The Ultimate Star Trek: TNG Episode Fans Unanimously Disagree as the Worst - Find Out Which One!

Summary

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 had its weakest episodes, including the widely regarded failure "Code of Honor."

The casting choices and simplistic portrayal of the Ligonians in the episode now come across as racially insensitive and outdated. Nonetheless, "Code of Honor" and similar episodes were instrumental in setting the stage for the exceptional storytelling seen in later seasons of TNG.

Star Trek: The Next Generation faced difficulties during its first season, and there is consensus among the show's stars that one particular episode is considered its worst. It is widely agreed among Trek fans that TNG season 1 contains the weakest episodes of the series, and it has become common knowledge that the show improves significantly when Commander William Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes) grows a beard in season 2. Season 2 features standout episodes such as the exceptional courtroom drama "The Measure of a Man" and the introduction of the Borg in "Q Who."

Fortunately, there were enough promising elements in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 for the network and most of the stars to continue with the show. Right from the start, TNG had an excellent cast of captivating characters and some truly impressive performances, particularly from Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Brent Spiner as the android Lt. Commander Data. TNG truly hits its stride in season 3 and goes on to produce some of the greatest science fiction television ever made. However, even the show's stars, fans, and critics alike consider the TNG season 1 episode "Code of Honor" a significant failure.

Star Trek: TNG's Actors Agree Season 1's "Code of Honor" Is The Series' Worst Episode

"Code of Honor" depicts Captain Picard and his crew on the USS Enterprise-D hosting a visit from Lutan, the leader of the Ligonians. Lutan becomes fascinated by Lt. Tasha Yar's combat skills and her role as Chief of Security on the Enterprise. However, things take a turn when Lutan kidnaps Yar and claims her as his own. Yareena, Lutan's former companion, challenges Yar to a duel, and together they manage to deceive Lutan into relinquishing his leadership to Yareena.

Early on, it became widely agreed upon that "Code of Honor" was a subpar episode, lacking any noteworthy merits. Jonathan Frakes, star and director of Star Trek: The Next Generation, openly expressed his dislike for "Code of Honor" in various interviews, even going as far as referring to it as a "racist piece of s***" during a panel at Star Trek Las Vegas Con in 2011. Michael Dorn, known for his portrayal of Klingon Lt. Worf on TNG and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, labeled "Code of Honor" as "the worst episode of Star Trek ever filmed" at a TNG reunion panel in 2013. Brent Spiner, in a 2012 interview with TrekMovie.com, acknowledged that "Code of Honor" was universally recognized as a poorly executed episode from the early stages.

Why "Code Of Honor" Is Still A Star Trek: TNG Embarrassment

"Code of Honor" is a poorly executed episode due to various factors. Firstly, the decision to cast only Black actors to portray the primitive Ligonians appears racially biased in retrospect. The Ligonians' culture is one-dimensional, lacking any significant character development. The leader of the Ligonians displays an unsettling obsession with Tasha Yar, while the episode fails to effectively explore gender roles. The storyline progresses sluggishly, lacking in action, and even the main characters are poorly portrayed.

Furthermore, "Code of Honor" relies heavily on outdated clichés, resembling the worst aspects of Star Trek: The Original Series. The episode's inclusion of a corny hand-to-hand fight and overly dramatic music align closely with TOS. Although there is a redeeming moment when Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) enlightens Data about humor, this brief scene does not compensate for the episode's numerous shortcomings. However, even within "Code of Honor," there are minimal glimpses of the greatness that would emerge in subsequent seasons of TNG.

Star Trek: TNG Recovered From Season 1's Bad Episodes

Despite some initial missteps in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, the show experienced significant improvement in subsequent seasons. Fortunately, the passion and dedication of Star Trek fans led Paramount to order TNG directly to syndication, resulting in a broader audience reach. TNG season 1 faced challenges behind the scenes, including a constantly shifting writer's room. Many characters were still underdeveloped, and the actors had not yet found their footing. However, by TNG season 2, many of these issues were resolved, leading to a substantial improvement in the story quality.

TNG's quality and popularity continued to rise over the next few seasons, with the standout two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds" connecting seasons 3 and 4. This episode, along with several others in TNG, is widely recognized as a prime example of exceptional science fiction television. Given the show's format of around 25 episodes per season, it is understandable that certain episodes would outshine the rest. While "Code of Honor" may still be viewed as a weak point in the series, these episodes, including "Code of Honor," laid the foundation for the remarkable stories that Star Trek: The Next Generation would go on to deliver.