Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More
The Vulcan mind meld is a staple of Star Trek lore. Its ethics have been debated. Its powers have driven entire plots. Its ramifications have been… somewhat explored. Into a somewhat mediocre second season of Star Trek: Voyager comes “Meld”, which is an episode that attempts to demonstrate the potential upsides and downsides of the ancient alien technique. Is Voyager starting to ape the storytelling of its cousin, Deep Space 9?
The Wikipedia plot summary for “Meld”:
A crewmember named Darwin is found dead and an investigation soon uncovers a murder. It is discovered that Lon Suder, a Betazoid, killed him, because he did not like the way Darwin looked at him.
To discover the reasoning behind Suder’s admittedly senseless act, Tuvok initiates a mind meld with Suder. This causes Suder’s violent impulses to be transferred to the Vulcan, giving Suder a sense of calm by causing Tuvok to experience uncontrollable violent urges himself: he even attacks a holographic form of Neelix. Eventually, Tuvok confines himself to quarters, and removes himself from duty as he is unable to control his violent urges.
The Doctor attempts to cure Tuvok of his urges by forcing his emotions into the open. This fails, and Tuvok is able to escape. He finds Suder with the intent of executing him, hoping this will satisfy himself. Tuvok is convinced by Suder not to kill him and instead mind melds in an attempt to get his emotional control back. This meld renders Tuvok unconscious, allowing Suder to notify the crew. Later, the Doctor watches over Tuvok, hopeful that since he controlled himself enough to not kill Suder, he is recovering.
In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss “Meld” and being stuck with a murderous psychopath while 70,000 light-years from home. Plus! The guys chat about choking out Neelix, black contact lenses, and death row in space.