Dagger of the Mind
- Episode aired Nov 3, 1966
- TV-PG
- 50m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
4.4K
YOUR RATING
Kirk and psychiatrist Helen Noel are trapped on a maximum security penal colony that experiments with mind control and Spock must use the Vulcan mind-meld to find a way to save them.Kirk and psychiatrist Helen Noel are trapped on a maximum security penal colony that experiments with mind control and Spock must use the Vulcan mind-meld to find a way to save them.Kirk and psychiatrist Helen Noel are trapped on a maximum security penal colony that experiments with mind control and Spock must use the Vulcan mind-meld to find a way to save them.
Anthony Larry Paul
- Transportation Man
- (as Larry Anthony)
Frank da Vinci
- Lt. Brent
- (uncredited)
Walt Davis
- Tantalus
- (uncredited)
Louie Elias
- Inmate Guard
- (uncredited)
Ron Kinwald
- Tantalus Inmate
- (uncredited)
John Hugh McKnight
- Inmate Guard
- (uncredited)
Eddie Paskey
- Lieutenant Leslie
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn several interviews, Morgan Woodward noted that his work on the episode greatly affected him on both a personal and professional level. Woodward felt the part of Van Gelder was perhaps the most physically and emotionally exhausting role he played. He also stated his experience in playing the part resulted in his being in a largely anti-social state of mind for a few weeks following. However, Woodward, who would later play Captain Tracey in The Omega Glory (1968), credits his work on Star Trek in helping him to finally break away from his being typecast in Western roles.
- GoofsWhen Dr. van Gelder is on the loose on a ship, a security guard is deployed to the bridge. He stands a few feet away from the turbolift doors, facing the interior of the bridge (which makes it nicely convenient for Dr. van Gelder to hit him from behind). He should have been standing further away from the turbolift (possibly by the railing) and facing towards it; was he expecting Dr. van Gelder to gain entrance to the bridge via the viewscreen? He also never moved when the turbolift doors opened; he should have instinctively turned around, especially since he was supposed to be guarding the bridge from the intruder.
- Alternate versionsSpecial Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song. A highlight of the new special effects is a new exterior shot of the penal colony, replacing a re-used matte painting from another episode.
- ConnectionsFeatured in For the Love of Spock (2016)
- SoundtracksTheme From Star Trek
Written by and credited to Alexander Courage
Featured review
Helen Noel: sexy kick-ass psychotherapist.
A violent escaped inmate from the Tantalus penal colony hides inside a cargo crate that is beamed aboard the Enterprise; when the criminal is apprehended, he claims that he is Dr. Simon van Gelder (Morgan Woodward), assistant to Dr. Tristan Adams (James Gregory), a renowned pioneer of prison reform. Doc McCoy suspects that something is up and convinces Kirk to investigate.
The captain beams down to Tantalus with sexy psychotherapist Helen Noel (Marianna Hill), and is given a tour of the prison by Adams. When Kirk shows interest in a machine called a neural neutraliser, used to calm violent prisoners, Adams claims that it is still in the experimental phase and isn't effective. Kirk isn't convinced by Adams' story and, sneaking into the room with Helen, uses himself as a guinea pig to test the apparatus. When the machine is activated, Helen is able to plant thoughts into Kirk's mind -- something that the doctor has clearly been doing to his inmates, turning them into obedient slaves (to what end, we never find out).
Dagger Of The Mind is a rather run-of-the-mill episode that is made marginally more memorable for the fact that it features the first instance of Spock's mind-meld technique, which he uses to open the tortured mind of van Gelder, and for the eye-candy in the form of shapely Ms. Hill, who crawls around air ducts in her regulation figure-hugging Starfleet mini-dress, gets in a couple of clinches with the lucky captain (the pair having previously flirted at a Starfleet Xmas party), and is tasked with shutting down the penal colony force field like a sexy Obi-wan Kenobi, a job that requires her to kick some butt (she even sends one of Adams' guards into a high voltage circuit!).
5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
The captain beams down to Tantalus with sexy psychotherapist Helen Noel (Marianna Hill), and is given a tour of the prison by Adams. When Kirk shows interest in a machine called a neural neutraliser, used to calm violent prisoners, Adams claims that it is still in the experimental phase and isn't effective. Kirk isn't convinced by Adams' story and, sneaking into the room with Helen, uses himself as a guinea pig to test the apparatus. When the machine is activated, Helen is able to plant thoughts into Kirk's mind -- something that the doctor has clearly been doing to his inmates, turning them into obedient slaves (to what end, we never find out).
Dagger Of The Mind is a rather run-of-the-mill episode that is made marginally more memorable for the fact that it features the first instance of Spock's mind-meld technique, which he uses to open the tortured mind of van Gelder, and for the eye-candy in the form of shapely Ms. Hill, who crawls around air ducts in her regulation figure-hugging Starfleet mini-dress, gets in a couple of clinches with the lucky captain (the pair having previously flirted at a Starfleet Xmas party), and is tasked with shutting down the penal colony force field like a sexy Obi-wan Kenobi, a job that requires her to kick some butt (she even sends one of Adams' guards into a high voltage circuit!).
5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
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- BA_Harrison
- May 13, 2022
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