May 16, 2017
The Manchurian Candidate and The Mind’s Eye.
Across human history, assassinations have driven the path of
societies, empires and governments. Along the way, they have
accounted for some of the most insidious and mysterious conspiracy
theories the world has ever known. Star Trek: The Next Generation’s
fourth season episode “The Mind’s Eye” adapted a classic piece of
American cinema: The Manchurian Candidate. This 1962 film, directed
by John Frankenheimer and starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence
Harvey, dealt with the terrifying reality of mind control and
political murder.
In this episode of Primitive Culture, hosts Tony Black and Duncan Barrett explore TNG’s story of Romulan subterfuge in comparison with Frankenheimer’s movie, drawing parallels and examining how Star Trek frames the concept of political assassination in the 24th century.
Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Duncan’s Journey to Star Trek (2:24)
The Manchurian Candidate and “The Mind’s Eye” (12:39)
Scorpions in a Bottle (20:21)
Un-Federation Activities (26:53)
A Commander Riker Holiday (32:17)
Bashir, Tuvok, and O’Brien (34:36)
The Manchurian Backstory (40:36)
A Good Adaptation? (52:51)
Hosts
Tony Black and Duncan Barrett
Production
Tony Black (Editor) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew
Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Richard
Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon
Manager)