Preemptive Strike
- Episode aired May 14, 1994
- TV-PG
- 45m
Following her return from Advanced Tactical Training, Bajoran Ro Laren is sent to infiltrate the Maquis and finds herself torn between her loyalty to Picard and Starfleet, and her sympathy w... Read allFollowing her return from Advanced Tactical Training, Bajoran Ro Laren is sent to infiltrate the Maquis and finds herself torn between her loyalty to Picard and Starfleet, and her sympathy with the Maquis fighting "the good fight".Following her return from Advanced Tactical Training, Bajoran Ro Laren is sent to infiltrate the Maquis and finds herself torn between her loyalty to Picard and Starfleet, and her sympathy with the Maquis fighting "the good fight".
- Ensign Gates
- (uncredited)
- Bar Patron
- (uncredited)
- Juhraya Colonist
- (uncredited)
- Human Colonist
- (uncredited)
- Cardassian Spy
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode contains the only instance of Ro being (correctly and intentionally) referred to by her given name - when Captain Picard meets her at the bar and asks "Laren, what is going on?"
- GoofsWhen Capt. Picard is talking to Lt. Ro in the bar, he tells her that there are only going to be six ships in the convoy and they could cut that number down if they had to. However, later, when Data is talking Capt. Picard, he says, "This is the convoy," and the camera changes to view the Long Range Scan 0128 and there thirteen objects with labels, nine white and four blue moving on the screen.
- Quotes
[Ro has managed to steal Enterprise's medical supplies, with 'announcement']
Commander William T. Riker: Now we know what they mean by 'advanced' tactical training.
- ConnectionsEdited from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Shadowplay (1994)
- SoundtracksStar Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage
Although far too brief for the character arc it tries to achieve, this episode plays with some of the characteristics we know of Ro Laren. It asks where her loyalties lie, her relationship with Jean-Luc Picard and with the federation as a whole. The best part of this episode is some of the tender and quiet moments. Her relationship with the old man helps establish her reasons later on for her change of heart. Her discussions with Picard are very personal and you can see how his approval is important to her. However, those dialogues are bluntly straightforward about the emotional steps we're supposed to see in her. You have Ro Laren literally saying 'the most important thing for me is your approval', something I doubt Ro would ever say out loud. This episode is a standout amongst the rather tame Season 7 and reminds us the great character writing TNG could have. Even in 50 minutes, her arc is very believably and fitting of the character we've watched for several episodes. I appreciate that they had Riker with her at the end, which only slightly manages to finish their arc together by him wishing her luck. We never got to find out what Riker was to say about Ro Laren at her funeral. I am not going to delve too much into the plot, it isn't very complex, it is all about characters this episode and I suggest you watch it yourself.
It's a shame Ro never got more episodes, perhaps to build up this arc over a longer period. Besides Ro Laren's important role in future Star Trek lore, she's also just a fascinating character. She's not the perfect officer like much of the TNG crew who are so often just accommodating to everyone else's opinions. Although they are very sympathetic they are sometimes just too perfect as people. Ro Laren was always at odds with people, always blunt and sometimes crass about her opinions and determined to enact them. People didn't like her and for a clear reason. Yet she still ended up being the most relatable and sympathetic character for me. Even in lesser episodes she always stood out with her very well-defined personality. When you take an episode like The Next Phase, the writer's know well-enough to focus on Ro's reaction than La Forge's (the writer's have tried many times to write episodes about La Forge, like his romance life and about his mom, didn't often work). Even the episode, Rascals, where they turn into kids, some of the characters like Keiko or Picard are written blandly for the kid actors. But Guinan and Ro sound exactly like their adult counterparts. The writer's made Ro Laren into one of the highlights of this series even with so few appearances. It is nice therefore to see her get such a well-thought out farewell.
- romkevdv17
- Nov 6, 2021
Details
- Runtime45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1