Dagger of the Mind by: S. Bar-David and directed by: Vincent McEveety

 

“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 9^th 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.