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

Nicely staged intro for a new character

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 2 April 2017]

The great thing about 'Ensign Ro' is that it's an uplifting story, despite the subject matter of persecution and oppression. Ros a good character, one that's got "tough break" written all over her, and Michelle Forbes plays her with maximum angst. And even though I've never been all that hot on either race (the Cardassians or the Bajorans), this makes for a good political allegory. Not to mention using Picard as a pawn in a deep-cover scheme to arm the rebels in this fight. There's a terrific scene in which the Captain stares down a Cardassian battle cruiser with finesse, leaning into his diplomatic reputation; and even gets the better of his manipulators.

And in the end, there's Ro, left to either continue a carer in Starfleet or strike out again on her own. Picard makes a great case for her staying on as a recurring character.

This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

8/10

Ro Laren is awesome

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 3 August 2021]

Ensign Ro Laren is assigned to Enterprise to help identify terrorists responsible for attacking a Federation settlement.

This is an important episode that not only introduces the story arc of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, but shakes up the dynamic of the Enterprise crew with a prickly new character.

The plot involves the clichè of a shady admiral caught up in a conspiracy, but it is really just an excuse to get to know the Bajorans, push the Cardassians further into villainy and give Ro plenty of screen time. All of the above works fine for me.

Initially the conflict between two species seems like one of many that Enterprise gets caught up in, but this one lays the foundation for more related episodes in TNG, the entire premise of Deep Space Nine and one of the main characters in Voyager.

Ro is a fantastic character played superbly well by Michelle Forbes. She is such a great presence and it elevates so many of the scenes that would be average to highly compelling. You can feel the tension in every scene. One pivotal moment when she explains her character history is written as a clunky bit of exposition dialogue, but her performance and the cinematography make it work brilliantly. Forbes plays Ro with strength, vulnerability and has a natural delivery.

Forbes has great chemistry with Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Caryn Johnson and the scenes she shares with their characters are highly memorable. It is refreshing to have someone whose face doesn't fit in the happy Enterprise family and be quite combative about her acceptance. The exchanges between all these actors are excellent throughout.

This is a great character episode and does some decent world building within the franchise.

For me, as a stand-alone episode it is an 8/10, but for what it gives the ongoing narrative of the Star Trek universe I think it deserves an 8.5, but I round upwards.

Welcome Ensign Ro

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 31 August 2014]

We meet the Bajorans and the conflict with their arch rivals, the Kardassians. Ensign Ro who was court-martialed has been dumped into Picard's lap. She is to aid the Enterprise in the capture of a terrorist who supposedly has committed genocide in a Kardassian stronghold. She is feisty and incorrigible. She has little respect for her uniform but feels working with the Enterprise beats sitting in a prison cell. The Bajorans will become a significant force when "Deep Space Nine" appears later. This all takes place because an Admiral has been hoodwinked by the Kardassians. He is so stuck in his obsessions that he produces orders well out of his command. Picard, who is very careful to analyze before jumping to conclusions, begins to see that something is not quite right. He takes the time to find out what is going on with Ro. Her acceptance of and by the crew are critical to what takes place next. Guinan, who only appears when things are difficult to interpret, plays a major role in this episode. Make an effort to see this.

The Changing Face of Ensign Ro's Nose

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 9 September 2013]

When I first saw this episode I assumed these "Bajora" were going to be just another "Throw Away" Alien Race - One which we'd see once then never again.

I thought the same for another race of reptilian spoon-heads: The Cardassians. And I suppose if both races had not been joined cheek to jowl in this episode, we may have seen less of them if not never again. But in reality, it is not the relationship of Humans to Bajorans, or Humans to Cardassians that made great television tension, it was in fact this trinity, this Menage-a-Alien that had possibilities.

We only get a Glimpse of these possibilities in this one episode, to explore the full gamut there had to be a new Trek show created for it - Ala Deep Space Nine.

I suspected something was up when I saw "The Wounded" and a race of horribly dressed aliens with built in spoons in their skulls suddenly and magically appear in the Future History of Trek, complete with a War with the Federation that our own Miles Edward O'Brien had fought on Setlik 3. Suddenly there was an entire War History between the Federation and The Bloody Cardies.

But this is our first view of The Bajora, and Ensign Ro Laren is the very first Bajoran we ever get to see, although not the first time we get to see Michelle Forbes on The Next Generation as she was in the 4th season episode "Half a Life" and was given some great lines to speak there as well.

The Bajora were originally written as Pariah Vagabonds unwelcome in the Galaxy, living on resettlement camps in the Cardassian Sphere of Influence.

What we are shown in this story, is not intended to be any fully fleshed out History of The Bajora and it was not supposed to be a complete revelation of the Politics of the Cardassian Union. It is merely a glimpse of some goings on within that sphere and due to a new Treaty the Federation has with the Cardassian Union, the federation is now "invited" to "Help the Cardies" solve one of their little problems.

So as such, we get a great look at the way the Cardassians like to deal. They have their own laws and rules that they religiously adhere to, but their ethics are simply not above-board.

So when Ensign Ro is dumped into Picard's lap, the Admiral (Cliff Potts) who had been suckered by The Cardassians did not know what kind of explosive this was- because Picard's Ethics go beyond simply following Federation Rules, he weighs what is right and wrong.

And our Resident Bajoran Terrorist "Orta" (Jeff Hayenga) spells this out: "Things are not what they appear". Orta's group had apparently taken the credit for blowing up a Federation Colony. The only problem is, how could Orta's crappy ships even get to another star system without Warp Drive?

The thing to remember here is that only a small resettlement camp is shown, not the Planet of Bajor. And Ro's "Trunk" is much different than Kira Neres' - Ro has an inverted 3-point star formation pointing down from between her eyebrows toward a very small section of nose ridges. All through Season 5 of TNG through season 6 and finally the one episode of Season 7 where she appears, this "Star" becomes smaller and her nose ridges get larger, in the episode "Preemptive Strike" she looks like all of the other Bajorans on Deep Space Nine.

But if you really take a look at The Bajora as they are referred to here they are exactly the same as the Bajora(n)s which we meet in the first episodes of Deep Space Nine- Their values are the same, and their plight is the same, and they both want, and do not want help from the United Federation of Planets. And the UFP gets stuck in the middle of Bajor and Cardassia- As a kind of Referee. Originally Picard champions this cause, and he hands the responsibility off to "The Sisko" in "Emissary" and it takes us another 7 years to learn that it really wasn't Picard who picked The Sisko -It was The Bajoran Prophets.

Ensign Ro and the Bajorans introduced.

[russem31 · 24 April 2006]

ST:TNG:103 - "Ensign Ro" (Stardate: 45047.2) - this is the 3rd episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

And a special one because it introduces a major sub-character, Michelle Forbes as the hot-headed Ensign Ro Laren, who is Bajoran (a species that will be a focal point of the new Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine). Michelle Forbes herself was previously in a fourth season TNG episode, "Half A Life" in another role.

Freed from prison by Picard to help locate Orta, the leader of the Bajoran terrorist group blamed for an attack on Solarion IV (because the Cardassians took their homeland of Bajor 40 years ago), Ro Laren must come to terms where her sympathies lie: Starfleet or the Bajoran terrorist group.

Trivia note: We see the talkative barber Mr. Mott again, this time cutting Picard's hair. Whoopi Goldberg also stars as Guinan, a mentor for the troubled Ro.

Ro Lauren = Fierce.

[thevacinstaller · 9/10 · 31 March 2021]

Full disclosure ---- I believe I am in love with Ensign Ro Lauren, so take that into consideration with any reviews that have her playing a prominent role in the episode.

I LOVE the character of Ro Lauren. She is the character that holds the candle to starfleet directives and practice of non-interference. She's fierce --- she's a proud bajoran who wrestles with complex feelings about bajoran identity and she has even has ballsy lines like, "They're lost, defeated. I will never be."

This is a wonderful episode that details the skillful deceit the Cardassians use to achieve their Agenda. They find a sympathetic admiral and stage an attack on starfleet colony and convince the admiral it was the bajorans. The admiral then attempts to use Ro to unearth the Bajoran resistence so they can be held accountable --- blissfully unaware that he is a pawn in a chess game.

The intrigue and deception largely occur off screen. The beating heart of the episode is ensign Ro attempting to work through her complex position and ultimately she is convinced to confide in Captain Picard by a heartfelt reach out from Guinan.

On top of Lauren being so beautiful it makes me want to cry ---- Ro is also intuitive and able to see this mission for what it is and she comes up with a plan to expose an Admiral's conspiracy.

Current star trek needs to watch the scene of ensign ro telling Picard about her past ----- This is how you create a sympathetic and likeable character. No music, no blinking lights, just a camera zooming on an actress delivering heartfelt impactful dialogue.

This is just a beauty of an episode and one of the foundation stones to great episodes yet to come.

Introducing the Bajorans

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 18 June 2015]

When a Federation outpost on the Cardassian border is attacked suspicion falls on Bajoran rebels. The Cardassians have been occupying Bajor for over forty years and apparently the rebels think attacking the Federation will encourage them into trying to help find a fair solution. Admiral Kennelly orders the Enterprise to find the rebel leader so they can open negotiations; to help he transfers Ensign Ro Laren, a Bajoran Star Fleet officer, to the Enterprise. Picard and the senior officers are not pleased with this development as Ensign Ro had to be freed from prison to take part in the mission and her reputation suggests she isn't the sort of officer to get a posting to Star Fleet's flagship. She is a loner but one person decides to be her friend whether she wants one or not; Guinan. Ro immediately proves useful as her knowledge helps them find the rebel leader although she immediately undoes the good work by helping the rebels capture Picard and his away team! It turns out her motives aren't as malicious as they appear; she has been working for Admiral Kennelly but is now conflicted.

This is an interesting episode for many reasons; we have the introduction Michelle Forbes as Ensign Ro, the introduction of the Bajorans and their grievances with the Cardassians and most importantly we have a good story. Michelle Forbes does a fine job as Ro Laren; it is nice to have a character who is argumentative and troubled rather than the usual Star Fleet types. Whoopi Goldberg's performance as Guinan is impressive in a subtle way. The idea of having a Star Fleet admiral running an illegal mission within a mission is unusual as all too often Star Fleet is boringly perfect.

As well as being a good story this episode is important as it introduces a situation that will form the basis for the spin off series; 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'; there are some changes between this story and that series but the groundwork is set here… anybody planning to watch DS9 should certainly watch this first.

Bajor was different...

[ShogaNinja · 8/10 · 21 October 2008]

Having seen DS9 the picture painted of Bajor is completely different. This makes me question why they later came and took this storyline and reworked it into DS9. The "Bajora" as they are called have different noses. They do retain the same naming convention of last name first. Their earrings (at least Ensign Roe's) are on the wrong ear. The timeline seems to be correct, the Occupation was 41 years. They speak of the planet Bajor being occupied by the Cardassians in this episode as well, but they claim that the Bajora are an exiled race, not an enslaved one. They paint them as refugees wandering the galaxy looking for a home.

Previously I believe it was mentioned that the Federation had an alliance with the Cardassians. I don't see how the Federation would tolerate that kind of tyranny in a friend, but getting to the point, the basis for DS9 is here but it's all over the place. I don't understand why they didn't just make a whole new plan up for DS9, but I can't say I mind.

There is no mention of the wormhole, or the prophets.

This episode is definitely a little weird to watch after DS9. Still, from a TNG perspective it is a very good episode full of lots of action and twisting plots.

Trivia: Ensign Ro (Michelle Forbes) is more recently Admiral Helena Cain of the Battlestar Pegasus in the Battlestar Galatica series. She was also Dara the daughter of Timicin in Season 4 Episode 22, "Half a Life".

Ensign Ro Laren

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 1 June 2020]

Michelle Forbes makes the first of several appearances as /ensign Ro Laren as the Bajoran/Cardassian conflict also debuts.

Ro Laren is a former Star Fleet officer who joined after Bajor was occupied by the Cardassians. She has a real chip on her shoulder and she's reinstated by Admiral Scott Marlowe over Patrick Stewart's objections.

Marlowe has some plans regarding her use in the conflict that Forbes doesn't agree with. She does know the Bajoran political landscape. In fact she makes quite the fool out of the Star Fleet admiral.

Whoopi Goldberg plays an important role here. Guinan is more than a bartender.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 10/10 · 11 September 2022]

I am surprised that Jean-Luc didn't just have his head shaved. Barbers are no different whatever world they come from.

I believe this is the first entry into Star Trek folklore of the Bajoran's and the first reference to their ongoing 'terrorist' underground war with the Cardassian's.

Ro Laren has previous, remember Garon II anyone? She's fresh out of prison and straight onto the decks of the Enterprise.

This story is very important for the future arc and development of DS9 and therefore it is a must and should be included in anyone's list of the most important TNG episodes as far as the Bajoran and Cardassian wars are concerned.

I have to believe that DS9 was well in development at the time this episode was made.

I believe that Michelle Forbes was originally pencilled in for the role of Major Kira on DS9. Personally, I found something rather annoying about the Ro Laren character and didn't take to fondly to the actress playing her part.

But this episode was brilliant.

This Episodes Clue: French name for a nobleman.

The debut of the always grumpy Ro Laren

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 November 2014]

Ro Laren was a series regular for some time until she eventually went rogue in a much later episode. During her time on the show, this Bajoran ensign was often grumpy and argumentative--like many Bajorans were portrayed on the show. This was, no doubt, because Bajor had learned to become ornery because they were embroiled in a nasty war for independence from their Cardassian overlords. In many ways, these people seemed a bit like parallels to the Palestinian/Israeli or British/Irish conflicts (among others). My only complaint is that sometimes Ro's character seemed too much like Tasha Yar--too abrasive to be likable. Fortunately, despite my reservations about the character, this episode is pretty good.

The show begins with the Federation and Cardassians coming up with a working relationship, of sorts. The two empires were frequently at odds with each other over the years, but they did seem in agreement that senseless terrorism needs to be eliminated. But, you ALSO need to remember that the Cardassians are a lot like the Romulans--sneaky liars. In light of all this, the Enterprise receives Ensign Laren for a temporary assignment. Her duty is to help the ship establish contact with the various factions and try to work on eliminating the terrorist attacks. But, she is quite ambivalent about this--and her ambivalence makes her a very difficult team player. Can she work through this and become a valued member of the team? For a while, only Guinin thinks so!

Manipulation.

[amusinghandle · 9/10 · 5 March 2024]

I have a fondness for characters that don't exactly fit into the cookie cutter star fleet professional mold and Ensign Ro does a wonderful job joining my team of outliers.

Forbes has a ton of charismatic energy and I was (and am) heartbroken that I did not get to see her for 170 episodes on DS9.

These Cardassians are something else, right? They have a team for this right? The nefarious conspiracy department? I like it. I like having a villain with actual teeth and competency.

This is a great character building episode for Ro and a skillfully designed and executed script. I am not sure that being used by a starfleet admiral is going to do much for Ro's mixed feelings about starfleet but I guess Picard smoothed that over quite a bit.

Ro Steps Onto the Scene

[Samuel-Shovel · 7/10 · 3 March 2020]

In "Ensign Ro" the Enterprise is dragged into a Cardassian dispute between a planet under it's control. A "terrorist" group fighting the Cardassian is accused of attacking a Federation outpost and dragging Star Fleet into the scrum. The ship brings on a former Star Fleet officer currently in prison. Ro is a member of this race, the Bajorans. But something more sinister in this whole mission might be lurking under the surface.

I think this episode could have been really great with a few tweaks. Sometimes in an episode you can see what they were going for, even when they don't quite make it, and appreciate it for what it's worth. Here I think we're on the edge of greatness, instead we just get a solid ep that further escalates things between the Federation and the Cardassian. Even though we don't see any through most of this ep, their presence is felt throughout. We'll see where we go from here.

A Senior trekker writes................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 6 February 2022]

The Fifth Season of TNG contains some remarkably strong episodes while continuing to push the boundaries of what could be achieved within an episodic television format. It is notable for the tragic loss of its creator, Gene Roddenberry, who died on 24th October 1991 at the age of 70. His influence upon the positive depiction of humanity and diversity in Science Fiction endures to this day. Senior Trekker continues to score all episodes with a 5.

This episode introduces Michelle Forbes as the character of Ensign Ro Laren, a supposed traitor, released from imprisonment and seconded to the Enterprise crew for a single special mission. She is a Bajoran and we see here the genesis of this particular race of refugees and rebels, still living in camps and apparently plotting against their oppressors the Cardassians. Some of the details of their look and backstory will be amended before they appear next year as the principal alien race in Deep Space Nine but, for better or worse, this story supplies the prototype.

For some time writers had been looking to bring some conflict onto the Enterprise and having this prickly and resentful character to integrate into the bridge crew was felt to be a way of re-vitalising the series. That this didn't turn out to be such a good idea was either because it was too late in the series for a new regular cast member or because her character just failed to fit in. Whatever the cause, we do not see much of the actress at cast re-unions and Ensign Ro appeared in only eight episodes in total.

I have already admitted to taking a dislike to Ms Forbes's characterisations when she played Professor Timicin's daughter in last year's episode Half a Life, however, she did Trekkers the world over a huge favour when she turned down a part in the main cast of Deep Space Nine. Her acerbic and slightly insolent demeanour would not have worked in that more nuanced environment and we would not have been able to grow to love and respect the character of Kira Nerys as created over seven years by the matchless Nana Visitor.

Let's get back to this Next Generation story. It's not bad. It's even a little topical and, for once, the Federation can be seen having a little trouble staying up on its moral pedestal.

"They're lost, defeated. I will never be."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 12 February 2024]

A lot of underhanded intrigue is at play in this episode, and not all is as it appears. When a militant splinter group from Bajor claims to have destroyed a Federation colony on Solarion IV, Federation Admiral Kelly (Cliff Potts) frees Bajoran Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) from prison and assigns her to The Enterprise to the consternation of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the rest of the officer crew. Ro's history of being uncooperative if not downright subversive, makes her less than welcome aboard the Enterprise as an ensign, though the Captain is determined to make the association work. It takes the empath Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) to mellow out Ensign Ro long enough to trust Picard to hear her out about the Bajorans and the unauthorized scheme of Admiral Kennelly to break an uneasy alliance between the Federation and the Cardassians. When Kennelly orders Picard to back off from escorting a Bajoran ship, the Cardassians quickly swoop in to destroy it. It turns out that the Cardassians were also the ones to attack the Federation colony on Solarion IV, and the wary Captain had already arranged for the destroyed Bajoran vessel to be an unmanned decoy. For her dramatic about-face, Ro Laren is advised by the Captain that it might be a good idea to stick around as a Starfleet officer, while the duplicitous Admiral who tried to call the shots faced an expected court martial for his unauthorized behavior. Kennelly wasn't around long enough even to learn his first name.