Little thought about a detail in Amok Time.

This guy, with the weird teardrop shaped blade and executioner mask.

We never learn his exact role in the ceremony. The only times he moves are to threaten people who seem to break tradition– McCoy when he objects to the fight, and Stonn when he objects to Kirk being chosen. But he never does anything besides raise the weapon in threat, at those moments.

When T'Pring first challenges, before it becomes clear what “challenge” even means– this guy makes no move in response, but McCoy still immediately looks at him and asks if he is gonna be involved in the challenge. T'Pau answers that no, “he acts only if cowardice is seen.”

And, although that doesn’t seem to match the things he actually responds to, that is the closest thing we get to an actual description of his role.

And I find it really interesting to think about how this relates to Kirk’s decisions afterwards.

When Kirk is arguing with McCoy about why he should accept the challenge (before he knows it’s a fight to the death), his initial idea is that he could “knock Spock out without really hurting him,” and if that fails, “I’ll quit, and Spock wins and honor is satisfied.”

Which makes maybe a little sense, if he was assuming it was a non-lethal fight.

But not if he was aware that it’s a fight where “cowardice” is punished with a big slicey blade.

I feel like, if Kirk was aware of anything going on around him, he basically volunteered to die in this fight in the only way he knew was possible to die in it.

Or, perhaps not the only way, but the most direct way (since he does seem to be aware there is potential real danger in such a fight, even if he still thinks it’s not intentionally lethal)

Maybe just…. the way that would put the least amount of guilt on poor Spock.

Yikes.