Thought maker
The thought maker in use
A thought maker was a device designed to control the neural activity or "brainwash" the humanoid brain, making the subject highly susceptible to suggestion. It was illegal to use or even possess one of these devices within the Ferengi Alliance.
In 2364, DaiMon Bok used these devices on Jean-Luc Picard in an attempt at revenge for killing his son nine years before. Bok made Picard believe that he was again captain of the USS Stargazer, and that the USS Enterprise-D was an attacking enemy vessel. He had purchased two of these devices from a world not yet discovered by Humans, and it cost him the profits of a lifetime. (TNG: "The Battle")
Deanna Troi later described it to Commander Dexter Remmick as a "mind altering machine" that controlled Picard without his knowledge; Remmick took that to mean that Picard had a "mental lapse". (TNG: "Coming of Age")
One of these machines was in the collection of Kerner Hauze. (LD: "Kayshon, His Eyes Open")
In 2384, Thadiun Okona smuggled a load of thought makers to Denaxi Depot on the Erstwhile, for which he was arrested by the local Xindi-Reptilian authorities. When the illegal contraband was exposed, he claimed that he was "just holding them for a friend." Later, another Depot visitor was carrying a thought maker when he was startled by Rok-Tahk and dropped it. (PRO: "Crossroads")
See also[]
Background information[]
The unlit prop
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation - Intelligence Gathering issue "Matters of the Mind", a thought maker was used to control Deanna Troi, Doctor Crusher, and Ro Laren by Romulans in order to try to direct the Enterprise-D to a new destination.