I recently re-watched this episode and while it is entertaining on the surface there are some issues I have with it. I know it can be difficult to portray an alien world where flora and fauna are different than what we have on Earth but perhaps more effort could be made (this is a cautionary tale to anyone trying to do the same in the 21st century). When Hoshi picks up a piece of fruit she claims that it is like a strawberry when she is holding up a LITERAL strawberry or when she tastes another and said that it tastes "like kiwi" when it was literally kiwi she just ate. Change the colour or use a different fruit that is strange (for example dragonfruit) or do what they did in the Original Series and use something else. For example, they could have made it out of Jello and then it would have been more plausible. The scene was very quick and could have had more impact with substitutions. Where my biggest issues come from with this episode (and several leading up to it) is the rampant HETEROSEXISM that is thrown in our faces. That may have been "acceptable" (was it, really, though?) in the 1960s but in the 2000's? No. Trip and Reed are at the bar acting very predatory towards the women and are body shaming some (one had more than 2 eyes) and then misgendering another all for laughs. This is offensive. 2002 was at the height of the gay rights movement and there were significant strides being made like Sweden legalizing same-sex adoption, several states banning discrimination on the basis of orientation, Switzerland gave equal legal rights to same-sex couples, etc. This episode does not stand up to the test of time and, in fact, was troublesome when it was produced. The bar scene and the consequences afterwards were particularly cringe-worthy. Oh well.
