I think not having just a bunch of pew-pew for the sake of pew-pew endless fighting has always been a part of Star Trek. When dealing with non-Federation space faring species, Star Trek shines when there is something going on other than just, "let's fight." I think the Klingons history with the Federation is a stand out, with them being on again, off again, frenemies. I wish that there was more exploration of the Romulans, but they too aren't always in open warfare with the Federation.

TOS can lean a bit too much into offering peace, and then doing their darnedest to dismantle a society that slaps away the hand of friendship if that society doesn't conform to Federation norms. TNG onward is much better at dealing with such situations. Not saying perfect, though -- I'm looking at you "Symbiosis" (TNG s1e22).

I think TNG took some time to figure out how to respect the TOS framework without trying to be TOS version 2. "The Measure of a Man" is a standout episode. Where Federation standards aren't just stated, they are examined and demonstrated.

I'm glad I've seen all of TNG, but I agree that the show more consistently finds its footing in season 3.

Excellent episode for sure. This one comes up in philosophy and legal circles. Legal eagle guy gives at very brief analysis, comparing the procedures used there against actual military courts. It's nothing in depth, but still fun seeing analysis from a legal mind. We watched the arguments portions (on VHS) in philosophy 101 at my university. The professor felt it was a great way to illustrate Descartes' dualism ideas.

The Measure of a Man is my all-time favourite Star Trek episode.

More then that, I think watching this and a few other key episodes at a formative young age might be a big part of why I'm a political liberal and why I put so much value on individual dignity, civil liberties, due process - a massive episode that means so much to me personally well beyond the boundaries of Trek fandom.

This episode and the one right before it (A Matter of Honour) are excellent

So I'm presuming you are watching TNG for the first time.

Yes, it's widely known that S1 and S2 can be a rough ride and that the show doesn't find its footing until S3.

That being said, from memory, and I'm sure there'll be argument here about this, while S1 has problems, S2 is arguably the real beginning of the show "getting good". The main problem with S2 is that it's got diamonds like this episode and then some bad stuff too that's probably worse than the worst in S1. The variation is as big as it gets in the show, with this episode being in many top-10 lists of the whole show.