6. Breaking The Code Of Honor Is OK When It's Already Broken
Civilization is a cheap veneer pasted over our visceral natures, thin and easily cracked. We create rigid codes of conduct to govern our behaviors and protect us from our baser selves. When duty supersedes reason however, we become dangerous. In Cold War Lieutenant Stepashin is the keeper of the rules. He is so rigidly entwined within his cultural and educational bias that he cannot adapt to a situation outside of his experience. He would rather destroy the world than acknowledge a mindset outside his ken. He is the mindless bureaucrat, the dedicated follower. The Doctor is the antithesis of stagnation and conformity. He is ever in flux, adapting to each situation no matter how absurd. He uses his intellect and creativity to resolve problems not brute force. Even when he threatens to blow up the sub rather than allow Skaldak to launch a nuclear missile, he does not do so out of a misguided sense of honor, or anger or fear. He simply accepts that this is the solution that will hurt the least amount of people.