10 Times Star Trek: The Next Generation Went "Dark & Gritty"

To be clear, we’re talking about the episode from season four, not the film of the same name. In the episode, Riker is stranded on a planet that is on the verge of achieving warp technology. He is held captive there. The crew has to work, covertly, with high ranking officials, on the planet, to rescue the commander.

At first glance, this episode isn’t very disturbing. But, there’s one scene that sticks out. Riker is trapped in a hospital and looking to escape. He runs into a nurse that promises to help him, but only if he’s willing to have sex with her. He relents and she helps him in a failed escape attempt.

Look, Riker is- how to put this politely- a hornball. However, in this instance, he’s a victim of sexual abuse. No one should be coerced into sex, and whether Riker enjoyed it or not, that’s exactly what happened to him.