Five Star Trek episodes banned from British TV for decades—and why

Four Star Trek: The Original Series episodes and one from The Next Generation were banned from British TV for years, with the BBC citing unsuitable content involving "madness, torture, sadism and disease" for child viewers. The bans were lifted by the 1990s. The BBC delayed the show's UK arrival until 1969 and avoided the original pilot, choosing a more action-packed episode. Banned episodes included "Miri," "Plato's Stepchildren," "The Empath," and "Whom Gods Destroy," all deemed too disturbing, with creator Gene Roddenberry publicly disagreeing with the censorship. The Next Generation episode "The High Ground" was also withheld due to a reference to Irish unification, with both the BBC and Irish broadcaster RTE avoiding it. Writer Melinda Snodgrass defended science fiction's role in discussing difficult topics at a distance.