The short and bloodless battle could have been sold better. In a TNG episode someone (Worf) would have mentioned some ancient Klingon marital ritual of ritual combat. Even better when it’s a story from Klingon mythology. Then they could call a P‘Qouth and duke it out for a symbolic minute.

Helping people by force to save them from death is something that’s often done IRL, e.g. evacuations, suicide watch. Saving endangered species is a goal of many people and countries today. Saving an extraterrestrial sapient species and culture against their will is an easy case to make.