TNG S2E8 "A Matter of Honor" Review By AnswerMan

Horrible:Meh:Adequate:Good:Fantastic

Apparently there is a space exchange program, and the Enterprise receives Mendon as an ensign at ops. Wesley immediately goes all stereotypical old-timey racist and assumes that he is Mordock, the only other of his species he has met, because those people all look the same. But here's the thing, Mendon is not offended. He observes that although they have no problem telling each other apart, of course they all do look similar since they share the same lineage. At first the scene seems like an unnecessary and odd encounter, but the more you think about it, the more beautiful it is. Wesley is simply excited to see an old friend, and Mendon is pragmatic in his response. This is the type of interaction you would expect people to have in a post-racism society. This same idea is explored again when Mendon comments that that the Klingons they encounter are not very hospitable, and Worf barks at him. Mendon says that he didn't mean to offend, and Worf acts surprised and says that he hasn't. He was reprimanding him for speaking out of rank, not for observing traits of his species.



Mendon then goes about rubbing everyone the wrong way. He tells everyone how much they will benefit by having him on board. He looks over people's shoulders and hypothesizes how they could improve their work, or even the ship's design. He goes over Worf's head to make suggestions directly to the captain, and he quietly works on a major ship problem without alerting anyone else of the issue. Yet, Mendon is still a sympathetic character because you realize that he is merely a product of a different culture. In Star Fleet culture, a captain can't be bothered to be approached by every level of officer with new ideas of a mundane nature. If he were, Picard would have no time to be by himself, reading a book, or caressing ancient artifacts that belong in a museum but instead are kept on a star ship that is always seconds away from exploding. But in Mendon's culture, officers are expected to impress their superiors in such a manner. In Star Fleet culture, any issue is to be immediately reported. But to Mendon, bringing a situation to light without having first fully analyzed the issue and coming up with a solution would be irrational. In other words, he's different. Not better or worse, just different. Wesley assures him that no one is angry, and exploring our different ways of doing things is exactly what the exchange program is about. Eventually Mendon redeems himself by solving the problem that he discovered (although "tunneling neutrino beam" probably would have been like the first or second thing they tried anyway, right?).

On the other side of the exchange program, at Picard's nudging, Riker volunteers to serve some time on a Klingon ship. He really throws himself into the role, researching Klingon customs and getting used to their strange foods. A lot of emphasis is put on the food. The first thing he does when he gets on board is kick in the head of his direct subordinate. I have a B.S. in Business Administration, and I do not remember learning this particular management technique, but it seems to work. He now has the respect and loyalty of those in his command. They trade crude jokes, sexual innuendo, and all kinds of laughter together afterward. They are both surprised to find that they like each other. The program is working. Except not for Captain Kargan, who maintains his chip on his shoulder for Riker. Eventually Kargan decides that their ship's problem (same one Enterprise is having) is an attack from the Enterprise, and therefore they must all die trying to destroy it. Riker flexes his muscle and removes him from power, taking command of the ship for himself. This not only is a badass bit of showmanship, but also is the right call. The paranoid Kargan has jumped to all sorts of conclusions, and refused to heed simple advice like just talking to the Enterprise to see what they want. Instead he is prepared to end the peace between the Federation and the Empire by destroying their flagship for no reason. It was a legit move for the second in command to take over. Except, Riker doesn't kill Kargan the way a Klingon is supposed to, and then he hands command of the ship right back over to him. I guess the idea is that maybe Kargan has learned a lesson here. Somehow I doubt it.

There is a moment of perfect suspense where Riker persuades the Klingons to wait until they are within 40,000 kilometers to de-cloak and fire, knowing that the Enterprise will drop shields and beam off the holder of the distress beacon at the same distance. So the two ships are racing toward each other, both waiting until the same moment to drop cover and institute their plans. It's actually a genuinely intense moment, and very well played out on the screen. It goes exactly the way you think it will go, but the suspense leading up to it is real.

"A Matter of Honor" is really quite Good Trek. It deals with topics right at the center of what Star Trek is about. Diversity, learning from other cultures, and tunneling neutrino beams. Worf gets some great lines in this one as well. When he gives Riker the emergency call button, he says he wants to make sure that Riker returns to this ship. Riker asks, "Sentiment, Lieutenant?"  to which he deadpan responds, "Efficiency, Commander." It's great. Then after Mendon gets shot down trying to impress the captain, Worf stares at him coldly and says, "You may impress me." There is just a lot that works in this episode. But we are left with one unresolved question: why doesn't Worf ever laugh?

Published July 23, 2019