The T'Kal-in-ket invoked by Michael Burnham, being held on the USS Discovery in 3189
T'Kal-in-ket was a Vulcan philosophical process designed to unearth deep truths, based on logic and scientific inquiry. (DIS: "Unification III")
Procedure[]
T'Kal-in-ket could be be invoked by graduates of the Vulcan Science Academy or Ni'Var Science Institute and, once invoked, could not be denied. The invoker would then be required to defend their hypothesis before a convened Quorum of three Peers, assisted by an advocate (called a shalankhkai in Romulan or sha-set in Vulcan). The Quorum chair could dismiss the challenge with unanimous consensus from the other two Peers; the challenger could also withdraw from the process at any time.
A classic tactic during T'kal-in-ket was to ruthlessly assail the credibility of the challenger. (DIS: "Unification III")
History[]
The Vulcans had practiced T'Kal-in-ket since the time of Surak, and it was credited as one of the engines that drove early Vulcan scientific advancement. After the reunification of the Vulcans and Romulans, only a sister of the Qowat Milat could serve as shalankhkai.
In 3189, Commander Michael Burnham invoked T'Kal-in-ket in order to convince Ni'Var that they were not responsible for the Burn, and could thus entrust the Federation with sensitive data collected by SB-19. She faced a Quorum consisting of Peers V'Kir, N'Raj, and Shira, while Gabrielle Burnham served as her shalankhkai. Burnham withdrew from the challenge after realizing that she was jeopardizing the fragile unity between the Vulcans and Romulans, but her withdrawal convinced President T'Rina that she could be trusted with the data. (DIS: "Unification III")