Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 34, Episodes 67 & 68: Plato's Stepchildren/ Wink Of An Eye

Wink of an Eye-This episode, involving an accelerated species, has always been a favorite of mine. It is a very dreamlike episode; the scene depicting Kirk's acceleration must be one of the show's most bizarre segments. Tilting the camera and returning to music used in 'The Cage' were nice ways of embellishing acceleration. The idea also struck me as quite original (although I must confess I've read very little science fiction). Others have noted that when you sit down and work out the times involved, there are a lot of inconsistencies and implausible outcomes, but I do not look to Star Trek for that kind of realism.
Kathy Browne does a nice job as Deela. While clearly serious about the business of reproduction, she has a light, flirtatious quality which, along with her power, forces Kirk out of his usual domineering role. Of course, the two of them generated a scene for the sensors to miss nonetheless!
One final note: Even after several viewings I'm still not sure I understand the final scene, when Kirk utters the cryptic line, "That's..no malfunction." Did the production team just run out of steam at the end of the episode? Or did Deela intentionally leave the tape nearby (for Uhura to mistakenly pick up) as a momento to Kirk? Not clear. What is clear is that things were starting to get sloppy by the middle of the 3rd season; it would only get worse.
Nevertheless, I feel this episode, number 12 of 24) sits solidly on the winning side of what would be a turning point for the show. The remaining shows as a rule wouldn't feel as stylized as those from the first half of the third season, and were somehow less quirky and more formulaic. Given that they also tended to have thin plots, this would be a formula for disaster. (4 stars)


One of the best Star Treks!   April 2, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I absolutely love this episode! Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that I'm a huge Spock fan, and love to see him act more human, which is rare. But there are also a lot of other great things about this episode. It's really fun, although you should probably watch it twice if you want to experience the fun in the silliness as much as possible, since you're worrying too much the first time about whether they'll ever get out! And, of course, the show itself took great strides with the showing of the first inter-racial kiss, between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, not to mention the one shared by Leonard Nimoy and Majel Barrett! But that's really what Star Trek is all about, isn't it? "To go where no one has gone before' and in this episode, they did that with a lot of fun involved.


DON'T BUY INTO THE HYPE.....   February 15, 2003
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

Volume 34 of the Star Trek DVD series contains two episodes that have been considered good cause they were supposedly very risqué during the time they aired. Partly because each has it's own "landmark moment in American television". In reality these moments are barely noticable and these two Trek episodes are just as mediocre as the rest that came out of the third season.

PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN opens this one. Yeah I know. I've heard it a thousand times: "tv's first interracial kiss" between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols. The truth is (according to Shatner himself) that two scenes of this were shot. One that was actually a kiss and the other that wasn't. The latter was chosen in the original airing and they have never bothered to put the actual kiss in any reruns. Therefore technically there is nothing special about this one. The plot is typical Star Trek and this episode showcases some of the actors most embarassing moments. Still this is good for a laugh. Especially when the dwarf Alexander mounts Kirk like a horse and our good Capt. begins to 'neigh'. Apart from those embarassing moments and a few touching acting scenes between Kirk and Alexander this episode is pretty forgettable.

The second episode here is WINK OF AN EYE which fairs little better than PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN. For whatever reason I have always felt the sound in this one was muffled. Maybe it was just me? Anyways the supposed off camera sex scene between Kirk and the girl isn't very noteworthy. As a matter of fact I didn't even notice it until another Amazon.com reviewer mentioned it! The plot to WINK OF AN EYE is interesting but in the long run it's merely the Star Trek crew being invaded by bizarre aliens once again. As I said many times before, it's been done! Anybody else notice that the camera work of this episode was almost always on a slant? Just a thought...

Overall these two episodes are definetly watchable but I find neither them are as special as they claim to be. Keep in mind these were released in 1968 so perhaps they were considered more shocking back then but I find it hard to believe since Star Trek's ratings and popularity were at an all time low when they aired. Not the best but it's classic Trek so go on try it! Recommended!


Interracial Space Sex!   August 25, 2002
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Both of these episodes share one thing in common: they boldly went where no network program had gone before, in terms of ... bypassing the censors. "Wink of an Eye" is the one in which comely Kathie Brown (the real-life Mrs. Darren McGavin) is seen brushing her hair beside William Shatner while Shatner sits on the edge of his bed pulling on his boot, and "Plato's Stepchildren" had T.V.'s first interracial kiss (William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols). Neither of these things may seem like that big of a deal today, but in 1968, let me tell you...!

"Wink" is an episode that makes little sense, but is thoroughly enjoyable. The entire race of the planet Scalos seems to have disappeared, without explanation. All that remains there is an occasional odd insect buzzing - which follows the landing party back to the Enterprise, after which Captain Kirk suddenly disappears from the bridge, in full view of the crew. What's really happened to him is the same thing that happened to the Scalosians, several of whom are now on board - he's speeded-up a thousand times, now moving too fast to be detected by anyone not accelerated at the same rate. Alien leader Kathie Brown, like all alien women, has taken a fancy to the charismatic Kirk, and intends to keep him with her after freezing the entire Enterprise crew and stealing his starship to move on to greener pastures. Forgetting the built-in logic problem of how matter accelerated to such an impossible speed keeps from falling apart by intense friction, this is still a pretty good little story, fascinating to watch, and Kathie Brown is a knockout, in addition to being a decent actress.

"Plato's Stepchildren" is a great episode, written by one of Outer Limits' best contributors, Meyer Dolinsky. The Enterprise finds itself summoned to a previously believed to be uninhabited planet, populated by beautiful people affecting ancient Greek costume and architecture. They call themselves Plato's Stepchildren, supposedly devoted to nothing but lofty philosophy - but in reality, they are telekinetic demigods, whose seeming immortality and incredible power has dragged them down into sadistic decadence. Their power and immortality does have one terrible price - it makes them hemophiliacs, and their medical knowledge is dreadfully inadequate, so Dr. McCoy is commanded to remain behind with them. When he refuses, Plato's Stepchildren force several of the Enterprise crew into cruelly degrading situations, and unleash the full force of their fury.

The story is great, and so are the scenery and the guest stars. Liam Sullivan is the Caligula-like Parmin, head of the planet, with the always sexy Barbara Babcock as his aristocratically sadistic mate. Best of all is famous dwarf actor Michael Dunn as the planet's whipping-boy, who helps the Enterprise defeat the evil Platonians. Dunn - best known as Dr. Loveless in The Wild, Wild West - had a phenomenal singing voice, and usually got to use it in his numerous 1960s guest appearances, as he does here in fine style.