Star Trek: Plato's Stepchildren

There is nothing more disturbing than Spock exhibiting emotion and in Plato's Stepchildren, he goes from laughing to crying to hatred and everything in between.

Plato's Stepchildren opens with Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) beaming down to the planet Platonius to investigate an unknown distress call. The planet appeared to be uninhabited, but when they arrive they are greeted by a dwarf named Alexander (Michael Dunn) who starts to welcome them to Platonius but then is pulled from the room, apparently under someone else's control. They follow Alexander to another room where they meet Parmen (Liam Sullivan) who is the leader of the Platonians. His wife Philana (Barbara Babcock) explains to them that Parmen is seriously injured and they sent out the distress call because they have no doctors on Platonius to care for him. Bones proceeds to examine Parmen and he determines that he as a massive infection in his leg that, mysteriously, is the product of a minor scratch. McCoy says that he can treat Parmen but he will need time since this Platonian bacteria is not identifiable by his tricorder and he will have to basically improvise the treatment.

During his infection, Parmen has a fever and deliriously starts throwing everything around the room. Apparently, he has psychokinetic powers and not only can he move objects on the planet but he has actually locked the Enterprise into orbit around the planet and will not let them leave.

McCoy is able to cure Parmen, who thanks him for saving his life but then demands that McCoy remain on Platonius permanently since they have no doctors. Kirk refuses and demands that Parmen release the Enterprise from orbit immediately. This angers Parmen and he punishes Kirk by making him slap himself in the face. It's at this point that Kirk and Spock realize that Parmen and the Platonians have no intention of letting them or the Enterprise ever leave. Kirk, Spock and McCoy will have to fight the telekinetic powers of Parmen and the Platonians if they ever want to return to the Enterprise and escape this controlling society.

Plato's Stepchildren is without a doubt one of the worst episodes to come out of the original Star Trek Series. There is not much of a plot here and what little there is tends to be rather stupid. It all centers around the controlling leader of the Platonians, Parmen, and how he likes to make people look stupid using his telekinetic powers. Apparently, this is some sick form of entertainment for them. Not only does he use his telekinetic powers to control people but he also makes them do ridiculous things for the entertainment of all the Platonians. He forces Kirk and Spock to dance, sing, laugh and cry. But that's not the worst of it. At one point, Parmen forces Kirk onto all fours and then makes Alexander (the dwarf) ride him like a horse while Kirk jumps up and down making horse like naying sounds. They all look ridiculous and I'm sure none of the actors enjoyed these scenes.

The one bright spot in Plato's Stepchildren was Alexander the Dwarf played by Michael Dunn. There is something likable about him as the powerless little person that's basically used and abused by the rest of the Platonians. Come to find out, he doesn't have the telekinetic powers like the rest of the planet's inhabitants and all he wants is to leave Platonius and live in a society where he will be treated fairly and not be discriminated against because of his size. It's a touching moment when he asks Kirk to take him with them if they are able to escape.

If what you are looking for is a bunch of adults looking absolutely ridiculous, then Plato's Stepchildren is for you. For me, this is a throw away Star Trek episode that I wish they had never made. At the very least, they should have left out Spock's singing debut. If there is one thing I got out of this episode, it's that Vulcans can't sing.

More Reviews of Star Trek: Plato's Stepchildren

Review of Star Trek: Plato's Stepchildren from The Trek Movie Report
Star Trek: Plato's Stepchildren TV Show Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database