One episode fromStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 3 was banned in the UK and not shown on the BBC until 15 years after its intended air date. InStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 3, episode 12, “The High Ground”, originally broadcast in the US in 1990, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates Mc Fadden) is kidnapped by a terrorist cell on non-Federation planet Rutia IV. The cell’s leader, Kyril Finn (Richard Cox), explains that his people need theUSS Enterprise-D’s Chief Medical Officerto treat the injuries sustained from using an inverter as a transporter.Crusher finds herself sympathizing with Finn as a person, despite disagreeing with his methods.
Of course,Star Trekhas a history of tackling current social issues through the lens of allegory since its earliest days, and some of thoseearlierStar Trekepisodes were also controversial to the point of being prohibited by UK broadcasters. Several episodes ofStar Trek: The Original Series,including “The Empath”, “Whom Gods Destroy”, “Miri”, and “Plato’s Stepchildren”, were all banned in the UK until the 1990s, with the latter causing controversy in the United States for featuringStar Trek’s first interracial kiss, between Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3’s “The High Ground” Was Originally Banned In The UK
“The High Ground” Was Not-So-Secretly About The Then-Ongoing Irish Troubles
Star Trek: The Next Generationseason 3, episode 12, “The High Ground”, was originally banned in the UK for its depictions of terrorism. In particular,Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) has a line in “The High Ground” that references the Unification of Ireland in 2024.Data cites the Irish Unification as a time when terrorist methods were effective. At the time of production, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were still engaged in The Troubles, which lasted from the 1960s until 1998. Violent guerrilla attacks sparked retaliatory action and escalated into civil disobedience and riots. This deadly ongoing conflict was understandably a sensitive topic for UK audiences.
2024 is a big year for the history ofStar Trek’s future, sinceStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 3, episodes 11 & 12, “Past Tense” depicts San Francisco’s Bell Riots taking place in the first week of September 2024.
Another Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode Caused Controversy With UK Broadcasters
Before “The High Ground” was banned by UK broadcasters,Star Trek: The Next Generationseason 1, episode 25, “Conspiracy” caused controversy because of its uncharacteristic gore. In “Conspiracy,” several high-ranking Starfleet officers are found to be influenced by parasitic aliens. In an unusually violent turn of events, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) turn their phasers on the parasites' leader, Lt. Commander Dexter Remmick (Robert Schenkkan).Phasers don’t generally make people’s heads explode, but that’s the unfortunate fate that befalls Remmickbefore the parasite emerges from his body.
“Conspiracy” features a level of gore atypical ofStar Trek.
While “The High Ground” was banned for its political themes, “Conspiracy” was found to be too violent by broadcasters andStar Trek: The Next Generation’s writers alike, sinceneither the parasites nor the gross-out style of violence in “Conspiracy” were ever seen again inStar Trek’s canon.The Canadian broadcast of “Conspiracy” comes with a title card warning about violence, since “Conspiracy” features a level of gore that’s atypical ofStar Trek. When the BBC did eventually broadcast “Conspiracy”, it did so with Remmick’s explosive death scene edited out ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, just like Lt. Commander Data’s line about Irish Unification in “The High Ground”.
