Mind Meld

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Lore & Background

In Mind Meld, Shatner and Nimoy discuss the Star Trek media franchise and its enduring success. The film is composed entirely of the two actors in conversation, starting in Nimoy's backyard and moving into his library filled with souvenirs. They talk about Star Trek's origins and the death of DeForest Kelley. Both describe having had strained relationships with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, and attest to other members of the Original Series cast disliking Shatner—only Nichelle Nichols is referred to by name. Nimoy reveals that he was an alcoholic at the time of the original series, developing 'a major drinking habit, probably during the second or third year,' and having his secretary bring him alcohol in paper cups at the end of each day of filming. Shatner talks about the death of his third wife, Nerine Kidd, who accidentally drowned in a pool in 1999 after suffering from alcoholism. The film concludes with Nimoy putting his arm around Shatner's shoulder and saying, 'You're my best friend.'

In Their Own Story

The film attracted some notoriety because of an unintended sound in one scene that became a popular subject of flatulence humor among Star Trek fans and on morning zoo radio programs. Around 52 minutes and 47 seconds into the film, when Shatner is talking about the other Original Series actors disliking him, he shifts in his chair and a sound evocative of flatulence is audible. This sound was first mentioned in the media by Adam Buckman in the New York Post on October 10, 2001. Shatner denied being the source of this sound in multiple interviews; he and Mind Meld's director, Peter Jaysen, attributed it to equipment on set. The film received mixed reviews from critics—Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an 'F,' while Laurence Lerman of Video Business praised the film for not rehashing standard convention anecdotes and instead dealing with topics like alcoholism, career difficulties, and conflicts on the set of Star Trek.

Reader's Guide

Mind Meld was produced as a way of advertising Shatner's personal website, williamshatner.com, which offered features including the Shatner and Friends fan club's quarterly newsletter, semi-regular updates on Shatner's life, and a photograph of Shatner with the gorilla Koko. Shatner said another reason they decided to make the film was because Nimoy was visibly getting old. Filming took place on September 5, 2001, in high-definition video at Nimoy's home, under the direction of Peter Jaysen. There was no script; the conversation was ad lib. The title sequence is narrated by veteran voice actor Billy West. While the filming session resulted in approximately two hours of footage, a significant portion was not used, resulting in a final runtime of 75 minutes. The film was released on VHS and DVD on November 6, 2001. In April 2002, Mind Meld was screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Two years later, it was included in the bonus material when the first six Star Trek films were re-released as a special edition box set.

Did You Know?

• Mind Meld was produced specifically to advertise William Shatner's personal website, williamshatner.com.
• Filming took place in a single day—September 5, 2001—at Leonard Nimoy's home, with no script and entirely ad-libbed conversation.
• Nimoy first publicly revealed his struggle with alcoholism during this film, saying no one had ever asked him about it before.
• An unintended sound at 52 minutes and 47 seconds became a popular subject of flatulence humor; Shatner denied being the source and blamed equipment on set.
• The film's release prompted Wil Wheaton to change the name of his improvisational theatre company from 'Mind Meld' to 'EarnestBorg9'.