And the Children Shall Lead

TOS Season 3 Episode 4
Air Date: October 11th, 1968

Plot

The Enterprise is responding to a distress call from an exploration facility only to find all the researchers dead, killed by suicide. Everyone but the children that showed up. The kids didn't seem to be distraught though but rather wanted to do nothing but play. Spock suspects that the mass suicide was caused by some external force, possibly a bacteria or chemical, that doesn't effect children. He believes their behaviour is to avoid punishment.

Spock's tricorder detects a disturbance in a nearby cave. When he and Kirk investigate, Kirk suddenly feels anxious. Once out of the cave he feels fine. McCoy does a medical exam of the children and can't figure out why they are acting the way they are. Kirk talks to the children who seemed to not like being on the planet they were on and dislike adults. Kirk talks to the oldest child Tommy privately and they don't seem to even realize their parents are dead.

When the kids are back in their room, they start doing a chant that seems like a childrens song, but then a spirit of some kind, named Gorgan, appears and claims that the Enterprise will bring them to a populated planet where they can build an army to rule with.

Spock was able to extract the researchers logs who also confirm there is some kind of anxiety that the planet is causing but before he could continue Tommy shows up and pounds his fists in the air and the display loses focus. He also uses this power to control Sulu, Chekov and Uhura to take them to Markus XII but they still think they are in orbit.

In Kirk's ready room, Spock is able to get the rest of the logs to play. They discover that the scientists were being mislead somehow. Kirk orders a security team to replace the ones already on the planet below, only there is no planet below which means he transported the security team into space. Kirk rushes to the bridge but when he gets there the children are already there chanting and making Gorgan appear telling the children to keep control of the Enterprise.

Tommy starts manipulating the bridge crew. He makes Sulu see giant swords in space, Uhura sees herself as an old lady. He even makes Spock defy logic. Eventually everyone on the bridge can't even understand Kirk. Spock finally breaks free of control and steps in to help Kirk.

While attempting to plot a new course, Chekov shows up and tries to arrest Kirk. A fight breaks out, Spock knocks one out and uses a phaser to take the others custody. Kirk returns to the bridge and confronts Tommy to get him to bring out Gorgan. Tommy refuses so Kirk plays back a recording of the children's chanting and Gorgan appears.

Gorgan says that Human's are too nice, gentile which is why he will win. Kirk uses pictures of the childrens parents having fun with them to remind them of what life was like before Gorgan, then showing them their parents dead. This makes Gorgan lose the power he has in the corporeal plane.

Quotes

"The universe will be mine to command, yours to play in." - Gorgan

"I see my death. A long... death. Disease, and pain. I see my death!" - Gorgan

"They're crying, Jim! I don't know how it happened, but it's good to see." - McCoy