TNG Season 1, Episode 4 (Netflix: S1 E5): Code of Honor
Rating: 1
This has become known as “the accidentally racist episode.” Aside from that, it mainly deals with boring and strange diplomatic stuff, and further contributes to Yar seeming like a bizarre irrational person. Seemingly this type of episode could explore how the crew interacts with an extremely different culture, but the aliens (?) aren’t well thought out, and the plot doesn’t even provide incidentally good character moments. The real value this episode has is more in the “so bad it’s good” vein, so it gets a 1.
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A fight to the death! kind of like
Arena from TOS
Also a little like A Night In Sickbay, from ENT, in that they have to jump through hoops for diplomatic reasons.
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Notes:
I don’t get why they want to transport to the cargo bay. Is it just for their carpet?
Again, the aliens are just humans, only this time racial stereotypes.
It’s a little hard to believe they have a vaccine that the Federation couldn’t produce, but whatever, maybe they have some unique resource or something.
Its harder to believe anyone could like Yar so much.
Wesley is a weirdo
An alien race that has a concept similar to counting coup could have been a good idea.
(Counting coup is needlessly picking on stronger people for honor)
Troi: “But it was a thrill. Lutan is such…such a basic male image, and having him say he wants you–” Yar: “Yes of course it made me feel good when he…Troi! I’m your friend and you tricked me!” Haha, what?
A fight to the death!
File under: To the Death!
Maybe I don’t understand women, but wouldn’t being kidnapped and forced to fight to the death by this guy, and him generally not having any admirable qualities, be a lot more important than any kind of physical attraction? Yar eventually rejects him because “there would be complications”. What? How about because he’s a psycho.
File under: Romance?
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