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Star Trek has wonderful shows that are specifically created for a younger audience, like the beloved Star Trek Prodigy and Star Trek Scouts on YouTube. But their first foray into children's programming might have been a bit of a miscalculation. Star Trek the animated series was part of NBC's 1970s Saturday morning cartoon lineup. Wedged between kid-friendly shows like Josie and the Pussycats and Sigman and the Sea Monsters. But when you really [music] pay attention, you'll find some moments in the animated series feel out of sync with [music] the Saturday morning spirit and probably gave tiny viewers a lot more than they or their parents were expecting. So today, we're ranking five times Star Trek the animated series proved that it really wasn't for kids. From what's the lesson here to I can understand why they invented parental control in the 80s. Beyond the Farthest Star. >> In the very first episode of the animated series Beyond [music] the Farthest Star, the crew gets pulled into the orbit of a dead star along with what seems to be an abandoned [music] and bonkers looking ship. Surprise! It isn't abandoned. And the alien on board sneaks [music] onto the Enterprise and takes control of the ship. >> Captain, something beamed aboard with you. >> Classic Trek stakes. Alien [music] threat. Orbit decay. Welcome back crew. Kirk and crew finally free themselves from the pull of the dead star [music] and the control of the alien. But the duum ma of this episode feels really off. The alien is stuck with the dead star [music] facing eternity alone. It pleads with the crew. >> Don't leave me alone. Please >> and they just leave him there. They abandoned the lonely alien to resume their star charting mission without another thought. >> Let them die. >> How's that for a yummy bowl of anti-mpathy in the morning? [music] Even the original series displayed more compassion in moments like this. >> I want to stay stay. But but [music] maybe Kirk had a good explanation that didn't fit in the 23minute runtime. >> Let them die. >> We rank this as Enson because it's a good example of what not to do. But we have to hope that Kirk did have a good reason, even if it isn't explicitly stated. >> One of our planets is missing. In One of Our Planets is Missing, the Enterprise encounters a cloud that consumes entire planets. That sound familiar? Well, that's because it was written by Mark Daniels, who directed 15 episodes of the original series. Two of which were about giant entities who devoured planets, and one about a very small entity that destroyed [music] star systems. So, yes, familiar is an understatement, but this one's about a cosmic cloud creature that doesn't realize what it's doing, and once it does, it stops. comprehend, not desire to consume other beings. >> Excellent and very Star Trek. But before that happy, kid-friendly ending, there is a dilemma of apocalyptic proportions where a planet is [music] right in the creature's path, and the Enterprise crew has a big decision to make. >> Do we dare tell the people of Mentillis try to save a few who could get away? >> How much time do they have? >> 4 hours, 10 minutes. Sir, it's certain there'd be planetwide panic. Blind panic. >> On the other hand, notifying them may still save some small fraction of the population. Captain, >> hey kids, what do you think? Should we warn everybody or just let them die in ignorance? >> Let them die. [cheering] >> Those are pretty gut-wrenching stakes for an 8-year-old, especially after finding out that there are 82 million people on that planet and there isn't time to save them all. >> There is no choice, Jim. We'll save the children. By the time they start talking about separating kids from their parents and leaving those parents behind to die, it starts to feel less like a kid show and more like Sophie's Choice, which in case this needs to be said is very much not a kids movie. We rank this as Lieutenant. The trolley problem seems a little too complicated for anyone, let alone a child, to contemplate before noon. >> Once Upon a Planet. [snorts] >> Okay, buckle up. Our next entry [music] in this weird adventure comes from a sequel to an original series classic. In Once Upon a Planet, the crew returns to the planet from the episode Shore Lee or some shore. You remember this planet, right? The one where bones die but didn't really because basically whatever you imagine comes true but doesn't really happen. >> Anything that pleases you can be made to happen. >> The term is amusement park, >> of course. Anyway, you'd think everything would go smoothly now that they know what the planet is all about, and you'd be wrong. The liveaction tiger, samurai soldier, and strafing run from the liveaction episode are [music] replaced by animated dragons, dinosaurs, and a murderous army of playing cards. But the part that has us concerned is what happens to Ahura. She is happily singing by a stream when she [music] gets abducted and held hostage by one of the planet's robots. You are being detained so your master will not leave. >> My master? >> She's confused and [music] honestly we are too. So the computer rudely clarifies. >> I refer to the sky machine which enslaves you. >> Couple this with some very disturbing imagery of the robot later restraining her. [music] And now we're face to face with a dose of reality in a particularly turbulent civil rights era. Unsurprisingly, Ahura handles this like a badass. >> Then I'll make a statement you won't find quite so redundant. But [music] one, we don't love that Aurora is in this position to begin with. And two, we understand that civil [music] rights is an important topic for everyone to understand, but it asks a lot of our tiny TV viewers. And that's why we're ranking this one as our commander. To be fair, I am not mad anytime we have a spotlight on Aurora. >> The magics of Megas 2. Gene Rodenberry was fascinated by the idea of having Star [music] Trek characters meet God in the original series, but NBC repeatedly rejected his attempts. The animated series showrunner Dorothy Fontana later tried to get one through with a pitch from Larry Brody [music] and was also rejected. However, the NBC standards department had zero issue with changing God to the devil, [music] which resulted in the Enterprise crew making friends with him. This is a good Saturday morning lesson, right? >> Sure, Jan. [music] To be fair, it's not like they drew pentagrams to summon him or anything. Oh. Anyway, Spock and McCoy really spell it out at the end. >> You think Lucian really was the demon some men call Lucifer? Does it really matter, Bones? >> It just might, Captain. If he was, this would be the second time Lucifer was cast out. And thanks to you, the first time he was saved. So, meeting the devil, befriending him, admitting humans treated him wrongly, and then rescuing him gets captain [music] rank. They make it seem so cool to hang with Lucifer. And we're not exactly sure that's a message we'd want kids to walk AWAY WITH. Before we get to our Admiral ranking, there's a fascinating and gorgeous book about the animated series by Aaron Harvey and Rich Shepis that is well worth [music] your time. It really captures the spirit of the show and even describes where the animators [music] messed up. An extra leg here, one missing there. It makes watching the show a whole new experience. And why not listen to Mission Law's coverage of it while you're at it. >> Yesterday year, this one is tough even for me. So Yester Year is probably the most famous episode of the animated series. [music] Back when there was still a debate about whether the show was canon or not, even the doubtiest doubters felt that [music] this episode transcended its medium and was official Trek lore. It was written by showrunner Dorothy Fontana, who had been an essential member of the creative team that shaped the original series. There she made huge contributions to Vulcan lore, especially in Journey to Babel, where she [music] introduced us to Spock's parents and gave us a tiny glimpse into his childhood. He did have a pet sailor he was very fond of. solid. [music] It's >> sort of a a fat teddy bear. In yestery year, we meet that teddy bear when Spock had to go back to his own past to save himself [music] as a child. On Vulcan, a 7-year-old Spock heads out to the desert for a maturity ritual like you do. His cellet, Ichaya, insists on [music] following him. They're attacked by a fierce desert dwelling beast, and Ichaya is [music] badly wounded while protecting younger Spock. Older Spock offers to stay with [music] the pet while young Spock can find a healer. Oh, and by the way, younger Spot just thinks older Spock is a cool older cousin, not his older self. Anyway, [music] he convinces the healer to help the poor beast, which is when he's faced with the kind of decision no kid that age should have to make on their own. >> Is there nothing you can do? >> I can prolong his life, but he will be in pain. Or I can release him from life. I will need your decision. He is your pet. >> Holy horror, Batman. They just killed Spock's beloved childhood [music] pet. And this was airing for kids on a Saturday morning. So, while they're sitting there eating Captain Crunch, they're also being asked to contemplate mortality, mercy, and whether keeping a beloved animal alive in pain is actually the kinder choice or not. What are we doing to these tiny humans? And more importantly, what am I doing to myself? This earns yestery year an admiral. If any scene makes us understand why parental controls eventually became a thing, it's this one. So, that about does it. The animated series, no matter where you land on the canon debate, is required viewing. We're just not entirely sure you should invite your kids to the first watch through. Let us know in the comments. Did we miss a moment in the [music] animated series that felt a little too adult for Saturday morning? Oh, and if you want to talk about an animated Star Trek series that definitely isn't for kids, but does have some surprisingly good life lessons, [music] check out our video on five mental health lessons Lower Decks taught us. Thanks so much for joining us, and until next time, silly viewer tricks aren't for kids. Thanks so much for joining us and until next time, silly