Product Details

• Actors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden
• Directors: LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: June 10, 1997
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304458746
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,411 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) is removed from active duty after a severe injury leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. Although a neuro-geneticist is called in to examine Worf, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) believes the paralysis will be permanent. Convinced that no Klingon should live as an object of pity or shame, Worf asks Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to assist in his ceremonial suicide.

Against Dr. Crusher's wishes, the neuro-geneticist tells Worf about a dangerous experimental surgery that could fully restore his mobility - but that could also kill him. While the two physicians argue over the ethics of such a procedure, Riker reminds Worf that Klingon tradition demands that Worf's son Alexander must assist in the suicide ceremony. With no other options, Worf agrees to the surgery. Will he survive?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, October 9, 2000

By 

Dawn (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 116: Ethics [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This episode contains an excellent debate on medical ethics. Worf is in a situation where conventional treatment will not help him make a full recovery (necessary for Klingon honor) but a new, experimental treatment is likely to kill him. Though of course Worf makes a full recovery in the end, the argument is not really resolved. The nature of the debate does not lend itself to easy solutions, but it does bring up many interesting points to ponder.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worf has to choose between experimental surgery and suicide, February 17, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 116: Ethics [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In "Ethics" Worf is injured by a failing container that leaves the Security Chief paralyzed from the waist down. Worf's only hope is a radical medical treatment urged by Toby Russell, a neural specialist who has come to help Dr. Crusher with the injury. Russell wants to create a new spinal cord for Worf, but Crusher wants to try conventional therapy when she learns the new procedure has never been used on a humanoid. Worf would never survive if the experimental treatment failed. Worf rejects Crusher's suggestion since it can only restore partial mobility and asks Riker to help him commit suicide in accordance with Klingon traditions. Of course Russell goes behind Crusher's back to offer the experimental surgery to Worf, giving the injured Klingon another option besides suicide.

Certainly "Ethics" is a rather melodramatic episode, which tries to take full advantage of its title. The ethics of experimental surgery is old hat (have you ever seen an episode of a television show where they did NOT try the experimental surgery in the end?), but Riker's deliberation over Worf's request is the centerpiece of the show. It reminds me of the moment at the end of "The Best of Both World's" cliffhanger where Riker ordered the Enterprise to open fire on the Borg cube with Locutus/Picard. It is totally believable that Riker could honor Worf's request. Those scenes redeem "Ethics" enough to make it an average episode in the series. There are also some implications for the characters down the line when Worf asks a stunned Counselor Troi to care for Alexander in the event that he should die.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Star Trek: The Next Generation "Ethics", June 20, 2000

By 

John Berkebile (Medford, Or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 116: Ethics [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Worf is severely injured following an accident, and loses the ability to walk. Dr. Crusher tells him his condition may be permanent, and suggests treatments that could could restore much, but not all, of his mobility. However, Worf is not pleased at that, and considers his own remedy for his disability, until a doctor comes aboard the Enterprise hoping to try out an experimental but risky medical procedure that could restore virtually all his mobility. After conferring with his son about his situation, Worf decides to undergo the procedure, but will he come out of it alive? I like this episode because it's a story about Klingon rituals and what Klingons traditionally do when they're paralyzed.