Spock's mother Amanda Grayson returns in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for a pre-wedding ritual, covering up Sarek's absence and saving TOS canon.
The return of Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds protects canon regarding the parents of Spock (Ethan Peck) in Star Trek: The Original Series. In "Charades", Spock's mother arrives aboard the USS Enterprise after he's wounded in a shuttle accident, which delays the crucial pre-wedding V'Shal ritual with the parents of his fiancée T'Pring (Gia Sandhu). Amanda isn't joined by Ambassador Sarek (James Frain) on her visit, which may seem odd given the importance of such a ritual. However, Sarek's absence makes perfect sense when it comes to the established Star Trek canon.
Spock and Sarek's relationship was incredibly complex from Spock's childhood to Sarek's death in 2368 during Star Trek: The Next Generation. Spock's decision to join Starfleet rather than the Vulcan Expeditionary Group drove a wedge between father and son, which was eventually rectified. However, they continued to clash on political matters such as the Federation-Cardassian Border War in the 24th century. During the time of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, Spock and Sarek are amidst another crisis, which is why it's only Amanda who visits the Enterprise, preserving Star Trek: The Original Series canon as a result.
Spock’s Mother Amanda Saved Star Trek: TOS Canon
In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Journey to Babel", Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is reunited with his father Sarek (Mark Lennard) after years of estrangement. Sarek ended all contact with his son in 2250, when Spock elected to enroll at Starfleet Academy. It would be 18 years until this estrangement was resolved when Spock saved the life of his father with a successful blood transfusion. The breakdown in Spock and Sarek's relationship makes it unlikely that father and son will be reunited in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds which takes place in the late 2250s.
Bringing back Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson allows Strange New Worlds to focus on both sides of the union between Spock and T'Pring's families without complicating Sarek in TOS canon. In an episode that's all about Spock embracing his human side, it wouldn't make much sense for his disapproving Vulcan father to also appear in the episode. It's up to T'Pring's mother T'Pril (Ellora Patnaik) to play the role of disapproving Vulcan parents admirably and with a great deal of humor. Amanda is the perfect parent to feature in "Charades" as Spock's accidental transformation into a Human allows mother and son to bond in a way that Vulcan repression would not normally allow.
Strange New Worlds Makes Amanda Spock’s Most Important Family Member
Being forced to pose as a Vulcan during his engagement ritual allows the newly-human Spock to gain a better understanding of his mother and the prejudice that she endured to be with Sarek. In the moving scene where he pays tribute to his mother's resilience and "true strength", parallels can be drawn between Amanda and Spock. Spock's tribute to Amanda's humanity calls to mind the words of Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when he observed that out of all the souls that he had encountered, Spock's was the "most human".
That's thanks to Amanda, whose emotional resilience in the face of judgment from Star Trek's Vulcans has been a constant source of inspiration to him. In Star Trek: The Original Series, Spock regularly proves his loyalty and love for his fellow crew mates, from taking Captain Pike to Talos IV to ignoring Starfleet's orders to prove the innocence of Kirk. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds reveals that Spock's love, loyalty, and unique approach to Vulcan logic are all thanks to the exceptional parenting of Amanda Grayson.