See you in court

[Tomalak]

I’m partial to “A Matter of Perspective”, even if it’s a little corny. I’m just fascinated by the concept of the holodeck recreations of everyone’s testimony. The over-the-top version of Riker we get in one of them is superb, and I will never not laugh at “You’re a dead man, Apgar! A dead man!”

I love that one, so stupid but so fun, especially Apgar's reported version of events. It's also the most quotable Riker line!

Come to think of it, are there any bad courtroom episodes? There are some corny ones, like this and Court Martial, which are saved by just being very fun and with great performances.

I guess Rules of Engagement is a bit dull, although still perfectly serviceable.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I find "Court Martial" rather contrived these days (Kirk is accused of murdering his ex-friend and the prosecutor is his old girlfriend!)

Could've been worse. Areel could have been Finney's girlfriend/wife.

 

[Cicero]

"Measure" has both the prosecution and defence just put forward gibberish, both of which are treated as knockout blows because it's following the structure of a classic courtroom drama even if the content makes no sense - "he's not alive because he can bend a metal bar and has an off switch! DEVASTATING PROSECUTION, WE'RE ON THE ROPES! Wait, no, he is alive because he can simulate sadness over Yar and it'd be slavery if he was alive! MADDOX BTFO!"

One of the most frustrating aspects of TNG is that the content so often doesn't make sense (or matter, if it does). The show lives in the drama arising from the portrayal of the sides, rather than in the merits of their arguments.

"Devil's Due" is a fun counterexample. The slightly TOS feel is probably why I like it (though I grew up with TNG).

I also echo the positive comments for "The Menagerie," "Court Martial," and The Undiscovered Country.

I love that one, so stupid but so fun, especially Apgar's reported version of events. It's also the most quotable Riker line!

Come to think of it, are there any bad courtroom episodes? There are some corny ones, like this and Court Martial, which are saved by just being very fun and with great performances.

I guess Rules of Engagement is a bit dull, although still perfectly serviceable.

For me, "The Measure of A Man," "The First Duty," "The Drumhead," and "Rules of Engagement."

 

[Ragitsu]

"The Drumhead" featured one of the quietest/most subtle examples of evil in a Star Trek series: Satie using Picard's guilt over being mind controlled as a way of scoring points in a hearing that has nothing to do with that incident. There was never a possibility of "No hard feelings?" after she crossed that line.

 

[Greg Cox]

No one else a Wolf in the Fold fan?

I love that ep, but I think of it as more of a spooky horror story (complete with foggy streets and a seance) than a courtroom drama.

 

[Tomalak]

I love that ep, but I think of it as more of a spooky horror story (complete with foggy streets and a seance) than a courtroom drama.

Yeah it's a totally nuts whodunnit.

I love that Kirk managed to con everyone into thinking the spirit of Jack the Ripper was the real killer, just to get Scotty off the hook. As if!

 

[Cicero]

"The Drumhead" featured one of the quietest/most subtle examples of evil in a Star Trek series: Satie using Picard's guilt over being mind controlled as a way of scoring points in a hearing that has nothing to do with that incident. There was never a possibility of "No hard feelings?" after she crossed that line.

But a respected Starfleet admiral is not only cartoonishly evil, but so mentally unstable that she falls apart when her father is quoted in court?

It's also a terrible episode for Worf.

(Though I do appreciate that it continues the interesting tradition of the otherwise liberal Federation having difficulty with prejudice against the Romulans.)

 

[Ragitsu]

But a respected Starfleet admiral is not only cartoonishly evil, but so mentally unstable that she falls apart when her father is quoted in court?

We get the sense that she was once rightly respected - she was genuinely committed to justice - but for whatever reason she started seeing ghosts where there were only shadows. Perhaps she was deftly directed to retirement by someone who noticed a pattern of increasingly overzealous behavior?

It's also a terrible episode for Worf.

On the contrary: it is a terrific episode for Worf. Although neither he nor anyone else comes right out and says it, his notion of honor and how it can be twisted by the dishonorable (i.e., his belief that a man should not be afraid if he has nothing to hide eventually being used against him) is clearly demonstrated.

 

[Starflight]

One of the most frustrating aspects of TNG is that the content so often doesn't make sense (or matter, if it does). The show lives in the drama arising from the portrayal of the sides, rather than in the merits of their arguments.

I noticed this a lot on my last rewatch, a fair bit of TNG really is just Stewart and a notable guest actor of the week enunciating at each other in their best RSC voices, with what they're actually saying being simplistic at best or nonsensical at worst. They seemed to like emulating the structure and form of a genre (courtroom, military, etc) but the actual dialogue frequently doesn't line up with each plot beat.

 

[HIjol]

May I offer, not so much a “Courtroom Drama”, but a moving “Judgement”, nonetheless?…

“The Offspring”

(Starting at around 1:30)

 

[Nerys Myk]

You all might have upset someone.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Could've been worse. Areel could have been Finney's girlfriend/wife.

When Peter David brought Shaw and Sam Cogley back in DC's second Star Trek comic, the two of them were married, much to Kirk's discomfort.

"The Drumhead" featured one of the quietest/most subtle examples of evil in a Star Trek series:

"Subtle" is not a word I'd associate with "The Drumhead." It does everything except give Satie a neon sign over her head saying "This woman is evil!!!" For crying out loud, at the end of the episode she's literally shouting, "I've brought down bigger men than you, Picard!"

But a respected Starfleet admiral is not only cartoonishly evil, but so mentally unstable that she falls apart when her father is quoted in court?

Exactly. I've never liked the way Picard brings her down with a made-up quote from her made-up father. It's way too easy a resolution.

 

[Tomalak]

On the contrary: it is a terrific episode for Worf. Although neither he nor anyone else comes right out and says it, his notion of honor and how it can be twisted by the dishonorable (i.e., his belief that a man should not be afraid if he has nothing to hide eventually being used against him) is clearly demonstrated.

His tendencies towards authoritarianism are also on display in Let He Who Is Without Sin, where he joins ISIS and terrorises holidaymakers because he doesn't think people should have fun.

 

[Kraig]

I like seeing how other cultures handle the legal end of things.

DS9 Family Business, Quark's mother Ishka (Andrea Martin) is in trouble with the FCA for being a female charged with earning a profit. As a plus, we get to see FCA Liquidator Brunt (Jeffrey Combs), and a visit to the Ferengi Alliance home world of Fereginar. Not so much a trial, but a lot of slips of latinum changes hands after a confession, since the FCA has already determined her guilt.


DS9 Tribunal. A look at the Cardassian Legal system when Miles O'Brien is put on a Cardassian Trial, where the verdict is already known before the trial begins. Fritz Weaver as O'Brein's conservator Kovat, who is upset to learn that he won a case.

 

[Ragitsu]

His tendencies towards authoritarianism are also on display in Let He Who Is Without Sin, where he joins ISIS and terrorises holidaymakers because he doesn't think people should have fun.

Folk laude Deep Dish Nine for transforming Worf into a "badass", but they either ignore or support him becoming an angsty teenager (towards Jadzia), an accomplice to (eco?)terrorism and, last but not least, Sisko's personal iceman.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I enjoyed the Klingon courtroom stuff in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Does that count?

Kor

Absolutely it counts. Just like the Klingons putting Archer on trial in Judgement.

 

[Oddish]

Do you prefer criminal trials, court martials, or lawsuits?

Disciplinary reviews.

"The Drumhead" featured one of the quietest/most subtle examples of evil in a Star Trek series: Satie using Picard's guilt over being mind controlled as a way of scoring points in a hearing that has nothing to do with that incident. There was never a possibility of "No hard feelings?" after she crossed that line.

The admiral's completely silent response to Satie's outburst was also awesome.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Which court room episode is your favorite and why? Do you prefer criminal trials, court martials, or lawsuits? What Trek issues would you like to see argued in the courtroom?

Trial by combat.
Cue the music.

 

[Oddish]

One truly great thing about "The Measure of a Man" is that it put Picard and Riker in direct conflict. "Peak Performance" was supposed to do the same, but they didn't have the balls to carry it to conclusion.