Television Review: A Matter of Honor (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S2X08, 1989)

A Matter of Honor (S02E08)

Airdate: February 6th 1989

Written by: Burton Armus
Directed by: Rob Bowman

Running Time: 46 minutes

Gene Roddenberry’s initial insistence upon banning the portrayal of Vulcans, Romulans, and Klingons—the bedrock alien races that defined The Original Series—in Star Trek: The Next Generation stands as one of the most astonishingly myopic decisions in science fiction history. Had this purist dogma been enforced beyond the first episodes, it would have amputated the very limbs that gave Star Trek its cultural resonance, potentially consigning the franchise to obscurity as a sterile, directionless echo of its predecessor. Roddenberry argued, with characteristic hubris, that recycling these established species would stifle creative exploration, preventing the discovery of new and even more fascinating alien civilisations within his vast fictional universe. Yet by the time A Matter of Honor aired in Season 2, Roddenberry had been forced to confront the profound folly of his stance. This episode does not merely serve as a counter-argument to his twin assertions—that legacy races would hinder innovation or dilute the show’s originality—it actively dismantles them, emerging instead as one of TNG’s most incisive, culturally rich, and narratively sophisticated hours. It proves that revisiting Klingon honour, Romulan intrigue, or Vulcan logic was not regressive but essential; these races were not crutches but conduits for examining humanity through radically other lenses. Without them, Star Trek’s moral and philosophical engine would have sputtered into irrelevance.

The episode opens with the Enterprise-D docking at Starbase 179 to receive crew replacements, including Ensign Mendon (John Putsch), a Benzite whose uniformed, prosthetic-masked appearance causes Wesley Crusher to mistake him for her old friend Mordok—a subtle nod to the species’ homogeneity. This seemingly minor detail becomes pivotal when the Enterprise encounters the Klingon vessel IKS Pagh, prompting Commander Riker to volunteer for Starfleet’s officer exchange programme. Riker beams aboard the Pagh as first officer under Captain Kargan (Christopher Collins), a decision rooted in meticulous preparation: he has studied Klingon customs, endured the gut-churning ritual of eating gagh, and psychologically steeling himself for immersion in a warrior culture where authority is seized, not granted. His arrival is met with immediate hostility from Klag (Brian Thompson), a subordinate whose defiance Riker swiftly quells with a moment of physical theatre that earns him grudging respect from Kargan’s crew. This sequence is masterful in its economy; Frakes conveys Riker’s calculated risk-taking, demonstrating that Klingon loyalty is won not through diplomacy but through the uncompromising assertion of strength.

The narrative tension escalates when Mendon, conducting a routine diagnostic on the Pagh, discovers subatomic bacteria corroding its hull—a crisis mirroring one recently solved aboard the Enterprise. After being justifiably reprimanded by superiors for procedural errors in his initial report, Mendon redeems himself by devising a solution for the Enterprise’s own infection. Yet his lapse in protocol proves catastrophic: the Pagh remains unaware of the bacteria’s nature, and Captain Kargan, interpreting Starfleet’s silence as deliberate sabotage, cloaks his vessel and prepares to attack the Enterprise. Riker now faces an agonising dilemma: uphold Klingon loyalty by aiding Kargan’s assault, or betray his temporary crew to save his true ship. His resolution is a stroke of narrative brilliance. He leverages the very culture he has immersed himself in to avert war, embodying Roddenberry’s optimistic vision where intellect and cultural understanding triumph over blind aggression.

Written by Burton Armus, the script is a masterclass in TNG’s golden-era storytelling. It deftly resurrects the Benzites—a species introduced in Season 1’s Coming of Age —not as window dressing but as a catalyst for the central conflict. This avoids the trap of treating legacy races as mere nostalgia bait; instead, the Benzites are woven into the plot’s DNA, proving Roddenberry’s fear of "repetition" was misplaced. New species could coexist with, and even enhance, established ones. The Benzite subplot also showcases remarkable originality: Mendon’s identical appearance to Mordok (also played by Putsch) was pragmatically driven by prosthetic reuse, yet it becomes a character-defining trait. Unlike Mordok’s calm competence, Mendon is a pedantic, sycophantic figure whose desperate attempts to curry Picard’s favour underscore his inexperience. His arc—from floundering neophyte to solution-finding engineer—feels earned, not contrived, highlighting how new species could offer fresh perspectives on Starfleet’s ideals.

The Klingon narrative, meanwhile, is handled with unprecedented depth. Rob Bowman’s direction transforms the Pagh’s cramped, crimson-lit corridors into a visceral antithesis of the Enterprise’s sterile minimalism, emphasising cultural dissonance through production design alone. We gain genuine insight into Klingon hierarchy (Kargan’s volatile command style), warrior ethos (Riker’s physical integration), and even mating rituals via Vekma (Laura Drake), whose flirtation with Riker unsettles him. The episode balances tension with levity (Riker’s handling gagh) and action (a brief but kinetic martial arts sequence), yet its triumph lies in the resolution. Riker doesn’t "defeat" Kargan; he shames him into reason using Klingon tradition itself—a testament to the franchise’s core belief that cultural empathy, not weaponry, secures peace. Jonathan Frakes delivers a career-best performance, capturing Riker’s vulnerability beneath the bravado, while Thompson’s Klag evolves from antagonist to ally, foreshadowing his future Star Trek incarnations across four series.

If the episode stumbles, it is only at the precipice of its climax. Kargan’s descent into paranoia—leaping to conclusions about Federation treachery—strains credulity. Klingons value honour, but Kargan’s actions here feel less like cultural authenticity and more like an "idiot plot" contrivance to force Riker’s dilemma. A more nuanced portrayal might have shown Kargan’s suspicion rooted in historical Klingon-Federation betrayals, rather than mere obstinacy.

Ultimately, A Matter of Honor is a triumph of Star Trek’s philosophical ambition. It validates the inclusion of Klingons not as relics but as dynamic vessels for exploring honour, loyalty, and the perils of miscommunication. Roddenberry’s early resistance to revisiting these races was born of insecurity, not vision; this episode proves that legacy species, when treated with intelligence, could propel TNG to new heights. By interweaving the Benzites’ introduction with Klingon cultural immersion, Armus and Bowman crafted a narrative where the old and new coalesce into something greater than the sum of its parts—a living rebuttal to Roddenberry’s fear that familiarity breeds stagnation. In doing so, they gifted Star Trek with one of its most enduring lessons: that true progress lies not in discarding the past, but in reimagining it with courage and insight. Without episodes like this, The Next Generation might indeed have been remembered as a noble failure. Instead, it stands as proof that sometimes, the most radical act is to honour what came before.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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