Sunday, November 6, 2011

Strike at the Fabric of All we Hold Dear

Okay, I could be a little overdramatic but this is the end, folks. No more Mr. Nice Berman by which I mean the next big thing he did after TNG, which is all but over now, is Voyager, and we all know what happened there.

The Next Generation: Preemptive Strike

So, Ro's back! And she wants to join the Maquis! Because they're very very very good.

Well, the Maquis aren't good, but they are very very Human. Or Vulcan, Bajoran, or some other damn thing.

Anyway.

They're on the way to a briefing about the DMZ, and Ro is back. She's been promoted. And she's been at Advanced Tactical Training, and they threw her a party, which just makes her uncomfortable. Picard calls her to the Bridge...

But he's wating outside to rescue her from the insanity that was the party. They go for a nice walk. She just became the Starfleet equivalent of a SEAL, I guess. She expresses her gratitude to Picard, and she means it too.

Then the Cardassians get attacked. Picard and Ro go to the Bridge and find that the Cardassians are being attacked by Federation ships of unknown design.

Can we say Maquis anyone?

Credits. Can I just say that I love that they brought DS9's problem into NextGen. Did not have to do that. Well done. Well done indeed.

Notice that Brannon kept his hands off this one.

So anyway, they get there and it is, indeed, Federation ships. And it is indeed, the Maquis (which Picard pronounces as "Mah-kee" and not "Maw-key"). They have to fire at the Maquis to save the Cardassians, which they do not like to do even if it was just a warning shot. But they do it. Because they have to.

It's our old buddy Gul Evek! They treat his crew in Sickbay, and Evek is pissed. Picard says they are tyring to control the Maquis, but it's obviously not working - they have photon torpedoes and type 8 phasers. Picard assures Evek they aren't condoning the Maquis, threats are made anyway, and basically they'll have to do something at some point.

So they go meet Admiral Nechayev, who orders Picard to do something. The Cardassians are also supplying their colonists with weapons, in all fairness, BTW. Nechayev knows that the Maquis are moving beyond just defending themselves and going on the attack. So she wants to do an undercover operation and she wants Ro to do it.

Picard talks to Ro. She is surprised, but willing. She says her teacher at tactical training left to join the Maquis. Picard says everyone sympathizes with the Maquis but they can't just let it go. Ro decides to go - to validate Picard's faith in her.

Commercial.

She goes to a bar, on a planet, full of cranky drunks. Worf and Data come in and she grabs some guy to make out with to hide. They say they're looking for a dark-haired Bajoran woman who killed a Cardassian and some guy at the bar covers for her. She goes to the bar and sits. The man who says she left approaches and asks if she actually killed a CArdassian... subtle. She asks why he said she left, and they speak, rather unsubtly about a mutual hatred of the Cardassians. She said she'd like to meet people who don't like Cardassians. He stuns her.

She wakes up in a room. Three Maquis interrogate her. She tells her story about being court martialed and paints herself as a perfect recruit. They eventually identify themselves as Maquis. Two of them leave, leaving an old man to watch her. He takes her on a walking tour of the city they're in. He seems to trust her intrinsically. He tells her when the treaty was signed the people who chose to stay in the DMZ were attacked by Cardassians.  They bond over spicy Bajoran food.

His name is Macias, and he is the leader of this cell.

Macias decides to have Ro room with a woman, Kalida, until they find her a place once her story is verified.

Later, there is a meeting. There is a rumor that the Cardassians are going to supply their colonists with biogenic weapons. Ouch.

They need medical supplies if they are going to mount a strike against the Cardassians to stop this from happening. Ro wants to steal them from the Enterprise. She's got a plan to get in to get the supplies. They don't trust her. Macias wants to do it anyway. So he decides to let her try if Kalida goes with her.

Commercial.

They get to the border and Ro hacks the sensor buoys.

Picard is worrying about Ro. There's a request for emergency assistance in the Topin system. The Topin system cannot recieve transmissions and sensors won't work.

Ro and Kalinda are hiding in the Topin System. When the Enterprise gets there they swoop in and take the Maquis ship into the shields and Ro sends a coded message to the Enterprise, then beams the medical supplies out. Picard allows them to do so and takes a shot at them for good measure.

No one in the Maquis can believe it, but she's earned their respect. Macias says, "In your heart, you're one of us."

Commercial.

Ro can now go where she wants on her own ship. She goes to tell Picard about the biogenic weapons. He wants to lead the Maquis all into a trap. She has misgivings but agrees to help.  Picard says, "I knew that I could count on you."

Ro tells the Maquis that there could be parts for a biogenic weapon coming through the DMZ, all perfectly legal. Macias will call the other cells in on this it's so big.

That night, Ro and Macias want to celebrate, but instead 3 robed men - Cardassians - attack the colony. And Macias is killed. But he leaves her in charge. And that is when Ro breaks.

Commercial.

She goes to the bar again, to meet Picard. She asks him to cancel the mission. His intelligence says they should go ahead. "Laren," he asks, "what's going on?" And she tells him she wants to back out. And he tells her if she backs out it will destroy her career. He threatens to put her before a board of inquiry for lying and court martial her if she sabotages it. He sends Will back with her to keep an eye on her.

So the mission goes on. But Ro does sabotage it. She pulls a phaser on Will. "I'm sorry," she says, "I can't let this happen." Ro then reveals the Starfleet attack force in the nebula. The mission is aborted and the Maquis haven't crossed the border yet so Starfleet can't do anything, legally. Ro beams back to the Maquis and lets Will go back. She tells him to tell Picard she's sorry. And there's only one thing he can say.

"Take care of yourself."

Riker tells Picard Ro seemed certain she did the right thing. Picard just sits there. He not happy, no.

So.

Type 1. police action. Yes.

Type 2. character with a problem. Yes.

Type 3. recreating earth's past. Yes.

Type 4. alien aliens. No.

Definitely Trek then.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the end. After that, it was all over but the singing.