Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) The Wounded (1991) User Reviews

The war did not end.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 25 March 2021]

A great episode that dives into the fallout of post war stresses and the real world impact that they cause. The Cardassians are one of the truly great star trek antagonist races and we get a nice little glimpse of what is to come in this episode.

I loved the ending scene between Maxwell and O'Brien. Miles didn't even have to say anything or use force to talk down Maxwell. It was a great unspoken moment that you would expect to happen from two soldiers who served together.

I don't know why Miles O'Brien went from Tactical to the guy who pushes the transporter knob up ---- Maybe he knocked out a guy? Maybe he just didn't want a stressful job after the events that took place on cetlik 3? Maybe he just really likes that cool transport sound?

It was a great dilemma for Picard ----- Maxwell was right but Picard had to weigh the consequences of searching the Cardassian supply freighter versus strengthening a fragile peace. Fits in with Picard's diplomacy trait and after Maxwell killed 650 Cardassians, I suppose there was no other choice at this point.

Not Gul Dukat is great. He is in the top tier of trek guest star actors. I always liked the Cardassian makeup/design but I am glad they treated this as a first draft and worked out the kinks.

I am wondering if this episode could have been done without Maxwell killing 650 people? I just couldn't feel sympathy for the man after that, despite the actor giving a wonderful performance. Well, that's the cycle of death that war causes and probably the point being made by the show.

A Captain Goes Rogue!

[Samuel-Shovel · 8/10 · 30 December 2019]

In "The Wounded" a recently brokered peace deal is jeopardized by a rogue Federation starship captain on the warpath. A captain who fought the Cardassians in combat and knows them firsthand and what they're capable of, Captain Maxwell is the former boss of the newly wedded O'Brien. Miles must deal with the emotions of cooperating with the Cardassians and trying to stop his friend.

Xenophobia and acceptance of foreign cultures seem to be the theme with this episode but it doesn't always hit home. Comparing O'Brien's discomfort with the cultural differences he has with his wife with the discomfort he has with the Cardassians is a heavy-handed metaphor that doesn't ring completely true to me.

But the rest of thks episode is pretty solid. Picard and his counterpart put on quite the show. I also love the openness of the ending of Picard's threat to the Cardassians that the Federation will be keeping an eye on them... Maxwell might have been wrong in his actions, but his hunch on them rearming seems to be right.

Great script and acting

[orthogonal6 · 8/10 · 24 August 2013]

This episode represents to me what is special about Star Trek – namely that it focuses on the people and characterizations and plot lines as opposed to massive displays of special effects. The plot here focuses on legendary star fleet captain Ben Maxwell, who can't put his war demons and personal tragedies behind him. These demons compel him to go rogue with his powerful starship against his old enemies, with whom he should now officially be at peace. Picard and the crew of the Enterprise are sent to corral Maxwell and preserve the peace. Among his crew, O'Brien struggles with his affection for Maxell, his former commander, and must also confront his own war demons.

I love confrontations between characters that showcase a strong script and strong acting. The best such confrontations not only advance the story but yield strong truths about the characters to each other and to us. The very best provide fundamental truths about human nature itself. There are several great confrontations in this episode. All of them showcase excellent understated acting: • Picard and Maxwell verbally fence with each other in their first confrontation. Picard is quiet but forceful, simply questioning Maxwell into a corner. • O'Brien and his former enemy sharing drinks in a bar as they unravel their own baggage. O'Brien shares an epiphany for him and us, and maybe for many a war veterans. "It's not you I hate. I hate what I became because of you." Let that sink in. Powerful. • The best such exchange is in the climax when O'Brien quietly talks Maxwell back from the brink. His combination of reminiscence and the minstrel melody are perfect, leading to the saddest exchange – "I'm not gonna win this one, am I Miles?" "No sir". Nothing more needs to be said. They and we are left with the realization that the collapse of a once great man was now complete. • Picard's dressing down of Gul Macet at the end is a surprise plot twist as well as a way to put the entirety of events and people into the proper context.

Dialogue reigns supreme here. Bob Gunton is terrific as Maxwell and is easy to like and care about. Patrick Stewart also shines here, as he does so often. The real gem in this episode, though, is Colm Meaney as O'Brien. The episode has its flaws, the biggest of which is Picard releasing Maxwell back to his ship. Big tactical error, but then we would not have had the dénouement with O'Brien. I also can't figure out how going from a tactical officer to a transporter chief is a logical career progression for O'Brien. Still, what a treat to see such a strong script delivered so effectively.

The Cardassians introduced.

[russem31 · 22 April 2006]

ST:TNG:86 - "The Wounded" (Stardate: 44429.6) - this is the 12th episode of the 4th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This episode introduces one of the more memorable of Star Trek villains, the Cardassians. In this episode, it is revealed that the Federation and Cardassians have been at war for years and have only recently (a year go) signed a peace treaty.

However, there is a rogue captain, Maxwell of the Phoenix, who starts destroying Cardassian ships seemingly for no reason. Maxwell, whom O'Brien has served with, lost his whole family during a battle on Setlick and Picard now thinks he's up to revenge. He enlists O'Brien's help (along with 3 Cardassians including Gul Macet) in trying to persuade his former captain to stand down, but in the process must confront his own demons.

This episode brings to question, when you were in war for so long, can you find a role in peace (the same question that the samurai had during the Tokugawa era after the long civil war period of Japanese history)? Trivia note: Marc Alaimo plays Gul Macet (he will soon play a memorable Cardassian named Gul Dukat on Deep Space Nine). And you see O'Brien and Keiko having dinner together, the first time we see them AFTER the wedding from the previous episode. And it is noted that Picard first met the Cardassians while on the Stargazer, and under not-so-peaceful circumstances.

Introducing the Bloody Cardies

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 9 September 2013]

What really bugged me about this was that The Cardassians had been DROPPED into the Future History of Trek from basically out of nowhere. Not only had we never seen these ugly guys, suddenly O'Brien had this story about Setlik 3 he starts telling.

Apparently "The Cardassian War" had been over for a couple of years, when The Enterprise D first pulled out of The Utopia Plenicia Shipyards. But until this episode we had seen not hide nor hair nor even the spoons in their skulls.

Bob Gunton is Captain Benjamin Maxwell, who had been stuffing some Cardy-related emotions and now he is out of control, he goes into Cardy space and starts blowing up ships and space stations.

So as The D enters Cardy space and Gul Macet (Marc Alaimo) starts shooting at them, Picard is handed a worm can that he has to fix.

But in Maxwell's Mind, he is not doing anything wrong. In fact, the Cardassian War never ended for him.

The problem is, Maxwell is right, but he's going about it the wrong way. How do we deal with a guy named Maxwell? We need a guy named O'Brien. But before O'Brien can help Maxwell, he has to face his own prejudices- Which he does by finally sitting with a Cardy who is just trying to be friendly and drinking some Kanar with him- And admitting what the Cardy War had made him become.

It takes O'Brien sneaking onto Maxwell's ship and confronting him about Setlik 3. And a song:

"The Minstrel Boy to the War hath gone, In the ranks of death you will find him. His father's sword he hath girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him."

This song was used to define Miles Edward O'Brien for the rest of his stay on The Enterprise and also on Deep Space Nine.

I'll accept the judgement of history

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 13 July 2021]

A Federation starship attacks the Cardassians.

This is a strong episode with a good concept played out by some great characters.

The story involves a concept that always fascinates me: the rogue captain. Sending Captain Picard to deal with Captain Maxwell is entirely plausible as he lives and breaths the values of the Federation. There is an element of suspension of disbelief required in one aspect of the plot when Picard first meets Maxwell, but for me it does not effect my enjoyment of the episode as (unlike some other reviewers) I do not take fictional stories too seriously. There are some great themes relating to anger, hatred and warfare that underpin everything.

There is a good focus on Chief O'Brien, who makes a huge contribution to the main plot and has some decent early marital exchanges with Keiko.

The Cardassians are introduced and the foundations are laid for some excellent future episodes of TNG and also Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In this episode the hatred of them is not just a plot driver but the basis of a strong arc for O'Brien and similarly Maxwell.

One tactical decision by the writers aside, Picard, as always embodies great leadership and mediation. His confrontation with Maxwell for me is a good scene and he handles the scrutiny of the Cardassians perfectly.

Visually it tells the story well. Some of the highlights are the early concept makeup effects for the Cardassians and the scene where the Enterprise bridge crew watch a fight between the Phoenix and Cardassian ships on a scanner.

Patrick Stewart stands out as always and has great support from Colm Meaney, Marc Alaimo and Bob Gunton.

For me it is an 8.5/10 but I round upwards.

The greatest TNG episode ever

[endalayng · 10/10 · 10 October 2020]

Have just watched again for the umpteenth time. Great script - incredibly good performances from Meaney and Gunton. As a proud Irishman always loved the "Minstrel Boy" The futility of war..... Just Brilliant

One of the best

[firefalcoln · 10/10 · 19 March 2014]

This episode is just awesome. What I like most about this episode is that it does not leave one feeling like what was right necessarily took effect. Tom Gunton (the warden in shawshank redemption) does a fabulous job as a guest star as another star ship captain in this one. The episode introduces the Kardasians, and creates a terrific conflict between the Enterprise, the Kardasians, and another star ship captain who's about as respected as Picard in Star fleet. This episode deals with the enterprise in conflict with starfleet itself,, which is a concept that creates many great episodes, and in my opinion should have been utilized more. The other captain attacks the kardasians without approval, because he believes them untrustworthy, and secretly preparing for war with the federation. Picard and the enterprise partner with some Kardasians to halt the seemingly unprovoked attack. In the end the other captain is taken into custody of the enterprise, thanks largely to chief O'Brien's negotiations with the other captain whom he used to serve under. At the end however, Picard realizes that the Kardasians were being deceptive, as the other captain suspected. The episode leaves the viewer wondering at the end whether the Kardasians or the other starfleet ship was a bigger negative threat, and the uncertainty makes a strong statement about the difficulty of making the correct moral decision between two negative forces.

Overall, this is one of the top 10 episodes in my book. The only thing that bothers me is the unrealistically conflict of cultural food between O'Brien and his new wife. In the episode it's like their first meal together is after they got married.

Great Episode and a Worthy Introduction of the Cardassians

[Nominahorn · 10/10 · 19 December 2014]

A respected Starfleet captain has gone rogue and started destroying ships and bases belonging to the newly-introduced Cardassians, threatening the fragile peace with them. The Enterprise is ordered to hunt him down and "preserve the peace, no matter the cost."

This is easily one of my favorite episodes of any Star Trek series for many reasons. It introduces us to the Cardassians, who are probably the most interesting alien race in Star Trek. They make for an excellent case study of humanity because they are probably the most human of all the major Star Trek races. The Klingons are too hot; the Romulans are too cold; and the Vulcans are colder still. The Cardassians are just right. The Cardassians also seem to be completely on par with humans in terms of abilities; they are equally intelligent, equally strong physically, and have no special powers that humans lack. Basically, they are just ugly humans with cooler uniforms. Because of this, it's safe to say that their society is exactly what the Federation would be if it was ruled by a military dictatorship. On top of that, the Cardassians have many admirable qualities; their dedication to family being the one that stands out the most. In all, they are a great race for storytelling purposes and my personal favorites of all.

We also get our first glimpse of Marc Alaimo (AKA Gul Dukat) in this episode. Alaimo is an excellent actor--in particular his voice drips with emotion and rhetorical flair without ever going overboard--and his character of Dukat is easily the best villain Star trek has ever had. His character in this episode, Macet, is essentially just Dukat by a different name; he posses the same arrogance, charm, and love with the sound of his own voice that audiences will eventually come to love and hate about Dukat. It's a juicy teaser of things to come on Deep Space Nine.

This episode stands out too in being the first to heavily feature Colm Meany in his role as Chief O'Brien. Those who have seen Deep Space Nine already know that Meany is an incredible actor, but the job he does on this episode is spectacular even for him. His rapport with, well, basically everyone is almost uncanny. He makes Chief O'Brien so human and relatable that the viewer will wish they could sit in Ten Forward and have a drink with him. In particular, his scene with the Cardassian in Ten-For and his scene with Maxwell on the Phoenix are where he gets to show the true reach of his acting talents.

As you can see, this episode obviously does a lot to set up for Deep Space Nine. The Cardassians, Marc Alaimo, and Chief O'Brien will all play major roles in that show and they all give an enticing glimpse in this episode of what a great show DS9 will eventually become.

But all the great lore and setup for DS9 aside, this episode is great in its own right. The action is compelling and the suspense is gripping. The story is very tight and well-written. But most of all, the dialog and the acting are off the scales. There's so many great scenes (basically every single one), but here are some of the best:

-O'Brien and the Cardies in the turbolift

-O'Brien and Maxwell in the transporter room

-Maxwell and Picard in the ready room

-O'Brien and Maxwell on the Phoenix

-Picard and Macet in the final scene

The last two scenes are particularly great, ranking #2 and #1 respectively in my book. I love how O'Brien barely says anything to Maxwell but somehow his presence is calming to the point that it causes Maxwell to see reason on his own. And when they sadly sing the minstrel boy song with their thousand-yard stares--haunting and beautiful.

This great episode saves the best for last, though. After putting up with Macet's insufferable arrogance for the entire episode--and always doing so with a smile on his face--Picard finally gets to tell Macet off. Even surrounded by great actors like Meany and Alaimo, Patrick Stewart manages to shine here as he delivers his stern warning to Macet, "Take this message back to your leaders...we are watching." When he holds that intense stare for a few seconds and then silently turns his back to Macet, it's spine-tingling. Perfect way to end this episode.

THE GOOD:

-The acting, dialog, suspense, lore, story, characters, and everything else listed above

THE BAD:

-O'Brien's career progression makes no sense and the writers and producers did a horrible job of figuring out his position in Starfleet. First he's the tactical officer on the Rutledge (which is the position Worf has on the 1701-D), then he is a mere transporter technician with a noncommissioned officer rank on the Enterprise, then he's a chief engineer on DS9. Makes zero sense.

-Re-uses bad trope that recurs throughout Star Trek--that of a "very highly respected" captain in Starfleet going off the deep end.

THE UGLY:

-The Cardassian's complete incompetence in this episode makes me wonder how they ever were considered a threat to the Federation. Picard gives their warship the ability to disarm the Phoenix, they get in the first shot, and they STILL get obliterated. Pretty pathetic showing for them.

-The Cardassians' uniforms. Literally ugly. Fortunately this is the only episodes for those uniforms and the ones they use in DS9 are actually some of the coolest-looking uniforms in all of Star Trek. But holy Prime Directive are they ugly in this one.

-The window in the Phoenix's shields that allows O'Brien to beam through seems like a fatal flaw for a vessel to have. An enemy could beam a bomb through that gap and destroy the vessel.

Past wars and inner rage

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 20 March 2017]

I have to confess that the Cardassians have never been my cup of tea; it's part of the reason I've never taken to Deep Space Nine. As I understand it, 'The Wounded' serves as their official introduction, and it's evident why Marc Alaimo was brought back later in a larger role; the guy's got screen presence, heavy makeup notwithstanding.

The virtues of this episode lie in the acting and writing, both well done. We've seen a rogue starship captain before, but Capt. Maxwell (Bob Gunton, making the most of a one-shot) isn't a typical sufferer of space madness. This is a grief-stricken skipper who doesn't accept a peace treaty as a reason to stand down. And who better to talk him down than former crewman Chief I'Brien (great use of a minor character). Theirs is a powerful bonding scene between two comrades in arms, and it's a heartfelt story overall.

8/10

Like many, good for what it is

[quidam-brujah · 7/10 · 10 June 2021]

This episode is typical of many of the good ST:TNG episodes. However, also like many other episodes, there are little things that are just kind of dumb and don't make sense.

For example, Picard is told by Starfleet command to maintain the peace at all costs. After learning of the position of the starship phoenix, which has already destroyed a Cardassian 'science' outpost and is presumably looking for more action, he sets his ship to pursue at warp 4 which is like driving 35 on an interstate highway. It takes the destruction of two more ships and the killing of another 650 people before he tells his guys to kick it into warp 9. Picard should be court-martialed for that alone.

When he does catch up with the renegade captain, he listens to him tell his tale of potentially crazy conspiracy theories and then SENDS HIM BACK TO HIS SHIP with orders to follow along with Enterprise. Waitwut? The guy just committed serious war crimes and killed hundreds of people and you just trust that he's going to follow you a long back to his doom? And everyone is shocked and surprised that he heads back into Cardassian space and is about to destroy another Cardassian ship?

The rogue captain is never proven right or wrong in this episode so we only have the murderous rage of a crazy captain who should have been arrested on sight. I know the writers like to paint Picard as the crafty, genius-level captain but, give me a break.

Here Come the Kardassians

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 24 August 2014]

This is an episode that gets at the real dirt of entrenched enemies. It must have been hard for war veterans of World War II to embrace the Japanese after the conflict ended. In this one we are introduced, for the first time, to the Kardassians. They have formed an alliance with the Federation but are now seeking retribution for the actions of a rogue Starfleet Captain. A supposed, Kardassian "scientific" outpost has been obliterated by a Federation starship. Picard has orders to investigate and to solve it by peaceful means. This, of course, ties his hands but in the meantime, the same vessel destroys two other Kardassian crafts. The Captain is intercepted and ordered to bring his ship in and surrender himself to his superiors. At first he acquiesces, but soon alters course and heads for another Kardassian supply ship. Now, Picard must negotiate or open fire on a ship like his own. As a show of good faith, the Kardassian captain and two of his aides have had a limited run of the ship. They are at odds with the crew and acting victimized. I believe that Patrick Steward as Jean-Luc Picard gives his best performance in this episode. It is about balancing the threat of reprisal versus the future of the bond between these two entities. Later, in other Star Trek incarnations, we come to know the Kardassians quite well and know them to be anything but trustworthy. They have a certain charm that the Romulans don't have that allows them to slime their way into situations that benefit them.

The first appearance by the Cardassians is a glimpse into the future of this series and "Deep Space 9"

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 18 November 2014]

This is an important episode because it's the first one involving the Cardassians--an enemy which will become very important later in "Star Trek:The Next Generation" and even more important on "Star Trek:Deep Space 9". And, like in so many later episodes, the same actor plays the Cardassian baddie---though here Marc Alamo plays Gul Macet instead of the familiar Gul Dukat.

The show begins with a Cardassian ship attacking the Enterprise. They are easily rebuffed but Picard demands to know why they were attacked--after all, there is a peace treaty between the two empires. It turns out that this attack was in response by an attack by a Federation ship on the Cardassians. Picard finds this very hard to believe but agrees to investigate. When he learns that this is TRUE, he has no choice but to help the Cardassians seek out this rogue ship.

While nothing super-exciting happens in this one, it's an important and must-see episode because so much follows this one. Well worth seeing for a glimpse into the future of the show.

A Senior Trekker writes.......................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 25 January 2022]

Season 4 contains the 80th episode of The Next Generation, at which point it surpassed the output of the Original Series. A number of extended themes played out during this season delving into both the political backdrop and the personal lives of the crew. These continuing storylines proved extremely popular, however they did not detract from the use of Science Fiction to tell interesting stories. Senior Trekker continues to score every episode with a 5.

Another O'Brien episode, this time a serious one in which he is asked to assist when his former commanding officer goes rogue and attacks a former enemy's ship in the Neutral Zone. Colm Meany also performs a beautiful rendition of The Minstrel Boy.

Whether this is seen as an "issue" story or simply as a tragedy probably depends upon your point of view. It has been called a PTSD story because of the many references to an earlier brutal conflict which cost Captain Maxwell his family and, later, his command. At the same time we see that O'Brien has handled his experiences in a much more measured way and seems to be willing to build bridges towards the future peace.

Senior Trekker sees it more as a straight forward tragedy: Bob Gunton as Maxwell, gives an excellent performance as a man who is internally damaged by his personal bereavement and has completely lost sight of his responsibilities to the chain of command. This portrayal is, if anything, a little too sympathetic because he has, after all, killed a great number of Cardassians and seriously endangered the lives of his OWN crew.

On the other hand, the character of Gul Macet was probably not meant to telegraph mendacity quite so obviously as we see here. Marc Alaimo is now so inextricably linked in our consciousness with the odious Gul Dukat of Deep Space Nine, that we cannot see him as anyone else. This episode marked the first appearance of the Cardassians and their look was obviously still in development; hence the collapsed bicycle helmets and the brown leather car-seat breastplates.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 9/10 · 7 September 2022]

Captain's log 44429.6 and we're on a mapping survey near the Cardassian sector. O'Brian has only been married a week but already he's complaining about the food. Good to see he's getting a lot more air time.

Oh no, a Cardassian ships shooting at us. Gul Macet should go find himself a Space Station to annoy. The peace treaty between the Cardassian and Federation people's could be in jeopardy. A Federation/Cardassian collaboration works together to track down a rogue Federation nebular-class starship, the Phoenix which is running amok in Cardassian territory. Dislike and mistrust fly hand-in-hand together.

This was a wonderfully strong episode for the simple fact that it lay the foundations for the idea of Deep Space Nine. In fact, watching this episode, at times I was expecting Quark to be serving the drinks in Ten-Forward, or Garak to comment on the garments now being fashioned on Cardassian Prime. There was also a moment where Captain Picard had me thinking of General George S. Patton who suddenly found himself redundant when World War II finally ended. But the real question here is, how often does anyone ever really notice a mans shoes?

"Trust is earned, not given away."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 25 January 2024]

This episode opens with Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) getting a tasty look at a breakfast of kelp buds, plankton loaf and sea berries - yum! I'm not sure if his reciprocal dinner suggestion of mutton shanks to new wife Keiko would have been any better, but his potato casserole did look tempting. So much for the replicator's culinary treasures. Chief O'Brien was to play a larger role in this story when it was learned he once served with Captain Ben Maxwell (Bob Gunton), who has now gone rogue by attacking a Cardassian supply ship. I have to admit, each time the name of the alien race came up I had to chuckle, picturing how the Kardashians would have looked in place of Gul Macet (Marc Alaimo) and his two associates. They were still almost two decades away from prominence, but hindsight makes this episode a bit humorous.

In any event, I was a taken aback somewhat when Gul Macet agreed to beam aboard the Enterprise with his men, seeing as he was tentative about peace still existing between the Cardassians and the Federation. Especially now with Maxwell going deeper into Cardassian territory in search of more vessels to attack. His decision to destroy a cargo ship with fifty aboard, and especially a warship with six hundred more should have caused Gul Macet to become apoplectic. In his attempt to maintain a truce, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) had Maxwell brought aboard the Enterprise to question him and place him in sort of custody to return him and the Starship Phoenix to Starbase 211. Picard's good will only lasted so long when Maxwell decided to break away to continue on his revenge mission against the Cardassians due to a years old enmity. It's Chief O'Brien who talks Maxwell back from the ledge, with the now demoralized captain realizing he has no way of salvaging his situation, much less his career.

However, it's the final exchange between Picard and Gul Macet that demonstrates how the Enterprise captain wasn't fooled by the events that just took place, accurately reasoning that the supply ships run by the Cardassians in that sector of space could only have meant a build up of weapons to be used at a later time. Once again, Picard's discretion prevented a renewed outbreak of war between the tentative allies, suggesting that future confrontations would be in the offing.

Fragile peace is threatened

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 1 August 2019]

In this story the Enterprise is given a mission by Admiral John Hancock to stop a rogue Starship Captain Bob Gunton from attacking Cardassian ships. As it turns out Chief O'Brien once served with Gunton and Colm Meaney proves invaluable to Patrick Stewart.

It's a delicate situation and Cardassian Gul Marc Alaimo is allowed on board and just having Cardassians on the Enterprise is causing dissension in the crew even among the command staff.

I have to say that Jean-Luc Picard handles the situation with diplomacy and decision. Gunton is a compelling and tragic figure.

Very good guest star performances in this one.

Really good, until it isn't

[george20016 · 6/10 · 15 April 2021]

This episode is excellent. Picard learns of a federation ship attacking a former federation enemy, the kardashians, who he has been sent to negotiate with, so he takes some on board to witness his good faith efforts to prevent the rogue ship from attacking further. The captain hates the kardashians (understandable) and decides he wants to kill them (not understandable). Classic star trek setup: good acting, strong, resonant messages, just all around great. But then it falls flat on its face.

Picard, an intelligent, reasonable, peaceful man, after catching the rogue ship, convinces the captain to turn around and go home and then LETS HIM TAKE BACK CONTROL OF HIS SHIP WITH NO SAFEGUARDS OR ANY WAY TO PREVENT HIM FROM TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING HE HAS BEEN DOING. He lets someone, who is essentially acting as a foreign terrorist, hold on to all his weapons with only an order to stop using them. Stupid doesn't begin to describe it. Lost all respect for the episode there. It is retroactively justified by the fact that Picard learns that the kardashians were preparing for war. Cool, whatever, doesn't come close to justifying maxwell's actions. What captain would ever be treated with so much nonchalance after killing hundreds of non combatants, directly defying orders? The classic star trek moral message is completely botched.

If you want my suggestion, watch it for the first thirty min then turn it off and make up a better ending in your head.

Also might i just add the kardashians may have taken their plastic surgery a bit too far...

Pretty darn good, then pretty horrendous

[skimachine-25564 · 4/10 · 6 November 2021]

The episode starts off with some interesting story lines and a Picard special.

Then follows this up with giving a rogue captain, essentially a war monger, free rein to kill 600 more civilians, give a chance to narrate more conspiracy theories.

If that weren't enough, captain rogue gets a slap on the wrist, goes back to his ship, does the same thing by trying to attack another Kardassian ship, and all Picard could do, was try more talking by O'Brien.

Whatever the Kardassian's future role might be be, as of this episode, Picard/Federation's actions in this episode were pretty pathetic.

Weakest ep from a fantastic Season 4

[nicofreezer · 7/10 · 12 November 2021]

O Brien is annoying and a boring character so an épisode on him fall flat. But saved by a solid plot.

Not sure why people seems so love this episode better than some other great ep from S4 Maybe because I havent watched Deep Space 9, and in this case this épisode is a not so bad presentation 7.25/10.