Beverly, the Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy… and a very correct one. History has proved again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well-intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous.“
This is one of those episodes that has viewers questioning the virtue of the all-powerful Prime Directive of Starfleet Command. Picard even lectures Crusher on the value of non-interference, even when information has to be withheld leading to chaos and destruction of a civilization. While studying the stunning solar activity of a nearby sun, the ship fields a distress call from a damaged freighter caught in a planet’s atmosphere. Yar beams over four occupants and their cargo. We have two groups: the Ornarans and the Brekkians. Ownership of the cargo is disputed, with each group claiming it is their property.
Picard doesn’t want to get in the middle of it, and frankly, it’s none of his business, but the sickly Ornarans inform him it is medicine for their dying people. It seems they were in the middle of a trade of goods and services. The Brekkians are selling the medicine and refuse to give it up because the sale was not completed. It’s obvious the Ornarans are not well and they demand the medicine. For some reason, the writers decided to give both groups a natural defense in an electrical charge that can be emitted from their bodies. I assume its only purpose is to up the danger stakes when one of them later attacks Riker.
The disease of the episode is elusive. Crusher can’t find anything wrong with the Ornarans, although she can see symptoms manifest in them. After the Brekkians agree to give the men a dose for their immediate needs, Crusher sees the effect of the drug on them. She quickly realizes the drug is actually a highly-addictive narcotic that the Brekkians have been selling them for a very long time. They’re basically profiting off of this addiction, but what I don’t understand is why those with the mysterious incurable disease (none of them) never came to the conclusion that they were being exploited.
You’d think someone down there on that planet would’ve said, “Hey, wait a minute!” Nope. Nada. Wesley is confused. He doesn’t understand why anyone would take drugs, to which Yar famously tells him, “Drugs…can make you feel GOOD.” The hypocrisy of the episode is hilarious. It reminds me of all the Afterschool Specials about drug addiction and alcoholism from the late ’70s to the ’80s that were made by drug addicts and alcoholics. Hell, there were stories about Roddenberry’s various addictions all over the Paramount lot! Let’s face it: cocaine can make a 14-hour shooting day fly by.
This is where we get into the sticky territory. The Brekkians are well aware their medicine is simply an addictive narcotic, but they don’t care. They’re in it to make a buck. Picard’s hands are tied. By his logic, he must withhold that information from the Ornarans because it would involve interfering with two cultures and their presumed “symbiosis,” even though this seems more like a parasitic relationship. Though she is grating, I agree with Crusher here. Picard even forbids her from offering an alternative that would ease the symptoms of heavy withdrawal the Ornarans are going through. In the end, both parties agree to transport with the medicine (mainly because the Brekkians don’t want to lose their only customer) and Picard washes his hands of them.
He reasons that by refusing to service their failing ships, eventually the Ornaran machinery will break down, and they will suffer horrible withdrawal, but they may survive, and that’s the best he can do for them. Crusher thinks it cruel of him, and I don’t think Picard has ever suffered the effects of withdrawal. If he had, he might’ve considered helping the Ornarans. “Symbiosis” represents a reunion of sorts with Judson Scott and Merritt Buttrick who both appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Sadly, this would be one of Buttrick’s last appearances. He died the following year of complications from AIDS at the age of 29.
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