T'Pol and Mind Melds

[WarpGirl]

For many years now something has been bothering me about the way they handled T'Pol and mind-melds. I actually think Fusion was a pretty good episode, and Tolaris was absolutely a brilliant villian. The actor knew what he was doing with the role. But I gotta say I'm confused at how they go from, T'Pol being mentally raped through a meld, to her arguing with Syrran and in The Forge, to her being willing to meld with T'Pau, and melding with Hoshi fairly easily.

It seems to me that she should have had much more trouble with melds.

[Silverbullet]

WG, I believe the difference was that Tolaris was forcing her in to it after she told him to stop. She had to fight him off and still came out injured. Whereas with the others they were willing to meld with her and she was willing to meld with them. What Tolaris wanted was against what she wanted. He was a mental vampire who fed on her discomfort and pain. He was a mental rapist in that he forced her against her will.

SB

[WarpGirl]

SB the fact he was a mental rapist is my whole point! Not only did he use force, but he deliberately provoked emotions that caused her pain. That's not something anyone, even your average Vulcan can just "get over" for lack of a better term.

But, T'Pol doesn't even hesitate with T'Pau, and that's after T'Pau was completely willing to force her way into Archer's mind for Surak's katra! Now to give the woman a little credit, she did ask first anyway. But she was still ready and willing to do it without consent.

She does hesitate more with Hoshi, but only because she doubts her own abilities.

To me given her experiences it doesn't make much sense with her personality.

[Distracted]

I dunno. Some people can compartmentalize trauma. There are women who are raped who have no sexual hangups at all afterwards. They're able to convince themselves that the rape was a violent act that had nothing to do with a voluntary intimate relationship. The two things are quite distinct in their minds and so sex doesn't give them flashbacks or anything. Maybe T'Pol is able to do that. Or maybe the writers didn't even bother to think about what Tolaris' attack would do to T'Pol's mental state because they didn't care.

[WarpGirl]

Oh I totally agree that people can and do compartementalize trauma. I'm not sure how healthy it is in the long-term but it's certainly possible. The problem is that I don't see T'Pol as one of those people. And my evidence for that is...The Seventh!

[Distracted]

Thus my opinion that the writers just didn't care. They weren't consistent. But then, that was the case for other characters as well. T'Pol went from needing a mental wipe to deal with doing her job as a spy to blithely blowing off a violent mental rape, while Hoshi went from scared little weenie to poker-dealing martial arts expert over the course of a few episodes. They just wrote what they felt like writing and to heck with character continuity.

[WarpGirl]

See I'm tying to be good and not say things like that anymore!

[Distracted]

The truth is the truth.

[WarpGirl]

What is it Jack Nicholson said...You can't handle the truth sometimes it's like that.

[Silverbullet]

The case with T'Pau was different. She was offering T'pol a cure for her Panaar syndrome. with Hoshi T'Pol wanted to find out what Hoshi had heard and in what laguage. both were meant to help. tTolaris led T'Pol on. True T'Pol was a naive person who allowed herself to be coerced in to that Mind Rape, she tried to stop it as soon as she realized what was happening. Tolaris did his best to matain the Rape but T'Pol was successful in fighting him off. Tolaris was being armful not helpful.

As far as Archer, T'Pau was trying to get something valuable she believed she should have from Archer. right or wrong

SB

[WarpGirl]

Never mind SB I think I'm not being very clear tonight. But hey I'm doing two things at once.

[Cogito]

What is it Jack Nicholson said...You can't handle the truth sometimes it's like that.

I think it was Sideshow Bob who said ...

"You can't handle the truth. No truth-handler, you. I deride your truth-handling abilities."

Sorry, I'm no good doing voices. You'll just have to imagine Kelsey Grammer saying it.

[WarpGirl]

I've never heard of "Sideshow Bob" and I like Kelsey Grammer. As a performer anyway...

[Cogito]

:tears: I've never heard of "Sideshow Bob" and I like Kelsey Grammer. As a performer anyway...

Never heard of him?

You'd better rectify that right away:

http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/sideshow-bob-roberts/episode/1393/trivia.html

[WarpGirl]

Well that explains it. The one and only time I ever watched The Simpsons I was six, and my mother was less than thrilled.