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Vulcan mind meld

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Vulcan mind meld

Spock performs a mind meld on Dr. Simon Van Gelder

"Vulcan mind melds: utter foolishness. Anybody with an ounce of sense wouldn't share his brain with someone else; would you? I certainly wouldn't."

- The Doctor (VOY: "Meld")

The Vulcan mind meld was a telepathic link between two individuals, allowing for the exchange of thoughts, thus in essence allowing the participants to become one mind. (TNG: "Sarek") It was a psionic technique for "synaptic pattern displacement". Normally, it was employed only by Vulcans. It was a deeply personal thing, part of the private life, and generally not used on aliens, although cases were known where the mind meld was initiated between a Vulcan and a non-Vulcan. (VOY: "Meld"; TNG: "Sarek") Those in a meld shared consciousness in a kind of gestalt. (DS9: "The Passenger")

Physical contact was required. The initiator placed the tips of his fingers at key locations on the head of the other participant. This allowed him to place pressure on key nerves and blood vessels to facilitate the link.

The fact that most Vulcans who performed the meld touched the other participant in different manners, reciting varying formulas, implies that these aspects were only ritual behavior, helping to concentrate on the task, leaving mere physical contact being the ultimate prerequisite to initiate the meld.

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, resulting in a rather one-sided psionic contact. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) Only the subject in physical contact with the initiator participated in the meld; others in the vicinity are not affected.

Some species, including Cardassian, were immune to Vulcan mind melds and could resist the technique, shielding their mind from the attempted probing. Cardassians could achieve this thanks to undergoing intense mental training since childhood. (DS9: "The Maquis, Part II")

A mind meld could even be used to transfer the entire personality or "soul" (known to Vulcans as the katra) of an individual into another body.(Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) A special, appropriately prepared receptacle, such as a katric ark could also be used. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) Though Vulcans (and Trill, through the zhian'tara ritual) did this psionically, a number of people and races were able to duplicate this feat with technology, such as the people of Sargon's planet, Janice Lester, Dr. Ira Graves, Rao Vantika, and Tieran. (TOS: "Return to Tomorrow", "Turnabout Intruder"; Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; TNG: "The Schizoid Man"; VOY: "Warlord"; DS9: "The Passenger", "Facets")

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 drug lexorin. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind", "The Devil in the Dark"; VOY: "Ex Post Facto", "Meld", "Flashback"; Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

At the conclusion of the meld, each mind retained some knowledge of the other.

It was possible to force a mind meld on an unwilling subject, but most Vulcans would be loath to do so, unless under the most dire circumstances. An exception may be the Vulcans of the mirror universe, whose ethical constraints, shaped by the savagery of their environment, were far different. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")

During the 22nd century, mind melding was believed to be an ability only a minority of Vulcans were born to. 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")

An improperly trained melder who initiated a mind meld could cause a degenerative neurological disorder known as Pa'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 in Surak'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 the Syrrannites. (ENT: "Fusion", "Stigma", "Kir'Shara")

Another side-effect was the transfer of emotion. When Spock melded with the James T. Kirk of the alternate reality, both seemed emotionally affected by the experience and Spock apologized, explaining that emotional transference was a side-effect of the melding process. (Star Trek)

Notable usesEdit

In 2151, the v'tosh ka'tur Tolaris initiated a mind meld with Sub-Commander T'Pol against her will. Since Tolaris had not been properly trained in the use of his mental abilities, this meld caused T'Pol to develop Pa'nar Syndrome. (ENT: "Fusion", "Stigma")

In 2154, Vulcan Ambassador Soval, defying the taboo of his day, melded with a comatose Corporal Askwith to learn who had bombed the United Earth Embassy on Vulcan, deciding it was worth the risk upon discovering that the evidence implicating the Syrranites was fabricated. For this offense, Administrator V'Las (who was actually behind the bombing) relieved Soval of his post. (ENT: "The Forge")

For husband and wife writing partners Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens, who co-wrote "The Forge" together, being allowed to include the concept of mind melds in that episode felt "momentous". ("The Forge" audio commentary, ENT Season 4 Blu-ray)

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

In November of 2154, T'Pol initiated her first mind meld on the starship Enterprise NX-01. In an attempt to ultimately discover the location of Doctor Phlox, T'Pol melded with Ensign Hoshi Sato. (ENT: "Affliction")

In January of 2155 of the mirror universe, T'Pol, via a mind meld, implanted a telepathic "suggestion" into the mind of Commander Charles Tucker. Under this influence, Tucker sabotaged the power grid of the ISS Enterprise in order to disable a Suliban cloaking device. After doing this, T'Pol melded with Tucker again, erasing his memories of his actions. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")

In the alternate reality, future Spock melded with young Kirk in 2258 to explain how he and Nero came from the future. Furthermore, Spock mind-melded with a Romulan to find out where Captain Pike was being held. (Star Trek)

In the alternate reality, Spock melded with Christopher Pike in 2259 during his death, caused by Khan Noonien Singh. Later that year, Spock also melded with Khan during a fight, in an attempt to stop him. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

In 2266, on stardate 2715, Spock melded with Simon Van Gelder, then suffering from generalized synaptic damage, to learn whether Van Gelder's allegations about Tristan Adams were true, or delusions. Spock warned Van Gelder that the pressure changes could be dangerous. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind")

In 2267, Spock unsuccessfully tried to reach McCoy's mind when he was under the control of the computer Landru on planet Beta 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 a guard on Eminiar VII to open the door to a room where a landing party was imprisoned, facilitating their escape. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon")

On stardate 3196, Spock not only melded with a silicon-based lifeform, a mother Horta, but managed to do so without even touching it at first. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")

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

Also in 2267, McCoy became the victim of an unwilling mind meld, when the mirror universe Spock forced information from him about the nature of a transporter accident that had brought four USS Enterprise officers into the mirror universe. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

On stardate 4657.5, Spock attempted a meld with Kelinda, a Kelvan, 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 true non-humanoid form. (TOS: "By Any Other Name")

In 2268, on stardate 4385.3, Spock melded with Kirk, McCoy, and Montgomery Scott to ensure they believed that bullets fired at them from Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday (at the OK 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 retrograde amnesia, consequential to the misuse of a Preserver 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 driven mad by the sight of Ambassador Kollos. Miranda Jones, a Human telepath trained on Vulcan, used a meld to restore his sanity by making him forget what he'd seen. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?")

In 2269, Spock melded with a sleeping Kirk, whispering a single word, "Forget," to help Kirk forget his love for the female android Rayna 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 of Janice Lester. (TOS: "Turnabout Intruder")

In the 2270s, when the Enterprise was inside V'ger, Commander Spock entered a section of V'ger where it stored 3D images of objects that it encountered through its travels. He entered this area via thruster suit and subsequently encountered a large representation of Lieutenant Ilia with a pulsing sensor 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 the Enterprise. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

In 2285, Spock used a mind meld to transfer his katra to McCoy before sacrificing himself to restore warp power during the Battle of the Mutara Nebula. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) Upon the Enterprise's return to Earth, Sarek mind-melded with Kirk to discover the fate of Spock's katra. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

After time-traveling to 1986, Spock mind melded with humpback whales George and Gracie to inform them of the crew's plan to bring the whales back with them to the year 2286 to answer a mysterious probe that threatened Earth; 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)

In 2293, Spock used a mind meld to force information about the Khitomer conspiracy from Lieutenant Valeris. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Star Trek VI director Nicholas Meyer expressed unease at the film's mind meld scene, from a post-9/11 perspective, stating, "I [...] confess to being troubled by [it] [....] In light of the Bush administration's treatment of 'enemy combatants', I blush." (The View from the Bridge - Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood, hardcover ed., p. 231)

In 2366, in order to assuage his nascent Bendii Syndrome, Sarek entered into a mind meld with Captain Jean-Luc Picard at the behest of Dr. Beverly Crusher. (TNG: "Sarek")

In 2368, 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")

In 2370, Sakonna, a Vulcan member of the Maquis, attempted a mind meld on Gul Dukat in an attempt to learn the location of illegal Cardassian weapons in the Demilitarized 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")

In 2371, Tuvok melded with crewmate Lieutenant Tom Paris after Paris was accused of the murder of Banean scientist Doctor Tolen Ren. The meld allowed him to prove that Paris had been framed in an elaborate plot to provide the Banean's enemies, the Numiri, with critical information, when his analysis of the implanted memory of the memory revealed crucial anomalies that proved Paris couldn't have committed the murder. (VOY: "Ex Post Facto")

In 2372, Tuvok melded with the sociopath Betazoid Lon 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")

In 2373, Tuvok melded with his close friend Kathryn Janeway to discover the root of a supposed memory he had of a girl falling to her death from a precipice. It was later discovered that Tuvok had a memory virus in his brain, unwittingly transmitted to him in 2293 by Dmitri Valtane. The virus was destroyed with thoron radiation. (VOY: "Flashback")

In 2374, Tuvok attempted to perform a mind meld with Kes 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 a Mari named Guill in an investigation to prove B'Elanna Torres' innocence in provoking a death 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 also grabbed and choked Guill in the meld to get him to submit and confess to his role in the death. (VOY: "Random Thoughts")

In 2375, Tuvok melded with Seven of Nine and, indirectly, with a Borg vinculum, to free her from a multiple personality disorder induced by the vinculum. (VOY: "Infinite Regress")

In 2377, 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")

Presumably, Tuvok melded with one of his relatives in 2378, after Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, in order to undergo Fal-tor-voh, a treatment for his neurodegenerative disease.

Although not a mind meld as such, in 2379, the Reman Viceroy enabled Praetor Shinzon to telepathically "rape" Counselor Deanna Troi. (Star Trek Nemesis)

This suggests that, although Romulans may not possess psionic abilities, Remans do.

Appendices Edit

Background information Edit

The Vulcan mind meld was invented by Gene Roddenberry. Leonard Nimoy described the mind meld as "a wonderful creative idea" that Roddenberry devised when he was "at his best." (Star Trek: The Real Story)

In ultimately unused dialogue from the second draft script of DS9: "Accession", exposure to Vulcan mind melds was established as causing elevated levels of psilosynine.

In the final draft script of ENT: "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 a symbiotic lifeform's web-like tendrils had enabled the Humans to read each other's minds.

Likewise, in the final draft script of ENT: "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 by Rajiin, 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 Edit

In the novelization of The Undiscovered Country, a slightly different take on the forced mindmeld 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 novel Memory Prime, the mind meld was used as a form of combat between Spock and a Romulan assassin.

In the William Shatner novel The 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 the Borg/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.

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