5.03 Ensign Ro

Rating: 3

For decades, the Bajoran people have been victimized by the ruling Cardassians, while the Federation’s non-interference policy has kept them from providing assistance. After a Federation outpost is attacked, the Enterprise is sent to locate and neutralize the Bajoran terrorist who has claimed responsibility for the attack. To aid in this mission Admiral Kennelly assigns the Bajoran Ensign Ro Laren: fiery, disrespected, and recently court-martialed for indiscretions during her last tour of duty.

Comments

Michelle Forbes joins the crew as Ensign Ro.

Riker makes Ro remove her earring while on duty. This must just be his way of showing his personal disrespect for her, because he allows Worf to wear his Klingon sash all the time. And too bad he wasn’t around to get Seven of Nine to wear regulation clothes!

In Picard’s first meeting with Ro, it is surprising that he allows her to interrupt him mid-sentence and then walk out of the room having said the last word. This would seem to be a serious breach of the chain of command, yet Picard just looks across the table at Riker as if to say, "Bajorans…what are ya gonna do?"

Nits

When Picard is first introduced to Ro Laren, he calls her ‘Ensign Laren’, unaware that ‘Laren’ is her first name. She has elected to keep her name ‘last name first’ in the Bajoran tradition, although she states that many Bajorans have reversed their names to ‘assimilate better’. It’s a little unusual that indigenous-sensitive Picard was unaware of this conflict and that he didn’t ask first which was her family name, but this could be a fault of his briefing team. It is also interesting that, even though many current (2004) earth cultures do use last name first, from what Ro says, by the time of Next Gen, last name last has become the standard.

Made aware of a conspiracy, Picard lays a trap by appearing to be escorting Orta’s ship (with Orta on board). He suspects that the Cardassians will attempt to intervene, and that Kennelly will give the order for the Enterprise to give way. It all happens according to plan. The Cardassians then blow up Orta’s ship. Then Picard tells Kennelly that Orta was not on board; the ship was being remotely controlled from the planet’s surface. There are two nits here, and they remove this episode from being considered excellent. First, why does the knowledge that Picard laid a trap force Kennelly to reveal his prejudice against the terrorists and collusion with the Cardassians? At this point, Picard may have had suspicions but he had no proof. Second, how did Picard know that the Cardassians would simply destroy the ship? Normally, I would have thought the Cardassians would have wanted to take the terrorists alive and get the benefits of torturing them, trying and sentencing them in a ‘kangaroo’ court, and then executing them. Even if this not were the case, and the Cardassians were happy to just blow them up, as a military organization it still made sense that they would first confirm who was on board the ship before destroying it.

Memorable Moments

•    After Picard asks Ro to join the crew, and Ro says there is one condition, she puts her earring back on and smiles for the first time, and Picard smiles warmly.

Quotable Quotes

Ro: Heard anything interesting lately?
Guinan: Everyone’s talking about you.
Ro: Heard anything interesting lately?

Ro: I never stay anywhere long enough to make friends.
Guinan: Too late. You just made one.

Ro: But that strange bartender of yours has a way of getting to you, and she said that you were her friend.
Picard: Then we have one thing in common.