Synopsis: Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher are kidnapped and fitted with devices that allow them to hear each other’s thoughts.
This episode is an illustration of Carl (C. G.) Jung’s concept of projection.
In “Attached” Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher are transported to the surface of the planet Kesprytt III; a world where the two civilizations, the Kes and the Prytt have not had any diplomatic relations for over a century. They were to beam down to speak with the Kes Ambassador Mauric about joining the Federation, but instead are diverted and taken prisoner by the Prytt Security Council, led by Security Minister Lorin. Picard and Crusher have been fitted with implants into their brains that are to make their PSI wave patterns detectable to Lorin, because the Prytt fear that the Enterprise is here to arm their opponents. However, a guard in the place where they are being held allows them to escape with instruction on how to reach the boarder with the Kes.
The Kes and the Prytt forces are each projecting their worst fears and their most negative attitudes onto the other. Ambassador Mauric was paranoid that the Federation was working with the Prytt forces secretly against them, while Lorin of the Prytt Security Council believed that the Enterprise was conspiring with the Kes to take up arms against them. This is similar to how the unconscious projects its shadow onto others. This is the way that we become aware of our own shadows, when we see traits in others that we really dislike that are within ourselves.
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