I believe Laura said she's never seen a Star Trek episode. It began syndication again in this its 40th anniversary year (check your local listings), digitally remastered, and uncut (takes 70 minutes to show). The messages are powerful, and seeing the shows again is a revelation for me.
Amazingly relevent to our present situation was today's Episode 60, "And the Children Shall Lead," in which an other-dimensional being manipulates the minds of people it comes into contact with by promising them power and freedom. Those who succumb become his "believers," inherit his mind-control abilities, become his "generals" in a promised hierarchy, and can summon direct communitcation with him via a ritual. The "believers" call him a "friendly angel." Under the manipulation, believers know other believers as "friends," and all others as "the enemy." Some recognize the manipulation and resist its evil intent -- the entity says that "should control faulter, call upon their beast" (their fear within), which consumes resistors and drives them to suicide.
In the episode, the believers are five children, the resistors/victims were their scientist parents, who were all isolated together on an "uninhabited" (by 3D at least) planet under research. Once aboard the microcosm of the Enterprise, the children are instructed by the entity to take control of the crew by making them believers, which they do by merely manipulating their perceptions of reality. The children thus become the PTB of this microcosm. The entity's goal is to be transported to a planet of 12 billion, where it estimates that 1 million will become believers, creating an unstoppable army with which it can then conquer the galaxy.
Spock, having greater charge of his emotions (namely fear) than humans, is greatly resistant. He helps Kirk, who is driven nearly mad believing he has lost control of his ship, to "tame his beast within," after which Kirk becomes immune to the mind control. When the children/PTB realize that Spock and Kirk are immune, they use the crew/believers to contain them by attempted incarceration and threat of execution.
Is this really just a TV show?
Best quotes of the episode:
Spock: "Evil does seek to maintain power by suppressing the truth. Or by misleading the innocent."
Spock to Kirk, who resists acting against mere children: "The children are followers. Without followers, evil cannot spread."
Kirk to the entity: "My beast is gone. It lost its power in the light of reality. I command again."
The entity to Kirk: "I would ask you to join me, but your gentleness is weakness."
Kirk to the children: "The time has come to see the world as it is." He then begins to show them that the "angel" is actually an evil entity.
The entity, threatening the children who are beginning to wake up: "You will be swept away to make way for the strong!"
When the believers wake up, the evil entity loses its power.
Interesting stuff.
Amazingly relevent to our present situation was today's Episode 60, "And the Children Shall Lead," in which an other-dimensional being manipulates the minds of people it comes into contact with by promising them power and freedom. Those who succumb become his "believers," inherit his mind-control abilities, become his "generals" in a promised hierarchy, and can summon direct communitcation with him via a ritual. The "believers" call him a "friendly angel." Under the manipulation, believers know other believers as "friends," and all others as "the enemy." Some recognize the manipulation and resist its evil intent -- the entity says that "should control faulter, call upon their beast" (their fear within), which consumes resistors and drives them to suicide.
In the episode, the believers are five children, the resistors/victims were their scientist parents, who were all isolated together on an "uninhabited" (by 3D at least) planet under research. Once aboard the microcosm of the Enterprise, the children are instructed by the entity to take control of the crew by making them believers, which they do by merely manipulating their perceptions of reality. The children thus become the PTB of this microcosm. The entity's goal is to be transported to a planet of 12 billion, where it estimates that 1 million will become believers, creating an unstoppable army with which it can then conquer the galaxy.
Spock, having greater charge of his emotions (namely fear) than humans, is greatly resistant. He helps Kirk, who is driven nearly mad believing he has lost control of his ship, to "tame his beast within," after which Kirk becomes immune to the mind control. When the children/PTB realize that Spock and Kirk are immune, they use the crew/believers to contain them by attempted incarceration and threat of execution.
Is this really just a TV show?
Best quotes of the episode:
Spock: "Evil does seek to maintain power by suppressing the truth. Or by misleading the innocent."
Spock to Kirk, who resists acting against mere children: "The children are followers. Without followers, evil cannot spread."
Kirk to the entity: "My beast is gone. It lost its power in the light of reality. I command again."
The entity to Kirk: "I would ask you to join me, but your gentleness is weakness."
Kirk to the children: "The time has come to see the world as it is." He then begins to show them that the "angel" is actually an evil entity.
The entity, threatening the children who are beginning to wake up: "You will be swept away to make way for the strong!"
When the believers wake up, the evil entity loses its power.
Interesting stuff.
