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Episode
103
Justice
The Enterprise happens on a planet of sex and violence, minus the violence. Unless you step on the flowers, in which case punishment is both swift and final. Can Captain Picard save one of his own without breaking the prime directive? Find out when we put Justice in the Mission Log.
I always liked this episode because of the exploration of when it was permissible to violate the Prime Directive, when I first watched it, the sexual stuff never even entered into my consciousness probably because I was just a young kid, watching for the first time. Of course Kirk already seems to have decided that the Prime Directive was a good idea, but, to be used at your (as in his) own discretion.
A better episode than its reputation suggests. I had wondered whether the Edo’s God(s) were testing the Enterprise’s commitment to their own laws, or their willingness to rise above the letter of the law in the name of justice.
Of course, they could have done what they did just a couple of episodes before in Code of Honour, and let Wesley poisoned, have his mother analyse it, and bring Wes back to life. He’ll have served his sentence and still got away. But then I suppose no one will have learned a lesson, kids.
But they used up that solution in a previous episode. Solutions are one-use-only!
Wish they remembered that policy whenever they thought of using the deflector dish, or the transporter, or Borg nanoprobes…
The thing that bugs me about this episode… no old people among the Edo? Do they stay young-looking and attractive forever? Or does God ‘off’ the oldies?
I just re-watched this episode on BBC America, and it still kinda stinks. The biggest problem for me is the Enterprise folks visit a planet where ANY crime has a punishment of DEATH. Don’t you have a moral obligation to any visitor to mention that as soon as they get there, or before? I know they mention ignorance is no excuse, but give people a warning about all crimes are punishable by death!!! Also, When Wesley is about to be executed, Riker assaults the guy and Worf and Tasha draw a phaser on them. How is that not a worse crime than Wesley breaking a greenhouse? Also, the acting is horrible in this episode. The natives all act like they are impaired. I know it was a writing choice, probably, but it does not hold up.
Yea, the imagery of this episode really bothered me. The crew: “It’s the perfect society!” *looks around at all of the white faces and blonde hair*
Besides the unfortunate implication that an ideal society would not include any skin shade darker than “spray-tan,” there is also the implication that homogeneity is ideal. Why? I suppose if we all look and act and think the same, that’s going to prevent a certain amount of conflict. But saying that utopia requires uniformity is frankly dangerous because WE will never achieve that. And saying the perfect society will conform to a certain look is encroaching on some fraught territory.
We’ve seen this idea of paradises or edens being visually homogeneous multiple times and I don’t like it. Where is Spock and his quotes about the beauty of infinite diversity when you need them?