The Hunted (6 Jan. 1990)

Investigating a planet applying for membership into the Federation, the crew of the Enterprise finds a group of inhabitants who used to be soldiers, but now fight for their very existence.

Director:

Cliff Bole

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), Robin Bernheim

Stars:

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Patrick Stewart	...	Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes	...	Commander William T. Riker
LeVar Burton	...	Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lieutenant Worf
Gates McFadden	...	Doctor Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Commander Data
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher
Jeff McCarthy	...	Roga Danar
James Cromwell	...	Prime Minister Nayrok
Colm Meaney	...	Chief Miles O'Brien
J. Michael Flynn	...	Zayner
Andrew Bicknell	...	Wagnor

Storyline

The Enterprise arrives at planet Angosha III, which wants to join the Federation. While their PM Naydor stresses pacifism and intellectualism, prisoner Roga Danar's escape from a maximal security facility is reported; the Enterprise undertakes to capture his cargo vessel, but it eludes the starship at an asteroid; after more tricks, the prisoner is beamed aboard and stunned with great difficulty. Danar has no life signs, his record is military. It is found he was in a program to turn unknowing Angoshan volunteer army recruits into perfect soldiers, by chemical and mind programming. He means it when he says he would rather die then return as prisoner, proves a master at escape and then surprises again...

---

Plot Keywords:

24th century

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Release Date:

6 January 1990 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Cromwell, who plays the Prime Minister of Angosia, would go on to play other roles in the Star Trek universe, most notably Zephram Cochrane, the father of warp drive on earth, in Star Trek: First Contact.

---

Goofs

When Worf meets the turbolift supposedly carrying Danar, the door markings indicate that he's on deck 12. However, the location of the security cells that Danar had just escaped from are on deck 36.

---

Quotes

Prime Minister Nayrok: You were programmed to survive. You can survive at the Lunar 5 settlement.
Roga Danar: To survive is not enough. To simply exist... is not enough!
Counselor Deanna Troi: Roga, tell them what you want.
Roga Danar: We want our lives back. We want to come home.
Prime Minister Nayrok: I am not prepared to negotiate under threat, Danar. But if you will put down your weapons and return peacibly to Lunar 5... I would be willing to review your case.
Roga Danar: Mr. Prime Minister, with all due respect, you will have to force us. Or at least try.

User Reviews

Star Trek The Next Generation--The Hunted

I think The Hunted is super cool if just because Danar is able to circumvent every tactic and attempt by the Enterprise crew to capture and stop him. Danar has been built by the Angosian race to be the perfect soldier to help their military win a war, then exiled like his fellow killing machine soldiers to a prison settlement on Lunar V. Oh, they are well fed and treated with fine accommodations on the settlement but still deprived of freedoms those of his people have(who weren't genetically, physically, or behaviorally altered for the rigors and expectations of a bloody war). Danar escapes because he's tired of living imprisoned; this sentiment is felt by his like-minded soldiers who want to return home and have freedoms they've been deprived. Data and Troi become sympathetic to Danar when they realize that he's been programmed by scientists and then abandoned by them (or as Picard feels, "they turned their backs on him") after their victory of the war. It is then debated as to whether or not the scientists of Angosia can reverse the process and remove the protective impulse to kill when a threat presents itself. The whole start of the episode was Angosia wanting to become part of the United Federation of Planets. Their application process would perhaps be determined successful/unsuccessful upon the away team from the Enterprise seeing the Angosian way of life, their governmental structure, the political structure, so one and so forth. Danar's escape certainly throws a monkey wrench into these plans. Seeing Danar reduce the Enterprise security to fallen bodies and equip himself nicely in a battle with Worf (Worf even comments, in respect to his battling capabilities, that he must have Klingon blood; this was a nice spot), not to mention, move about the ship, creating elaborate means to avoid capture, is just exciting and thrilling to watch for this Trekkie. Danar's scenes with Data and Troi are also noteworthy; the way the actor, Jeff McCarthy, shows the "duality" existing within him, the torture of being a non-violent man trapped in a human killing machine, it adds dramatic weight when in conversation with Troi and Data, for we sense his immediate cynicism give way to open revelations on how he is burdened, desiring to be free to live without having to kill when the impulse overtakes him. James Cromwell has an early Trek appearance as the Angosian Prime Minister just wanting the likes of Danar to stay far away from his pacifist society.