As far as I know, Spock was the first Vulcan serving on a "mixed" ship. I'm guessing the Vulcans didn't want him on any of theirs because he was a half-breed. There's some stuff in the lore about Humans having a hard time getting the other Federation races to "join the team". The Andorians got a bit more involved during the Four Years War and proved themselves capable warship designers -- but they, like the Vulcans, preferred to crew their own ships. The Vulcans seemed to have a snootier attitude (shocker, I know), and it took a Starfleet expedition to Vulcan to convince them to participate. I don't know if I've ever seen a good, reliable account of what this "Vulcanian Expedition" was, but it would've been right around the time SNW is set.
I imagine there were protocols even then for recognizing qualified spacers from other organizations and matriculating them in to Starfleet with a modest procedural indoctrination course, rather than having to send all of them through the Academy. I imagine further that the Intrepid -- and any other similarly all-Vulcan-crewed ships -- had crews picked and submitted by Vulcan High Command to populate Starfleet science vessels. Negotiated stipulations, inherent pacifism, not wanting to mix with "lesser" races, and all that.
Spock may or may not have been the first Vulcan to apply to and go through Starfleet Academy. Their track record of doing their own thing their own way was established in TOS and the films (Kirk and Co. hung out on Vulcan for three months after the Genesis Incident before heading home to face the music, and there seemed to be not a hint of extradition talk), all the way through to DS9 (the T'Kumbra, anyone?). Main timeline or alternate, everything after Voyager maintained that aloofness. Even as of TUC, there's a perception from other powers that Humans run the show with the Federation and Starfleet and set the rules of who can play with them.
There may have been other Vulcans in Starfleet before Spock... but the historical pattern doesn't lead me to assume so.
I imagine there were protocols even then for recognizing qualified spacers from other organizations and matriculating them in to Starfleet with a modest procedural indoctrination course, rather than having to send all of them through the Academy. I imagine further that the Intrepid -- and any other similarly all-Vulcan-crewed ships -- had crews picked and submitted by Vulcan High Command to populate Starfleet science vessels. Negotiated stipulations, inherent pacifism, not wanting to mix with "lesser" races, and all that.
Spock may or may not have been the first Vulcan to apply to and go through Starfleet Academy. Their track record of doing their own thing their own way was established in TOS and the films (Kirk and Co. hung out on Vulcan for three months after the Genesis Incident before heading home to face the music, and there seemed to be not a hint of extradition talk), all the way through to DS9 (the T'Kumbra, anyone?). Main timeline or alternate, everything after Voyager maintained that aloofness. Even as of TUC, there's a perception from other powers that Humans run the show with the Federation and Starfleet and set the rules of who can play with them.
There may have been other Vulcans in Starfleet before Spock... but the historical pattern doesn't lead me to assume so.
