Let's recap:
-There is a ritual introduced in a society, because they would rather kill their elders than take care of them.
-This is only a millennium or so old, so clearly society could live without it.
-The enterprise crew somehow refuse to do anything about this 'tradition' despite it being a warp capable society.
-The enterprise crew hinder an ambassador with diplomatic immunity in her freedom of movement and diplomatic engagement to support this 'tradition'.
-This same society who is obsessed with people dying before their age makes life difficult, is trying to reignite their dying sun, not realizing the hypocrisy.
-The only scientist who has a lick of a chance to accomplish this is being forced into this suicidal tradition against his will.
-The society is so blinded by their custom that they refuse to even hear arguments against it.
-It goes so far that the species threaten violence upon innocents on the enterprise who have a duty to protect anyone seeking asylum.
-The resolution is for the scientist to submit to the societal pressure and lwaxana to accept his ritual.
The fact that this made it past the production crew, and audiences weren't absolutely enraged is really testament to how little people care for lives and is honestly disheartening.
I reserve ratings of 3 and under for pieces of media that could have negative effects on real life society. This episode achieves this by pretending that submitting to inhumane, self sabotaging, hypocritical traditions, created for bad reasons, and enforced with emotional manipulation and threats of violence against innocents, is the correct choice.
-This is only a millennium or so old, so clearly society could live without it.
-The enterprise crew somehow refuse to do anything about this 'tradition' despite it being a warp capable society.
-The enterprise crew hinder an ambassador with diplomatic immunity in her freedom of movement and diplomatic engagement to support this 'tradition'.
-This same society who is obsessed with people dying before their age makes life difficult, is trying to reignite their dying sun, not realizing the hypocrisy.
-The only scientist who has a lick of a chance to accomplish this is being forced into this suicidal tradition against his will.
-The society is so blinded by their custom that they refuse to even hear arguments against it.
-It goes so far that the species threaten violence upon innocents on the enterprise who have a duty to protect anyone seeking asylum.
-The resolution is for the scientist to submit to the societal pressure and lwaxana to accept his ritual.
The fact that this made it past the production crew, and audiences weren't absolutely enraged is really testament to how little people care for lives and is honestly disheartening.
I reserve ratings of 3 and under for pieces of media that could have negative effects on real life society. This episode achieves this by pretending that submitting to inhumane, self sabotaging, hypocritical traditions, created for bad reasons, and enforced with emotional manipulation and threats of violence against innocents, is the correct choice.