Star Trek episode "The Return of the Archons"

"The Return of the Archons"

Season one, episode 21

Classic Trek.

A dystopian society in which Kirk must go against the Prime Directive to battle what is right. Kirk says the Prime Directive "refers to a living, growing culture--do you think this one is?"

Especially enlightening in that I just watched The Next Generation episode entitled "Justice" where Picard must violate the Prime Directive over what is right--remember Wesley falling into the flowerbed and being sentenced to death?

In "The Return of the Archons" no one dies--the lieutenant that was absorbed by the machine comes back safe and sound after the final conflict.

One puzzling aspect is that they never completely explained "the Red Hour" unless it was simply a release for the enslaved people of the planet.