7.24 — “Preemptive Strike”
Plot: Ro Laren returns to the Enterprise with the rank of Lieutenant, just in time to be sent by Admiral Necheyev to an undercover mission in the Demilitarized Zone. Her mission: sniff out the plans of the Maquis, so the Federation can stop their terror campaign against the Cardassians (not to be confused with the Kardashians).
Thoughts: This is the penultimate episode of TNG. It’s kind of weird that it barely involves the main cast members, and is so melancholy. But it’s got Ro! So we’re good.
I see Michelle Forbes and I immediately flash back to better times in TNG’s Fifth Season, like ”Ensign Ro,” which introduced Bajorans and their conflict with the Cardassians, and became the whole basis for DS9. And that great Fourth Season episode, “The Wounded,” about O’Brien’s reflexive prejudice against the Cardassians and having to confront his former captain who has gone rogue (like the Maquis!).
Forbes is great. She telegraphs her reluctance to participate in the undercover mission and her sympathy for the Maquis so clearly that Picard looks like a doofus for sending her on the mission. Something about this treaty and proximity to the demilitarized zone perpetually clouds his judgment.
The opening scene seems designed to make the point that the guest star (Ro) is much cooler than principal cast members Crusher, Troi, and La Forge, who are such deadly company that Picard bails her out of conversing with them. We can take this as an honest reflection of the writers’ opinion; it’s weird that at this stage they aren’t even trying to hide it. If I were one of the actors, I’d be pissed.
The Maquis seem to have a very comfortable hideout, including working replicators. Is leading an armed insurgency really necessary? I like the avuncular dude, but I’m not sure I buy him as a guerrilla.
Watching the episode, I thought that what would turn Ro against the Federation would be her discovery that, in fact, the Cardassians are smuggling arms to their colonists. She could then disavow Picard’s shopworn slow diplomacy, and opt for a direct approach. Making the turning point instead be the death of the father figure who was nice to her is a little too obvious. The fight scene involving the Cardassian attack at which the mentor is killed is well staged, however, and well shot by Patrick Stewart in his last turn as episode director.
I love the acting in the scene where Picard and Ro argue, and Picard uncharacteristically threatens Ro with court martial, but they have to pretend to be wooing each other the whole time. There’s a lot of male gaze going on in this episode, however. The only moves the writers can think of for the pretty female guest star to demonstrate her power and competence are sexualized, first making out with hair metal dude, and later literally posing as a prostitute. You don’t see the male characters being thrown into these positions. You’ve still got a long way to go, baby, despite the strength of the character.
Lest I sound full of gripes, it’s always a good time having Michelle Forbes on screen, even if a few things could have been done better. I feel like I’m grading on a sliding scale, but:
4 out of 5 stolen medkits.
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