Penultimate episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In this we see the sad but not unexpected end for the character of Ro Laren who had been crucial in the early development of the Bajoran race which came to prominence in DS9. This is another episode that they could've devoted a little more time to as with the ending of the Wesely character. But it's a strong episode to have before the finale because it's not as flaky as some of the others in this season.
It begins with the Enterprise heading for a briefing on a situation in the DMZ. They also welcome back Ro, now promoted to Lieutenant. They throw a party for her in Ten Forward. She's more humble than when she was there last and uncomfortable that they'd gone to the trouble for her. She's also overwhelmed by the way they pile on her with small talk about her training and where her quarters are and what she's planning to do now. Picard slips out in the background and calls her to the bridge. When she leaves, she finds him standing there in the corridor waiting for her. He could see how suffocated she was feeling at the party and only called her away to give her a little breathing room. He congratulates her on graduating from her Advanced Tactical Training which we are to presume is a kind of special ops schooling for the most elite officers. She was able to do it on his recommendation and she thanks him for it. She knows her life is in a very good place now and she's sincerely grateful as he walks her up to the bridge and has her take over at the navigation while they find out what's going on in the DMZ. They have to attend to a Cardassian ship in distress. It's being attacked by Federation vessels, but they are not commanded by Starfleet personnel. When they zoom in on them they discover that they are the Maquis. They hail them to warn them that they're breaking the treaty with the Cardassians and that they are to stop their attack or the Enterprise will be force to engage them. They don't answer and nobody is happy about having to fire on Federation citizens to protect the Cardassians. When they get close enough, Picard suggest firing a spread of torpedoes between the attacking ships and the Cardassian vessel. It works as the Maquis are scared away. They bring the wounded Cardassians aboard to tend them. Gel Evek makes another appearance and he's naturally on his high horse about being attacked by Federation ships. All Picard can do is assure him that they were not provided to them by the Federation and when Evek pushes further, he points out that Federation ships have been subject to similar attacks from Cardassian radicals. Evek leaves with a threat to deal with the Maquis himself. Later, Admiral Nechayev comes back to talk to Picard about the situation. It's established here that the Federation people who ended up in Cardassian territory due to the new treaty in the Demilitarized Zone were being run off from their homes as in Journey's End. Instead of just defending themselves they've now organized into the Maquis. But she's more sympathetic this time since she also knows that the Cardassians have been arming its colonies in the DMZ. She feels that putting someone in under cover with the Maquis will help to stop them. The person she has in mind to infiltrate their organization is Lt. Ro. She's not even unpacked when Picard tells her of her new assignment. He explains that she was picked because of her new special training and because of her spotty record in the past that would lend credibility to the part she must play. She's uneasy at the thought of helping Cardassians but accepts the mission just to justify his faith in her. And she means it.
On another day, Ro enters an alien bar with a mixed crowd and chooses a table in a darkened corner. Worf and Data enter, Worf looking menacing. Ro hides from them by grabbing the man next to her and kissing him passionately. Worf asks the bartender if he's seen a Bajoran woman with dark hair who is wanted for killing a Cardassian officer. He also threatens to shut the place down if they don't cooperate. The bartender tells them she just left and they grudgingly leave. Ro pushes the man she's kissing away and goes to the bar to thank the bartender for covering for her. He wants to know if she really killed the Cardassian. She only hints that she might have wondering why he would lie to protect her. He tells her that there are people in the "Zone" that would appreciate more Cardassians being killed. She flippantly expresses a desire to meet them and the bartender stuns her. When she wakes up she's surrounded by three humans, a woman called Kalita, a younger man called Santos, and an older man called Macias. The old man is friendly but the other two badger her with questions about her past, learning about how she'd watched her father tortured to death by Cardassians, her court martial, and the enhanced version of how she ended up on this planet wanted by Starfleet. She asks them if they're part of the Maquis and expresses great interest in joining them. Kalita and Santos leave to check on her story while Macias gives her a tour of their current base of operations. He tells his own story of abuse at the hands of the Cardassians when his home fell into their territory and they end up bonding over a Bajoran dish that Ro's father used to make. Kalita returns to confirm that her story checks out but Macias claims he never doubted it.
As she stays with them, she learns that they've heard rumors that the Cardassians are arming their people with biological weapons. They want to make a preemptive strike on them to prevent this, but their medical supplies are running low. Ro jumps in and offers to steal medical supplies from the Enterprise. This scene in particular is why I think more time should've been spent on this story, perhaps breaking it into two episodes. Obviously time has passed and when she lures the Enterprise into a solar system that has heavy magnetic interference from an unstable star, the Captain's log even mentions that they haven't heard from her in weeks. And even though Kalita is skeptical the entire time it's still so condensed that it seems like she's earned their trust way too quickly. But, it helps that Macias has a fatherly adoration of her. He talks Kalita into going with her plan. They send out a distress signal and the only ship available is the Enterprise. There's so much magnetic interference in the system that they can't see Ro's ship. Ro maneuvers between the nacelles, penetrates their shields and transports out a lot of medical supplies. All of this is a showcase of her Advanced Tactical Training. The Enterprise does detect her, but Picard suggests that they allow her to get away with this theft to preserve her cover. They fire on a place that the ship had been before it leaves so that it seems convincing and finally Kalita is won over with Ro's incredible skills. They celebrate their little excursion later with Macias again mentioning that he's always known in his heart that she's one of them. The Captain's log breaks in again to tells us that Ro now has a ship and the freedom to move on her own, so she comes back to report on her progress. She tells him that they're worried about biological weapons. Picard thinks it's unlikely but decides that they should use a fake report of this nature to give the Maquis such a large target that they'll send as many ships as possible to attack it while the Federation waits in the shadows of a nebula to trap them. Ro is now noticeably disturbed at being asked to carry the false information and arrange the sting. Picard isn't happy that she seems unwilling but gives her the opportunity to let him know if she's got a problem with it. She notes that even if she does, it won't stop her from doing her duty. His attitude is stern and she genuinely doesn't want to disappoint him. She does a very good job of portraying the growing divide of her loyalty between Picard and people that are being bullied by Cardassians. She feeds them the false intelligence of a Cardassian convoy carrying legal medical supplies which, when combined, would create toxic weapons. They react with the desire to launch a large attack, but have to discuss it with other leaders first. Meanwhile Macias and Ro walk about the compound. She looks increasingly on him as a father figure since his interests parallel her father's so closely. She confides in him memories of her father and he talks joyously of the celebration they'll have when they finally teach the Cardassians that they can't drive them off their lands. At that point three disguised Cardassians enter and begin firing on people in the street. Macias is killed stating that when an old fighter dies, another steps up to take his place. Ro is devastated.
Ro next meets with Picard under cover at the alien bar under the pretense that she's soliciting him. She insists that the mission be aborted claiming that they didn't go for the bait. Picard doesn't believe her since the intelligence he's received indicates that the Maquis are anxious to expand their attacks. It's the only time when we hear her addressed correctly by her first name when he asks her what's going on. It's important since it's a distinguishing feature of the Bajoran race that would be carried on in DS9 and it's one of my favorite creative components, borrowing from east Asian culture in putting the family name first. She confesses that she's having second thoughts even though she truly doesn't want to let him down. He's not very patient with her though. Between the lines you can see instead of appreciating the fact that she still admires him so, he's more appalled that she could be on the verge of ruining the plan after all of the strings he'd pulled to help her career to take off. To me it's another display of the story being moved along too fast because it's uncharacteristic of Picard to be so worried about his image that he doesn't even notice the feelings of a crew member. He rather coldly reminds her of the kind of trouble she could get into for lying to him or if she should choose to sabotage the mission. He also decides to send Riker in undercover as one of her family members to keep an eye on her. (Yet, another thing that happens all too quickly as far as them trusting another new person in their ranks.) Riker pilots Ro's ship with her. The plan is to lead them over the border into the Federation trap while they slip off into a nebula to hide. The Cardassian convoy sees them and with only 30 seconds to go Ro suddenly sets off a particle beam into the nebula which will allow the rest of the Maquis ships to detect the Federation ships lying in wait. She holds Riker at phaser point to tell him that she feels like she belongs with the Maquis in a way she never felt like she belonged in Starfleet. They drift towards the Enterprise and Picard is prepared to take her into custody when she gets on board. But she arranges to have Kalita beam her over to one of their ships before leaving Riker to return on hers. She asks him to tell Captain Picard that she's sorry. He can tell she genuinely is and although Riker's let down as well he wishes her well before she's transported away.
Later Riker, still surgically altered to appear Bajoran, submits his report to Picard. He tells him that she seemed sure that she was doing the right thing but that she truly regretted letting him down. It ends with Picard fuming silently over her betrayal.
So they send off the character of Ro by releasing her back to the troubled waters they'd found her in. Like I said, sad but not unexpected since Ro was always
rebellious and untameable. It's a fitting end for her and a good episode, just
too quickly executed. Really, they could have combined it with Wesley's
end and made a fabulous two part episode or even three part arc that would've aided in giving Wesley a better send off. So other than pacing, I have no problems with it. It was another good connection to DS9 which only helped it to flourish even more.
They were also trying to set the groundwork for Voyager. When Ro first talks about the Maquis to Picard, she mentions that one of her tactical trainers deserted Starfleet to join them. This was supposed to be a reference to Chakotay which I think was later torpedoed in Voyager on a technicality of the date. But they'd originally wanted Michelle Forbes to reprise Ro as a main character on Voyager as a part of Chakotay's Maquis crew. It may have made the show more interesting, but she wouldn't commit so Torres was created to fill that spot. That and the fact that they couldn't work in Nick Locarno from First Duty (TNG) was just a string of bad luck for for that series that caused the weak birth of Voyager as opposed to the strong commencement of DS9.
Anyway, it's an excellent next-to-last episode for the series. Four stars. It may have been four and a half, but they blew through it just a little too fast for my taste.
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