Why honor images of saints as well as Christ?

Apologetics

Saints are honored as Christ's servants and members of his body, with a different relationship to worship than Christ himself.

Key points

Christ is God incarnate; saints are creatures. An argument for Christ's image does not establish reverence for theirs.
The distinction matters: Orthodox Christians worship Christ as God, while honoring saints for God's work in them.
The second-century Martyrdom of Polycarp explicitly distinguishes devotion to Christ from love for the martyrs and describes preserving Polycarp's bones.
That text supports early reverence for saints and relics. It does not by itself document the complete later practice toward painted icons.
Prayer for saintly intercession is an additional question. Link to the intercession world rather than assuming it was already proved by Christ's depictability.