‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Ensign Ro’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Truly, one of the most rewarding moments of rewatching one’s favorite television shows… is being able to revisit keystone episodes that have a great impact on the story going forward, or a franchise if applicable. Because it truly gives the viewer a newfound appreciation of the care that went into telling the story in question and of course, it helps one to realize that you were watching the birth of something important when you originally settled in to enjoy that particular tale and well, this is relevant to our discussion today… simply because the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation features another one of those all-important keystone moments. One that would be important to both TNG and the Star Trek franchise as a whole.

For ‘Ensign Ro’ is a story that quite frankly, set up a tragic arc for the widely popular character introduced in this tale. Since Ensign Ro Laren would find herself making an important decision about her future in Starfleet in season seven, based upon the foundation laid down here. But also, her arrival here and the plot in general, would have quite the incredible impact upon a future series. For the introduction of the Cardassian/Bajoran conflict here… would serve as the groundwork for the creation of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. A series that would use the concept of military occupations and the horrors that come with them to bring about some fascinating and powerful and relevant stories for a world that was beginning to change with the Soviet Union in dissolution and the wonder and majesty of this, didn’t end with the creation of a forthcoming new series.

Because the actions of Admiral Kennelly here would kick off a fascinating exploration in the framework of the franchise that still continues in 2021. In that, this is when the franchise began to ponder upon whether or not Starfleet and the Federation always had the best intentions in mind and whether or not it was in fact, corruptible based upon the situation surrounding it. Notions that of course brought about controversy when the series introduced it here and is still a hot topic now, since those two entities are viewed as untouchable and infallible, when that simply isn’t the case. Since fear is something that may never leave the human condition and causes trouble at the highest levels when it takes root and that’s why it is so refreshing to see Picard stand up for the right values here. For that serves to remind us that having good people stand tall is how we continue to defeat it and that is a message that is painfully relevant and important in 2021 for certain.

But all commentary and world-building aside, make no mistake about it, this is a solid story. One that really did explore what the fringe of the Federation looks like in a post Cardassian-war era and how grey areas and dark times do exist outside of the Federation. Making it clear that the galaxy is a diverse and chaotic place, something that we didn’t see all that often on TNG, since it tended to celebrate the American-zeigest of the era. Plus, it also deserves serious credit for having Ensign Ro’s arc focus heavily on the nature of revenge and whether or not it applies to duty and the power of the second chance. Since her actions here do indeed redeem her broken career and give her a chance to serve aboard the flagship and under the finest captain in Starfleet and well, in the end, all of these elements really do make this quite the brilliant tale.

Because it takes a lot of work to put together a story this layered and this critical to the future of Star Trek, but Rick Berman and Michael Piller really did a wonderful job of assembling a script that put together all of these concepts in a seamless and powerful manner. To the point where this one stands on its own as a powerful parable, if you don’t think about the long-term applications, since it is at its core; a tale of redemption and a warning in regard to what happens when we ignore the ideals we swear to uphold. If anything, this episode genuinely reflects the best parts of the franchise, since striving for our ideals and never losing sight of why, has always been paramount to the success of Gene Roddenberry’s vision, and that definitely makes this particular rewatch a satisfying one for certain, since it gives you pause and leaves the viewer eager to see what other keystone moments await us as season five rolls along. Until next time.  

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