Star Trek was decades ahead of its time. Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future, where human beings have overcome their superficial differences to explore the cosmos together, was a breath of fresh air at a time when segregation and post-war paranoia and anti-communist rhetoric had Americans more divided than ever. But despite the acclaim it earned during its three seasons, Star Trek wasn’t without its controversies.
“Patterns of Force” made audiences uncomfortable with its Nazi-styled alien planet complete with S.S. uniforms and Third Reich imagery and clear parallels to the Holocaust. “Whom Gods Destroy” terrified audiences with a planet-sized institute for the criminally insane, and offended cautious parents with Marta’s sensual, scantily clad dancing. “Turnabout Intruder” has been lambasted for its tone-deaf portrayal of systemic sexism and career-focused women.
One Star Trek episode proved to be so polarizing that it ended up getting banned in the UK. Season 3, episode 12, “The Empath,” sees the landing party of Kirk, Spock, and Bones visiting a dying planet where they’re subjected to horrific experiments by a powerful alien race. The episode’s shocking depiction of intergalactic torture proved to be controversial enough to be pulled from broadcast in the UK (and pulled from summer reruns in the United States).
Why Star Trek’s “The Empath” Was Banned In The UK (& How Long For)
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“The Empath” was first broadcast on NBC in the 10pm timeslot on Friday, December 6, 1968. However, in the summer of 1969, when that batch of Star Trek episodes was being repeated on NBC, “The Empath” wasn’t shown, because the torture scenes were considered too graphic for the earlier timeslot. In the UK, those torture scenes didn’t even make it past the initial airing; they got the whole episode banned.
The BBC was supposed to air the episode in the UK over two years later, on December 16, 1970 — it was even listed in the Radio Times — but after the BBC had aired season 1, episode 8, “Miri,” two weeks earlier, the broadcaster was inundated with complaints from viewers. So, the BBC decided to inspect Star Trek a bit closer before approving episodes for airing, and “The Empath” didn’t make the cut. The episode was deemed inappropriate for young audiences, due to its themes of torture and sadism, and it was pulled from broadcast.
The BBC also banned “Miri,” “Plato’s Stepchildren,” and the aforementioned “Whom Gods Destroy,” and any fan who wrote to the BBC to ask why they those four episodes weren’t getting repeated on their airwaves received a reply explaining, “We feel that they deal most unpleasantly with already unpleasant subjects.” Those four episodes wouldn’t be screened on the BBC until the 1990s; they finally showed “The Empath” in January 1994.
DeForest Kelley Is Right About “The Empath” Being A Great Star Trek Episode
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According to Marc Cushman and Susan Osborn’s reference book These Are the Voyages, a sort of biography covering the lifespan of Star Trek: The Original Series, “The Empath” was one of DeForest Kelley’s favorite episodes. It’s more focused on Spock than Kelley’s own character, Bones McCoy, but Kelley appreciated the theatrical staging of the shoot and the stunning visuals of the final product. Kelley said, “I thought it was so dramatically done. The entire stage was blacked out in black curtains, and everything was done in ‘pen spots.’ It was so unique in production values and the cinematography on it.”
Kelley is right; “The Empath” may not be for the faint of heart, but it is a great Star Trek episode. While its graphic violence and disturbing subject matter and questionable ethical stance have all garnered criticism, “The Empath” has one of Leonard Nimoy’s finest performances as Spock, and its moralistic ending has sparked all kinds of discussions.
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