MovieChat Forums > Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) Discussion > Was the forced mind-meld 'rape'?

Was the forced mind-meld 'rape'?

posted 11 years ago by Monk_Drunk
24 replies | jump to latest

I had a discussion with someone the other day who was insistent that Spock forcing a mind-meld on Valeris was essentially rape.

I'm not sure I agree, though. It was a gross violation, no doubt about it, and it's glossed over a little bit too hastily by the crew considering the amount of distress it clearly caused Valeris. But I would have said that rape is an explicitly sexual act, and that's not what Spock was doing. Severe mental torture seems like a more appropriate way to describe it.

Compare it with Shinzon getting inside Troi's mind in Nemesis, which clearly was rape, or attempted rape at least, because he tried to take Riker's place during their lovemaking.

Thoughts?

[–] Dominik528 10 years ago

The scene actually reminded me of a scene from the Attack on Titan manga, when Levi aggressively forces Historia (Krista) to accept her role as Queen. The other characters look just as disturbed by it as the ones in the mind-meld scene did.

But looking at the reasons behind it, it's understandable why Levi and Spock acted the way they did.

[–] hoochiemoochie 10 years ago

The way she screamed certainly made it sound like rape...but that don't mean anything.

=Last time I taught, I was like Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society...by which I mean I got fired=

[–] bjlevine 10 years ago

I think it was the intention. Seems out of character for Spock. The fact that they could simply just ask Sulu and get the same information makes the action seem a bit absurd.

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Bob the Builder and Hadji walk into a bar...

[–] kerryedavis 10 years ago

But they needed to know who else was involved in the conspiracy, and Sulu wouldn't have known that unless he was part of it too. Spock did get the names of the other conspirators FIRST. When it turned out Valeris didn't know the location - which seems odd, unless Admiral Cartwright was kept in the dark too for some reason, or was unable to get the information to her - it was fortunate that Sulu did know. Otherwise they would have had to find out some other way, and the movie would have been a few minutes longer.

[–] raf-33 10 years ago

I think to attribute sexuality to a mind meld would mean we would have to acknowledge the fact that Spock has f##ked a whale. Perhaps it's better to compare a mind meld with lovingly patting something on the head but with some thought-stealing involved.

Ya Kirk-loving Spocksucker!

[–] kerryedavis 10 years ago

Great, now you're going to get a bunch of comments "reminding" you - and the rest of us - that rape isn't really about sex.

[–] bjlevine 10 years ago

Well...mind rape need not be about sex. And I know quite a few Vulcans who are ready to refute those posters you mention.

👷👳
Bob the Builder and Hadji walk into a bar...

[–] snickerdoodle68 10 years ago

What Spock did was essentially a mind rape (he did the same thing to McCoy in TOS "Mirror, Mirror" episode).

Rape does not have to be sexual. Recall your English literature assignment on "The Rape Of The Lock." Rape being a violation of your person.

[–] ensnubbe622 9 years ago

So the rape speculation comes only from the fact the character was female. Reasonable.