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The practice of melding dated at the least back to the time of Surak. The Federation, under their agreement with the Vulcans, allowed the use of mind-melds to read the thoughts of alien races. As such, except in cases of mutual consent, Vulcans rarely mind melded, with exceptions for those suffering from mental illness. Surak's teachings on the sanctity of an individual governed much of Vulcan mind meld rules. Memories from generations of Vulcans were capable of being passed down to their descendants, which meant that melding was partly responsible for the retention of ancient Vulcan traditions. ( TOS movie: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) They can also be used to deposit or obtain a katra from the other participant. Mind melds often result in part of each of the participant’s knowledge and mental state being transferred to each other. A Vulcan dying from the severing of the marriage bond can be saved through a healing mind meld initiated by close friends or family. Melding can be dangerous, particularly so when conducted with a non-Vulcan, but it can also be a useful tool some neurological conditions can be cured by a mind meld. Those that learned this discipline on Vulcan were required to take an oath that they would rather die before violating the privacy of another's consciousness against their will. Melding can be used as an interrogation technique by the melder blocking access to their mind.
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Furthermore, Vulcans developed a code where one did not initiate mind-melds without the consent of the other party and they never entered the mind of another without permission. Every mind meld left a trace signature, due to a subtle alteration of the neural synapses and pathways.
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Melding was a deeply personal experience, as the two minds of the meldees were entirely open to each other. Vulcan poets referred to these points as being portals to the mind. These focal points were known as the " qui'lari" in the Vulcan language. ( ST video game: Away Team TOS episodes: " A Taste of Armageddon", " By Any Other Name", " The Omega Glory")Īs Vulcans were touch telepaths, they normally conducted a mind meld by touching the bioelectrical focal points on the face. However, particularly powerful melders, such as Spock or Slovaak, are capable of performing melds remotely. Typically, physical contact was required for a mind meld.
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