The Most Disliked Episode of TNG - Final Round...

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Well, I would not classify Code of Honor as being necessarily sexist or racist, and further argue that to do so is to impose our own cultural norms on another culture (which is racist, and is something that repeatedly gets the U.S. and Western Europe in trouble today). About the only thing I see as racist about the episode itself is that the Ligonians happen to look, sound, and act like some stereotypical primitive African tribe.

On the other hand, it also seems rather implausible: that the only known source of a vaccine to stop an epidemic would be a planet where the mere act of contacting the society would likely violate the Prime Directive. After all, vaccines are, by definition, made from either the pathogen that causes the disease, or (e.g., smallpox vaccine from cowpox) from a closely related pathogen.

As to voting, I still abstain (courteously).

 

[JirinPanthosa]

You also have to be careful about taking cultural relativism to its extremes though, where you force yourself to tolerate murder, rape, and subjugation of parts of the population because “It’s a different culture”.

It’s unlikely the victims of said crimes agree to that part of the culture. Or if they would still agree if they had other options or more information.

 

[Seven of Five]

I didn't make it to the vote but I would have voted against Code of Honor anyway. It's an absolute stinker and deserves it's title.

 

[Discofan]

"Code Of Honor" is stupid racist and highly implausible plus the plot is filled with holes. Like the thing about the woman "being dead"... One could easily argue that as long as she could be brought back to life, she wasn't really dead, to begin with. That explains the delays imposed by our laws in executing someone's will so that it wouldn't lead to problems if a sudden breakthrough in medical science allowed someone to be brought back long after being previously thought to be irremediably dead or if someone was misdiagnosed as being dead or deadish...

So Beverly's affirmation that she was dead and now she's alive (whatever way she put that) is pure bullshit.

 

[gakelly]

Force of Nature...the first half of the show is about Data's cat.
Code of Honor has so many holes in it. ugh.

 

[Sakonna]

A worthy "winner." I have a weirdly intense relationship with "Code Of Honor", in that it's one of the first 5 Star Trek episodes I ever saw, and the first one that I specifically selected (bought the VHS after stumbling upon new episodes in season 5 for the first time). I was a (white) kid raised in an all-white environment where the racism was so extreme, it truly crossed the line into white supremacy. As a child I had absorbed a lot of that, and I certainly wasn't thinking of this consciously, but looking back... there's a reason the VHS box with the offensive racist stereotypes on it was the one young me was most drawn to.

But, the morality of Star Trek was CRUCIAL in leading me to recognize how toxic the ideology around me was, and in giving me the tools to break away from it. So I always get a shiver revisiting "Code Of Honor" -- the specific piece of racist trash that was key in setting me down the path of recognizing and starting to dismantle my own racism.

 

[Discofan]

Personally, I haven't seen in years. I still remember it vividly though, as bad things tend to stick in my memory along with the good ones.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Code of Honor is clearly racist. The only reason I gave Okona the slight horribleness edge over it is, as someone who watches a lot of old and foreign films with very different moral systems, I’d prefer a film that says something horrible well than something that expresses a better message badly. For example, some of the great Soviet films or a certain other film that may be too controversial to mention in this context.

Not that Code Of Honor was written well, but take away the racism it’s like a 3/10 whereas Okona is a straight 0.

It features a more blatant Marty Stu than Wesley. Everybody instantly loves this d-bag who is supposed to have great pickup lines but comes off like a poser trying to act like the pickup artists he saw on TV. It shows Data trying to learn humor but does it with jokes the crew respond to like they are funny even though they are not.

I’m more morally bothered by Code of Honor, but from a writing standpoint I just think Okona is worse. The same way I think some movies about love and understanding are worse than some Soviet propaganda films.

 

[Maurice]

I stumbled on this memo about "Code of Honor" written over five months before the episode aired, and before it was shot. No one can claim the staff wasn't aware of the potential that the segment could be seen as employing stereotypical portrayals of race.

The "Maurice" in the memo ain't me...it's Maurice Hurley, but I'd have raised the same concerns.

 

[Sakonna]

Wow. Great find.

And man, does "they'd really love the jobs" take me back to my casting career. That's frequently the defense if you flag something as racist, they immediately try to flip it to make you the racist one, trying to snatch this amazing "Jive-Talking Thug" role away from some poor, struggling black actor, or whatever.

After it surfaced a few times, I realized the successful adaptation was always to make sure we've first discussed a non-white actor for, like, the dean of the university (unconsciously racist producer: "He's good, but he just doesn't feel like it somehow, I can't put my finger on why...")

Then when they insist "Jive-Talking Thug" needs to stay to provide an opportunity to uplift the struggling black actor, use that to flip back: "That's such an excellent point, and it's another great reason to keep [Non-White Actor] in the mix for University Dean..."

It was an exhausting chess game, perpetually trying to out-maneuver all this unconscious (or conscious) bias in the minds of my producers/directors...

 

[Armus]

I stumbled on this memo about "Code of Honor" written over five months before the episode aired, and before it was shot. No one can claim the staff wasn't aware of the potential that the segment could be seen as employing stereotypical portrayals of race.

The "Maurice" in the memo ain't me...it's Maurice Hurley, but I'd have raised the same concerns.

They should have listened to Maurice!

 

[Farscape One]

I've always wondered what TNG would have been like if they kept Maurice Hurley longer.

Michael Piller was an invaluable addition, not just for his writing but for his mentoring so many others. But I always wondered if Maurice and him would have been a good combo.

 

[BigDaveX]

I think if anything, Hurley would probably have been more at home on DS9 than TNG, as that show’s character dynamics were more in line with what he wanted for TNG.

 

[Farscape One]

That would have been an interesting addition to the DS9 writing staff.

 

[Armus]

Hurley was a strong writer and I always wish he stayed on. He gave us The Binars and The Borg. TNG came into it's own when he took over and Rodenberry's lawyer left town. He made some enemies and became too embroiled with Gene. Michael Piller was better at organizing the writing staff and working with Roddenberry.

 

[Discofan]

Well, it makes things much worse since they were aware of what they were doing and the remark "They love those jobs" is just terrible;

 

[Armus]

Well, it makes things much worse since they were aware of what they were doing and the remark "They love those jobs" is just terrible;

Perhaps he was referring to the black actors eager to be cast in the episode?

 

[Discofan]

Perhaps he was referring to the black actors eager to be cast in the episode?

I know that. That's what is terrible about that remark.

It's like saying: The (desperate) people who sell their organs love the money they get for them.

You can excuse anything with that!!!!

 

[Sakonna]

I know that. That's what is terrible about that remark.

It's like saying: The (desperate) people who sell their organs love the money they get for them.

You can excuse anything with that!!!!

Seriously. I also marvel when writer/producers express that sentiment -- "isn't it sad that there are so few good roles for black actors?" -- as if they are not the ones creating the roles! Write something better for them to play!