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.
