Mind meld

TheVulcanmind meld, also known as themind link,mind probe,mind fusion,mind touch, or simplymeld, was atelepathic link between two individuals. It allowed for an intimate exchange of thoughts, thus in essence enabling the participants to become onemind, sharingconsciousness in a kind of gestalt. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind";TNG: "Sarek";et al.)

Normally, it was employed only byVulcans. It was a deeply personal thing, part of the private life, and generally not used onaliens. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind") However, it was possible for telepaths of other species, includingHumans, to learn the technique. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?") Cases were also known where the mind meld was initiated between a Vulcan and a non-Vulcan, (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock;VOY: "Meld";TNG: "Sarek") a Vulcan and a machine, (TOS: "The Changeling") and even an android and a Human. (PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1")

Technique[]

Physical contact was not strictly required but could enhance the effectiveness of the Vulcan's telepathic abilities. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark") When physical contact was used in a mind meld with ahumanoid, the initiator placed the tips of their fingers at key locations on the head of the other participant. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror", et al.)

A mind meld could also be used by its initiator to probe another person's mind, while the melder shielded his or her own mind from being read by the other participant. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Some species, includingCardassians, could resist the technique, shielding their thoughts from the attempted probe. CardassianGulDukat resisted a forcible attempt by VulcanMaquis memberSakonna to mind meld with him during aninterrogation Sakonna performed on behalf of the Maquis. Dukat explained this ability to resist as "simply a matter of discipline." (DS9: "The Maquis, Part II")Hazari could also resist a mind meld. (VOY: "Think Tank")

A mind meld could even be used to transfer the entire personality or "soul" (known to Vulcans as thekatra) of an individual into another body. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) A special, appropriately prepared receptacle, such as akatric ark, could also be used. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock;ENT: "The Forge") Vulcans (andTrill, through thezhian'tara ritual) did this without aid, whereas a number of people and species were able to achieve similar feats with technology, such as theArretans,Janice Lester,Dr.Ira Graves,Rao Vantika, andTieran. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock;TOS: "Return to Tomorrow", "Turnabout Intruder";TNG: "The Schizoid Man";DS9: "The Passenger", "Facets";VOY: "Warlord")

Side effects[]

Melding carried some risk. It could be physically debilitating for both parties and involved pressure changes which could potentially aggravate existing conditions. The melding resulted in some loss of identity, and could be difficult to break, especially when the subject's mind was powerful or dynamic. Aftereffects could be treated with the druglexorin. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind", "The Devil in the Dark";VOY: "Ex Post Facto", "Meld", "Flashback";Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) In some cases, portions of one melder'skatra could be left behind with the other. This then enabled an enhanced form of telepathic contact, sometimes over manylight years. (DIS: "Battle at the Binary Stars")

During the22nd century, mind melding was believed to be an ability only a minority of Vulcans were born to do. Because of the apparent intimacy of melding, Vulcans during this era considered it a deviant practice defiant to the ancestral teachings of their society. As a result, other Vulcans considered those who were natural "melders" to be outcasts. (ENT: "Stigma")

During the23rd century, mind melding became more commonplace when a Vulcan was near death. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

An improperly trained melder who initiated a mind meld could cause a degenerative neurological disorder known asPa'nar Syndrome to develop in the meld recipient. If left untreated, the disorder was fatal. Vulcan medicine of the mid-22nd century held that there was no cure; however, the disorder was known inSurak's time, as was its cure: a corrective meld performed by an experienced melder. It is likely that the ignorance of this cure was due to the widespread prejudice against melders, a prejudice that was not shared by a group of Vulcans called theSyrrannites. (ENT: "Fusion", "Stigma", "Kir'Shara")

Another side-effect was the transfer ofemotion.WhenSpock melded withJames T. Kirk of thealternate reality, both seemed emotionally affected by the experience, and Spock apologized, explaining thatemotional transference was a side-effect of the melding process. (Star Trek) Indeed, melding created a strange sense ofeuphoria in the participants. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind")

Notable uses[]

22nd century[]

In2151, thev'tosh ka'turTolaris initiated a mind meld withSub-CommanderT'Pol and continued it against her will. Since Tolaris had not been properly trained in the use of his mental abilities, this meld caused T'Pol to developPa'nar Syndrome. (ENT: "Fusion", "Stigma")

In2154, VulcanAmbassadorSoval, defying the taboo of his day, melded with acomatoseCorporalAskwith to learn who hadbombed theUnited Earth Embassy onVulcan, deciding it was worth the risk upon discovering that evidence implicating the Syrrannites was fabricated. For this offense,AdministratorV'Las (who was actually behind the bombing) relieved Soval of his post. (ENT: "The Forge")

Shortly afterward, T'Pol's Pa'nar Syndrome was cured by the SyrranniteT'Pau. (ENT: "Kir'Shara")

InNovember 2154, T'Pol initiated her first mind meld on thestarshipEnterprise NX-01 with the assistance ofCaptainJonathan Archer, as he had previously held thekatra of Surak. In an attempt to ultimately discover the location ofDoctorPhlox, T'Pol melded withEnsignHoshi Sato. (ENT: "Affliction")

InJanuary2155 of themirror universe,T'Pol, via a mind meld, implanted a telepathic "suggestion" into the mind ofCommanderCharles Tucker. Under this influence, Tuckersabotaged thepower grid of theISSEnterprise in order to disable aSulibancloaking device. After doing this, T'Pol melded with Tucker again, erasing hismemories of his actions. (ENT: "In A Mirror, Darkly")

23rd century[]

Following abombing at theVulcan Learning Center,Sarek was forced to initiate a mind meld with hisward,Michael Burnham in order to revive her. As a result, a portion of Sarek'skatra remained with Burnham. This enabled him to telepathically communicate with her in2256 during theBattle of the Binary Stars. (DIS: "Battle at the Binary Stars")

In thealternate reality,Spock Prime melded withyoung Kirk in2258 to explain how he andNero came from the future, showing him through images the events that led to the creation of the alternate reality itself. During the meld, some of Spock's own emotions transferred over to Kirk about theDestruction of Vulcan when he showed Kirk his perspective of the event. Furthermore,Spock of the alternate reality mind-melded with aRomulan to find out whereCaptainPike was being held. (Star Trek)

In the alternate reality, Spock melded with Christopher Pike in2259 during hisdeath, caused byKhan Noonien Singh. Later that year, Spock also melded with Khan during a fight, in an attempt to stop him. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

In2266, onstardate 2715,Spock melded withSimon Van Gelder, then suffering from generalized synaptic damage, to learn whether allegations Van Gelder had made about Dr.Tristan Adams were true, or delusions. Spock warned Van Gelder that the pressure changes involved in the meld could be dangerous. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind")

In2267, Spock unsuccessfully tried to reachMcCoy's mind when he was under the control of thecomputerLandru on planetBeta III. (TOS: "The Return of the Archons")

The same year, on stardate 3192, Spock used what might have been a variation of a mind meld to convince aguard onEminiar VII to open the door to a room where alanding party was imprisoned, facilitating their escape. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon")

On stardate 3196, Spock melded twice with asilicon-basedlifeform, amother Horta—first without touching the Horta, then with physical contact. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")

In that same year, Spock melded withNomad to learn its origin. (TOS: "The Changeling")

Also in 2267, McCoy became the victim of an unwilling mind meld, when themirror universeSpock forced information from him about the nature of atransporter accident that had brought fourUSSEnterprise officers into the mirror universe. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

In2268, Spock performed a mind probe on adruggedJohn Gill, creating a condition in which Gill could not initiate speech or other actions but could reply to questions. (TOS: "Patterns of Force")

On stardate 4657.5, Spock attempted a meld withKelinda, aKelvan, through a few feet of solid rock. Although the attempt was thwarted by Kelinda with prejudice, Spock was able to get an impression of the Kelvan's truenon-humanoid form. (TOS: "By Any Other Name")

On stardate 4385.3, Spock melded withKirk, McCoy, andMontgomery Scott to ensure they believed that bullets fired at them fromVirgil Earp,Morgan Earp,Wyatt Earp, andDoc Holliday (at theOK Corral) were unreal and, therefore, unable to harm them. (TOS: "Spectre of the Gun")

The same year, Spock melded with Kirk, who was suffering from retrogradeamnesia, consequential to the misuse of aPreserver artifact. Although Spock had some difficulty emerging from this meld, he was able to successfully restore Kirk's memory. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome")

Later in 2268, Spock was drivenmad by the sight ofMedusan AmbassadorKollos.Miranda Jones, aHuman telepath trained onVulcan, used a meld to restore his sanity by making him forget what he'd seen. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?")

In2269, Spock melded with asleeping Kirk, whispering a single word, "Forget," to help Kirk forget hislove forfemaleandroidRayna Kapec. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

Also in 2269, Spock utilized a mind meld to verify a claim that Kirk's consciousness was trapped in the body ofJanice Lester. (TOS: "Turnabout Intruder")

In the2270s, when theEnterprise was insideV'ger, Commander Spock entered a section ofV'ger where it stored 3D images of objects that it encountered through its travels. He entered this area viathruster suit and subsequently encountered a large representation ofLieutenantIlia with a pulsingsensor on her neck. Believing it to have some special meaning, he used a mind meld on it. Spock was overwhelmed by the information from the mind meld, and was flung back unconscious towards theEnterprise. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

In2285, Spock used a mind meld to transfer hiskatra to McCoy before sacrificing himself to restorewarp power during theBattle of the Mutara Nebula. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) Upon theEnterprise's return toEarth,Sarek mind-melded with Kirk to discover the fate of Spock'skatra. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

Aftertime-traveling to1986, Spock mind melded withhumpback whalesGeorge and Gracie to inform them that his crew planned to bring thewhales back with them to the year2286, to answer amysterious probe that threatenedEarth; Spock reasoned that they had to confirm that the whales were willing to help them or they would be no better than those who made the whales extinct in the first place. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

In2293, Spock used a mind meld to force information about theKhitomer conspiracy from LieutenantValeris. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

24th century[]

In2366, in order to assuageBendii Syndrome, which he was beginning to suffer from, Sarek entered into a mind meld withCaptainJean-Luc Picard at the behest of Dr.Beverly Crusher. (TNG: "Sarek")

In2368, shortly following the death of Sarek, Spock entered into a mind meld with Captain Picard to touch the thoughts that Sarek had left before he died, Sarek and Spock having never melded while Sarek was alive. (TNG: "Unification II")

In2370,Sakonna, a Vulcan member of theMaquis, attempted a mind meld onGulDukat in an attempt to learn the location of illegalCardassian weapons in theDemilitarized Zone, but this mind meld failed due to Dukat's mental discipline allowing him to resist her efforts to access his memories. (DS9: "The Maquis, Part II")

In2371,Tuvok melded with crewmate LieutenantTom Paris after Paris was accused of havingmurderedBaneanscientist DoctorTolen Ren. The meld allowed Tuvok to prove that Paris had been framed in an elaborate plot to provide theNumiri, who were enemies of the Baneans, with critical information, when his analysis of Paris' memory of the incident revealed crucial anomalies that proved Paris couldn't have committed the murder. (VOY: "Ex Post Facto")

In2372, Tuvok melded with sociopathBetazoidLon Suder, in an attempt to gain a better understanding of Suder's violent impulses. While the meld provided Suder with a measure of emotional control, it also temporarily released Tuvok's more violent and primal urges. (VOY: "Meld")

In2373, Tuvok melded with his close friendKathryn Janeway to discover the root of a supposed memory he had of a girl falling to her death from a precipice. For this meld,chairs were specially set up. It was later discovered that Tuvok had amemory virus in hisbrain, unwittingly transmitted to him in 2293 byDimitri Valtane. Thevirus was destroyed withthoron radiation. (VOY: "Flashback")

In2374, Tuvok attempted to perform a mind meld withKes in order to give her stability when her mental powers began to grow out of control. (VOY: "The Gift")

Later that year, he melded with aMari namedGuill in an investigation to proveB'Elanna Torres' innocence in provoking adeath in a telepathic society. Guill was from a society where violent thoughts were illegal, though he was a collector and trader of such thoughts. Tuvok proceeded with the meld under the pretense that only images would be exchanged, but he instead unleashed the intense, primal Vulcan emotions that had been suppressed during theTime of Awakening to get him to submit and confess to his role in the death. (VOY: "Random Thoughts")

In2375, Tuvok melded withSeven of Nine and, indirectly, with aBorgvinculum, to free her from amultiple personality disorder induced by the vinculum. (VOY: "Infinite Regress")

Also in 2375, Tuvok melded withNoss, in order to convey his unspoken feelings for her. (VOY: "Gravity")

In2377, Tuvok performed an extended technique of the mind meld, the "Bridging of Minds", on Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine, forming a bond between the two individuals, who were otherwise unable to telepathically link. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero")

Although not a mind meld as such, in2379, theReman Viceroy enabledPraetorShinzon to telepathically "rape"CounselorDeanna Troi. (Star Trek Nemesis)

In2381, Tuvok performed an invasive mind meld on aZakdorndata fabricator during a secret investigation of CaptainCarol Freeman's allegedbombing ofPakled Planet. The forger revealed he had been hired by thePakleds, who destroyed their ownhomeworld and framed Freeman, in order to force the Federation to relocate them to a more resource-rich planet. (LD: "Grounded")

In2399,Sutra, anandroid, performed a mind meld on a Human. (PIC: "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1")

In2401, Seven referenced the mind meld she had done with Tuvok when speaking withTuvok, using it to reveal the deception of theChangeling. (PIC: "Dominion")

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

Prior to the invention of the Vulcan mind meld, the scene it was first used in was to have been a lengthy interrogation of Simon Van Gelder by Captain Kirk. (I Am Spock, hardback ed., p. 60) WhenRobert H. Justman contactedGene Roddenberry with a memo about the revised story outline of "Dagger of the Mind" (the memo was dated4 April1966), Justman remarked, "I feel like it would be best for us if we did not establish anything like a truth beam when Kirk attempts to interrogate Van Gelder. Perhaps the ship's doctor could have administered some sort of a sedative which have certain properties which would enable Kirk to get deeper into the heart of what is troubling Van Gelder."

Leonard Nimoy citedGene Roddenberry as the inventor of the Vulcan mind meld. (Star Trek: The Real Story;I Am Spock, hardback ed., pp. 59 & 60) According to Nimoy, Roddenberry devised the idea in an attempt to make the scene it was first used in more dramatic. (I Am Spock, hardback ed., p. 60) In hisreference bookGene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek (p. 81), writerJoel Engel creditedShimon Wincelberg, who wroteTOS: "Dagger of the Mind", with the concept, rather than Roddenberry. The mind meld was thought up by the staff writers ofStar Trek: The Original Series by the time they had fully devised theneural neutralizer (which is also established in "Dagger of the Mind"). (The Star Trek Compendium, 4th ed., p. 41)

Thereafter in the episode's development, Spock used a hypnosis machine to retrieve the much-needed information from Simon Van Gelder's mind. (Beyond the Final Frontier, p. 14) The method Spock employed was referred to as hypnotism in another memo from Bob Justman to Gene Roddenberry (this one dated28 June1966).

In the final draft script of "Dagger of the Mind", the mind meld wasn't referred to as an ancient technique, though it is described as that in the final version of the episode (in a log entry which wasn't at all in the final draft script). The teleplay's description of the mind meld between Spock and Van Gelder was as follows; "[Spock] places his hands at each side of the junction of neck and shoulder, his thumbs pressing deeply into Van Gelder's torso. Spock seems to be feeling with his fingers for[blood] vessels andnerve endings. Van Gelder groans, writhes a bit... Spock seems to be finding the pressure points he wants. He is analyzing what he feels, something of an expertsafe-cracker feeling the action of mechanisms andtumblers through his fingers. Finally he's ready." In an ultimately abandoned scene from the same script, this meld was established as causing Simon Van Gelder to lose consciousness and nearly die, and Spock to become exhausted "at the emotion he has put into this."

The invention of the mind meld had the advantage of providing Spock actorLeonard Nimoy with a way to emphasize the importance of touch to Vulcans, which he was making a concerted effort to do. (I Am Spock, hardback ed., p. 60) Nimoy described the mind meld as "a wonderful creative idea" that Roddenberry devised when he was "at his best." (Star Trek: The Real Story) The actor further commented, "It was a far more dramatic way to extract information than a lot of questions, and it became a popular device for the show's writers [....] I applauded the concept, not only for the drama but because it gave me an opportunity to step outside the character from time to time." (I Am Spock, hardback ed., p. 61)

In ultimately unused dialogue from the second draft script ofDS9: "Accession", exposure to Vulcan mind melds was established as causing elevated levels ofpsilosynine.

In the final draft script ofENT: "Vox Sola" but not in the episode itself, the Vulcan mind meld was mentioned by Captain Archer. He likened it to a predicament he had just been saved from, in which becoming caught along with other Human officers in asymbiotic lifeform's web-like tendrils had enabled the Humans to read each other's minds.

Likewise, in the final draft script ofENT: "Rajiin", mind melds were again mentioned in dialogue which didn't make it into the final edit of the episode. In that case, they were said by T'Pol to be dissimilar to invasive telepathy carried out byRajiin, as mind melds were less "physically invasive" than the form of telepathy used by Rajiin and were more about reading minds than her telepathy was.

Apocrypha[]

In thenovelization ofStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, a slightly different take on the forced mind meld between Spock and Valeris was featured. As Spock probed her mind, he stopped just short of breaking her will and gave her the choice to willingly help him. A choked sob by Valeris was an expression of her gratitude and grief at being given the choice. Nevertheless, the scene deeply distressed Spock and shocked the crew.

In the novelMemory Prime, the mind meld was used as a form of combat between Spock and a Romulan assassin.

In the novelMindshadow, melding can be used as an interrogation technique; in which case, the melder can block the meldee's access to their own mind. Those that learnt this discipline on Vulcan were required to take an oath that they would rather die before violating the privacy of another's consciousness against their will.

In the novelCaptain's Glory, Vulcans were capable of using the mind meld to pass down memories from ancestors down to their descendants, which meant that melding was partly responsible for the retention of ancient Vulcan traditions.

In theWilliam Shatner novelThe Return, Spock performed a meld with Picard and Kirk in an attempt to free Kirk from a brainwashing program that had been implanted in him by theBorg/Romulan Alliance; at the time, Spock said that such a thing had never been done, but it is possible that the Bridging wasn't well-known among Vulcans.

In the2013video gameStar Trek,Spock melds with unconscious Vulcans to uncover information on the affliction affecting those stationed at Helios-1, as well as passcodes to doors. He also melds with an unconsciousGorn to determine what their endgame was.James T. Kirk participates in the meld while restraining the Gorn in case he awakens.

In thesecond issue of the comic crossover mini-seriesStar Trek vs. Transformers, Spock performed a meld with Optimus Prime after noting the similarities between the electrical signals in the Autobot leader's circuitry and the firing of neurons within the humanoid brain, as well as to determine who he is. When Spock makes the connection, he learns about the history of the Transformers, theirhomeworld of Cybertron, and the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons that has been waged for eons. However, the sheer amount of neurological information overwhelms him and forces him out of the meld. Though Spock stumbles back, his gambit pays off as it reawakens Optimus Prime.

See also[]

• Synthetic mind meld augment
• Telepathic mating bond
• Ten'chara

External link[]

• Mind meld atMemory Beta, the wiki for licensedStar Trek works