Dagger of the Mind

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the TOS ep "Dagger of the Mind", which first aired on NBC on 3 Nov. 1966!

Brilliant story, and fantastic acting by Morgan Woodward as Van Gelder.

Happy Birthday, "Dagger"!

 

Outstanding! One of the better episodes.

Morgan Woodward is incredible. One can feel his pain. Shatner's crazed laughter is memorable too, IMO.

I just have one other word to say about this episode.

Marianna Hill.

Make that two words. She is in a class by herself.

 

Make that Marianna Schwarzkopf Hill. Norman Schwarzkopf's cousin.

 

I love the South Park version too. "Pane-arium"

 

You've reminded me of a fun lil' activity taking place at the Starship Modeler's forum. As each Thursday rools around, a new thread is started with, "It's 1966. A series has debuted on NBC titled 'Star Trek'. At this time there is no animated series. There is no 'Motion Picture' or any other film sequels. There is no "Next Generation". We don't know how many episodes of this new series will air before it's cancelled. The episode aired tonight is (fill in the blank). The next day workers gather at the water cooler and kids around the swing sets to discuss the latest episode. Again, it is 1966."

Members post their observations, roleplaying as though they've seen that particular episode for the first time. Some of the older members recall actual experiences while the younger participants "act" as though they were old enough to watch the show. It's been rather fun. I can imagine the group reacting to this first demonstration of the Vulcan mind meld and wondering whether or not it will be used again.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

Ah-ha! So that's why that rabbit was in such a hurry in "Shore Leave"! Damn lucky rabbit!

 

This is one of my favorite episodes as well.

 

As most of us geeks know, the Vulcan mind-meld was created to get around network Broadcast Standards restrictions. The scene was originally written with Spock hypnotizing Van Gelder. The NBC censors objected on the grounds that (a) Spock wasn’t a qualified medical practitioner and (b) you couldn’t depict someone being hypnotized on the air because a highly suggestible viewer might accidentally be hypnotized while watching it! (I mean, has that actually ever happened?)

So the scene was rewritten and the famous Vulcan mind-meld was born. Spock has a line where he says to McCoy, “This will not affect you, Dr. McCoy, only the person I touch. It is not hypnosis. ” It’s as if he’s telling the network censors, “See? SEE? We didn’t break your stupid rule!”

 

When did that ruling change? We see characters left, right and center getting hypnotized on TV for, well, decades now.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

^ I certainly was. Oh yah, the episode was good, too.

 

...then there's crawling through the ventilation, giving us a brief but canonical glimpse of the Starfleet chemise....

 

My heart can't take it...

 

I just don't know how this thread could have gone on this long without someone posting a picture of this:

 

Damn you, James T. Kirk!!! You need to be more concerned about your duty, and spend less time with her booty!

 

45 years ago, TV network censorship was ridiculously prudish by today’s standards. Navels were taboo until Trek’s second season. Open-mouthed kissing was verboten. All acts of wrongdoing had to be punished (hence Trelane’s parents reassuring Kirk that their wayward boy will be disciplined).

I don’t know when the “no on-screen hypnosis” policy was changed, but it was certainly in effect in 1966. Quoting from TMOST:

They had some pretty silly rules back then.

 

Technically, belly buttons were still taboo during the second season; they just got away with it sometimes, usually by distracting the S&P rep while the offending scene in question was being shot. The network wouldn't realize they'd been had until the episode was delivered for air, by which time it was too late to reshoot.

That rule was on its way out anyway by that point (note Barbara Eden's Jeannie costume from around the same time).

 

Are you saying an NBC S&P rep was on the set all the time during shooting?