"Plato's Stepchildren", the 12th episode in season 3 of the
original Star Trek is best remembered for the kiss between Captain
Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura. Widely touted as the first interracial
kiss in American network television (though this wasn’t technically true), it was quite controversial when it first aired on November 22,
1968.
Those who remember
the episode for anything else probably remember the silly antics of
the crew, as Kirk and the gang are forced by telekinetic aliens
to perform for their amusement. Kirk “playing horse” on the
ground with a little person riding on his back is just peak Shatner
silliness, making this terrible episode stand out in a “so bad it’s
good” kind of way.
But for me, the
standout moment of the episode will always be just before the opening credits. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to a mysterious planet to heal their injured ruler, and discover that the human-looking aliens have telekinesis, other than the dwarf, Alexander. When Alexander pleads with their queen, played by the beautiful Barbara Babcock, not to harm the visitors, she does this: