the wounded star trek next generation

The Wounded (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and production
• 3.3 Deleted scenes
• 3.4 The Cardassians
• 3.5 Cast and characters
• 3.6 Continuity
• 3.7 Reception
• 3.8 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.5 Stand-ins
• 4.6.1 Other references
• 4.6.2 Deleted references
• 4.7 External links

Summary [ ]

The USS Enterprise -D is conducting mapping surveys near the Cardassian border . Captain Picard is cautious. The Federation had been at war with Cardassia for some years and only recently has established a peace treaty between the two peoples in the past year. This particular sector is a second trip for Picard, as he once encountered the Cardassians in the sector when he was in command of the USS Stargazer . He tells the story to the bridge crew, recounting how he lowered his shields as a sign of good will, but the Cardassians took offense and attacked, taking out his weapons and damaging the impulse engines before he could regroup and run. Counselor Troi finds the story humorous, and expresses mock disbelief that Picard was capable of running away from a fight. Picard simply replies " Believe it ." Lieutenant Worf says that the Cardassians have no sense of honor and should not be trusted. Troi replies that they are now allies and have to be trusted. Worf scoffs that trust is earned and not given. Even still, Picard does not want to stay too long near the border without letting the Cardassians know their intentions.

Alone in their quarters, newly married Miles and Keiko O'Brien are having breakfast together. The chief doesn't seem to care much for Keiko's breakfast selections : kelp buds , plankton loaf , and sea berries , but she explains that she has this every morning and that it's very healthy. O'Brien diplomatically thanks her for introducing him to the food she's accustomed to and says that he'd love to make her food he's used to. He goes on to describe how his mother used to cook, using real, non-replicated food, as she believed that real food was more nutritious. This surprises Keiko, to which she incredulously asks if O'Brien's mother handled raw meat, touched it, and cut it. O'Brien says that he'll have to use the replicator to make something special for her, much to Keiko's delight. Their romantic moment is soon interrupted by a weapon impact, and the sounds of the red alert klaxon. O'Brien quickly gets up and reports to his station.

Worf calls out that the Cardassian ship is beginning to fire again. The ship takes a hit off the shields and minor damage is sustained on the secondary hull before the shields went up. Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander La Forge calls out that the starboard power coupling is down, as the ship is hit by an even heavier blast.

The fish-like Cardassian ship lets loose another salvo at the Enterprise ; Picard initiates a delta-sequence maneuver and orders the ship's phasers ready and limits the targets to engines and shields. After scoring multiple hits on his opponent, Picard successfully forces his attacker to stand down. The Cardassian ship's captain, Gul Macet , answers the hail , and informs Picard that the attack on the Enterprise was in retaliation – a Federation starship attacked and destroyed an unarmed science station in the Cuellar system . Picard doesn't understand this and asks for one hour to speak with his superiors at Starfleet . The alternative is for each ship to continue firing at each other, which Picard reminds Gul Macet that such a contest would certainly put him at a disadvantage. Macet grants the Starfleet captain his request – only one hour.

Act One [ ]

The report submitted to Starfleet is confirmed, and Admiral Haden reports it was the USS Phoenix , commanded by Captain Benjamin Maxwell . Picard knows of Maxwell and is confused as to why he would do something like this, since he is considered one of Starfleet's finest captains, and that he must have had a reason. Haden doesn't know, because the ship is running silent and not responding to their communiqués. The Cardassians have given Picard safe passage as long as they allow a delegation to come along with them. He is ordered to find the Phoenix , which was last seen in Sector 21505 and return her to Federation space. Haden reminds Picard that the Federation is not prepared for a new sustained conflict – after their losses to the Borg at Wolf 359 – and that the peace must be preserved at all costs.

" Some of them may feel… uncomfortable with Cardassians onboard. I don't want any incidents. "

Picard explains that Macet and two of his aides will be transporting to the ship as guests. Worf and Commander Riker ask that they post guards at sensitive areas of the ship. Picard agrees but reminds Worf to instruct his men that the Cardassians are guests. He asks Data if anyone on the ship has served previously with Maxwell. After accessing the information. Data mentions Chief O'Brien, since he served on the USS Rutledge as tactical officer . Picard asks Riker and Troi to meet the guests and tell O'Brien that he will need to meet with him soon.

The three Cardassians transport on board and Riker and Troi introduce themselves. Macet introduces his aides, Glinns Daro and Telle . Riker introduces O'Brien to them, and O'Brien replies with a simple brief nod. Riker escorts them to the conference room, and before leaving the transporter room, Troi looks at O'Brien, as she senses something about the Cardassians is making him uneasy.

Act Two [ ]

In the observation lounge with the senior staff and the Cardassians, La Forge explains that they can scan up to ten light years , which translates to one sector per day. They've scanned Sector 21505 and found no sign of the Phoenix . Gul Macet appears to be dissatisfied at the Enterprise 's progress and expresses his doubt that the ship is still in the sector. Riker, echoing Macet's irritated tone, explains that they have no idea where the Phoenix is, but that its last known location is a good place to start looking. Macet then articulates his doubts that the Enterprise crew is seriously interested in locating the Phoenix , and the atmosphere in the room becomes more heated. However, Picard, demonstrating his diplomatic expertise, takes on a calm, genial tone and reassures Macet that he is hearing reports just as they come in – nothing edited or withheld. Gul Macet, unable to respond to Picard's reason with more anger, concedes the point and settles down. Riker looks at Picard with undisguised admiration for how skillfully he handled the Cardassians in that tense moment.

Picard then turns the floor over to Chief O'Brien, who served with Maxwell. Picard understands that Maxwell lost his entire family in a Cardassian raid on Setlik III , and O'Brien explains the circumstances. He describes the sneak attack made by the Cardassian militia and that they wiped out nearly a hundred civilians. Macet quickly concludes that Maxwell is acting out of a desire for vengeance, but O'Brien counters that Maxwell would not do that. Once again, the atmosphere in the room becomes heated, and Picard intervenes. Just as the discussion begins again, Worf reports from the bridge that they have located the Phoenix . The conference scatters as Picard and his bridge crew escort Macet to the bridge, leaving the glinns and O'Brien to proceed to the turbolift by themselves.

A discussion takes place on the turbolift between Daro and O'Brien, with whom O'Brien loses his cool when Daro asks if he would like to join them in Ten Forward . He responds that it is his business who he spends time with.

Data reports that the Phoenix is indeed in Sector 21505. Picard orders helm officer Wallace to set a course there and has Worf send a subspace message to the Phoenix , instructing them to prepare for a rendezvous. Macet offers a suggestion to Picard: with precise coordinates and the ship's transponder codes, he can have one of his ships meet up with the Phoenix much quicker than Picard can. Picard refuses, indicating that if one of his ships retaliates, they could quickly lose control of the situation, and he prefers to make the initial contact himself.

During the lull as the Enterprise is en route, O'Brien treats Keiko to a potato casserole. He then starts humming " The Minstrel Boy ," a war song from his days on the Rutledge , a song he says that Maxwell liked. He recounts the story told by the song, leading him to speak about his own experiences in the war and how he noticed that even in the conference room, there are people there who still don't like the Cardassians. He doesn't understand that even though the war is over, why there is still hatred towards them. Keiko asks how he feels about the Cardassians, and he responds that he feels fine. Keiko isn't too sure, however.

The Phoenix is in hot pursuit of a Cardassian supply ship; this surprises Macet, as he does not expect them to be able to read the transponder codes of the Cardassian ships. Picard tries to hail the Phoenix but to no avail, which annoys Macet. He points out that he has warships that can intercept the ship much faster than the Enterprise . With no choice, and ignoring objections from Worf, Picard orders Worf to relay the prefix codes of the Phoenix to the Cardassian ship despite Worf's strong objections, stating he cannot allow Maxwell to destroy the ship.

Act Three [ ]

Real-time tactical view of USS Phoenix (blue) engaging two Cardassian ships (red)

The Cardassian warship is in weapons range of the Phoenix , and Picard orders an overlay of the weapon ranges of both ships. The Cardassian ship fires on the Phoenix , which scores a direct hit on the starboard forward and aft, doing damage to its shields, and forcing the ship to move out of range and regroup. The Phoenix returns fire with its forward phasers and photon torpedoes , destroying the warship, all of which is watched by a stunned Macet. When Picard asks if the supply ship is armed, Macet numbly replies that its weapons are certainly not enough to combat a Nebula -class starship. Before he can react, the Phoenix fires on the supply ship, destroying it. Horrified, Macet reports that the warship had a crew of six hundred, and the supply ship carried fifty. Picard accelerates to warp 9, while Macet leaves the bridge, clearly upset at these losses.

Picard speaks to O'Brien, who is working on the transporter, about the man he once served under. Picard wonders how Maxwell took it when his family was killed. O'Brien replies that he took it as well as anyone could and knows that Maxwell was broken up inside. He further describes Maxwell as a model Starfleet officer, not missing a moment's duty, and as a person who would not act based on vengeance, and that the Cardassians are up to something. He says that Picard should be investigating them , and not Maxwell. Picard reveals what happened moments ago, which puzzles O'Brien, but he still defends Maxwell, saying he must have had good cause to do it. Picard points out that when someone has been angry for a long time, he gets used to it, and gets comfortable with it – so much so that he becomes blind to his own actions.

In Ten Forward, O'Brien joins Daro at the bar for a drink. He apologizes for his previous behavior while on the turbolift, which Daro accepts, and indicates that it's taking a toll on both sides. O'Brien then brings up the Setlik III massacre . He was sent there to reinforce the garrison there, and that mostly everyone was dead. Daro tells O'Brien that they were told it was being used as a launch site for a massive strike against them. O'Brien was with a group of women and children when two Cardassian soldiers burst in. He stunned one and was jumped by the other. During the struggle, a woman tossed him a phaser, and he fired. The phaser was set to maximum, disintegrating the soldier. O'Brien had never killed anything before then, not even a mosquito . Finally, he gets up and says to Daro " It's not you I hate, Cardassian; I hate what I became because of you ".

Macet's other aide, Telle, is forcibly escorted to the bridge by Worf, who reports that the Cardassian was found accessing a computer terminal on Deck 35 to study the ship's weapon systems. Telle denies any such intention for accessing the computers, claiming only to study the efficiency of the computer systems themselves, but Macet chastises him for accessing them in the first place. He confines Telle to his quarters for the remainder of the mission and asks to meet with Picard privately. He apologizes for Telle's actions in Picard's ready room and promises he will be disciplined. Picard takes it in stride and views the matter closed, but Macet isn't so sure. He then proclaims himself as a man who does not crave war, and states that he views Picard in a similar light. They then get good news from Data: they have found the Phoenix and will intercept it in twenty-two minutes.

Act Four [ ]

The Enterprise meets up with the Phoenix

Maxwell beams aboard and is greeted by Riker. Maxwell knows all about Riker's efforts against the Borg and says they all owe him one. He is surprised to see O'Brien who Maxwell had no idea was serving on the Enterprise and details his service on the Rutledge . O'Brien takes it in stride and says he learned his technique from him to which Maxwell laughs. He then asks to see the captain, as he has a lot to talk about. Maxwell gives O'Brien a wink before leaving.

Maxwell's tactical display, showing the Cardassian positions

With introductions settled, Maxwell explains his motive to Picard: the Cardassians are rearming, and the science station he destroyed in the Cuellar sector was actually a military supply port. Picard asks for proof, but Maxwell can't provide it, for he has none. Maxwell indicates that a science station in the Cuellar sector served no purpose, but it's a good strategic location for a military supply base in three Federation-controlled sectors. They were running supply ships in and out, and he would not accept that they were used for scientific research. Picard asks why he did not contact Starfleet. Maxwell did not want to wait months while they sifted through the reports and says lives were at stake and that they had to act now. Picard asks why. Maxwell gets annoyed and pins Picard as a bureaucrat . Picard points out that he nearly plunged the Federation into another war, but Maxwell counters that he prevented a war or delayed it. Picard dismisses that and scores a low blow on Maxwell, linking his actions to the loss of his family, a claim Maxwell vehemently denies. Maxwell says that history will remember Picard as a fool, a claim Picard will accept. Maxwell points out that he will be vindicated once it is clear what the Cardassians have done, but Picard says whatever they've done or not done is irrelevant. This burns Maxwell to the core. He wants Picard to come with him to prove he's been telling the truth, but Picard orders him to return to his ship and set a course to Starbase 211 with the Enterprise . Both ships have been ordered by Starfleet to return to Federation space together. The alternative is to be thrown in the brig and his ship towed in disgrace. Faced with that reality, Maxwell reluctantly shows acceptance of the orders and returns to his ship.

Act Five [ ]

With the Phoenix in close formation with the Enterprise , Picard orders Worf to send a message to Admiral Haden with their expected time of arrival. Just then, the Phoenix alters course, which baffles the bridge crew. Maxwell has set an intercept course at warp 9 for a Cardassian ship 0.12 light years away, which Macet believes Maxwell will attack. Unable to overtake the Phoenix and separate the potential combatants, Picard orders Wallace to plot an intercept course, and has Worf arm phasers. Riker reminds Picard that O'Brien was Maxwell's tactical officer, and Picard acknowledges this by ordering Chief O'Brien to the bridge.

When they arrive, the Phoenix does not appear to be ready to battle the Cardassian ship, yet the sensors cannot ascertain the Cardassians' status as the ship is running a high-powered subspace field. Picard is faced with a decision of firing on a Federation starship and needs O'Brien's insight into how Maxwell thinks in a situation like this. Maxwell hails the Enterprise and demands that Picard board the Cardassians' ship, or he'll destroy it. Picard refuses and affirms his resolve to use whatever means necessary to prevent Maxwell from undertaking any further hostile action. With that, he closes the channel and O'Brien warns that Maxwell will strike if his back is to the wall, and that is exactly what happens. Picard initiates red alert and readies to attack the Phoenix but O'Brien offers to beam over to talk some sense into Maxwell. Riker cautions that the Phoenix captain won't bring his shields down to transport, but O'Brien replies that he knows how the Phoenix shields work. He explains that as it uses a high-energy sensor system, which cycles every 5.5 minutes, with a window of a fiftieth of a second, he can get on board through that window. Picard accepts the opportunity to avoid spilling the blood of fellow Starfleet officers, and O'Brien prepares to board the ship.

Two old war friends, singing an old war song, is enough to make anyone feel a little easier

Maxwell gazes at the Enterprise through his window and is surprised to see O'Brien enter. He points a phaser at O'Brien, but the transporter chief isn't armed. Maxwell wants Picard to board the Cardassian vessel, but O'Brien knows he won't. Maxwell is in disbelief that a Federation starship would attack another to protect the enemy, and O'Brien warns that he will. Maxwell asks what happened to the war, to which O'Brien responds that there is no war. Maxwell says the Cardassians live to make war, and that neither of them are the same. They start reminiscing about Setlik III, and Maxwell asks who that fellow was that used to follow O'Brien around like a puppy. O'Brien replies that it was Will Kayden . When Maxwell doesn't respond, O'Brien elaborates with the officer's nickname , "Stompie". O'Brien confirms Maxwell's memory that they also lost Kayden at Setlik III. Maxwell then asks " What was that song of his; the one he'd always sing, the one I liked? " O'Brien recollects for a moment, then begins singing soon joined by Maxwell:

" The minstrel boy to the war has gone, In the ranks of death you'll find him… His father's sword he hath girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him… "Land of song", said the warrior bard, Tho all the world betrays.… thee… One sword at least thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee. "

Maxwell realizes that he will not be able to win this fight, which O'Brien quietly confirms.

Maxwell then turns over command of the Phoenix to his first officer and transports himself to the Enterprise , where Picard has him confined to quarters. Picard praises O'Brien for his accomplishment. Even though O'Brien knows Maxwell's action was wrong, he says he is still proud to have served with him. Macet considers that O'Brien's loyalties are misplaced, prompting to Picard claim the Cardassian has much to learn about Humans . Maxwell was twice decorated with the Federation's highest citation for courage and valor during war; that he could not adjust himself to peace makes him an object of pity, but he shall not be dismissed.

Before Macet leaves the conference lounge, Picard tells him that Maxwell was right all along: the transports and the outpost clearly point to the Cardassians re-arming in secret. Macet rejoins that, if Picard believed that, why didn't he board the transport? Picard says his mission was to protect the peace, and if he had boarded the transport, the Federation and the Cardassians would be arming for war at that very moment. But he tells the Cardassian gul to take one last message with him to his superiors:

" We'll be watching. "

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2367

Memorable quotes [ ]

" The Cardassians have no honor. I do not trust them. "

" Let me talk to my superiors and find out what is behind this. Give me one hour. The alternative is for us to continue firing at one another and in such a contest you would be… at a disadvantage. " " Very well… one… hour. "

" I know all about you, commander. Fine work you did with the Borg . We all owe you on that one. " " Thank you, sir. "

" Smells musty in here… like a bureaucrat's office. "

" You're a fool, Picard. History will look at you and say: 'This man was a fool.' " " I'll accept the judgment of history. "

" Mr. Worf, report to my ready room. My guest is departing. "

" I think, when one has been angry for a very long time, one gets used to it. And it becomes comfortable like…like old leather. And finally… it becomes so familiar that one can't remember feeling any other way. "

" It's not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you. "

" Sweetheart, I'm not a fish. "

" I'm not gonna win this one, am I, chief? " " No, sir. "

" The loyalty that you would so quickly dismiss does not come easily to my people, Gul Macet. You have much to learn about us. Benjamin Maxwell earned the loyalty of those who served with him. You know, in war, he was twice honored with the Federation's highest citation for courage and valor. And if he could not find a role for himself in peace, we can pity him, but we shall not dismiss him. "

" If there is to be a lasting peace between us, neither you nor I must allow any one man to undermine our efforts. "

" Take this message to your leaders, Gul Macet: 'We'll be watching'."

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Final draft script: 23 October 1990 [1]
• Second unit insert shots filmed: 7 December 1990
• Premiere airdate: 28 January 1991
• First UK airdate: 7 September 1994

Story and production [ ]

• Jeri Taylor noted, " It was sort of Heart of Darkness with the rogue captain out of control. It started with the idea that if you had been at war with a country and now you are not at war with them anymore, you can't just immediately become friends. If you're trained to look at people as the enemy, it's hard to now be their friends. While in the 24th century people have a much more expansive view of the galaxy and are able to do it a little better, we planted the idea that some people had just a little more residual problem with that sort of thing, and harbored some resentment. [It's] a very provocative kind of area to get into. The material was somewhat epic in nature, which is always fun to do, and yet at its core was this very personal story between him and Picard, where two strong and able people tee off against each other. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 214)
• The scene where O'Brien and Captain Benjamin Maxwell sing " The Minstrel Boy " was suggested by Michael Piller . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 152)) "The Minstrel Boy" was originally written in memory of those who died during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 .
• For the production staff, the scene became one of the highlights of the episode. Rick Berman remarked, " That was a wonderful English [sic] hymn that was used in The Man Who Would Be King . I always loved it and we worked it in where O'Brien and Gunton's character sing it together. " Likewise, Jeri Taylor commented, " There is the wonderful device of the song at the end of the episode, in which Colm Meaney really came into his own and did a wonderful job. When he and Maxwell sing that song at the end, I really just loved that moment. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 214)
• Director Chip Chalmers observed, " This episode aired during the Gulf War and was about Picard doing everything he could to prevent a war, happening during a time when the United States of America was doing everything it could to start a war. I thought it was a real interesting dichotomy of ideas. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 214)
• Second Unit insert shots for this episode were filmed on Friday, 7 December 1990 on Paramount Stage 9 .
• The theme of a rogue warrior fighting war after peace is declared is an update from the 1979 film Apocalypse Now , which, in turn, was based on the 1889 Joseph Conrad novel Heart of Darkness .

Deleted scenes [ ]

Several scenes were filmed but later cut from the episode during editing. These scenes came to light in March 2013 when Canadian Star Trek collector Cyril "Patchou" Paciullo (owning several more Next Generation episodes workprints) uploaded the contents of an early work print VHS tape of the episode to the internet. [2]

• Act 1, Scene 15 – Jean-Luc Picard attempts to calm the nerves of his senior staff before the Cardassians board the Enterprise .
• Act 2, Scene 16 – William T. Riker discusses Benjamin Maxwell 's actions with Chief O'Brien .
• Act 2, Scene 26 – An extended version of the dinnertime discussion between Miles O'Brien and Keiko O'Brien .
• Act 4, Scene 41 – Maxwell marvels at the Enterprise bridge, and encounters Gul Macet before visiting Picard's ready room .
• Act 4, Scene 42 – An extended version of Picard's ready room meeting with Maxwell, where Picard infers that Maxwell has no documentation to back up his accusations against the Cardassians.

Finally, in the last scene in which Picard warns Gul Macet, Picard is seen stating "Take this message to your leaders, Gul Macet. We know. We'll be watching. And we'll be ready." In the edited version, Picard ends the line with only "We'll be watching."

Paciullo submitted his tapes to TrekCore , who in turn brought him into contact with CBS. This discovery was a timely one, as these scenes, found on the tape of the episode (labeled "Peter's Cut – 11/26/90", after Producer Peter Lauritson ), could, cleaned-up ( not remastered as magnetic tapes cannot be digitally scanned) in better resolution, still be incorporated as part of the bonus feature "Deleted Scenes" on disc six of the later that year released TNG Season 4 Blu-ray set. Incidentally, one of Paciullo's other tapes, that of season companion episode " Brothers ", was likewise treated, unlike his other work print tapes of the second season episode " The Child ", and the third season episodes " Evolution " and " The Bonding ", which came to light too late for inclusion on their corresponding releases. [3] The tapes, nine in total, were acquired by Paciullo as Lot 77 , estimated at US$200-$400, at the Propworx ' The official STAR TREK prop and costume auction of 8 August 2010 for US$360 (including buyer's premium). [4]

The Cardassians [ ]

• This episode marks the debut of the Cardassians . They went on to have a prominent role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , in which Colm Meaney and Marc Alaimo play Miles O'Brien and Dukat respectively.
• Director Chip Chalmers enjoyed dealing with the new race. " We introduced a new enemy that's finally able to speak on the level of Picard. They're not grunting, they're not giggling, they're not mutes or all-knowing entities. Here are the Cardassians who also graduated first in their class and they're able to carry on highly intelligent conversations with Picard, but they're sinister as hell. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 214)
• Michael Westmore created the reptilian makeup design of the Cardassians. He recalled, " I created a twin row of bony ridges, which started from the peak of the eyebrows and ran all the way back into the hairline. Then ridges went down the sides of the neck and flared out to the shoulder tips, giving the Cardassians a strange, menacing appearance, like a praying mantis, or a king cobra. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 188) The spoon-like indentation was inspired by an abstract painting he had seen two years earlier of a wide-shouldered woman with what appeared to be a spoon in the center of her forehead. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 153))
• The facial hair and headgear worn by Cardassians are unique to this episode and never shown again. Additionally, Cardassian energy weapons are pink here, but amber in all subsequent appearances.
• This episode marks the first appearance of kanar , a Cardassian alcoholic beverage, though the pronunciation (KAY-nar) differs from later appearances (kuh-NAR).
• This is also the first appearance of the Galor -class warship.

Cast and characters [ ]

• This is the first TNG episode featuring Colm Meaney's character, Miles O'Brien, prominently in the story of the episode. Meaney was later a regular cast member on DS9. It is also the first episode to reference the Setlik III massacre , which would later be mentioned in numerous episodes of DS9.
• This is Alaimo's third appearance in TNG, each time as a different alien species . In his fourth and final TNG appearance in " Time's Arrow ", he played a Human character, namely Frederick La Rouque , a 19th century professional gambler from New Orleans .
• Gates McFadden ( Beverly Crusher ) does not appear in this episode. Besides Season 2 , in which she was not a regular cast member, this is McFadden's only non-appearance.
• Despite his significant role within the episode's events, the official episodic promo for this episode (available on the Blu-ray release) neither features nor mentions O'Brien, framing the episode's events entirely as a conflict between Maxwell and Picard.

Continuity [ ]

• "The Minstrel Boy" was later used in one of O'Brien's final scenes in Star Trek , near the end of DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ".
• This episode reveals that the corridor located behind the port entrance in the observation lounge leads to a turbolift .
• This episode contains the first appearance of the Nebula -class starship. It is also the only appearance of a Nebula -class ship in this particular configuration.

Reception [ ]

• Michael Piller was pleased with how this episode portrays the character of O'Brien, calling it "one of his best episodes." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 15))
• A mission report for this episode by Patrick Daniel O'Neill was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 16 , pp. 6-9.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 43, 9 March 1992
• As part of the UK video collection Star Trek - Greatest Battles : 16 November 1998
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 4.4, 2 July 2001
• As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest stars [ ]

• Bob Gunton as Benjamin Maxwell
• Rosalind Chao as Keiko O'Brien
• Marc Alaimo as Macet
• Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien
• Marco Rodriguez as Telle
• Time Winters as Daro
• John Hancock as Haden

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Majel Barrett as Computer Voice
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
• Denise Deuschle as sciences officer
• Michele Gerren as sciences officer
• Eben Ham as operations ensign
• Jeri McBride as sciences officer
• James McElroy as command officer
• Michael Moorehead as civilian
• Noriko Suzuki as operations ensign
• Talbot as Ten Forward waitress
• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
• Darien Wallace (voice)
• Ten Forward waiter #1
• Ten Forward waiter #2
• Three Cardassian officers

Stand-ins [ ]

• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Randy Pflug – stand-in for Colm Meaney
• Keith Rayve – photo double for Colm Meaney
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• James Washington – stand-in for Michael Dorn

References [ ]

2366 ; ability ; acceleration ; aft ; aide ; ale ; ally ; alternative ; answer ; apology ; aroma ; arrival ; arsenal ; attack ; " back to the wall "; bard ; Battle of Wolf 359 ; Blarney Stone ; Borg ; bravery ; breakfast ; " breathing room "; brig ; bureaucrat ; cabbage ; caper ; Cardassia ; Cardassians ; Cardassian militia ; Cardassian sector ; Cardassian space ( Cardassian territory ); Cardassian supply ship ( supply ship ); Cardassian warship #1 ; Cardassian warship #2 ; cargo ship ; coded transponder frequency (aka transponder code , transponder frequency ); casualty ; chain ; children ; civilian ; close formation ; computer ; computer station ; contest ; cooking ; coordinates ; corned beef ; counselor ; courage ; Cuellar system ; damage ; damage report ; day ; death ; defensive system ; delegation ; dignity ; discussion ( conversation ); dish ; diplomacy ; disruptor ; district ; documentation ; egg ; emergency signal ; emergency stations ; enemy ; engine ; evasive maneuvers (aka evasive action ); expedition ; fact ; Federation ; Federation-Cardassian Armistice of 2367 ; Federation-Cardassian border ; Federation-Cardassian War ; Federation sectors threatened by Cuellar system science station ; Federation space ; file ; first officer ; fish ; fool ; Galaxy -class decks ; Galor -class : gesture ; glinn ; glory ; guard ; guest ; gul ; hail ; harp ; " hello "; history ; home ; honor ; hour ; hundred ; idea ; impulse engine ; information ; insight ; initiative ; Japanese cuisine ; joke ; judgment ; kanar ; Kayden, Will ; kelp buds ; Kelrabi system ; kHz ; kilometer ; king ; knowledge ; lake ; land ; leader ; leather ; lie ; light year ; location ; long range sensor ; love ; loyalty ; mapping survey ; marriage ; massacre ; master chef ; master chief ; Maxwell's family ; meat ; megawatt (MW); Midsummer Night's Dream, A ; military supply port / military transport station ; minstrel ; " Minstrel Boy, The "; minute ; mistake ; month ; mosquito ; mountain ; muffin ; mutton shank ; name ; Nebula -class ; number one ; O'Brien's mother ; oatmeal ; observer ; office ; opinion ; order ; outpost ; oxtail ; patrol ship ; pattern buffer ; peace ; peace treaty ; phaser ; phaser bank ; Phoenix , USS ; Phoenix first officer ; photon torpedo ; plankton loaf ; potato ; potato casserole ; power ; power coupling ; power failure ; prefix code ; principle ; priority one ; prisoner ; puppy ; quest ; question ; radius ; raid ; rapid nadion effect ; reason ; red alert ; rendezvous ; replicator ; report ; research station ( science station ); revenge ( retribution ); role ; room ; ruse ; Rutledge , USS ; sabotage ; safe passage ; scalloped potatoes ; scan cycle ; scientific equipment ; scientific research ; scout ship ; sea berry ; search ; secondary hull ; sector ; Sector 21503 ; Sector 21505 ; security detail ; sensor ; sensor system ; Setlik III ; Setlik III massacre ; Setlik III settlement ; sharing ; shield generator ; silent running ; " silver tongue "; singing ; skirmish ; slavery ; smile ; sneak raid ; song ; soul ; space station ; speculation ; speed ; squad ; Starbase 211 ; starboard ; Stargazer , USS ; street ; structural integrity ; subspace ; subspace channel ; subspace communiqué ; subspace field ; subspace frequency ; subspace message ; suggestion ; superior ; surprise attack ; surrender ; " sweetheart "; sword ; tactical officer ; target ; terminal interface system ; thought ; thousand ; torpedo bay ; Trager ; transporter ; transporter chief ; Transporter Room 3 ; transporting system ; transport ship ; truce ; trust ; turbolift ; " under fire "; " under lock and key "; valor ; vengeance (aka retaliate ); visual range ; war ; warp speed ; warrior ; warship ; watt ; weapon ; weapon range ; weapon system ; " within arm's reach "; year

Other references [ ]

• Tactical situation monitor : Alfin-Bernado ; Alpha Ataru ; Alpha Carinae ; Alpha Shiro ; Altair III ; Andor ; Antares ; Babel ; Beta Reilley ; Beta Simmons ; Carson ; Chess-Wilson ; Delta Vega ; Denkia ; Denkir ; Eminiar ; Foster-D'Angelo ; Gamma Hydra ; Ganino ; Genovese's Star ; Iczerone Stimson ; Janus VI ; McKnight's Planet ; Memory Delta ; Memory Gamma ; Murasaki 312 ; Omicron Ceti ; Rigel ; Sigma Nesterowitz ; Stillwell ; Theta Bowles ; Theta Mees ; Tsugh Khaidnn
• USS Phoenix dedication plaque : 40 Eridani A ; 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards ; Advanced Technologies Division ; Berman, Rick ; Chalmers, Chip ; Chief of Staff ; Curry, Dan ; Dean, Doug ; Exploratory Division ; Fleet Administration ; Fleet Ops ; Fleet Yards Operations ; James, Richard ; Lauritson, Peter ; Livingston, David ; Mission Operations ; Orbital Operations ; Piller, Michael ; Research and Development ; Roddenberry, Gene ; Rush, Marvin ; Simmons, Adele ; Sol Sector ; Starfleet Academy ; Stellar Imaging Division ; Tactical Command ; Taylor, Jeri ; Yoyodyne Division

Deleted references [ ]

beef tongue ; kidney pie ; pot roast ; shield modulation

External links [ ]

• " The Wounded " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Wounded " at Wikipedia
• "The Wounded" at StarTrek.com
• " "The Wounded" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E12TheWounded

Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E12 "The Wounded"

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Original air date: January 28, 1991

The Enterprise is mapping space near the Cardassian border. Everyone is tense; up until very recently, the Federation and the Cardassian Union were engaged in a long, bitter conflict, which only now is beginning to die down. In fact, the details of the peace treaty are still being ironed out as they speak, so everyone is treading lightly.

Meanwhile, Miles O'Brien and Keiko Ishikawa-O'Brien are enjoying wedded bliss. Over breakfast, Miles delicately puts forward that maybe Keiko would like to try some of the traditional Irish foods that he grew up with. Not, of course, that he doesn't enjoy these Japanese delicacies and all ... and their conversation is cut short by the Red Alert klaxon.

A Cardassian warship has come out of nowhere and opened fire on the Enterprise . The two ships exchange a few hits before Picard manages to establish communications and demand to know the reason for this unprovoked assault. Gul Macet (Marc Alaimo), the commander of the warship, claims that he's retaliating for an earlier Federation attack: a nearby Cardassian science station was just destroyed by a Federation starship. Picard uses all his diplomatic wiles to get the Cardassians to stand down so he can contact Starfleet and find out what's going on.

Shortly afterwards, Picard makes contact with Vice Admiral Hayden at Starfleet Command, who confirms the worst: Starfleet has a rogue captain on their hands. Benjamin Maxwell ( Bob Gunton ), commander of the Phoenix and hero of the Cardassian War, was the one responsible for the attack. And he's somewhere out there now, running silent, doing God knows what else. The Cardassian government has agreed to allow the Enterprise to try and find Maxwell before he does more harm, provided they allow a Cardassian presence on board. Macet will do nicely. Before signing off, Hayden cautions Picard to tread very carefully. Still recovering from their losses at Wolf 359, Starfleet is simply unprepared for another armed conflict. The fragile peace must be maintained.

Gul Macet and his two aides, Glinn Daro and Glinn Telle, beam aboard and are immediately escorted to the conference room. Chief O'Brien is also in attendance; O'Brien served with Maxwell during the War, and has a unique perspective on the man. O'Brien recollects Maxwell as a model officer and firmly believes that if he is doing this, it must be for a good reason. Of course Maxwell did lose his family in the War, during a particularly brutal skirmish that O'Brien himself participated in, which gives him motive in the Cardassians' eyes. Before the tense atmosphere can get much more tense, Worf breaks in: they've found the Phoenix . As the main crew heads to the Bridge, O'Brien rudely turns down an offer to share a drink with the two Glinns.

Back in their quarters, O'Brien whips up a lovely potato casserole for his wife, all the while humming a tune he remembers from the War. Miles expresses his concern about how everyone ( but certainly not him, no sir ) is still hostile, even though the war is over. Keiko points out that the war lasted a long time and only just recently ended, so it's to be expected that there's still some lingering bad feelings... and if he's feeling that way too, it's perfectly understandable.

On the Bridge, Picard and Macet watch on long-distance sensors as the Phoenix chases down a Cardassian cargo ship. The Phoenix ignores the Enterprise 's hails, and Picard has no choice but to surrender the prefix codes to the Phoenix to Macet, who can relay them to a Cardassian warship closer to the action. This proves to be no avail, however; the Nebula -class Phoenix is more than a match for the Cardassians, destroying both the warship and the cargo ship quite easily.

In the aftermath, Picard goes to talk to O'Brien about it. O'Brien is shocked to hear what his former commander has done, but he still maintains his loyalty: if Maxwell did this, he insists, he had a good reason. Later, at Ten Forward, O'Brien runs into Glinn Daro, where he offers an apology for his behavior and an explanation: he was at the infamous Setlik III Massacre—where Maxwell lost his family—and that was the first time he was ever forced to kill someone. He says to the Cardassian, "I don't hate you . I hate what I became because of you."

Meanwhile, Worf catches Glinn Telle trying to access a secure computer terminal. Macet chews him out, has him confined to quarters, and apologizes to Picard, promising that Telle will be disciplined. Picard simply lets the matter slide as a show of good faith, and Macet gains a good bit of respect for the man. Macet remarks that he and Picard share a similar view : they both want to resolve this quickly and peacefully, and neither of them wants hostilities to start up again. Then Commander Data informs them of the news: they've caught up with the Phoenix.

The oddly charming Captain Maxwell beams aboard the Enterprise and greets O'Brien and Riker warmly. He immediately requests a meeting with Captain Picard and explains the situation: he's learned that the Cardassians are re-arming. That "science station" he destroyed? A secret military outpost. That cargo ship? Carrying weapons and running a high-energy subspace field to thwart security scans. Of course he has no proof, besides his instincts. And he believed that if he reported it to Starfleet, it would just get bogged down in official investigations and diplomatic wrangling until it would be too late to do anything to stop the Cardassians. When Picard points out that his actions were unsanctioned and in direct violation of the peace accords, Maxwell accuses him of being part of the problem. Regardless, Picard tells him that his orders are to escort Maxwell and his crew to the nearest Starbase to face charges, and Maxwell can do that in command of his own ship or from the Enterprise 's brig.

Reluctantly, Maxwell agrees, but once both ships set off, the Phoenix breaks formation and goes after another nearby Cardassian cargo vessel. Picard gives chase and summons O'Brien to the Bridge for his insight into Maxwell's tactics. When they both catch up to the Cardassian ship, Maxwell hails the Enterprise and offers Picard proof: come aboard the ship with him and see for himself what they're carrying, or else he'll destroy it then and there. Faced with the possibility of being forced to fire on another Federation vessel, Picard asks O'Brien for advice. O'Brien has no doubt that Maxwell will make good on his threat, but he has an idea: Nebula -class starships have a flaw in their deflector shields that O'Brien knows how to exploit. There's a narrow window where he could beam aboard the Phoenix and talk Maxwell down. Picard allows him to try.

Once aboard the Phoenix , O'Brien informs Maxwell of the situation: there's no way Maxwell can win this. Picard will destroy him to maintain the peace, and whatever good Maxwell thinks he's doing will be forgotten. Maxwell breaks down — and the truth comes out. Maxwell isn't doing this because he thinks this is right. He's doing this to avenge his family, just as Macet suggested. O'Brien sits next to him, comforting him, as they remember fallen comrades from the war. They sing together the old song O'Brien was remembering earlier, and Maxwell surrenders.

The crisis averted, Maxwell is in custody and the Enterprise is on its way back home. Macet expresses his gratitude to Picard, as well as his relief that a dangerous rogue element has been contained. Picard counters with the fact that before his breakdown, Maxwell was an exemplary commander and leader of men, and despite his recent actions, he still deserves that respect. And besides... he's not wrong.

After all, Maxwell's actions were improper, but he may have had a point: that "science station" was located in a system with no real scientific value, but great strategic value, in striking distance of three key Federation sectors. And cargo ships running with sensor-jamming fields? No one could deny that was suspicious, could they?

Tropes featured in "The Wounded" include:

• Ambiguously Evil : Gul Macet and his crew, setting the tone for future portrayals of Cardassians. He's unfailingly polite and even-tempered and reprimands his subordinate who was caught hacking the Enterprise 's computers, but it's also implied that he's fully aware of the plot Maxwell was onto.
• Angst? What Angst? : Discussed In-Universe . Picard believes Maxwell's current unauthorized attacks on Cardassian ships are motivated by vengeance , but O'Brien insists Maxwell remained stoic and in good humour after his family's deaths and he must have a good reason for attacking the Cardassians. Turns out they're both right.
• Ambadassador : Picard wrecks everyone with diplomacy in this episode.
• Artistic License – Politics : The peace treaty that ended the war between the Federation and the Cardassians as described seems to imply an alliance between the two former warring powers, when peace treaties are simply used to end wars and there would (most likely) need to be a lot more trust before either side considers a former enemy a friend. If two former enemies decide to become allies, a separate treaty of alliance beyond the existent peace treaty would have to be drafted and signed.
• Attack Hello : The Cardassians greet the Enterprise by firing on her.
• Being Good Sucks : Picard ultimately suspects that Maxwell may have been right, but he has no proof and can't risk a war just to salvage the reputation of a man he respects.
• Blatant Lies : O'Brien likes the Cardassians just fine, thank you very much. ( No, he doesn't. )
• Brief Accent Imitation : Maxwell puts on an Irish accent when he suggests that O'Brien "got that silver tongue by kissing the [Blarney] Stone".
• Broken Pedestal : Downplayed . O'Brien acknowledges that what Maxwell did was wrong, but is still proud to have served with him.
• The Federation's military strength is still severely compromised from their losses at the Battle of Wolf 359 .
• The design of the Nebula -class starship is very much an updated version of the Miranda class from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Its relationship to the Galaxy class is basically the same as that between the Miranda and Constitution classes.
• The strategy of subduing a ship by using its prefix code to lower its shields is also from Star Trek II .
• After their wedding last episode , the O'Briens are getting used to living together.
• The Nebula -class Phoenix , the closest thing to a warship that Starfleet has produced before the Defiant from DS9 comes along. It shares design elements with the Enterprise and carries a similar armament, in a much more compact form.
• This episode also gives us our first look at the Cardassian Galor -class, which would become a mainstay on DS9 .
• Crusading Widow : Maxwell is largely fueled by suppressed grief over losing his wife and children at Setlik III.
• Curb-Stomp Battle : The Enterprise and the Phoenix pwn each Cardassian ship they battle, and each one after taking an unshielded hit. The Enterprise disables her attacker while the Phoenix destroys two ships.
• Dark and Troubled Past : O'Brien fought in the Cardassian War, during which he committed his first act of killing. He's never gotten over it.
• A Day in the Limelight : This is the first episode with a major focus on Miles O'Brien, and lays much of the groundwork for his later role on DS9 .
• Deliberate Values Dissonance : A minor example. In some human cultures, like Keiko's, cooking food by hand instead of with a replicator is seen as weird and kind of gross.
• Their brown, leather-covered outfits and "crash helmets" don't match their eventual standard uniform.
• Their coloration is pinkish rather than grey.
• Macet is the only Cardassian who ever has facial hair.
• Pronunciation hasn't been figured out - Cardassian kanar is ordered in Ten Forward, but it's pronounced "kay-nar," rather than the more familiar pronunciation of "kah-nar."
• In this first appearance, the Nebula -class starship's "AWACS" pod is round, and thins out toward the edges, like a lens. The producers were dissatisfied with the final product and the model was refurbished with a new, more triangular pod in all subsequent appearances. The Nebula -class is also treated as a combat-dedicated vessel, when virtually all future depictions treat it as science-focused vessel - explained away by having the pod be a mission-specific fully swappable module (not unprecedented; TNG has previously shown Miranda -class ships both with and without its distinctive torpedo launcher rollbar).
• The Extremist Was Right : Downplayed. Picard privately concedes to Macet that Maxwell was right that the Cardassians are rearming themselves. When Macet asks why Picard didn't do what Maxwell asked, Picard replies that maintaining the peace was more important.
• Fantastic Racism : O'Brien and Maxwell both have a fair amount of prejudice towards the Cardassians. O'Brien handles it better, but it still comes out.
• Fantastic Rank System : Cardassian captains are called Gul , while their junior officers are called Glinn .
• A Father to His Men : Maxwell was this to the crew of the Rutledge. O'Brien still feels that way about him. Macet: His [O'Brien's] loyalty is admirable, even if it is misplaced. Picard: Gul Macet, the loyalty that you would so quickly dismiss does not come easily to my people. You have much to learn about us. Benjamin Maxwell earned the loyalty of those who served with him. You know, in war, he was twice honored with the Federation's highest citation for courage and valor. And if he could not find a role for himself in peace, we can pity him, but we shall not dismiss him.
• Foreign Queasine : Miles and Keiko have this reaction to each other's cooking. To their credit, they're both trying to keep an open mind about it, but there's clearly some discomfort.
• Foreshadowing : As the Cardassians are leaving the transporter room after beaming over, Troi pauses and looks at O'Brien in pure shock, hinting to the audience that he has some very deep-seated issues with Cardassians.
• General Ripper : Played with. While Maxwell is shown as being a paranoid wreck who never recovered from the murder of his family by the Cardassians, as it turns out, his suspicions were right even though his methods were wrong. Also, unlike most examples, he knows when to fold them, at least after a trusted former crewmember confirms that his situation is unwinnable.
• Good Is Not Dumb : Picard and the Federation wish for peace. That doesn't mean they've turned a blind eye to what the Cardassians are doing. Picard: Maxwell was right. Those ships weren't carrying scientific equipment, were they? A 'research' station within arm's reach of three Federation sectors? Cargo ships running with high energy subspace fields that jam sensors? Gul Macet: If you believed the transport ship carried weapons, why didn't you board it as Maxwell requested? Picard: I was here to protect the peace, a peace I firmly believe is in the interests of both our peoples. But if I had attempted to board that ship... I am quite certain that you and I would not be sitting here now, having this pleasant conversation. And that ships on both sides would be arming for war. [...] Take a message to your leaders, Gul Macet: We'll be watching.
• Good Old Ways : O'Brien mentions his mother, the family cook, not trusting the food replicator. Keiko is surprised (and a little grossed out) to learn that she handled and cooked actual meat for her family.
• Great Offscreen War : The Federation–Cardassian conflict apparently lasted many years and cost many lives, including at least one massacre of civilian colonists. This episode is the first mention of it in any Star Trek continuity. Later episodes of TNG pepper references to the war into dialogue and backstory—and obviously, DS9 makes it a major part of its universe—but episodes before this one give no indication that there's a significant conflict going on anywhere.
• Happily Married : Miles and Keiko, despite their vastly different tastes in food, are still enjoying wedded bliss in this episode. They're also giving the other's food a try.
• Heroic BSoD : "I'm not gonna win this one, am I, Chief?"
• I Did What I Had to Do : Maxwell tries to justify his actions to Picard this way, arguing that they both know what it's like to be under fire. Picard retorts that Maxwell wasn't under fire—he was in no immediate danger, but unilaterally decided to kill nearly seven hundred people and jeopardise the already-fragile peace treaty.
• I Have This Friend : O'Brien tells Keiko that the officers around him seem uncomfortable around Cardassians and wonders aloud why anyone should feel that way. She doesn't quite seem to figure out that he's trying to work through his own feelings.
• Innocuously Important Episode : While presented as a one-off for the most part, the introduction of the Cardassians leads to their becoming a primary antagonist race later on, later ties in to the introduction of the Bajorans next year, and eventually sets the stage for the Maquis and Dominion War story lines that would be more central to the plots of DS9 and Voyager . It also focuses heavily on O'Brien for the first time, including many back-story details that would become important for him as a main character on DS9 .
• It's Personal : Maxwell's wife and children were killed in the Setlik III massacre, which the Cardassians point out gives him plenty of motive for destroying Cardassian installations. They're right, he does have a grudge, but at the same time they are rearming in preparation for future conflict.
• Jerkass Has a Point : Early on in the episode, Worf grumbles about how the Cardassians are untrustworthy, with Troi taking him to task since the Cardassians are the Federation's allies now, so they have to trust them. Worf shoots back that trust must be earned . Then the entire rest of the episode, and pretty much every episode with the Cardassians in hereafter, goes on to show that Worf was entirely right to be suspicious.
• Know When to Fold 'Em : Maxwell's final move is to hold a Cardassian transport hostage, demanding Picard board it or he'll destroy it. O'Brien instead beams over and convinces him to stand down, since Picard will never board the ship and will reluctantly destroy the Phoenix if it comes to it.
• Leitmotif : "The Minstrel Boy" becomes O'Brien's leitmotif in this episode, continuing through Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The tune comprises the first five bars of the episode's score.
• Meaningful Name : Maxwell's ship is the USS Phoenix , named after the mythical bird that cyclically burns itself before rising from the ashes and lives again. In this episode, Maxwell threatens to reawaken hostilities between the Federation and the Cardassians. Star Trek: First Contact revealed that the Phoenix was also the name of Zefram Cochrane's spaceship when he made humanity's first warp flight, leading to first contact with an alien species, the Vulcans, and humanity rising out of the ashes of World War III in the mid-21st century.
• Military Maverick : This trope gets utterly deconstructed with Captain Maxwell. Countless other works of fiction have made the maverick a hero, but in this episode we see how his actions can have extremely negative consequences, even if he's not wrong about the enemy.
• Mister Exposition : Admiral Hayden of "The Defector" returns to give Picard more bad news.
• Moment Killer : Miles and Keiko start having a romantic moment... and the Enterprise rocks from Cardassian fire.
• My Country, Right or Wrong : Gul Macet comes across as pretty sincere when he expresses a desire for lasting peace to Picard. However, his lack of heat at the latter's accusation at the end suggests that he knows full well that his government does not share this desire and that his duty as an officer must come first, regardless of his personal feelings on the matter. (Of course, this trope would later be established as the Cardassians' hat .)
• Oblivious to His Own Description : While having dinner with Keiko after the meeting with the Cardassians, O'Brien expresses surprise that there were people in that room who still disliked them, claiming he can't understand why people would continue to hang on to old hostilities after the war is over. This is after the audience has already been shown that O'Brien is very much one of those people himself. Keiko clearly isn't fooled, asking as delicately as she can how he feels about them; he just shrugs and claims he feels fine .
• Oh, Crap! : Gul Macet is surprised that Starfleet can read Cardassian IFF codes well out of engagement range.
• Override Command : Like in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Enterprise uses the Phoenix's prefix codes to force its shields to lower, giving the Cardassians an advantage. It's not enough, however, as the Phoenix still destroys the outgunned Cardassian ships despite the handicap.
• The Paragon Always Rebels : Picard describes Maxwell as "one of Starfleet's finest captains." Turns out that he does better in war than peace.
• Properly Paranoid : Maxwell. As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would later illustrate, there's no such thing as being too paranoid where Cardassians are involved.
• Punch-Clock Villain : Despite being on the "bad guy" side, Gul Macet and his aides seem to be pretty decent guys. Certainly in comparison to the warmongering Space Nazis that the Cardassians eventually become.
• Reasonable Authority Figure : Gul Macet is outraged that one of his men tried to steal data from the Enterprise and intends to punish him. Whether it's because of the attempt or because he got caught, that's another matter.
• Remember the New Guy? : The Cardassians apparently have been at war with the Federation until just recently and are another major alien race in the sector. This episode was the first time they'd been mentioned. Then again, DS9 would go on to show how secretive their government truly is, so it's very likely they were purposefully staying out of the spotlight.
• Retcon : Earlier seasons presented the Federation as having been pretty much at peace until the Borg invasion. The Klingons had allied with the Federation, the Romulans had taken up decades-long isolationism and most other conflicts had been very minor. In " Peak Performance " Riker goes so far as to claim that starship combat is a "minor" province of a Starfleet officer's duties. This episode establishes that not only was the Ferengi incident not the first time that Picard's former ship the Stargazer had nearly been destroyed by an enemy attack, but that a Great Offscreen War against the Cardassians had only just concluded within the last year !
• Revenge Before Reason : Maxwell goes on a rampage against the Cardassians, ostensibly because they are preparing to start another war. But this is a rationalization to cover up his desire for revenge.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! : Maxwell tries to justify his behavior with "I prevented war!" even though his behavior almost restarted the war.
• Sensor Suspense : The Phoenix 's rampage against the Cardassians is represented mostly as dots on a tactical display.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran : O'Brien and Maxwell are both traumatized by the recent war, though O'Brien seems to be dealing with it better than his Captain. Glinn Daro isn't much better off, expressing a deep regret in fighting the battle that cost Maxwell his family, angrily dismissing it as being based on faulty intel.
• Significant Background Event : When O'Brien first beams the Cardassian delegation aboard, Troi starts staring at him... leading to a not background event where she stops before leaving the transporter room, shocked by what she senses from him.
• Stepford Smiler : O'Brien assures Picard that Maxwell took the loss of his family well, to all appearances, kept doing his duty without stopping, and kept smiling and joking. That itself ought to have been a huge red flag.
• These Hands Have Killed : During the war, O'Brien was involved in a fight with some Cardassian soldiers who were attacking Federation colonists. O'Brian grabbed a phaser and fired it without checking the settings first; the Cardassian was vaporized . When recalling the incident to one of Macet's aides, O'Brian mentions that he'd never killed anyone before then. O'Brien: I don't hate you, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you.
• Tragic Hero : Benjamin Maxwell—O'Brien simply cannot believe that his old CO is capable of acting out of revenge.
• Tranquil Fury : O'Brien is quietly fuming in several scenes when he's near the Cardassians.
• Truce Trickery : The captain of the USS Phoenix goes rogue after accusing the Cardassians of trying to subvert the recent ceasefire in the border dispute between them and the Federation by shipping additional weapons to the front lines. Though he's stopped and arrested by the Enterprise , Captain Picard tells his counterpart Gul Macet that he thinks the accusations are valid and warns him to get his government to knock it off. "We will be watching."
• Vast Bureaucracy : Maxwell's opinion of Starfleet as a whole is diplomacy and paperwork. After Picard refuses to go along with him, he makes a show of looking around the Ready Room and then scornfully says, "It smells musty in here. Like a bureaucrat's office ."
• Well-Intentioned Extremist : Maxwell, who goes trigger-happy on the Cardassians over what he sees as Starfleet's near-sightedness. In fact, Starfleet is well aware that the Cardassians can't be trusted, but that doesn't mean they want the shooting to start again.
• Won the War, Lost the Peace : The Cardassian War ended in a strategic stalemate but Picard works extremely hard to defy this. The episode concludes with Picard acknowledging that Maxwell was right and the Cardassians were in all likelihood re-arming, but boarding the transport would have reignited a costly war that would have benefited neither side.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds : Picard comes to see Maxwell as this. He suffered a great tragedy and nearly causes a war, but Picard is left sympathizing with him.
• You Fool! : Maxwell tells Picard that history will judge him as a fool for not listening. Picard, trying to keep the tenuous peace, says he will accept the judgment of history.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S4 E11 "Data's Day"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E13 "Devil's Due"

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The Wounded (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Episode of star trek: the next generation / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

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" The Wounded " is the 86th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation , the 12th episode of the fourth season .

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D . In this episode, Picard is shocked when a highly respected starship captain apparently turns renegade and begins destroying Cardassian vessels. Captain Maxwell claims that the Cardassians, who recently signed a treaty with the Federation , are secretly rearming for war but he has no proof. Picard demands that Maxwell—Transporter Chief O'Brien 's former commanding officer—surrender his ship, but Maxwell refuses. Reluctant to fire on a fellow officer, Picard asks O'Brien to convince his old comrade to surrender peacefully.

This episode is noted for introducing the Cardassians, who would go on to have a major role in the Star Trek franchise. [1]

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The Wounded

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The Wounded

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Colm Meaney

Chief Miles O'Brien

Rosalind Chao

Keiko O'Brien

Capt. Benjamin Maxwell

Marc Alaimo

Time Winters

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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 4, Episode 12

The wounded, where to watch, star trek: the next generation — season 4, episode 12.

Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation — Season 4, Episode 12 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Cast & crew.

Patrick Stewart

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes

Cmdr. William Riker

LeVar Burton

Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Dr. Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis

Counselor Deanna Troi

Episode Info

The Wounded Stardate: 44429.6 Original Airdate: 28 Jan, 1991

<Back to the episode listing

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The Wounded - Peter's Cut (Star Trek TNG)

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This is The Wounded, from Next Generation, season 4. What makes this video special is that it’s a non-public, preliminary cut of the episode. It lacks music and special effects, the voice-over is not done, you can sometimes hear the crew in the background, etc… it is also about 3 and half minutes longer than the broadcasted version of the episode, with longer and different scenes. The tape is labeled "Peter’s Cut 11-26-90" and was 20+ years old when it was digitized. I got the best VCR I could find on eBay and recorded the video as the highest bitrate possible. Of course, the source material is still an old VHS, which has half the resolution of a DVD at its best, so don’t expect anything close to the new hi-res BD releases. In fact, expect just the opposite.

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SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

• The Original Series
• The Next Generation
• Deep Space Nine
• Strange New Worlds

The Wounded

Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise is in pursuit of a renegade Federation starship named the Phoenix, captained by his former friend and comrade-in-arms, Captain Benjamin Maxwell. Although the Phoenix is officially listed as a lost vessel, Picard is determined to bring Maxwell to justice, and bring him back to the Federation.

At the same time, a Cardassian warship, the Bok’Nor, is also pursuing the Phoenix. The Bok’Nor is captained by Gul Macet, a veteran of the Cardassian-Federation War, and he is determined to bring Maxwell to justice for war crimes he allegedly committed during the conflict.

When the USS Enterprise catches up with the Phoenix, the two ships engage in a battle. During the fight, Picard discovers that the Phoenix is in a deteriorating condition and that Maxwell has been driven to desperation by the Cardassians’ relentless pursuit. Picard is able to convince Maxwell to stand down, and the USS Enterprise is able to bring the Phoenix into its docking bay.

Upon further inspection of the Phoenix, the crew of the Enterprise discovers that the warship has been suffering from a malfunctioning warp core, which has severely crippled its performance. Picard is able to determine that the malfunction is the result of sabotage by the Cardassians, who have been using the Phoenix as bait to lure out the Federation’s forces.

When Picard and the Enterprise crew learn about the Cardassian plot, they set out to confront Gul Macet and the Bok’Nor. After some negotiation, Picard is able to convince Gul Macet to stand down, and the two ships part ways peacefully.

Back on board the USS Enterprise, Picard and his crew learn the full extent of Maxwell’s plight. The saboteurs on the Bok’Nor had been attempting to frame Maxwell for war crimes, and the Cardassian vessel had been using the Phoenix as a decoy to draw out Federation forces. With this knowledge, Picard is able to clear Maxwell’s name and restore his reputation within the Federation.

At the same time, the Enterprise crew is able to repair the malfunctioning warp core on the Phoenix, allowing the ship to make a successful warp jump back to Federation space. As the Phoenix departs, Picard and Maxwell bid each other a heartfelt farewell, and the two ships part ways.

The events of The Wounded have a profound effect on Picard and the crew of the Enterprise. Not only are they able to restore Maxwell’s good name and clear him of any wrongdoing, but they also learn the importance of justice and mercy, and the power of forgiveness. In the wake of the mission, the crew of the Enterprise is reminded that through understanding and compassion, even the most dire of circumstances can be overcome.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation : "The Wounded"/"Devil's Due"

"The Wounded"

Or  The One Where We Meet The Cardassians, And The Warden Of Shawshank Prison Makes Some Bad Calls

As though to prove me wrong after all my talk about closed episode continuity, the first entry in this week's  Star Trek  double feature picks up essentially where "Data's Day" leaves off. Oh, we don't deal with the ramifications of a Romulan spy infiltrating the Vulcan government (although I agree with the commenter who pointed out last week that you'd think this would be a pretty big deal). Nor does Data do much in the way of soft-shoe. But we do check in on O'Brien and Keiko, and their interactions suggest a couple still in the early stages of matrimonial bliss. Actually, they seem more like two people fumbling through a third date, one that isn't too likely to lead to a fourth. Keiko is less crazy this week, but there isn't a lot of chemistry between her and her apparent husband. (So maybe this episode takes place three or four years  after  "Data's Day"?) Maybe this is some kind of mail-order bride scenario or an arranged wedding.

Whatever the reason, O'Brien has more chemistry with his former captain, Ben Maxwell, then we ever see him having with his wife, but that works to "The Wounded's" advantage. This isn't an episode about marriage, or love, at least not of the romantic kind. This is more about trying to find honor in situations that require more subtle responses and how trauma can warp the judgment of even the best of men. It's an episode I enjoyed, although this is a story that's been done and been done to death many times before. I'm fairly certain we've seen some variation of this on  TNG  already and in  TOS and half a dozen other genre shows besides. Hell, this is basically Space Rambo, only Bob Gunton isn't 'roided up, and there's no Space Brian Dennehy getting in his face and thinking he's a hippie.

Stripped to its basics, this isn't a plot I automatically have a lot of interest in. It's one of those concepts (the warrior who can't find peace) that makes so much inherent sense that it becomes almost too familiar. Like, say, a Christmas episode when everyone has to be reminded that the holidays should be about everything  but  freaking out over buying the right toys. Once a theme or moral becomes a common part of our cultural experience, it becomes a sort of unwritten requirement or fall-back position for TV show writers. It's fertile material, but it also allows for lazy writing, because the structure is so readily identifiable. That means that nearly all of these stories follow the same arc, and it means that once you've seen a few of them, it can seem like you've seen them all. Not every show can support a storyline about a soldier unable to come in from the cold, but enough of them can, so that it's easy to recognize the signs.

When we learn that Maxwell, as Captain of the  Phoenix , destroyed a seemingly unprotected Cardassian science station, did anyone really think it was an innocent mistake, or that his behavior had been justified? I know I didn't. That's partly because a morally questionable Maxwell makes for a more interesting story (if the Cardassians were just flat out lying bastards … well, okay, we'll get to that), but also because the minute we learn about the massacre Maxwell and O'Brien witnessed, and how Maxwell lost his family, it doesn't take much effort to follow the lines. The only way to make this work is by finding a new angle to play it from. It doesn't have to be shockingly original, but it has to surprise us out of our expectations just long enough to get our attention.

"Wounded" mostly worked for me, and, as always, the details are the crucial difference between a decent episode, and a very good one. It's great to see O'Brien get so much attention; this is (if I'm remembering correctly) the first episode where he's been actually crucial to the resolution of the main storyline and not just in a "Well, somebody has to push the button that activates the transporters" kind of way. Colm Meaney is more than up to the task. His scenes with Keiko are enjoyable (although weirdly tense, as I kept expecting casual conversation to break into a soul-shredding, George-and-Martha-style argument at any moment), and his final scene with Gunton, as O'Brien tries to talk his former captain out of killing again, is understated and all the more moving for that.

Understatement is really the key word for Meaney's entire performance, and it's most crucial in his transition from pretending he's fine seeing Cardassians on board the  Enterprise , to admitting he's not all that happy to have to deal with their race again. There's subtext in his scenes here, always a welcome presence, and while we've seen characters denying their issues before (just last week, in fact), rarely have they seemed so utterly divided in their circumstance. O'Brien repeatedly tells everyone he has no problem with the Cardassians, and he never sounds all that defensive when he says it. And yet the instant he's left alone with the aliens, he's stand-offish to the point of rudeness, and it's not the kind of calculated rudeness you see from a man who quite realizes the depth of his disquiet. It's a small point, but an important one; instead of milking his internal conflict for more obvious drama, Meaney stays on the level throughout.

In addition to helping make that final scene (which ends with Maxwell and O'Brien singing a song together, which could've been mawkish, but is instead one of the most striking moments I've seen on the show, as it's just so simple and direct) work, unexpected subtlety benefits the rest of the episode as well, primarily in our introduction to the Cardassians. This is the first we've seen or heard of the race, and while it helps to know how important they'll become to the franchise in the future, specifically on  Deep Space Nine , the few we meet here are interesting enough in their own right, with or without context. We've met warlike races before, and initially, that's what the Cardassians seem to be. There's a treaty between them and the Federation, but it's only a year old, so things are still tense, and when the  Enterprise  moves into Cardassian space, a ship fires on them without provocation or warning. Not a good sign. When the  Enterprise  takes out the attacking ship's weapons and finally makes contact, we get our first glimpse of the Cardassians, and they don't look friendly. It's one of the coolest alien designs we've had on the show, really. They just look like monsters.

Which makes it all the more interesting when they don't actually  act  like monsters. Like I said, warlike races are a dime a dozen on the show, and it's been so long since I watched  DS9  that I fully expected Gul Macet, the Cardassian captain of the ship that attacks the  Enterprise  in the first scene, to start yelling and posturing and making a fuss. He's icily polite, however, and he maintains that detachment throughout the entire episode. Of the three Cardassians that beam over to the  Enterprise  to help Picard, et al., on their hunt for the  Phoenix , only one ever really displays an emotion, and he's quickly reprimanded and dismissed by his commanding officer. Clearly, this is a race that prides itself on maintaining equanimity whatever the cost, and the tension this creates between the intensity of the situation and Macet's measured response helps keep the audience off-balance.

Another point in "Wounded's" favor is how far Maxwell goes before the  Enterprise  is able to catch up with him. We hear that he destroyed the science station, but we get to "see" (in a science fiction kind of way) him take out a Cardassian battle cruiser and a supposedly un-armed cargo ship as well. It's not a huge point, but destruction does raise the stakes, and it's effective because it's a strong choice from a dramatic perspective. We don't see the Cardassians dying, and we certainly don't know anything about them before they explode, but their deaths can't simply be waved away as a mistake or tactical error. I also like that Picard eventually caves and provides Macet with the  Phoenix 's transponder codes, thus, theoretically at least, opening Maxwell's ship up to attack. He's forced into a situation where he has no other choice, and that he accepts this, rather than blustering, fits in with his character. That the codes prove ultimately worthless is just a bonus, plot-wise.

I'm not sure what to make of Picard's deduction that Maxwell really was on to something and that the Cardassians aren't being entirely forthcoming about their plans in the end. It does allow Picard to make some strong, difficult choices; he argues that Maxwell was still in the wrong, since his actions would've eventually led back to war. The only way to hold to the peace treaty is to keep an appearance of surface friendliness and hope everybody calms the hell down. Which is all very Cold War of Picard and so forth, but while I appreciate the attempt to add another wrinkle of moral complexity to the story, I'm not sure how well it works that the Cardassians really do turn out to be kind of evil. Although making them perfectly good would've been an over-simplification the other way. Hm.

Maybe it's better to focus on O'Brien's conversation with a Cardassian officer in Ten-Forward. It hits just the right tone; O'Brien is attempting to make up for his rudeness earlier, and the Cardassian, while uncomfortable aboard the  Enterprise , is likable and clearly trying to make a good impression. Things get awkward when O'Brien explains his bad feelings towards Cardassians, describing the massacre that killed Maxwell's family and led to O'Brien killing a Cardassian in battle, but what I love about the scene is that it doesn't get  too  awkward. O'Brien doesn't end his speech screaming or in a rage, and there's no fighting between him and the other officer. It plays less like something that's supposed to teach us a lesson about how war messes with people's minds and more like just an honest conversation between two individuals trying to find some mutual understanding in an impossible situation. This isn't the dramatic highpoint of the episode, but it works very well. It's moments like that which make "The Wounded"'s familiar ideas still seem fresh.

Stray Observations:

• "Maybe I'll have something special for you tonight, too." OMG, guys! I think Keiko is talking about S-E-X! Tee-hee, snicker, blush, etc.
• "I hate what I became because of you."
• Another nice touch: The song Maxwell and O'Brien sing is the same song O'Brien was singing earlier at dinner with his wife. A dead comrade used to sing it.

"Devil's Due"

Or  The One Where Picard Plays Daniel Webster

Well, that was  fun . And a nice change of pace after the somberness of "Wounded," to boot.

Did you know there was supposed to be a second  Star Trek  series with most of the original cast? Of course you did, because you know pretty much everything. But in case your memory is hazy,  Star Trek: Phase II  was planned in the late '70s, after numerous attempts to bring the  Trek  crew to the big screen had failed. The show folded before completing any episodes, but it gave us Will Decker and the bald babe Illia, who both popped up in  Star Trek: The Motion Picture . It also gave us a handful of story ideas that would eventually get recycled into episodes of  TNG . This includes "The Child," which means I have someone else to blame for that one, as well as today's far more palatable entry, "Devil's Due." (This brief history lesson provided courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Even if we didn't know this, it would be easy to mistake "Due" for an episode of the original series. It has the same broad tone, the pushy sexuality that's more than a little campy, the parable-style morality. Once we understand the central conflict, there's no real effort made to deepen that conflict or subvert our expectations for where the story will go. A thousand years ago, the people of Ventax II made a deal with Ardra, their version of the Devil, for a millennium of peace and prosperity. At the end of that millennium, Ardra would come back to take ownership of the planet and everyone on it. Funnily enough, that millennium is just about over when the  Enterprise  arrives to help a beleaguered science station (man, science stations are like the red-headed step-children of  TNG ). And a few minutes after Picard and a few others beam down to try and talk some sense into a paranoid government, a woman arrives claiming to be Ardra, demanding what's rightfully hers.

It's not hard to see where this is going. "Ardra" is a con-woman, and it's up to our heroes to prove she's a con-woman in a way that nullifies the contract with Ventax II. Science versus superstition, and all that rot. On the one hand, well, it's somewhat difficult to justify the  Enterprise  giving over so much time to such a silly conflict. The episode does its best to pretend that Ardra is a real threat, but given the sort of the threats we usually encounter on the show, I'm not really buying it. She mostly an irritant, and her ridiculous claim that she owns the  Enterprise  along with the rest of the planet only makes sense if you don't think about it too hard. Really, Picard is just picking a fight because he's annoyed, and while I'm not sure that would work as a long-term policy for Starfleet, Patrick Stewart is entertaining enough while irritated that that doesn't, ultimately, matter. (Maybe he's just happy to finally get a Q-like being whose ass he can kick.)

Past this, we already know Ardra is a fake, which means that in order for the episode to have any real tension at all, it has to spend most of its running time trying to make us doubt our assumptions. So we get increasingly impressive displays of Ardra's power. She can transport herself pretty much anyplace she likes, seemingly change forms, and cause earthquakes. Oh, and she can seemingly make the  Enterprise  disappear, which isn't too shabby. None of this is ever really convincing. It might've worked in  TOS , where the rules were looser and the frontier more wild, but on  TNG , reality is too well established. There's civilization. There are systems intact, and these systems don't allow for the existence of anything as tacky as the Devil. (Although it does allow for Picard's horrible beachwear, so maybe the laws of wardrobe are exempt.) Picard never doubts that Ardra is a sham, so why should we?

So, without any real drama, "Due" has to fall back on charm. How well that works depends on how much of a kick you get from seeing Picard playing Captain Kirk for most of the running time. Actually, Picard behaves much as he always does: smart, capable, and not much one for shenanigans. But Ardra is instantly smitten with his cue-ball good looks and general air of contempt and goes to great lengths to seduce him. She even makes him the prize in the bet that drives the episode's climax. Now, arguably, part of her efforts here are to try and get him to back off his investigations; if Picard was a little less scrupulous (and Ardra a shade hotter), he might have compromised himself and thus let Ardra go about her con without interfering. But Picard is so clearly disinterested that any strategic advantage to be gained from seducing him is basically moot. There's no way Ardra could have gotten away with her game for long, but she might have been able to maintain it long enough to rob the Ventaxians blind if she'd timed her efforts better. Maybe she could have waited until after the  Enterprise  left. At the very least, claiming the ship belongs to her means she's a "flimflam artist" with a perilously overstated notion of her own abilities. It's especially telling that, when she zaps herself into Picard's bedroom and starts trying on different bodies to please him, she turns into Troi (the  Enterprise  female crew member she's most familiar with), rather than the more appropriate-to-Picard Beverly.

Ardra isn't much of a threat, nobody's really in danger, and it's not hard to see how all of this plays out. But it's silly, goofy fun for the most part. Not remarkable and maybe a little disappointing in its unwillingness to bring  TNG 's now-expected complexity to the situation. (Wouldn't it have been cool to get more of a sense of how the Ventaxians were dealing with this? Maybe have a religious leader helping to fund Ardra's efforts as a way of grabbing power?) But it's nothing to be embarrassed about. And yes, I'm including Picard's ridiculously short .. what the hell is that, anyway, a bed dress or something? "Due" resolves in the expected manner; Picard and his crew managed to trace Ardra's powers back to their source, and they used that source to prove she was a fake by duplicating her effects. (I did like Picard's arguments that Ardra didn't really do anything to give Ventax II peace.) It's satisfying, in a "bazooka taking down a housefly" kind of way. The whole thing is a lark.

By happy coincidence, "Due" begins with Data and Picard engaging in theater games on the holodeck; this time, instead of Shakespeare, Data is playing Scrooge in a "production" of  A Christmas Carol . So what do you know? An actual Christmas moment on a show that generally avoids references to specific holidays or seasonal charms. (Generally to their credit.) "Due" isn't a Christmas episode, and arguably, the episode's main theme, the rejection of superstition in favor of logic and reasoning, is in direct conflict with pretty much every Yuletide-themed TV episode ever made. It almost makes me wish we  did  get a  TNG  Christmas show, although I'm sure it would have been awful. Anyway, it was a cute bit, and offers me the chance to say: Happy holidays, everyone. If you get presents, I hope you get what you want. And if you don't exchange gifts in your family, I hope you have neighbors who do, and that they don't always lock their doors. See you next week.

Stray Observations: 

• Picard tells Data that "flimflam artists" (I really can't get enough of that term) use fear. It's an interesting point; most stories about confidence artists focus on how they build trust with their marks, but I suppose fear also creates a bond. The drawback is that if your mark is afraid of you, they have every reason to want to end your relationship. If the mark  trusts  you, though, you get to decide when to move on.
• "On the contrary. I find you obvious and vulgar." Picard burn!
• Next week, we send off the old year with "Clues" and "First Contact."

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Star Trek: Discovery is cracking open a box Next Gen closed on purpose

The USS Discovery is on a mad chase across the galaxy for one of Star Trek’s biggest secrets

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Calling back to a single 30-year-old episode of television is a time-honored Star Trek tradition , one that’s led the franchise to some of its most fascinating detours. And in its two-episode season premiere, Star Trek: Discovery seems to be kicking off an entire season calling back to one particular episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

And not just any episode! The 1993 installment of Next Gen in question delivered a revelation so seemingly earth-shaking that it should have rewritten galactic politics on a massive scale. But then, as was the way in the 1990s era of episodic TV, nobody ever mentioned it again.

At least until now.

[ Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.]

Writer Michelle Paradise and director Olatunde Osunsanmi lay out the connection at the end of the first of two episodes released this week, “Red Directive.” Discovery’s mission is to follow a series of ancient clues leading to a cache of ancient technology, and to get there before a couple of professional thieves, Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis), do.

The technology, as Doctor Kovich (David Cronenberg) explains, belongs to the so-called Progenitors, a barely understood ancient spacefaring species that “created life as we know it […] every humanoid species in the galaxy.” Presumably such tech holds the key to understanding how the Progenitors did that, and how that power could be used again.

The Progenitors are from the Star Trek episode “The Chase”

Kovich also calls up a helpful video presentation of the moment the Progenitors were discovered by an assembled group of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Cardassian captains, including Jean-Luc Picard. But you don’t have to be a Star Trek lore nerd to know you’re actually just looking at clips from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Specifically, from the 20th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s sixth season, “The Chase,” in which Picard and crew discover pieces of a computer program hidden inside the DNA of species from dozens of different planets. Questions abound: What does the program do? And what kind of entity could have been so ancient and powerful that it had determined the genetic legacy of most of the known galaxy before sentient life had even evolved here — and then left no trace of its existence except the genetic codes themselves?

In a nutshell, the mysterious death of Captain Picard’s old archeology professor (did you know that if he hadn’t gone into Starfleet, Jean-Luc was studying to be a space archeologist? Well, now you do) sets the captain and the Enterprise on a search for the missing DNA fragments necessary to complete his unfinished work.

The action of the episode becomes a grand chase, as Klingon and Cardassian captains come to believe the program must be a great weapon or dangerous secret. Eventually Picard and his rivals all discover the lonely planet with the final DNA strain — and when they get there, some Romulans who’ve been secretly following all of them show up, too, just to make things even more tense.

In the end, the program isn’t a weapon or a secret, but a message from an ancient race of humanoids that apparently created sentient life in our galaxy as we know it.

Actor Salome Jens appears as a Progenitor hologram, and delivers a speech that’s stirring by any standard of Star Trek monologues, telling the story of a race of sentients that took to the stars and found them empty. They had evolved too early to meet other forms of sentient life, and knew that their time was too limited to ever expect to.

“We knew that one day we would be gone; that nothing of us would survive, so we left you,” Jens’ Progenitor explains. The Progenitors seeded humanoid life across the galaxy in their own image; life that tended to evolve into bipedal, tailless, largely hairless creatures with two eyes and two arms and five fingers on each hand. And they left clues in the genetic signature of their work, broken up among the stars.

Wait, was this really all about lampshading the limits of Star Trek’s alien design?

Kinda, yes! The writers of “The Chase,” Ron Moore and Joe Menosky, were inspired by elements of Carl Sagan’s Contact , but also by Menosky’s pet fascination creating an in-universe explanation for why all the common alien species in Star Trek are basically shaped like humans (albeit with latex on their faces).

In other hands, it would be hokey and trite, but even under heavy makeup, Jens sells the hell out of her single scene on voice and stance alone — it’s no wonder she was asked back to the Trek fold to play a major antagonist role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

“It was our hope that you would have to come together in fellowship and companionship to hear this message, and if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfilled,” the Progenitor hologram concludes, with gentle compassion. “You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish: That you, too, would know life. [...] There is something of us in each of you, and so something of you in each other.”

But though “The Chase” carried a sweeping revelation, nothing ever really panned out from it. You’d think that a message of togetherness that fundamentally rewrote the origin of life in the universe would have to have tweaked Star Trek’s galactic politics a bit, right? Seems like this would give the Star Trek setting a radically different understanding of the origins of life than we have in the real world — this is literally intelligent design! At the very least there’d be some other characters talking about how humans and Vulcans, Klingons and Romulans and Ferengi and Cardassians and Trill and Bajorans, all share the same genetic ancestor.

But nope: The Pandora’s box of Progenitor lore remained closed. Gene Roddenberry’s successor and Trek producer Rick Berman seems to have been disenchanted with the episode’s reveal — and you can’t really blame him for not wanting to rock the whole cosmology of Star Trek in an episode that’s mostly about explaining how if you turn the DNA snippets like this they make a cool spiral. Now look at this computer screen with the spiral :

Except now, Star Trek: Discovery is opening the box and rocking the boat. This new mad, puzzle-box chase around the galaxy promises to expand on the Progenitors, an idea so big that not even The Next Generation was willing to touch it. It’s a tall order, but Discovery has never been more free to shake up Star Trek continuity than it is right now — we’ll have to wait for more episodes of the show’s final season to find out how free it intends to be.

Star Trek: Discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants

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Discovery Season 5 is Taking a Huge Swing With Star Trek Canon

Get out your space history books.

Why do so many Star Trek aliens look like humans? The real-world explanation is that way back in 1964, Gene Roddenberry said the format of Star Trek would focus on stories that took place on “parallel worlds.” This didn’t mean Trek was an alternate universe-hopping show, but that allegorically, the people encountered by the Enterprise were humanoid, thus making the stories easier to write and understand (and, from a budget perspective, easier to make). But there’s an in-universe explanation for this, too.

In 1993, Star Trek: The Next Generation devoted an episode to answering this big question. And now, 31 years later, Star Trek: Discovery is doubling down with a Season 5 storyline that serves as a direct sequel to that story. Here’s what this means and why it matters. Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2.

The return of Star Trek’s Progenitors

The Progenitor’s message in the Next Generation episode “The Chase.”

At the end of Discovery Season 5, Episode 1, “Red Directive,” we learn that the data the crew has been assigned to protect is connected to discoveries made by a Romulan scientist in the year 2369. Season 5 happens roughly 820 years after that date, but as Kovich (David Cronenberg) tells Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), this information has been kept hidden for centuries. Why?

Well, in “The Chase,” Picard, Crusher, and the Enterprise-D crew — along with representatives from the Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans — discovered an ancient message coded within DNA that revealed everyone descended from the same ancient aliens. The Progenitors, as their message explains, “...seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds, where life was in its infancy. The seed codes directed your evolution toward a physical form resembling ours.”

Captain Burnham is floored by this information, which makes sense since she’s originally from the 23rd century, and her pre-time travel adventures in Starfleet predate Picard’s by about 100 years. But Burnham’s ignorance of the Progenitors isn’t because she and the Discovery crew are time travelers. There’s another reason why this has all been classified.

Discovery’s new God-mode tech

Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is racing to find the most powerful Trek tech of all time.

The fact that most humanoid-looking life in Star Trek descended from an ancient alien species isn’t a new revelation to longtime Trek fans. Even Original Series episodes “Return to Tomorrow” and “The Paradise Syndrom” hinted that several species originated thanks to some kind of organized panspermia . What is new is that the technology the Progenitors used to create life on thousands of worlds has been found.

In Discovery’s “Red Directive,” the journal left by the Romulan scientist is just the first piece of the puzzle. The larger mission is to find the technology the Progenitors developed millions of years ago, and so Discovery has revealed the most powerful technology in all of Trek canon to date. In The Wrath of Khan , we got the Genesis Device , a tech capable of instantly terraforming planets. In Voyager’s “Year of Hell,” the Kremin weapon ship pushed entire planets out of the spacetime continuum, altering history in the blink of an eye.

But those examples of super-tech were unstable. What’s interesting about the ancient Progenitor tech is that it obviously works . Discovery’s imperative to find the tech is classic Trek: if the ability to seed life on a planetary scale falls into the wrong hands, the galaxy could be changed forever. In the grand tradition of Star Trek, the biggest superweapons aren’t planet-destroying superweapons, but something that could redefine and rewrite life itself.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 airs on Paramount+.

Ryan Britt's new book on the history of Star Trek's biggest changes. From the '60s show to the movies to 'TNG,' to 'Discovery,' 'Picard,' Strange New Worlds,' and beyond!

• Science Fiction

Star Trek: Discovery’s TNG Connection Explained - "The Chase" & Who Are The Progenitors?

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episodes 1 & 2!

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 continues the story of the Progenitors discovered by Captain Picard 800 years ago.
• Captain Burnham embarks on a treasure hunt to uncover the Progenitors' technology with potential for peace or conflict.
• The legacy of the Progenitors in Star Trek: Discovery raises questions of power, unity, and morality in the 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is a surprising sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase", continuing the story of the enigmatic Progenitors 800 years after they were discovered by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). As Discovery is set 800 years after the TNG era, it can often feel forced when the show tries to marry up these two ends of the Star Trek timeline . However, the magnitude of Picard's discovery about the Progenitors justifies the secret being hidden for centuries, and it could have fascinating implications for the future of Star Trek 's 32nd century.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive" opens with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) exploring an 800-year-old Romulan scout ship at the behest of Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg). Kovich was less forthcoming than usual with information about the USS Discovery's "Red Directive" mission , forcing Burnham to seek help from Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) in learning more. Tilly uncovered recordings left by the Romulan scientist Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeman), revealing Discovery 's links to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's original Progenitor treasure hunt, led by Captain Picard.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Picard’s original progenitor treasure hunt in tng explained.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase", Picard's former archeology teacher, Professor Galen (Norman Lloyd) asked the Enterprise captain to join him in solving a 4.5 billion-year-old mystery. Picard initially declined Galen's offer, but circumstances forced him to reconsider when his mentor's shuttle was attacked. Galen left behind files that contained huge blocks of numbers that were indecipherable without further information . Picard had the Enterprise retrace Galen's journey in the hope of finding out more about the archeology professor's strange code.

"The Chase" was directed by Jonathan Frakes, who returned to direct the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Eventually, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) discovered that the numbers refer to DNA strands of multiple different alien species. The combined strands form a shape that resembles an algorithm, a program implanted in the DNA of multiple species, for reasons unknown . It quickly became clear that Picard was not the only person seeking answers about Galen's mystery, as the Cardassians and Klingons also sought to understand what this ancient program could be. Negotiating a truce between the two factions, Picard and Crusher gained enough information to lead the Enterprise, Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans to the planet Vilmor II, where they make a monumental discovery.

TNG’s Progenitors Created All Humanoid Life In The Star Trek Universe

The treasure on Vilmor II was knowledge about life itself, delivered via a holographic message left behind by an ancient humanoid species. The sole humanoid species in the universe, these aliens wanted to leave a lasting legacy after their own extinction. And so, 4.5 billion years earlier, the ancient humanoids seeded their DNA across multiple planets in the Star Trek universe , influencing the evolution of countless species. Star Trek: Discovery reveals that since Picard revealed his findings, Starfleet have been calling the ancient humanoid species The Progenitors.

The Ancient Humanoid in Star Trek: The Next Generation was played by Salome Jens, who would go on to play the Female Changeling in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Not unlike the broken treasure map from Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons" , the Progenitors' message was broken into fragments and contained within multiple alien species' DNA. The Progenitors' intention was that, upon coming together to piece the fragments together, the disparate alien races would unite under their common origins. Sadly, this wasn't the case in Star Trek: The Next Generation , as the Klingons and Cardassians refused to believe that they could possibly originate from the same species . However, the Romulans were more thoughtful, setting up Discovery 's season 5 premiere.

Star Trek: Discovery's Huge Season 5 TNG Connection Explained By Showrunner

Discovery’s romulan scientist and his tng link explained.

At the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase", Captain Picard discusses the Progenitors' message with a surprisingly open-minded Romulan commander. The message has had an effect on the Romulan, who tells Picard that he hopes to one day stand alongside humanity as friends. Star Trek: Discovery reveals that one of the members of TNG 's Romulan landing party, Dr. Vellek, continued to research the Progenitors and eventually found where their ancient technology was hidden. However, Vellek was very aware that such technology could be as deadly as it is profound, and went to extraordinary lengths to hide his findings .

Both the crew of the USS Discovery and intergalactic outlaws Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) have access to Vellek's journals. However, both parties have very different intentions for the Romulan scientist's life's work. Captain Burnham hopes that recovering the Progenitors' technology will provide a sense of meaning, while Moll and L'ak are attracted by the price tag . Vellek remained hidden for 800 years, until his corpse was discovered in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, which proves just how desperate he was to keep the location of the Progenitors' technology a secret.

What Does Star Trek: Discovery’s Progenitor Link Mean For Its Final Season?

In Star Trek: The Next Generation , the Progenitors had hoped the truth about humanoid life in the galaxy would bring a new era of peace and understanding . However, rather than become inspired by their commonality, the Klingons and Cardassians instead feud with each other, disgusted that they could be somehow genetically related. 800 years later, and in the wake of the hostilities caused by The Burn, the Progenitors' message could be the very thing that finally unites the galaxy in Star Trek: Discovery 's finale . However, it may not be that simple.

For one thing, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will continue the story of the 32nd century, and the Progenitors' message of commonality will dramatically reduce any sense of conflict in the universe. More interestingly, Dr. Kovich seems to want to get his hands on the technology, not the message. The Progenitors' technology would allow Starfleet to influence the evolution of other species , power that would set them up among the gods. This feels like too much power for a shifty character like Kovich to possess.

Whoever possesses the Progenitors' tech in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has the very building blocks of life itself. In the right hands, that could lead to profound discoveries that lead to renewed peace and prosperity for the Federation in the 32nd century. In the wrong hands, enemies of the Federation could use those building blocks for their own nefarious purposes. That's a huge concern as Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery continue their treasure hunt. Sooner or later, Captain Burnham will have to make a choice about how she deals with the legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Progenitors.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

The Future of ‘Star Trek’: From ‘Starfleet Academy’ to New Movies and Michelle Yeoh, How the 58-Year-Old Franchise Is Planning for the Next Generation of Fans

“I can’t believe I get to play the captain of the Enterprise.”

“Strange New Worlds” is the 12th “Star Trek” TV show since the original series debuted on NBC in 1966, introducing Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a hopeful future for humanity. In the 58 years since, the “Star Trek” galaxy has logged 900 television episodes and 13 feature films, amounting to 668 hours — nearly 28 days — of content to date. Even compared with “Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Star Trek” stands as the only storytelling venture to deliver a single narrative experience for this long across TV and film.

In other words, “Star Trek” is not just a franchise. As Alex Kurtzman , who oversees all “Star Trek” TV production, puts it, “‘Star Trek’ is an institution.”

Without a steady infusion of new blood, though, institutions have a way of fading into oblivion (see soap operas, MySpace, Blockbuster Video). To keep “Star Trek” thriving has meant charting a precarious course to satisfy the fans who have fueled it for decades while also discovering innovative ways to get new audiences on board.

“Doing ‘Star Trek’ means that you have to deliver something that’s entirely familiar and entirely fresh at the same time,” Kurtzman says.

The franchise has certainly weathered its share of fallow periods, most recently after “Nemesis” bombed in theaters in 2002 and UPN canceled “Enterprise” in 2005. It took 12 years for “Star Trek” to return to television with the premiere of “Discovery” in 2017; since then, however, there has been more “Star Trek” on TV than ever: The adventure series “Strange New Worlds,” the animated comedy “Lower Decks” and the kids series “Prodigy” are all in various stages of production, and the serialized thriller “Picard” concluded last year, when it ranked, along with “Strange New Worlds,” among Nielsen’s 10 most-watched streaming original series for multiple weeks. Nearly one in five Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. is watching at least one “Star Trek” series, according to the company, and more than 50% of fans watching one of the new “Trek” shows also watch at least two others. The new shows air in 200 international markets and are dubbed into 35 languages. As “Discovery” launches its fifth and final season in April, “Star Trek” is in many ways stronger than it’s ever been.

“’Star Trek’s fans have kept it alive more times than seems possible,” says Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., who executive produces the TV series through Roddenberry Entertainment. “While many shows rightfully thank their fans for supporting them, we literally wouldn’t be here without them.”

But the depth of fan devotion to “Star Trek” also belies a curious paradox about its enduring success: “It’s not the largest fan base,” says Akiva Goldsman, “Strange New Worlds” executive producer and co-showrunner. “It’s not ‘Star Wars.’ It’s certainly not Marvel.”

When J.J. Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” in 2009 — with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldaña playing Kirk, Spock and Uhura — the movie grossed more than any previous “Star Trek” film by a comfortable margin. But neither that film nor its two sequels broke $500 million in global grosses, a hurdle every other top-tier franchise can clear without breaking a sweat.

There’s also the fact that “Star Trek” fans are aging. I ask “The Next Generation” star Jonathan Frakes, who’s acted in or directed more versions of “Star Trek” than any other person alive, how often he meets fans for whom the new “Star Trek” shows are their first. “Of the fans who come to talk to me, I would say very, very few,” he says. “‘Star Trek’ fans, as we know, are very, very, very loyal — and not very young.”

As Stapf puts it: “There’s a tried and true ‘Trek’ fan that is probably going to come to every ‘Star Trek,’ no matter what it is — and we want to expand the universe.”

Every single person I spoke to for this story talked about “Star Trek” with a joyful earnestness as rare in the industry as (nerd alert) a Klingon pacifist.

“When I’m meeting fans, sometimes they’re coming to be confirmed, like I’m kind of a priest,” Ethan Peck says during a break in filming on the “Strange New Worlds” set. He’s in full Spock regalia — pointy ears, severe eyebrows, bowl haircut — and when asked about his earliest memories of “Star Trek,” he stares off into space in what looks like Vulcan contemplation. “I remember being on the playground in second or third grade and doing the Vulcan salute, not really knowing where it came from,” he says. “When I thought of ‘Star Trek,’ I thought of Spock. And now I’m him. It’s crazy.”

To love “Star Trek” is to love abstruse science and cowboy diplomacy, complex moral dilemmas and questions about the meaning of existence. “It’s ultimately a show with the most amazing vision of optimism, I think, ever put on-screen in science fiction,” says Kurtzman, who is 50. “All you need is two minutes on the news to feel hopeless now. ‘Star Trek’ is honestly the best balm you could ever hope for.”

I’m getting a tour of the USS Enterprise from Scotty — or, rather, “Strange New World” production designer Jonathan Lee, who is gushing in his native Scottish burr as we step into the starship’s transporter room. “I got such a buzzer from doing this, I can’t tell you,” he says. “I actually designed four versions of it.”

Lee is especially proud of the walkway he created to run behind the transporter pads — an innovation that allows the production to shoot the characters from a brand-new set of angles as they beam up from a far-flung planet. It’s one of the countless ways that this show has been engineered to be as cinematic as possible, part of Kurtzman’s overall vision to make “Star Trek” on TV feel like “a movie every week.”

Kurtzman’s tenure with “Star Trek” began with co-writing the screenplay for Abrams’ 2009 movie, which was suffused with a fast-paced visual style that was new to the franchise. When CBS Studios approached Kurtzman in the mid-2010s about bringing “Star Trek” back to TV, he knew instinctively that it needed to be just as exciting as that film.

“The scope was so much different than anything we had ever done on ‘Next Gen,’” says Frakes, who’s helmed two feature films with the “Next Generation” cast and directed episodes of almost every live-action “Trek” TV series, including “Discovery” and “Strange New Worlds.” “Every department has the resources to create.”

A new science lab set for Season 3, for example, boasts a transparent floor atop a four-foot pool of water that swirls underneath the central workbench, and the surrounding walls sport a half dozen viewscreens with live schematics custom designed by a six-person team. “I like being able to paint on a really big canvas,” Kurtzman says. “The biggest challenge is always making sure that no matter how big something gets, you’re never losing focus on that tiny little emotional story.”

At this point, is there a genre that “Strange New Worlds” can’t do? “As long as we’re in storytelling that is cogent and sure handed, I’m not sure there is,” Goldsman says with an impish smile. “Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”

This approach is also meant to appeal to people who might want to watch “Star Trek” but regard those 668 hours of backstory as an insurmountable burden. “You shouldn’t have to watch a ‘previously on’ to follow our show,” Myers says.

To achieve so many hairpin shifts in tone and setting while maintaining Kurtzman’s cinematic mandate, “Strange New Worlds” has embraced one of the newest innovations in visual effects: virtual production. First popularized on the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” the technology — called the AR wall — involves a towering circular partition of LED screens projecting a highly detailed, computer-generated backdrop. Rather than act against a greenscreen, the actors can see whatever fantastical surroundings their characters are inhabiting, lending a richer level of verisimilitude to the show.

But there is a catch. While the technology is calibrated to maintain a proper sense of three-dimensional perspective through the camera lens, it can be a bit dizzying for anyone standing on the set. “The images on the walls start to move in a way that makes no sense,” says Mount. “You end up having to focus on something that’s right in front of you so you don’t fall down.”

And yet, even as he’s talking about it, Mount can’t help but break into a boyish grin. “Sometimes we call it the holodeck,” he says. In fact, the pathway to the AR wall on the set is dotted with posters of the virtual reality room from “The Next Generation” and the words “Enter Holodeck” in a classic “Trek” font.

“I want to take one of those home with me,” Peck says. Does the AR wall also affect him? “I don’t really get disoriented by it. Spock would not get ill, so I’m Method acting.”

I’m on the set of the “Star Trek” TV movie “Section 31,” seated in an opulent nightclub with a view of a brilliant, swirling nebula, watching Yeoh rehearse with director Olatunde Osunsanmi and her castmates. Originally, the project was announced as a TV series centered on Philippa Georgiou, the semi-reformed tyrant Yeoh originated on “Discovery.” But between COVID delays and the phenomenon of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” there wasn’t room in the veteran actress’s schedule to fit a season of television. Yeoh was undaunted.

“We’d never let go of her,” she says of her character. “I was just blown away by all the different things I could do with her. Honestly, it was like, ‘Let’s just get it done, because I believe in this.’”

If that means nothing to you, don’t worry: The enormity of the revelation that Garrett is being brought back is meant only for fans. If you don’t know who the character is, you’re not missing anything.

“It was always my goal to deliver an entertaining experience that is true to the universe but appeals to newcomers,” says screenwriter Craig Sweeny. “I wanted a low barrier of entry so that anybody could enjoy it.”

Nevertheless, including Garrett on the show is exactly the kind of gasp-worthy detail meant to flood “Star Trek” fans with geeky good feeling.

“You cannot create new fans to the exclusion of old fans,” Kurtzman says. “You must serve your primary fan base first and you must keep them happy. That is one of the most important steps to building new fans.”

On its face, that maxim would make “Section 31” a genuine risk. The titular black-ops organization has been controversial with “Star Trek” fans since it was introduced in the 1990s. “The concept is almost antagonistic to some of the values of ‘Star Trek,’” Sweeny says. But he still saw “Section 31” as an opportunity to broaden what a “Star Trek” project could be while embracing the radical inclusivity at the heart of the franchise’s appeal.

“Famously, there’s a spot for everybody in Roddenberry’s utopia, so I was like, ‘Well, who would be the people who don’t quite fit in?’” he says. “I didn’t want to make the John le Carré version, where you’re in the headquarters and it’s backbiting and shades of gray. I wanted to do the people who were at the edges, out in the field. These are not people who necessarily work together the way you would see on a ‘Star Trek’ bridge.”

For Osunsanmi, who grew up watching “The Next Generation” with his father, it boils down to a simple question: “Is it putting good into the world?” he asks. “Are these characters ultimately putting good into the world? And, taking a step back, are we putting good into the world? Are we inspiring humans watching this to be good? That’s for me what I’ve always admired about ‘Star Trek.’”

Should “Section 31” prove successful, Yeoh says she’s game for a sequel. And Kurtzman is already eyeing more opportunities for TV movies, including a possible follow-up to “Picard.” The franchise’s gung-ho sojourn into streaming movies, however, stands in awkward contrast to the persistent difficulty Paramount Pictures and Abrams’ production company Bad Robot have had making a feature film following 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond” — the longest theaters have gone without a “Star Trek” movie since Paramount started making them.

First, a movie reuniting Pine’s Capt. Kirk with his late father — played in the 2009 “Star Trek” by Chris Hemsworth — fell apart in 2018. Around the same time, Quentin Tarantino publicly flirted with, then walked away from, directing a “Star Trek” movie with a 1930s gangster backdrop. Noah Hawley was well into preproduction on a “Star Trek” movie with a brand-new cast, until then-studio chief Emma Watts abruptly shelved it in 2020. And four months after Abrams announced at Paramount’s 2022 shareholders meeting that his 2009 cast would return for a movie directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”), Shakman left the project to make “The Fantastic Four” for Marvel. (It probably didn’t help that none of the cast had been approached before Abrams made his announcement.)

The studio still intends to make what it’s dubbed the “final chapter” for the Pine-Quinto-Saldaña cast, and Steve Yockey (“The Flight Attendant”) is writing a new draft of the script. Even further along is another prospective “Star Trek” film written by Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and to be directed by Toby Haynes (“Andor,” “Black Mirror: USS Callister”) that studio insiders say is on track to start preproduction by the end of the year. That project will serve as an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise. In both cases, the studio is said to be focused on rightsizing the budgets to fit within the clear box office ceiling for “Star Trek” feature films.

Far from complaining, everyone seems to relish the challenge. Visual effects supervisor Jason Zimmerman says that “working with Alex, the references are always at least $100 million movies, if not more, so we just kind of reverse engineer how do we do that without having to spend the same amount of money and time.”

The workload doesn’t seem to faze him either. “Visual effects people are a big, big ‘Star Trek’ fandom,” he says. “You naturally just get all these people who go a little bit above and beyond, and you can’t trade that for anything.”

In one of Kurtzman’s several production offices in Toronto, he and production designer Matthew Davies are scrutinizing a series of concept drawings for the newest “Star Trek” show, “Starfleet Academy.” A bit earlier, they showed me their plans for the series’ central academic atrium, a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage, the largest in Canada.

But this is a “Star Trek” show, so there do need to be starships, and Kurtzman is discussing with Davies about how one of them should look. The issue is that “Starfleet Academy” is set in the 32nd century, an era so far into the future Kurtzman and his team need to invent much of its design language.

“For me, this design is almost too Klingon,” Kurtzman says. “I want to see the outline and instinctively, on a blink, recognize it as a Federation ship.”

The time period was first introduced on Season 3 of “Discovery,” when the lead character, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), transported the namesake starship and its crew there from the 23rd century. “It was exciting, because every time we would make a decision, we would say, ‘And now that’s canon,’” says Martin-Green.

“We listened to a lot of it,” Kurtzman says. “I think I’ve been able to separate the toxic fandom from really true fans who love ‘Star Trek’ and want you to hear what they have to say about what they would like to see.”

By Season 2, the “Discovery” writers pivoted from its dour, war-torn first season and sent the show on its trajectory 900-plus years into the future. “We had to be very aware of making sure that Spock was in the right place and that Burnham’s existence was explained properly, because she was never mentioned in the original series,” says executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise. “What was fun about jumping into the future is that it was very much fresh snow.”

That freedom affords “Starfleet Academy” far more creative latitude while also dramatically reducing how much the show’s target audience of tweens and teens needs to know about “Star Trek” before watching — which puts them on the same footing as the students depicted in the show. “These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before,” Noga Landau, executive producer and co-showrunner, says. “They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

In the “Starfleet Academy” writers’ room in Secret Hideout’s Santa Monica offices, Kurtzman tells the staff — a mix of “Star Trek” die-hards, part-time fans and total newbies — that he wants to take a 30,000-foot view for a moment. “I think we need to ground in science more throughout the show,” he says, a giant framed photograph of Spock ears just over his shoulder. “The kids need to use science more to solve problems.”

Immediately, one of the writers brightens. “Are you saying we can amp up the techno-babble?” she says. “I’m just excited I get to use my computer science degree.”

After they break for lunch, Kurtzman is asked how much longer he plans to keep making “Star Trek.” 

“The minute I fall out of love with it is the minute that it’s not for me anymore. I’m not there yet,” he says. “To be able to build in this universe to tell stories that are fundamentally about optimism and a better future at a time when the world seems to be falling apart — it’s a really powerful place to live every day.”

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Star Trek: Discovery Is Now Connected to a Franchise-Defining Next Generation Episode

Star Trek: Discovery beings season five with a treasure hunt, one that recalls The Next Generation episode "The Chase" and the Progenitors.

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

At the end of the Star Trek: Discovery season five premiere “ Red Directive ,” Dr. Kovich finally levels with Captain Burnham . The mission that she and her crew had been on throughout the episode has escalated beyond even Admiral Vance’s clearance, to a level that only someone as deep within the Federation as Kovich can understand.

The mission involves the Progenitors , the source of all humanoid life in the universe. “A few thousand years ago, we’d have found them gods,” says Kovich. But to long-time Trekkies, the Progenitors are also the topic of a remarkable episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

As much as we all love Star Trek and its wild world of alien races, the fact remains that the large majority of those aliens are just regular-looking humans with different bits of putty slapped on their foreheads. Romulans, Klingons, and Bajorans — the difference between them is minor. Even the more ornate aliens, such as the Cardassians or Saurians like Lieutenant JG Linus of the USS Discovery are humanoid. More out there races, such as the Medusans, are few and far between.

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Back in the 1960s, the reason for these similarities was simple. The Original Series had very limited budgets, which meant that Gene Roddenberry couldn’t get so crazy with alien designs. And while bigger budgets for the movies and The Next Generation allowed for the Klingons to develop into more complex designs, they still remain very similar to humans.

While the fact that most aliens in Star Trek are humanoids never really bothered most fans, a season six episode of TNG provided an explanation for why so many races are so similar in this universe. Written by Joe Menosky and Ronald D. Moore and directed by Jonathan Frakes, “The Chase” sent the Enterprise on an archeological quest that Captain Picard couldn’t resist.

Following the work of his mentor Professor Galen, Picard discovers material from a founding species called the Progenitors, whose genetic code has been transmitted into various successor races, accounting for their similarities. As the Enterprise searches for the missing DNA fragment in that code, it finds other vessels on the same trail. Working together, the humans, Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans find a holographic projection of one of the Progenitors. This figure explains the shared history of the gathered delegates, and expresses their people’s desire that the connection would create peace in the universe.

Of course, that peace between the gathered races doesn’t occur until the Dominion War in Deep Space Nine , which saw the various groups band together to fight invaders from the Gamma Quadrant. But given the fractured state of the universe in the 32nd century of Discovery , the time might be right for another attempt at cooperation.

Kovach’s speech to Burnham includes images from “The Chase,” including a close-up of one of the Romulan scientists who participated in the search. Dr. Vellek, “one of the greatest scientists of his day,” according to Kovich. It was Vellek’s journal that the Discovery has been looking for, after being stolen from an ancient Romulan vessel by thieves Moll and L’ak. Why is it so important? The journal contains the location of the machinery that the Progenitors used to create life.

We don’t know much about this weapon yet, but Trekkies cannot help but recall the Genesis device from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Genesis could create life but also be used as a weapon. The second episode of Discovery ‘s fifth season “Under the Twin Moons” finds the crew wrestling with that realization regarding the Progenitor, as they search the planet Lyrek for Moll and L’ak.

Discovery executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise have been quite open about the focus of this fifth season, telling Den of Geek that Burnham and crew will be on a “quest.” But by tying the object of the quest to “The Chase,” the goal becomes more than a mere MacGuffin. Rather, the Progenitor device serves as a referendum on Discovery in its final season.

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The device can be a tool of destruction, recalling the darker and more violent first seasons of the series. Or it can be a means for peace, culminating with the spirit of cooperation and community that Star Trek has always imagined.

“Well, Captain,” Kovich tells Burnham. “The greatest treasure in the known galaxy is out there. What are you waiting for?” By bringing back the stakes of “The Chase,” Discovery pays off the promise of the episode, freeing it from an unnecessary canonical explanation (not unlike the Enterprise episode “Divergence”), and allows it to be a statement of purpose. And frankly, we cannot wait to see how Discovery pulls it off.

Star Trek: Discovery is streaming now on Paramount+.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

The wounded (1991), marc alaimo: gul macet, photos .

Quotes 

[last lines] 

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Maxwell was right. Those ships were not carrying scientific equipment, were they? A research station within arm's reach of three Federation sectors? Cargo ships running with high-energy subspace fields that jam sensors?

Gul Macet : If you believe the transport ship was carrying weapons, Captain... why didn't you board it, as Maxwell requested?

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I was here to protect the peace - a peace that I firmly believe is in the interests of both our peoples. If I had attempted to board that ship, I'm quite certain that you and I would not be having this pleasant conversation - and that ships on both sides would now be arming for war.

Gul Macet : Captain, I assure you...

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Take this message to your leaders, Gul Macet: we'll be watching.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : If there is to be a lasting peace, Gul Macet, neither you nor I must allow any one man to undermine our efforts.

[Macet smiles enigmatically] 

Gul Macet : There are those who... crave war. Who need it. I am not one of them, Captain. And I'm beginning to see... that neither are you. We have had our full measure. The lasting peace begins here - with the two of us.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : Why have you fired on us?

Gul Macet : Curious question, Captain. In war, one attacks one's enemies.

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