Whom Gods Destroy (Star Trek: The Original Series)

"Whom Gods Destroy" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Lee Erwin (based on a story by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl) and directed by Herb Wallerstein, it was first broadcast on NBC on January 3, 1969.

In the episode, Captain Kirk faces off with a deranged shape-shifting starship fleet captain determined to control the universe.

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 not aired by the BBC in the United Kingdom because of 'sadistic plot elements' and the risqué dance performed by the character, Marta, thought unsuitable for children. The episode remained unaired until 1994.