DAGGER OF THE MIND

GUEST STARS...

Morgan Woodward and James Gregory.

PLOT SUMMARY...

Captain Kirk is trapped at a Federation penal colony.

QUICK SCAN...

This episode features a rare peek into the Federation's prison system. Kirk grimaces up a storm during an unforgetable electronic torture chair scene. The episode is strengthened by intense supporting performances by James Gregory ("Barney Miller") and Morgan Woodward ("Cool Hand Luke"). Note the first use of the Vulcan mind-meld.

SYNOPSIS...

A crazed man beams up to the Enterprise, which is in orbit around the Federation's Tantalus prison planet. He babbles insanely, then dies.

Captain Kirk and shrink Helen Noel beam down to the penal colony to investigate. Before long, Kirk finds himself a prisoner of the colony, as a result of Dr. Tristan Adams' evil plan. Adams tries to destroy Kirk's mind with a neural neutralizer

Spock and others beam down to Tantalus. Dr. Adams is killed by his own neural neutralizer when it is turned on him. Order is restored at the penal colony, and the neural neutralizer is destroyed. Kirk and the Enterprise split.

The Review...

Director Vincent McEveety's, "DAGGER OF THE MIND," is a disturbing, oddly effective Sci-Fi tale, offering a rare look into the Federation's penal system. McEveety also directed the classic Trek episodes: "Miri", "Balance of Terror", and "Spectre of the Gun".

James Gregory ("Beneath the Planet of the Apes", "The Paul Lynde Show", "The Naked City") under McEveety's confident direction, is silky and insidious, as Dr. Tristan Adams, head of the Tantalus penal colony. Gregory is best known for his work, as Lt. Luger, on "Barney Miller".

Morgan Woodward ("Dallas") is Simon Van Gelder, a prisoner who escapes from the penal colony, up to the Enterprise, early in the episode. Under McEveety's bold Direction, Woodward gives an appropriately unrestrained performance as a seemingly insane convict. Woodward later appeared in "The Omega Glory" episode. He is best known for his role as the chain-gang guard with reflective sunglasses in the classic, "Cool Hand Luke".

This is the first episode where Mr. Spock used the Vulcan mind meld. In a scene of powerful impact, he uses the alien mind sharing technique to penetrate Van Gelder's crazed brain. Leonard Nimoy makes the Vulcan mumbo jumbo believable.

Marianna Hill ("Perry Mason", "Invisible Strangler") plays Dr. Helen Noel, who is trapped with Kirk at the Tantalus colony. It's not a big part, but she is credible as a resourceful Enterprise crew person.

"DAGGER OF THE MIND" should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers.