‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap: ‘Justice’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

If there is one unfortunate lesson that all of us have to learn at some point in our lives, it would be that we need to look before we leap. Because more often than not, just diving headfirst into something new tends to bring us more trouble than expected, the kind that could have been avoided if we just took a moment to think about what we were about to get into and whether or not it was actually worth our time and effort. And oddly enough, this is apparently a lesson that still applies centuries from now. Because the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, puts this particular lesson on full display when the crew of the Enterprise makes a leap of faith that quickly turns sour.
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However, it is quite understandable why the crew makes said leap in ‘Justice’. Because when we catch up with them here, they’re exhausted. For they just helped to settle an entire colony, something out of the norm for a Galaxy Class vessel and when they discover what appears to be an outright paradise nearby, one that is populated and open to a first contact event, well they’re quick to advantage of it. If anything, it really does appear as though this place is its own special Eden, tucked away in the galaxy and well, an unfortunate moment that no one took into account before beaming down, is what allows for this wondrous vacation to turn into something quite unfortunate.

Because the Edo, the native species on this world, have a pretty intense law. One that if broken, requires immediate capital punishment and it just so happens that Wesley breaks that one law. Which means the crew is now embroiled in a tricky prime directive situation, one where Captain Picard must figure out a way to free young Wesley from an actual fate of death. Something that proves to be a difficult task. For not only does Picard have to deal with a people who firmly believe their law must be never broken, regardless of whether or not a person has knowledge of it, there’s also a spaceship in orbit, one that is keeping a close eye on the planet and the ship. And of course, eventually the intrepid Jean-Luc finds a way to keep all parties happy and safe, because this here is TNG.

But while alls well that ends well in this tale, and while it offers some fascinating ideas, this is another episode that quite frankly tries to do too much. Because there are a lot of competing plot lines in this one and throwing in the Edo God more or less ruins what would have been a powerful exploration on the death penalty and the nature of how justice plays out. Instead this episode becomes a pseudo remake of The Original Series episode, ‘The Apple’ by focusing its attention upon the Edo and their relationship with an alien God and to complicate matters further, the whole story is supremely predictable as well. Which means there’s no sense of danger or worry for Wesley since you know he will be just fine, making the finale a tad boring for certain.

In the end, this is just another mediocre episode of The Next Generation. One that has its heart in the right place, but clearly a need to please the audience and get people watching took precedence over anything else and when that becomes the focus, this is what you get. But this episode wasn’t a total loss. Because the fact that the series is trying to take on bigger ideas just goes to show that the writers’ room and the producers were working toward more in season one. They were simply a little timid in letting loose. Which means eventually we are going to discuss powerful stories that still leave us in awe today, and that means it is time to push harder through these early seasons so we can get to the good stuff as soon as possible. Until next time.  

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