On this day, in 1967, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Devil in the Dark” aired the third appearance of the now famous “Vulcan Mind Meld” as Mr. Spock uses his empathic technique to access the mind of the alien rock monster Horta. William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, described this as “exciting, thought-provoking and intelligent, it contained all of the ingredients that made up our very best Star Treks.” The mind meld was originally created for the episode as an alternative to hypnosis because, in part, they were afraid they’d accidentally hypnotize viewers at home.
Bonus Link: Watch The Devil in the Dark episode at cbs.com
What are your favorite Vulcan mind melds? Let us know in the comments!
[Image source:memory-alpha.org]
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="42850 ">2 Comments
Wow, I didn't know all that. Cool research. Happy anniversary, talking rock.
I thought it was hilarious that they asked, "Wait. What if we hypnotize the audience? They'd be forced to do our bidding! I can't take that kind of responsibility."