Spock administering the Vulcan death grip to Kirk.
The Vulcan death grip is a fictitious Vulcan technique, apparently invented by Spock. Its application appears similar to that of the mind meld, but it is administered with two hands, and without speaking.
In 2268, Spock used the so-called "Vulcan death grip" on Captain Kirk as a means to fool the Romulans into believing Kirk was dead, so as to bring him back on board the USS Enterprise without causing suspicion. (TOS: "The Enterprise Incident")
Spock claims to have used the "Vulcan death grip" instinctively in response to Kirk's unexpected assault.
Nurse Christine Chapel exclaimed later in the episode "But there's no such thing as a Vulcan death grip." Captain Kirk replied that the Romulans did not know that.
- In Leonard Nimoy's television special entitled Leonard Nimoy's Star Trek Memories, Nimoy mistakenly remembers that Spock applies the Vulcan Death Grip on Dr. McCoy instead of Captain Kirk.