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Ensign Ro is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that first aired on March 21st, 1989. In this episode, the crew of the USS Enterprise encounters a Klingon-Cardassian alliance, and must work with Ensign Ro, a Bajoran officer, to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The episode opens with Commander Riker and Lieutenant Worf discussing a mysterious vessel that is on an intercept course with the Enterprise. Worf is not sure who it is, but Riker is certain that it is an alien craft. As the vessel comes into view, it is revealed to be a Cardassian Galor-class warship. Both vessels are preparing for battle, but before they can fire upon one another, a Bajoran vessel appears and intercedes.

The Bajoran vessel is captained by Ensign Ro, a young officer from the planet Bajor, and a mediator from the Federation. Ro informs the crew of the Enterprise that there is a Klingon-Cardassian alliance that has been formed, and that the two races are at odds. Ro explains that the two sides have been battling for a few weeks, and that she has been sent to find a peaceful resolution.

The crew of the Enterprise agree to assist Ro in her mission. They head towards the conflict and set up a meeting with the leaders of both sides. At the conference, Ro is able to get both sides to agree to a ceasefire, and to begin negotiations on a lasting peace treaty.

However, the situation is not as simple as it seems. Ro soon discovers that the Klingon-Cardassian alliance is being manipulated by a powerful force from outside the quadrant. This force has been influencing both sides in order to drive them into a war that will benefit its own interests.

With the help of the crew of the Enterprise, Ro is able to discover the identity of this mysterious force, and uncover its plans. She then works to expose it and help bring about peace between the Klingon and Cardassian empires. In the end, Ro is successful in her mission, and a lasting peace is established between the two races.

In Ensign Ro, the crew of the USS Enterprise is confronted with a mission that requires diplomacy and negotiation. They must work with the Bajoran officer Ro to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The episode emphasizes the need for cooperation in order to achieve a lasting peace, and highlights the importance of understanding different cultures in order to make diplomatic decisions. Through the actions of Ro and the crew of the Enterprise, the episode shows that even the most impossible conflicts can be resolved when different sides are willing to work together.

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Published Apr 9, 2024

From Ensign to Commander Ro: The Essential Ro Laren Watch List

How Ro Laren saved Starfleet by breaking the rules.

StarTrek.com

The Bajoran Ro Laren earned the admiration of Star Trek: The Next Generation viewers by speaking candidly. Without asking for permission.

Born in the year 2340 on Cardassian-occupied Bajor, Ro Laren's earliest memories are of personal and cultural loss. At seven years old, she was forced to watch her father die by interrogation. She spent almost 10 years in and out of refugee camps. Ashamed by what she perceived as Bajoran weakness, Ro Laren grew desperate. Anything was better than watching her people suffer. So, she joined Starfleet.

Ro Laren beams aboard the Enterprise-D, "Ensign Ro"

Ro rose in rank from Ensign to Commander with well-documented authority issues that include a body count and a court martial record. People lived, and died, by her decisions. But despite an open contempt for rank, and her one-time defection to the Maquis, Starfleet command was her natural path. Transformation is one of Ro's attributes.

In honor of the serially disobedient ensign, here are some of Ro Laren’s defining moments on her climb towards Commander.

" Ensign Ro ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 5, Episode 3)

Classic Ro Laren vibes, "Ensign Ro"

You know you’re a Star Trek legend when your debut episode is your name.

Ensign Ro reported for duty on the U.S.S. Enterprise -D under orders from a shifty Admiral Kennelly. Kennelly needed Captain Jean-Luc Picard's help with a revolutionary Bajoran named Orta who was causing trouble for the Cardassians, and now Starfleet, following a recent attack on Federation colony Solarion IV. A diplomatic approach to engage Bajor was suggested, and Kennelly had just the Bajoran for the job. 

Enter disgraced ensign Ro Laren whose name instantly draws anger from Picard. In infamous Starfleet history, Ro's disastrous away mission on Garon II is the stuff of nightmares. According to Starfleet records, eight crew members of the U.S.S. Wellington died because she failed to follow orders. Still, Kennelly insists on Ro's appointment aboard the Enterprise . Guess she’s seriously reformed....

Jean-Luc Picard and Ro Laren at a refugee camp on Valo II, "Ensign Ro"

"Ensign Ro" demonstrates Ro Laren’s greatest asset. Her complete disdain for Starfleet formality means that she has no qualms telling Picard the true score of the Cardassian Occupation. She suggests, forcefully, that Starfleet's "diplomatic" efforts would be better spent in the camps on Valo II. And by episode's end, Ro's authenticity rises to the surface. She is compassionate to Bajor. And she tells the truth, even when it is against protocol or dangerous to do so. 

After Kennelly's underhanded deal with Cardassia is exposed, Ensign Ro tells Picard that she’ll, actually, maybe, stick around. But only if she is allowed to break uniform code by wearing a Bajoran earring .

" Disaster ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 5, Episode 5)

Ro Laren reacts to scenario on the disabled bridge, "Disaster"

Wherein everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. When a catastrophic phenomenon leads to a hull breach and a rapidly deteriorating containment field, only three Enterprise -D crew members are on or near the bridge — highest-ranking officer Counselor Troi, Chief Miles O'Brien, and Ensign Ro. 

Cut and dry Ro recommends a full separation from the Enterprise 's saucer section. Brutal, but hear her out; since no life signs or survivors were detected in the breached area of the ship, a separation maneuver would ensure that the rest of the vessel doesn't imminently combust. Ro Laren — strategist for a disaster.

" The Next Phase ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 5, Episode 24)

Ro Laren and Geordi La Forge touch hands, "The Next Phase"

Ro Laren inhabits the spirit of teamwork in this version of a ghost story. 

After being beamed away during an explosion aboard a Romulan ship, Ensign Ro and Geordi La Forge discover that they are no longer "with the living." Instead, they’re out-of-phase transporter ghosts whose patterns are no longer detectable to the Enterprise crew. While stuck in dematerialized limbo, Ro introduces the idea of them being Borhya , the Bajoran concept for a "spirit." When La Forge offers a scientific solution for their non-state, Ro is quick to problem solve, carrying out an investigation alongside Geordi and Data on the "other side."

By episode end, a corporeally-realized Ro admits that she's been pushed into another way of thinking about life after death. Or, life after traumatic transporter accident.

" Rascals ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 6, Episode 7)

Guinan and Ensign Ro, in their kid form, peek around the corner, "Rascals"

Who knew the Ro Laren watch list includes two transporter accidents?

When Captain Picard, Ro, Guinan, and Keiko O'Brien are regressed to the adolescent ages of 10-12, the scenario is inconvenient. Or… a therapeutic exercise? With a little nudge from Guinan, Ro is able to reclaim the part of her past she described as "long" and "depressing." She even draws a portrait of her mother in crayon.

" Preemptive Strike ," Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 7, Episode 24)

Ro Laren cries over Macias' death, "Preemptive Strike"

Ro Laren, the traitor?

Ro's sympathies to the Maquis, a resistance group opposed to the Occupation, led to her defection from Starfleet in this monumental episode.

Ro's redemptive path under Starfleet had been fought and hard won, and a single, undercover mission alongside a Maquis leader named Macias led to a crisis of faith. While Picard couldn’t recognize her motivations, we understood why Ro defected. She had met a parental figure in Macias, a proud Bajoran who loved spicy hasperat like her dad and had the same appreciation for playing Klavion . Inspired by this leader, Ro reclaimed an identity worth fighting for, like her father once fought for. So, she left for that same cause.

Her only regret, Riker conveyed, was that she had let her captain down. 

" Imposters ," Star Trek: Picard (Season 3, Episode 5)

Ro Laren and Jean-Luc Picard have a frank discussion, "Imposters"

AKA, "How the hell is Ro Laren back in Starfleet?!"

Always capable of a comeback, Ro Laren wore the pips again, this time as a commander in Starfleet Intelligence.

Commander Ro's sacrifice in Star Trek: Picard "Imposters" is a full restoration of her heroic status. True to her nature, she acts boldly and with conviction, engendering trust through uncomplicated honesty. When Ro confides to Admiral Picard that a Changeling infiltration has permeated Starfleet's highest level, he has no choice but to believe her.

There is still a depth of feeling in their relationship, after all — Picard's disappointment over Ro's betrayal, Ro's anger at Picard's righteousness. It's a stalemate of spurned hope, but the important fact remains; Commander Ro’s intelligence, hidden on her signature Bajoran earring , saves Starfleet from what’s to come.

Ro moments before the Changeling bomb is detonated, "Imposters"

"Imposters" is a fittingly complicated end to the life of Ro Laren. To some, she is Starfleet's persona non grata, a habitual rule-breaker whose brashness had led to casualties. To others, her ability to stand and die for a fighting chance, either with Starfleet or the Maquis, makes her a strong contender for best in command.

And her final act is a trademark. After discovering that a Changeling bomb was planted on her shuttle, Admiral Picard orders Ro to turn her vessel around so that she can be beamed to safety.

Commander Ro refuses.

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Robyn Belt is a writer, editor, and journalist (Startrek.com, Marvel.com) who loves thinking about the real and speculative science of Star Trek. DS9, TNG, SNW super-fan. Find her on Twitter @robyn_belt or Threads @robynbelt_.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E3EnsignRo

Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E3 "Ensign Ro"

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Original air date: October 7, 1991

Picard is getting his hair trimmed by Mr. Mot, a Bolian Chatty Hairdresser who prattles about how best to deal with the Romulans. To Picard's relief, he's soon called to the bridge after they've received a distress call from a Federation outpost. It seems they were attacked, and a Bajoran terrorist group is claiming responsibility.

The Enterprise arrives at the starbase for some exposition: forty years ago, the Cardassian Empire annexed the home system of the Bajorans, and have subjected them to a brutal occupation. Now, the Bajorans are rebelling to drive the Cardassians away . In all that time, though, they've never attacked the Federation, which remained neutral due to its doctrine of noninterference. The new Cardassian treaty gives the Federation the ability to act on behalf of the Bajoran people, however, and this attack gives them reason to begin doing so quickly. Admiral Kennelly tells Picard to find the Bajoran resistance leader who attacked them. To aid in the end, he's assigned a new crewman to the Enterprise : Ensign Ro Laren, a court-martialed Bajoran officer recently plucked out of prison . Picard is upset at this transfer without his consent, but Admiral Kennelly is insistent. With no choice but to follow orders, Picard agrees.

Ensign Ro is beamed aboard, and Riker immediately orders her to remove her Bajoran earring. There's more hostility to come from the rest of the crew. However, Ro does have insight into the Bajoran refugee situation. She directs them to Keeve, a man who has more influence over the displaced Bajorans than their original contact. Picard tries to negotiate for Keeve's help, but the man has no love for the Federation due to its history of apathy toward Bajoran suffering . Ro barks at the man to listen to what Picard has to say, and the captain offers supplies to the refugees, which goes a long way toward establishing trust.

In Ten Forward, Ro drinks by herself, refusing all offers of conversation, and the other officers gossip about her. Guinan takes an interest in the new ensign and tries to get her to open up. In spite of Ro's attempts to be stand-offish, she finds herself talking about how she refused a direct order during an away mission, resulting in her court-martial and imprisonment. Guinan leaves proclaiming that she's made a friend. Ro then gets a message from Admiral Kennelly and informs him that "everything is going according to plan."

The crew soon find the location of the resistance cell, but Ro beams down well before the other officers without permission. Picard leads an away team that immediately gets ambushed by the terrorist leader Orta and his men, with Ro in tow. Orta claims that he was not behind the attack on the Federation. After being let go, Troi notes that Orta was telling the truth.

Picard has Ro confined to quarters as he tries to figure out what is going on. Guinan convinces Ro to come clean with what she knows and for Picard to listen to her. She admits that Admiral Kennelly arranged for her release on the condition that she would negotiate with the Bajoran terrorists to return to their camps in exchange for weapons and ships in their fight against the Cardassians. She also opens up, revealing how she watched her father get tortured to death and it made her ashamed to be Bajoran. Since the Bajorans aren't behind the attack, she didn't go through with the admiral's plan.

Tropes featured in this episode include:

• Artistic License – Military : As we do not know what exactly Ro Laren did that led to the deaths of eight crewmembers, the fact that she was sent to prison would indicate that the charges were extremely serious enough that she not only would have been sent to prison but also likely given a dishonorable discharge, meaning that Kennelly shouldn't have been able to arrange for her release and certainly should not been able to reinstate her in Starfleet.
• As You Know : Kennelly and Picard discussing the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, something both of them are already familiar with.
• Batman Gambit : After Ensign Ro reveals her orders from Kennelly to Picard, both Ro and Picard come up with a plan to have an empty ship remote piloted from the ground to see what the Cardassians do. Sure enough the Cardassians show up and destroy the ship, thus revealing what the plan was all along.
• Birds of a Feather : One reason Guinan takes a shine to Ro is because they've both suffered the loss of their homeworlds.
• Brick Joke : When Ro first arrives on the Enterprise , Riker orders her to remove her earring. At the end of the episode, Ro accepts a position on the Enterprise on one condition. When Picard asks what that is, she wordlessly replaces her earring.
• Brutal Honesty : Ro. She tells the senior staff that the Bajoran 'leader' they suggest contacting is seen as a stuffed shirt figurehead and tells Keeve he's being a fool about the Federation.
• Bystander Syndrome : Keeve accuses the Federation of using the Prime Directive as an excuse to ignore suffering outside their borders.
• Character Title : And as a bonus, the Ensign explains how to properly address Bajorans—surname first. She's Ensign Ro, not Ensign Laren.
• Chatty Hairdresser : Picard is glad of an excuse to escape the talkative Mr. Mott. Cutting the captain's hair seems to make Mott feel entitled to chatter about Romulan strategy.
• Crystal Spires and Togas : From Picard's description of the Bajorans, they were this before the Cardassian occupation. They had developed space travel while humans were still hunter-gatherers. Now, the occupation has reverted them to refugees.
• Does This Remind You of Anything? : Particularly when Picard mentions "the camps."
• The extra ridge above their nose was later dropped
• The term "Bajora" as a plural was used only twice more. Thereafter, people solidified on saying "Bajorans."
• This episode establishes that the Cardassians have occupied Bajor for forty years, while DS9 would put that number closer to fifty or sixty years.
• No Bajorans going forward do as Ro claims and allow other races to use their individual name as a surname because of Name Order Confusion . And, in fact, no one seems to be confused by it again, aside from one occasion in Star Trek: Voyager when Tal Celes is addressed as Crewman Celes. (Earth itself having a huge number of cultures that use such a name order made this seem like a bizarrely Anglocentric complaint, even at the time of airing, which is likely why this was dropped so quickly.)
• Ensign Ro wears her Bajoran earring on her left ear, while all the men wear theirs on their right. DS9 would have the right ear be standard for both genders (with the left ear used by the Cult of the Pah-Wraiths).
• On a similar note, the earrings appear to only be a cultural affectation at this point - their use as markers of their d'jarra, or caste, would not be established until midway through DS9 . Likewise, there's no mention of the Prophets, the central figures of Bajoran religion, which itself goes entirely unmentioned.
• Gul Dolak gives his unit as "Cardassian Militia 41", which is relatively consistent with terminology used in our previous look at the Cardassian military from " The Wounded ". DS9 would group the Cardassian military into "Orders". (Cardassian militias do spring up in relation to discussions about the Maquis, providing a possible "out" in terms of explanation.)
• Similarly, while it's a bit harder to notice due to the lighting, the Cardassians are still wearing the boxy leather plate armor from "The Wounded" rather than the sculpted black uniforms they become known for. (Those would debut a year later , just ahead of DS9 's own debut.) The makeup is still a bit more flesh-toned than the trademark pallor they'd get on DS9 and "Chain of Command", although the slicked-back hair is now fully recognizable.
• Easily Forgiven : Captain Picard seems ready to turn a new leaf with Ro Laren despite the fact that her disobeying orders led to the deaths of eight crewmembers. Both Riker and Geordi seem to react negatively to her reputation, but later episodes never address her actual past and her involvement in the deaths of those 8 crewmembers were never brought up again.
• "Everybody Helps Out" Denouement : The episode concludes with the Enterprise crew helping support and rebuild the Bajoran refugee camp after Picard learned the horrors of their condition from Ro, who he offers a position on the ship.
• Facial Horror : The right side of Orta's face is horribly scarred as a result of him having been tortured by the Cardassians.
• False Flag Operation : Picard deduces that the Cardassians actually attacked the Federation outpost, pinning it on the Bajorans and hoping the Federation will find them so the Cardassians can destroy them.
• Forced to Watch : When she was a little girl, the Cardassians made Ro come into a room and watch her father being tortured to death. In that case the goal was not to torment Ro, but to humiliate her father, as she witnessed his loss of dignity under the torture.
• He's a Friend : Picard's rather frosty demeanor towards Ensign Ro fades after Guinan tells him, "she's my friend". He decides that, if Guinan trusts Ro, then Ro is at least worth hearing out.
• Ineffectual Loner : Guinan points out that Ro's misanthropy and cynicism is a little too showy, and suggests that she actually enjoys self-torment and putting herself in public to be an object of suspicion and dislike. Ro's reaction suggests that Guinan's hit rather close to the mark.
• Innocuously Important Episode : Following on from the previous Season's "The Wounded", this episode formally cements the Cardassians as recurring villains and sets the stage for Deep Space Nine . While the Bajorans are introduced here as a refugees/aliens-of-the-week, the Occupation will be the catalyst for the spinoff and the Bajorans will end up becoming one of the most important races of the 24th Century era.
• Insane Admiral : Kennelly gets involved in a conspiracy with the Cardassians, which involves the Cardies attacking a Federation colony and pinning it on Bajoran terrorists. Whether Kennelly actually knows the truth or is just far too trusting of what the Cardassian envoy told him is unclear, although Picard believes the latter, explaining the truth to him and describing him as naive.
• Jerkass : Riker acts this way towards Ro because of her court-martial and imprisonment, but the highlight has to be when he orders her to remove her Bajoran earring despite the fact that Worf is allowed to wear his Klingon baldric and Troi doesn't wear her uniform at all while on duty.
• Jerkass Has a Point : Ensign Ro herself has more than a few points, including the culturally diverse Starfleet respect Bajoran tradition by addressing her in the correct manner as her family name is Ro. Ro has another point when she points out that the Bajoran diplomat Jas Holza has no real influence among her people when Dr. Crusher and Data suggest him as a possible contact to contact Orta.
• Name Order Confusion : Bajoran family names come first, followed by the given name. Riker, upon first meeting Ro Laren, addresses her as "Ensign Laren"; she is quick to point out his error. Because of this, Picard gets it right when addressing the refugee leader, which impresses the man. The entire issue could be seen as either an unintentional case of Creator Provincialism or intentional United Space of America , since an enormous chunk of Earth's population (mostly Asians) also uses the surname-first convention. Given how multicultural the Federation allegedly is, and how many alien species are members, you would think that their personnel records would be designed to accommodate alternate naming patterns.
• Ro's service on the Wellington , which led to her court-martial after she disobeyed orders and eight of her comrades died.
• Guinan again obliquely references her history with Picard but gives no real details.
• The One Who Made It Out : Ro hated the life of the refugee, with no home of her own and existing as part of a defeated people. That was why she joined Starfleet.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits : Orta's Resistance cell. In fact, this is what convinces Picard they couldn't have been involved in attacking the outpost—their equipment is far too broken-down to have been used.
• Rubber-Forehead Alien : Bajorans looks almost entirely human except for ridges on their noses. Rick Berman specifically ordered the makeup designers to keep Michelle Forbes attractive.
• Small Name, Big Ego : Mr. Mot, the ship's barber, has a very high opinion of his own opinions. He has the temerity to lecture Picard on what he ought to be doing about galactic politics. Picard suffers through it because, after all, Mot is the best barber in the quadrant.
• Smug Snake : Admiral Kennelly. Even after his scheme has been exposed, he still manages to look smug as hell.
• Stock Footage : Footage of Starbase 74 from " 11001001 " (which was, itself, footage from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ) is re-used in this episode to represent Lya Station Alpha.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality : Guinan sees this in Ro. Guinan: Am I disturbing you? Ro: Yes. Guinan: Good. You look like someone who wants to be disturbed. Ro: I'd rather be alone. Guinan: Oh, no you wouldn't. Ro: I beg your pardon? Guinan: If you wanted to be alone, you would've stayed in your quarters. The only reason to come here [Ten Forward] is to be amongst people.
• Trading Bars for Stripes : Ro was serving time in a Starfleet stockade when she was called into service again.
• Trap Is the Only Option : Implied. After Ro reveals Admiral Kennelly's orders to Picard, Picard decides to follow his own orders he received from the Admiral to see what really is happening, but with a Batman Gambit to fully expose the trap for all to see.
• Trust Password : Picard has little interest in hearing anything Ro has to say until Guinan calls Ro her friend. The fact that Guinan considers her as such softens Picard's opinion of her enough to hear her out.
• Unwitting Pawn : Admiral Kennelly is manipulated by the Cardassians in order to get the Federation involved in eradicating the Bajoran Resistance.
• War Refugees : The Bajorans who escaped the occupation of Bajor and aren't actively involved in the Resistance live like this.
• Whoopi Epiphany Speech : Guinan visits Ro's quarters and gives her a gentle push in the direction of Captain Picard. Ro decides to tell Picard the truth.
• Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters : The Bajorans seem to have crossed the line from "freedom fighters" to "terrorists" by attacking a neutral Federation target to get their attention. In actuality, the Cardassian occupiers are trying to pin the blame on them so the Federation will smoke them out.

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"'ensign ro', sir.".

Ensign Ro Laren explains to Captain Picard and Commander Riker after they mistakenly address her as "Ensign Laren" that Bajorans traditionally put their family name ahead of their given name.

Example of: Fantastic Naming Convention

• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E2 "Darmok"
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• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E4 "Silicon Avatar"

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Ro Laren was a female Bajoran national who served as a commander in Starfleet , working for Starfleet Intelligence during the early 25th century .

A survivor of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor , Ro had a tumultuous career within Starfleet. Following a court martial and demotion due to a catastrophic away mission, she was assigned to the Federation starship USS Enterprise -D in 2368 and mentored by Captain Jean-Luc Picard . In 2370 , Ro defected to the Maquis , after she started sympathizing with the group's goals during an undercover mission. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ", " Preemptive Strike ")

Later in life, Ro served time in prison and was recruited and rehabilitated by Starfleet Intelligence. In her new position, she had to rise through the ranks again, eventually becoming a Commander and handler of other operatives. In 2401 , Ro uncovered a Changeling infiltration of Starfleet and shared extensive knowledge about the threat with her former mentor Picard, shortly before her death. ( PIC : " Imposters ")

• 1 Childhood
• 2.1 Academy and early career
• 2.2.1 First mission
• 2.2.2 Later missions
• 3 Joining the Maquis
• 4 Return to Starfleet
• 5.1 Jean-Luc Picard
• 5.2 William T. Riker
• 5.3 Geordi La Forge
• 5.4 Deanna Troi
• 6.1 Appearances
• 6.2.1 Star Trek: The Next Generation
• 6.2.2 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• 6.2.3 Star Trek: Picard
• 6.3 Apocrypha
• 6.4 External links

Childhood [ ]

Ro was born on January 17 , 2340 on Bajor to Ro Talia and Ro Gale . ( TNG : " Conundrum ", " The Next Phase " personnel file )

Recalling her childhood as " a long, depressing period of [her] life, [she] was grateful when it was finally over. " ( TNG : " Rascals ") Ro had grown up in the Bajoran diaspora , as one of the thousands displaced into refugee camps by the Cardassian occupation of her homeworld . During her youth, she spent some time in the camps on Valo II . ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ") In all, she spent ten years in the camps. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

Although most of the time she didn't even have a bed while living in the camps, there were times she did, when she was very young, and she would be afraid of the imaginary monsters that were under her bed. ( TNG : " Rascals ", " Preemptive Strike ") To help ease her fears, Ro's father would play the belaklavion for her, which he told her had "special powers" and that "monsters were afraid of it, and they'd disappear whenever they heard it." She recalled that when she heard her father's music, she was never afraid to go to sleep. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

Ro Laren as she appeared at age twelve

In 2347 , Ro was shown the true nature of the occupation when she was given a piece of sugar candy by a Cardassian , who led her to a room where she found her father sitting inside. For the next two hours she was forced to sit and watch as a Cardassian questioned and tortured her father until he died.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Ro felt ashamed of being a Bajoran. She was ashamed of her father for being so weak, as she watched him beg for mercy. Laren eventually found that she could not live in an environment where her people were unable to feed and clothe themselves. Because of this, she ran away. Her father's death led her to have a life long hatred of Cardassians. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ") After his death, she finally realized that even her father could not make all the monsters in her life go away. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

Over time, Ro began to understand how misguided her feelings of shame were, and eventually she chose to no longer be ashamed of her heritage. Ro decided to keep her name in traditional form: family name first, given name second. She did this despite the fact that most Bajorans accepted the distortion of their names in order to assimilate. She also strongly favored wearing the traditional Bajoran earring , albeit on the left ear as opposed to the traditional right ear. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Later in her life, she revealed that she never really drew a picture of her mother. It was also revealed that the young Ro Laren was a repressed jumper . ( TNG : " Rascals ")

Starfleet career [ ]

Academy and early career [ ].

Ro Laren entered Starfleet Academy in 2358 and graduated with the class of 2362 . Her Starfleet service serial number was HL-2133-8947 (APL). ( TNG : " Conundrum ", " The Next Phase ")

One of Ro's early assignments was aboard the USS Wellington . During that assignment in the mid- 2360s , Ro was a member of the disastrous away team mission to Garon II . During the mission, Ro disobeyed direct orders, causing the eight other members of the away team to die. Ro was court martialed for her actions and refused to speak in her own defense. With little alternative, the court found Ro guilty and sentenced her to imprisonment in the stockade on Jaros II . ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ") Jean-Luc Picard felt that, had Ro not lost her rank following her court martial, she could have been a lieutenant commander by late 2368 . ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

USS Enterprise -D [ ]

First mission [ ].

In 2368 , Ro was released by Admiral Kennelly and reinstated into Starfleet in exchange for helping locate a Bajoran terrorist. While secretly conducting her mission, Ro was assigned to assist the USS Enterprise -D on stardate 45076.3 . Due to her familiarity with the Valo system , she was initially assigned as flight control officer . Upon reaching Valo II, she suggested the best route for them to take would be to go to the camp on the southern continent to find a man named Keeve Falor .

Ro sat alone in Ten Forward , sipping her beverage and turning people away when they offered to sit with her. As Geordi La Forge at the bar nearby expressed his displeasure at Ro's presence to Guinan , she decided to get to know Ro. During their conversation, Ro revealed that she was court-martialed for disobeying a direct order, resulting in the death of eight fellow officers. Guinan persisted despite Ro's efforts to push her away. In her quarters, Ro received a transmission from Kennelly and told him that all was going according to plan. When it came time to beam to the surface, Picard found Ro gone and the terrorists never showed up at the designated meeting location. He beamed down anyway with an away team, where they found themselves surrounded by armed Bajorans, with Ro among them. Orta emerged, his face mutilated and vocal cords cut by the Cardassians. He told them that the Bajorans did not attack Solarion IV and lets them go.

The surface of Valo II

Back on the Enterprise 's bridge, Ro discussed the issue of who attacked Solarion IV with the other officers until Picard asked her into his ready room. There he angrily asked her to explain her actions. While her intentions appeared to have been good – she hoped to avoid bloodshed by talking to Orta before the meeting – Picard confined her to her quarters for the rest of the mission. That night, Guinan visited Ro to talk about what happened. She observed that Ro seems to trust no one, least of all herself. After a brief conversation, Guinan recalled 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 took her to Picard's ready room. Guinan left the two of them to talk, and Ro revealed a secret about her purpose aboard the Enterprise : 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 did not know what to do. Ro shared 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 decided to find a way for Orta to help them expose the ones who really attacked the Federation colony. Picard, reluctant to let go of an officer with Ro's potential, requested that Ro remain on board for the Enterprise 's next scheduled mission to survey Sector 21305 . ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Later missions [ ]

Not long after Ro's transfer to the Enterprise , a quantum filament caused major damage to the ship. Unable to communicate with the rest of the crew, Ro, Lt. Cmdr. Troi , Chief O'Brien and Ensign Mandel were trapped on the bridge . The quantum resonance of the filament caused a polarity shift in the ship's antimatter containment fields, leading to a progressive degeneration in the fields, threatening the ship. Before Commander Riker and Lt. Cmdr. Data were able to restore control over the containment field, Ro suggested a saucer separation to save the saucer section , while sacrificing the stardrive section , stating that she was not sure whether anyone was still alive there. After Troi rejected Ro's proposal, the Enterprise 's main computer was brought back online, and the antimatter containment was fully restored. ( TNG : " Disaster ")

Ro defends the Enterprise bridge from the Ux-Mal

On stardate 45571.2 , Ro was at the helm of the Enterprise when one of the vessel's shuttlecraft crashed on the surface of a moon orbiting Mab-Bu VI . There, a number of the crew became possessed by anionic energy lifeforms superimposing neural patterns. During their attempted takeover of the bridge Ro shot at the possessed Miles O'Brien, but missed. She was in turn stunned by O'Brien.

After the lifeform-possessed crew members took over Ten Forward , Ro suggested giving them a plasma shock as a means of causing pain to the beings without causing any physical harm. If the plan worked and they were able to hit all three with a single discharge, they would cause the beings to evacuate the crew members.

Geordi La Forge and Ro Laren later attempted a rescue in the small access area between Decks 9 and 10, above Ten Forward. When they finally made their attempt, they were unable to get all three crew members in the beam, which eventually led to the abortion of their rescue attempt. ( TNG : " Power Play ")

On stardate 45652.1, Ro served on the bridge during an encounter with a temporal causality loop . She interrupted a staff meeting to report that sensors were getting unusual readings twenty thousand kilometers off the port bow. She noted that sensors did not detect the phenomenon until the ship was almost on top of it. As she attempted to back the Enterprise off from the phenomenon, she reported that the maneuvering thrusters were not responding, and as a ship emerged and she attempted to back the ship off, she reported that the helm was not responding.

In an alternate version of events , when the Enterprise collided with the USS Bozeman , which had emerged from the phenomenon, Ro Laren reported that the Enterprise 's inertial dampers were failing and that the ship was losing attitude control , moments before it was destroyed, and Ro died. ( TNG : " Cause And Effect ")

Ro and La Forge realizing that they can touch only each other

While investigating a damaged Romulan ship, Ro and Geordi La Forge were presumed dead in a transporter accident . Finding themselves freely walking around the ship but passing through other objects, Ro suspected that they were dead and simply remaining behind to say their goodbyes to their former lives, but La Forge refused to accept that. Eventually, La Forge figured out that they had actually been sent out of phase with the rest of the ship due to a flawed Romulan attempt to create a new kind of cloaking device, a theory that was proved when they confronted a Romulan in the same position as they. Learning of a Romulan plot to sabotage the Enterprise , Ro and La Forge managed to work out a means of canceling out the phase and restoring themselves to normal, thus allowing them to warn their shipmates of the danger. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

During a survey mission on stardate 46235.7, Ro, Picard, Guinan and Keiko O'Brien were briefly transformed into twelve-year-olds due to a transporter accident. Although Ro initially found the experience frustrating, when the ship was captured by a crew of rogue Ferengi , she took full advantage of her childish appearance to deal with the problem, such as slapping com badges onto the Ferengi to allow them to be transported, while declaring, " Tag – you're it! " After a process was discovered to return everyone to their proper ages, Ro actually spent a few hours longer in her childhood body, drawing pictures of her mother – something she'd never done during her actual childhood. ( TNG : " Rascals ")

Lt. Ro Laren following her Advanced Tactical Training.

On the recommendation of Captain Picard, Ro attended Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training , where she graduated in late 2370 . Following her graduation she was reassigned to the Enterprise with the rank of lieutenant and given quarters on deck four, section eight. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

Joining the Maquis [ ]

Posing as a member of the Maquis in 2370

In 2370 , Ro was assigned to infiltrate the Maquis . Although somewhat reluctant, she agreed, partially to validate Captain Jean-Luc Picard 's belief in her. By having Lt. Commander Data and Lt. Worf faking pursuit on the pretext she had killed a Cardassian soldier, she gained the attention of the Maquis Santos in a DMZ settlement bar.

She was kidnapped by Santos and was briefly questioned by him, Kalita and Macias . Macias immediately took a liking to Ro and trusted her even before her alibi was verified by Santos. He eventually became a father-like figure.

She later gained the trust of the rest of the Maquis by "stealing" medical supplies from the Enterprise . After gaining the Maquis' trust, she had them plan to invest significant resources to attack a Yridian convoy, which in actuality was a Federation trap.

Soon after, three Cardassians attacked the area near the Maquis cell and killed Macias, who with his dying breath told Ro, " When an old fighter like me dies, someone always steps forward to take his place ." She started questioning her loyalties, and tried to have the fake convoy trap canceled by claiming the Maquis would not invest resources to attack. However, Picard saw through her lies and questioned her resolve. She claimed she would carry out her duties, but Picard had Commander Riker accompany her to the attack.

Ro aiming a phaser at Riker before being beamed away by the Maquis

During the attack, she drew a phaser on Riker and fired a low-intensity particle beam from the shuttlecraft that revealed a Starfleet attack force hiding in a nebula near the bogus convoy. When the Maquis retreated, she had her ship move towards the Enterprise so Riker could leave. When asked why she was going with the Maquis, she replied, " It's been a long time since I really felt like I belonged somewhere. " Just before she beamed to another Maquis ship, she asked Riker to tell Picard she was sorry for betraying his trust. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ").

After some time with the Maquis, Ro turned herself in to Starfleet authorities and was imprisoned . ( PIC : " Imposters ")

Return to Starfleet [ ]

Due to her experience with terrorist activities, Ro was recruited by Starfleet Intelligence , who subjected her to an intensive rehabilitation program . By 2401 , she had advanced to the rank of commander .

Commander Ro Laren in 2401

That year, she boarded the USS Titan -A to interrogate Picard and Riker for hijacking the ship but, after a heated exchange with Picard over her betrayal and emotional reconnection, revealed that she was investigating the Changeling threat and told Picard that she believed Starfleet had been compromised at the highest levels. Ro gave Picard a head start to get away but was betrayed by her security team, who were actually Changelings in disguise, and gave the Titan -A the opportunity to escape by navigating the doomed shuttle towards the Intrepid 's port nacelle in an effort to cripple the vessel. Before boarding the shuttle, Ro gave Picard her Bajoran earring, which Riker discovered was a datachip containing files on her entire investigation. An incoming transmission revealed that she was Worf's handler . Picard was greatly affected by the loss. ( PIC : " Imposters ")

Relationships [ ]

Jean-luc picard [ ].

Although initially opposing Ro's assignment aboard the Enterprise , Captain Picard was impressed with the way she handled the situation. Following the mission, he told her she was free to leave the ship, but as a personal request, he wanted her to consider remaining in Starfleet.

During their first mission together, he observed her potential and noticed a certain quality about her that could possibly be harnessed and molded. Although Ro was flattered, she didn't feel she belonged in the uniform. Picard believed that she had a lot to learn from Starfleet, and she retorted that she felt Starfleet had a lot to learn from her. Picard felt that attitude was common among the best officers he had served with, and that although she was not one of those officers, someday she could be if she decided to work at it.

Ro accepted Picard's "interesting challenge," something she rarely refused, and in return, at Ro's request, Picard allowed her to bend the Starfleet uniform code and wear her traditional Bajoran earring . ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Picard later sponsored Ro's entrance into Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training program. Although the program was exceptionally difficult, Ro graduated and was re-posted to the Enterprise as a full lieutenant . When she betrayed Starfleet and permanently joined the Maquis, Picard felt responsible for Ro's betrayal and believed he pushed her in doing so, but he also felt angry that she ultimately did. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

William T. Riker [ ]

Ro and Riker in 2368

Commander Riker was not thrilled with the assignment of Ro to the Enterprise , and demanded nothing but the highest standards of performance from her.

Upon her initial beam-in, Riker immediately reprimanded her for wearing her traditional Bajoran earring, which was not allowed according to the Starfleet uniform code. Riker later shared his concerns with Picard, stating that there would be members of the crew who would not want to serve with Ro.

Riker was infuriated by Ro's acceptance of her assignment aboard the Enterprise when she stated that " It was better than prison. " ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ", " Conundrum ", " Preemptive Strike ")

Ro, with Riker and Troi after their memories were wiped by the Satarrans

Later, during a period in which the Enterprise crew lost their memories, Riker and Ro had a brief sexual tryst. Set against their prior antagonistic relationship, this created an awkward situation when the crew's memories were restored, but Counselor Deanna Troi indicated that people in such a situation might likely act on what they would subconsciously wish to do. ( TNG : " Conundrum ")

Riker was set to deliver a eulogy for Ro at a memorial service for her and Geordi La Forge when they were believed to have been killed in a transporter accident. However, he never had an opportunity to deliver it as both Ro and La Forge were revealed to be alive. The mystery of what Riker would have said baffled Ro. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

Riker was the last Enterprise crewmember to see Ro when he joined her in an undercover effort to stave off a Maquis strike. Ro turned a phaser on him, however, explaining her defection to the Maquis, and asked him to relay her apologies to Captain Picard. Riker wished her well before she escaped. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

Geordi La Forge [ ]

Geordi La Forge believed that the only reason she was on her initial mission was because of orders, as he believed that she didn't belong aboard the Enterprise or even in a Starfleet uniform. TNG : " Ensign Ro ") The two later bonded, however, when they were cloaked and phased by a Romulan interphase generator and forced to find a way to return to normal. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

Deanna Troi [ ]

While the Enterprise was damaged due to an encounter with a quantum filament , Ro was in conflict with Deanna Troi , who was the senior officer on the bridge, about whether to detach the saucer section, thereby saving the lives they could. Troi was opposed to the idea, even though Ro argued vehemently in favor of separating the ship.

After Commanders Riker and Data stabilized the ship, Ro admitted to Troi that she was wrong. Troi responded that she might as easily have been right.

Ro does not appear to be guided by sentimentality when in a crisis situation, as indicated by her harsh comment to Troi during this incident. ( TNG : " Disaster ")

Later the same year, Ro and Troi shared a drink in Ten Forward following the retrieval of their lost memories. ( TNG : " Conundrum ")

Guinan befriends Laren, against her wishes

Guinan became interested in Ro after learning a bit about her past from La Forge. Guinan defended Ro in front of Picard and encouraged her to reveal the truth to him about the nature of her mission. Picard was willing to listen, as he knew Guinan did not call someone a friend easily.

Ro and Guinan remained friends. When they were both transformed into children, Guinan helped Ro take the opportunity to experience the childhood she was denied as a Bajoran refugee. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ", " Rascals ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Ensign Ro " (Season 5)
• " Disaster "
• " Conundrum "
• " Power Play "
• " Cause And Effect "
• " The Next Phase "
• " Rascals " (Season 6)
• " Preemptive Strike " (Season 7)
• PIC : " Imposters "

Background information [ ]

Star trek: the next generation [ ].

Michelle Forbes establishing the role with Director Les Landau during production on "Ensign Ro"

Ensign Ro was played by Michelle Forbes and first appeared in the fifth season TNG episode named for her, " Ensign Ro ". Forbes was chosen for the role because the production staff were impressed with her performance as Dara in the fourth season episode " Half a Life ". ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 177))

According to Rick Berman , Ro was introduced as a sharp-edged character to contrast with the TNG main cast. He 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))

Michael Piller was pleased with how Ro Laren turned out. " I created the Ensign Ro character, and I certainly loved writing for her, " he enthused. " She was so fresh because she was one of those people that didn't get along with anybody easily, so she always had a lot to learn as a character. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 101, p. 14)

Indirectly, Michelle Forbes was Michael Westmore 's inspiration for the Bajoran design and makeup. After her being hired for the part of Ro Laren in TNG, Rick Berman told Westmore, " We've hired a pretty girl and I want to keep her that way. Think of something that we can take and make her look a little alien, and still get the idea she's from another planet, but she's still gorgeous. " ( Michael Westmore's Aliens: Season One , DS9 Season 1 DVD special features)

Shortly before Ro made her on-screen debut in "Ensign Ro", Rick Berman regarded her as "a character who very well might recur." He went on to remark, " She plays very nicely with our characters and […] she's a very interesting character. " ( Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine  issue 82 , p. 6)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine [ ]

During the production of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , it was intended that Ro Laren be the first officer of Deep Space 9 under Benjamin Sisko 's command. Michelle Forbes turned down the offer and the character was modified and became the basis for Kira Nerys . ( The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )

In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine bible of April 1992, Ro Laren's entry stated, " Established on ST:TNG. She is properly addressed as Lieutenant Ro since Bajorans put their family names first. (Note: She will receive a promotion from Ensign to Lieutenant on an episode of ST:TNG before this series begins.) As a Bajoran, Ro cares passionately about her people's independence. That's why she volunteered for duty on the space station. Sisko originally refused to accept her transfer…He didn't want anything to do with someone with her undistinguished service record and reputation. But during the first episode, she proves her value to him and becomes his first officer. " In Jadzia Dax 's entry in the bible, a friendship between Ro and Jadzia was suggested: " Ro, who forms a very close relationship with Dax, often tells her to loosen up. Dax admires Ro for her youthful energy, her purpose and her drive and becomes something of a mentor to her. " In Odo 's entry, Ro " finds Odo's negative attitude to authority delightful and they have a Bajoran fellowship. " The bible entry for Quark posited that he and Ro would become adversaries. ( The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )

An unproduced Star Trek: Voyager script was to have featured a flashback to Tom Paris ' time at Starfleet Academy, showing that he and Ro were classmates. ( citation needed • edit )

Star Trek: Picard [ ]

Terry Matalas stated in an interview that in early drafts for season 3 of Star Trek: Picard , Ro was planned to survive the destruction of her shuttle in " Imposters ", having been beamed off of it by the Changelings for information; however, this was never filmed. Matalas described the season as already having "too ambitious of a schedule", and that "There were things that we just simply didn’t have the time and money to shoot." [2]

Apocrypha [ ]

Ro Laren, as depicted in the uniform of the Bajoran Militia on the cover of Lesser Evil .

In the 1990s, Ro Laren appeared in several unconnected novels and comics, since then retconned as part of the First Splinter Timeline. One of these was the Deep Space Nine novel Wrath of the Prophets , where she teamed up with Kira Nerys to track down a black market dealer on Bajor . She also appeared in the Next Generation novels The Devil's Heart , The Romulan Prize , War Drums , Requiem , The Romulan Stratagem , Sins of Commission , The Last Stand , Here There Be Dragons and The Death of Princes . Ro also appeared in the Deep Space Nine comic " Friend and Foe Alike ". In the Star Trek: The Dominion War novels Behind Enemy Lines and Tunnel Through the Stars by John Vornholt , Ro Laren and Captain Picard lead a team to destroy an artificial wormhole being constructed by the Dominion in Cardassian space .

Ro Laren is one of the main characters in a number of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novels that have also since been retconned as part of the First Splinter Timeline. The novels show that Ro survived the Dominion's extermination of the Maquis and joined with a few other Maquis survivors to fight their own war effort against the Dominion. After the Dominion War , Ro returned to Bajor and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Bajoran militia, replacing Odo as Chief of Security on DS9 and eventually starting a relationship with Quark . Initially, Starfleet wanted her arrested, but behind the scenes, Captain Picard quietly urged Starfleet to reconsider their decision. When Bajor joined the Federation, Ro considered leaving the station with Quark, but her old uniform was sent to her by Picard as encouragement to remain on the station. Ro remained with the militia as it was absorbed into Starfleet and was given a Starfleet commission at the rank of Lieutenant. As of the novel Zero Sum Game (set in 2382 ), Ro was the commanding officer of Deep Space 9 and a Starfleet Captain. After the destruction of the original station in the Star Trek: Typhon Pact novels Plagues of Night and Raise the Dawn , Captain Ro takes command of the new station built in its place, starting in Revelation and Dust .

Ro wears her Bajoran earring on her left ear rather than her right like every other Bajoran seen on screen, with the exception of those who worshiped the Pah-wraiths . In the aforementioned novels, it is explained that Ro does this because she does not believe in the Prophets, but still wants to acknowledge her heritage. It has the advantage of discouraging vedeks from pinching her left ear to read her pagh .

Star Trek Online 's backstory differs somewhat, stating that Ro surrendered to Starfleet in 2379 , pleaded guilty to desertion , and served two years in a penal colony on Earth . Upon her release she was granted a commission in the Bajoran militia and became chief of security for Deep Space 9.

In the new timeline of the IDW comics, it is revealed that, by 2378 , Ro was no longer a member of the Maquis and was secretly recruited by Worf to help him hunt down Kahless . ( Star Trek: Defiant )

The Star Trek: Terok Nor novel Night of the Wolves depicts Ro's life during the Occupation.

External links [ ]

• Ro Laren at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Ro Laren at Wikipedia

Star Trek: The Next Generation : "Ensign Ro"/"Silicon Avatar"

"Ensign Ro"  Or  The One Where The Cardassians Mistake Picard For A Fool

To sum up: A new bad-ass female character! Also, Guinan. Ugh.

Well, there's a bit more going on beyond that. "Ensign Ro" introduces us to the Bajoran race, the Space Jews (basically), who've been persecuted by the evil Cardassians (who are pretty darn evil this time around); these guys and this conflict are going to end up being a lot more important in  Deep Space Nine . In fact, it's one of the fundamental conflicts of that show, to the point where I had to actually make sure "Ro" was the first time we'd heard of the Bajorans. The Cardassians first popped up in last season's "The Wounded," and the two alien species are so inextricably bound together in the franchise's mythology, I half assumed we'd heard about Bajor back then too. But we hadn't. So here they are, all bad feelings and refugee camps and nose bridge wrinkles. And, in the case of one Ro Laren, hot, hot hotness.

Related Content

Okay, okay, that's a bit dick (word play!). It's not fair to turn one of the show's first really interesting and exciting recurring female characters into Hottie of the Week. And yes, you read right; five seasons in, and we're only now getting a woman who isn't either painfully underwritten (hi, Bev!) or just painful (hi, Troi!). There have been passable one-offs before (I think, right? There have to have been), and both Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi have had their moments. Hell, Lwaxana Troi wasn't all terrible the last time she was here, although don't tell her I said that. But there's something new about Ro, something that makes her interesting from her first moments on the  Enterprise  on. Yes, partly that's because Michelle Forbes is a nice looking woman, but Forbes is also a terrific actress, able to give weight to even utter absurdity like her role as "Pagan Goddess of Sexing It Up" in the second season of  True Blood . There's steel in her, which isn't really something you can say about the show's usual female cast; hell, the only male I can see standing toe to toe with her is Picard, and  maybe  Riker on a good day.

The last time we saw Forbes on the show, she was in the unenviable task of trying to convince her father to commit suicide in "Half a Life." Her character here is just as driven, but her internal conflicts are far more sympathetic. For one, she's actually  conflicted  about them, instead of playing a one note concept created solely to help prop up the episode's central argument. Ro is tricky. She arrives on the  Enterprise  with the chip on her shoulder pre-installed, and Riker's immediate order to remove her Bajoran ear-pieces doesn't improve the room temperature. (Riker is uber-dickish here, probably because of Ro's reputation. I doubt he'd dress down any other new ensign for having a bit of jewelry.) Ro comes with a past, which only comes clear gradually over the course of the episode, but her frustration is clear from the outset. This is someone who's been repeatedly instructed on the possible depths of betrayal, and she's learned her lesson very well.

Another point to recommend this episode is that it keeps the complicated politics the show has been slowly bringing to the forefront in the past few seasons, and it does so without belaboring the point or getting too tied up in the details. The situation is set down clearly and concisely. Once upon a time, the people of Bajor were super-advanced. Like, even better than humans, which, I know, is totally hard to believe, but I'm serious. Then they had the misfortune of meeting the Cardassians, who, having just had their reality show cancelled, weren't in a very pleasant mood. The Cardassian subjugated the race, eventually kicking them off their home planet, and now, the Bajorans live in isolated pockets through the galaxy, struggling to make ends meet. Some of them aren't particularly happy about this, and they've formed resistance groups. One of those resistance groups, led by a Two-Face wannabe named Orta, apparently just blew up a Federation outpost. As the Federation has done it's damnedest to stay out of the fight (Prime Directive again), this is a very big deal.

Which is how the  Enterprise  gets involved, as Admiral Kennelly charges Picard with tracking Orta and his Bajoran down to make some kind of deal. Kennelly assigns Ro to the ship as well, ostensibly to aid in the negotiations, but really because he's given Ro a secret mission to offer Orta equipment the Federation has no intention of delivering. Kennelly has actually made a secret deal with the Cardassians to draw Orta out of hiding, so that the Cardassians can take care of their problem and, in doing so, seemingly resolve a sticky situation for the Federation as well. It's up to Picard to untangle the situation, and things get really tricky when he meets Orta face to face and Orta denies ever attacking any Federation outposts. Which makes you wonder who would do such a thing; who might benefit from tricking an ally into believing they have a common enemy…

Not that hard to unpack, really, but the implications here are potentially devastating. For one, by the end of the episode, it's clear that the Cardassians were responsible for the destroyed outpost, which at the very least throws their relationship with the Federation into question. This isn't the sort of situation where everyone can just shake hands and agree mistakes were made; there's a question of proof, but if the folks at Starfleet are able to provide any, the whole balance of power might shift. (I realize I could look this up on Wikipedia, as  Deep Space Nine  does a lot with the set-up, but I'd rather go on with vague memories and fingers crossed.) There's also a definite questioning of the value of the Prime Directive, as the Bajorans suffering is unequivocal, and their persecution at the hands of the Cardassians is impossible to justify. Besides, it's not like the Bajorans were significantly less advanced than the Federation. This isn't "let's not mess with a still developing culture." This is "Well, Vietnam sucked, so maybe we should not do that." Well, roughly. The problem is, there are clear good guys and bad guys here, which makes non-interference increasingly difficult to justify. You can see even Picard struggling with his convictions. Sure, he stands by them, but he's clearly satisfied at pulling a fast one on the Cardassians in the end.

So, we've got a straightforward conflict with engaging undercurrents. And we've got Ro, who, as I said, is terrific. Antagonistic characters on this show are too often strident irritants or morally corrupt bureaucrats, so it's great to have someone who, at least at first, doesn't much care for the  Enterprise  and doesn't immediately worship Picard or Riker or anyone else. Ro's surliness, while it lasts, is one of the rare times that  TNG  has managed to have a frustrated character who doesn't immediately seem overly hateful or falsely confrontational. Generally, the  Enterprise  crew is such a swell bunch that whenever someone shows up and doesn't immediately drink the Flavor Aid, that person almost always comes off as exaggeratedly unreasonable. Ro doesn't. There's something almost refreshing in her unwillingness to be chums.

Of course she has to warm to Picard eventually, and the reason why is the episode's big stumbling point: Guinan. The character has been used well before, but lately, every time she shows up on screen, she drags the episode to a screeching halt, churning out cringe-worthy, pat dialogus that belongs in the climax of some terrible children's film. Here, she forces her friendship on Ro, which somehow leads to Ro trusting her, which then leads to Guinan bringing her to confess her problems to Picard. Once Guinan leaves the room, it's a fine scene. In fact, everything in this episode that doesn't feature Guinan works very well. And yet, there she is, dragging us down half a letter grade. There are half a dozen other, better ways to handle Ro's transition from skeptic to reluctant believer, and the hand-holding we get here is probably the worst. (Well, I guess she could've fallen in love with Riker and/or Barclay. That would've been worse.) Thankfully, the rest of the episode is strong enough that this is just a blip in an otherwise excellent hour.

Stray Observations:

• I think the  Enterprise 's commitment to quality occasionally goes a little too far. I mean, do they really need "The Best Barber in Starfleet"! (That said, I'm always amused by Picard's complete inability to deal with the overly gregarious. It's not hard to relate.)
• Ro uses the word "assimilate" in reference to her unwillingness to let go of Bajoran customs. That has to be a loaded word for Starfleet, and Picard especially.
• Ro's shame: She was on an away team, and she didn't follow orders, and eight people died. Unless I missed something, we don't get more than that.

"Silicon Avatar"

Or  The One Where Data Talks Like A Teenager

So we're in the fifth season, right? The longer a show like this goes on, the more likely the writers are to bring back characters or threats from earlier episodes. We've had a handful of recurring faces. Every year seems to bring us another Q episode or some more face time with Lwaxana. But "Silicon Avatar" is a call-back I wasn't expecting at all, pulling a creature from way back in the first season episode, "Datalore." And it's not the one who had any lines. I spent a good chunk of "Silicon" wondering if Lore would show up, but the show here belongs to his old pal, the Crystalline Entity, and a deeply, deeply disturbed woman named Dr. Kila Marr. Like "Ensign Ro," this isn't a perfect episode; I'd rank it lower than "Ensign," as the guest actress here (Ellen Geer) isn't quite up to the task. But "Avatar" is still strong, and refreshingly bleak in its conclusions.

Speaking of bleak, as cold opens go, this one is uncharacteristically dark. Riker is helping some colonists settle into their new home; said help involves letting Data and Beverly do science-y things over yonder, while chatting up the cute colony leader. Their conversation leads to what has to be the most blatant double entendre on the show in a while ("I provide the most memorable desserts,"), and it's pretty clear Riker is going to get lucky, at least until the Entity shows up and kills the poor woman. (I suppose I could make a joke here about how she escaped a fate worse than death, but I'm sure Riker is perfectly adequate in his romantic duties. The beard does most of the work, probably.) Riker, Data, Beverly, and most of the rest of the colonists hide in a nearby cave while the Entity lays waste to the countryside. Once the danger passes, the  Enterprise  arrives and pulls the group out of their hole. The damage is catastrophic, and an official decision is made: The Entity must be dealt with, once and for all.

To aid this, Dr. Kila Marr comes aboard the ship. Marr is an expert on the Entity; her 16-year-old son was killed by the creature, during the same attack that killed the colonists on Data's home world. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't particularly like Data at first contact, lumping him in with Lore as a potential threat because of Lore's relationship with the Entity. Data deals with this as he always deals with emotional assault: patiently, but with a slight look of confusion on his face, like a man who isn't quite sure what language he's hearing. So we get an act's worth of one of my least favorite recurring  TNG  motifs, the "let's be mean to Data" plot. It's fairly ridiculous here, as it always is; while Marr's bad feelings aren't impossible to understand, her refusal to hide them in any way is at best unprofessional and at worst downright foolish. None of it bothers Data, of course, but it makes her come off as a narrow-minded fool.

Admittedly, she kind of is a fool, and it's not like super-smart people of any era are always going to be the most emotionally unstable. It's just not much fun to watch, because it's all one note, and whether or not Data is offended, it's unpleasant to see a character we care about so openly despised. Thankfully, Marr comes around to the android, and it doesn't take her all that long to do so. Points to the episode, then, for recognizing that it's very difficult to hold a grudge against someone who refuses to gloat or wince at your insults. (In fact, it seems like Marr loses her interest in baiting him after realizing just this.) Instead of taking the full hour to show Marr gradually softening her hostilities, we change tacks before the midpoint, when the doctor learns that Data has memories and records from all the colonists on Omnicron Theta. That means he has her dead son's journals floating around inside his skull. And then things get awkward.

Really, Geer is the weak link here. Given the consequences of her increased obsession with Data's stored memories and the way she uses those memories to try and recreate her connection to her son, it's hard to argue that anyone involved on the episode thought that Data speaking in the dead kid's voice was a good thing. And yet Marr's reaction goes beyond grief-stricken madness into something disappointingly close to camp, undermining the scenes to the point where their creepiness is so obvious, it's uncomfortable to watch. In order for "Silicon" to be completely effective, we need to feel some sympathy towards Marr. Instead, she's just an overly obvious crazy person, which makes it far more difficult to take the ethical problem at the heart of the episode seriously.

Which is a shame, because it's a problem worth taking seriously. Marr assumes (and it's another mark in favor of the episode that, until we hear otherwise, her assumptions seem entirely reasonable) that the  Enterprise 's mission to track down the Entity will result in a battle and the Entity's destruction. But Picard insists that she and Data work out some way to communicate with the creature. He argues that it has as much right to live as they do, and it's possible to both see where he's coming from and still believe he's wrong. Given that most people in the audience would be siding with Marr at this point (or, because she's a nutbag, they'll be siding with Riker, who also has serious reservations about not killing the Entity on sight), the episode goes a little too far in sticking by Picard's point of view. After all, this creature has killed hundreds, if not thousands; at a certain point, "right to live" becomes questionable in the face of all that death.

And yet it's refreshing to see the show so willing to stick to its guns that whether or not you agree with Picard, his position is still obviously consistent with his character. He is a man who persists in demanding the best of all possible worlds, of acknowledging the limitations of the universe, while still insisting that he and his crew strive to rise above them. This nobility makes the climax of the episode surprisingly affecting. The Entity itself is an instantly dated bit of CGI wizardry, and it has little in the way of personality, apart from its structural beauty. But when Marr betrays Data and Picard and the others, and kills the creature while pretending to "speak" to it, it's unsettling. The Crystalline Entity had killed, yes, but there was no way of knowing it had any understanding of what it did, and in those initial moments, Data had gained whatever trust it had to offer, and then that trust was betrayed.

Then Data asks to escort Marr back to her room, and for a moment, you think he'll offer some word of reconciliation, some final thought from her dead son to give her peace of mind. Marr has gone around the bend at this point, actively (and, one guesses, willingly) mistaking Data for her dead child, and you assume that, since this is  TNG , there'll be an attempt to mollify the harshness of the previous scene. Instead, when Marr begs Data to tell her how her son would approve of her actions, Data tells her he believes her son would be unhappy with what she'd done. That her son valued her scientific passion and her respect for life, and that, in destroying the Entity, she betrayed this integrity. "Yes, I believe your son would be very sad now," he says. And that's the end. You'd think I would've gotten used to Data episodes ending this way, but it gets me every time. There are few things more powerful, and more devastating, than an inarguable truth.

• Out Of Context Theater Presents: "You handle that unit like a veteran, doctor."
• Hey, remember how Troi's an empath? Remember how she's spent her life learning to read emotions and understand how people think? It's too bad she wasn't on the bridge when Marr killed the Entity, or else she could've warned… oh wait, that's right, she  was  on the bridge, and she didn't say a damn thing. Admittedly, Marr was so clearly unstable that everyone should've been on their guard anyway, but this is just absurd.

Next week: We take a trip through the imaginatively titled "Disaster" and learn where Angry Birds really started in "The Game."

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Star Trek: Picard 's latest Next Generation cameo was all about 'doing a paranoia thriller'

"I so desperately wanted to see the conclusion to that relationship," says showrunner Terry Matalas of Jean-Luc Picard and the latest surprise guest.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 5.

Patrick Stewart 's Jean-Luc is touring his greatest hits in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard by bringing back a bevy of familiar faces from The Next Generation . The reunions keep coming in episode 5, titled "Imposters," which sees a character showrunner Terry Matalas says he really wanted for his story arc.

Actress Michelle Forbes returns as Ro Laren, a Bajoran member of Starfleet who served on the U.S.S Enterprise-D. Trekkies last saw her in season 7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1994. The character now arrives on Picard to question Jean-Luc and Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) about the Titan's activities, but similar to her past story arcs, there's a secret, more pressing reason why she's really there.

"There was nothing I wanted to do more than bring Ro Laren back," Matalas tells EW. "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."

Ro made her first appearance on The Next Generation in 1991 in the episode "Ensign Ro," and her colorful background includes a conviction for disobeying orders and getting eight crewmen killed. She was first stationed on the U.S.S. Enterprise on a secret mission to make a deal with a suspected Bajoran terrorist, but her principles in the matter are what gained her respect from Picard.

The last time Picard saw her — at least on screen — was in season 7 when she was sent to infiltrate a resistance group known as the Maquis and ended up defecting. A lot has seemingly happened to Ro off screen since that time. To use Picard's own words, "How the hell is Ro Laren back in Starfleet?!" It turns out she was once again rehabilitated and brought up through Starfleet Intelligence.

She beams aboard the U.S.S Titan in Picard season 3 with two armed security guards from the U.S.S Intrepid as Jean-Luc and Riker face potential treason charges. Once both Picard and Ro break the ice and confirm neither of them are Changelings, she reveals her true purpose for being there is because Starfleet has been infiltrated at the highest level by Changelings.

"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," Matalas says. "That was Ro and Picard, and I so desperately wanted to see the conclusion to that relationship."

Closure comes just in time. The episode concludes with the death of Ro, who realizes too late that her own detail has been infiltrated by Changelings who plant a bomb on her shuttle. She's at least able to leave behind her Bajoran earring containing all her files on the Changelings before crashing her shuttle into the Intrepid.

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I remembered michelle forbes was in star trek: tng before she was ro laren.

Ro Laren shook things up when she joined Star Trek: The Next Generation in season 5, however this was actually Michelle Forbes' second TNG role.

• Michelle Forbes first played Dara in Star Trek: TNG before becoming the popular Ensign Ro Laren in season 5.
• Ro Laren's flaws and troubled past brought a refreshing dynamic to TNG, culminating in a shocking betrayal in season 7.
• Ro Laren may make a comeback in upcoming Star Trek projects, potentially revealing her survival after a shuttle explosion.

Before she played Ensign Ro Laren, Michelle Forbes played an entirely different character in Star Trek: The Next Generation . Ensign Ro Laren was created by Michael Piller, and introduced in TNG season 5. Discussing the character of Ro in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , Rick Berman said that the character originated from a desire to feature " character with the strength and dignity of a Starfleet officer but with a troubled past, an edge. " Michelle Forbes was cast as Ensign Ro and joined the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation on a recurring basis.

Michelle Forbes' career began, like Star Trek: The Next Generation , in 1987 with a role in the TV soap Guiding Light . Between 1989 and 1991, Forbes had a handful of minor roles in network shows like The Father Dowling Mysteries before joining the cast of TNG for season 5. The success of Ro Laren on TNG led to Michelle Forbes being offered a regular role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but she turned it down to pursue other roles. However, while Ro Laren was an early role for Michelle Forbes, it wasn't the first character that she had played in Star Trek: TNG.

Star Trek: Why Ensign Ro Laren Left TNG (& How It Set Up DS9)

Michelle forbes’ star trek: tng role before ro laren.

Michelle Forbes first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Dara in the Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett) episode "Half a Life" . Dara was the daughter of Lwaxana's latest love interest, Doctor Timicin (David Ogden Stiers), they were members of an alien race called the Kaelon, whose culture had a controversial approach to old age. Rather than succumbing to the ravages of aging, and the various indignities of getting older, the sixty-year-old Kaelons conduct a ceremony known as Resolution, in which they celebrate their life and accomplishments with friends and family before taking their own life in a ritual suicide.

It's a typically unsubtle Star Trek metaphor for how contemporary society can be guilty of abandoning their senior citizens. Having fallen in love with Lwaxana Troi, Timicin opts not to go ahead with his Resolution ceremony. This forced Dara to visit the USS Enterprise-D to plead with her father not to go against tradition and bring shame upon their family. Eventually, she convinces her father to follow tradition, breaking Lwaxana's heart. Star Trek: The Next Generation 's producers were so impressed by Michelle Forbes' performance as Dara in the pivotal scene in "Half a Life" that they later offered her the role of Ro Laren in season 5.

Why Ro Laren Was So Popular In Star Trek: TNG

Ro Laren was a popular Star Trek: The Next Generation character because she had flaws, something that Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the Enterprise-D weren't allowed to have. These flaws and Ro's troubled past helped to shake up the dynamics on TNG , freshening the show up as a result. Many of Picard's crew opposed Ro's assignment to the starship Enterprise, most notably Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who had an antagonistic relationship with the Bajoran.

Ro Laren also had the most satisfying character arc in Star Trek: The Next Generation , culminating in her shocking betrayal toward the end of TNG season 7 . "Preemptive Strike" is the best Star Trek: TNG episode directed by Patrick Stewart , and showed Ro deciding that she could no longer accept Starfleet's insubstantial response to Cardassian Occupation across the galaxy. The concept of a Starfleet officer who no longer believes in their mission really captured the imagination, and helped to sell the personal stakes involved in the Maquis storylines that would recur throughout both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager .

Ro's betrayal captured the imagination of Terry Matalas, who brought the character back in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 5, "Imposters". Discussing his decision to bring back Ro with Entertainment Weekly , Terry Matalas said that the history between Commander Laren and Admiral Picard was perfect for the story he wanted to tell. Ro's brief return in Picard also allowed Terry Matals to resolve the cliffhanger ending of "Preemptive Strike".

"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 [...] That was Ro and Picard, and I so desperately wanted to see the conclusion to that relationship."

Ro Laren Can Still Return To Star Trek

Commander Ro Laren's shuttle was destroyed, seemingly killing off Michelle Forbes' beloved Star Trek character. However, one scene from the Star Trek: Picard season 3 finale would have revealed that she had been captured by the Changelings prior to the shuttle exploding. In a roundtable Picard interview with Terry Matalas revealed that the scene was written but never made it in front of the cameras. This means that, if Terry Matalas' Star Trek: Legacy is commissioned, he can finally reveal that Ro Laren survived the shuttle explosion by being beamed aboard the USS Intrepid, and held in its brig.

Even if Star Trek: Legacy doesn't happen, there are ways for Michelle Forbes to return as Ro Laren elsewhere in the franchise. For example, Star Trek: Lower Decks takes place in the years after the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies ended, meaning that the Lower Deckers could bump into Ro Laren during her post-Maquis rehabilitation. There's even an outside chance that Ro Laren could appear in Star Trek: Prodigy , given that Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) has a strong track record of rehabilitating Maquis terrorists by giving them second chances. While these are fun ideas, nothing could beat the chance to see Ro Laren resurrected if Terry Matalas' Star Trek: Legacy show becomes a reality.

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.

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How Battlestar Galactica Recruited A Star Trek Alum For Its Best Villain

The Cylons, androids created by man, are the villains of "Battlestar Galactica," but they wear human guises . This reflects how the show's human heroes are all deeply flawed people and humanity's foibles (from arrogance to self-destructive) continue to haunt them even as their technology soars past the modern day.

Indeed, the best villain in "Battlestar Galactica" was a human character: Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes), commander of the Battlestar Pegasus. In the series' pilot min-series, the Cylons attack humanity's 12 colonies. The only survivors appear to be Galactica herself and a handful of civilian spaceships, who set out to find the mythical world Earth to be their new home.

Midway through season 2 in the episode, "Pegasus," the Galactica and her fleet meet the Pegasus, the other Battlestar which survived the genocide. (Galactica, as an older model, didn't have networked computers for the Cylons to hack, while Pegasus was undergoing a retrofit and so avoided the full brunt of the Cylons' virus). It doesn't stay a happy reunion for long. In a great dramatic move, Cain pulls rank on Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and wastes no time asserting her authority. The weight of her grave situation has made her snap, turning her into a dictator who cares not about preserving humanity but about going down swinging against the Cylons. If any subordinates question her, she kills them. 

Forbes, one of few actors who can be as steely and coldly terrifying as Olmos, was perfect casting. Moments like the cliffhanger ending of "Pegasus," where Adama and Cain have a tense phone call before their ships prepare for battle, make me think "Battlestar Galactica" might be the best science-fiction series ever filmed. 

Before "Galactica," series co-creator Ronald D. Moore was a writer on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" — which is where he first worked with Forbes.

Star Trek's Ensign Ro

Forbes joined "The Next Generation" in season 5 as Ensign Ro Laren and was a recurring character; she appeared in six of the season's 26 episodes. My first experience watching "The Next Generation" was a season 5 DVD box set, so I think of Ro as a more integral part of the show than she really was.

Ro is a Bajoran. (Like Southeast Asian cultures, Bajoran names arrange the family name preceding the given name.) Ro Laren's full history can be read here , but the nuts and bolts are: Bajor has long been occupied by the imperialist Cardassians and Ro grew up in a refugee camp. Her membership in Starfleet is more of an alliance of convenience; she certainly doesn't share the organization's idealism. In her last appearance (season 7's "Preemptive Strike," the penultimate "Next Generation" episode), she defects to the anti-Cardassian terrorist organization the Maquis.

Producer Rick Berman (who co-created Ro with writer Michael Piller) wanted to shake up the Enterprise-D crew dynamic. Quoted in "The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion" by Larry Nemecek, Berman says, "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." Forbes was cast as Ro due to an impressive guest appearance in the season 4 episode "Half A Life" ( far from the only time "Star Trek" has reused an actor as a different character ).

Michelle Forbes passes on more Star Trek

The "Trek" producers were so impressed by Forbes they offered her a bigger, more permanent part.  "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," set on a station orbiting the liberated Bajor , was originally conceived with Ro as part of the main cast; she would move over from "Next Generation" to "Deep Space Nine" alongside Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney). But Forbes declined the part and Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) was created hastily to replace Ro.

Speaking to Indiewire in 2016 , Forbes admitted she's a "commitment-phobe." For some actors, a regular part on a TV show would be a godsend, but evidence suggests that wasn't what Forbes wanted. She preferred to focus on her film career, which by nature required only short(er) commitments and moving from project to project.

Forbes started shifting back to television in the late 90s (she was part of the main cast for seasons 5 and 6 of "Homicide: Life on the Street"). She was getting work in the movies, but alas, she wasn't a star the way someone with her talent deserved to be. That move eventually led to her getting the offer for "Battlestar Galactica."

Forbes appeared on the episode of the "Battlestar Galacticast" covering "Pegasus." (This is a podcast covering the series, one episode at a time, hosted by actress Tricia Helfer, aka Cylon Number Six, and writer Marc Bernadin.) Forbes discussed how she and her agents almost declined the role until she watched some of "Battlestar Galactica." Though wary of being typecast as a woman of authority, she knew she wanted to be a part of the series. "How close one can come to making bad decisions," Forbes prefaced the story.

Admiral Cain on Battlestar Galactica

"Pegasus" is roughly adapted from "Living Legend," one of the few times "Battlestar Galactica" remade an episode of the original 1978 series. Moore said on the DVD commentary for "Pegasus" that he wanted to remake "Living Legend" since he first accepted the "Galactica" job. He made the story his own, though, adding the twist of Cain (played by Lloyd Bridges in "Living Legend") being Adama's superior and a woman. The show had previously gender-flipped the hot shot pilot Starbuck, played by Dirk Benedict in the original and then by future  "Mandalorian" star Katee Sackhoff in the remake.

On "Trek," Moore wrote two episodes featuring Ro Laren: "Disaster" and "The Next Phase." But while he'd worked with Forbes before, he hadn't reimagined Cain with her in mind, nor was she his first choice. Moore and co. looked at many different actresses for the part and chose Forbes from that sea of options. Like most of their casting choices, it was a good call.

One detail of Forbes' casting that Moore appreciated was her relatively young age (she's 18 years younger than Olmos and was only 40 when she first played Cain). This added dimension to Cain's character; unlike the veteran Adama, she was a fast-tracked admiral who'd snapped when push came to shove.

As for Ro, with her "hot temper" and "rough edges" (as Forbes described her on the "Galacticast"), she would probably fit in better on Galactica than the Enterprise-D. After Ro defects to the Maquis in "Preemptive Strike," Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) observes to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) that she seemed convinced she was doing the right thing. Cain shares that same sense of conviction. 

The fall of Admiral Cain

Forbes admitted on "Galacticast" that she didn't quite piece together the "Star Trek" parallels (i.e. how Moore was purposefully flipping "Trek" clichés on their head) in "Battlestar Galactica." Even so, the same strengths that made Forbes excellent as Ro helped her play Cain. Forbes didn't play the Admiral as insane, merely hardened ( as she told TV Zone in 2006 ):

"She's lost perspective. People ask, 'Is she insane? Is she psychotic?' I hope that's not how she came across because that was never the intention. I think some individuals can appear to be that way, but this is a woman who did what she had to do in order to survive during some very brutal conflicts. Along the way, Cain lost her sense of judgement as well as her sense of reason and rationale."

Cain was a temporary part by design (at the end of her third appearance, "Resurrection Ship Part 2," she's murdered an escaped Cylon prisoner), which is probably another reason Forbes agreed to it. Still, the character was so memorable that Moore and his writers found a way to bring her back. Not with any hackneyed resurrection (though Cain as a Cylon could have been a great twist), but with the prequel TV movie "Razor," showing what Pegasus was up to before its rendezvous with Galactica and how Cain became the ruthless tyrant she was in "Pegasus."

When Michelle Forbes worked on both "Star Trek" and "Battlestar Galactica," both shows clearly understood the kind of actor they had on their hands and did their best to get all they could out of her.

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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.

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• 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)

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