Since it's supposedly an alien ability, it's kind of impossible to test all the parameters of the myth. Now, the Kirk chop is another matter -- though testing it safely would be difficult.
I hope they see if anti matter torpedoes really do work. They can test fire one at the dude with the stupid moustache and beret face.
How about this one? "Will exceeding the Warp 10 Barrier turn the occupants of a shuttlecraft into hideous slugs and destroy the credibility of a TV series' writing team for good?"
That couldn't prove or disprove that on the grounds the writing team didn't much credibilty to start with.
I've never seen anything to suggest there's a telepathic component to the pinch. It should just be a question of whether any particular combination of pressures on that nerve cluster could render one immediately unconscious.
Not surprising since it's one of the few "myths" on trek that can be tested practically and involves real materials and, supposedly real physics. I honestly can't think of anything else in all 11 movies and 5 tv shows that's even remotely close to being testable. One way or another they all involve some kind of fictional technology, material or physics. I do wonder however exactly what aspect of the myth they're testing; if the cannon would work at all or if it could be done so quickly. Probably the former since the latter involves creating explosives with your bare hands in a hurry, which I imagine is an excellent way for someone to loose a finger or six.
I do have one idea, though it's a bit obscure. In "Basics", after Lieutenant Hogan is killed Chakotay says he can take Hogan's uniform and somehow use that to provide water for the stranded crew. I've always wondered how that is supposed to work.
It's clearly not an "alien ability" and certainly not one with a telepathic component. In TNG we've seen both Picard and DATA perform it.
What Picard did in "Starship Mine" was never stated to be a Vulcan nerve pinch, and according to the TNG Companion (p. 240), it was actually intended to be a carotid artery block. Here's the line from the actual script: As for Data, he is an alien. He's far more alien than a Vulcan is, because he's not even made of flesh and blood. There's also the fact that Spock was unable to teach the nerve pinch to Kirk no matter how hard he tried. Even if we discount a psionic component because of Data, one thing that Data and Vulcans have in common is superhuman strength. The only way to test it would be to build one of Grant's robots to squeeze with superhuman strength, but that would be too dangerous to try on a person, and since we don't know what nerves the neck pinch is supposed to target, there'd be no way to test it. Except on general principles. Calling it a "nerve pinch" in the first place is problematical. Putting physical pressure on nerves doesn't cause unconsciouness; as I know all too well, it mainly just causes pain. In some cases it can probably cause temporary paralysis. For unconsciousness, it's the blood vessels you need to affect. Carotid blocks and chops can knock a person out briefly by altering the blood flow to the brain.
Well, in that case they shouldn't have much trouble "busting" it. It's not like Mythbusters hasn't "busted" myths after minimal and inapplicable testing plenty of times before.
Well, I go by what is on screen and what's on screen looks like Picard delievers the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. And the fact that Spock thinks Kirk can be "taught" it suggests Spock knows that it's possible for anyone to do.
Something to do with caves maybe. "How likely is it that every alien world would would be festooned with caves" "... would look like southern California" "Are caves really an effective shield against photon torpedoes" OK so these are kind of stupid. BTW that picture of Grant is awesome.
Not to me. The VNP works very quickly. What Picard does looks similar in terms of his hand position, but it clearly takes a lot longer to take effect. That doesn't follow. It only suggests that Spock thought at some point that it might be possible for a human as strong and fit as Kirk to be able to pull it off -- or, perhaps, that Kirk thought it might be possible and ordered Spock to try to teach it to him even though Spock told him it was unlikely to work. Remember, the actual dialogue indicated that Spock had tried to teach Kirk the pinch and failed. And since he said "I have tried," that suggests more than one attempt.
Didn't Archer pull off a pinch when he had Surak's katra? It's been a while but I vaguely recall that. Anyway, according to the lore, Nimoy said something to the effect of it just being a matter of pressure on the right places, based on the idea of Spock's expert knowledge of biological anatomy. Since he's the one that made up the move, I think it fair he gets a say.