phene-thyla-mine:

So I need to talk about The Ultimate Computer –

The ENTIRE opening of this episode spends a ridiculous amount of time establishing how honored and positive Spock is about the new M-5 computer.  He holds Dr. Daystrom in exceedingly high regard and his little bits of sniping back and forth with Bones about the efficiency and practicality of the new system makes it pretty clear on which side of the divide he falls.

And yet…

For all his love of computers and technology – their order, their efficiency, their practicality, their logic – it’s still Jim he will always come back to.  It is Jim who holds his loyalty.

Early on, the M-5 is still performing perfectly and Spock notes that it reacted more rapidly and with more sophistication than any human could hope to achieve.  It is the embodiment of all the virtues instilled in Spock – logic, precision, control, efficiency.

And yet, in spite of that, Spock looks at Jim and sees in him something more valuable, more desirable than any and every trait he was brought up to esteem.