Post by Mr. Atoz on Sept 19, 2009 7:47:33 GMT -6
The "mind meld", sometimes called the "mind fusion", is apparently a form of telepathic (or "extrasensory") contact between two sentient minds. As performed by Spock, the process requires concentration, and usually requires him to have direct contact with the other person, although in some cases he has managed to "mind meld" over a distance of one or two meters (even through an intervening wall).
"Dagger of the Mind" is the first time we see its use. Because of a artificially induced suggestion by Tristan Adams, Simon Van Gelder was unable to talk about the nefarious goings on in the Tantalus Penal colony without going into paroxysms of pain. Spock performed a "mind fusion", linking his mind with Van Gelder, but Van Gelder still did most of the talking. Presumably Spock's mind was helping him to bypass the damaged areas of his own brain. Or could he simply have been alleviating the pain through manipulation of pressure points on the man's skull?
In "A Taste of Armageddon", Spock initiated mind contact with an Eminian guard through a locked door. He was able to plant the suggestion in the guard's mind that they had escaped. When the guard opened the door, Kirk jumped him. Or could it simply be a coincidence that the guard decided to check on the prisoners at that time?
"Devil in the Dark", Spock mind melded with the Horta, a radically different, silicon based organism. The initial contact was made from a distance of approximately a meter, but a deeper "fusion" resulted when Spock was able to touch it (or rather her). However, if I apply the same skeptical standards I use for any paranormal claim, I immediately realize that since the Horta has no means of vocal communication, we really have no way of telling how much of Spock's perceptions of its thoughts were real, how much were misinterpretations of what he may have sensed, and how much were completely a product of his own fertile imagination.
Strangest of all, in "The Changeling", Spock was able to mind meld with a machine, Nomad. Since Nomad was not really a sentient being at all, I have to wonder what is going on. Is Spock simply using his own intuition to make guesses about the motivations of these alien beings, and merely fooling himself that he can really "mind meld"?
"Dagger of the Mind" is the first time we see its use. Because of a artificially induced suggestion by Tristan Adams, Simon Van Gelder was unable to talk about the nefarious goings on in the Tantalus Penal colony without going into paroxysms of pain. Spock performed a "mind fusion", linking his mind with Van Gelder, but Van Gelder still did most of the talking. Presumably Spock's mind was helping him to bypass the damaged areas of his own brain. Or could he simply have been alleviating the pain through manipulation of pressure points on the man's skull?
In "A Taste of Armageddon", Spock initiated mind contact with an Eminian guard through a locked door. He was able to plant the suggestion in the guard's mind that they had escaped. When the guard opened the door, Kirk jumped him. Or could it simply be a coincidence that the guard decided to check on the prisoners at that time?
"Devil in the Dark", Spock mind melded with the Horta, a radically different, silicon based organism. The initial contact was made from a distance of approximately a meter, but a deeper "fusion" resulted when Spock was able to touch it (or rather her). However, if I apply the same skeptical standards I use for any paranormal claim, I immediately realize that since the Horta has no means of vocal communication, we really have no way of telling how much of Spock's perceptions of its thoughts were real, how much were misinterpretations of what he may have sensed, and how much were completely a product of his own fertile imagination.
Strangest of all, in "The Changeling", Spock was able to mind meld with a machine, Nomad. Since Nomad was not really a sentient being at all, I have to wonder what is going on. Is Spock simply using his own intuition to make guesses about the motivations of these alien beings, and merely fooling himself that he can really "mind meld"?
