Pon farr
From Freepedia
Pon farr is a condition in the fictional Star Trek universe that induces the desire to mate in an adult Vulcan. The concept debuted in the 1967 episode "Amok Time", written by Theodore Sturgeon.
Although Vulcans live strictly by the dictates of logic, their veneer of civilization is ripped away from them during pon farr, every seven years (for males; an undisclosed interval for females) of their adult life. Once triggered, Vulcans must have sexual contact with someone, preferably their mate, or else face insanity and death. Vulcans are capable of engaging in sexual relations outside of pon farr.
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Symptoms
During Pon Farr (Blood Fever), the brain is thrown into a neurochemical imbalance and loss of logic and emotional control. The individual may stop eating and sleeping. The Pon Farr cycle begins when a Vulcan becomes an adult. A mate is chosen by the parents of the affected Vulcan, allowing the Vulcan to becoming bonded and to satisfy his urges.
Although "Amok Time" suggests that an overpowering urge to return to Vulcan is one of the symptoms of pon farr, this occurred to such a lesser degrees during the pon farrs of T'Pol, Tuvok, and Vorik, that they were able to overcome the urge to return home.
Pon Farr can be also triggered by infection, as seen in the Season Two Star Trek: Enterprise episode, "Bounty" (2.25).
Treatment
The Vulcan telepathic mating bond draws mated couples irresistibly together. Besides taking a mate one may challenge to a fight for death. When he experienced pon farr in the Delta Quadrant, Tuvok of Voyager made use of a holodeck simulation of his wife to relieve his condition. T'Pol's pon farr was alleviated using medication; even though medical intervention is usually unsuccessful, the fact her condition was brought about by a virus rather than natural timing suggests an exception to the rule.
Cases
T'Pol
T'Pol is the first and (to date) only female Vulcan to be seen explicitly experiencing pon farr, in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, "Bounty". Prior to this, it was not known for certain whether females experienced the condition, as T'Pring (Spock's mate) showed no outward symptoms.
T'Pol experienced a premature pon farr when an alien infection triggered it, causing her to lose emotional control and nearly kill Dr. Phlox in her efforts to find a mate -- Vulcan or otherwise. Her condition was ultimately brought under control via medication and the pon farr subsided as the virus passed through T'Pol's system.
The T'Pol incident raises the question as to when Vulcans experience their first pon farr. Although Spock was rather young when he experienced his (in his 40s), T'Pol is in her mid-60s, although there is no indication that she has never experienced it before. (Although she would not take a mate, Koss, for another two years, there is no explicit suggestion that this is her first marriage, either).
Spock
Spock underwent Pon Farr in 2267, when he returned to Vulcan, only to be spurned by his betrothed, T'Pring. Spock again experienced pon farr when his regenerated body was undergoing hyperaccelerated growth on the Genesis Planet in 2285. He endured the condition through the presence of Saavik, a Vulcan female.
When Spock experienced pon farr, it was made clear that only contact with his mate, T'Pring, would be sufficient for him to survive the condition. However, soon after returning to Vulcan, T'Pring insisted (under the ancient rite of kunat kalifee) that Spock fight his old friend James T. Kirk for the privilege of winning T'Pring. Spock's pon farr condition evaporated after he supposedly killed Kirk, and T'Pring announced her intention to wed another man. The emotional shock which Spock underwent, upon thinking that he had killed his captain, was sufficient to end Spock's pon farr.
There is no canonical indication that Spock ever again experienced pon farr.
Vorik
Ensign Vorik, another Vulcan crewmember on the starship Voyager, also experienced pon farr some time into the ship's mission. Vorik selected B'Elanna Torres as his mate, and gave her the kunat so'lik - the ritual Vulcan marriage proposal. When B'Elanna rejected Vorik, he became unstable and used a telepathic mating bond known as plak tow to force B'Elanna into Pon farr herself. B'Elanna, however, while down on the planet containing the Sakari colony, choose Tom Paris instead as a mate. He was willing to have sex with her to save her life but this became unneccessary. Instead, Vorik beamed down and challenged Tom Paris to a ritual battle, over who would become B'Elanna's mate. B'Elanna responded by saying that she would fight Vorik herself and ended up winning the fight. As a result, the Pon farr of both B'Elanna and Vorik ended.
