This was one episode where I would have loved to have in my hand a fully loaded phaser set to "disintegrate". The alien in this story was one of the most repulsive creatures in the history of science fiction---Friendly Angel, my rear end!---and I could not help thinking of various personalities, past and present, with similar nefarious schemes. All through the story I was holding my breath,wondering how Kirk and Company would deal with this, and the first inkling came when Spock, after saying "Why are we bothering Starfleet?", shook that off. The turning point came later when Spock got the captain off the bridge even while Tommy kept pounding his fist over and over and Kirk was lamenting losing command. The incredible Vulcan got Kirk's attention and used his full telepathic powers---you should have seen the intense concentration in his face---to force the demon from the captain's mind and restore his control and command; at that point I could relax, especially when Spock asked "Where to?" and Kirk, now himself again, replied "To auxiliary control, my Vulcan friend---this ship is off course!" It was not the first time, and it would not be the last, that Spock saved the situation.
Review of And the Children Shall Lead
