10 Star Trek Episodes That Seriously Deserve A Second Chance
1. A Private Little War
A Private Little War is a directly analogy of the Vietnam War, which was still very much ongoing at the time. It shows one of the biggest violations of the Prime Directive that Kirk ever committed, arming one side of a civil war so that the balance of power will be restored. One could easily say that since the Klingons were first guilty of this, then it negates the actions of Kirk.
This is an episode that deserves far more discussion than it seems to receive. First, the weapons. Providing Tyree's people with Flintlock weapons is against all laws of the Federation, yet it is never revisited in a later episode. This is a choice that is easily on par with Janeway's decision to put Tuvix back through the transporter.
Second, the episode introduces Dr. M'Benga, here played by Booker Bradshaw. He would appear only once more in the Original Series, in the episode That Which Survives, though it introduces his skill at treating Vulcans.
Third, it introduces the Mugato, which means that this episode sets up the joke that some of them just like to watch, almost sixty years earlier.
Oh, Star Trek.