Star Trek: Whom Gods Destroy

"Whom Gods Destroy" is a third season episode of the American science fiction television series, Star Trek. It is episode #69, production #71, and was broadcast on January 3, 1969. It was written by Lee Erwin, based on a story by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl, and directed by Herb Wallerstein. The title is based on a phrase spoken by Prometheus in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "The Masque of Pandora" (1875): "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." This episode was withdrawn by the BBC in the UK because of 'sadistic plot elements' during the initial run in 1971 and was not shown until a repeat run in January 1994. In the episode, Captain Kirk faces off with a demented shape-shifting starship captain determined to control the universe.