10 Episodes That Should Have Changed Star Trek Forever - But Didn't

8. Plato's Stepchildren (TOS)

This third season episode of Star Trek is best known for the boundary-breaking kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura, but it also involves a discovery that should have had profound implications on the Star Trek universe. Answering an urgent distress call, the Enterprise makes contact with a race of beings called the Platonians, who possess powerful telekinetic powers. The source of their amazing abilities? An element called kironide, which is found in the planet's vegetation. McCoy is able to synthesize this element with ease, and after injecting Kirk and Spock with it, they quickly develop telekinetic powers of their own, which they use to overcome the Platonians. The magical element of kironide, however, is immediately forgotten, along with the ability to provide anyone with short-term telekinetic powers after a simple injection, which would have been a phenomenally useful skill, considering how vaunted Counsellor Troy is in TNG, and how helpful her abilities tend to be.