Dagger of the Mind

Plot

The USS Enterprise, under Captain Kirk, delivers supplies to Tantalus V, a colony for the criminally insane run by Dr. Tristan Adams, a psychiatrist known for advocating humane treatment. After the Enterprise takes on cargo, a man emerges from a container and assaults a technician. Reaching the bridge, he demands asylum, but Spock subdues him with a Vulcan nerve pinch. In sickbay, the man identifies himself as Simon van Gelder, and a computer check reveals he is Dr. Adams's assistant, not a patient.

Adams claims van Gelder's condition resulted from testing an experimental treatment device on himself. McCoy urges Kirk to investigate, so Kirk transports down with Dr. Helen Noel. Adams introduces them to a therapist named Lethe, who appears emotionless, and shows them a neural neutralizer, which he says calms inmates at low intensity. Kirk remains suspicious.

On the Enterprise, van Gelder becomes frantic, warning of danger but convulses when mentioning the neutralizer. Spock mind-melds with van Gelder and learns the device can empty a mind of thoughts, leaving unbearable loneliness, and that Adams uses it to control inmates and staff. Spock assembles a security team, but the colony's force field blocks transport and communication. Unaware, Kirk secretly tests the neutralizer on himself with Noel at the controls.

She finds she can implant thoughts into Kirk's mind, altering his memory. Adams appears, overpowers Noel, increases the intensity, and convinces Kirk he has been madly in love with Noel. They are then confined to quarters.

Production

The episode's title comes from William Shakespeare's Macbeth, referencing a soliloquy where Macbeth sees a hallucinatory dagger. Incensed by rewrites, Wincelberg requested the pen name S. Bar-David for the airing. Playing the mentally disturbed van Gelder took a toll on actor Morgan Woodward, who reportedly rested for four days after filming.

Reception

In 2010, SciFiNow ranked this the eighth best episode of the original series. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave it a B rating, noting excellent moments such as the mind meld and the booth, but felt they did not fit as well as they should. Handlen considered Kirk and Noel's relationship the weakest element and found Adams an uncompelling villain, though he thought Nimoy made Spock's mind meld sequence fairly effective. The booth and its effect on Adams were cited as memorable.

Legacy and influence

Morgan Woodward described his performance as Dr. Simon Van Gelder as the most grueling role of his career, both physically and emotionally. He took the part to break free from Westerns and prove his range, playing against type so effectively that he later landed the role of Captain Ronald Tracey in "The Omega Glory." The experience bled into his personal life, leaving him withdrawn from friends and family for three weeks. Still, he felt grateful for the new doors it opened. The episode was later spoofed in the second season of South Park, in the episode "Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods."