Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Hunted (1990)
Season 3, Episode 11
8/10
Underrated
26 March 2023
The first time I saw this episode, I hated it. I found the plot to be dumb, and the character of Danar to be terrible and nonsensical. It is also makes no sense to think that the crew of the Enterprise, with all of its resources and technology, would have trouble dealing with this one man, regardless of how enhanced he is.

However, after watching this episode for the first time in many years, I realized just how excellent a metaphor it is for the PTSD. Danar is a soldier through and through, and as a soldier he is conditioned to do one thing, survive and win at all costs. Unfortunately the byproduct of this conditioning is that it becomes impossible for him to be integrated into mainstream society.

It's amazing to see the ethics of Picard on display. On one hand, Danar is a criminal, while in the other hand, his actions are a result of societal oppression. Either way, it ends up having serious implications for the society that he comes from.

It's not a perfect episode, but I do think that it deserves to be considered among the classics.
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