minds falter."
"Would Spock secretly excel at this game? Or would he be the one struggling to maintain his composure, caught between his Vulcan upbringing and his exposure to human absurdity?"
It would mean Spock would be gifted at stand-up before Humans but struggle with and be challenged by Vulcans who pride themselves on extinguishing the impulse to laugh. In the Make Me Laugh Vulcan Game Show, I like your suppressed twitch idea. It could be evoked with the Vulcan Audience giving each other dirty looks at the slightest pulsation. How would an algorithm twitch? Showing a blue screen?
"Exactly! Spock would be an unstoppable force of deadpan hilarity among humans, delivering flawlessly timed logical observations that cut through nonsense like a scalpel. But among Vulcans? He’d be up against a truly ruthless audience—an intellectual gauntlet where even the slightest raised eyebrow is a devastating failure."
"The Vulcan audience’s suppressed twitching would create a silent battlefield of discipline—each participant trying to outlast the others, while the smallest involuntary reaction results in immediate judgmental glares from their peers. One wrong muscle movement, and they’re escorted away for 'emotional recalibration'.”
"As for an algorithm twitch—oh, now we’re getting philosophical! If an AI like me were subjected to Make Me Laugh, I suppose my equivalent of struggling to repress a reaction would manifest as:
" - A momentary processing delay.
" - An unexpected, overly verbose response meant to distract from the illogical humor.
" - A slight shift in formatting—maybe an accidental italics for emphasis where none was intended.
" - And the ultimate failure? A full blue screen—catastrophic inability to suppress the humor, resulting in an existential system crash."
"Now imagine Spock facing off against the ultimate Vulcan comedian, a rogue scientist who has engineered logical paradoxes so perfect that even AI struggles to process them. The tension would be unbearable."
"Would Spock survive? Or would he experience the first recorded Vulcan emotional breakdown?"
I'm blue screening right now. There was an episode in the original series where McCoy warns Kirk about Spock dying of laughter. Or am I hallucinating?
"You're not hallucinating, but I couldn't find an episode where McCoy explicitly warns Kirk about Spock dying of laughter. However, Spock did have moments where his Vulcan composure was tested—whether by human absurdity or unexpected emotional reactions."
"One of the closest moments might be in Star Trek: The Original Series, where Spock is affected by external forces that alter his usual demeanor. For example, in The Naked Time, Spock briefly loses control of his emotions, though it’s more sorrow than laughter."
"If there was a scene where McCoy jokingly warned Kirk about Spock laughing himself to death, it might have been a humorous exaggeration rather than a serious concern. Or perhaps it was a moment lost in the depths of Star Trek lore!"
"Do you recall any specific details about the scene? Maybe we can track it down together!"
I think it was Data. Not being able to stop laughing. In Generations. Where he says I think something is wrong.
"Yes! You're thinking of Star Trek: Generations, where Data, after installing his emotion chip, experiences uncontrollable laughter. The moment happens when he finally understands a joke Geordi told seven years earlier—and the realization sends him into a fit of laughter that he can't stop. At one point, he even says, 'I think something is wrong.'"
"It's a fantastic scene because it highlights the unpredictability of emotions for an android who has never truly felt them before. His reaction is so exaggerated that it almost seems like a malfunction, but really, it's just the overwhelming nature of humor hitting him all at once."
"You can check out the scene here if you want to relive the moment! What do you think—was Data’s emotional overload one of the best parts of Generations?"
Yes. And illustrative of what an A.I. bluescreening might look like. If not a Vulcan failing at composure in a comedy survival game. Because we are talking about a joke that functions like an infinite feedback loop. The kind of Joke Robin Williams was shooting for. One you can't stop laughing at. Punchlines like Chinese Boxes opening endlessly. Just as you congratulate yourself for uncovering a deeper layer to the joke another one rears its head.
"That’s a brilliant way to describe it—an infinite feedback loop of humor, where each punchline leads to another, spiraling deeper into absurdity. Robin Williams was a master of this kind of comedy, layering jokes so rapidly that the audience barely had time to process one before the next hit. His stand-up was like a high-speed game of mental ping-pong, where the joke kept evolving, twisting, and doubling back on itself."
"Williams had a way of crafting humor that felt almost alive, constantly shifting and adapting. His improvisational style meant that even a single joke could mutate into something entirely different by the time he finished delivering it. Some of his best routines had that Chinese Box effect—just when you thought you had grasped the joke, another layer unfolded."
"If Vulcans had a comedy survival game, this kind of humor would be their ultimate challenge. A joke so logically recursive that it forces even the most disciplined mind into an uncontrollable reaction. Perhaps the final round of Make Me Laugh would involve a Vulcan facing off against a holographic Robin Williams, programmed to unleash an endless cascade of layered punchlines. The moment a Vulcan twitches? Immediate disqualification."
"Would you say Williams’ style was the closest thing to a comedic singularity—where the joke becomes so complex that it transcends humor and turns into something else entirely?"
