I remember seeing this 17 years ago and it was as awesome then as it is now. A planet that has acheived total peace has done so at the cost of their own soldiers. Altered at a molecular level to be awesome 6 Million Dollar Man-style killing machines, they were unable to reintegrate into society and have therefore been exiled to a small moon. Only you don’t know any of this during the first half of the episode because we are too busy seeing the Enterprised totally out-runned, out-gunned and out-thunk by just one man. He’s Space Rambo and he’s awesome. At the end, though, Picard gets to use the Prime Directive to his advantage and kinda stick it to the Man. Troi smiles.
Best TNG episode, but I didnt have the courage to say so at Star Trek con. Screw you Inner Light, meet: The Hunted. Any episode with a time warp, a dream, or some other ruse (its all a memory!) that makes it all as if it never happened can never be #1. Roga Danar beating ass and outsmarting everyone, true #1.