176 – Preemptive Strike

Grade: B+

Summary

Ensign Ro Lauren has just returned to the Enterprise from a special training mission. She has also been promoted to Lieutenant. Meanwhile, Starfleet has a new threat – the Maquis – a rogue group of Federation citizens and Bajors who oppose the peace treaty with the Cardassians.

Commentary

Finally we have a good episode after so many consecutive stinkers.

I watched this episode immediately after Journey’s End. It turns out that was a pretty good idea. There were several references to that earlier episode, and since they were fresh on my mind, it seemed to make for a better story.

I really enjoy these episodes that deal with contemporary and realistic issues. This episode was well-crafted and successfully written. Some parts of it seemed a bit contrived and awkward (like when Picard and Ro were talking in the bar), and it was also pretty predictable. But for the most part, it was a very enjoyable episode and one that was very much worth a watch.

It was nice to see Ro Lauren again, even though the ending was far too predictable. Still, it was probably the only way it could end, seeing how Star Trek couldn’t get Michelle Forbes to agree to star in Deep Space Nine.

Of Note

Apparently, this episode was supposed to be called The Good Fight, but that was later changed to Preemptive Strike. Personally, I don’t know which title I like better.