History Recap / StarTrekS3E10PlatosStepchildren

%%* LargeHam: Shatner at his best.

This episode was [[BizarroEpisode absolutely crazy]], packed with zany antics and veering from [[MoodWhiplash serious to silly]] in a heartbeat. It is second only to "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS3E1SpocksBrain}} Spock's Brain]]" as a perfect example of the SeasonalRot ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' started to show in the third season.

''And yet'', it is also a landmark episode, not just of ''Star Trek'' but of '''''American television''''', as it is one of the very first times (and, depending on how you tally it, possibly ''the'' first time) a black woman and white man were shown kissing on broadcast network television. Even though AliensMadeThemDoIt.

The episode starts with our Trio beaming down to Platonius to answer a distress call. They are greeted by a giant shadow, but before you can say [[WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc "Be vewy quiet"]], they find the owner of the shadow is a dwarf called Alexander. It seems Parmen, the leader of the Platonians, has suffered a severe infection from a simple paper cut and is near death. Bones treats him. It is soon learned that the Platonians have many abilities. Their gift of telekinesis, extending as far as the orbiting ''Enterprise'', is the most obvious. They also have incredible longevity and mental capacity. Unfortunately, they have very weak immune systems, small wounds becoming infectious very quickly. They tell Bones that they would like him to stay. Bones respectfully declines, only to learn that [[ThatWasntARequest this was not an invitation]]. The Platonians are going to keep Bones with them and will make a puppet show with his friends until he agrees to stay.

The bulk of this episode is of the Platonians forcing Kirk, Spock, Uhura and Chapel to perform for their benefit. Did you find this episode amusing? YouBastard! You're no better than the Platonians!

* AliensMadeThemDoIt: How Kirk and Uhura's kiss was justified to the network.
* AncientAstronauts: The Platonians so admired classical Greek culture that they adopted it as their own, down to naming the home planet after the philosopher, Plato. And cue the TitleDrop!

* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: No room in the budget for crystal spires, but plenty of togas!

* LargeHam: Shatner at his best.

* PowerIncontinence: Parmen experiences this when feverish.

* UngratefulBastard: So this is what Parmen and his friends do to our heroes after Bones saves his life?

* WeaksauceWeakness: The Platonians have no immune system, so even the slightest cut can kill them. [[CulturalPosturing So much for being a superior species, eh?]]

* AGlassInTheHand: While trying to claim he's in control and not angry about being humiliated by the Platonians, Spock crushes a goblet into powder.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: After being cruelly manipulated by the Platonians, Kirk and Spock are allowed to rest. Spock is battling with his terror that he had almost seriously hurt his captain and friend against his will, and his hatred towards the Platonians for their horrific manipulations including forcing emotion out of the proudly logical Vulcan. He asks if Kirk feels the same; Kirk agrees, to which Spock replies that they must both master their emotions for the further torment which is sure to come, even as he picks up a chalice and crushes it effortlessly.

** Liam Sullivan's role as Parmen is itself a ShoutOut to similar guest roles: that of a talkative jerk in the ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' episode "The Silence", who wins a bet he can stay silent for a year... by having his vocal cords severed, and from the 1967-70 version of ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'' where he plays an LSD "guru" that spars verbally with Sgt. Friday and Detective Gannon over recreational drug use; the ending description has him busted for selling dope to minors, and being sent away for a LONG time.

* ShoutOut: At one point Alexander does the chant from ''Frogs'' by {{Creator/Aristophanes}}, though in this case, it's played slow and dignified (and with a slight mistake in the lyrics: it's supposed to be "Great Pan nods his horn", rather than "Great Pan sounds his horn").
* Liam Sullivan's role as Parmen is itself a ShoutOut to similar guest roles: that of a talkative jerk in The Twilight Zone: The Silence, who wins a bet he can stay silent for a year...by having his vocal cords severed, and from the 1967-70 version of Dragnet: where he plays an LSD "guru" that spars verbally with Sgt. Friday and Detective Gannon over recreational drug use; the ending description has him busted for selling dope to minors, and being sent away for a LONG time.

* TheFairFolk: The Platonians fit this to a T. They are convinced that they are a SuperiorSpecies and make everyone they interact with act like it, too, but in fact are ruled entirely by caprice, and take delight in torturing others, and punish all who dare call them on it.

The episode starts with our Trio beaming down to Platonius to answer a distress call. They are greeted by a giant shadow, but before you can say [[WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc "Be vewy quiet"]], they find the owner of the shadow is a dwarf called Alexander. It seems Parmen, the leader of the Platonians, has suffered a severe infection from a simple paper cut and is near death. Bones treats him. It is soon learned that the Platonians have many abilities. Their gift of telekinesis, extending as far as the orbiting ''Enterprise'' is the most obvious. They also have incredible longevity and mental capacity. Unfortunately, they have very weak immune systems, small wounds becoming infectious very quickly. They tell Bones that they would like him to stay. Bones respectfully declines, only to learn that [[ThatWasntARequest this was not an invitation]]. The Platonians are going to keep Bones with them and will make a puppet show with his friends until he agrees to stay.

* WhipItGood: After they get tired of watching them kiss, the Platonians decide they want to watch Kirk whip Uhura.

You guys have been looking forward to this, haven't you?

The ep starts with our Trio beaming down to Platonius to answer a distress call. They are greeted by a giant shadow, but before you can say [[WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc "Be vewy quiet"]], they find the owner of the shadow is a dwarf called Alexander. It seems Parmen, the leader of the Platonians, has suffered a severe infection from a simple paper cut and is near death. Bones treats him. It is soon learned that the Platonians have many abilities. Their gift of telekinesis, extending as far as the orbiting ''Enterprise'' is the most obvious. They also have incredible longevity and mental capacity. Unfortunately, they have very weak immune systems, small wounds becoming infectious very quickly. They tell Bones that they would like him to stay. Bones respectfully declines, only to learn that [[ThatWasntARequest this was not an invitation]]. The Platonians are going to keep Bones with them and will make a puppet show with his friends until he agrees to stay.

* ShoutOut: At one point Alexander does the chant from ''Frogs'' by {{Creator/Aristophanes}}.

** The problem with that bit is that it's played slow and dignified, and with a mistake in the lyrics to boot. It's not "Great Pan ''sounds'' his horn," it's "Great Pan ''nods'' his horn." And the whole chant was supposed to be [[https://youtu.be/-wT_fIMBtG4?t=1241 loud and crazymaking]], as the frogs were trying to drive Dionysus batty.

* SomewhereAnEquestrianIsCrying: At one point, the Platonians force Alexander and Kirk to play "Horsey". Kirk makes a noise that sounds more like a turkey being tickled than a neigh. Sad thing is, Shatner is an accomplished equestrian who should know better. Although since this was something he was being forced to do, it's highly likely it came from the Platonians' knowledge of horses, not Kirk's, which after 2,000+ years away from Earth is... surely quite limited.
** In his biography ''[[http://fanlore.org/wiki/Shatner:_Where_No_Man Shatner: Where No Man]]'', Shat spoke about the effort he put into making his performance serious.

* SocietyMarchesOn: The episode is credited as having the very first (obvious, anyway) interracial kiss on US television. (While additional historical research has discovered [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_and_Uhura%27s_kiss five others that preceded it]], it was certainly the most famous one.) According to some accounts, it very, very nearly fell prey to those meddlesome executives, and was finally only allowed through when it was demonstrated that neither party involved really ''wanted'' to do it, but were being forced by alien mind control. The studio was horribly afraid they were going to be inundated with hate mail, that the entire country would be in an uproar over such an act and simply couldn't accept it; they got a ton of letters alright, with a distinct ''majority'' praising the scene. Creator/NichelleNichols even recounts that the ''only'' negative letter was from a white Southerner who was "totally against the mixing of the races. However, any time a red-blooded American boy like Captain Kirk gets a beautiful dame in his arms that looks like Uhura, [[ImAManICantHelpIt he ain't gonna fight it]]." Now ''that's'' progress.
** Plus, Creator/WilliamShatner and Nichols were adamant about keeping the kiss (which, if you've read either of their autobiographies, seems to be the only thing they ever agreed on), and deliberately screwed up every take of Kirk and Uhura not kissing, so the editors were forced to use a version where they did.

The ep starts with our PowerTrio beaming down to Platonius to answer a distress call. They are greeted by a giant shadow, but before you can say [[WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc "Be vewy quiet"]], they find the owner of the shadow is a dwarf called Alexander. It seems Parmen, the leader of the Platonians, has suffered a severe infection from a simple paper cut and is near death. Bones treats him. It is soon learned that the Platonians have many abilities. Their gift of telekinesis, extending as far as the orbiting ''Enterprise'' is the most obvious. They also have incredible longevity and mental capacity. Unfortunately, they have very weak immune systems, small wounds becoming infectious very quickly. They tell Bones that they would like him to stay. Bones respectfully declines, only to learn that [[ThatWasntARequest this was not an invitation]]. The Platonians are going to keep Bones with them and will make a puppet show with his friends until he agrees to stay.