The Vulcan Compound at Sauselito

[Linda]

The fact that it was in Sauselito, away from the Vulcan embassy in San Francisco, had me thinking that Vulcans wanted their privacy during non working hours. And because they distrusted what they thougt as volitile human emotions, would wall off the living area where their families were to protect themselves, even if the "walls" were subtle technology or even invisible to human eyes. The Vulcans were the ones, after all, who were telling humans that it was not always a friendly universe out there and were holding humans back from exploring it, so it could have been standard Vulcan practice to build that way on alien worlds. Well, that is just my take on things and the way Elessar imagines it sounds logical to me too. From the images we have of the earth embassy on Vulcan, it looks like it was in an open part of the city and I think we have no canon mention of a compound for humans on Vulcan. Or do we? And humans would probably take their idea of what an embassy on an alien world should look like from the aliens they knew best, the Vulcans.

[Brandyjane]

I suspect that even if they thought Earth was perfectly safe (which I doubt they did), the Vulcan compound would have walls for privacy reasons. Otherwise, a lot of humans might be tempted to go to the compound to gawk at the aliens. I can imagine tourists, in particular, who come from smaller towns where there isn't a Vulcan presence might be tempted to visit. There would probably also be a few locals with an unusually high interest in Vulcans who might want to approach the compound. Some of these people might just be a little obsessive but otherwise perfectly nice, but there might also be paranoid, crazy people with a more sinister interest in them.

I do like the idea that by TOS or at least by TNG time the walls were no longer necessary.

[honeybee]

The word "compound" certainly implies walls and security to me. Not just to keep out gawkers and Terra Prime types, but also - perhaps - to keep adventurous Vulcans in. When T'Pol tells the story of visiting the nightclub in Fusion, it seems that she isn't supposed to be doing what she's doing. I think she hides her ears to disguise the fact that she is human from both humans as well as Vulcans who might want to know what she is doing and why. It's possible, for security and social reasons, Vulcans would be expected to tell the guards where they were going and why they were leaving the compound.

[Elessar]

The word "compound" certainly implies walls and security to me. Not just to keep out gawkers and Terra Prime types, but also - perhaps - to keep adventurous Vulcans in. When T'Pol tells the story of visiting the nightclub in Fusion, it seems that she isn't supposed to be doing what she's doing. I think she hides her ears to disguise the fact that she is human from both humans as well as Vulcans who might want to know what she is doing and why. It's possible, for security and social reasons, Vulcans would be expected to tell the guards where they were going and why they were leaving the compound.

"compound" def has connotation to it. I guess I could go with the idea that it's walled in the early years and maybe things change over time... Well, specifically with the foundation of the Federation. I mean... well yeah, come to think of it, that just makes sense. Think about it, it'd be like a foreign embassy up until the Federation is founded... and foreign embassies ARE walled and heavily guarded.

[Silverbullet]

EMbassies walled and Guarded. Depends on what country and where the Embassy is. Israili Embassies are like forts. Other Embassies are open to some. Chinese Embassies are in the middle of about an acre of ground which is bare all around the Embassy to the stree. Nt a chance if Hell of anyone sneaking in to it. At one time U,S, embassies were open but now are fenced or walled. always had Marine Guards more to maintain internal security and man the front reception area rather than protecting the Embassy by using thier weapons.

Vulcans being bery guarded about themselves would value privacy more than anything so they probaly would have high walls around a compound which would contain about everything they needed.

The russians and the Chinese won't let anyone but official visitors in to thier Embassies and those are not allowed to wander or to look around. Russians do not hire local employess nor do the Chinese. Germans usualy do no thire Local Employees except in certain clerical positions. U,S hires hundreds of local Employes. They once could walk freely around an Amerian Embassy but now are not allowed on the top floors which are secure areas.

[Elessar]

All the embassies I saw in D.C. were walled (high walled) and most were for dinky little countries nobody'd care to break into anyway, like Togo and Vanunu

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I've been to a couple of Israeli embassies and they are extremely fortified. So much that when the Israeli embassy in Stockholm had to relocate because of complaints from the neighbours. And then they had problems finding a new space.

I can well imagine the Vulcan compound to be as heavily fortified, if not more.

[EntAllat]

Again, I like to think of this changing dramatically over time:

If the Vulcan compound was built shortly after First Contact, it probably would have begun as something heavily fortified, including walls and some military installations as well. Earth was only ten years out from the end of World War III at the time of Zephram Cochrane's first warp flight and pretty much a mess, i.e. 600 million people killed, nuclear cataclysm, major cities and governments destroyed. From Memory Alpha:

In 2063, a short time after Earth emerged from this global war, first contact was made with the Vulcans, leading to increased recovery from the war for parts of the world. (Star Trek: First Contact) When news of this event reached Vulcan, some Vulcans, including V'Lar, were fascinated by humanity, but also worried, believing the idea that Humans had deemed themselves ready to join the interstellar community, so soon after the war, seemed premature. (ENT: "Fallen Hero") Indeed, for several years after first contact, various parts of Earth were still affected by what became known as the "post-atomic horror." In 2079, one such culture reverted to a state of near-barbarism that followed the credo "[Kill] all the lawyers," and "[Guilty] until proven innocent." (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") Due to these and other factors, parts of Earth continued to be in – as Captain Jean-Luc Picard put it in 2365 – "chaos" well into the early 22nd century. (TNG: "Up The Long Ladder")

The post-atomic horror gave way to the stirrings of new attempts at establishing various unified world alliances, including the European Hegemony in 2123. (TNG: "Up The Long Ladder") These alliances were eventually instrumental in the establishment of the United Earth Government in 2150. (TNG: "Attached")

By the early 2100s – less than two generations of the post-atomic horror – humanity was finally able to eliminate most if not all poverty, disease, war and hunger. (TNG: "Time's Arrow, Part II"; Star Trek: First Contact; ENT: "Broken Bow")

But if so much had changed in so short a period of time, it makes sense to me that - by TnT's time - the Vulcan compound would eventually have become much less militarily fortified, though perhaps still looking and feeling much like a fortified compound. I think by then the character of it would have at least started to lean more towards privacy - like a sanctuary for the (possibly rattled) Vulcan diplomats and visitors who dealt with Humans all day long. If the feeling, even among open-minded Vulcans like V'Lar, was that Humans weren't quite ready for joining the interstellar community, then it may have also served as a protective sphere for any Vulcan youth who were a little too fascinated with Human culture (as T'Pol appeared to be) for their Vulcan Elder's comfort. I.e. the walls becomes more symbolic - to ensure that Vulcan culture didn't change too dramatically because of the contact.

By TNG's time, with widespread interspecies marriages and offspring, the blending of alien cultures via the Federation and deep-rooted interstellar contact, it's likely that the character of the compound would have slowly evolved into something much more open (maybe what's left of the original walls become parts of xenogardens, etc.) and historical (old Vulcan-style homes and shops are deemed historical landmarks with plaques, etc.) with other alien cultures also taking up residence in some of the old buildings (the way some old neighborhoods change ethnic character as new waves of immigrants arrive, or economic changes happen). With Starfleet so close by it could very well become Earth's largest center of alien culture and commerce by Tuvok's time, where you can find anything from the farthest reaches of the Federation.

[Linda]

I like your more detailed evolution of the Vulcan compound on earth over time, EntAllat. I think this would be a nice story for someone to write. Perhaps a Vulcan or Human schalor describing the changing relations of Vulcans and Humans over the first 300 years from first contact up to TNG time. Or, maybe a Vulcan describing how his ancestors in his diplomat family found conditions changing as they served at the Vulcan embassy on earth over the centuries.

[Enerdhil]

In some point, when T'Pol tells that she lived in the Vulcan Compound, Trip says something about nice parties there (don't remember if he was joking or recalling).

Probably by TnT time the compound was an open one. T'Pol tells Tolaris that she left the compound one night (late hours) to see how the humans have "fun" (not her words), it is when she enters the Fusion jazz bar. On a walled compound her behavior (not normal for Vulcans) would have attracted too much attention.

[aadarshinah]

On a walled compound her behavior (not normal for Vulcans) would have attracted too much attention.

She was a former Security Directorate agent. She might've been able to pull it off if there were walls.

[Alelou]

In some point, when T'Pol tells that she lived in the Vulcan Compound, Trip says something about nice parties there (don't remember if he was joking or recalling).

I certainly took that as Trip being sarcastic. Maybe because I really can't imagine a good Vulcan party.

[aadarshinah]

I really can't imagine a good Vulcan party

Or a Vulcan party at all...

[Alelou]

Well ... I can well imagine some dry reception designed for intellectual conversation. Who knows, they might even consider it logical to network.

Sorik: I am Sorik. I am an engineer who monitors quality in the manufacturing of high-performance fog nozzles.
T'Mien: I am T'Mien. I am in charge of generating schedules and grades for the Science Academy.
Sorik: It is unlikely that we would ever find each other useful in a professional capacity, then.
T'Mien: Agreed.
(they walk away in opposite directions)

[aadarshinah]

Sorik: I am Sorik. I am an engineer who monitors quality in the manufacturing of high-performance fog nozzles.
T'Mien: I am T'Mien. I am in charge of generating schedules and grades for the Science Academy.
Sorik: It is unlikely that we would ever find each other useful in a professional capacity, then.
T'Mien: Agreed.
(they walk away in opposite directions)

Still. I wouldn't count a reception as a party, per se, but, god... still laughing.