‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘Plato’s Stepchildren’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Growing up, we all wanted nothing more, than to be seen and respected by adults. So badly in fact, that a great many of us out there, pondered upon what it might be like if we were able to control people with our minds. Because that would make the adults listen and understand us, and that particular daydream is one that infected our minds whenever there was an argument with our parents. But those kinds of silly dreams mostly leave our heads as we grow up and venture out into the world. Because there are bigger things for us to worry about than whether or not we can make someone like us. But fiction is always there to explore those dreams to the fullest and the next episode of Star Trek brought this particular dream to life.
 
For ‘Plato’s Stepchildren’ saw the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise rush to a planet to answer a distress call and well, what the away team discovered when it beamed down was quite incredible. For they were standing upon a world where Ancient Greece lived on, and with a little pressing from the ‘Greek’ natives, they came to learn that this species of seemingly immortal beings admired that part of human history from afar and decided that Plato’s teachings would serve them well going forward. Which is why they modeled their world after Greece and why they called themselves Platonians and that’s also why they needed help from Starfleet. Because there was no modern medicine on this hidden world, and one of the Platonians, named Parmen, was badly injured and in need of treatment before an infection took his life.
 
Of course, Kirk and McCoy were happy to offer assistance, because that’s the right thing to do. But it didn’t take long for the away team to realize that the Platonians were not as docile as they initially appeared to be, and that’s when the dream in question, came to life. For these being were omnipotent and able to control minds with minimal effort, and of course they expected McCoy to stay there forever in order to keep them healthy and when he refused, well things got ugly. Because Parmen was determined to have his way and that motivated him to use his powers to control Kirk and Spock for his own amusement and to encourage McCoy to join their cause, and it took some creative thinking on Bones’ part to figure out a way to counterattack these mysterious aliens so that everyone could escape the planet safely.
 
But what matters more here, is what this story had to say about power and control. Because this episode made it clear that people simply don’t like to be controlled in the first place, and no amount of exertion will ever bend them to someone’s will because the human spirit is simply too strong. Plus, this story was quick to point out that power can be a dangerous thing without accountability in place. Because Parmen was in essence unchecked in his abilities, and that definitely corrupted him over time and these were some solid lessons for certain, and it was just wonderful to see the show find a way to sneak commentary into a tale that didn’t require it. But all subtext aside, we cannot talk about this particular tale, without taking the time to discuss the supremely important moment that occurs in the third act. 
 
Because this story is well known for featuring the first on-screen interracial kiss, since Parmen forces Kirk and Uhura to lock lips during one of his mind control tirades. Which is still powerful to watch in 2020. Mainly because, the power and the gravity of that moment hasn’t faded in the slightest, simply because while we’ve made progress in such matters, we do still have a long way to go. In the end, however, this is a solid episode for certain, but not a stellar one unfortunately. Because at times, it goes pretty over the top with the mind control sequences, and this is the umpteenth time the crew has encountered omnipotent beings. But thankfully the depth present here, and the fact that it makes it history, overshadows any issues and keeps one’s goodwill in place as you move along to the next mission in the five-year mission. Until next time.   

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