“Dagger of the Mind” is written by S. Bar-David, a
pseudonym for Shimon Wincelberg and directed by Vincent McEveety. It was filmed under production code 11, was
the 9th episode of Star Trek Season 1, and was broadcast on November
3, 1966.
Finally. It’s
taken three weeks, and three episodes, and finally we’re back to one episode of
Star Trek that I can genuinely say is great. Like the previous best episodes of Star
Trek from my 8 episode sample size, “Dagger of the Mind” is an episode that
draws on fears and anxieties of the times as well as wrapping the episode in a
social message advocating for progressive principles. Bar-David’s script is clearly partially
inspired by A Clockwork Orange, the novel being published four years
before this episode was made, the episode dealing with (at its core) prisoners
being brainwashed and their memories wiped in a new process using a neural
neutralizer. From the 1960s when this
episode debuted, to the present, prison reform has always been at the forefront
of progress and while it is a progressive cause that has not been really progressed
in large ways (regressing in several) it is fascinating to see what Star
Trek’s vision for a prison is meant to be.
“Dagger of the Mind” has the prison set up as an underground rehabilitation
center where several prisoners are allowed to essentially roam free and have opportunities
for education and advancement, a minor therapist character being revealed to
have been a prisoner who has continued to work and be educated through the
inspiration of her treatment. It’s
wonderful to see the fear not coming from being put in prison, but from being
abused by those running the prison.
The episode’s structure is wonderful, the first third
being exclusively on the Enterprise where a seemingly mad man stows away with
some cargo the prison planet is giving, but he is easily and peacefully subdued. The man is Dr. Simon van Gelder, played
perfectly by Morgan Woodward, and he has had his mind broken by this machine,
apparently due to accident. Kirk goes
down to the planet to investigate the potential cause of the accident with one
of McCoy’s psychiartists Helen Noel, played by Marianna Hill. Other episodes of Star Trek would keep
focus just on Kirk and Noel as they investigate, “The Naked Time” and “What Are
Little Girls Made Of?” coming to mind as examples, but Bar-David’s script
splits the action between the planet and the Enterprise, meaning that
characters can learn different things to help create dramatic tension and
actually give Spock and McCoy something to do in the episode. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are essentially Star
Trek’s main characters and this episode’s decision to split them up means
you get to see how they act separately, something that Spock and McCoy
especially needed at this point. Kirk
has had several chances to shine on their own, but the other two of the trio
really get to come into their own here with Spock using his mental abilities to
look into Van Gelder’s mind while McCoy’s skepticism becomes a driving force of
the episode.
The events on the planet are also great and where you
really get the exploration of “Dagger of the Mind’s” main theme. The villain of the piece is the director of
the prison and the way director Vincent McEveety shoots the scenes surrounding the
brainwashing is fascinating. It is not
overshot or dramatically done in dutch angle, but there are perfectly placed
close ups and cutting to the light the machine emits to indicate it being used
as well as the console being operated.
Shatner’s performance is also suitably subdued when Kirk is brainwashed with
enough gravitas being placed on the torture but not too much as to allow an
over the top “I am in pain” acting.
There’s enough that Kirk has to use his wits to outmaneuver the director
while Spock and McCoy have to wait for the planet’s shields to be brought
down. That isn’t to say “Dagger of the
Mind” is perfect: as a script some of the scenes have a genuinely uneven pace
and there are points in the episode that take far too long to get where they
are going. It almost feels artificially
extended to fit the 50 minute time slot in places, though it is an episode where
the climax is excellent and the performances keep the viewer engaged in what is
happening.
Overall, “Dagger of the Mind” feels like a breath of
fresh air after a run of three very mixed episodes for Star Trek. It’s one whose message is very clear and in
line with what the show is advocating for as well as not coming from an initial
idea of Gene Roddenberry’s. The direction
is great and distinct but not being weird for the sake of weird as other
directors have a tendency to be making it back to a very good quality that
overcomes some pacing issues. 8/10.
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