4.12 The Wounded Although O’Brien tries to assist Picard in understanding Maxwell, he’s offended by Macet’s suggestion that Maxwell is out for revenge and rejects the Cardassians’ attempts to forge a friendship with him. Because clearly O’Brien already has enough friends. The Enterprise manages to track down Maxwell’s ship, the Phoenix, but can only watch helplessly on the scanner as he destroys a Cardassian warship and a smaller transport ship, causing 650 deaths. In the wake of the disaster Picard and Macet attempt to maintain their truce even as one of Macet’s men is caught possibly tampering with a computer. Although he claims he was just a UX nerd taking notes on their interface (and I can believe it, those guys never switch off.) Picard eventually convinces Maxwell to return home and puts him back on his ship, where he promptly ignores everything Picard said and heads off to blow up another Cardassian transport ship. The Enterprise intercepts him but can’t verify his claims that it’s carrying weapons because the ship is blocking sensor scans. Picard is about to engage the Phoenix when O’Brien convinces Picard to let him solve the situation using the transporter. O’Brien tricks his way past the Phoenix’s shields and solves the problem using an Irish stereotype: singing. Luckily, Maxwell doesn’t notice this borderline offensive use of cliché and realises that this is a no-win scenario. Unlike the maverick, rule-breaking captains they used to make Star Trek series about, Maxwell accepts this and passes command to his first officer, surrendering himself to the Enterprise. TNG WTF: Why are the O’Briens using plastic forks to eat their breakfast!? Did they steal them from Ten-Forward!? Why have he and Keiko apparently never eaten with one another before? What the hell is the Cardassian’s headgear supposed to be?! WHO IS PILOTING THIS TV SHOW?! Also, O’Brien was a tactical officer on board Maxwell’s ship and now he’s just a petty officer transporter chief? Seems like a slight career downturn. TNG LOL: Thank you, Chief Obvious: sound of phaser fire hitting shipO’Brien: “Something’s wrong!” To Boldly Go: The Enterprise is conducting mapping surveys near the Cardassian Sector. I don’t know about you, if I’d been at space-war with the space-Nazis I’d probably want to have the local space-ography mapped during the war when it might be of strategic importance, not after. Maybe the border didn’t exist until recently. Who’s that Face: Gul Macet is played by Marc Alaimo, who later plays the most famous Cardassian of them all, Gul DuKat. Perhaps they’re cousins. Time Until Meeting: 8:35. It’s not in a meeting room, but the crew all huddle around the Science II station on the bridge for a top-secret chat. Well, it’s not like anyone was doing any Science II at this moment in time. If you don’t think that counts, it’s almost immediately followed by a meeting with the Cardassians in the meeting room at 10:35. This episode is pretty solid Trek territory. Picard struggling for peace in the face of someone who can’t accept the end of a war. There are some great touches – Macet being surprised to discover that the Enterprise can read Cardassian transponder codes, and Picard giving up the Phoenix’s shield codes against Worf’s protestations. O’Brien’s awkward chat in Ten-Forward in which the Cardassian expresses regret for their role in the war and O’Brien goes a bit PTSD. If you want to find TNG coming out strongly against war, you only have to look at O’Brien’s “I don’t hate you, I hate what you made me become” speech. Philosophically speaking the episode comes out in favour of Theodore Roosevelt at the end when Picard admits he’s talking softly but carrying a big stick. If you ever thought Kirk was the more interesting captain, episodes like this challenge that assertion. Kirk would’ve started a war if he thought he was morally justified. Picard would rather prevent one at all costs then shoulder the burden of the deaths that might result if he’s wrong. Read James’ look-back at the previous episode, Data’s Day, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
