Synopsis: The Enterprise is tasked with providing transportation to Ambassador Kollos, a Medusan, who’s appearance will cause insanity to any human who sees him.
In this episode, even more so than in my previous post for “And the Children Shall Lead,” what is at issue is the reaction of the conscious ego to the collective unconscious; the primal archetypes within us all in the vastness of our inner psyches.
That it is this episode that also introduces us to the Vulcan concept of “IDIC” or infinite diversity in infinite combinations” is interesting as well. Mr. Spock wears the medallion signifying this belief in order to honor Dr. Miranda Jones, a human born a telepath, who studied on Vulcan to further her gifts. But instead of feeling honor, Jones feels rage. She has tapped into her personal shadow – which for her includes jealousy. She is jealous of Spock who as a Vulcan can form a better mind meld than she can, and most importantly of all, who using a visor can actually look at Kollos without going mad. Something she can never do, firstly because she is a human, and secondly, because in addition to being born telepathic she was also born blind.
This brings up the issue of envy and jealousy. Here envy will be defined as wanting something another has and jealousy the fear of losing something that one thinks is theirs. And Jones does believe that Spock is a threat to her. When first introduced, Spock tells Jones that he is almost envious of her assignment, as although the Medusans’ appearance is horrific, the thoughts of their minds are sublime. This can be interpreted as how the conscious ego sees the collective unconscious. It is horrific in its very primal being. There is no cleansing, no civilizing, it is raw and disruptive. The unconscious requires that we see it, or see through it, at its own level. To try to integrate the unconscious is to invite the disruptive energies – to make them a part of ourselves. But once they are incorporated into our conscious egos, they will make us stronger.
Original post created 12 March 2021
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