Introduction

“And the Children Shall Lead” is the fourth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek.

Written by Edward J. Lakso and directed by Marvin Chomsky, it was first broadcast on 11 October 1968.

In the episode, the crew of the Enterprise find children with great powers at their disposal.

Outline

The federation starship Enterprise arrives at the planet Triacus. Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and First Officer Spock beam down in time to witness the death of Professor Starnes, the leader of a scientific expedition team. The other members of the expedition, apart from their five seemingly unconcerned children, seem to have died at their own hands.

The crew bring the children back to the Enterprise, where McCoy evaluates them and determines that they are suffering from lacunar amnesia, unaware of what happened to their parents and unable to grieve. However, when left unattended in one of the ship’s rooms, the children chant an evocation and summon a glowing humanoid named Gorgan. He advises them to take control of the crew in order to get to Marcus XII, his preferred destination. The eldest child, Tommy, uses mental powers Gorgan has bestowed on the children to trick the crew into steering the ship while presenting illusions that make them think they are still in orbit above Triacus.

Upon reviewing a troublesome expedition film recorded by Starnes, Spock, McCoy, and Kirk return to the bridge to find the children and Gorgan fully in control of the crew. Unable to break their hold on the crew, Spock observes that the children are merely possessed by Gorgan, who must be the evil embodiment of an ancient group of space-warring marauders released by Starnes’s archaeological survey.

Believing they can break the hold Gorgan has on the children, Spock plays back footage showing the children happy with their parents, who are then shown to be dead. As the children realise what has happened, they break down emotionally and Gorgan’s appearance begins to deteriorate. With the children’s powers gone, the crew regains control and Kirk orders a course for Starbase 4 while they take care to comfort the children.

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Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Marvin J. Chomsky.
• Writer(s): Edward J. Lakso.
• Production: Desilu Productions (1966-1967) and Paramount Television (1968-1969).
• Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures (1966-2006), CBS Paramount Television (2006-2007), and CBS Television Distribution (2007-Present).
• Original Network: NBC.
• Release Date: 11 October 1968.
• Running Time: 50 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.