Star Trek TNG season 1 Episode 8 : How does our view of paradise compare/ Contrast to the Edo?

[BenJepthah]

This might require watching the episode to really appreciate the nuances. Obviously our view of paradise will be individually quite variable. However: using the Edo as a center point how will the real paradise compare and contrast. 

[Shawnster]

For those who wish to participate but are unfamiliar with Star Trek: The Next Generation, here is a summary.

Quote

 

The heroes find a paradisiacal planet and the native people are called the Edo.  The people are very friendly and flirtatious in an overly-friendly manner.  In contrast to this relaxed attitude, the Edo people only have one type of penalty for the breaking of any law no matter how small that infraction is - death.  Yes, each and every individual guilty of breaking even the smallest law is executed.

 

High above the planet is an invisible or semi-invisible space station.  The Edo people worship this as their god.  The person or people living on the space station care for the Edo on the planet below as a parent cares for children.  

 

The child of one of the heroes tripped and fell into a glass greenhouse, trampled some flowers, which was against the law.  Edo justice required that this teen age child be put to death for his crime.  This is the basis of the plot for the episode.  

 

 

 

Well, let's see... the Edo were a hedonistic people who would have immoral sex like we would go for a walk.  Their laws were rigid and inflexible.  The Edo people were imperfect.  Accidents (which may actually still happen in the Paradise) were viewed as worthy of death.   The fact that even the smallest infraction, an accident, was punishable by death shows a callous view of life.  Their laws also distort justice in treating each infraction as a crime.  Yes, it's against the law to accidentally not stop at a stop sign, but it's also not a criminal offense.  We have different laws in the United States, for example, and not all broken laws and rules are considered criminal.  And this is from an imperfect society.

 

I'm going to go out on a very, very short limb and say the comparison if flawed on the surface.  The only superficial comparison is that both the planet and the Paradise are described as an idyllic looking park.  

Edited June 28, 2019 by Shawnster

[Tortuga]

It would be like living in Paradise under an ever growing Mosaic law covenant instead of being lovingly ruled by Jesus & Jehovah. 

 

[BenJepthah]

13 minutes ago, Shawnster said:

For those who wish to participate but are unfamiliar with Star Trek: The Next Generation, here is a summary.

 

 

Well, let's see... the Edo were a hedonistic people who would have immoral sex like we would go for a walk.  Their laws were rigid and inflexible.  The Edo people were imperfect.  Accidents (which may actually still happen in the Paradise) were viewed as worthy of death.   The fact that even the smallest infraction, an accident, was punishable by death shows a callous view of life.  Their laws also distort justice in treating each infraction as a crime.  Yes, it's against the law to accidentally not stop at a stop sign, but it's also not a criminal offense.  We have different laws in the United States, for example, and not all broken laws and rules are considered criminal.  And this is from an imperfect society.

 

I'm going to go out on a very, very short limb and say the comparison if flawed on the surface.  The only superficial comparison is that both the planet and the Paradise are described as an idyllic looking park.  

I see another distinction. The Edo people seem quite childlike and even a bit innocent in all their actions. An immature species both by comparison to the federation crew and to how I would view is in our form of paradise. Their law is simple just as all other aspects of their lives appear to be. But one thing I find comparable is that the Edo seem to be in tune with their environment. Their transportation seems to be only running as a group ( which they enjoy). Their world is park like ( kind of like a Bethel in summer). As to their sexual politics ( referred to by Counselor Troy as “ healthy sensuality “ ). They have no law ( With no Law there is no Sin ) it’s very hard to imagine our paradise as being in this one way similar. But even in Paradise we can still see room for the second death. 

[Shawnster]

5 hours ago, Tortuga said:

It would be like living in Paradise under an ever growing Mosaic law covenant instead of being lovingly ruled by Jesus & Jehovah. 

 

That's quite accurate. 

[Qapla]

It should also be noted that they did not feel it was necessary to inform visitors of their law - but if a visitor accidentally broke a law they did not know about, they would still be put to death

[BenJepthah]

14 hours ago, Qapla said:

It should also be noted that they did not feel it was necessary to inform visitors of their law - but if a visitor accidentally broke a law they did not know about, they would still be put to death

Good point. It seems that they were blindly following the law without having their law bound up with any provision for mercy. It seemed beyond their comprehension that anyone would (or even could) break their law.

[Qapla]

Some additional thoughts about this "paradise"

 

The teenager did not actually do anything that would be considered "wrong" in most cultures. It seems the Edo had a movable low barracuda they randomly placed with the idea that, where this barricade is sitting is off limits.

 

The boy accidentally fell across the barricade. He was not in trouble because he broke or damaged anything - only because he passed the barricade ... and he barricade had been placed right in the way

 

Also, none of the Edo seemed to be interested or worried if he got hurt when he fell - only that he landed in an "off limits" space ... and due to that spot being "off limits" at that particular time (it had not been off-limits earlier because you see some guys placing the barricade) he was supposed to be put to death.

 

Not sure I would call a society that has such lose morals and unforgiving strict law a "paradise"

 

In view of the title of this thread ... NO! I do not think Jehovah's paradise will resemble this depiction in any way, shape or form

[Qapla]

OK ... I just noticed that auto-correct changed "barricade" into"barracuda" and it is too late for me to correct it (edit timed out)

 

That sentence should say:

19 minutes ago, Qapla said:

It seems the Edo had a movable low barricade they randomly placed with the idea that, where this barricade is sitting is off limits.

 

[BenJepthah]

4 hours ago, Qapla said:

Some additional thoughts about this "paradise"

 

The teenager did not actually do anything that would be considered "wrong" in most cultures. It seems the Edo had a movable low barracuda they randomly placed with the idea that, where this barricade is sitting is off limits.

 

The boy accidentally fell across the barricade. He was not in trouble because he broke or damaged anything - only because he passed the barricade ... and he barricade had been placed right in the way

 

Also, none of the Edo seemed to be interested or worried if he got hurt when he fell - only that he landed in an "off limits" space ... and due to that spot being "off limits" at that particular time (it had not been off-limits earlier because you see some guys placing the barricade) he was supposed to be put to death.

 

Not sure I would call a society that has such lose morals and unforgiving strict law a "paradise"

 

In view of the title of this thread ... NO! I do not think Jehovah's paradise will resemble this depiction in any way, shape or form

I actually find the general sense of equity and  goodwill of the Edo toward one another and strangers to be quite similar to my idea of paradise. Setting aside the noteworthy sexuality of the Edo they seem unrealistically innocent. 

[Qapla]

3 hours ago, BenJepthah said:

Setting aside the noteworthy sexuality of the Edo they seem unrealistically innocent. 

 

The same could be said of a child prostitute ...

[Shawnster]

10 hours ago, Qapla said:

 

The same could be said of a child prostitute ...

The expression "they really are nice people for worldly people" comes to mind.  Not about child prostitution but about all those nice people we meet who live lives very similar to Witnesses for the most part.  Well, except for that one glaring difference we never noticed before.  You know, like how he is patriotic and pro military, she supports abortion, he is an atheist, she is a lesbian, etc...   

 

Nice, wholesome people except for those areas of life that make them unwholesome. 

 

Its like paradise, except for the parts that aren't like paradise. 

 

 

[BenJepthah]

4 hours ago, Shawnster said:

The expression "they really are nice people for worldly people" comes to mind.  Not about child prostitution but about all those nice people we meet who live lives very similar to Witnesses for the most part.  Well, except for that one glaring difference we never noticed before.  You know, like how he is patriotic and pro military, she supports abortion, he is an atheist, she is a lesbian, etc...   

 

Nice, wholesome people except for those areas of life that make them unwholesome. 

 

Its like paradise, except for the parts that aren't like paradise. 

 

 

So, apart from the fixation upon their sensuality. How are they similar? 

[Qapla]

Personally, I do not think that paradise means devoid of technology - so, I do not see us as walking/running everywhere.

 

Also, I do not think we will have the same climate earth-wide, so, modesty aside, I do not see everyone wearing tropical style clothing all the time - everywhere

 

I do not see much similarity of the Edo and the New System .... you may see it differently 

[Shawnster]

19 hours ago, BenJepthah said:

So, apart from the fixation upon their sensuality. How are they similar? 

Im not the one that said they were similar. That was you.  And you pointed out the similarities you see to the biblical paradise. 

 

 

Then we all pointed out where the similarities ended. 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by Shawnster