1.07 Justice

Rating: 1.5

An away team’s pleasurable outing to a virtual ‘Eden’ planet replete with perfectly-proportioned young males and females wearing skimpy clothes suddenly turns bad, when Wesley breaks a minor law and finds out that the penalty for his actions is death.

Comments

This is another one of the early episodes that feels very much like a new crew transplanted into a TOS episode. A simple, defenseless people who are being protected by a computer whom they believe to be god: please refer to the script from the TOS episode Children of Vaal. The only positive thing I can say about the simplistic way the pleasure planet people are portrayed is that it is a slight improvement on the Ligonians inCode of Honor.J

Why do many fans hate Wesley? Maybe it’s because of the way his character acts in these first season episodes when confronted with sexual situations. I don’t mind that he is naïve, but does he have to make a face like he is disgusted?

Once again, Roddenberry (who always portrayed women in risqué, skin-revealing costumes), finds a way to do it here, with the difference that the men are also portrayed that way. This was also used in other episodes (both women and men wore mini-dresses). Note that the costume designer for TOS (William Ware Theiss) returned to do the NextGen costumes – and the pleasure planet outfits are very reminiscent of outfits worn on TOS (and seem a bit 50s sci-fi outdated too).

Nits

Once again, this episode highlights that the Prime Directive is a ‘directive’, and certainly not a rule. The safety of the crew always seems to take precedence.

Riker does wonder why Yar’s study of the planet revealed no information about their punishment system. I wonder, too. It certainly was convenient for the plot.

Memorable Moments

•    Any scenes of the women on the planet. Hey, I can appreciate the female body in a respectful way

•    Crusher does well in her scenes when she shows a mother’s worry about her son

Quotable Quotes

Riva: (to Worf) And I welcome the huge one! (hugs him). Oh, yes!
Worf: (to Riker) Nice planet.
Riker: Yeeeaah.