Star Trek – The Next Generation:  1×08 – Justice

1×07 ‘Lonely Among Us’ was… it was dull.  There were some dog and lizard people, something about a cloud, Data had a pipe, there was a fish… and that’s all I remember.  Even though I only watched it yesterday, I’ve forgotten about it already.  So let’s just move one to ‘Justice’.

Enterprise officers, and Wesley, beam down to a white supremacist’s paradise… a planet filled with fit, young blonde people who spend all day exercising and making out while wearing the scantest white outfits.  Okay, maybe I’m being unfair – my immediate negative reaction to the Edo is shaped by my own world’s history and culture and not due to anything they’ve done.  They’re aliens, after all, and probably not Nazis and the whole concept of such is probably alien to the Edo.  It’s totally unjust of me to label and stereotype them.  But, they are really, really dumb.

Apparently, they have only one punishment for all crime committed on their world no matter how small – execution.  Which creates some problems for the Enterprise when Wesley accidentally breaks some glass.  And they didn’t think to tell their visitors about their one law when they arrived, even though it would have only taken a few seconds?  Tasha, who’s in charge of security, didn’t think to ask about their rules?  No one else did?  Riker?  Worf?  Were you too busy oogling to inquire at all about their laws before letting a teenager beam down?

There’s also some weird ship in orbit that the Edo think is a God, but it’s hardly important.  This about the law, whether or not it should be absolute, and the famous Prime Directive not to interfere with other cultures and developing civilisations.  Which leads to my biggest problem with this episode… the Enterprise shouldn’t be there at all.  The Edo are not a space faring civilisation nor is there any sign of advanced technology from them.  The Enterprise’ presence would only make sense if the Edo had contacted the federation first, but they didn’t.  The Enterprise found them and the crew that the prospect of sex on demand with a race of fit young blonde people was worth forgoing all their usual rules.  Now, if that is really what humanity escaped the bounds of earth and journeyed to the stars for, then,,, I’m in.  Where do I sign up?

This show lasted seven seasons… jesus…