A seemingly idyllic society welcomes everyone with perfect hospitality, that is, unless you step on a flower. Wesley Crusher finds out the hard way that some cultures go to great lengths to keep order. Hoping to establish a nearby colony, the Enterprise visits the planet Rubicun III, where the Edo live in bliss and innocence in their beautiful Eden-style paradise. Their planet is crime free, but they are not ignorant of evil, like Adam and Eve, they simply crack down on it with a blunt and all consuming force. The punishment for breaking any law is death. None of the local inhabitants are fussed about it, since they all think it is reasonable; one simply does not break the law if one does not want to die.
The fact that everyone is cool with it may imply that these punishments are rarely implemented. If family and friends are being executed left right and center for the most minor things, the laws would seem more immediately unfair and inconvenient. As it stands, the death penalty is very rarely carried out on this planet because ‘no one breaks the law’. This approach to crime and punishment is far too simplistic. It wouldn’t work for humans, but it also likely wouldn’t work with these aliens either. Nevertheless, they don’t question anything about their system, but still suffer from it, albeit rarely.
When we first meet the Edo, they present themselves as very loving, gracious, open, and almost childlike. It is possible that this alien species is biologically incapable of any violent crime, or even the dark triad traits of narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism. In this case, a terrible punishment for any sort of crime that the aliens were incapable of committing would make more sense. It would be like making it illegal for humans to have super villain powers. The law is easy for us to follow, but serves as a reminder of what evil is. If this is the case, the Edo should have informed any visitors of their laws and punishments so that an alien race which does not have a natural inclination to be perfect can at least avoid the planet.
However, it is established that the Edo are ‘managed’ by an all-powerful god being who considers the planet’s inhabitants to be its own children. It is this top down and draconian application of the law which highlights a lack of justice or compassion in the Edo society. Instead, their system emphasizes control, and not necessarily for the Edo’s benefit. The system in which the god shifts which area will be the ‘punishment zone’, an area in which the law will be applicable for a set amount of time, creates an environment of uncertainty and limited information, a fear based control tactic. The strict god is more interested in absolute obedience instead of instructing its ‘children’ about right and wrong, or building a robust and moral society.
One of the most important factors to consider when assessing guilt is the perpetrator’s intentions. Wesley stepped on flowers by accident, and he wasn’t even aware of the law. Never mind the fact that he may not have been able to avoid his fall had he known about the law; the rigid application does not even account for this. Along with the people inclined towards crime, others may want to avoid this planet just in case something completely unintentional happens that is beyond our control. The Edo, and their all powerful god, don’t consider intention or good vs. evil of the person, only the outcome: the flowers were destroyed.
The entire premise of this type of law, and its inflexible application, leads to an interesting point about its purpose. What is the law intended to achieve and how does it instruct anyone on their behavior or choices? Laws are meant to guide our actions by defining morality, or at least distinguish good from bad. If one can be punished in the exact same way for a complete accident as they would for a string of serial killings, how does this law inform or instruct society about anything? The purpose of laws are also to keep people safe by mitigating bad behavior. It gets at the heart of human nature by teaching us to identify and overcome our selfish impulses and make sure that one does not harm others. Perhaps such extreme laws for every single crime might work toward this goal, but not if it includes accidental transgressions. One could never be able to learn and modify their behavior to avoid tripping on a flower.
It is surprising that the Edo are able to develop such a relaxed and happy society, as their god is not a god of love or compassion. Even they are not immune to the occasional execution, no matter how rare, and they are well aware of its possibility. Realistically, they should be living in terror of making a mistake, as the authoritarian god refuses to teach or gently guide them. The crime free society that somehow emerged from this system is also one that treats the individual as disposable. As Captain Picard said to the Edo, before beaming Westley and co. safely back to the Enterprise: there can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions. Furthermore, our interpretation of these exceptions should always be guided by compassion…for the victim, the accused, and the wider society.
Hopeless Trekkie 