"Plato's Stepchildren" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: TOS Season 3
Added 2024-10-04 18:00:06 +0000 UTCFollow along with me using your own copy of the episode!
Comments
So, Bunny... enough with the fear of incorrect language and mictoaggressions. If you meant no ill will, then you did no wrong. We should not be obsessed with fearing the offense of others. I am certain there are people thar we don't even know who are offended by our mere existence. Not sorry, it's their problem. I won't kill or torture myself to resolve your invented offense where none was intended. Actually, Michael Dunn was a dwarf. The medical condition is known as dwarfism. (Midgets are the result of a diffrrent condition.) I am glad you enjoyed this episode. I never really cared for it. I guess it always bothered me to see people just going out of their way to be jerks. We do have too much of THAT in our society. Toss in elitism and their arrogance and condescention and it's just bleh. It was fun acting, though. I enjoyed not taking it too seriously with you.
John DiGiantomasso
2024-10-11 02:43:22 +0000 UTCOh, another thing I wanted to highlight. We get that fun bit with Spock singing “Bitter Dregs” which is awesome. It’s worth noting that both Nimoy and Shatner consider themselves something of a musician. They both put out albums with, shall we say, interesting results? You may very well have seen this, but perhaps not since it’s been quite a few years since it was a popular meme, but check out “the ballad of Bilbo Baggins“ by Nemoy and “Rocketman“ by William Shatner. The video is readily available on YouTube. Leonard Nimoys may be the most 60s thing ever, and Shatner may be the most 70s thing ever. Both are completely bonkers and wildly amusing in their own bizarre way. For the Nimitz make sure you watch the one with the original video featuring the man himself.
Matthew Graves
2024-10-08 21:12:30 +0000 UTCYes, the character he played was a megalomaniac mad scientist named Miguelito Loveless and was assisted by a near 7-foot tall brute played by Richard Kiel.
3dbadboy1
2024-10-07 02:12:36 +0000 UTCThanks for enduring this one for me!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:43:16 +0000 UTCWow! That webgame is crazy! haha
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:42:38 +0000 UTCI would not mind seeing more of his stuff :)
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:42:00 +0000 UTCI must get around to reading up on Plato!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:41:42 +0000 UTC😉
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:40:46 +0000 UTCThanks!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:40:33 +0000 UTCYou're welcome!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:40:06 +0000 UTCHe was certainly a stand out part of this episode!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:39:59 +0000 UTCThere are a lot of people who seem to dislike the humiliation of the actors here. I guess my view on it is different, they are playing a role. Sometimes actors are good guys. Sometimes they are bad guys that do horrendous things. It doesn't mean the actors themselves are vile. Also, since I play games on my livestream and I oftentimes tend to not be very skilled at them, much of my entertainment leans towards some self-humiliation as well. In my case, it's all in good fun. Though, to be fair, I've never pranced around like a horse and that may be a bit of a different situation.
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:39:20 +0000 UTCI thought she looked familiar but I figured it was just my imagination! :(
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:34:50 +0000 UTCI agree, a very big impression indeed!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:33:46 +0000 UTCBold indeed!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:33:17 +0000 UTCYou're welcome!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:31:34 +0000 UTCWhile I would not like EVERY Star Trek episode to be silly like this one, I do enjoy them here and there. :) And yes, I really enjoyed the acting!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:31:12 +0000 UTCCheers indeed!
bunnytails
2024-10-06 18:25:20 +0000 UTCAt best i haven't cared for this episode, possibly seeing it as a teenager when it originally aird on NBC, helped to create the negative view. I have kept my pact I made to watch every episode with you. I haven't watched this episode in a long, LONG time. I very much enjoy you fresh opinion. I'll be here with you all the way through "Turnabout Intruder." BTW Michael Dunn, was seen in many TV shows and movies in the 1960's so he was a known guest star when he appeared on Star Trek. I looked him up on IMDB and was surprised to learn his family moved to the Detroit area when he was very young. He graduated from a high school only a few miles away from the high school I went to.
Dave Riley
2024-10-06 06:16:55 +0000 UTCI agree with you Lee. Bunny has been very good on remembering specific details on past episodes, and I thought she would pick up on Barbara Babcock right away.
Dave Riley
2024-10-06 06:03:03 +0000 UTCI've seen this episode so many times over the years this was the first time I watched it had had tears of laughter at times. This was a silly but (at times serious) episode. The actor who played Alexander, however, was outstanding. His performance elevated this episode. On a different note, if you are ever having a bad day, I found this Star Trek webgame which is based on this exact episode: https://www.slapkirk.com/ As you might guess from the url, it involves some slapping and some Kirk. There's an alternate version where Kirk slaps Spock (from This Side of Paradise -- Spock Mode). The goal in both modes is to slap as many times and as fast as possible. Enjoy!
Ron
2024-10-06 06:01:31 +0000 UTCMichael Dunn also played Dr. Loveless in the original "The Wild Wild West" (with a young Robert Conrad and Ross Martin). He did an amazing acting job back then too.
Carlos Stevens
2024-10-05 04:46:43 +0000 UTCLol, tig bits. I almost couldn't hold back the laughter :D
3dbadboy1
2024-10-05 02:26:46 +0000 UTCThis is a weird one and so many ways. On one hand it’s fun, watching the actors go out of character and do some over the top stuff. But as you picked up on Bunny, the coercive element gets quite sticky and uncomfortable. that can have its place in a narrative to make a point, of course, but it arguably goes a bit further than it needs to here, IMO. Much has been sent about to kiss over the years. I guess I was sheltered as a kid in that the racial thing never registered on me until I was much older and read about it. I was just always disappointed that Kirk and Uhuta didn’t get to kiss “for real“ (same as with Spock and Chapel) I do like the theme, which is obviously the whole “ absolutel power corrupts absolutely” idea which is almost cliché at this point. But I think true. In any case, it’s a nice criticism of Plato’s idea of an ideal government of philosopher kings. Plato was not a fan of democracy, while this episode is, if not explicitly pro-democracy, definitely explicitly pro egalitarian.
Matthew Graves
2024-10-05 01:08:54 +0000 UTCHi Bunny, really enjoyed this, thanks!🤩👍
ded cowbowee
2024-10-04 23:49:48 +0000 UTCThe Prime Directive may have played into not taking punitive measures against the Platonians. This is an incredible episode thematically, and very theatrical otherwise. While the crew was being humiliated, none ever let that break them. A lot of things being addressed in a very brief time. I don't think Kirk/Uhura Spock/Chapel was anything more than a corruption of their actual attractions to each other. They simply could never act on them as Starfleet crew members. Still some great episodes on deck! Glad you enjoyed it, I do too! Looking forward to Spartacus and BTTF!
Trilogian
2024-10-04 23:19:03 +0000 UTCUhura giving you a run for your money 👀👀👀. Michael Dunn was indeed great, as he was in all of his appearances, most notably as Dr Miguelito Loveless in The Wild Wild West tv show (NOT the W Smith movie crap). Michael was the Warwick Davis of his time. So sad he ascended at the young age of 38, just 5 years after this show...
Anthony Silva
2024-10-04 22:17:40 +0000 UTCI've had a lot of back and forth over the years, but, this is the worst episode of TOS. The actors are humiliated just as much as their characters. William Shatner should have refused to film the scene where he was embarrassed to act like a horse. He should have known better.
Mark Chrisco
2024-10-04 22:12:53 +0000 UTCAs usual, I'm playing the role of "old man yells at cloud" this week. Much as I admire the acting on the part of the regular cast and guest stars (Michael Dunn in particular), as well as the general themes of power corrupting and the individual standing up to authority, the excessive humiliation bordering on torture porn really takes away from my enjoyment. A little bit of that goes a long way, and it seemed to go on far too long in my estimation. This is one of my least favorite episodes overall, and solid justification for S3's bad reputation. This episode featured a returning actor who could be called a friend of the show: Barbara Babcock (Philana, Parmen's wife) appeared previously as Mea 3 in "A Taste of Armageddon" and has voiced several characters in past episodes (Trelane's mother in "The Squire of Gothos," the Beta 5 computer in "Assignment: Earth," and more recently as Loskene, the Tholian commander). Bunny has demonstrated a keen eye for noticing previous guest stars, so I was hoping she'd recognize Ms. Babcock, but alas, I think the costumes and sets distracted her. LOL
Lee
2024-10-04 22:08:07 +0000 UTCWikipedia has a fairly comprehensive article on interracial kisses on American & British television and lists this one as the eighth to have happened in the US. (Spoiler alert: a second season episode of Star Trek is sixth on the list!) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_interracial_kiss_on_television
Lee
2024-10-04 21:51:45 +0000 UTCWhen people talk about Season 3 being bad, this is one of the episodes they're referring to. But it's got some really memorable weird scenes mostly with Alexander riding Kirk, Spock singing, etc. I saw it on VHS when I was like 8. I never remembered this episode for the kiss. Kirk whinnying like a horse made a much bigger impression.
SuicuneSol
2024-10-04 21:21:00 +0000 UTCShatner and Nimoy, two spacemen marching to a drum. lol
Scott Phx
2024-10-04 20:31:45 +0000 UTCGreat speeches by Kirk, Spock, Alexander, Parmen, about the b.s. "Republic" knockoff the crew finds themselves in. Although it's been argued back and forth, Platonic philosophy does envisage an elite group governing societies, obviously alluded to here. This is Kirk's comeuppance for the gaslighting of Harry Mudd's planet and the computers, the M-5, Landru, Norman, Nomad, he crashed. It probably went out on the network, which is how the Platonians found out. The aliens give everyone hell, according to their specific weaknesses. Spock, emotional expression, Kirk, women. I find it quite entertaining. A great psychic fight between Parmen and Kirk at the end. I'm sort of puzzled at the end when Kirk asks Alexander whether he wants to be like Parmen and he doesn't kill him. I figure there's a Starfleet reg that prevents Alexander doing that in front of them. The kiss is great for two reasons: Uhura and Kirk lowered their shields, if not giving a passionate kiss, plus Uhura prevents any sexual harassment complaint to hr by saying she consented. The other point is the sixties: society was open to seeing interracial affection, but I bring up the movie "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" about an interracial couple, where Sidney Poitier never gets closer than six feet to the actress playing Katherine Hepburn's daughter, his fiancee. Pretty bold of Star Trek.
William Terry
2024-10-04 19:37:57 +0000 UTCHey Bunny Hope you're doing well today - this is kind of a goofy episode - they make Spock recite some incoherent jibberish - silly -- like way back in the '70s - on a record album a popular rock group might have had 3 or 4 hits - but the rest might have been duds ,fill in songs - this episode might be that way too - anyway closer to some AWESOME ep. Thanks for the reaction *🩷 💌
dave zink
2024-10-04 19:23:21 +0000 UTCAh, I was wondering what your reaction to this episode was going to be, LOL It's one of the most infamous episodes of the original series, due to 'the kiss'. Yes, the Star Trek intro is very iconic -- both the words and music. There's a reason the words have been parodied so much and also used for The Next Generation. We totally had different reactions to this episode. You were right that some people find this episode 'silly and annoying' -- I always have, although I don't dislike it as much as I did when I was younger. I guess it just depends on your mindset and what you enjoy seeing in your shows like Star Trek. That said, there ARE things I like about this episode. The acting is, as always, top notch. The setting and costumes for ancient Greece are well done. I do like how different and 'out there' this episode is, although the plot always reminded me of the first season episode with Apollo. The music is very good, as well as the normal Star Trek messages and themes. And having Chapel and Uhura here, when they don't get a lot of screen time, is fun. Yes, as the old saying goes, 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely' and even people with the best intentions can be swayed to the dark side. In regards to that infamous and famous kiss with Kirk and Uhura -- a lot has been said on this, so I'll keep my thoughts short. Contrary to what is often reported, this was NOT the first onscreen interracial kiss. It's just the one that many people saw, and it got a lot of attention. The BBC didn't show it either because of it's "unpleasant" content, including torture and sadism. However, the episode went over well. Quoting from Wikipedia as it's easiest to just pull from them here: "Several takes of the Kirk/Uhura kiss were filmed, with different levels of contact between the actors, and many speculate on which version was used in the final cut of the episode. William Shatner recalls in Star Trek Memories that NBC insisted their lips never touch (the technique of turning their heads away from the camera was used to conceal this). However, Nichelle Nichols insists in her autobiography Beyond Uhura (written in 1994 after Shatner's book) that the kiss was real, even in takes where her head obscures their lips. When NBC executives learned of the kiss they became concerned it would anger TV stations in the Deep South. There were, however, few if any complaints about the scene. Nichelle Nichols observes that "Plato's Stepchildren" which first aired in November 1968 "received a huge response. We received one of the largest batches of fan mail ever, all of it very positive, with many addressed to me from girls wondering how it felt to kiss Captain Kirk, and many to him from guys wondering the same thing about me. However, almost no one found the kiss offensive" except from a single, mildly negative letter from one white Southerner who wrote: "I am totally opposed to 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, he ain't gonna fight it." Nichols notes that "for me, the most memorable episode of our last season was 'Plato's Stepchildren.'" The writers KNEW the kiss was going to be controversial and also knew if it was present as consensual there was no way they would get the censors at NBC to approve it. So it was depicted in the plot as being 'they had no choice but to kiss -- they were forced to!' In this way, the writers could include it and also get NBC to approve it. I always found it curious that the kiss between Chapel and Spock -- which was also forced and important -- gets so little mention. I do enjoy times when Star Trek is silly and light hearted -- it doesn't always need to be a serious show. And overall I liked the premise of this episode. I just found it way too over the top for it's own good.
Greg Polander
2024-10-04 19:10:25 +0000 UTCSuper fun episode, if, with a bit truncated ending. But many good moments and excitement, jeopardy and horseplay, ahem. I'll just say the obvious: Michael Dunn give us an unforgettable performance and we have, in Parmen, a terrific, memorable villain. Great message, great costumes, pretty convincing telekinesis FX and William Shatner playing Captain Kirk playing a horse... I don't care if this is a spoiler, Bunny: you're never gonna see that again in this series, LOL. Wasn't it great?! Finally, and with apologies, I'll say it once more: cheers for another good Season 3 episode : )
Skyman's Follies
2024-10-04 19:03:01 +0000 UTC
