Anyone Else Like Justice?

[BillJ]

...Such as omitting this "They check the local system of laws and customs first" idea altogether. I mean, how often would it be plausible for the heroes to do something like that? It's an entire new world they are facing - it's not as if they can comprehend all of it at a glance, or rummage through all of its records from the past few millennia to find the relevant bits. In about 100% of cases, local customs would take the heroes by surprise. In this episode, it would just happen that the custom they didn't expect was a deadly one.

Timo Saloniemi

You mean the primitive Edo don't have Google?!

I think that Justice does a decent job of showing what a mistake it would be to simply apply your own moral/legal codes to a culture that's radically different from your own.

 

[Timo]

You mean the primitive Edo don't have Google?!

If you studied up on Earth via Google, you'd probably find yourself in much deeper trouble than our "Justice" heroes.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[sonak]

...Such as omitting this "They check the local system of laws and customs first" idea altogether. I mean, how often would it be plausible for the heroes to do something like that? It's an entire new world they are facing - it's not as if they can comprehend all of it at a glance, or rummage through all of its records from the past few millennia to find the relevant bits. In about 100% of cases, local customs would take the heroes by surprise. In this episode, it would just happen that the custom they didn't expect was a deadly one.

Timo Saloniemi

omitting that line would certainly have the effect of making Yar look less like an idiot, but I would find the idea that the crew stops for shore leave on a planet where they no nothing about the laws rather implausible. Because well, things like what happens in this episode would be happening a lot.

 

[DonIago]

Omitting the line would improve matters, but would then beg the question of why they were allowing civilians onto a planet they apparently knew so little about.

 

[BillJ]

Data would've been the better choice to study the Edo culture and determine the safety of non-military personnel.

 

[sonak]

Data would've been the better choice to study the Edo culture and determine the safety of non-military personnel.

same problem, though.


Really, the best option would have been for the Edo to be hiding stuff about their laws, but this would have made the dilemma less of a factor.

 

[Timo]

The thing is, all planets in Star Trek are deathtraps one way or another. That has never stopped the heroes from exploring or exploiting them as they see fit, and shore leave is one of the risks they are always prepared to take.

"Rationally", there should be a quarantine period of several months before one could risk sending personnel down to a lush holiday-resort planet in anything but a hazmat suit, and a preemptive bombardment before anybody was allowed to approach local vendors unarmed. But what counts is "statistically": the close scrutiny isn't worth the effort, because death statistically doesn't lurk behind every corner, and when it does lurk, it won't be stopped by the most obvious methods of caution.

It would be futile to ask the natives about the customary Horrible and Unexpected Local Calamity. Either they wouldn't tell out of malice - or then they wouldn't realize what would be unexpected for the visiting aliens.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[DonIago]

...but weren't the Edo pretty forthcoming about their laws when they -were- asked?

Sorry for the possibly dumb question, I can't even vaguely recall the last time I saw the episode.

 

[BillJ]

...but weren't the Edo pretty forthcoming about their laws when they -were- asked?

Sorry for the possibly dumb question, I can't even vaguely recall the last time I saw the episode.

It's been a while for me too. But I'm holding out until the season one blu-ray set comes to watch it again.