The Paradox of the Philosopher King.
In the third-season TOS episode "Plato's Stepchildren," the
Platonians claim to have modeled their society on the ideals of the
Greek philosopher Plato. Parmen, the leader of the Platonians, even
claims to be a philosopher king as described in Plato's dialog, the
Republic. In this episode of Meta Treks, find out what the
Plutonians got right and what they got wrong about Plato's
philosophy.
Hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss Plato's Paradox of
the Philosopher King in "Plato's Stepchildren" and other places in
the Star Trek universe, such as: General Martok as leader of the
Klingon High Council, Commander Riker as the captain who wouldn't
sit down in the Big Chair, Captain Picard as the captain who
wouldn't become an admiral (or a badmiral), and Quark's brother Rom
as the unlikeliest candidate for Grand Nagus of the Ferengi
Alliance.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 15 (00:01:07)
Meta Treks iTunes Reviews (00:02:25)
The Paradox of the Philosopher King (00:06:56)
Star Trek and the Ideal Society (00:08:43)
Not Seeking Power for its Own Sake (00:11:38)
Philosopher Kings in Star Trek: Martok (00:12:52)
Captain Picard - Authority from Above or Below
(00:15:57)
Authority and Hierarchy (00:18:25)
Commander Riker - The Captain Who Wouldn't Sit Down
(00:20:24)
Plato and Forms - Justice in Itself (00:21:48)
Plato and the Allegory of the Cave (00:29:46)
Philosopher Kings or Bumbling Fools? (00:35:50)
Plato's Stepchildren (00:37:22)
Kirk and Uhura - Social Commentary and Society's Ideals
(00:38:39)
The Platonians - Getting Plato Right and Getting Plato Wrong
(00:40:23)
Rom - The Paradox of the Philanthropist Grand Nagus
(01:00:57)
Final Thoughts (01:05:21)
