‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Ethics’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

We worry about a great deal of things in this life. Such as whether or not we’re a good person, and whether or not we’re making a difference in this world. Plus, there are some who worry about if they are a good parent or not and of course, everyone worries about living a fulfilling life. One where their dreams come true, and where they make their mark on this world. But what’s funny, is that we do whatever we can to not think about or concern ourselves with something that is supremely important. Specifically, the end of our life, and it makes sense as to why we avoid thinking about that. After all, who wants to ponder upon leaving this world behind and how we might make our exit from it, since those are supremely unpleasant and morbid thoughts. The kind we will happily stave off for as long as possible.

But truth be told, it is something we need to talk about and ponder upon, because death is our natural end, and we need to be prepared for it as best we can. But since such a topic is taboo and uncomfortable in every sense of those words, we continue to push toward avoidance but some are starting to bring forth important and unsettling debates on the matter. Such as when is it acceptable to start planning for our eventual exit and for that matter, is it acceptable to leave this life on our own terms if we learn that our end is going to be painful and nightmarish and downright awful to say the least. The latter of which is only now being addressed after decades of debate and well, that particular aspect of the end is relevant to our discussion today… simply because it is the focal point of the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

For ‘Ethics’ sees Lieutenant Worf be faced with a difficult decision about his future. Because he is badly injured in this tale by a falling container, to the point where Doctor Crusher firmly believes that he is never going to walk again. Which prompts Worf to invoke a Klingon suicide ritual, since he is now worthless in the eyes of his people. A decision that mortifies the crew since they are simply not used to the thought of someone not wanting to live in the slightest and well, while this ends happy with a subplot involving a hot dog doctor that is able to clone a new spine for Worf… the message and concern buried in this plot is clear. In that, this story demands that the viewer ponder upon their end and the lack of invincibility that humanity has in this life and to truly think about what that exit would look like if the end in question is going to be horrifying and well, that leaves the viewer with a lot to chew upon.

In fact, those questions are so intimate in nature that we won't be discussing much more regarding them. Because euthanasia is indeed up to the individual and pondering upon anything beyond that does us no good. Instead, it’s best we focus upon the bravery of this episode since it took guts to bring up an issue that was quite frankly a hot bed in the nation back in 1992, when this episode hit the airwaves. For the news world was a buzz about Jack ‘Dr. Death’ Kevorkian and his push to make euthanasia a thing in an era where America wasn’t even ready to have that conversation in the slightest. But what truly makes this episode so incredibly worth our while, is the sheer fact that it examines this topic in an open and honest light and presents the pros and cons of euthanasia in an objective light.

If anything, it just means that this particular story is Star Trek at its finest. Because this franchise always manages to wow us when it has something relevant and timely to say and it doesn’t get timelier than this, since states are still debating the ethics of euthanasia. But while the commentary in this episode is powerful for certain, we would be foolish to not point out that quality acting is what sells this kind of subject matter and well, the cast does a phenomenal job here as well. Since Michael Dorn and Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis, turn in some powerhouse performances here. The kind that genuinely move the viewer for certain and well, this episode really does deserve a second look and a round of applause for handling some incredible subject matter in a smooth manner and now that this cerebral journey has ended, we’re off to another hot topic. One that frustrates not because of the subject matter, but because the series missed the mark in regard to its analysis. Until next time.

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