| The Next Generation | |
| 60 | |
| The High Ground | |
| 43510.7 | |
Worf and Bev are in a coffee shop together. A bit strange, I didn't think that she was into xeno-sex, but as I have pointed out so often before, the future is a very wierd place. Boom. Aaargh. Is it the KKKK (Klingo Ku Klux Klan) come to reak revenge on Worf for going after a white woman? Nope. It's just a bunch of boring colonial terrorists. Bev starts ordering Worf around, which clearly makes her the only assertive member of the Enterprise crew. Pity she wasn't assertive when the option of abortion was considered. :-)
Bev wants to stay and help the wounded rather than return to the Enterprise. Beverly Nighting-Crusher has a very odd ring to it. Picard should order them back and out of danger... but he doesn't. Typical. A terrorist beams in, takes Bev, and beams out. But wait, what light from yonder teleport came, it is a transporter, but I think not. It certainly wasn't a Federation transporter - more of a flash!
It seems that the local looneys want to involve the Federation in a war. As I have pointed out on more than one occasion, it will do them no good. The Federation is purely exploratory and have no real offensive capability. There are no Federation battle-waggons!
Meanwhile back on the Enterprise Wes is whinging. Picard and Troi try to council him - but that will clearly have no effect. Picard gives one of his best lines to date with: "History has shown us that strength may be useless when dealing with terrorism". I don't know who's history he has been reading but it seems to me that strength is the only way to deal with terrorism. Wimps that capitulate at the first shot are going to be walked on forever.
Riker and Picard beam down to the planet to discuss the situation with the local security representation. Riker decides to stay with the female security chief, but she seems a little cold and it is doubtful that he will get his end in.
At this very time, in an underground bunked miles from Gotham City (oops, sorry wrong silly American show :-) Bev says: "I have a son". Is she offering to swap Wesley for her life. It seems a fair deal to me. Or maybe she wants to terrorist to kill him just as a passing favour. Neither seems likely to happen as the terrorist gives one of the most shocking and chilling responses possible: "You'll be with him again doctor. I see no reason to kill you". If that is not reason enough to die, I don't know what is.
A little deja vu creeps in as we are told that the terrorists were denied independance 70 years earlier. They also didn't mean to blow up a schoolbus, but were aiming at a police convoy. Did the Sinn Fein get off planet just after the turn of the century or is this similarity to the events being played out today in Northern Ireland mearly coincidence?
It seems that the locals are teleporting around using a dimensional shift. This sounds remarkably like the failed transwarp that the Federation once used. Could it have the same terrible consequences on those who are teleported? This is currently unknown, but what is known is that an "adaptive sub-space echo-gram" will detect the jumps. Chalk up another great line for the Talkie-Toaster.
Bev on the planet tells the chief terrorist name Finn that: "I will do anything you ask". Instead of the obvious, Finn asks her to help his people who are being slowly killed by the dimensional shifting. Boring.
To strike fear into the hearts of the Federation, terrorists shift onto the Enterprise and start wasting people with blue beam weapons. I knew that colour really was important. Neither shields nor transporters will contain them, so Picard does the only sensible thing he knows how to do - nothing! Finn and another terrorist shift onto the bridge and Worf is shot! Picard punches Finn and while grappling with him on the floor is shifted back to the planet. Are the crew worried about Worfs injuries? Nope, they are far more concerned at retrieving their impotent captain.
The terrorists want the planet embargoed and want to force the Federation to moderate the talks. This they assume will give them the political leverage they need to get independance. Little do they know, holding Picard will achieve them nothing as his lap-dog sycophant Riker will be along as soon as possible to rescue him.
Riker, Worf and a local security team beam into the enemy stronghold, and not surprisingly Picard is rescued and Finn is killed. "An imperfect solution to an imperfect problem" is the best musing that can be made of the whole situation.
