Judgement

*** (3 stars out of 5)
Klingon Tribunals turn out to be a lot like Cardassian ones, just with more spears. On Narendra III (the world Captain Garett and the Enterprise-C will perish to protect) Captain Archer is on trial. Archer, an innocent man, arrested for a crime he didn't commit? Say it isn't so! What is this, FIVE TIMES in two years?

Archer's advocate Kolos is clearly General Martok's ancestor. In fact, a lot of things are familiar here. There's a judge Palpatine banging a sparking gavel-ball. There's even a Duras lying like a rug. Archer's about to go up the river for a group of "treasonous dogs" he saved from the wrath of the turtle-heads. They're not literally dogs.
(Though that would be cool.)

Kolos bemoans how his crumbling society is overwhelmed with babies growing up to be cowboys instead of teachers and biologists. Well, the pay is probably better.

Archer has a lot more luck with his day in court than O'Brien did... he gets a life sentence at Rura Penthe Death Mine and Casino. Surprise! Well, if he lives out the year it will be a surprise. For saying "honour, integrity, and conviction" too often, Kolos also gets 12 months on ice.

I guess I wouldn't be too flabbergasted if Warden W. Morgan Klingon was already employed, but the sadistic guards are somebody else. What an ice place to visit!

T'Pol's shady contacts and Reed's heroic bribery free Jon before you can say "interstellar incident and centuries of animosity". Nobody even got kicked in their big blue beans! But Kolos plans to serve his time. Which is to say die. Perhaps his heirs and Worf's predecessors can be legal partners on the syndicated version of Law and Honor. Or the light-hearted sitcom Fight Court!

"Judgement" was once chosen by Scott Bakula as his favourite episode. And why not? He's great in it as always. Mr. Hertzler is in fine fettle. It's an amazingly faithful re-creation of the middle third of Star Trek VI. Which is the good and the bad of it.