Minireview: Dagger of the Mind

One Sentence Synopsis

A Mad Scientist wants to brainwash Captain Kirk for reasons unknown while a slightly less mad scientist wants to seduce The Good Captain for reasons very clearly known.

Scene setup

Dr Simon Van Gelder escapes the Tantalus Mental Rehabilitation Colony, surreptitiously beams aboard the Enterprise taking his crazy eyes to the bridge where Spock neck pinches him.

Concerned, Kirk calls Dr. Tristan Adams who admits that the escapee is Dr. Van Gelder. Kirk and young seductress Dr. Helen Noel beam down to Tantalus to investigate.

Van Gelder has important information about Adams and a threat to Kirk and Noel but his tortured mind won’t allow him to relay the vital information. Spock allows McCoy to bully him into using a Vulcan Mind Meld despite Spock’s concerns about melding with a human mind that has the discipline of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys on a Friday night.

Should You Watch It?

<Shrugs> It isn’t exactly a fun episode, but it keeps you engaged for an hour. We get the first Vulcan Mind Meld and some good Spock/McCoy banter. Dr Helen Noel is somewhat interesting being the romantic pursuer of Kirk rather than the reverse. We witness The Galaxy’s Largest HVAC Ducting. In action, too! Seriously, you can fit a battalion of Klingons in there.

But overall, the episode is a mess.

First off, we are more than halfway through before the danger presents itself. On top of that, Dr. Adams’ motives in brainwashing Kirk are never even hinted at. Did he want to take over the Enterprise? Don’t know!

If he wasn’t going to take over the Enterprise, was his plan merely to eliminate Kirk’s memories of Adams’ activities? Don’t know!

If he was going to do either one of those things, what was the point of keeping Helen Noel around without ensuring she was incapacitated? Don’t know that, either.

So stop looking for answers or you’ll end up like Van Gelder.

Vital Statistics (This episode / series to date)

What Happened?	This adventure	All time	Notes
HR Incident	1	11	Kirk is victimized by Dr. Helen Noel who implants false memories of a holiday party hookup. Oh, Helen you slinky minx, you.
Shirtless Kirk	0	4.5	WHERE’S THE BEEF?
Hookups?	0	4	Kirk makes a play for Helen after she messes with his mind. She protests just enough to not be the kind of girl that Jim Kirk needs. Alas, no love for Kirk or the lusty lady doctor here.
Encounters with exes?	1	3	Is it an ex if they never really hooked up? I’m saying yes. It’s not like Helen hasn’t thought this through when alone in her quarters…
Redshirt Kills?	0	2	Hmm… after a promising last mission…
Non Redshirt Kills?	1	10	A technician may have seen Dr. Noel’s gift wrapping before she kicked him into the high voltage panel.
Offscreen Federation Kills?	1	75	Dr Adams’ mind drained by that device. Drained!
Non Federation Kills?	0	171

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