Post by Atoz 77 on Dec 11, 2008 8:58:08 GMT -6
"Stigma" -- In this episode we learn that to the Vulcans on the 22nd century, the abilitiy to perform a mind meld is considered a sign of mental illness and very nearly a social disease. In fact there is a physical disease, Pa'nak syndrome, which can only be passed by telepathic contact. We learn this because T'Pol has this disease, having contracted it from one of those "renegade" Vulcans they encountered earlier in the series. For this reason, she is suspected of being one of these mind melders herself and is about to be recalled and banished from polite society.
I realize this is supposed to be a story about prejudice, which can strike even the most progressive and enlightened cultures, but the execution is not quite convincing to me. One of the Vulcan doctors, for example, says, "We pride ourselves on having no emotions," which is a pretty illogical thing for anyone to say, let alone a Vulcan. In this context, Pride IS an emotion.
[This points up what was to me one of the biggest flaws in "Enterprise", the way they treated Vulcans. They have supposedly built an entire culture around the controlling of emotion, but the characters all ACT as if they can barely manage to keep them in check. Even Ambassador Soval, when he's with Archer, constantly makes little expressions of frustration or annoyance or impatience. The general effect is that Vulcans are some kind of joke! Everyone knows they can't hide their emotions any better than anyone else, but there's this conspiracy to pretend that they can.]
I realize this is supposed to be a story about prejudice, which can strike even the most progressive and enlightened cultures, but the execution is not quite convincing to me. One of the Vulcan doctors, for example, says, "We pride ourselves on having no emotions," which is a pretty illogical thing for anyone to say, let alone a Vulcan. In this context, Pride IS an emotion.
[This points up what was to me one of the biggest flaws in "Enterprise", the way they treated Vulcans. They have supposedly built an entire culture around the controlling of emotion, but the characters all ACT as if they can barely manage to keep them in check. Even Ambassador Soval, when he's with Archer, constantly makes little expressions of frustration or annoyance or impatience. The general effect is that Vulcans are some kind of joke! Everyone knows they can't hide their emotions any better than anyone else, but there's this conspiracy to pretend that they can.]