Editing Plato's Stepchildren (section)

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox television episode
| image =
| caption =
| series = [[Star Trek: The Original Series]]
| season = 3
| episode = 10
| production = 067
| airdate = {{Start date|1968|11|22}}
| writer = [[Meyer Dolinsky]]
| director = [[David Alexander (director)|David Alexander]]
| music = [[Alexander Courage]]
| photographer = Al Francis
| guests = 
*[[Michael Dunn (actor)|Michael Dunn]] - Alexander
*[[Barbara Babcock]] - Philana
*[[Liam Sullivan]] - Parmen
*Ted Scott - Eraclitus
*[[Derek Partridge]] - Dionyd
*William Blackburn - Lt. Hadley
| prev = [[The Tholian Web]]
| next = [[Wink of an Eye]]
| episode_list = List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes
| season_article = Star Trek: The Original Series season 3
}}

"'''Plato's Stepchildren'''" is the tenth episode of the [[Star Trek: The Original Series season 3|third season]] of the American [[science fiction]] television series ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]''. Written by [[Meyer Dolinsky]] and directed by [[David Alexander (director)|David Alexander]], it was first broadcast on November 22, 1968.

In the episode, the crew of the ''[[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|Enterprise]]'' encounter an ageless and sadistic race of humanoids with the power of [[Psychokinesis|telekinesis]].

The [[Kirk and Uhura's kiss|episode is notable for depicting a kiss]] between a white man ([[James T. Kirk|Kirk]]) and a black woman ([[Uhura]]), which was among the earliest instances of this on a US television show.<ref name="Space01">{{cite web|url=http://www.space.com/entertainment/060907_star_trek.html|title=After 40 Years, Star Trek 'Won't Die'|last=Malik|first=Tariq|date=September 6, 2006|publisher=SPACE.com|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=October 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008123202/http://www.space.com/entertainment/060907_star_trek.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TVGuide01">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/shattered-tv-taboos-1005496.aspx|title=Shattered TV Taboos: How Bea Arthur and Others Broke Barriers|last=Molloy|first=Tim|date=April 9, 2009|publisher=TV Guide|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=June 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616062610/http://www.tvguide.com/news/shattered-tv-taboos-1005496.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was one of several episodes not screened by the BBC because of their "unpleasant" content, including [[torture]] and [[Sadomasochism|sadism]].<ref name="denofgeek.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/star-trek/45722/star-trek-looking-back-at-the-bbcs-ban-and-censorship|title=Star Trek: looking back at the BBC's ban and censorship|website=Den of Geek|date=December 6, 2016|access-date=11 May 2018|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511220638/http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/star-trek/45722/star-trek-looking-back-at-the-bbcs-ban-and-censorship|url-status=live}}</ref>