| The Next Generation | |
| 103 | |
| Ensign Ro | |
| 45076.3 | |
Picard is having his hair cut... both of them actually! His spit-polish is interrupted when he is called back to the bridge - a distress call has been intercepted from the Cardassian border. A Federation colony has been destroyed and the Bajorans are claiming responsibility. A Starfleet Admiral charges Picard to find the terrorist leader and get him back to the settlement camps "any way you can". I wonder if they considered a bodybag?
Admiral Kennelly has another surprise for Picard, he is transferring a new Bajoran officer to help with the mission, Ensign Ro Laren. Ensign Ro has been a naughty girl, and it took quite a lot for the Admiral to get her out of prison! She was court-martialed for the deaths of 8 members of an away team she was on. This upsets the captain, but he is put back in line quickly. Let's think: Picard, Riker, Data, LaForge, Troi, Worf, Crusher, O'Brien - we could wipe out the entire cast this episode if we are lucky!
Ensign Ro is an arrogant bitch, and since Riker is the resident arrogant bastard they get on like a house on fire. I wonder if Riker feels threatened? She does prove useful though in suggesting where they can find the terrorist Orta who was responsible for the destruction of the Federation colony. They ask Keeve Falor, but he doesn't want to help as the Federation didn't help when his planet was annexed 40 years before. The Prime Directive isn't going to win any friends in this sector of space. Picard bribes him with blankets and leaves... Leaves? No, I mean he beams back!
Cut to 10-Forward. Geordi is having a whinge about Ro being on board, and Guinan sees this as a perfect opportunity to pry. She plays the annoying bartender well, and soon Ro is whining as well. Back in her quarters, Ro receives a coded subspace message from Admiral Kennelly, and she tells him that everything is going as planned. Oh no, not another conspiracy!
The away team is preparing to beam to a barren moon to meet with Orta, when they realise that Ro is not on board, she beamed down 6 hours before. Picard is less than amused, and the rest of the team beams down to the same location. They find themselves in a maze of twisty passages, all alike, but no sign of Ro. A quick search separates the party and they manage to get captured. Ro is with their captors!
Orta admits that he attacks many Cardassian outposts, but he outright denies attacking a Federation colony. The team is allowed to beam back and Ro is restricted to her quarters, while Picard considers another court-martial. His musing is disturbed by Guinan arriving with Ro in train, and he agrees to listen to what Ro has to say. Ro tells the captain that Admiral Kennelly had ordered her down earlier to offer Orta weapons - something that Starfleet could not officially sanction. Picard is shocked! What's the point of a good conspiracy if you keep telling people?
Orta agrees to be resettled back at the camps and the Enterprise is to escort their ship. Unfortunately the Bajoran ship can't do more than half impulse, so it is going to be a long trip. Maybe not... a couple of Cardassian warships plot a parallel course with the Enterprise and finally cross the border. They want the Enterprise to leave the area while they destroy the Bajoran vessel.
Picard consults with the Admiral, and calls his bluff about the conspiracy. The Admiral orders him to withdraw from the Bajoran vessel. Despite complaints, the Enterprise pulls back as the Cardassians attack. Immediately afterwards the Admiral calls back and looks proud. He wants to know if there were any survivors of the attack, and Picard tells him that they were no casualties as the ship was piloted by remote.
The Admiral bristles, and wants to know why Picard did not allow the terrorists to be destroyed. The captain tells him, in a way that you would tell a stupid child, that the Bajorans couldn't possibly have attacked the Federation colony as they don't have warp capability, and that the Admiral's mates the Cardassians staged the whole thing.
Later, Picard tells Ro that the Admiral will face a hearing at best and probably a court-martial, and offers Ro her position back permanently. Quite a turn-around.
