I watched Justice yesterday on Space and realized it's a decent episode. Would it be more well respected if not for the opening twenty minutes of the Edo being portrayed as scantily clad nymphomaniacs?
I have to agree with Pemmer Harge. Will Wheaton was, at least at this stage in his career, not a good enough actor to carry an episode. This one required a lot of him, and he just didn't deliver. I don't think he could deliver, to be honest. Plus...it all felt kind of familiar, you know? At least to me. So to answer the OP, I think it would be better respected if it hadn't featured Wesley so heavily.
Wait, this is the one where Wes steps on the grass or something and they sentence him to death? A good episode? I guess i better watch it again (will do tonight) so i can see what i've missed (or forgotten)....
Feelings about Wes one way or the other aside, I do not like this ep. Beyond the 'fundie atheist' stance of religion = insanity, this ep contains a recurring problem I have with TNG, and really all ST. Why oh why does StarFleet always go out of its way to tell new contacts about the Prime Directive? You'd think after Kirk's experience in 'Bread And Circuses', it would become standard practice to, while always obeying and practicing the PD, to not explicitly mention it before realllly getting to know the new world's culture. How many times does a crew have to be taunted with their own sacred law before the custom becomes merely to say 'We don't like to interfere, its not our way', rather than outright handing a hostile culture or hostile faction of that culture a loaded weapon, or more accurately, easy-cuff restraints? Live the PD, obey the PD, and use it as a guide in all things. But stop making its existence the first thing out of your mouth.
Oh good god. i just finished rewatching it (hadnt seen it in many years). Its crap. From start to finish. I honestly cant find a single thing that makes it worthwhile for anyone to ever watch it. I was embarrassed for all the actors who had to play the Edo. Who ever thought throwing ridiculous blonde wigs on all the women, make everyone wear shredded fabric as outfits, make them RUN everywhere ("come on! lets run!), have ridiculous "invisible, roving" sites where absurd laws are in place for a specified period of time, and that stupid alien-god thing hovering above the planet--whoever ok'd this episode should have been the one to be executed! The writing, the directing (who told Frakes to smile like a babbling idiot the first season anyway???), the useless Troi with her press-on nails and her bun, the inane sermons, ....i could go on and on! The only thing that kept me from poking my own eyes out with a fork was Worf's, "Nice planet". Crap. My opinion of course, but C-R-A-P!
I haven't watched it in a long time (I have seen it at least 2-3 times), the reason being that my gut reaction is to run shrieking from the room, stuffing my fingers in my ears, mostly due to the Far-Too-Much-Wesley Factor. However, your more informed reaction, Red and Randi, makes me feel really gooooood about that decision.
Justice is alright, and I think the first season of TNG is underrated. It's not a classic by any means, but it's watchable.
To better clarify my earlier point, there is a lot of dialogue with regards to the Prime Directive and the Edo's opposition to it. My question is would the episode had done better by putting more emphasis on that along with more clothes and brains on and in the Edo?
The explorations of justice, capital punishment and the PD are certainly interesting and worthy of exploration. But the dialogue and acting are just way too off allow those explorations to flourish -- and the half-nekkid people, while fun to look at, certainly provide a distraction from the more serious themes. I certainly don't think it's one of the worst of the season. But it's far from the best, that's for sure.
^ Samuel Walters: You have a very good point. Exploration of those topics are well worth an episode--its just done horribly here. Kate: LOL 'shrieking from the room". Actually Wesley isnt even IN the episode all that much, so it can't be blamed on him (and again, its the writer's fault, not poor Wil Wheaton's fault)... Broccoli, the "I'm with starfleet, we don't lie" line is incredibly obnoxious, and yet, thats actually one line i can believe (i know i am in the minority here) because i can HEAR a kid that age saying it. Its one of those innocent bravado lines i could hear one of my own kids saying if it were them. Doesnt make it any less obnoxious, but that line did ring true for me. Anyway, however you toss this salad, i think it stinks!
Wil Wheaton's review of this episode is worth a link. http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/05/star-trek-the-next-generation-justice/
The alien ship reminded me of the one in Conundrum. Same sort of configuration, IIRC. But cool the way this one sort of phased in and out. will check out WW's blog now!