Poisoning the Well Week
Jun. 26th, 2012 11:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
em_kellesvig posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
sga_squeeAh, Carson Beckett on his first trip offworld. The callback to McCoy from "Star Trek" was a nice touch.
The writers balanced the slippery slope ethics of this episode in several interesting ways. While Beckett was willing to help the Hoffans speed up their research, he intended it to move along the usual trial and study paths of modern Earth science. That wasn't quite what the Hoffans had in mind.
There's a subtle echo of Star Trek's "Prime Directive" at work here; this episode illustrates why it's so important not to interfere with the development of another culture, particularly when their goals go beyond what you find ethically acceptable. Best intentions aside -- for both Beckett and the Hoffans -- the real question here is just because you can do a thing, should you?
Click for fullsize
"Poisoning the Well" 1x07
The writers balanced the slippery slope ethics of this episode in several interesting ways. While Beckett was willing to help the Hoffans speed up their research, he intended it to move along the usual trial and study paths of modern Earth science. That wasn't quite what the Hoffans had in mind.
There's a subtle echo of Star Trek's "Prime Directive" at work here; this episode illustrates why it's so important not to interfere with the development of another culture, particularly when their goals go beyond what you find ethically acceptable. Best intentions aside -- for both Beckett and the Hoffans -- the real question here is just because you can do a thing, should you?
Click for fullsize
"Poisoning the Well" 1x07
