Acting Out Of Character
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AndrewGS — 9 years ago(September 25, 2016 08:46 AM)
If there is one episode that a main character acted out of character without good cause, I'd say it was Ethics. Jean-Luc Picard defending Worf's "right" to kill himself in his own sickbay was a bit egregious.
For a man who got upset about Worf beaming over to Duras' ship in the wake of him murdering Key'Lehr, and killing him, this seems a bit of a stretch for Picard to be making here. First he's applying human/Starfleet standards of conduct on Worf, and then in Ethics he's making a case for Worf to kill himself because it's too much for anyone to expect him not to do because he's a Klingon. I've never considered Picard to be such a bigot before, but that's what we call the Soft-Bigotry of Low-Expectations.
From my ethics perspective killing someone else, even after he killed someone close to you, is a lot worse than trying to kill yourself (although of course abandoning your young son is pretty bad). Killing someone else is the kind of act that is so bad it justifies considering it bad in universalistic terms while the rightness a lot of other actions vary by culture and individual preference. But even then Picard was disappointed in Worf and punished him but still kept him as chief of security so his disappointment and disapproval were lessened by understanding. -
WyldeGoose — 9 years ago(September 25, 2016 10:03 AM)
Both suicide and murder are equally bad, because they're the same sin. However, there is justifiable killing, such as in self-defense or in accordance to a just war. But, in Worf's case, he did so out of revenge, and you could say it's second-degree murder or manslaughter (klingonslaughter?).
Picard is rightfully upset by the incident, but does nothing about it but put a nasty letter in his file, which does nothing to keep him from a promotion (a letter of reprimand ends your career forever in real life). Keeping him on only makes him more like a child trying to be an adult. His objection to Worf killing himself in light of a debilitating injury only makes him come off silly. But it's only a tad egregious, as I said, because Picard is such an arrogant snob. -
AndrewGS — 9 years ago(September 25, 2016 08:38 AM)
Wesley was unusually forward and insensitive with Picard in parts of "Samaritan Snare".
Worf saying that women were weak ("The Outcast") felt too blatant and regressive.
Pretty much the whole crew in "True Q" seemed unusually apathetic about Amanda becoming a Q.
The whole crew also seemed incompetent in "The Game" and somewhat "Rascals" and unusually brutal in "Phantasms".
On the other hand, Picard's "Shut up, Wesley!" is a wonderfully in-character out-of-character moment; the unusual circumstances did give it justification. -
GlobalWarmer1914 — 9 years ago(September 26, 2016 10:51 AM)
I am of the belief Wesley is the love child of Beverly and Picard and that Picard had Beverly's husband killed to cover it up. That might be considered out of character.
GlobalWarmer
I can teach you how to shoot so close to a raccoon that he craps himself.