Some television moments are burned into the hearts and minds of dedicated viewers and become legendary: the final episode of M*A*S*H, James’ sudden death on Good Times, and “I take thee Rachel” on Friends during Ross and Emily’s wedding. However, when it comes to unforgettable sci-fi television moments, a kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura in the third season of Star Trek is the stuff of legend—but it almost didn’t happen!
In “Plato’s Stepchildren” (S03E12), the crew responds to a distress signal from an uncharted planet. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to find a race of beings who have powerful telekinetic abilities and have modeled their society after the teachings of the Greek philosopher Plato. They soon discover that the group’s leader, Parmen, is dying from a leg infection and that he has little control of his mental powers. This causes him to hurl objects around the room as the infection causes further delirium.
McCoy stops the onslaught by sedating Parmen and healing the infection. Once he’s well, Parmen insists that Dr. McCoy stay with them, as they have no physician. McCoy refuses, and the Platotians use their abilities to force the three men to perform for them, and then summon Uhura and Christine Chapel from Enterprise to add to the amusement—including forcing Kirk and Uhura to kiss.
Shatner was the reason the Kirk and Uhura kiss happened
Since the year was 1968, the Kirk/Uhura kiss was seen as controversial, and NBC executives feared backlash, especially from more conservative areas of the country. The episode’s director, David Alexander, considered cutting the scene completely, but William Shatner stepped in to make sure it happened.
While William Shatner is famous for his ego and his former castmates have said he was not always easy to work with, it turns out that this famous kiss would not have happened without him. Show creator Gene Roddenberry told Alexander to shoot two takes, one that featured the kiss and one that didn’t, but Shatner was determined that the former needed to be included in the final cut.
During filming, Shatner pushed the shoot far past its production schedule by asking for take after take. Finally, drastically over schedule, the director decided on the implied, off-screen kiss. Shatner seemed to oblige, but once out of Alexander’s view, he flubbed the take by crossing his eyes at the camera!
Once Roddenberry and Alexander reviewed the footage, they discovered the only usable shot was the footage of the on-screen kiss! With no other choice but to air the episode, Star Trek viewers on the evening of November 22, 1968, viewed one of the first interracial kisses on television.
A surprising aftermath
While Roddenberry and NBC Studios steeled themselves for the inevitable backlash they thought would come after the episode aired, surprisingly, none ever occurred. There were no hateful letters or complaints from viewers, and although the show’s run would end soon after, the “Plato’s Stepchildren” kiss between Kirk and Uhura became the stuff of television legend.
Star Trek has always pushed the television envelope and burst through barriers, often quite boldly (if you’ll pardon the expression). While such a televised kiss is common today, modern sci-fi owes a great deal to shows like the original Star Trek series and the bravery and commitment of its cast.