star trek next gen ro

Ensign Ro (episode)

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The Enterprise takes on Ensign Ro Laren to help track down Bajoran terrorists who attacked a Federation colony.

• 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 script
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4 Cast and characters
• 3.5 Continuity
• 3.6 Reception
• 3.7 Video and DVD releases
• 3.8 Apocrypha
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Special guest star
• 4.5 Co-star
• 4.6 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.7 Stand-ins
• 4.8 References
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

It is a typical day as Mot trims Captain Picard 's hair in the barbershop while dispensing advice on strategy while in adversarial situations with the Romulans . The conversation is interrupted by a call from Commander Riker , who reports that the USS Enterprise -D has just received a distress call from a colony on Solarion IV . As Picard leaves, Mot observes how close Solarion is to the Cardassian border and points out that he told them not to colonize it. When Picard arrives on the bridge , there is an audio-only communication from a Bajoran man claiming responsibility for destroying the colony and threatening more violence if their homeland is still kept from them.

Act One [ ]

Picard is holding a private meeting in the observation lounge with Admiral Kennelly , who is ill with a Cardassian virus he received while meeting with a Cardassian liaison last weekend. Picard replicates him ginger tea with honey , his Aunt Adele 's cure for the common cold . They move on to discussing the Bajoran terrorism issue. It seems the Cardassian Empire annexed Bajor forty years ago and the Bajoran people were subsequently driven from their own land and left to wander the galaxy, looking for a planet to settle on. While the Cardassians have had problems with terrorism ever since the annexation , this is the first time the Bajorans have attacked the Federation . Kennelly wants Picard to stop Orta , the Bajoran terrorist leader, at all costs. While the two discuss the issue, Riker learns that Ensign Ro Laren is waiting to beam aboard the Enterprise . The ensign has come at Kennelly's request, for he thinks she will be useful on the mission even though she was imprisoned previously. Picard recognizes the name and protests due to an incident on Garon II while she was on the USS Wellington , but the admiral is insistent she is right for the job. Picard tells Riker to proceed. Riker is unclear why Ro is to be allowed to beam aboard and Picard tells him he will fill him in later.

When Ro Laren arrives aboard the Enterprise , there is visible anger on the part of Riker, as he tells her to respect uniform code. She takes off her earrings and follows Riker out of the transporter room .

Act Two [ ]

" Better than prison? There are officers who wait years to serve on this ship! "

Riker expresses his concerns with Picard in his ready room . He says many officers won't want to serve with Ro. Picard assures him it will be temporary. Ro enters and Picard calls her "Ensign Laren". Ro interrupts Picard to tell him that Bajoran surnames come first, and thus Ro Laren is Ensign Ro, with a casual disregard for respect and procedure. Riker is insulted by Ro's apparent lack of respect for what he considers the honor of being stationed on the Enterprise ; in her words, it is "better than prison". Picard tells her they will all have to serve together for the time being. Ro interrupts him again, saying that she knows the routine and wants this mission to be over with as quickly as possible so they can go their separate ways. Without being dismissed by Picard, Ro rises and promptly exits the ready room.

At a staff meeting, Picard and the crew discuss how to get in contact with the Bajoran people. Data suggests that a man known as Jas Holza might be the best choice, and that he may be found on Valo III . Dr. Crusher is familiar with the man, as she met him at a medical symposium and adds that he is quite charming, as well as a good dancer. However, Ro points out that Jas holds no real sway over the Bajoran people. She does, however, know a man named Keeve Falor who lives on Valo II . They decide to go there instead.

On the surface of Valo II, Picard meets with Keeve, who does not condone the terrorist attack against the Federation. However, at the same time he refuses to help Picard or the Federation, as he feels betrayed by the way they sat idly by while Bajor and its people were ravaged by the Cardassians. Picard determines to help the people of the planet using the Enterprise 's replicators to produce blankets for every man, woman and child in the settlement, which makes Keeve much more cooperative. Ro tells Picard she ran away because she could not live as the Bajorans do and would not be lost nor defeated.

Act Three [ ]

Ro sits alone at a table in Ten Forward , sipping her beverage and turning Troi and Crusher away when they offer to sit with her. As Geordi La Forge sits at the bar nearby and expresses his displeasure at Ro's presence to Guinan , she decides that Ro sounds like someone she would like to get to know, based on La Forge's description of her. During their conversation, it is revealed that Ro was court martialed because she disobeyed a direct order, resulting in the death of eight fellow officers. Guinan persists despite Ro's efforts to push her away, intent on making a new friend.

In her quarters, Ro receives a transmission from Kennelly and tells him that all is going according to plan. When it comes time to beam to the surface, Picard finds Ro had left the Enterprise six hours prior and the terrorists never showed up at the designated meeting location. He beams down anyway with an away team , where they find themselves surrounded by armed Bajorans.

Act Four [ ]

Orta emerges with Ro to face the Enterprise crew, his face mutilated and vocal cords cut by the Cardassians. He tells them that the Bajorans did not attack Solarion IV and lets them go.

Back on the Enterprise 's bridge , Ro discusses the issue of who attacked Solarion IV with the other officers until Picard asks her into his ready room. There he angrily says she is not to beam down without authorization and confines her to her quarters for the duration of the mission.

That night, Guinan visits Ro to talk about what has happened. She observes that Ro seems to trust no one, least of all herself. After a brief conversation, Guinan recalls a time in her life when she got herself into a bad situation and that she would probably still be there if she had not put her trust in one man.

Despite Ro being confined to her quarters, Guinan takes her to Picard's ready room, telling the captain that she considers Ro a friend, convincing him to hear her out. Guinan leaves the two of them to talk, Picard noting that Guinan is very selective on who she calls a friend. Ro reveals a secret about her purpose aboard the Enterprise . As she reveals, Admiral Kennelly wanted her to make a secret deal with Orta, in direct violation of the Prime Directive : so long as Orta stopped attacking the Federation, Kennelly would supply him and his fellows with weapons and ships. However, when she learned Orta was not responsible, she never made the offer (something Picard notes almost certainly saved her from another court martial) and did not know what to do next. Ro shares a story about how her father was tortured to death in front of her at the hands of the Cardassians, explaining that she felt ashamed to be Bajoran. She and Picard decide to find a way for Orta to help them expose the ones who really attacked the Federation colony.

Act Five [ ]

As the Enterprise prepares to escort a Bajoran transport with Orta and his compatriots aboard, they find the ship can only travel at half impulse and match speeds accordingly. Picard tells Data to monitor the Cardassian border, and as they travel, two top of the line Galor -class Cardassian warships seem to take up a parallel course. Upon reaching the point along their path closest to the Cardassian border (they are in neutral, unclaimed space at this point), the warships cross the border and move to intercept the transport. When the Cardassians order Picard to let them destroy the transport, Picard contacts Kennelly, who first appears to leave the decision on how to act in Picard's hands, but when Picard decides not to withdraw, states that the Enterprise should retreat in the interest of protecting the peace treaty with the Cardassians. Picard argues with Kennelly that the Cardassians may be using Starfleet to flush out the Bajorans, but Kennelly isn't interested and gives him a direct order to withdraw. Apparently forced into a corner, Picard has the Enterprise leave the transport unprotected and it is promptly destroyed by Gul Dolak 's warship . However, when Kennelly hails the Enterprise seconds later, it is revealed – in a conversation Picard makes a point of having on the bridge rather than in the privacy of his ready room – that no one was aboard the transport.

It turns out that, just as Picard suspected, the Cardassians were the ones who attacked the colony in an attempt to bring the Federation onto their side. They were hoping to find someone – like Kennelly – who was gullible enough to do so. Kennelly, Picard tells Ro later, will likely be called to a hearing and will probably be court martialed .

Back on the surface of Valo II, Picard sees in Ro some of the qualities shared by the finest Starfleet officers he has ever known. While she has not yet become one of those officers, he believes she can be in time. He asks her to stay, and at this point it is clear that the two of them have taken a liking to one another. The one provision is that, despite Starfleet uniform code , she must be allowed to wear her Bajoran earring. Picard smiles and agrees, beaming them back on board the Enterprise .

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2368

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I understand you've been discussing alternative adversarial engagement strategy with Mr. Mot. " " It'd be more accurate to say he was discussing them with me… He's the best barber in Starfleet – what can you do? "

" This is the Bajora. We claim responsibility for the destruction of the Federation colony on Solarion IV. As long as we are without our homeland, no one will be safe in this sector. "

" There are other Bajorans in Starfleet. Assign one of them! "

" It was not necessary to abduct us. " " I am sorry, but after speaking with Ro Laren, I decided that it was. "

" Yes, Ensign Laren, please sit down. " " Ensign Ro, sir. " " I beg your pardon? " " The Bajoran custom has the family name first, the individual name second – I am properly addressed as Ensign Ro. " " I'm sorry, I didn't know… " " No, there's no reason you should. It's an old custom – most Bajora today accept the distortion of their names in order to assimilate… I do not. "

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

" You are innocent bystanders, and I cannot condone violence against those who are not our enemies. " " Then I don't understand why you're unwilling to help us. " " Because… you're innocent bystanders. You were innocent bystanders for decades as the Cardassians took our homes. As they violated and tortured our people in the most hideous ways imaginable. As we were forced to flee. " " We were saddened by those events, but they occurred within the borders of the Cardassian Empire. " " And the Federation is pledged not to interfere with the internal affairs of others. How convenient that must be for you. To turn a deaf ear to those who suffer behind a line on a map. "

" Mind if we join you? " " Yes. "

" Am I disturbing you? " " Yes. " " Good. You look like someone who wants to be disturbed. "

" And so now, you're sitting in crowded rooms just staring at your drink. I think you enjoy it." " I enjoy it? " " Well, you're working so hard at torturing yourself. I can only think that you enjoy it. "

" You're not like any bartender I've met before. " " And you're not like any Starfleet officer I've met before. And that sounds like the beginning of a very interesting friendship. " " I'm not interested in making friends. " " Too late. You just did. "

" All is not what it seems to be, Captain. Perhaps someone is using you to get to me. Perhaps you are a victim of this deception as well; I do not know. " " Deception?! " " Your mission was to seek out the Bajoran terrorists who destroyed the Federation settlement on Solarion IV. " " Yes. " " As I have informed Ro Laren, it was not the Bajora. "

" Subspace signal, coming in from Starfleet, sir – Admiral Kennelly. " " On screen. " " It is on a secure channel, sir… in your ready room? " " No, here… on screen. "

" The Cardassians have destroyed the Bajoran ship, Admiral. " " All hands lost? " " No, sir. " " Survivors? " " No, sir – no one was on board. "

" What're you talking about?! " " The ship was controlled from the ground… " " This was your idea, Picard? " " Actually, no… it was Ensign Ro's idea, but I fully endorsed it – I suspected something like this might occur. "

" Do you know how many people they killed on Solarion IV?! " " The Bajorans did not attack Solarion IV! " " Who told you that? Orta? " " Yes. " " And you believed him?! " " Admiral, Orta's ships are old and obsolete. They don't even have warp capabilities – they couldn't have reached another star system, let alone attacked one. " " Then who's responsible?! " " I suggest you ask your friend, the Cardassian liaison, Admiral – the only explanation I can think of is that the Cardassians staged it. " " The Cardassians?! Why? " " Perhaps they were hoping to find someone in Starfleet – like you , Admiral – naive enough to solve their Bajoran problem for them. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Final draft script: 18 July 1991 [1]
• Filmed: 29 July 1991 – 6 August 1991
• Insert scene filmed: 16 September 1991
• Premiere airdate: 7 October 1991
• First UK airdate: 4 January 1995

Story and script [ ]

• This episode features the first appearance of the Bajorans , who went on to be a focal point of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . In the original story, it was the Romulans who were occupying Bajor, but Rick Berman felt the Romulans had been seen too much and, remembering " The Wounded ", had the occupiers changed to the Cardassians. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine , issue 4) Even though this episode proved an inspiration on the creation of the DS9 TV series, it was written at a time before that series was envisioned. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine , issue 0)
• Berman emphasized the Bajorans were not modeled on any one real-life group. " The Kurds, the Palestinians, the Jews in the 1940s, the boat people from Haiti – unfortunately, the homeless and terrorism are problems [in every age]. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 178))

Production [ ]

Les Landau giving advice to Michelle Forbes

• The scene where Ro took off her uniform jacket to comfort the young girl required close consultation between costume designer Robert Blackman and director Les Landau , as the uniforms were designed without obvious closures at the front. Modifications were made to the costume off-camera to achieve the effect. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission , p. 148)
• "Ensign Ro" was filmed between Monday 29 July 1991 and Tuesday 6 August 1991 on Paramount Stage 8 , 9 , and 16 . On Monday 5 August 1991 , the production moved outside for a location shooting at Bronson Canyon near the area where the previous episode, " Darmok ", was filmed. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 178))
• An insert scene of a monitor in Picard's ready room was filmed on Monday 16 September 1991 , during the production of " Unification II ".
• On Friday 2 August 1991 , Paramount Stage 8 and 9 were visited by the Executives of Paramount Pictures . The call sheet featured a note that the two sets must be clean and lighted.
• Birds & Animals Unlimited worked again on The Next Generation following the fourth season episode " In Theory ". For this episode, two animal handlers and twelve Guinea fowls were on set.
• On Tuesday 6 August 1991 , the publicity photos of the main cast and guest actress Whoopi Goldberg for the fifth season were shot at the main bridge and Paramount Stage 8.

Cast and characters [ ]

Forbes and Stewart filming on location

• This episode was created to introduce the new recurring character of Ro Laren . The producers hoped to add another character who could create some conflict, and preferably a woman. Berman explained, " The other characters in the cast are relatively homogeneous; some might even say bland. So we wanted a character with the strength and dignity of a Starfleet officer but with a troubled past, an edge. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 177))
• Michelle Forbes was offered the part of Ro Laren because the producers were impressed by her performance as Dara in " Half a Life ". ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 178))
• This episode features the first appearance of Mot , the Bolian barber . He next appeared in " Schisms ".

Continuity [ ]

• Commander Riker orders Ro to comply with Starfleet uniform regulations when she beams aboard the Enterprise -D by making her remove her traditional Bajoran earring . This seems like a strange request as Worf is allowed to wear his Klingon baldric and Deanna Troi is allowed to not wear a standard uniform at all. However, given Riker's clear misgivings in regards to Ensign Ro serving on the Enterprise and his statement that "I intend to demand the highest level of performance from her", it would seem that adherence to the Starfleet uniform code is somewhat at the discretion of one's commanding officer and Riker simply chose to give her no leeway in the matter. Nevertheless, enforcement of the uniform regulation is paralleled in the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Learning Curve ", when Tuvok orders Gerron to remove his earring.
• The name "Bajora" – at times used here to indicate both the Bajoran race and their terrorist group – is not heard after this episode in TNG, DS9, or VOY, but it is visible on a computer readout in " Conundrum ". Later episodes of DS9 established named terrorist groups on Bajor, including the Kohn-Ma and the Circle .
• Kennelly states that the Occupation of Bajor has lasted forty years. Later references conflict with one another and Kennelly's claim. See the Inconsistencies section of the Occupation page for more information.
• The appearance of the Bajorans in this episode is slightly different; over each eye, there is a subtle ridge. These were dropped later and Ro Laren no longer has them in her final appearance in TNG : " Preemptive Strike ".
• Stock footage of Starbase 74 from " 11001001 " was re-used in this episode to represent Lya Station Alpha where the Enterprise meets Kennelly and picks up Ensign Ro. The footage is a modified version of spacedock shots from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .
• During the explanation of the Bajoran naming convention (that the family name goes first while the given name is second), Ro mentions that many Bajorans accept their names being distorted in order to assimilate better. Despite this, all further Bajorans seen in the franchise (with the exception of Tal Celes ) would go by the naming order that is established in this episode.
• This marks the second and final appearance of the type of Cardassian uniform first seen in " The Wounded ".

Reception [ ]

• Michael Piller felt that the introduction of Ro was a success. " It's one of the season's greatest accomplishments. Not just by Rick and I, but by the acting of Michelle, who is just a wonderful performer. You don't just throw in new people because this audience is really particular about who they're going to make part of the family, but I've heard almost no resistance to Ensign Ro. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 229)
• Piller credited this success as due to the use of Guinan . " I think Guinan embraces Ro in a very personal way. She basically took Ro by the hand and said she deserves your attention and deserves to be embraced by you. When she took Ro to Picard for that very reason, in essence, she was doing that to our audience. It was not a very easy show to write; it was not until we found that relationship between Ro and Guinan that I was personally satisfied that we really had done something magnificent. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 229)
• A mission report for this episode, by John Sayers, was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 18 , p. 17–20.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 52, September 1992
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 5.1, 24 June 2002
• As part of the TNG Season 5 DVD collection

Apocrypha [ ]

• Guinan tells Ro that " a very long time ago, I got into some serious trouble too, and I mean serious, and I'd probably still be there, if I hadn't trusted one man. " The Star Trek: Stargazer novel Oblivion shows the backstory for the friendship of Picard and Guinan, including how Picard helped save Guinan. However, Guinan may have been referring to the events of " Time's Arrow, Part II ".
• The story behind the actions that led to Ro's demotion are featured in the DC Comics TNG Special 2 story "The Choice".

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 Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest stars [ ]

• Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren
• Scott Marlowe as Keeve Falor
• Frank Collison as Dolak
• Jeffrey Hayenga as Orta
• Harley Venton as Collins
• Ken Thorley as Mot
• Cliff Potts as Admiral Kennelly

Special guest star [ ]

• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan

Co-star [ ]

• Majel Barrett as Computer Voice

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• K.C. Amos as operations officer
• Rachen Assapiomonwait as Nelson
• Thomas J. Booth as civilian
• Boyen as Bajoran settler
• B.K. Byron as Vulcan patron
• Cameron as Kellogg
• Clark as Bajoran freedom fighter
• Cook as Bajoran settler
• John Copage as sciences officer
• Denise Deuschle as sciences officer
• Inez Edwards as sciences officer
• Factor as Bajoran settler
• Falerne as Bajoran settler
• E. Falerne as Bajoran settler
• Garverick as Bajoran settler
• Michele Gerren as sciences officer
• Gonzalez as Bajoran settler
• Whitney Hall as Bajoran settler
• Melanie Hathorn as sciences officer
• Houy as Bajoran settler
• Hwang as operations officer
• Joly as Bajoran settler
• Kinsel as Bajoran settler
• Alex Landi as Bajoran freedom fighter
• Debbie Marsh as civilian
• McGhee as Bajoran settler
• Melton as Bajoran girl
• Menning as Bajoran settler
• Jay Montalvo as operations officer
• Kevin Pentalow as Bajoran freedom fighter
• Polito as Bajoran freedom fighter
• Keith Rayve as command ensign
• Reynolds as Bajoran girl
• Denise Lynne Roberts as Patti
• Rose as Bajoran settler
• Santo as Bajoran freedom fighter
• Silver as Bajoran settler
• Simen as Bajoran girl
• Leatrim Stang as Bajoran settler
• Noriko Suzuki as operations ensign
• Talbot as Ten Forward waitress
• Matt Tufo as barber
• K. Uchizono as civilian
• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
• Vassili as Bajoran boy
• Anne Woodberry as Bajoran settler
• Michael Zurich as Bajoran freedom fighter
• Female Bajoran contact (voice)
• Female bridge officer (voice)
• Ten Forward waiter
• Ten Forward waitress

Stand-ins [ ]

• David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Candace Crump – stand-in for Whoopi Goldberg
• Franky – stand-in for Ken Thorley
• Krista – stand-in for Michelle Forbes
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner , Cliff Potts , Harley Venton , and Frank Collison
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden and Michelle Forbes
• Renna Bogdanowicz – stand-in for Michelle Forbes
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes , Scott Marlowe , and Jeffrey Hayenga
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• James Washington – stand-in for Michael Dorn

References [ ]

2310s ; 2328 ; 2347 ; " a great deal "; " a lot "; abduction ; achievement ; " ad hoc "; Adele ; admiral ; adversarial engagement strategy ; afternoon ; " all hands "; " all's well that ends well "; Alpha Quadrant ; alternative ; amnesty ; annexation ; Antares -class ( Bajoran carrier ); appearance ; architect ; argument ; artist ; " as well "; assignment ; " at all times "; " at least "; attack ; attention ; attitude ; audio channel ; aunt ; authorization ; away team ; Bajor ; Bajorans ; Bajoran language ; bar ; bartender ; barber ; barbershop ; base of operations ; bearing ; beauty ; " behind the scenes "; blanket ; bluff ; border ; builder ; Cardassians ; Cardassian Empire ; Cardassian liaison ; Cardassian Militia 41 ; Cardassian space ( Cardassian territory ); Cardassian warship ; carrier vessel ; Celsius ; civilization ; class M ; " come on "; common cold ; complaint ; composition ; computer ; confined to quarters ; conspiracy ; coordinates ; course ; crime ; crust ; court martial ; cure ; custom ; " damn it "; dance ; dancer ; decade ; deception ; degree ; destination ; destruction ; diplomacy ( negotiation ); diplomatic channels ; diplomatic soirée ; discussion ; Dolak's warship ; Dolak's sister ship ; dozen ; east ; emergency distress signal ; enemy ; energy fluctuation ; ETA ; event ; " excuse me "; eye ; " eye of the beholder "; face ; fact ; family name ; fear ; Federation ; Federation-Cardassian border ; feeling ; fifth grade ; " fill in "; flagship ; frequency ; friendship ; Galor -class ; Garon II ; generation ; ginger tea ; " go ahead "; ground ; gul ; guest ; hail ; " have a seat "; hearing ; heritage ; history ; " hold it "; " hold on "; homeland ; honey ; honor ; hour ; Human ; hundred ; " I beg your pardon "; " I do not know "; " I don't think so "; " I see "; idea ; " in exchange "; " in fact "; " in order to "; " in your shoes "; individual ; information ; integrity ; internal affairs ; Jaros II ; Jas Holza ; job ; judgment ; jurisdiction ; kilometer ; Latin language ; leader ; liaison officer ; location ; Lya Station Alpha ; Lya Station Alpha planet ; Lya Station Alpha planet's moon ; meeting ; mercy ; Midsummer Night's Dream, A ; Milky Way Galaxy ; minute ; mission ; mistake ; molecular displacement trace ; monitor ; motive ; mutilate ; name ; neighbor ; night ; neutral space ; Occupation of Bajor ; offer ; " on board "; " on your mind "; " one way or the other "; opportunity ; order ; parallel course ; pariah ; passion ; peace ; percent ; place ; plan ; pole ; policy ; politics ; power ; prison ; problem ; promise ; quality ; question ; raid ; reader ; reason ; reception ; red alert ; refugee ; replicator ; " rest assured "; Ro Gale ; Ro Gale's torturer ; Romulans ; room ; " same old story "; search pattern ; Sector 21305 ; secure channel ; settlement camp ; settler ; ship class ; sideburns ; " sit down "; sitting ; splinter group ; Solarion IV ; Solarion IV attacker ; Solarion IV colony ; Solarion system ; Solarion system sector ; Solarion system sector settlements ; southern continent of Valo II ; speed ; splinter group ; spokesman ; " stand by "; Starfleet ; Starfleet record ; Starfleet uniform code ; star system ; stockade ; story ; strategy ; subspace ; subspace channel ; subspace communication ; subspace log ; subspace relay ; subspace signal ; subspace transmission ; sugar candy ; suggestion ; surface ; survey ; survivor ; sympathy ; symposium ; " take up arms "; terrorism ; terrorist ; terrorist attack ; " that's all "; " the big picture "; thing ; third moon of Valo I ; thousand ; threat ; timetable ; " top of the line "; torture ; transport log ; treaty ; tricorder ; tricorder security link ; truth ; " turn a deaf ear "; Valo I ; Valo II ; Valo III ; Valo system ; " very well "; victim ; violation ; violence ; virus ; visual range ; vocal cords ; weapon grid ; week ; weekend ; " well done "; Wellington , USS ; Wellington away team ; west ; " what the hell "; wing ; year ; yellow alert ; " you know "; year

External links [ ]

• " Ensign Ro " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Ensign Ro " at Wikipedia
• "Ensign Ro" at StarTrek.com
• " Ensign Ro " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• " Ensign Ro " at the Internet Movie Database
• "Ensign Ro" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Screen Rant

Ensign ro was one of tng’s “greatest accomplishments”, says star trek showrunner.

Bajoran Ensign Ro Laren was created for TNG season 5 to provide one thing the rest of the Enterprise crew couldn't, and it made Ro a great character.

• Ensign Ro Laren was a significant addition to Star Trek: The Next Generation, providing conflict and narrative tension due to her reluctance to cooperate with Starfleet authority.
• Showrunner Michael Piller praised actor Michelle Forbes for her portrayal of Ensign Ro, highlighting her performance as a key factor in the character's success.
• Ro Laren's storyline continued in Star Trek: Picard season 3, where she returned as Commander Ro Laren, now working for Starfleet Intelligence, and had an emotionally charged reunion with Jean-Luc Picard.

One of the "greatest accomplishments" of Star Trek: The Next Generation was Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), according to showrunner Michael Piller. TNG season 5, episode 3, "Ensign Ro", introduced Ro as a Bajoran survivor of the Cardassian occupation, assigned to the USS Enterprise-D to help weed out a Bajoran terrorist cell. Ro's reluctance to cooperate with Starfleet authority became a selling point of the character since Ensign Ro shook things up among the Enterprise-D's crew without being a direct antagonist. Although she was directly mentored by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Ro stuck to her ideals and joined the Maquis.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Showrunner Michael Piller explains the behind-the-scenes origin of Ensign Ro Laren in The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, with high praise for actor Michelle Forbes. Piller specifically points out that Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5's new character was intended to "create some conflict," and the differences between Starfleet's lofty ideals and Ro Laren's lived reality meant Ro could provide narrative tension as a self-proclaimed outsider . Read his quote below:

There was no plan at all for Deep Space Nine when Ensign Ro was developed. What was in the back of our minds was the need for a character, and we thought we needed another woman on the show. When we talked about what kind of woman we would want, we thought it would be nice to have someone who had a little backstory and somebody we could use to create some conflict. So Rick and I worked on the concept of Ro, and it was a show I was very satisfied with.

It’s one of the fifth season’s greatest accomplishments—and not just by Rick [Berman] and I, but by the acting of Michelle [Forbes], who is just a wonderful performer—to create a new character on a series where you don’t just throw in new people, because this audience is really particular about who they’re going to make part of the family.

Did Ro Laren Survive Picard Season 3? Star Trek Production Designer Hints It's Possible

Ro laren returned in star trek: picard season 3, 30 years after turning down ds9, michelle forbes returned to star trek.

In one of the greatest surprises of Star Trek: Picard season 3, Michelle Forbes returned as Commander Ro Laren , now an operative of Starfleet Intelligence. Forbes had previously turned down the role of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's First Officer, which was originally intended to be Ro before the character was reconfigured into Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), who shares some elements of Ro's backstory as a Bajoran freedom fighter. Instead of transferring to DS9, Ro defected to the Maquis in TNG 's penultimate episode , "Preemptive Strike", in a move that Picard ultimately felt responsible for, since Picard had taken a personal interest in Ro's Starfleet career.

Ro's betrayal went unaddressed until Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 5, "Imposters", when Commander Ro's role in Starfleet Intelligence took her to the Titan to investigate the Changeling infiltration of Starfleet . The reunion between Jean-Luc Picard and Ro Laren was emotionally charged and tense with mutual distrust , as Picard questioned how Ro could be a Starfleet commander after defecting, and Ro suspected Admiral Picard of being a Changeling. The pain dredged up by the past shared between Picard and Ro confirmed their identities, while also recalling Ro Laren's Star Trek: The Next Generation introduction as Rick Berman and Michael Piller's conflicted, nuanced ensign.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.

Source: The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross

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Published Jan 8, 2024

Everything You Need to Know About Ro Laren

The Bajoran Starfleet officer made several key relationships before defecting to the Maquis.

StarTrek.com / Rob DeHart

Despite a loner’s mentality, a bad reputation, and a tense transfer to the U.S.S. Enterprise- D, Ensign Ro Laren eventually found friendships among the starship’s complement, and it all started with…

"Ensign Ro"

StarTrek.com

Always the listener, the El Aurian bartender made the effort to break through Ro Laren’s icy facade and offered the Bajoran officer her friendship at a time when the Enterprise -D’s crew would not. After Captain Picard confined Ro to her quarters, Guinan paid her a visit and encouraged Ro to talk about her troubles. Guinan vouched for Ro in front of Picard, convincing the captain to put aside his preconceptions so that the ensign could tell him about an illegal plot that a Starfleet admiral had initiated.

Ro and Guinan’s bond continued to grow, particularly during the brief time they were transformed into children by a transporter accident. Guinan recognized that Ro’s frustration about becoming a child again reflected the Bajoran’s rough childhood, so the El Aurian rallied Ro’s spirits, ultimately getting the ensign to express herself by jumping on her bed and drawing a portrait of her mother with crayons.

William T. Riker

"Conundrum"

As the Enterprise-D ’s first officer, Commander Riker was one of the staunchest opponents to Ro Laren's transfer onto the starship. The two regularly clashed over Starfleet regulations and shipboard procedures. A Satarran operative’s plan to infiltrate the flagship and wipe the crew’s memories had an intriguing side effect, as it permitted Riker and Ro to socialize without the baggage associated with their past conflicts. The pair found common ground, and they were even romantically involved before their memories were restored.

Upon Ro’s promotion to lieutenant, the Bajoran undertook a mission to infiltrate the Maquis. When Picard suspected Ro’s loyalties were wavering, he assigned Riker to pose as her relative and accompany her on the journey to spring a trap on the Maquis. Ro finally made her choice, siding with the Maquis and pointing a phaser at Riker before expressing her regrets and fleeing with her new comrades. Despite their tumultuous history, Riker genuinely appeared sad over Ro’s departure, though he did wish her well.

Geordi La Forge

"The Next Phase"

Another officer who resisted Ro Laren’s presence on the Enterprise -D, Geordi La Forge gradually found respect for his colleague, particularly during the incident which saw the disembodied presences of alien prisoners assert control over Counselor Troi, Data, and Chief O’Brien’s bodies. La Forge and Ro collaborated on what turned out to be a failed project to remove the entities by initiating a plasma shock on the affected crew members.

On a mission where a Romulan experiment caused Ro and La Forge to become cloaked, the two worked closely to figure out precisely what had happened to them. Ro believed they had actually died, at least until the chief engineer uncovered the Romulans had been trying to develop a phased cloaking device. The duo successfully alerted Captain Picard to their presence, foiled a Romulan scheme to sabotage the Enterprise -D, and learned they had more in common than they had originally thought.

Jean-Luc Picard

"Preemptive Strike"

Following Guinan’s declaration that Ro was her friend, Captain Picard chose to trust in the Bajoran, ultimately recognizing her potential and offering her a permanent place on the Federation flagship. This act of confidence meant a lot to Ro, who expressed her gratitude to the captain when she was cloaked and out of phase, even though Picard could not actually hear her say the words. Picard’s faith in Ro flourished, as he was the one who recommended her entry into Starfleet’s advanced tactical training program.

After returning to the Enterprise -D, Ro honored Picard’s support by accepting Starfleet’s request that she infiltrate the Maquis. As Ro’s sympathies toward the Maquis intensified, Picard worried about the path the Bajoran was taking. The captain’s concerns proved accurate, and he was discouraged by Ro’s decision to expose Starfleet’s trap and leave with the Maquis. Ro asked Riker to convey how sorry she was for betraying Picard, and the incident clearly caused the captain much sorrow.

A leader in the Maquis group that Ro infiltrated, Macias quickly endeared himself to the Bajoran with his kind demeanor, a resilience against Cardassian tyranny, and their shared love for hasperat. Macias reminded Ro of her father, but the friendship was short-lived. Tragically, a Cardassian team attacked the Maquis camp, killing Macias in the process. With his dying breath, Macias told Ro that someone would step forward to take his place. Macias’ death turned out to be the catalyst which propelled Ro to take a stand and join the Maquis, thus ending her Starfleet career and causing the rift between Ro and Picard.

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This article was originally published on March 16, 2023.

Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

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Michelle Forbes Opens Up About Returning As Ro Laren For ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3

| March 22, 2023 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 45 comments so far

The big surprise in last week’s episode of Star Trek: Picard was the return of Michelle Forbes. The actress and showrunner are talking about the return of Ro Laren to Star Trek and why it was essential for the season.

Forbes talks Ro’s return

Michelle Forbes appeared in seven episodes spanning the last three seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation  as the Bajoran ensign Ro Laren. Producers wanted Forbes to continue the role as a series regular for the spinoff series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but she declined. Three decades later, she did return for a single episode of Star Trek: Picard (last week’s “Imposters”). The actress offered her thoughts on Ro and her return with a photo slide show on Instagram, saying in part, “Ro taught me a lot. I’ve held those lessons close.” Forbes also talked about how she was happy to reunite with Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes “and eat breakfast and laugh together again!” She also offered up her thanks to Gene Roddenberry for creating the Star Trek universe and for TNG producers Rick Berman and Jeri Taylor for creating the character of Ro, adding “It’s been sweet to carry and hold her for decades. She’s such a deep part of my heart and I love that we share that.”

You can scroll through some of her pictures from the set in her Instagram post below…

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by MISHKA (@iammichelleforbes)

Bringing Ro back was essential

The episode “Imposters” focused on exploring the Changeling conspiracy within Starfleet when security was sent to investigate the events on the Titan. Speaking to Collider , showrunner Terry Matalas explained how putting Ro in charge of that investigation made it all come together.

This story was always—the pitch that I had for it was, “How great would it be to do a paranoia thriller with someone that you have all this baggage with?” The only way to be sure you’re sitting across from the person that you hope you’re sitting across from is to get through your trauma with them. I thought that if we could pull that off, we’d have a really interesting episode of television. But that required us getting Michelle Forbes and convincing the studio and the network it was the right idea, and educating a lot of people on who Ro Laren [was].

Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren in “Imposters”

Matalas talked to Entertainment Weekly about how bringing back Ro was an opportunity to provide closure to the character’s arc (and her relationship with Jean-Luc Picard) following her final appearance in the season 7 episode “Preemptive Strike.”

There was nothing I wanted to do more than bring Ro Laren back. It felt like such a hanging chad from Next Generation . That episode to me is very special. It’s the idea of doing a paranoia thriller… The only way to be sure that the person that you’re talking to is actually the person you hope they are is by getting through a catharsis of trauma of the past of this relationship, [which] to me felt like it could be really good television. That was Ro and Picard, and I so desperately wanted to see the conclusion to that relationship.”

Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren and Patrick Stewart as Picard in “Imposters”

On Tuesday, Paramount+ released a clip on social media showing the tension between Picard and Ro.

Ro Laren came to take names and eat hasperat, and she's all out of hasperat. What was your reaction to seeing her confront Picard again after all this time? #StarTrekPicard pic.twitter.com/nszs0Ukt1Y — Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) March 21, 2023

You can buy Ro’s Bajoran earring

One of the plot points in “Imposters” regarded Ro’s Bajoran earring, which she gave to Jean-Luc Picard before departing the USS Titan. Ro wearing a Bajoran earring was part of their history together, plus this particular earring contained all of her files so Picard and the team on the Titan could continue her investigation.

Ro gives Picard her Bajoran earring in “Imposters”

Star Trek licensee Rock Love Jewelry has announced the release of a replica of this earring. Thanks to collaboration from Picard  prop master Jeffrey Lombardi, the replica uses the exact same sculpts as those made for the show. The Rock Love version is sculpted in solid sterling silver, plated in polished genuine rose gold, with three glittering cubic zirconia crystals. The Picard Bajoran Cuff Earring replica is available to buy from Rock Love for $95 .

Rock Love Picard earring

Ro’s pre- Picard story told in new comics

You can find out more about Ro Laren in the just-launched Star Trek: Defiant comic series from IDW. Set before the events of Star Trek Nemesis , it’s a spinoff of IDW’s ongoing Star Trek series launched in 2022. In Defiant , Worf leads a new team with his own mission on the USS Defiant and his crew includes Ro Laren.

Ro and B’Elanna Torres on the B cover for Defiant #3

The third and final season of  Picard  premiered on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, exclusively on  Paramount+  in the U.S., and Latin America, and on February 17 Paramount+ in Europe and elsewhere, with new episodes of the 10-episode-long season available to stream weekly. It also debuted on Friday, Feb. 17 internationally on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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One of the best moments of this season was Picard and Ro’s moment of realisation through their own trauma that they each were who they said they were! “You broke my heart” the first time since Tasha Ya’s death I have shed a tear watching Star Trek. Granted I was a very young child when I first saw that.

Exactly. This is how you do emotion without turning it into a weepy melodrama like Discovery feels like every season. It was emotional but not overdone or drawn out. I loved how they both genuinely had grievances with each other but the situation they were under made it feel more tense. They were both angry at each other but at the same time wasn’t even sure they were even talking to the real person until they realized they were. Just so well done.

I love Disco but they was a masterclass in emotional Trek. Such a satisfying scene.

This was such an earned return of Ro. Executed perfectly and loved every minute of it,

Am I mistaken or does her nose – in the last of her Insta pics – look different from how it looked on the Picard episode?

It seems the low, ambient lighting may have lost the detail that we see in a brightly lit makeup trailer.

It really looks like less ridges, spaced further apart and more pronounced, than what I saw on screen. Could’ve been form a make-up test.

Yeah, that’s what I thought… 👃🔍🫤 It looks a lot more pronounced with larger ridges, and in the episode itself, much more subdued.

If it’s still a small prosthetic, I wonder why they changed it so drastically from how she looked on TNG, especially the stern “V” at the top between the eyebrows, that’s now completely disappeared. Curious. 🤔

I was hoping she’d be featured on The Ready Room in a behind-the-scenes interview, but all they made time for was a trivia question about the character.

The stern V as you call it was gone a long time ago, since that part of the prosthetic kept peeling off on actors, due to sweating. None of the later Bajorans have them any more. But I do wish they would’ve gone with the more pronounced nose in that pic for her final look.

I do remember them doing away with the “V” for Bajorans, but always thought that Ro Laren retained hers until her final appearance. I just checked… and nope, it’s just the zig-zag on top. But it looks like she didn’t even keep that exact shape for her final performance, did they? 🫤

Thankfully, it’s not as severe as what they did to the Trill; but I would’ve still preferred a bit more consistency, so that we don’t have to head-canon the issue… 👃🤛 …she lived quite dangerously, after all! 😅

The whole topic reminds me of what they did with the various Romulan looks in PIC season 1, depending on what area/region they’re from — I thought that was a clever, respectful way to honor everything that came before.

I was genuinely happy to see her again. Michelle Forbes is great.

I was, too, and yes, she is! 🤩

Very talented and attractive actress, imo. She’s had a lot of great roles over the years. Post Trek, I especially enjoyed her turn as a villain in True Blood. It was great to see her again in PIC.

I rewatched “Pre-emptive strike” this week for the first time in many years. What a disappointment. the actors playing Maquis were awful. No conviction, no real emotion. The scene in the ship with the woman Maqui was silly. And the soap opera with the old guy. Last weekend’s Picard’s show was orders of magnitude better in terms of script, performance, emotion, dramatic acting, character development, well … everything. But killng off Ro was a disappointment and, frankly, superfluous. I think we already understood the seriousness of the conspiracy without that.

The way you describe Preemptive Strike is pretty much ’90s Trek in a nutshell. I liked the death of Ro myself. It gave nice closure to the relationship, and capped off some powerful scenes, while also raising the emotional stakes (you’re focused on plot, I’m focused on character).

Well said, it was a very clever and emotional plot to the episode and how it it brought Worf and Raffi into the story line was great

The magnitude of the conspiracy is one thing, but now Picard can’t let Ro’s death be in vain, especially after the two of them just had their emotional breakthrough. Without that, Picard is really only emotionally motivated to protect Jack, which by itself probably wouldn’t be enough to stop the Changeling/Mystery Villain Big Threat.

Also, it follows the themes of the season: family, loss, and legacy.

at the heart of most of ST

Well…..maybe she’s stuck in the transporter buffer.

If she does reappear, we can’t be sure if it’s her. I don’t think they have time to go over that again.

I was very happy to see Ro Laren again. However, the story about the Changelings is closely linked to DS9, so I’m hoping for surprises here as well. A visit to DS9 would be wonderful.

Great! Now do Tom Riker

I’m still not certain Will isn’t actually Tom.

It looked like they were setting that up in the beginning, but too many character beats for Will have happed that just wouldn’t work for Tom at this point.

On paper, this should have worked. . . yet Ro’s reappearance after all these years just didn’t feel believable to me. Perhaps another episode to allow the personalities to play out might have helped, but her abrupt appearance and departure within one episode mainly felt like fan service to me.

I was thinking the same thing here she is one minute and at the end..gone. Actually, I was thinking she was going to be a Changeling until her ties to Worf was confirmed. Also, being unable to escape the shuttle seemed a little unconvincing. She could have donned a space suit and jettisoned out.

The other ship didn’t put up its shield to protect it from the shuttle explosion/impact? Come on. You’d think there’s a 24th century equivalent of various collision avoidance features on a Starship like we do with the newest cars today.

As Admiral Cain on the new Battlestar Galactica she was INCREDIBLE.

Her return here is VERY welcome and while sad in-universe, brings much needed closure and the discussion she ALWAYS had to have with Picard. GREAT acting in the 10 forward scene and so powerful.

I’m very happy she agreed to return. Not at all fan-service but very organic story-telling.

LOVING this season!

I also have to wonder if they asked her if she’d ever be interested in being a recurring/regular character again, and once she said no, they made the decision to kill her off.

Yes she was terrific as Cain. So much the strength of Ro and yet so much unlike her in every way.

Yeah it was great to see Forbes back as Ro. Of course I assumed she could come back and I thought it was a possibility but I never really thought it would happen.

And I actually rewatched both Preemptive Strike and Imposters together over the weekend. Those episodes really line up in terms of the stakes and emotions. I forgot how much of a hardass Picard was to her when she was having doubts over her mission and it really tied in great with how she felt Picard treated her and he was always too far up Starfleet’s butt lol, then and now. I also liked how you can tell Riker had a lot more sympathy for what she did then and still defended her in the episode.

I can tell some people are bothered by her death but I think they handled it well by showing how much she did ultimately care for Starfleet and her friends. They probably could’ve drawn it out to another episode, but that’s the problem when you only have ten episodes and you have to keep things moving…in this case literally.

Overall though all the legacy characters have been handled so well on this show IMO. It’s just great to see them all back and can’t wait for the next surprise appearance.

I agree, Ro was handled incredibly well, given the time restraints of the season.

Sooo excited for the next one! ✊️💫 It’s just a few more hours away… 😁

I thought the next episode was even BETTER than this one!!! We are living in good times my friend! :)

I actually always felt Episode 6 was the weakest, but still really good. Glad to heat you liked it. Curious what the broader sentiment is.

I probably need to rewatch it a few more times to make up my mind, but weaker than all others in the season it was not, IMO.

And I usually don’t mind fan service all too much, but this was the mother lode… ALMOST too much with all the ships, Genesis, Kirk, and Attack Tribbles, even with a TNG-pilot-clip flashback, and the DataLalLoreB4Soong revival. 😵‍💫💫

But then again, I feel like celebrating it, instead of needlessly lamenting… 😄🎉

From a narrative/writing perspective it was the weakest. It was definitely the most fan-squealing, even for me. Aside the ships, seeing Geordi meet Data gain, seeing Picard with Geordi, etc. Heck, even the final revelation was kind of cool.

But overall, it wasn’t as strong as past episodes. The lack of Shaw was a big reason :)

I liked it too, I think. Maybe even loved it? Still digesting it all from last night… they really laid it on thick, that’s for sure! 😅

I’m VERY curious to hear your thoughts. Not so good with names, but if I recall, you’ve been hard on the show (or was that someone else?). That you liked this, is interesting!

I really expected a big backlash from it. But it seems Terry really gets what fans want.

I’ve been hard on the dumpster fire that’s DSC. PIC, I’ve mostly liked from the start. Not entirely the first season, but it had its moments. The second season, I probably liked better than most commenters on here. The third, though, is fantastic so far.

Sure, there are minor logic flaws here and there, but you can tell that the writers’ room took the story through the wringer, while making sure that the entertainment value stays high, pretty much consistently, which is why I can appreciate this last episode’s LD-level of nods and Easter eggs (after all, the holiday takes place early this year)! 😉🐰🥚

Yeah, I think keeping your audience entertained with well written characters that have wits and/or heart (and aren’t just virtue signaling on steroids), and a compelling story that continuously sheds its revelatory layers like an onion being peeled (instead of the hasty plot dump near the very end), are key to this season’s success.

Ro or Michelle’s performance was just fantastic and reminiscent of one of Discovery’s best characters, Admiral Cornwall

One of the best moments on the show was seeing ro again. One of the worst moments in television history was writing this character to be stupid as their exit. She was a marquis! Somehow she forgot to think? She could have simply ejected into space and beamed over the titan. Did no one else think that as an almost reflex reaction to that situation?

Where was Troi when you needed someone “EJECTED INTO SPACE!!!!”

I… don’t even know how to respond to this. Eject into space? Are you serious? When have we ever even heard of that as a viable option?

Besides…her sacrifice made perfect sense precisely BECAUSE she was a Maquis. She doesn’t want to save herself, she wants to achieve the mission, and if that means sacrificing her life to give Picard and his team a chance to get away and finish that mission, that’s exactly what she’s going to do.

People can survive a few seconds in space and it will only take one or two to beam her aboard. Her “sacrifice” meant nothing because it could have been done without dying. “keep a lock on me, I’ll be blowing the hatch.” she sets shuttle course, blow the hatch, titan beams her over. There are instances of people surviving in vacuum of space. One instance is from season 5 of tng called “disaster” where crusher and LaForge ejected the contents of shuttle bay and were exposed to the vacuum of space until the bay shields were reactivated. If that’s a viable option to remove something from the bay, why is it unimaginable to eject yourself to get yourself away from something?

I’m not ashamed to say that I teared up a lot when Ro died. The tragedy of lost opportunities in relationships, how the actors brought that home in those last moments, was just absolutely brilliant. The realization of what they really meant to each other, and that they wouldn’t get to act on that.. heartbreaking.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation: Ensign Ro

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"Ensign Ro" is the third episode of season five of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the 102nd episode of the series overall (if one counts the two-part pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" as two episodes). Combining the episode count of all Star Trek -related TV shows to date, it is the 209th episode of the entire franchise. This episode was directed by Les Landau and written by Rick Berman and Michael Piller . Piller also wrote the teleplay for this episode. It first aired in syndication in the United States on October 5th , 1991 .

• 2.1 Principal Cast
• 2.2 Guest Stars
• 3 Notes & Trivia
• 4 Allusions
• 7 External Links

Synopsis [ ]

Principal cast [ ], guest stars [ ], notes & trivia [ ].

• Production code number: 40275-203.
• Stardate: 45076.3.
• First appearance of Ensign Ro Laren .

Allusions [ ]

See also [ ], external links [ ].

• 1 Siobhan Corbyn
• 2 Colt Seavers
• 3 Jody Banks

Let’s Talk About That ‘Next Generation’ Cameo in ‘Star Trek: Picard’ No One Saw Coming

Picard and Riker are shocked when this blast from the past returns in Episode 5 of the Paramount+ series

The third and final season of Paramount+’s “Star Trek: Picard” reunites the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise D for one final journey.

So far, audiences have seen Picard (Patrick Stewart) reunite with his former Enterprise first officer Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and former ship’s doctor and surprise baby mama Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). Riker’s wife and former ship’s counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) also made a brief holographic appearance. Separately, ex-security chief Worf (Michael Dorn) has been working on a clandestine mission for Starfleet intelligence.

While we’ve yet to see Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Data (Brent Spiner) in the new series, they’ve appeared in promotional materials.

Thursday’s episode of “Picard” features an appearance by another popular “Next Generation” character who hasn’t been included in any promos. Who is it?

Read on to find out, but warning — major spoilers ahead.

Which “Next Generation” Character Makes An Unexpected Guest Appearance?

In the fifth episode of “Star Trek: Picard,” Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) tells Starfleet is on its way to question Picard and Riker for stealing a shuttle to rescue Crusher.

Turns out the officer sent to question Picard and Riker is Commander Ro Laren. The last time viewers saw Ro Laren was in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Season 7 episode “Preemptive Strike,” which aired in 1994. She is played by actress Michelle Forbes.

Headstrong and rebellious, Ro Laren was a marked departure from other Starfleet officers who blindly followed orders.

Who is Ro Laren?

Ro Laren is a Bajoran Starfleet officer. Her first appearance was in the “Next Generation” Season 4 episode “Ensign Ro.”

Ro’s past precedes her. When she was aboard the U.S.S. Wellington, she disobeyed orders, resulting in the deaths of eight crewmen. She was court-martialed and jailed. She was later reinstated and brought to the Enterprise upon Admiral Kennelly’s request, despite concerns from his crew.

Riker meets her when she comes aboard the Enterprise, and tells her to remove her Bajoran earring — a symbol of faith — as it violates the Starfleet uniform code.

When they first meet, Picard calls her “Ensign Laren” but she reminds him that Bajoran surnames come first. From henceforth she is called “Ensign Ro.” It’s revealed that Kennelly brought Ro on the mission to make a secret deal with a suspected Bajoran terrorist Orta. But when she discovers Orta is innocent, Ro reveals the deal to Picard.

Picard is impressed by Ro’s principles. Despite her rebelliousness, he feels she possesses the qualities to be a fine Starfleet officer, and invites her to stay aboard. He also allows her to wear her Bajoran earring.

What ‘Next Generation’ Episodes Does Ro Laren Appear in?

Ro became a recurring character on “The Next Generation” appearing in the following episodes:

• “Ensign Ro”
• “Power Play”
• “Cause and Effect”
• “The Next Phase”

Despite her recurring status, she held a major role in many of the episodes, notably “Ensign Ro,” “Power Play” and “The Next Phase.” She was also featured as a member of the bridge crew, usually sitting at the conn.

She returns as a lieutenant in the Season 7 episode “Preemptive Strike,” where she is sent to infiltrate the Maquis, a resistance group that fought the Cardassians — the alien species that annexed her homeworld of Bajor. She ends up sympathizing with the Maquis and defect. Before she leaves, she tells Riker to tell Picard she is sorry for betraying his trust.

What Is Ro Laren Doing on “Picard”?

Sometime after her defection, Ro turned herself in, was court-marshaled, jailed again, rehabilitated and reinstated with the rank of commander in Starfleet Intelligence. She arrives on the Titan via shuttlecraft with two armed security guards.

Riker and Picard are shocked to discover she was back in Starfleet after her betrayal.

Ro coldly interrogates Picard. He notes she no longer wears her Bajoran earring. She only cares to know about the Changeling who has infiltrated the Titan.

They eventually enter the holodeck, where they each profess how badly they hurt each other. Realizing that neither could possibly be a Changeling, Ro reveals her true mission. She tells Picard that Changelings have compromised Starfleet and reveals she has two trusted operatives working on gathering more intelligence. Her investigation points to something happening on Frontier Day, but she has yet to connect the dots.

Ro and Picard leave the holodeck and she is rejoined by her security detail. They board the shuttle to return to the Intrepid, but her guards plant a bomb and beam off. Ro, realizing the Intrepid has been compromised by Changelings, only has seconds to act. She sets a collision course for the Intrepid and crashes her shuttle into it, disabling it and giving the Titan a chance to escape. Before she dies, Picard tells her he finally sees her and asks for her forgiveness.

After they flee, Riker and Picard examine Ro’s parting gift — her Bajoran earring. It contains all of her files on the Changelings and connects them with her trusted operatives, who turn out to be Worf and Raffi.

What Is Ro Laren’s Legacy?

Ro was like a daughter to Picard. Now that she’s gone, he may be extra protective of his newly discovered son, Jack Crusher.

Ro also serves to reconnect Picard with Worf and Raffi, as well as merge the plotlines of the stolen weapons tech from Daystrom and the Changelings.

“Star Trek: Picard” streams every Thursday on Paramount+

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ensign Ro Laren by EXO-6

By Joe Moore on March 20, 2024 at 7:35 am under Star Trek Toy News

The Star Trek figure line from EXO-6 continues with a new figure from the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV Series . Pe-orders have opened for the Ensign Ro Laren 1/6 Scale Figure . The 11″ tall figure has 30 points of articulation, and features a fabric outfit. Ro Laren includes multiple interchangeable hands, a Type-II Phaser, a TR-580 Tricorder VII, and a display stand. The Phaser features a magnet that allows it to attach to the figure without a holster.

The Ensign Ro Laren figure is priced at $195 plus shipping. It’s scheduled for release in the Third Quarter of the year. See pre-order links, images, and details below.

Pre-Order Links: Big Bad Toy Store • Entertainment Earth

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Ensign Ro Laren 1:6 Scale Articulated Figure … during the next two hours – as I was forced to watch – my father was tortured until he died. And I remember feeling… so ashamed of him as he begged for mercy. I was ashamed of him for being weak. I was ashamed of being Bajoran. I don’t want to be ashamed of my heritage any longer, Captain.” Introducing the Ensign Ro Laren 1/6 Scale Museum Quality Figure by EXO-6 – a stunning tribute to one of Star Trek’s most enduring characters. Ro Laren, a Bajoran Starfleet officer, brought a unique perspective to the USS Enterprise-D crew in the acclaimed series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Expertly played with steely reserve by Michelle Forbes, at first Ro was not well-liked by crew or fans, but ultimately her courage and resolve made her admirable. With Ro returned to Star Trek in Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard as a Commander with Star Fleet intelligence and made her ultimate scrifice for Starfleet, completed the character of Ro Laren. This 1:6-scale figure re-creates this iconic character in exquisite 1:6 detail. Standing approximately 11.25 inches tall, every element, from her 24th century jumpsuit to her custom black boots, is authentically reproduced. The original portrait sculpt of Michelle Forbes as Ensign Ro has an authentic, hand-painted likeness. The EXO-6 Ensign Ro Laren 1:6 Scale Articulated Figure includes: Fully Articulated Body: More than 30 points of articulation allow the figure to be displayed in multiple dynamic poses, approximately 28 cm tall. Realistic Portrait: Sculpted by top artists, this is a faithful likeness of Michelle Forbes in Bajoran makeup wearing her Bajoran earring. The earring is not removeable. Starfleet Duty Uniform: Meticulously researched, this duty uniform matches the pattern and color of the original costume recreated in 1:6 scale. Magnets are sewn into the uniform so the holsters for the tricorder and phaser can be attached. An authentically scaled communicator badge is permanently affixed to the tunic. Boots: Soft plastic boots sculpted to match the cut and style of the original movie footwear. Display Base: A hexagonal display base featuring the transporter pad will provide additional support for the figure. Two different inserts for the floor of the base can represent the transporter pad or the center of the transporter array. Multiple hands for holding accessories and various poses: . Left and right relaxed hands. Left hand for the phaser. Right hand for the tricorder. Fist hands. Accessories Ensign Ro is outfitted with everything needed for a Star Fleet officer. She comes equipped with: Type II hand phaser. The phaser can be worn in a black holster that magnetically attaches to the pants. TR-580 Tricorder VII: This standard tricorder can be opened or worn in a holster. EXO-6’s commitment to the variety and number of characters in Star Trek is unparalleled. Never before and never again will fans be able to own such high-end collectible figures covering such a wide expanse of the Star Trek universe. Act now to ensure you have the ultimate Star Trek collectibles before they disappear, never to return.

EXO 6 Star Trek TNG Ro Laren 001

EXO 6 Star Trek TNG Ro Laren 002

EXO 6 Star Trek TNG Ro Laren 003

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EXO 6 Star Trek TNG Ro Laren 005

EXO 6 Star Trek TNG Ro Laren 006

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Companies EXO-6 Characters Ro Laren Scale 1/6

'Star Trek: The Next Generation': The Cast Now!

Posted: May 2, 2024 | Last updated: May 4, 2024

'Star Trek: The Next Generation': Where Is The Cast Now?

"Space... the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship 'Enterprise'. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!" Wow! What an amazing cult classic! "Captain Picard" and his crew, consisting of both human and alien beings, traveled the galaxy on mysterious adventures audiences had never seen before! Since the series ended in 1994, the franchise and the original crew itself have changed a lot! Let's take a look at the crew members and what they're up to today!

"Deanna Troi"

"Deanna Troi" was a half-human, half "Betazoid" being who served under "Captain Picard's" command aboard the 'USS Enterprise-D' and 'USS Enterprise-E'. She served as the ship counselor, helping her fellow crew members with their various problems.

Marina Sirtis

After the series ended, Marina Sirtis moved on to star in all of the Star Trek spin-off films including Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis. Much like the other stars on this list, Sirtis also starred in dozens of series later on in her career, such as NCIS, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, and Grey's Anatomy. She is currently married to rock guitarist Michael Lamper.

"William Riker"

"William Thomas Riker" is probably most known for his longest campaign as an officer under "Captain Jean Luc-Picard" aboard the 'USS Enterprise-D'. Later on in the series, he accepts the promotion as Captain aboard the 'USS Titan'. "Riker" is romantically linked to "Deanna Troi," the starship's counselor.

Jonathan Frakes

Johnathan Frakes played the role of "William Thomas Riker" on the hit series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Before he went to space, he had already starred on a few popular shows like Hart to Hart, Highway to Heaven, The Fall Guy and many more. After the series ended, he moved on to star in several different television and movie productions such as well as all of the Star Trek feature films all the way up to 2002! He also hosted the show Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. Frakes is currently married to actress Genie Francis whom he met on the set of the TV mini-series North and South. The couple have two children.

"Lt. Commander Data"

"Lore" and "Data were both "Soong-type" androids created by "Doctor Nooniain Soong" and "Juliana Soong" at the Omicron Colony. "Lore" was the pure embodiment of A.I. having the first successful positronic brain. Due to his robotic nature, he had abilities the rest of the crew did not possess such as super strength and speed. "Lore" began feeling superior to his fellow crew members leading to him trying to destroy them. After a long and bitter conflict, "Lore" was eventually shut down and replaced by his brother "Data".

Brent Spiner

After The Next Generation, Spiner also went on to star in all of the Star Trek feature films. Since then, Spiner has starred in a number of different animated TV series such as Family Guy, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and Star Wars Rebels. Brent has also appeared in smash hit series like The Big Bang Theory and Criminal Minds.

"Dr. Beverly Crusher"

"Dr. Beverly Crusher" is the crew's doctor aboard the 'USS Enterprise-D', and later 'USS Enterprise-E'.

Gates McFadden

Gates McFadden wasn't as active in show business as the rest of her co-stars after Star Trek: The Next Generation ended. However, she did star in all of the Star Trek feature films up until 2002. Over the course of her career, she also starred in a few other TV shows such as The Cosby Show, The Practice, and Mad About You. She is currently married to John Cleveland Talbot, and they have one son.

"Worf"

"Worf" is a Klingon (a fictional alien species) and is a Starfleet officer aboard the 'Enterprise-D', as well as the ships that came afterwards.

Michael Dorn

After the show ended, Michael Dorn moved on to star in several minor roles, like most of his co-stars. He also starred in all of the Star Trek films as well as numerous other movies such as Ali, The Santa Clause 2, Heart Of The Beholder, and Ted 2. As far as television goes, Dorn has made a name for himself in the animated TV show scene starring in series such as Family Guy, Winx Club, Transformers: Titans Return, Adventure Time and many more.

"Geordi La Forge"

"Geordi La Forge" is the pilot and chief engineer of the 'USS Enterprise-D' , and later the 'USS Enterprise-E'.

LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton hosted and produced the PBS kids show Reading Rainbow in 1983, before Star Trek: The Next Generation. Afterwards he starred in several different shows such as Murder, She Wrote and has also lent his voice to several different animated shows such as Family Guy, Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles.

"Wesley Crusher"

"Lieutenant Wesley R. Crusher" was the son of Lieutenant Commander "Jack Crusher" and "Dr. Beverly Crusher". After a long career on the 'USS Enterprise-D', he decided to leave the crew and join "Tau Alphan The Traveler" on his journey through space.

Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton was on Star Trek: The Next Generation for three and one-quarter seasons before leaving the show to pursue other projects. He made occasional appearances on the show, but eventually decided to attend acting school full time. He currently lives in Arcadia, California with his wife and two sons.

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard"

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard" is a Starfleet captain, archaeologist, and diplomat. During the series, he captains the 'USS Enterprise' (NCC-1701-D) with the help of his intergalactic crew! "Picard" himself played a large role in the series galactic history, discovering over 27 alien species throughout the entire franchise.

Sir Patrick Stewart

Sir Patrick Stewart's life was changed after playing the role of "Captain Jean Luc-Picard" in the hit sci-fi series. He would play the role of "Captain Picard" ever so often in spin-off movies like Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: First Contact. Stewart has also played a large part in the X-Men franchise as "Professor Charles Xavier". Because of his unique voice, he has been able to star as a voice actor in dozens of animated series and movies such as Family Guy, American Dad, Chicken Little, and Ice Age. Patrick currently live in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Sunny Ozell.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

• Gene Roddenberry
• Patrick Stewart
• Brent Spiner
• Jonathan Frakes
• 320 User reviews
• 162 Critic reviews
• 39 wins & 61 nominations total

Episodes 176

Photos 3429

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard …

• Lieutenant Commander Data …

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker …

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge …

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Worf …

• Doctor Beverly Crusher …

• Enterprise Computer …

• Wesley Crusher …

• Chief Miles O'Brien …
• Youngblood …

• Lieutenant Natasha 'Tasha' Yar …

• Doctor Katherine Pulaski …

• Nurse Alyssa Ogawa …

• Ansata Terrorist …

• Ensign Ro Laren …

• Keiko O'Brien …
• All cast & crew
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Did you know

• Trivia Almost everyone in the cast became life-long friends. At LeVar Burton 's 1992 wedding, Brent Spiner served as best man, and Sir Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , and Michael Dorn all served as ushers. Man of the People (1992) (#6.3) aired on that day.
• Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

[repeated line]

Capt. Picard : Engage!

• Crazy credits The model of the Enterprise used in the opening credits is so detailed, a tiny figure can be seen walking past a window just before the vessel jumps to warp speed.
• Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
• Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

User reviews 320

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• September 26, 1987 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
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• Star Trek: TNG
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• Runtime 45 minutes
• Dolby Stereo

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