What we can learn from the worst episodes of Star Trek

And the Children Shall Lead always brings to mind Melvin Bell in a sparkly shower curtain. As the glowing alien, Gorgan, he controls the orphaned children from a mining planet and gets them to take over the Enterprise. Of course, Captain Kirk and the crew figure out a way to stop the children by showing them happy moments from their time on the planet with their families, and Gorgan deteriorates. And it’s as bad as it sounds, especially when you add in the chanting and the hand gestures.

But even with an episode that has been continuously ranked as one of the worst of Trek, there is something to be learned. Though it was children who were following Gorgan and they were under his spell, for us, the lesson is not to follow someone just because they’re in a position of power and make promises they probably don’t intend to keep.

Gorgan gave the children abilities and what they considered to be control over their own lives, but what looked too good to be true was. In reality, they had no control at all. It’s easy to follow along when someone promises what they’re offering will make your life better, but that isn’t always the case. And this episode is a strong reminder that people aren’t always who they say they are. Well, that, and don’t ever listen to a person in a sparkly shower curtain.