TV Verdict

Stardate: 2715.1

Original Air Date: November 3, 1966

The Story: During a supply exchange with the rehabilitation colony Tantalus V, the Enterprise beams up cargo containing escaped stowaway Dr. Simon van Gelder (Morgan Woodward), a once-gifted doctor who has clearly lost his mind and demands asylum aboard the ship. Spock subdues him, and during his examination Dr. McCoy determines that there’s something off about Gelder’s condition. Agreeing to investigate further, Kirk and foxy ship psychiatrist Dr. Helen Noel (Marianna Hill) beam down to Tantalus V and meet with the director of the rehabilitation center, Dr. Tristan Adams (James Gregory).

While Spock and McCoy examine Gelder aboard the Enterprise and hear more of his manic, terrified ramblings, Kirk and Noel learn that the former assistant’s condition was caused by a new device called the “neural neutralizer,” which Dr. Adams claims is used to calm inmates. Gelder, Adams says, tested the neutralizer on himself at full strength and drove himself insane. Kirk, still not convinced by Adams’ explanation, decides to test the machine on himself with the help of Dr. Noel. Starting at low levels, Kirk asks Noel to erase parts of his memory and eventually to make suggestions (first that he’s hungry, then to fictionalize a whole account of how they met at a Christmas party). The machine works, and Kirk discovers that it opens the patient up to any suggestion — effectively makeing them a blank slate. Adams interrupts their experiment, cranking the machine up to a higher setting and convincing Kirk that he’s madly in love with Dr. Noel and can’t live without her.

Aboard the Enterprise, Spock mind melds with Gelder and learns that Adams has gone mad, using the neural neutralizer to control everyone on Tantalus V. When Spock attempts to contact his captain to inform him of his findings, he discovers that Adams has cut off communications at the rehab facility. Though he’s taken Kirk and Noel prisoner, Noel is able to escape and cut off power during Kirk’s session on the neutralizer. Kirk regains consciousness and knocks Adams out. With the force fields on Tantalus V down, Spock is able to beam down and retrieve Kirk and Noel; when Spock restores the power, the neutralizer comes back online and wipes the brain of Adams completely, killing him in the process. Kirk and Noel return to the Enterprise, while a newly-sane Gelder takes over the rehabilitation facility on Tantalus V and destroys the neutralizer.

Reflections from a First Timer: Despite it’s generic sci-fi title, “Dagger of the Mind” is a pretty enjoyable — if not essential — Star Trek outing. It’s got some kick ass Kirk beats (I like his interactions with the pretty-but-bland Dr. Noel, both fictional and otherwise) and is the first episode in a while to explore the dynamic between the three leads — Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Kirk and McCoy, in particular, have a great scene that underlines the implicit trust between the two of them that fully explains their relationship, even if you’ve never seen another episode or you never see one again. The episode also has some things to say about the way we treat our prisoners and is clearly critical of certain medical practices of the times (substitute “neural neutralizer” for “shock therapy” and you’ll get nearly the same results). It’s one of the very first episodes of Star Trek I’ve watched where the villain is purely evil. I think I commented in the last entry (for “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”) that the villains are often misguided or misunderstood, but rarely purely malicious (side note: the more I think about “What Are Little Girls Made Of?,” the more I can’t help but compare Dr. Korby to creator Gene Roddenberry — except if Roddenberry’s optimism and quest for perfection is reflected in Korby, what does it mean that the episode sort of comes to the conclusion that perfection isn’t possible?). Dr. Tristan Adams, however, is just a bad dude — he uses science and technology to destroy people and control them without much of an upside (unless you consider being a rambling zombie something to aspire to, in which case Adams has got something right up your alley).

At the same time, “Dagger of the Mind” isn’t all that memorable. It’s an entertaining hour of Star Trek, but it’s not one of those episodes I find myself wanting to return to right away. It’s almost like it was WIPED FROM MY MIND…

Enterprise Casualities: None.

Badass Kirk Moment: It’s not that badass, but I did like that Christmas party scene. Sometimes, being a big romantic softie is badass. This is what I tell myself to fall asleep at night.