A Matter of Honor

DVD, TNG S2 (A Matter of Honor)

A Matter of Perspective would have been an equally appropriate title for this tale of Klingon and Starfleet protocol. Following what became the traditional style for 24th Century Trek, we have a main plot featuring Riker's tour aboard a Klingon ship, and a secondary storyline with a Benzite visiting the Enterprise on an exchange programme. It's easy to point to the Klingon side as the better part, but the Ensign's attempt to fit in and prove himself gives us a different perspective of shipboard life. That's visually as well, as for most of the episode we're looking forward from the back of the bridge, the view these minor characters have, adding a further layer of detail to the bridge.

It would have been better to have Wesley's Benzite friend from Season One come to visit (especially since they're played by the same actor!), but his friendly advice is helpful to the alien all the same. And the race is one of the more visually interesting species that you can spend the whole episode trying to see into their ears or tracing the shape of the cranium bumps. We also learn that Benzites have their own ships and protocols rather than being a 'subsumed nation' within the Federation. Perhaps Dr. Phlox' Interspecies Medical Exchange was the inspiration for this idea of sharing knowledge and experiences with other races?

There's a bit of humour, with Riker stuffing himself full of unappetising foreign dishes, and some new things to look out for, such as the phaser range - it's unclear whether this is a Holoprogram or a separate facility, but it certainly looked the business. It seemed a little easy for Riker to get into a Klingon assignment, as he just discusses it informally with Picard and boom, it's all organised and ready to go, so maybe they could have had a bit more finesse in the process of the story, but it's one of those high-concept episodes: Riker serves on a Klingon ship. Right away you're interested to see how he'll fare, and he acts admirably, knowing when to bend to his host's ways, and when to stick to his ideals. He ends by showing great tact in allowing the Klingon captain to smack him across the room, thus giving him quick passage back to the Enterprise and defusing the situation in one blow. Even though it was a hefty one!

For the time this was quite a novelty as Klingon life had still only been seen briefly in films I and III. V and VI were still to come, so this does a lot to tie down Klingon foods, feelings and the ways of the warriors. It even introduces the concept of Romulans capturing Klingons and turning them into old men that die without honour: something that was to affect Worf in later seasons. Klag was well-played by Brian Thompson in one of several roles (including a red-faced Dosi and a Jem'Hadar in 'DS9'), and O'Brien is definitely part of the crew, sharing a joke with Riker and getting more to do than Deanna who doesn't even appear! You do wonder how the peace between the Feds and the Klingons has been kept intact since so many are intent on dying in glorious battle and misunderstand human motives. They must have some great ambassadors (Curzon Dax?) to keep things ticking over.

***