Kir'Shara



The Kir'Shara was an ancient Vulcan artifact containing the writings of Surak.

In 2154, the writings of Surak were known only through fragmentary translations. The Syrrannites believed that the Kir'Shara would be found in or near the T'Karath Sanctuary, but although their leader Syrran possessed the katra of Surak, they were unable to find it. When Syrran died and transferred Surak's katra to Jonathan Archer, Archer learned of the Kir'Shara's location and discovered it shortly before the monastery was bombed by the Vulcan High Command. 

The Kir'Shara itself was a small pyramid with a narrow base, slightly less than half a meter in height. It had writing in ancient Vulcan on each of its three sides. It was found in a sealed chamber beneath the monastery, which Archer was able to open by touching certain letters.

Archer, T'Pol, and the surviving Syrannite leader T'Pau carried the Kir'Shara from the ruins of the monastery to the Vulcan capital, where they revealed it to the Vulcan High Command. Archer touched certain letters on the relic, which glowed green and then projected Vulcan text holographically in a circular pattern in the air. This text was Surak's testament.

The discovery of the Kir'Shara transformed Vulcan society, initiating a widespread return to the true teachings of Surak. T'Pau said it would take years to translate all of the writing, but its revelation (and the circumstances surrounding it) were sufficient to topple the Vulcan High Command and the government of V'Las and engage in a Vulcan Reformation. 

T'Pol continued to study the Kir'Shara and it had a significant effect on her, forcing her to re-examine her core beliefs. Phlox told her that she seemed more certain of herself and that she had the opportunity to do something most people weren't able to do. 

Apocrypha
In the novel Forgotten History, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) is briefly sent into a universe in which Humanity was destroyed before First Contact and the Kir'Shara was never found, resulting in a far more militaristic Vulcan than the one we are familiar with. However, with the aid of an alternate version of T'Pring, Spock is able to reveal the location of the Kir'Shara to her – as well as providing her with his copy of Surak's writings, allowing her to fill in the blanks caused by damage to the version in her world – creating hope that the true writings of Surak will encourage the Vulcans to return to the path they should have taken.

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