10 Star Trek Episodes That Just Didn't Work

6. Let He Who Is Without Sin... - Deep Space Nine

Star Trek Let He Who Is Without Sin
CBS

This episode could and should have been a farce comedy, instead of an attempt to teach Worf the benefits of relaxing. In his inability to enjoy the delights of Risa, Worf joins a terrorist organisation and engages in damage to an entire world's weather control system. Worf, being a Starfleet officer, simply wouldn't do this.

The other characters in the episode act as they should while on a pleasure planet. Bashir and Leeta enjoy the most amicable breakup in all of Star Trek, while Quark grabs his Horgons and runs like an excited child through the gardens and beaches. Dax meets old friends and tries to get her new friend to get into the spirit of things.

Episodes featuring Risa work best when taken with a pinch of salt. Captain's Holiday is an example of comedy done right, with Two Days And Two Nights being a little more serious, yet still balancing the tone. Here, the incredibly odd depiction of Starfleet's only Klingon as so unwielding and unable to relax just ruins the tale.

Behr, Ronald D. Moore and Robert Hewitt Wolfe all felt that the episode sank because of the network restrictions they faced. They originally wanted to do an episode that dealt with hedonism in the 24th century, though they couldn't show anything explicit thanks to the episode's timeslot.

In this post: 
Star Trek
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"