"Plato's Stepchildren" is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast November 22, 1968. It is episode #67, written by Meyer Dolinsky, and directed by David Alexander .

Quick Overview: The crew of the Enterprise encounters a mischievous race of humanoids.

On stardate 5784.2, the starship USS Enterprise arrives at a planet that is highly enriched with rare kironide mineral deposits. Soon the ship receives a distress call from the surface, and Captain James T. Kirk, along with his first officer Mr. Spock and chief medical officer Dr. McCoy, beam down to the planet to investigate.

Once there, they are greeted by a friendly midget named Alexander, who wears clothing reminiscent of Earth's Ancient Greece. Alexander leads the landing party to meet the rest of his people who call themselves Platonians in honor of the Greek philosopher Plato. The Platonians indicate that they had spend time on Earth during the golden age of the Greek civilization, and modeled their ways after it. All of the Platonians, except for Alexander, seem to possess telekinetic powers.

The Platonians explain the reason for "luring" them to their planet centers around their leader, Parman, who has contracted an infection in his leg. The resulting fever caused by his injury has made him delirious, and his psychokinetic powers are running haywire. In one outburst, he causes one of McCoy's hypo sprayers to fly from his hand. Interestingly enough, despite their telekinetic powers, the planet's natives suffer from impaired immune systems which cannot fight off even marginal infections or injuries.

After Dr. McCoy treats Parman, he demands that McCoy remain on the planet permanently in case something similar happens to him or someone else in the future. Naturally, Captain Kirk deems this unacceptable, so he is punished by the Platonians powers. They humiliate Kirk and Spock, as Dr. McCoy watches, forcing them to do little songs and dances, like foolish court jesters. Then Platonians then use their powers to send down other Enterprise officers to the planet for their entertainment.

Once on the planet, the officers quickly get their minds usurped by Parman and his cohorts, who proceed to make them perform ludicrous rituals. Parmen forces Lt. Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Captain Kirk to perform for him, while Spock is prompted to strum a harp and sing a song. Alexander becomes angry after watching the humiliating tricks played upon the crew by his Platonian masters. He tries to attack Parman with a knife, but Parman stops him in his tracks with his power, and forces Alexander to turn the knife onto himself.

Meanwhile, Dr. McCoy had managed to isolate and identify the substance that provides the inhabitants with their special powers, the kironide mineral itself, which is abundant in the natural food and water supply of the planet. Soon he is able to prepare a serum and inject Captain Kirk and the others with doses of it. Kirk, uses his new found telekinetic powers in a contest of strength with Parman, and the two fight for control of Alexander's knife.

Kirk's willpower proves to be the stronger, and the knife is flung toward Parman, landing sharp against his throat. The Platonian admits defeat and begs for mercy, being forced to promise to mend his bullying ways. Kirk warns him that the events encountered here will be reported to Starfleet and, if Parman goes back on his word, the powers can be recreated by anyone whenever they wish in order to defeat him.

Kirk promises to send appropriate medical technicians to the planet as long as the Platonian's behave themselves. Alexander, who could not internalize the empowering substance due to his stature, is released from his duty as serving the planet's denizens as a slave and jester, although Dr. McCoy offers to synthesize a serum that would work for him, giving the defenseless guy an edge against the others. Alexander turns down the offer, and requests to go with the Enterprise and start a new, and presumably happier, life elsewhere in the galaxy.

Trivia

The song sung by Spock, Maiden Wine, was more popularly referred to as Bitter Dregs, and the latter became a cache phrase among American sports fans, who proceeded to use that term to denote a team having an extremely poor season; often, fans of said team would sarcastically propose that the club entitle its annual highlight film Plato's Stepchildren, because the team had become the "bitter dregs" of the league.

The lyrics to Spock's harp song Maiden Wine:

"Take care, young ladies, and value your wine.

Be watchful of young men in their velvet prime.

Deeply they'll swallow from your finest kegs,

Then swiftly be gone, leaving bitter dregs.

Ahh-ah-ah-ah, bitter dregs."

"With smiling words and tender touch,

Man offers little and asks for so much.

He loves in the breathless excitement of night,

Then leaves with your treasure in cold morning light.

Ahh-ah-ah-ah, in cold morning light."

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