Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead"

"And the Children Shall Lead"

Season 3, Episode 4.

Kirk and company investigate what's left of a scientific party on the planet Triakis. All the adults are dead from an apparent mass suicide. The kids just keep playing, immune to any kind of grief. As the crew tries to figure out the mystery, the kids on board try to take over the ship.

See, the kids brought aboard some kind of ghost-alien that wants the Enterprise to take them to another planet. The ghost-alien has given the kids remarkable thought-powers. They are able to make the crew change the ship's direction and see things that aren't there, like the planet when they leave orbit. Sulu sees a wacky "tunnel of daggers" in space. Kirk and Spock and the deluded transporter operator beam two redshirted crewmen into space, killing them.

Kirk posts a 24-hour guard on the kids really early in this show, actually exhibiting good foresight for once.

The kids make everyone else see things except Kirk as he tries to fix things. Then they finally get Kirk. Spock comes out of his trance in the nick of time to save Kirk. While you are watching this one, you can't help but wonder why doesn't Spock neck pinch all the kids, or Kirk stun them? Kirk breaks the spell over the kids by showing them video of playing with their families. Somehow, the ghost-alien just fades away.