star trek tng the wounded

The Wounded (episode)

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

Summary [ ]

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

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

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

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

Act One [ ]

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

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

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

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

Act Two [ ]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Act Three [ ]

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

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

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

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

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

Act Four [ ]

The Enterprise meets up with the Phoenix

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

Maxwell's tactical display, showing the Cardassian positions

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

Act Five [ ]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

" We'll be watching. "

Log entries [ ]

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

Memorable quotes [ ]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

" Sweetheart, I'm not a fish. "

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

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

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

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

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

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

Story and production [ ]

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

Deleted scenes [ ]

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

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

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

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

The Cardassians [ ]

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

Cast and characters [ ]

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

Continuity [ ]

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

Reception [ ]

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

Video and DVD releases [ ]

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

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

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

Also starring [ ]

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

Guest stars [ ]

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

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

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

Stand-ins [ ]

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

References [ ]

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

Other references [ ]

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

Deleted references [ ]

beef tongue ; kidney pie ; pot roast ; shield modulation

External links [ ]

• " The Wounded " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Wounded " at Wikipedia
• " The Wounded " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "The Wounded" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• " The Wounded " at the Internet Movie Database
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 World War III

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E12TheWounded

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

Original air date: January 28, 1991

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tropes featured in "The Wounded" include:

• Ambiguously Evil : Gul Macet and his crew, setting the tone for future portrayals of Cardassians. He's unfailingly polite and even-tempered and reprimands his subordinate who was caught hacking the Enterprise 's computers, but it's also implied that he's fully aware of the plot Maxwell was onto.
• Angst? What Angst? : Discussed In-Universe . Picard believes Maxwell's current unauthorized attacks on Cardassian ships are motivated by vengeance , but O'Brien insists Maxwell remained stoic and in good humour after his family's deaths and he must have a good reason for attacking the Cardassians. Turns out they're both right.
• Ambadassador : Picard wrecks everyone with diplomacy in this episode.
• Artistic License – Politics : The peace treaty that ended the war between the Federation and the Cardassians as described seems to imply an alliance between the two former warring powers, when peace treaties are simply used to end wars and there would (most likely) need to be a lot more trust before either side considers a former enemy a friend. If two former enemies decide to become allies, a separate treaty of alliance beyond the existent peace treaty would have to be drafted and signed.
• Attack Hello : The Cardassians greet the Enterprise by firing on her.
• Being Good Sucks : Picard ultimately suspects that Maxwell may have been right, but he has no proof and can't risk a war just to salvage the reputation of a man he respects.
• Blatant Lies : O'Brien likes the Cardassians just fine, thank you very much. ( No, he doesn't. )
• Brief Accent Imitation : Maxwell puts on an Irish accent when he suggests that O'Brien "got that silver tongue by kissing the [Blarney] Stone".
• Broken Pedestal : Downplayed . O'Brien acknowledges that what Maxwell did was wrong, but is still proud to have served with him.
• The Federation's military strength is still severely compromised from their losses at the Battle of Wolf 359 .
• The design of the Nebula -class starship is very much an updated version of the Miranda class from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Its relationship to the Galaxy class is basically the same as that between the Miranda and Constitution classes.
• The strategy of subduing a ship by using its prefix code to lower its shields is also from Star Trek II .
• After their wedding last episode , the O'Briens are getting used to living together.
• The Nebula -class Phoenix , the closest thing to a warship that Starfleet has produced before the Defiant from DS9 comes along. It shares design elements with the Enterprise and carries a similar armament, in a much more compact form.
• This episode also gives us our first look at the Cardassian Galor -class, which would become a mainstay on DS9 .
• Crusading Widow : Maxwell is largely fueled by suppressed grief over losing his wife and children at Setlik III.
• Curb-Stomp Battle : The Enterprise and the Phoenix pwn each Cardassian ship they battle, and each one after taking an unshielded hit. The Enterprise disables her attacker while the Phoenix destroys two ships.
• Dark and Troubled Past : O'Brien fought in the Cardassian War, during which he committed his first act of killing. He's never gotten over it.
• A Day in the Limelight : This is the first episode with a major focus on Miles O'Brien, and lays much of the groundwork for his later role on DS9 .
• Deliberate Values Dissonance : A minor example. In some human cultures, like Keiko's, cooking food by hand instead of with a replicator is seen as weird and kind of gross.
• Their brown, leather-covered outfits and "crash helmets" don't match their eventual standard uniform.
• Their coloration is pinkish rather than grey.
• Macet is the only Cardassian who ever has facial hair.
• Pronunciation hasn't been figured out - Cardassian kanar is ordered in Ten Forward, but it's pronounced "kay-nar," rather than the more familiar pronunciation of "kah-nar."
• In this first appearance, the Nebula -class starship's "AWACS" pod is round, and thins out toward the edges, like a lens. The producers were dissatisfied with the final product and the model was refurbished with a new, more triangular pod in all subsequent appearances. The Nebula -class is also treated as a combat-dedicated vessel, when virtually all future depictions treat it as science-focused vessel - explained away by having the pod be a mission-specific fully swappable module (not unprecedented; TNG has previously shown Miranda -class ships both with and without its distinctive torpedo launcher rollbar).
• The Extremist Was Right : Downplayed. Picard privately concedes to Macet that Maxwell was right that the Cardassians are rearming themselves. When Macet asks why Picard didn't do what Maxwell asked, Picard replies that maintaining the peace was more important.
• Fantastic Racism : O'Brien and Maxwell both have a fair amount of prejudice towards the Cardassians. O'Brien handles it better, but it still comes out.
• Fantastic Rank System : Cardassian captains are called Gul , while their junior officers are called Glinn .
• A Father to His Men : Maxwell was this to the crew of the Rutledge. O'Brien still feels that way about him. Macet: His [O'Brien's] loyalty is admirable, even if it is misplaced. Picard: Gul Macet, the loyalty that you would so quickly dismiss does not come easily to my people. You have much to learn about us. Benjamin Maxwell earned the loyalty of those who served with him. You know, in war, he was twice honored with the Federation's highest citation for courage and valor. And if he could not find a role for himself in peace, we can pity him, but we shall not dismiss him.
• Foreign Queasine : Miles and Keiko have this reaction to each other's cooking. To their credit, they're both trying to keep an open mind about it, but there's clearly some discomfort.
• Foreshadowing : As the Cardassians are leaving the transporter room after beaming over, Troi pauses and looks at O'Brien in pure shock, hinting to the audience that he has some very deep-seated issues with Cardassians.
• General Ripper : Played with. While Maxwell is shown as being a paranoid wreck who never recovered from the murder of his family by the Cardassians, as it turns out, his suspicions were right even though his methods were wrong. Also, unlike most examples, he knows when to fold them, at least after a trusted former crewmember confirms that his situation is unwinnable.
• Good Is Not Dumb : Picard and the Federation wish for peace. That doesn't mean they've turned a blind eye to what the Cardassians are doing. Picard: Maxwell was right. Those ships weren't carrying scientific equipment, were they? A 'research' station within arm's reach of three Federation sectors? Cargo ships running with high energy subspace fields that jam sensors? Gul Macet: If you believed the transport ship carried weapons, why didn't you board it as Maxwell requested? Picard: I was here to protect the peace, a peace I firmly believe is in the interests of both our peoples. But if I had attempted to board that ship... I am quite certain that you and I would not be sitting here now, having this pleasant conversation. And that ships on both sides would be arming for war. [...] Take a message to your leaders, Gul Macet: We'll be watching.
• Good Old Ways : O'Brien mentions his mother, the family cook, not trusting the food replicator. Keiko is surprised (and a little grossed out) to learn that she handled and cooked actual meat for her family.
• Great Offscreen War : The Federation–Cardassian conflict apparently lasted many years and cost many lives, including at least one massacre of civilian colonists. This episode is the first mention of it in any Star Trek continuity. Later episodes of TNG pepper references to the war into dialogue and backstory—and obviously, DS9 makes it a major part of its universe—but episodes before this one give no indication that there's a significant conflict going on anywhere.
• Happily Married : Miles and Keiko, despite their vastly different tastes in food, are still enjoying wedded bliss in this episode. They're also giving the other's food a try.
• Heroic BSoD : "I'm not gonna win this one, am I, Chief?"
• I Did What I Had to Do : Maxwell tries to justify his actions to Picard this way, arguing that they both know what it's like to be under fire. Picard retorts that Maxwell wasn't under fire—he was in no immediate danger, but unilaterally decided to kill nearly seven hundred people and jeopardise the already-fragile peace treaty.
• I Have This Friend : O'Brien tells Keiko that the officers around him seem uncomfortable around Cardassians and wonders aloud why anyone should feel that way. She doesn't quite seem to figure out that he's trying to work through his own feelings.
• Innocuously Important Episode : While presented as a one-off for the most part, the introduction of the Cardassians leads to their becoming a primary antagonist race later on, later ties in to the introduction of the Bajorans next year, and eventually sets the stage for the Maquis and Dominion War story lines that would be more central to the plots of DS9 and Voyager . It also focuses heavily on O'Brien for the first time, including many back-story details that would become important for him as a main character on DS9 .
• It's Personal : Maxwell's wife and children were killed in the Setlik III massacre, which the Cardassians point out gives him plenty of motive for destroying Cardassian installations. They're right, he does have a grudge, but at the same time they are rearming in preparation for future conflict.
• Jerkass Has a Point : Early on in the episode, Worf grumbles about how the Cardassians are untrustworthy, with Troi taking him to task since the Cardassians are the Federation's allies now, so they have to trust them. Worf shoots back that trust must be earned . Then the entire rest of the episode, and pretty much every episode with the Cardassians in hereafter, goes on to show that Worf was entirely right to be suspicious.
• Know When to Fold 'Em : Maxwell's final move is to hold a Cardassian transport hostage, demanding Picard board it or he'll destroy it. O'Brien instead beams over and convinces him to stand down, since Picard will never board the ship and will reluctantly destroy the Phoenix if it comes to it.
• Leitmotif : "The Minstrel Boy" becomes O'Brien's leitmotif in this episode, continuing through Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The tune comprises the first five bars of the episode's score.
• Meaningful Name : Maxwell's ship is the USS Phoenix , named after the mythical bird that cyclically burns itself before rising from the ashes and lives again. In this episode, Maxwell threatens to reawaken hostilities between the Federation and the Cardassians. Star Trek: First Contact revealed that the Phoenix was also the name of Zefram Cochrane's spaceship when he made humanity's first warp flight, leading to first contact with an alien species, the Vulcans, and humanity rising out of the ashes of World War III in the mid-21st century.
• Military Maverick : This trope gets utterly deconstructed with Captain Maxwell. Countless other works of fiction have made the maverick a hero, but in this episode we see how his actions can have extremely negative consequences, even if he's not wrong about the enemy.
• Mister Exposition : Admiral Hayden of "The Defector" returns to give Picard more bad news.
• Moment Killer : Miles and Keiko start having a romantic moment... and the Enterprise rocks from Cardassian fire.
• My Country, Right or Wrong : Gul Macet comes across as pretty sincere when he expresses a desire for lasting peace to Picard. However, his lack of heat at the latter's accusation at the end suggests that he knows full well that his government does not share this desire and that his duty as an officer must come first, regardless of his personal feelings on the matter. (Of course, this trope would later be established as the Cardassians' hat .)
• Oblivious to His Own Description : While having dinner with Keiko after the meeting with the Cardassians, O'Brien expresses surprise that there were people in that room who still disliked them, claiming he can't understand why people would continue to hang on to old hostilities after the war is over. This is after the audience has already been shown that O'Brien is very much one of those people himself. Keiko clearly isn't fooled, asking as delicately as she can how he feels about them; he just shrugs and claims he feels fine .
• Oh, Crap! : Gul Macet is surprised that Starfleet can read Cardassian IFF codes well out of engagement range.
• One-Shot Revisionism : We see a space battle at 250,000 km, which is decided by one ship using their superior weapon range to engage the enemy at a distance where they can't return fire. This makes all those occasions where ships fight nose-to-nose all the more dumb.
• Override Command : Like in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Enterprise uses the Phoenix's prefix codes to force its shields to lower, giving the Cardassians an advantage. It's not enough, however, as the Phoenix still destroys the outgunned Cardassian ships despite the handicap.
• The Paragon Always Rebels : Picard describes Maxwell as "one of Starfleet's finest captains." Turns out that he does better in war than peace.
• Properly Paranoid : Maxwell. As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would later illustrate, there's no such thing as being too paranoid where Cardassians are involved.
• Punch-Clock Villain : Despite being on the "bad guy" side, Gul Macet and his aides seem to be pretty decent guys. Certainly in comparison to the warmongering Space Nazis that the Cardassians eventually become.
• Reasonable Authority Figure : Gul Macet is outraged that one of his men tried to steal data from the Enterprise and intends to punish him. Whether it's because of the attempt or because he got caught, that's another matter.
• Remember the New Guy? : The Cardassians apparently have been at war with the Federation until just recently and are another major alien race in the sector. This episode was the first time they'd been mentioned. Then again, DS9 would go on to show how secretive their government truly is, so it's very likely they were purposefully staying out of the spotlight.
• Retcon : Earlier seasons presented the Federation as having been pretty much at peace until the Borg invasion. The Klingons had allied with the Federation, the Romulans had taken up decades-long isolationism and most other conflicts had been very minor. In " Peak Performance " Riker goes so far as to claim that starship combat is a "minor" province of a Starfleet officer's duties. This episode establishes that not only was the Ferengi incident not the first time that Picard's former ship the Stargazer had nearly been destroyed by an enemy attack, but that a Great Offscreen War against the Cardassians had only just concluded within the last year ! note  The fact that Federation ships seem to easily destroy or disable their Cardassian opponents suggests that, war or not, they were handling things without much difficulty, being more interested in brokering a peace than simply defeating them outright. Maybe the Borg threat prompted them to get serious about calming things down?
• Revenge Before Reason : Maxwell goes on a rampage against the Cardassians, ostensibly because they are preparing to start another war. But this is a rationalization to cover up his desire for revenge.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! : Maxwell tries to justify his behavior with "I prevented war!" even though his behavior almost restarted the war.
• Sensor Suspense : The Phoenix 's rampage against the Cardassians is represented mostly as dots on a tactical display.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran : O'Brien and Maxwell are both traumatized by the recent war, though O'Brien seems to be dealing with it better than his Captain. Glinn Daro isn't much better off, expressing a deep regret in fighting the battle that cost Maxwell his family, angrily dismissing it as being based on faulty intel.
• Significant Background Event : When O'Brien first beams the Cardassian delegation aboard, Troi starts staring at him... leading to a not background event where she stops before leaving the transporter room, shocked by what she senses from him.
• Stepford Smiler : O'Brien assures Picard that Maxwell took the loss of his family well, to all appearances, kept doing his duty without stopping, and kept smiling and joking. That itself ought to have been a huge red flag.
• These Hands Have Killed : During the war, O'Brien was involved in a fight with some Cardassian soldiers who were attacking Federation colonists. O'Brian grabbed a phaser and fired it without checking the settings first; the Cardassian was vaporized . When recalling the incident to one of Macet's aides, O'Brian mentions that he'd never killed anyone before then. O'Brien: I don't hate you, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you.
• Tragic Hero : Benjamin Maxwell—O'Brien simply cannot believe that his old CO is capable of acting out of revenge.
• Tranquil Fury : O'Brien is quietly fuming in several scenes when he's near the Cardassians.
• Truce Trickery : The captain of the USS Phoenix goes rogue after accusing the Cardassians of trying to subvert the recent ceasefire in the border dispute between them and the Federation by shipping additional weapons to the front lines. Though he's stopped and arrested by the Enterprise , Captain Picard tells his counterpart Gul Macet that he thinks the accusations are valid and warns him to get his government to knock it off. "We will be watching."
• Vast Bureaucracy : Maxwell's opinion of Starfleet as a whole is diplomacy and paperwork. After Picard refuses to go along with him, he makes a show of looking around the Ready Room and then scornfully says, "It smells musty in here. Like a bureaucrat's office ."
• Well-Intentioned Extremist : Maxwell, who goes trigger-happy on the Cardassians over what he sees as Starfleet's near-sightedness. In fact, Starfleet is well aware that the Cardassians can't be trusted, but that doesn't mean they want the shooting to start again.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist : Troi shows signs of this early on when she claims that the Cardassians are now the Federation's allies , and they have to trust them. A peace treaty is not an alliance by any means, and even without the reveal of the Cardassians' plans to resume the war, it quickly becomes clear that there's far too much hostility on both sides for them to cooperate in any meaningful way at this point. Later installments would make it clear that, while there may be peace between the two (for now, anyway), each still views the other as the enemy.
• Won the War, Lost the Peace : The Cardassian War ended in a strategic stalemate but Picard works extremely hard to defy this. The episode concludes with Picard acknowledging that Maxwell was right and the Cardassians were in all likelihood re-arming, but boarding the transport would have reignited a costly war that would have benefited neither side.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds : Picard comes to see Maxwell as this. He suffered a great tragedy and nearly causes a war, but Picard is left sympathizing with him.
• You Fool! : Maxwell tells Picard that history will judge him as a fool for not listening. Picard, trying to keep the tenuous peace, says he will accept the judgment of history.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S4 E11 "Data's Day"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E13 "Devil's Due"

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Revisiting Star Trek TNG: The Wounded

Enter, the Cardassians! Picard avoids war in the latest Star Trek: TNG episode to come under James' microscope, The Wounded...

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This review contains spoilers.

4.12 The Wounded

When the Enterprise is attacked by a Cardassian vessel, Picard is confused until its captain, Gul Macet, informs them that the recent peace treaty has been broken by another Federation vessel who attacked and destroyed a new science station. Taking their former enemies on board, Picard learns that the accused, Benjamin Maxwell, was formerly Chief O’Brien’s Captain during the Cardassian war.

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.

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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.)

The Enterprise rendezvouses with the Phoenix and Maxwell comes aboard, all smiles and handshakes. O’Brien vouched for his reasons earlier, but Picard isn’t very convinced by Maxwell’s claims that the Cardassians are trying to re-arm. It turns out Maxwell is one of those maverick, rule-breaking captains they used to make Star Trek series about, only in this case he’s the bad guy because he’s probably wrong. His plans are straight out of the Zapp Brannigan Big Book of War, and his plans for preventing a war from starting seem to involve starting one himself.

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.

As the Cardassians return to their ship, Picard pulls Gul Macet aside and points out that while murdering people indiscriminately is probably wrong, Maxwell’s basis for these murderings wasn’t entirely inaccurate – the science base was in a tactically important location and the freighters probably were carrying weapons – and while he’s interested in protecting the peace, the Enterprise will be watching the Cardassians closely.

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.

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TNG LOL: Thank you, Chief Obvious:

*sound of phaser fire hitting ship*O’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.

Mistakes and Minutiae: This is the only episode outside of season 2 in which Gates McFadden does not appear. This, when you think about it, is completely insane. She’s the ship’s doctor and in something like 150 other episodes of TNG they found a tenuous way to work her into the script. But this week, they couldn’t. Not doing stretches with Troi, not having dinner with Picard, not even doing shots with Guinan to steady her hand before a big operation. Was she ill or something?!

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.

Captain’s Log: It’s only the bloody Cardies! It’s fair to say that these guys end up as a major contribution to Trek lore and as introductions go, this is a way better first appearance than the Ferengi managed. It’s nice to have villains who operate on the same philosophical level as Picard even if they occasionally get a bit facist (but hey, so does Riker when he’s had some synthohol. Not that it gets him drunk, he’s just not very nice.)

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.

Ultimately, it’s a pretty solid and interesting episode which is only really let down by some dodgy alien headgear design and Maxwell’s slightly wooden performance. It’s not a classic by any stretch, but it’s not an episode I remember in any particular detail and was surprised to find myself enjoying. So in that sense, at least, it may count as underrated.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

“The Wounded”

Air date: 1/28/1991 Teleplay by Jeri Taylor Story by Stuart Charno & Sara Charno and Cy Chermak Directed by Chip Chalmers

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

The Enterprise is informed by a Cardassian warship captain, Gul Macet (Marc Alaimo doing the Gul Dukat performance without the Gul Dukat story baggage), that rogue Starfleet Captain Ben Maxwell (Bob Gunton) of the USS Phoenix is attacking unarmed civilian targets along their border. This is in defiance of a recently brokered treaty that ended a bloody war between the Federation and the Cardassians. (The Federation is apparently so vast that it was recently at war with another power that we'd never even heard of until now.) Picard must find and stop the Phoenix before the violence escalates and threatens to destroy the peace treaty.

"The Wounded" is a good story about the effects of war that I wish would've been even better — either more tense, or less obvious. Best about it, and most crucially, is that it's the breakout story for O'Brien, who is treated like a full-fledged regular character rather than just "the transporter chief." It reveals him as having a history and opinions, and it even ventures briefly into his life as a newlywed. (I enjoyed the Miles/Keiko discussion over breakfast, which was about breakfast.) He served under Maxwell during the war and knows him best among anyone on board the Enterprise . O'Brien's coldness toward the Cardassians is explained in a solid scene where he talks to one of them about the day during the war when he was first forced to kill an enemy: "I don't hate you, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you."

"The Wounded" is also a crucial establishing point for the Cardassians and thus an interesting step (in retrospect) in the direction of DS9 . Rather than making the Cardassians simple villains, the story shows how Macet is genuinely interested in keeping the peace. Macet is about as even-tempered as aliens-of-the-week tend to be on Trek .

The same cannot be said for Maxwell, who suspects the Cardassians of secret arms smuggling along these supposedly innocent shipping lanes. On this hunch Maxwell has attacked two ships and killed 450 Cardassians. After being tracked down, debriefed, and ordered to stand down, Picard still lets him return to his bridge, which strikes me as unlikely bordering on reckless — especially since Picard knows Maxwell's wife and children were killed by the Cardassians during the war. This leads to a standoff where Maxwell detains a Cardassian cargo vessel and pleads Picard to board it and find the weapons. When Picard refuses, Maxwell threatens to destroy it. O'Brien beams over to the Phoenix to talk Maxwell off his cliff, in what's a pretty good scene.

Overall, this is a good depiction of an embittered soldier who simply cannot give up the war, even after peace has been declared. But I think "The Wounded" might've been even better if Maxwell were not so clearly unhinged. I also think the twist at the end implying the Cardassians are actually guilty of Maxwell's charges is somewhat counterproductive to the point of the episode.

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Comment Section

126 comments on this post, williamtheb.

Jammer, I disagree with you about the ending to "The Wounded." It isn't counterproductive to the episode for it to turn out that Maxwell was right. It is essential. It's easy to argue for peace when the enemy is being open and honest; it's harder when the enemy isn't. TNG was largely a Cold War story, and Picard here opts to preserve the peace at the expense of the career of one of the fleet's finest officers, and basically tells Macet, "You lied to us this time, but we won't let you do it again." It's similar to the ending of "Data's Day." I think it's actually pretty brave of TNG to show the "good guys" losing--or suffering partial losses--so often. I had remembered "Family" to be utterly brilliant, until I rewatched it a year or two ago and found it lacking; it's still good, but so many shows are so much better at the raw emotional stuff than Trek tended to be. It's good, and the acting is still fantastic though, but....

I'm glad to see more of these TNG reviews. Over the years, it's been fun to compare your thoughts with my own and with those of longtime Trek reviewer Tim Lynch, whose reviews I have also particularly enjoyed. (You guys were my springboards for reflection when watching DS9, and though Tim Lynch is retired as a reviewer, I still hop over here sooner or later after every BSG episode.) I don't have much to add, but I will say that, like WilliamTheB, I'm a little surprised by your reaction to the ending of The Wounded. I agree, at least in theory, that the episode would be better if Maxwell were "not so clearly unhinged." (In practice, I wonder if it would have been possible to develop the character in a much more nuanced fashion without taking the focus away from O'Brien where it belongs. As it stands Maxwell ends up being a sympathetic character and that's all the story really needs. If more worked, I'd gladly take it, but I would view it as bonus.) However, I would have said that precisely because Maxwell comes across as someone who has plunged off the deep end into crazed warmongering, the twist that his suspicions of the Cardassians do have some foundation actually helps the episode immeasurably for me, rather than feeling counterproductive. It makes this feel less like a morality play and more like a messy, complicated situation. I don't think it's mutually exclusive that Maxwell can react excessively on the grounds of suspicions he reached partly for the wrong reasons, and *still* have it turn out that at the very heart of those suspicions there was a kernel of truth in this instance. Don't get me wrong, I love a well-done morality play or I wouldn't like episodes like The Drumhead or The First Duty. But there are times when ambiguity hurts a story (something that I think our postmodern sensibilities don't always acknowledge) and times when it helps. I thought The Wounded was one time when the ending ambiguity helped, but I infer from your description of it as "counterproductive", that you thought it was one of the times when it hurt. I suppose I'm less interested in persuading you otherwise than I am in hearing a little more what made you feel the ending was counterproductive in this case. Thanks for once again sharing your reflections with us. -Luke

A couple comments on how this season would eventually build into DS9, the best Ster Trek series bar none. (I don't care what anyone else says.) Partly for these reasons, two of the best "arc" episodes in TNG are here, and their ramifications would carry for years to come. First of course is "The Wounded," which is an easy 4 stars for me. I actually thought Maxwell was one of the best guest Starfleet characters on TNG because he was unhinged. It made him very interesting, and the fact that he was probably right about the Cardassians sets up how devious the Cardies would be in future stories. I love the Cardassians, partly because they were the best race devised in TNG. Screw the Borg! (J/K) Without "The Wounded" there's no DS9, or even Voyager. Of course one shouldn't judge an episode on future ramifications. I think it's a fabulous ep on its own, and its long-term setup is a major bonus. Then there's "Reunion," which is another 4 star in my book largely for the introduction of Gowron, as well as the high drama of K'Ehleyr and Duras being killed. Worf's characterization is perfect here because he breaks Starfleet protocol, and Picard's dressing down of him is also wonderful. Looking back on this episode, given where Gowron would go in DS9 episodes like "Tacking into the Wind" (a personal fave of that series), I've re-thought my suspicions regarding K'Mpec's death. In this ep Worf and the rest of the Starfleet characters think Duras poisoned him, but I wonder... The only proof of wrongdoing on Duras's part is that one of his bodyguards sabotaged the one meeting. Worf suspects Duras because he knows his family has no honor, but Gowron's background isn't well-defined. Indeed Gowron only accedes to the chancellorship by default. K'Mpec's death became an unsolved mystery. After the aforementioned DS9 eps, I think Gowron poisoned K'Mpec. He was no brilliant chancellor either. Storytelling like this is one of the reason why I'm a Ronald D. Moore fan.

Daniel Lebovic

Re: your comment about "The Wounded": "I also think the twist at the end implying the Cardassians are actually guilty of Maxwell's charges is somewhat counterproductive to the point of the episode." I think this comment begs the question as to what the point of the episode actually WAS. I don't think that the writers stated a clear point as much as they simply depicted the plight of a once-proud Captain driven to the point of obsession thanks to the Cardassians' killing of his wife and children. Also, the episode did not, before is ending, uequivocally oondemn Maxwell (it raised the possibility that he was certainly correct that the Cardassian ship was carrying weapons), and even if, for argument's sake, the episode unequivocally condemned him, then the condemnation, I think, was a story flaw (I can't help but think of "Silicon Avatar" - must every life form that wreaks intentional terror be "misunderstood," and must every Starfleet admiral and captain other than Picard be, by definition, unhinged?) As I read the episode, the point (or a point) seems to have been that although two powers had concluded a war, mistrust and suspicion (and in Maxwell's case, worse) still remained - as it does in such matters. The climax of the episode, where Picard tells Macet that the Cardassians were indeed lying, and that they cannot be trusted (as recent foes canno be), made me think, insofar as Maxwell's reaction and how we were to think of it was concerned, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you." This is a sentiment perfectly keeping in line with a story whose point, if any, is that peace does not put an end to paranoia and mistrust - only credible actions and words of your opponent - of both sides - do. Oh, and that, war is messy, hand has shades of gray. Small wonder, then, that the episode ended on a note with such a shade. Even if the final act was "counterproudctive," I'd still be less harsh on this episode than you were because the scene between Macet and Picard was written and acted to perfection.

About "The Wounded", I don't think the ending is counterproductive, I think it's the whole point of the episode. It shows that even though Maxwell was right about the smuggling, his actions were still wrong, and Picard knew that preserving the peace at any cost was the most important. It was a trick on the audience, yes, but a good one.

Also liked the review of "The Wounded", though that scene where O'Brien and Maxwell start singing on the Phoenix is just embarrassing. Also, nitpicker alert: Maxwell killed 650 Cardassians, not 450....

In The Wounded I was surprised to hear that O'Brien had served as "the best tactical officer" Maxwell ever had. If so, what has he been doing wasting his talents as the operator of one transporter on the Enterprise? Is serving on the big E so valuable that officers are willing to scrub floors or wait tables in Ten Forward to stay aboard? And speaking of waiting tables on Ten Forward, who are those people? In the perfect future of Star Trek where everyone can do whatever they want with nothing like the need for money to hold them back, some people are still employed serving tables in bars?

CaptainTripps

I think the point at the end of "The Wounded" was meant to indicate that it didn't matter whether or not Maxwell was wrong or right, his actions were still way outside the standards of Starfleet, and indeed the human race of the 24th century. The Federation doesn't do pre-emptive strikes, especially on one captain's "hunch". also the Cardassians apparently upgraded their weapons and ships between this and the D-wars. That "warship" was barely annoying the E-D.

Keiko is such a cutie. I loved this actor ever since I saw her in "What Dreams May Come ..." movie.

Great and moving episode and memorable introduction of the Cardassians to the Trek universe. A good amount of deleted scenes from this episode were recently recovered including one where Gul Macet and Captain Maxwell are both on the bridge of the Enterprise staring each other down. Pretty cool stuff that's posted on YouTube.

That Maxwell was right, but it didn't matter, was the whole point of the episode Jammer. It seems you're being MIGHTY hypocritical here, as you usually champion episodes of other series (DS9, BSG) for being "messy" with unclear morality. Why the change of heart here? In all your TNG reviews, you seem to be SUPER nitpicky in ways that you're not for other shows. Why is that?

I commented on this as "WilliamTheB" when it first came out (I liked "Family" more on the latest rewatch) and stand by the essential comment there, which is that it is very much the point of the episode that Maxwell be right (about the Cardassians' intentions) and yet still be wrong in his actions. This is what prevents Maxwell from being a mustache-twirling villain and also makes a powerful, difficult statement. It is one thing to argue for restraint in dealing with a former enemy when they are completely dedicated to peace, yet another to argue for restraint and caution in dealing with them when they may not be. All the while, Macet is portrayed as a true equivalent to Picard -- especially when he sends his junior officer to his quarters for snooping around the ship. It’s a situation in which there is something to be said for all the major players’ positions -- Picard, O’Brien, Maxwell, Macet, the Cardassian aide who talks with O’Brien -- making it a generally strong show. This really is quite the proto-Deep Space Nine episode: 1) Introduces the Cardassians; 2) the first episode which is nearly O'Brien-centric -- he and Picard are probably about even in terms of screen time; 3) Marc Alaimo as a Cardassian about whom we are not quite sure how we feel. That's all great, but there are also aspects of DS9 which creep into this episode that feel just a little bit out of place in the TNG universe. Most significantly, while the focus on O'Brien is welcome and Meaney delivers a great, meaty performance, there are a few elements that strike me as a tiny bit off, as if the fact that this show takes place in the 24th century has been forgotten. The culture clash scenes between Miles and Keiko in which they attempt to introduce the other to Irish and Japanese cultures and are both grossed out and a little shocked feel a little odd, suggesting both a culture gap within Earth cultures that is wider than almost any we'd seen in this show in 24th century humans, and suggesting that the two barely even ate dinner with each other before getting married, which also feels backward. O'Brien's description of his tour of duty on the Rutledge, in which he served with an Irish officer always humming a 19th century Irish folk ditty and Maxwell himself (played by an actor of Welsh-Irish origin), and in which he shot a Cardassian after a woman had tossed him a phaser (...because she couldn't shoot it herself, being a woman?) all feel like before O'Brien got on board the Enterprise he served in a late 19th century Irish batallion. The sense that O'Brien, while definitely a great character, is more at home in the 20th century than 24th suggests the way in which DS9's characters are a little closer to home, for good or for ill; this makes them more relatable and leads to some great stories, but there is also the problem of Sisko's seemingly anachronistic feelings about race and the fact that several of the war episodes seem to be set in WW2 or Vietnam. This isn't really a problem, except insofar as it keeps DS9 and TNG a little out of step with each other in terms of what human society is like in the future. It comes down to which approach to characterization you prefer. It is worth noting, too, that O’Brien is the Everyman character, and as an enlisted man he is someone who still isn’t really represented in the TNG main cast, and this might account for some of the disparity. (Yes, Picard’s Frenchness comes up a fair amount, but there aren’t really any scenes I can think of where he has an explicit culture clash with another human the way Miles and Keiko do in this episode.) O’Brien’s reflexive dislike of Cardassians is also a bit different from what we expect from the crew, though it’s certainly much milder than Worf’s hatred for Romulans (obviously). What really works about this is the way O’Brien characterizes his feelings about Cardassians to Keiko, denying that he dislikes them but acknowledging that war was war, and the way he doesn’t seem to believe himself to be all that uncomfortable with Cardassians, anyway. O’Brien mentions to Picard that he’s served with the two best captains in Starfleet, and insofar as this is partly an O’Brien show, he is the middle ground between Picard and Maxwell in terms of how to deal with the Cardassians: he is neither immediately gracious as Picard (who himself has had bad experiences with the Cardassians—though obviously in “Chain of Command” he will have worse ones), nor as willing to jump far outside the line of reasonable Starfleet behaviour as Maxwell. His eventually coming to agree with Picard fully is a way to demonstrate Picard’s position as a stronger one than Maxwell’s, and his being the one to reach Maxwell, as someone closer to Maxwell’s worldview than Picard is, also works quite well. I do like very much the way Miles’ scenes with the Cardassian aide go, especially the conversation in Ten-Forward; both are trying, on some level, and both acknowledge that it’s not easy for either of them. While I do like this episode quite a bit, I do feel that there is something missing that I can't quite put my finger on. Somewhere in the 3 - 3.5 star range.

Wow, not one word about those 70s style mutton chops Gul Macet was sportin', lol, guess the Cardassians are a bit behind on facial hair style.

Fascinating that the final musical cue of the episode sounds very much like the DS9 theme, if you listen closely.

It's a bit absurd how overclassed the Cardassian capabilities were presented here compared to the Federation. The Phoenix, with its shields pulled down by the Enterprise, was still able to withstand a shot from the Cardassian ship, "move beyond the weapons range of the Cardassian ships", and, from there, fire a single shot at a Cardassian "warship" and destroy it, and then pick off a supply ship. Makes the "war" with Cardassia that supposedly just ended seem awfully one-sided.

Latex Zebra

I remember this from the first time I saw it. Was pleased to get an O'Brien episode. Some good tense moments, especially when first tracking the Phoenix. I did wonder why they stayed at warp 4 though? 3.5/4 is probably fair. A touch more for nostalgia. Hang on, the singing. 3/4

I felt this episode certainly deserved 4 stars :P The pacing was really well done, it kept you on the edge of your seat, but while still affording time for plenty of philosophical conversations between the characters. The cinematography was also very deep and well done for a Trek episode; I particularly enjoyed the scene with Maxwell and O'Brien: the low-light and the flashing red-alert indicator (but yet lacking signs of battle) perfectly conveyed the tense, cold-war era nature of the episode. O'Brien's face, partially cast in dramatic shadow spoke volumes of the darkness left inside him by the war against the cardassians, and that despite projecting a jolly persona, he's still haunted by it. And I disagree regarding the ending, it would have been poor if Picard actually boarded the ship and somehow everything still worked out alright, but instead Maxwell was right that the Cardassians were not as peaceful as they claimed, but wrong to choose to retaliate. Picard's decision to ignore the Cardassians aggression (while still letting them know he was aware) was pretty meaningful and very classic Picardian. The whole ending was pretty much a futuristic allegory to the Cold War and the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (which Picard rejected by refusing to fire the first shot), and was very well done at that. I'd say that while Measure of a Man is the classic Trekkian philosophy episode, The Wounded is the classic Trekkian action episode. Perfectly balanced plot progression, a little action, and some very profound character interactions.

I loved this episode. Four stars from me. That said, I agree with @William B regarding his assessment of the anachronisms - but those are so frequent in TNG (and TOS, too) that I have got used to them. Much like to the occasional lack of characterization depth due to the 45 minute format or the speed in which relationships develop or situations are resolved. Sometimes it appears like nothing really happened between the 20th and the 24rd century,because culturally, sociologically and musically, everyone seems to be stuck in the 20th century. The writers could have shown a bit more imagination there. I like SciFi movies where at least an attempt is being made to display cultural developments between now and the future.

Considering the warm, close relationship O'Brien had with his former captain, and the way his previous position on the Rutledge was presented, it seems that the move to Enterprise may have been a demotion. I suppose it's prestigious to serve on the flagship of the Federation, but not at the expense of a lesser position.

Just an opinion, but this episode is a four-star affair. A good deal of rich - and beautifully delivered - dialog (may I add to those actors already mentioned in previous comments that guest Bob Gunton here adds his name to that long list of standout Trek guest performances ) skillfully employed to construct a fine tapestry of nuance and complexity in a very short space of time, and enabling two separate, engrossing payoff scenes...a laudible acheivement in just 45 minutes. I might add, here attempting to provide something I've not yet seen mentioned (and apologize if I'm repeating anyone) that a critical element of the episode seems to have been the conversation between Picard and the Starfleet Admiral. Specifically, it was unambiguously stated to Picard that Starfleet was unprepared, presumably as a consequence of their losses to the Borg (as depicted, of course, in the final episode of the previous season) to undertake a "sustained" conflct, and Picard was explicitly constrained to maintain the peace with Cardassia irrespective of any other considerations. This surely informed Picards' subsequent actions; we probably see this most plainly when he orders the Cardassians be provided the prefix codes of the Phoenix. Yet while in any reasonable scenario we would see one of Picards' actions, reigning in Maxwell, as an absolute certainty, we might wonder just whether, when and how Picard might have made different choices at other points along the story, or attenuated those portrayed, had the Federation been possesed of a stronger hand (ship-to-ship dominance not withstanding.)

I concur pretty much totally with your review. Colm Meaney is OK, Marc Alaimo steals the whole episode (no wonder they brought him back as Dukat), but Maxwell didn't really work for me, certainly not as the character was performed in this episode. His motivation for going rogue seemed insufficient and the performance was underwhelming, passionless and phoned-in. It also strained belief that Maxwell would be able to do what he did without his crew rebelling, and it thus harmed the episode that we never saw any of them. And it was awfully convenient that O'Brien was able beam over like that, plus ridiculous that Picard would allow Maxwell to retain command of his ship for the return journey after he'd just murdered 650 people. Maxwell is given far too much benefit of the doubt by O'Brien and Picard throughout the episode. Often when TNG tried to do conflict, it came over as forced and inauthentic, and we this problem again here. A couple of O'Brien's scenes are too unsubtle and stagy, and I also didn't like how absurdly offhand Picard is with Macet at the end, even going as far as to turn his back on Macet by demonstratively rotating his chair. After everything that had just happened - a rogue Federation ship violating Cardassian space and causing massive casualties, then Picard almost letting the situation escalate even more through basic negligence and lack of discipline - it seemed totally out of character and incredibly crass for Picard to behave this way. Basically, this episode makes the Federation look like the dicks, not the Cardassians. Also, yeah, O'Brien going from being tactical officer under Maxwell to transporter dude under Picard? What's with that? And why were they only chasing Maxwell at warp 4 for most of the way?

@ WilliamB I totally agree with you on the 20th centuriness of this episode. I find it's a general problem in Star Trek anyway. Every time people refer to past celebrities, songs, dances, etc. they're 20th century references. As if people in 1991 were aware or referenced famous characters and songs etc. from the 16th century regularly. It makes absolutely no sense, and it's one of the things I hate the most in Star Trek. I don't begrudge the writers for having ridiculous 75 kilos "laptops" and not having imagined that computers might one day have more than three colours. I however do find them at fault for not acknowledging how far into the future they're setting this and trying to come up with a reasonably futuristic culture (even if they get it wrong, which of course they're bound to!).

I wonder if the writers of this episode knew that they were setting a lot of the rest of Star Trek in motion ... There are a few stumbles in this episode. The Cardassian uniforms are pretty goofy, especially compared with what we see starting in "Chain of Command." Also, Picard mentions the "Cardassian sector", which seems to indicate the Cardassians control a lot less space than they do later on. And, of course, Troi calls the Cardassians "our allies" -- and that clearly isn't in keeping with what we see later in TNG and on DS9. Of course, the same could be said of the Bajorans in "Ensign Ro" compared with what they are in DS9. Regardless, "The Wounded" is right up there with "Errand of Mercy", "Balance of Terror", "Ensign Ro", "The Last Outpost", "The Jem Hadar", "The Search" and "Q Who?" as a foundational episode of Star Trek. Of course, it is odd that we've never heard of the Cardassians before with a war that presumably happened right before TNG began. I always figured it was a smaller-scale war than what we saw with the Dominion in DS9 (at one point, it's called a "border war.").

SkepticalMI

I'm with many of the other commenters here; the ending is what made the episode. Otherwise, it felt at times like it was straying dangerously close to being too preachy. Given TNG's reputation (particularly in the first season) of pretending that peace is attainable just by being nice to everyone, it's hard not to expect something similar here. Surely we would get Picard speechifying away, telling about how icky and awful it is to have prejudices against these nice wonderful Cardassians, and really the war that was just fought was really a minor detail and could have been avoided if we all just smiled nicer. And then it would end with everyone holding hands and singing John Lennon songs. Imagine no photon torpedoes, it's easy if you try.... Instead, the moral of the story was hidden away in an unlikely minor line that was given by Worf, the character who's usually there to give the annoying militaristic statements that everyone else immediately dismisses. "Trust must be earned, not given." And thanks to the ending, that's really what the story is about. Presumably the Cardassians aren't going to start another war (given how pathetically outmatched they are here, why would they want to?). Yet they don't trust the Federation enough not to build advance basis just in case. Gul Beardy clearly doesn't trust that Picard is doing everything in his power to stop Maxwell. Yet he does seem to trust him more later on. Meanwhile, the Enterprise crew doesn't entirely trust their guests. The little subplot was with the techie Cardassian was pretty nice. Presumably he didn't mean to access any sensitive information; his statements earlier seem like he's just an eager nerd. But there's no reason to trust these guys, so he must be confined to quarters. Presumably a nicer alien race who stumbled upon something like that would be granted more leniency. It also helps to make Maxwell's perspective a little more believable. I know many people think Maddux was portrayed as over the top villainy here, and it certainly seemed that way to me too. He barely tried to convince Picard of his righteousness, instead hopping immediately to the conclusion that he was another bureaucrat who wouldn't listen. But maybe he did have a point. Maybe he did try, perhaps continually try, to convince Starfleet that the Cardassians were re-arming. Maybe he spent forever trying to convince them. Maybe he is absolutely convinced that an invasion is imminent, and Starfleet is just sitting on their thumbs. We know Starfleet's point; they don't want another war while still picking up pieces after Wolf 359 and dealing with the nascent Romulan threat. But to Maxwell, on the front line, none of this matters. He feels betrayed by the Federation. So when Picard seems to not care, of course Maxwell doesn't bother to explain himself. He knows how it will end up. So he goes with a last-ditch effort to prove it to Picard. To his credit, he didn't fire another shot after meeting Picard. It might also explain one other little plot hole. Frankly, as soon as the Enterprise met up with the Phoenix, Picard should have arrested Maxwell, relieved the rest of the bridge staff for good measure, and had Riker take the ship back to Federation space. Letting him back to take command after unauthorized firing on other enemy ships is unbelievable. But it gets a tiny more believable if you think that Picard knows about the Cardassian lies by now. He knows Maxwell is right, even if his actions are wrong. So maybe that persuaded him to give Maxwell that dignity. But yeah, completely stupid thing to do. Maxwell never should have beamed over to the Enterprise. Despite that, though, it really is a great episode. Good solid Cold War style episode. Even with a brand new alien race, it still has a strong impact. I also agree with WilliamB that the food scenes were off, but for a different reason. So both of them kept their culture, fine. But they never introduced the other to their own cultures before getting married??? Never ate each other's food? As someone in an interracial marriage myself, it feels kind of stupid and insulting. As if Keiko suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Data's Day (which, of course, she did; but good writing shouldn't have made it look like that). And for that matter, if they hate each other's food so much, why not just replicate different stuff? It's not like there's any work involved in cooking dinner...

As a fan of DS9, this is definitely a four star for me. All of a sudden we have chief O'Brien and Gul Dukat? Awesome. I'm astonished at how close Gul Macet is to Gul Dukat. Marc Alaimo never really changed the way he played the character. But I also think it's a good episode on its own terms. It deals with very powerful themes. How do you forgive those who have killed your wife and children? How do you accept that your old enemy is now an ally? It's true that Maxwell's motivations weren't explained very well, but it's easy to fill in the blanks if you've seen the DS9 Maquis episodes. He wants revenge, but more importantly, he doesn't trust Starfleet's diplomatic approach to the Cardassians. He thinks that they're hiding something and that Starfleet is blind to the threat they pose. All of the actors here are first class, Maxwell included. I personally don't think that Picard's decision to beam Maxwell back aboard his ship was foolish. First, I assume that they both have the rank of captain and I'm not sure that Picard had the authority to relieve him of his command. Or at least, he didn't have the inclination to do it. He respects Maxwell who has been twice decorated. He trusts that he will understand that it's over and that he has to face the consequences of his actions and come back to Starfleet. He wants to give him the dignity of surrendering himself. He doesn't want to treat a fellow captain like a common criminal. And, in my opinion, the fact that Maxwell had lost his wife and children doesn't mean that he's necessarily incapable of acting rationally. O'Brien, for example, is capable of getting past his desire for revenge. I thought that the scene with O'Brien and Maxwell in his office was brilliant and touching. The other great thing about this episode is that Picard knows that Maxwell was probably right all along, and yet he still followed Starfleet's orders. It shows that the Enterprise can't solve all of the galaxy's problems in one hour. It's a more subtle story than a lot of the "Enteprise is Superman" plots we've had. @SkepticalMI To me, it was obvious that the Cardassian officer was trying to access sensitive information, but Gul Macet made a nice show of pretending to punish him. Cardassians are sneaky bastards.

stviateur said:"In The Wounded I was surprised to hear that O'Brien had served as "the best tactical officer" Maxwell ever had. If so, what has he been doing wasting his talents as the operator of one transporter on the Enterprise? Is serving on the big E so valuable that officers are willing to scrub floors or wait tables in Ten Forward to stay aboard? And speaking of waiting tables on Ten Forward, who are those people? In the perfect future of Star Trek where everyone can do whatever they want with nothing like the need for money to hold them back, some people are still employed serving tables in bars? " Yeah the Federation has been inconsistent on the money/compensation thing. Presumably Starfleet personnel aren't paid, but then you have scenes like in DS9 where, after Jadzia cancel their wedding to Worf, O'Brien and Bashir order an enormous meal at Quarks, but then when they reconcile, it's taken away, and Quark hollers "no refunds". So O'Brien and Bahsir and presumably other Starfleet personnel are acquiring latinum (or some kind of equivalent acceptable to Quark) from somewhere. No episodes ever bother to address just how.

@Jack: The DS9 creators sort of owned up to the currency inconsistency in "In The Cards", when Jake asks Nog for money. There's also an episode where O'Brien and Bashir are intent on beating Quark at Tongo and have only a small amount of latinum to get into the game. Of course, Jadzia also plays Tongo, and there's a scene where several DS9 characters (including Worf) are buying Nog's possessions before he goes to Starfleet Academy. My take? It's not implausible that Starfleet officers serving on a Bajoran station could come by some latinum. Worf, too, is a Klingon so he might have access to money. But, generally, this topic is sort of like the universal translator. You shouldn't think too much about how it does or doesn't work. As for O'Brien serving as tactical officer on the Rutledge, I think it's safe to say that high-ranking non-comms could have bridge positions on lesser ships than the Federation flagship. We know O'Brien was on the Rutledge shortly before the Enterprise launched (based on comments in "Tribunal"). And when O'Brien was first seen in "Encounter at Farpoint" he was the battle bridge conn officer. So, perhaps Chief O'Brien left the Rutledge to transfer to the Enterprise where he was assigned to be a back up conn officer. Then, he was offered to be a department head on the Federation flagship. As long as you don't remember that O'Brien was a lieutenant from the second season through the fifth or so -- Riker even calls him that rank at one point -- then it makes sense. ;)

I like to think that although the Federation is moneyless, since they're posted on a Bajoran station they'd get some kind of stipend of local currency. I understand the ideal of the Federation being without currency but it's practical to keep some sort of reserve of international funds to allow your officers to do their job. Starfleet must have some sort of latinum reserve at least for trading purposes. Tongo probably doesn't qualify as claimable on the Federation expense account though! If not that, it may be that Starfleet officers just come into a bit of local money and think it prudent to start building an account. Certainly if you were a US officer stationed in the Phillipines, for example, and for some reason there was no exchange rate, it'd be advisable to hoard a bit of local currency in case the need arises.

Regarding that huge meal Bashir and O'Brien ordered at Quark's...presumably they could order that same meal from their replicator in their quarters at no cost. Apparently they are paying for the pleasure of eating it at Quark's.

^ I don't presume that. I think replicators in quarters must be metered, and everybody has an account that gets charged. I'm sure it's still much cheaper than imported, non-replicated goods which are depicted as luxuries.

-Marc Alaimo was excellent as Gul Macet. (He later played Gul Dukat in DS9). -The writers decided pretty quickly to abandon that weird Cardassian headgear that we see in the first couple scenes. We don't see them wearing it ever again. -Colm Meany has already shown by this point in the series that he is an EXCELLENT actor. His delivery is always subtle and pitch perfect. So glad he got the opportunity for more depth in this episode.

I'd give this 3,5 to 4 stars. The ethical dilemma between pursuing the truth and keeping the peace is presented well, and it is made clear how difficult the decision against Maxwell is for Picard. O'Brian gets some welcome character development. The Cardassians are presented as real individuals, each of which is affected differently by their experiences, which is rare for the portrayal of alien races on Star Trek. Mark Alaimo delivers one of the best guest performances on the show up until now, and Bob Gunton and the actor playing the Cardassian in Ten Forward also play their parts convincingly. I have only minor complaints, which do not affect my enjoyment of the episode as a whole. But nitpicking is more fun than giving praise, so I'll mention them anyway. :) - Where's Maxwell's crew? This has already been brought up in the previous comments. I suppose that they might be so loyal to their captain that they would follow him in committing war crimes against the Cardassians, but the issue should be addressed somewhere in the show. From what we are presented, Maxwell might as well be flying the ship alone (which, as we have learned at the end of "11001001", is possible). - Why was O'Brian demoted from tactical officer to transporter chief when we went on the Enterprise? This issue could easily be solved by just having him say "I don't want to talk about, it was a complicated matter", but it's strange that nobody on the ship ever talked to him about it. - Why did the Cardassians let Starfleet get away? Even if they were secretly arming for a new conflict, it certainly does not justify attacking their ships without provocation and killing 650 people. Maxwell should have been tried by a Cardassian court, and the Cardassians are showing a big amount of good will (even when one considers the fact that Maxwell's accusations were right) when they agree to letting Maxwell keep command of his ship and be escorted to Federation space, as well as to Picard's offending gesture (turning his back to Gul Macet) at the end. - Are humans the only sentient species in the Star Trek universe with more than one culture? By now, we have seen distinct Japanese, Irish and French cultures, while all other sentient species only seem to have one culture each. Is this just due to sloppy writing, or are humans supposed to be special in that way in the Star Trek universe? - Speaking of humans: All admirals and captains in Starfleet seem to be human (and close friends with Picard!). Granted, this might be mainly because of budget constraints, and there are a lot of humanoid species on Star Trek who look like humans, but the high-ranking Starfleet officers all have English (or French, or Japanese) sounding names, so they are probably human. Judging from the number of ships and their sheer size, it looks like the best part of Earth's population is working in Starfleet!

There are a lot of really good comments here. The only thing I want to add is this: There's a really good moment between Macet and Picard while watching the tactical overlay of the Phoenix vs. the Card warship and "supply" freighter. Macet, shocked, asks Picard if his sensors are so advanced they can identify Card registry codes (or something) this far away. Picard admits that, yes, in fact they can. Watch the little pang of defeat on Stewart's face, admitting to a former enemy about this small shift in the balance of power. Macet is a) probably worried about being busted then and there, but also b) understandably dismayed about Fed technology. Irrelevant of the former, Picard full well knows the implications of the Fed's ID technology. What's worse is that he previously treated it so casually, so benignly, and probably realizes why the Feds aren't entirely blameless in Cardassian paranoia. Hell, look at what Maxwell did, probably using that technology to aid him. Stewart is an absolute pro, wow. 4 stars for me. Excellent episode, maybe the best from S4 so far (narrowly beating "Reunion"). Maybe even better than S3's own cold war gem, "The Defector" too.

I've always been rather fond of this episode and I can't really further much of what has been said in Jammer's review and the ensuing comments. This is a good example of Star Trek delving further into intrigue and post-war issues that are/were building blocks for storyline revisits and arcs. And I think with a bit of minor structural rewrite this could have easily been a classic episode. As it stands, it is highly-recommended viewing to newcomers and those who may have watched latter ST series but missed out on TNG. Thankfully, they got rid of the Cardassian "helmets" in future installments. I realize they're a different species with different reasons for dress code, etc...but they really seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. Really good stuff all things considered. 3.5 stars.

The Dreamer

Irony of Ironies. I am in bed reading comments on this episode while listening an episode of the new Hawaii-Five-O playing in the background. (S4:EP4 Netflix). The last scene is shown and they are singing the Minstrel Boy. I was not really paying attention to the scene but they started singing and I had to do a double take. Not really important but had to share it.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the similarities between this episode and the DS9 Season 3 episode "Defiant". Both episodes have the same basic plot line - Starfleet officer goes rogue with a starship to expose Cardassian secret operations. Said officer seems crazy at first but is eventually vindicated by events, and is punished anyway with no significant change occurring as a result. "The Defiant" is a much better outing because it operates in the context of a Federation/Cardassian relationship that has already been established in DS9 and doesn't waste time on what Miles and Keiko are eating for breakfast. Also it's much more clear that Tom Riker was right in "Defiant", while "The Wounded" only heavily hints that the Cardassians are engaged in something underhanded.

An all-around superb episode, with one major flaw. First, what's so good? Well, the introduction of the Cardassians for starters. Leaving aside their stupid looking uniforms and helmets (not to mention Marc Alaimo's ridiculous looking facial hair), these are villains of the week that really stand out. I'm trying not to look at them through the lens of the following nine seasons we end up spending with the Cardassians after this and only focus on this episode. If they were simply intended to be another alien menace of the week which later got picked up as recurring (and then main) villains, the writers did an excellent job of making them as three-dimensional as possible. Macet is obviously a good man who wants peace (seen in the scenes where he reprimands his aide on the bridge and his talk with Picard afterward) but who also isn't above skirting the edges of the treaty for Cardassia's benefit (the ending and the scene where he suspiciously eyes Picard and Riker when they discover the supply ship has heavy sensor shielding). A normal villain of the week would be just straight-up evil and not so well-rounded. Then there's O'Brien. It's wonderful that a guy who has been a part of this show from the very beginning is finally given an episode of his own. And Colm Meaney knocks it out of the park, as his is wont to do. Anybody who says this isn't proto-DS9 must not have been watching the same episode as me. Finally, there's Maxwell. I have to disagree with everyone saying he was unhinged. I don't think he was unhinged at all; and that's what makes him so compelling. He's obviously a very damaged man but not unhinged. He doesn't go around in fits of anger or paranoia. He's rather restrained for a man who lost his family and is seeking some form of revenge. And to that the fact that he actually is right in the end and I can't see how he's "unhinged." And, now looking at the events of "The Wounded" with that nine years of hindsight we have on the Cardassians, history might very well side with him and view Picard as a fool. And that brings me to the major problem I have with this episode - the insistence on maintaining the treaty above all else. Picard is even directly ordered by Admiral Haden that he "must preserve the peace, no matter what the cost." It's all based on the fact that the Federation is not in a position to sustain a new war. Obviously this is a reference to the critical blow dealt to Starfleet by the Borg at Wolf 359. Now the problem is this - the Borg only destroyed 39 ships at Wolf 359. The only way that that could conceivably be considered a "crippling blow" is if Starfleet is a teeny, tiny organization, which it simply cannot be. Even if we assume that the 39 ships lost were among Starfleet's topmost ships of the line it still can't be a "crippling blow." If we were talking about the U.S. Navy, then, yes, a lost of 39 capital ships would indeed be a devastating loss. In fact, it would most likely bring an end to the U.S. Navy as a strategic power. But, we're not talking about the U.S. Navy. We're not even talking about the combined navies of Earth. We're talking about an organization that is the combined military (navy and army), not to mention the exploratory, scientific and partial diplomatic/judicial organization, of countless worlds! Starfleet simply has to be GARGANTUAN in size! This has always been a particular pet-peeve of mine when it comes to Trek. Starfleet is almost always presented as this small close-knit organization when it simply cannot be. It even goes so far as having virtually everyone with the rank of Captain or higher be on a first-time basis with each other. It's so bad that at one point in DS9 when Dax refers to a Captain Shelby, intended to be Shelby from "The Best of Both Worlds," the writers flipped out because in the Expanded Universe novels (yes, I'm bringing EU stuff into this, sue me) Shelby was still a Commander. So they came up with a convoluted explanation about how Dax was referencing someone else (because we can't possibly expect the viewers/readers to simply assume that there are two people in Starfleet with the last name of Shelby who aren't directly related to each other - it's impossible!) Thank God DS9 eventually gave us scenes of large Federation fleets with hundreds, if not thousands, of ships during the Dominion War. This absurd situation really harms the drama here in "The Wounded" because the drama is absolutely based on it. The Federation, with Picard as its agent, must maintain the peace because they lost a grand whopping 39 ships less than a year ago. SMH, it makes no sense. 9/10

Great episode! I do wish they would've either renamed Dukat Gul Macet for DS9 or had him be Dukat for this one. I know at this time likely Dukat was running Terok Nor but still. But the worst part of this- and a mistake Picard would NEVER have done, ever, is think that the best way to diffuse a situation where your rogue federation ship that's just destroyed 2 Cardassian ships RIGHT IN FRONT of Gul Macet is to just let the captain right back on his ship and hopefully he'll follow his orders and fly back to the nearest starbase for questioning or whathaveyou. That was really the most glaring gaffe to me.

@Luke I think they might have meant combat capable ships. Remember, before that point, Starfleet really hated the idea of them being a military. Personally, the small size of the Starfleet never bothered me. Given how one ship can get anywhere almost immediately, does pretty much everything at the same time and are obviously expensive (I know they don't have money, but they do make these ships out of stuff) and take time to produce, I don't think it's that much of a stretch. Of course, the main reason why it is that way, is that otherwise, it would make even less sense for Starfleet to always use one ship at a time for everything.

I think y'all might be taking "the treaty must be maintained at any cost" a little too literally. I didn't take it as "the Cardassians will be marching on Earth by next week", but more like "the current administration invested a lot in this treaty, and if Starfleet f***s it up, both of our heads are gonna roll." I think this episode and later ones all through DS9 establish Cardassia as the "Iran" of the Star Trek universe -- a second-tier power with delusions of grandeur and just enough capacity to be a destabilizing influence and overall Pain in the Ass. Starfleet -could- crush the Cardassian fleet just as the U.S. military could conduct an invasion of Iran and defeat their army in the field in a matter of weeks -- but for various diplomatic and political reasons, that's not going to happen, so we get to play carrot-and-stick with them instead.

Diamond Dave

An extremely strong episode, with some excellent performances from the guest cast and a break out story for O'Brien. In retrospect it's nice to see the earliest seeds of DS9. Introducing the Cardassians as another strong alien race is key. Of course Marc Alaimo knocks it out the park as Gul Macet - the multiple levels in the performance, capturing the sly, knowing character that Gul Dukat will be, is all there from the beginning. That the Cardassians are not one note villains was established from the start - there's immediately a depth and richness. Ben Maxwell is ultimately a tragic figure - not least of which because the ending strongly suggests he was right - and I don't see him as unhinged at all. And that again lends depth as Picard has been told to keep the peace whatever the cost. If the cost is Maxwell's career and by failing to uncover the truth, then so be it. Maxwell's exchange with Picard to his final "I'm not going to win this one, am I?" summarise a man burdened with personal loss and prevented by expedience from gaining a measure of peace from the truth. It's a strong performance. For O'Brien there's also greater depth - and the scene with the Cardassian in ten-forward is another highlight. 3.5 stars.

Has anyone else noticed that the score during the last scene of the episode (when Picard gives his warning to Macet) is reminiscent of the DS9 theme? As DS9 was still two years away, it's probably a coincidence, but it's still rather remarkable, considering that this episode introduced the Cardassians, fleshed out O'Brien, and had a darker tone than most of TNG.

Peremensoe said: "I don't presume that. I think replicators in quarters must be metered, and everybody has an account that gets charged." I don't see why there'd be any limitations. Based on what dialogue has said the raw material is for replicators, they're essentially eating their (or someone else's) own prior waste.

Personally, I thought the purpose of the episode was to make a commentary on people who hold grudges against a race or country due to a war that's no longer taking place. Whether or not Maxwell was right, it was his grudge that was in question throughout the episode. Only at the end did Picard address the issue of Cardassian duplicity itself.

RandomThoughts

When I initially watched this one, I recall feeling that it was a sad, tortured man that was the Captain of that ship. I watched it over and over again over the years, because the tone and feel just struck a chord with me. I liked when Macet looked at Picard and said (paraphrasing) "You can read our transPONnder codes...", which seemed to be both a question and a statement. I just liked the silky tone he used, and would later use to great effect on Deep Space. It's probably been mentioned above somewhere, but I must reiterate: During the first three and a half seasons, they were AT WAR?! WITH A DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS FOE?! WHAT?! Nonononowaitadarnedminute... They said the war had been over for a year or so, so yep, that is the first 3 1/2 years (if it was going on the whole time), and they never said word one about it. Yes, the writers didn't think of putting in a war until this episode, but it should have been over for maybe four years (I think the premise would have still worked). But I don't buy their timeline because we had the flagship of the Federation bumping around those silly planets in the first two seasons, instead of at the front lines KICKING CARDASSIAN BUTT!!! Nope, they would've been at the front lines, or pretty darned close. Especially if Picard had fought them before, he would know some of their strategies and whatnot. Perhaps if the Enterprise hadn't been set up as the flagship of the Federation, I might be able to see that. You'd still need ships out by the Romulan Neutral Zone, or keeping an eye on things elswhere, while the fighting was going on. But the Flagship? Naaaahhh... Have a great day Everyone... RT

One of my favorite episodes for all the groundwork it lays for DS9 O'Brien getting a chance to shine and of course the "warden.". My one nitpick is that no one on Maxwell's crew objected to his course of action.

If this isn't a 4 star episode, I don't know what is. And you don't have to be a DS9 fan to love this episode: I'm not and I do. Like many other comments here, I found the ending to be far from 'unproductive' - it adds a level of nuance that puts this episode over the top. It shows how deep Picard's calculations were, how sometimes even if you're right you need to look at the bigger picture before you act. And it prevents this episode from being a predictable, black-and-white affair. I think it's actually one of the best and most powerful endings ever to an episode of TNG.

Why didn't the Phoenix take part in the battle of Wolf 359? I'm surprised that there were any starships remaining after that besides the Enterprise.

Oh how I wish Marc Alaimo (either as Mucet or Dukat) faced Patrick Stewart's Picard more often. Two fine Trek actors. I agree with Andy G, how Maxwell's bridge officers let their captain get away with his raids was a little hard to believe. Riker's already shown he would take command if Picard (the fake one) was acting irrationally. Maybe all crews are not the same.

A lot has already been said about this great episode. I will therefore only stress Stewart's acting: it is superb. Especially in the last scene, where he is bitterly defending peace despite the fact that the Cardasdians do not really deserve it, is great.

"The Wounded" is a very important episode in the canon -- the introduction of the Cardassians, building up of O'Brien's character -- really plants the seeds for DS9. Overall a terrific episode -- helped by great guest actors playing Gul Macet and the corrupt prison master from "The Shawshank Redemption" as Maxwell. Plenty of good individual dialogues here: O'Brien and Maxwell singing a war hymn prior to the latter standing down, O'Brien and the Cardassian having a drink and explaining war/hate/killing, and finally Picard and Macet with Picard just turning away in the end realizing what the Cardassians are doing but trying to maintain peace for now. Maxwell is after revenge and defies Picard -- if the Phoenix captain was truly gone and could not give up the war (after killing over 600 Cardassians -- correcting Jammer's 450 number) then an alternate (and more powerful) ending might have been him destroying the Cardassian freighter and the Enterprise having to destroy the Phoenix. I think that would be quite powerful as a lead-in to the ending when Picard finds out the Cardassians are mobilizing. Anyway... I don't know why Maxwell couldn't give Picard more proof that the Cardassians were arming up (was it Cardassian sensors preventing a scan?). Because he came across as totally reckless in killing Cardassians and with his reactions in his meeting with Picard. Otherwise, I think Picard was correct to let Maxwell go back to his ship and follow the Enterprise back. I guess the episode also makes it clear the Cardassians aren't as powerful as the UFP -- the Phoenix made quick work of the Cardassian warship, and their transporter technology isn't as advanced. "The Wounded" deserves a 3.5-star rating. Great plot, the introduction of a new enemy in the Kardashians (UFP already has the Romulans and the Borg still going) and plenty of compelling dialogue. Lots of great stuff to build on for future episodes and in DS9.

This is a good episode. But... What the hell is going on with the phoenix? Where's the doctor to relieve him of duty? Where's the counsellor to prevent him cracking up in the first place? I can't believe that starfleet wouldn't have strict protocols to prevent exactly this kind of situation.

@ Mikey, He's not cracking up, he's 100% correct and is totally sane. Maxwell's problem is that he values the treaty with Cardassia less than what he sees as the truth about what they're doing. He doesn't want the Federation to be duped and will ignore the rules to protect it. This probably isn't right, but given what we later learn about the Cardassians I'm not sure how unreasonable it is to take preemptive action. Take a look at what Jellico does in Chain of Command and this suddenly doesn't look quite as bad. The worse part was Maxwell killing people in the course of his investigation, but then again if you're dealing with people who are willing to throw the lives of their people away on a bluff can you really blame yourself entirely if that's what they do? Terrorists will routinely place military targets in hospitals or civilian sites to dare the other side to attack such a place. Well that choice is on them, not on people who eventually have to liberate the location. It's a murky subject, so I'm just offering a bit of the other side in it. But I definitely think Maxwell is totally sane. I always sort of hoped he got a forced retirement with honors rather than a court martial for this. He's portrayed as a man of action who can't sit back and abide abuses during "peacetime" when it puts his people in jeopardy. There's something tragic about that, and he comes off as very positive to me in the episode.

Maxwell claims at one point that O'Brien was his tactical officer on the Routledge but O'Brien is an enlisted man, not an officer. This just wrecks the episode! But in all seriousness, this is an understated little gem of an episode. For me it's a high 3.5 stars maybe even 4 stars. Patrick Stewart and Colm Meaney just make the episode for me. Meaney is just a secondary character in TNG but just nails it in every scene. There's just this subtlety and dignity in these performances, so full of unstated feeling - makes you realize how dead something like Discovery is and how poor they are to lack even a fraction of the talent we took for granted on TNG each week. And I disagree 100% about the ending with Jammer. I get chills when Picard says "we'll be watching". Just awesome.

I just can't forgive this episode for saying that, for the first two years of this show, there was a MAJOR WAR going on that no one referred to AT ALL! (I know, I know, it's just a TV show, lol!) The Cardassians were great creations (once their makeup and costumes were tweaked) that were a great addition to the overall tapestry of Star Trek. I wish they had been the new "big bad" at the series' start instead of the Ferengi. But the fact they were shoehorned in to the narrative like they were always there just bugs me to no end. One almost hopes for an explanation that there was some kind of temporal incursion (hello, "Year of Hell"!) that just inserted them into Federation history.

One thing that struck me about this episode was how in the end they sort of justified Maxwell's "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude as you said Jammer, although I understand why they did it so they could start building up the Cardassians as the future enemy but the conclusion seemed to be "Maxwell was right, we may quarrel with how he went about it but he did what had to be done" rather than "This guy was a PTSD and grief stricken man seeking revenge but just happened to be also right about his hunch". Also Maxwell's insulting Picard by saying it "smells like a bureacrat's office" is essentially the 24th Century of a Conservative moaning about "liberals" holding him back, who try seek peaceful solutions instead of charging into war like he wants to.

I think I agree with you Jammer here. So, the Ferengi are now accepted as a rubbish enemy,we don't want to overdo the Romulans and the Borg should be used sparingly so out of nowhere we have -the Kardashians. Much of this story's internal logic is good, it is great to have Colm Meaney's character blossom but the ending is only acceptable as an element in the creation of DS9, along with the Bajorans and what knot in due course. So this is a bit of a partial pilot.

Sarjenka's Little Brother

The first episode of DS9, and it's a good one. It is odd there was this big war that just ended a year ago. Not good writing. All they had to do was say it ended five years ago (putting the peace treaty about a year ahead of the show's intro). Maybe it was like the Vietnam War -- with the fiercest fighting in the middle and then long, slow, painful years before a final peace. I had not seen this one since the original run of the show. It's even better than I remembered. Question: That music in the ending scene ... does anyone else think it sounds a little like the DS9 theme?

Having recently finished watching all of DS9, and now going backwards to watch TNG, this episode is painful. The Cardie headgear in the first scenes...what are those, Aussie rules football helmets? Awful. The Cardie uniforms. Truly dreadful. Like puffy ski jackets. Dukat-who-is-not-Dukat: that beard/mutton chop/disco porn star facial hair. Ugh! The Cardassians were so much improved for DS9. The plot might be good, but the visuals stink.

re: "One thing that struck me about this episode was how in the end they sort of justified Maxwell's "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude as you said Jammer, although I understand why they did it so they could start building up the Cardassians as the future enemy but the conclusion seemed to be 'Maxwell was right, we may quarrel with how he went about it but he did what had to be done' " Think it made him more understandable, not correct. The whole Secret Cardassian Buildup thing is a lot like the Cuban Missile Crisis. Imagine if some US submarine captain had unilaterally launched torpedoes at a Soviet supply ship and sunk it. Would he have been right to do so? That's Maxwell.

So the Phoenix is 300,000 kilometers from the Cardassian warship.......ummm, thats 186411.358 MILES!!! Nice to know phasers and photons can do that......or did the writers just figure nobody would notice? SMH

Ken.... 300,000 KM is the distance light travels in one second. Work out why this was actually good science. Trek frequently gets it wrong but this isn't one of those times.

Hello Everyone! @MMM ---Think it made him more understandable, not correct. The whole Secret Cardassian Buildup thing is a lot like the Cuban Missile Crisis. Imagine if some US submarine captain had unilaterally launched torpedoes at a Soviet supply ship and sunk it. Would he have been right to do so? That's Maxwell.--- Wow, that is so close to the truth of what nearly happened. A Soviet submarine almost did that during the Cuban Missle Crisis, with a nuke-tipped torpedo: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2208342/Soviet-submariner-single-handedly-averted-WWIII-height-Cuban-Missile-Crisis.html If not for Vasili Arkhipov, the world we know now might be very different, or not exist at all... Regards... RT P.S.: Good men of good conscience exist in all countries, and hopefully in all worlds... I now return you to your regularly scheduled Jammers Reviews...

Startrekwatcher

2.5 stars. This was kind of a slow episode. Lethargic almost. The scenes weren’t as involving or thoughtful as I’d have come to expect from TNG. Overall just very “there”

Startrekwatcher writes: "2.5 stars. This was kind of a slow episode. Lethargic almost. The scenes weren’t as involving or thoughtful as I’d have come to expect from TNG. Overall just very “there”" Does Startrekwatcher actually watch Star Trek?? Seem to find too many of his/her comments/ratings that are way off the mark. Should just go back to ignoring them.

German Trekkie

I really appreciate the Episode to be the unofficial Pilot Episode for DS9 :D I think I am going to watch all Cardassia/Bajor related episodes of TNG now. @ Sarjenka's Little Brother: Regarding the "Proto-DS9" Theme at the end - exactly what I was thinking... and to imagine that when the episode aired no one could know what DS9 would become is amazing.

9/10 this episode was very enjoyable. I remembered whole scenes and lines as I was watching it and wondered when I had seen it last. It was good to see that cardassian (Gul Dukat's look alike ha ha). This episode also drives home how much TNG relied on Patrick Stewart's acting abilities for its success. If they had had an actor at the same level as those playing Troi or Riker, then good night, it wouldn't have been even half of the show it was. And am I to understand the show became crafted around Picard once the show realized this to be true? Any episode that shows the shades of grey - such as the fog of war, or uneasy recent peace - is much superior over the creature of the week and so on.

The O'Brien/Kieko scenes really felt like they should have happened in early dating, not once they were married. I can't help but suspect that the relationship was created purely to service what was really a Data episode, and then the writers realized they liked the relationship and wanted to explore the characters more. Had they thought of that earlier, the two dating could have been a subplot for a season or two, culminating in their wedding. But they didn't, so we get scenes like this were the dating happens post-marriage. A pity. I would have liked to see their first meet-cute.

HackFarlane

I have no trouble believing that the Rutledge's crew could be in agreement with Maxwell's plan. This is a battle-hardened crew that probably had experiences during the Kardashian war that mirrored O'Brien's. O'Brien even starts to stick up for Maxwell early in the episode before Picard cuts him off. Loyalty like that is hard to come by, as Picard even says to Gul Macet at the end. On the Rutledge, it also appears that Maxwell was a lot more "chummy" with the lower ranks than Picard is. He's more of a friend to the crew than a distant leader. The Enterprise-D apparently didn't see much action in the war, unless this episode takes place in an alternate timeline/universe, of course. It's a luxury liner, whereas the Rutledge is a sparse tactical vessel with a crew of maybe a hundred at most. Things would be a lot different on that ship, especially with a war-weary crew. I figure the crew was with Maxwell all along and would never have voiced an objection to the captain that had kept them alive all those years in the war. However, it's also possible that the Rutledge crew was starting to mutiny behind the scenes as Maxwell became unhinged after meeting with Picard. The Rutledge was turned over to its first officer for the trip back, meaning that the Enterprise could probably trust that the crew would accompany them back to the starbase properly. Either way, it doesn't strike me as a plot hole at all.

Good points, HackFarlane. I definitely also get the sense that the crew of the Rutledge is loyal to him for a reason. And in my view it's clear as crystal that Maxwell is 100% correct about the Cardassians. The only difference between him and Picard is that Picard believes in honoring treaties for their own sake, and for the sake of the ideal of peace, whereas Maxwell won't pretend to honor a treaty that the other side isn't honoring anyhow. Especially not when he believes they're planning an invasion. SPOILERS And he is right about that too, since one season later we find out that's exactly what they're doing. If not for Jellico discovering their hidden fleet and neutralizing it I have to believe that they'd have successfully invaded a Federation system and begun a new war. So the only question in this episode is whether it's morally right to play the bad cop and get the information proving their activities, or to be like Picard and sue for peace almost at any cost. I don't want to call Picard naive in this case, but I've said before that if Picard had been in charge during Chain of Command things would have turned out poorly for the Federation. We should be thankful for men like Picard to reign in bullies and pragmatists, but at the same time we should be thankful for Jellicos and Maxwells who have the guts to go in and get the job done. I do like in this episode that Maxwell isn't shown to be a disgraceful Captain gone off the rails, but rather just one who's seen too much to let the Cardassians get away with it again. When O'Brien talks him down at the end the turning point into their conversation isn't that Maxwell is a loose cannon who needs to be taken in, but rather than he's tactically out of options. That's why it was important for it to be O'Brien, who could size up any tactical situation instantly, who had to be the one to tell him. Maxwell wasn't a bad Captain, just out of options in this particular circumstance. He wanted to be able to do something about it, sort of in heroic fashio, but there was just no feasible way to do it within Federation law. "The Wounded" is therefore not just the war-weary veterans who would say "never again" when seeing the Cardassians ramping up for war again, but also perhaps the voices of the dead crying out for something to be done when the enemy is on the move again. This balance between "don't act just because you've been injured" and "act because the wounded need you to act for them" seems to be central to this episode. Likewise, the Cardassians being described as pack wolves (at some point, can't remember if it's here) plays to this theme because their M.O. is to prey on the wounded, which is exactly the last thing a benevolent society should tolerate.

Peter G. wrote: "So the only question in this episode is whether it's morally right to play the bad cop and get the information proving their activities, or to be like Picard and sue for peace almost at any cost. I don't want to call Picard naive in this case, but I've said before that if Picard had been in charge during Chain of Command things would have turned out poorly for the Federation. We should be thankful for men like Picard to reign in bullies and pragmatists, but at the same time we should be thankful for Jellicos and Maxwells who have the guts to go in and get the job done." I think both TNG and DS9 leave it open to interpretation whether the pragmatic approach gets the job done. I mean sure, Maxwell was right here, but his actions may have escalated a relatively small problem that could've gone away on its own as the people got comfortable with peace. Despite these pragmatists getting their hands dirty because Picard won't, war still breaks out again with Cardassia. Thus, you have to wonder if being dirty didn't cost the Federation more in the long run. And to be fair, you could argue that not taking action sooner like Maxwell wanted led to more war. There's no way to know for sure - the writers don't give us the info and leave it up to the viewer. One interpretation is that war was inevitable, another is that the hawks on both sides sabotaged any chance for peace. I think what makes a lot of this story still relevant is we see these kinds of petty skirmishes with the Russia and Europe/USA to this day. You have to wonder what the best way to handle this is and whether we need a Maxwell or a Picard or maybe someone *completely different* to help stop the cold aggression.

@ Chrome, Good points. One difference I see in the case of the Cardassians is that we have no reason to believe good faith on their part, whereas in the case of the modern world I think we need to be cautious about the motives of other nations. Like, there is no Federation on Earth right now, and all actors involved are provoking each other. But in Maxwell's case I really do believe his assessment is correct, that negotitation with Cardassia is just used by them as a stall tactic to regroup, and that there are literally immune to being persuaded by treaties or overtures. Now some of our 'certainty' of this comes as a result of being a viewer and seeing things most people don't or can't see in real life. And this also goes across two Trek series. So we have 'cheat' info that doesn't exist in real life, and that has to be taken into account. I too am deeply disturbed by war hawks, but for some reason in this particular case I find myself unwilling to believe that Maxwell is actually doing anything that provokes them. What it does is give them room to complain and make demands, which for them is a strategic consideration, but I don't think they are actually aggrieved in the sense of being pushed into violence when they otherwise would have avoided it. For the most part I think the Federation was not just fair to them but in fact seemed to go overboard to satisfy them according to DMZ colonist. Picard's position in this one seems less to me like JFK in the Cuban Missile Crisis and more like Neville Chamberlain when making a treaty with Nazi Germany. Or at least, Picard *risks* being seen in that light if things go pear-shaped and the treaty ends up being blamed for Cardassia being able to regroup and re-arm. It's his "we'll be watching" that at least shows he's got teeth and isn't just in it for appeasement.

Strange how something can just strike a person so funny: Kardashian War... I had to take off my glasses, wipe my eyes, take a sip of coffee, all before I could continue. I'm picturing nice-looking but largely expensive, useless ships; with huge engines. Enjoy the day everyone... RT

Some have commented that O’Brien was demoted. This was probably correct since a tactical officer had to be at least an ensign.

Some elements of O'Brien's backstory are kind of odd because they were conceived when he was understood to be an officer (he wore lieutenant pips and was even referred to as "Lieutenant" in dialogue once or twice). They only decided he was enlisted later on.

Notable because: The Cardassians! Whether it's a marriage or a treaty, it takes some love and trust and patience and hardwork to get used to each other, and make it work. Try my seaweed; I'll try your potatoes. It's hard to part with the familiar, to accept change, to put the past behind you. Just ask Captain Maxwell, whose familiarity with O'Brien (trust in him) helps save the day. Both partners must be acting in good faith, though, for a cross-cultural marriage to work . Keiko and Miles are hesitant about each other's food preferences, but they want the marriage to work. The Cardassians . . . I think they've been fooling around behind The Federation's back!! Jean Luc tells Gul Macet he'll be going through his Facebook messages and texts from now on. A good one. The Cardassians and O'Brien: always an entertaining combination.

@ Springy, I just want to say I've been loving seeing your thoughts as you go! Fun little overview of the episode.

Just watched this one. Although I saw most of them 30 years ago, I had no memory of this one at all. I think I may well have been watching it for the first time. It's intriguing until the last ten minutes or so, then it sort of collapses on itself. It doesn't conclude satisfactorily. It's very odd to me that Maxwell is received so politely and casually aboard the Enterprise, when he's gone rogue and killed hundreds of Cardassians. It's even odder that he's allowed to return to command his starship and its crew, even under escort - and his subsequent actions are extremely predictable. Considering what Maxwell has done and the unauthorised carnage he's caused, Picard seems a bit too quick to defend him to Gul Macet at the episode's conclusion, and too dismissive of Macet's disdain. If anything, Macet is extremely restrained in the circumstances. That peculiar moment between O'Brien and Troi, when the Cardassians come aboard. For a moment I wondered whether she'd detected him having lustful thoughts about her. The look she gives him fits perfectly. The Enterprise's long range scanners are remarkable. They accurately detect and plot ship movements and photon torpedo discharges during the first exchanges between the Phoenix and the Cardassians at a location so remote that it's 16 hours, 44 minutes away at Warp 4. I think it's an OK episode. It doesn't live up to the promise of the first 20 minutes.

@ James G, "Considering what Maxwell has done and the unauthorised carnage he's caused, Picard seems a bit too quick to defend him to Gul Macet at the episode's conclusion, and too dismissive of Macet's disdain. If anything, Macet is extremely restrained in the circumstances." Macet could have done more fake posturing, but by the end he and Picard both knew that the Cardassians were covertly arming up for a new offensive in violation of the treaty. The reason Captain Maxwell is received with such honor is that it's pretty clear he was 100% correct in his assessment of the situation. The problem was that he had to (a) violate treaty, and (b) attack ships outside of a time of war, in order to prove he was right. The letter of the law is exactly what the Cardassians were using to get the upper hand, and Maxwell did descend into ignoring it as well to catch them. But the bottom line for Picard is that the law must be upheld. To me the major contention of the episode is that law and honoring the treaty comes first, over and above proving that the Cardassians were violating it and preparing for war. Maxwell was a pragmatist, while Picard and idealist who favored working within the system. I'm not quite sure it's clear-cut that Picard is 'right' but his side certainly gets the floor for most of the episode. I've never felt that Maxwell was a villain, just a guy who never really believed the war was over. It's worth asking whether that was a fault or just realistic understanding.

I disagree, I think the idea of the Cardassians truly being guilty as not just innocent bystanders and victims adds an ominous undertone to the characters. Especially we you take into account Picard's reaction at the end.

@ The_Man, You disagree with what?

Hotel bastardos

Bloody good stuff- lots of ambiguity and a study in the psychological aftermath of war on both sides. Still, those reptilian kardashians are almost as shifty and dubious as the other reptilian and dodgy kardashians in this here reality. Not as utterly pointless though....

Considering Maxwell had murdered all those people without provocation (whether they were up to no good or not), he got a helluva chummy welcome from Riker and O'Brien when he came aboard....

Great episode, and the actor playing Maxwell does a fabulous job of playing slightly off. Though the, “oh by the way, the Federation has been recently at war” feels like a very uncomfortable retcon. Kind of changes the tone of earlier seasons, worrying about Riker’s career and so forth. Though, as well seen in Insurrection, it’s nothing at all unusual to have the Enterprise out doing boring, silly stuff during war. Apparently the Enterprise is on detached duty!

The Wounded TNG season 4 episode 12 "Last time I was in this sector, I was on the Stargazer, running at warp speed ahead of a Cardassian warship…. I'd been sent to make preliminary overtures to a truce. I'd lowered my shields as a gesture of good will. But the Cardassians were not impressed. They had taken out most of my weapons and damaged the impulse engines before I could regroup and run.” - Picard 4 stars (out of 4) War with the Cardassians may have been going on for more than 20 years by the time we reach the events of “The Wounded,” and given what we know of DS9, the Federation will again be at war with Cardassia in just a few years, but “The Wounded” takes place a year after a treaty is signed between the Federation and Cardassia - a treaty that will allow the two to live in peace, at least for a spell. That doesn’t mean they trust each other. As Worf so clearly puts it, "Trust is earned, not given away.” For now the two sides benefit from peace, so there is peace. But both sides know that as soon as peace is no longer in their interest, they are likely to fall back into war. There is every reason to think that both sides are taking advantage of the peace to bolster their positions along the border. The final treaty that outlines the border and the Demilitarized Zone is still a couple years away (“Journey’s End”). The Cardassian situation is a metaphor for every protracted generational war man has seen for millennia. That the episode is able to pack in hate, and brutality, and history, and loss, and death, and bitterness, and hope, and diplomacy, and resignation, and sorrow all into 45 minutes of compelling TV is a remarkable feat. That all of those things can fit into the confines of a TNG story, well, that’s nothing short of a miracle. The emotional core of the episode is a song written by the Irish more than 200 years ago. It tells of their comrades who fell in their struggle for independence against the British. The Minstrel Boy’s haunting lyrics are about a young musician-soldier who gives his life for his country, The Minstrel-Boy to the war is gone, In the ranks of death you'll find him; His father's sword he has girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him. "Land of song!" said the warrior-bard, "Tho' all the world betrays thee, One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee!" Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Irish history knows that the Irish Rebellion was far from the last battle in the generational war between the British and Irish. In “The High Ground,” Data tells us about how it all ends for the Irish in the Star Trek universe, DATA: I have been reviewing the history of armed rebellion and it appears that terrorism is an effective way to promote political change. PICARD: Yes, it can be, but I have never subscribed to the theory that political power flows from the barrel of a gun. DATA: Yet there are numerous examples where it was successful. The independence of the Mexican State from Spain, the Irish Unification of 2024, and the Kensey Rebellion. So just 3 more years till Ireland is unified! The Irish have a long history in Star Trek. Back in TOS we had Kevin Thomas Riley, the singing lieutenant who had a soft spot for Sulu and Uhura. And now on TNG, we have O’Brien. And we have an old Scottish captain, Maxwell. You can take my life, but you canna take ma freeeeedoooom? Enter the Cardassians. The future Gul Dukat does an excellent job from day 1 setting the tone for this brand new species. If Lenard Nimoy and Mark Lenard defined the Vulcans, while Michelle Forbes and Nana Visitor defined the Bajorans, then for Star Trek, few actors can take the credit Marc Alaimo rightly gets for defining this fascinating race of aliens. It is amazing how consistent Alaimo plays his Cardassian roles over the next 8 1/2 years of TNG and DS9! But that all starts here, and “The Wounded” has to get some of the credit. The second great character to come alive is O’Brien. Heretofore, TNG has used him largely like a doorman, the type of person you see at the entrance to fancy apartment buildings. He’s there. He has a great personality. He sees all the human interactions of people saying hello and saying goodbye. He’s a witness, but he doesn’t get in the way. Earlier this season in “Remember Me,” Beverly can’t believe O’Brien doesn’t remember her friend Dr. Dalen, O'BRIEN: Doctor Quaice? Was he part of the regular crew rotation? RIKER: No. He's a friend of Doctor Crusher’s. O'BRIEN: When did he arrive? CRUSHER: Yesterday at sixteen hundred hours. O'BRIEN: That was my watch. I beamed this man onboard? CRUSHER: Yes. I was here to greet him. An elderly man, not in the best of health. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. I remember you were here for a short while, but you were alone. CRUSHER: Was he invisible? Did I carry on a conversation with thin air? O'BRIEN: No, Doctor. As I recall, you came in and you looked around for a few moments. I asked you if I could help you with anything. All you said was 'Thank you.' I said, 'My pleasure,' or something, and that was the end of it. There was no one else here. Was he invisible? Did I carry on a conversation with thin air? O’Brien has been there, but for many high-ranking officers, he’s pretty much invisible, like a doorman. “The Wounded”, as @Jammer says, fleshes O'Brien out with a full back story and family life. It is quite a coup for this non-commissioned officer. And then there’s Ben Maxwell himself. It is a treat when TNG has a truly outstanding guest character - but here we get two, Dukat (or whatever his alias is in this episode), and Maxwell. From the moment Maxwell steps off the transporter pad, you can tell he’s going to go down as an iconic captain of Star Fleet. TOS had a string of these larger-than-life captains. The crazed Captain Tracey from “The Omega Glory.” The wounded (?!?) Captain Pike from “The Menagerie.” The obsessed captain Commodore Decker from “The Doomsday Machine.” And of course the mad fleet Captain Garth of Azar. But TNG rarely shows us the same range of captains. When it did, it was a genuine treat. Seeing the crew adjust to Captain Jelico’s command style in “Chain of Command” was something to relish! We got a few hints of other captains here and there (“Conspiracy” we meet a few captains for a few moments, in “Tin Man” we get a brief exchange with Captain DeSoto, etc.) - but other than those hints, we get very little of other captains in TNG. “The Wounded” is one of the few TNG episodes where we get a good look at the other captains in the fleet. Maxwell couldn’t be more different from Picard. He’s married. A widower. He’s a father. His son is dead. Picard spent the Cardassian war running away from Cardassian fire (TROI: Running, Captain? You? That's hard to believe. PICARD: Believe it.). Maxwell was in the thick of it (PICARD: Benjamin Maxwell earned the loyalty of those who served with him. You know, in war, he was twice honoured with the Federation's highest citation for courage and valour.). If Picard breaks out into song with his men, the command staff start contemplating mutiny ("Allegiance”). Maxwell is at his best when carrying a tune with his people, https://youtu.be/RJudJ9S579A Starfleet is well aware that it takes a very special type of Captain to deal with the Cardassians. Picard was given the Enterprise, and the ship was posted so far from the Cardassian front, we never even hear about the war. To answer @stviateur’s key question above, emotionally scarred by the war, O’Brien also takes a nice quiet posting on this ship, far, far away from the front. As O'Brien says in DS9’s Empok Nor, "I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm an engineer.” If you’ve ever met a non-com with a comfy desk job after years in the field, you’ll immediately recognize the type. When it comes time for the Enterprise to finally go head to head with Cardassians (Chain of Command), Starleet doesn't give the ship to Riker - even after Riker's stellar performance against the Borg (MAXWELL: I know all about you, Commander. Fine work you did with the Borg. We all owe you on that one.). Instead in Chain of Command, Starfleet puts a very different man, Jelico, on the job. So is it any surprise that the Federation has sent not the Picard-type, but rather the Maxwell-type of Captain to keep an eye on the Cardassian boarder? The treaty is only a year old. I'm sure no at Starfleet Command trusts the Cardassians to keep their word. This is, after all, a Starfleet run by admirals like Nechayev, Haftel ("The Offspring"), and Satie. Not exactly the trusting types! So no one with half a brain trusts the Cardassians (TROI's brain: They're our allies now, Mister Worf. We have to trust them.). O’Brien is our bridge between these two very different sides of Starfleet. In DS9’s “Nor the Battle to the Strong,” we see how out of place the ordinary Federation citizen would be on the front (there Jake is thrust into the middle of things). Here, in one of the most powerful scenes from “The Wounded” we learn over a couple cold ales how O’Brien was changed from a regular Federation citizen ("I'd never killed anything before. When I was a kid, I'd worry about swatting a mosquito.”) into a soldier, a killer. What we see on TNG is that O’Brien's journey back from the abyss has been equally hard fought. He wants to be a regular Joe with a regular family life and regular job. Those feelings of hate and resentment are just below the surface. In the scariest scene of the episode, we see Troi reading O’Brien’s mind, sensing the hatred he has for the bloody Cardi’s. No words are exchanged, but these are real people with real feelings. Had this been TOS’ “Day of the Dove,” those feeling might have burst out onto the surface in this way, SCOTT: Keep your Vulcan hands off me. Just keep away! Your feelings might be hurt, you green-blooded half-breed! SPOCK: May I say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed serving with humans? I find their illogic and foolish emotions a constant irritant. SCOTT: Then transfer out, freak! But of course this is TNG, a far cleaner version of humanity. We have a trained empath on board to counsel out all these ugly feelings before they can overtake us (PICARD: Counsellor, I want you to stay as close to the crew as possible. Some of them may feel uncomfortable with Cardassians on board. I don't want any incidents.). 10-Forward is not Quark’s bar. No blows are exchanged here. The episodes shows its brilliance with its deep understanding of what it means for two great powers to enjoy an uneasy peace. As a clever man once said, we make peace with our enemies, not our friends, https://youtu.be/j54ZDer1M-0 There are a million reasons to break the peace. It is a herculean task to maintain the peace. It is often a thankless task. Today Picard and Gul Dukat (or whatever his alias is) kept the peace. For one more day, at least, the fighting is kept at bay. Meanwhile, everyone sharpens their swords. And waits.

Regarding whether Maxwell was "unhinged"-- interesting debate, I remember wondering if he was unhinged or not. In Trek, there's about a 95% chance a visiting Starfleet officer will be unhinged. But I didn't see him as obviously unhinged. I think the actor did a great job skirting the line. He definitely seemed war weary and troubled. I guess ultimately he really wasn't unhinged. Bleh, I still wish they had found a way to bring this sort of thing in without there having been a massive ongoing war that was never before mentioned. It really seems like they were itching to do this kind of thing as soon as Gene was practically on his death bed. The problem is, this kind of thing just turns Trek into something else.

Chief O'Brien

How you can rate this lower than "Data's Day" is beyond my understanding. This episode has so much going for it: no Deanna, no Riker, lots of O'Brien, intergalactic politics, a strong guest cast - it's excellent! Definitely deserving of a 3.5. I guess if you find the ending "counterproductive" then that explains the lower score, since you obviously missed the intent of the episode.

O'Brien's starring role in TNG. This episode honestly felt like a pilot for Deep Space Nine, where O'Brien and the Cardassian's are main and center and a nice preview of what was to come. The peaceful solution at the end of the episode was a nice resolve of conflict compared to what would have been a much worse ending. And the Cardassian's are not let off scott-free either, as we know something is up with them. Strong show.

Was this episode suppressed in the UK because of the Irish marching song? Does anyone here know? Either that, or I have unaccountably forgotten that this was when the Cardassians were introduced. It’s a very good episode. A Federation starship pursuing another, with representatives of the “enemy” on board; the general theme of “what aggressive action is justified to preserve peace?” and “who is the enemy?”; the whole air of mistrust and the main characters dancing delicately around each other. It was realistic in its depiction of “the uneasy peace” and the suspicions aroused, but with two leading commanders determined to preserve it as far as possible. I actually didn’t like Maxwell’s character: there was nothing about him to justify O’Brien’s claim “I’ve served under the two finest captains…”. He just seemed like a typical obsessive, irrational and violent towards his personal enemy. Was he correct about the “supply ships “? It was a good question to leave hanging at the end, but one thing was very clearly a main point of the story: without any firm proof, suspicions do not justify killing 700 people under any circumstances; Maxwell could easily have shared his thoughts with the Enterprise first, and discussed what action was necessary - Picard was not, after all, a “time wasting bureaucrat”. One question: how does O’Brien demote from Tactical Officer under Maxwell to Transporter Chief? Not quite 4 stars but definitely 3.5

"One question: how does O’Brien demote from Tactical Officer under Maxwell to Transporter Chief?" It's the Enterprise, the flagship of the fleet. Not necessarily a demotion.

Let's just forget about O'Briens rank because that makes no sense. You cannot be demoted from being a tactical officer to what O'Brien is. Well, maybe if you crash a ship while being drunk.

@ Tidd and Jason R, "It's the Enterprise, the flagship of the fleet. Not necessarily a demotion." DS9 addresses this point. Tidd, have you watched that show yet? SPOILER ALERT In DS9's Empok Nor we hear a bit about how O'Brien was in security/tactical leading up to the Cardassian war, but because of the things he had to do in the war he switched career tracks into engineering. Presumably this meant starting lower down in the totem pole as he got experience. The actual rank is of course a wash, since TNG messed up on the officer/noncom issue. But it makes sense he'd have a less prestigious position if he had just switched into engineering at the onset of TNG.

@Peter G Thanks for that. It’s a long time since I watched DS9 and I’m not so good at remembering that level of detail!

Pamellllaaa

I know I am totally twisted and this is coming completely from left field, but I have always found the Cardassians to be very sexy. What can I say, it all comes down to individual taste... Wait, they don't exist and I'm married to a human male. Love you, hon!

Big Poppa the XVII-th

Phoenix with it's shields DOWN - two-shots a Cardassian "warship", then one-shots a supply ship. And I'm supposed to believe the Cardassians were ever an actual threat to the Federation? LOL what a joke. Hell, let Maxwell off the leash, and tell him to set course for Cardassia Prime and steamroll any of their "warships" on the way. No support needed, no battlegroup. JUST the Phoenix. Then issue a surrender ultimatum to the Detapa Council. A week later, Cardassia is a Federation world. End of story XD .

Oh and while he's at it, he may as well detour to the Talarian Republic and bring them to heel too (they are right next to Cardassian space, and are even more technologically pathetic). 2 flies with 1 stone. Just imagine if the Federation had even 1/10th of the Terran Empire's expansionist bias. Alpha and Beta quadrants would have been conquered long ago.

This is one of the best Star Trek episodes, as seen by the thoughtful comments here and how affected many of us are by it. Mal's review above is superlative and was a particular pleasure to read. I hope that Jammer watches this episode again, as his comment about the ending strikes me as having missed the beat on this one. I give it a 9/10. The ending is beautiful because it creates a likelihood that Picard and Maxwell are both right. Picard knows this. They both did what they had to do, heroically, and it is grim for both of them. Maxwell is quite possibly a hero who stopped a massive Cardassian sneak attack against the Federation from occurring. He might well have saved millions or even billions of Federation lives. There's a good chance that he deserves another medal for what he has done, and a good chance that history, when more of the facts are eventually revealed, will credit him for his actions. At the same time, Picard's actions to stop and detain Maxwell are necessary and likely save millions of lives by preventing escalation to war. Picard's role requires him to persecute the hero for the greater good. The hero's role requires him to become the villain for the greater good. The federation is not prepared for war, they could lose, Maxwell saved them, and Picard also saved them. It's not 100% clear that Maxwell was correct in his conclusions about Cardassian actions and intent, but the ending indicates it is extremely likely that he was. Once Picard had seen more or less what Maxwell saw about the situation in that area and the ships that the Cardassians were running there, he came to the same conclusion himself. So this is a beautiful, tragic story that is full of depth. All of the Cardassians felt fleshed out and real. Time Winters, who played the friendly Cardassian, Glin Daro, was especially convincing imo, and that role went a long way in giving the Cardassians depth. The one glaring flaw in the episode, for me, was Picard allowing Maxwell to return to his ship and continue to command. This completely broke my suspension of disbelief, but with so much other great stuff going on in the episode it can be set aside and looked over. What I actually expected when they caught up to Maxwell's ship was that Maxwell would be handed over to the Cardassians. It would make sense for them to insist on at least that much. There are other nitpicks and small incredulities or inconsistencies, but no more than is found in almost any TNG episode. To answer a couple of quibbles mentioned by other reviewers : Were the Cardassians so damn weak that one second class Federation ship could take them all out? I didn't find it that way, Maxwell launched a sneak attack in the first place and didn't seem to be fighting Cardassian flagships but a random warship that happened to be nearest his vicinity (plus the suspicious "supply ships"). Also, the Federation ships seem to be quite powerful individually, when they get in fights with, e.g. Klingons, the enemy often is running multiple ships while the Federation ships tend to run solo. It doesn't seem surprising to me that one federation ship is pretty formidable in one v one battles. What about Maxwell's crew? The scene with Obrien and how Maxwell was so ready at the hip with his phaser indicated to me that Maxwell had seized direct control of his ship and was operating it personally. This may have been easier than it sounds if the crew was basically sympathetic to his intentions and offered only lukewarm resistance. But even if they offered strong resistance, as one of the Federation's finest officers, a Picard/Kirk type of figure, it is within his potential capabilities to seize full control of his ship and lock out the crew. The readiness with the phaser indicates he anticipated possible confrontation from the crew. This would also protect his crew from the consequences of his actions, which fits Maxwell's reported exceptional qualities. Overall, it makes perfect sense to me and is logically consistent, it also explains why Picard would allow the first officer to subsequently command the ship back to Federation space after putting Maxwell in the brig. I thought that the ancient Irish ballad was well used, and go look up the words it's a beautiful poem.

@Troubador another aspect of the show that I found a bit hard to accept was the total absence of Maxwell's crew in the affair. When O'Brien beams over he just waltzes into Maxwell's office (presumably through the bridge!) and it just seems like the Phoenix must be uninhabited save Maxwell. What did the crew of the Phoenix think about this? Especially once the Enterprise showed up! Were they that devoted to their captain that they were cool with running away from the Federation flagship to go on a renegade mission to hunt Cardassians? I mean maybe Maxwell could have initially pulled the wool over their eyes by saying the attacks were on secret orders from Starfleet but surely once the Enterprise was on the scene the jig was up. The episode seems to make Maxwell the only player in this, which I get from a dramatic perspective in the confines of a 45 minute episode, but nevertheless it strains credulity.

Boy I guess I should have read previous comments first as my point about Maxwell's crew was already made by others.

Personally I don't view the issue about Maxwell's crew as being such a mystery. We're told in the episode that those who serve under him are insanely loyal to him, O'Brien included, even though the latter's duties are to Picard and the Enterprise now. But he still sticks his neck out for Maxwell. I don't need to have scenes with extras bowing to Maxwell as he walks by to know they're on his side. Of course they are, he's a great man. His trouble is that he's a man suited probably better to war, and believes he is still in one, probably correctly. And this explains his phaser as well: in wartime, behind enemy lines, he is probably expecting to suddenly be borded on short notice, so it makes sense to have a sidearm handy. If we wanted to nitpick, what actually doesn't make sense is the lack of body armor and personal deflector shields. So I'm happy to let that sort of minutiae rest, and to settle for understanding that Maxwell's phasor is an indicator of him being in a state of open hostilities with the Cardassians. I think Maxwell anticipates the later Captain Jellico, in that without such men the Federation would be at a disadvantage against ruthless foes. You can't have diplomats occupying all the captain's chairs. In fact, I'm almost wondering why they didn't bring Maxwell out of house arrest of whatever to be the one to command the Enterprise in Chain of Command. That would have been some sweet continuity, and would have gone a long way to explain the immediate ruffled feathers with the Enterprise crew. Not that I'm complaining about Ronny Cox, who is awesome.

Good episode, but one thing that seemed very out of place is this 'song' Chief O'Brien and the crew sang no more than 5-10 years ago on a Star Fleet Starship and not a part of the British Royal Navy circa 1850. Cant imagine the crew on a Star Fleet ship having a war song they would sing.

One thing that I think that has happened also: Picard had a gut feeling that Maxwell, as unhinged as he was, wasn't completely without reason. Offcourse he could not reveal the plot of the Cardassians itself, because his hands where bound, and war would've broken out if he where to go in and investigate Cardassian ships. So I think Picard was at least 2 x 'neglectfull' in his persuit of the Phoenix, so that Maxwell could play the cards Picard couldn't. First when the situation was hot, the Enterprise only went in persuit of the Phoenix with warp 4. And secondly he returned Maxwell to the Phoenix because he knew exactly that Maxwell would reveal the plot. Picard played this cold war diplomatic chessgame like a master. Keeping the piece and still revealing the Cardassian plot at the border.

SkepticalMI said: "And thanks to the ending, that's really what the story is about. Presumably the Cardassians aren't going to start another war (given how pathetically outmatched they are here, why would they want to?). " See...this is why I agree with Jammer than the ending *doesn't* work. Why would a so obviously weaker foe be the aggressor? It makes no sense. The episode tried to have its cake and eat it too, so to speak, by having the Cardassians be both aggressive *and* pathetic.

@Jaxon "Why would a so obviously weaker foe be the aggressor? It makes no sense." There numerous instances in history where a far weaker foe was the aggressor. One of the most glaring examples is the second Boer War. When the Boer republics declared war on Great Britain, the Brits thought it a joke. The soon found out that it was anything but. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Boer_War Alexander's conquest of Persia is another example. Japan's attack on the USA. Essentially all wars of national liberation. A fairly recent example (2008) is the Russo Georgian war.

@Booming "There numerous instances in history where a far weaker foe was the aggressor. " So so right. Confederate States of America (1861).

@Sigh2000 True. Another example would be the Falkland war.

This episode takes place in 2367. Just six years later, Cardassia does engage in a major war with the Federation, and this fleet was surely an important part of the war effort. I can't imagine Maxwell was sitting in his cell just a few years after this episode saying anything other than "I told you so". As above, it is right to say that being weaker in itself needn't stop an aggressor, and obviously what happened here is the aggressor found a very strong ally anyway.

"@Sigh2000 True. Another example would be the Falkland war." Debatable. One lucky hit with an Exocet would have ended that war. History is full of examples of weaker parties using a combination of diplomacy and force to defeat stronger opponents. Worked like a charm for Hitler.

@Jason R I wasn't arguing that Argentina could have won that war even though I find that doubtful. This example was about the fact that Great Britain was far more powerful than Argentina and Argentina still attacked. In that sense it fit. There is an interesting aspect (Well, I find it interesting) about the form of government and success in war. Dictatorship far more often lose wars than democracies who win the vast majority of wars and win all the time when they start a war. There are several hypothesis why that is. 1. It is easier for dictatorships to start wars. 2. Dictatorships want to prolong their lifespan by starting a war 3. Democracies don't attack other democracies 4. Democracies only attack weaker enemies; to name a few hypothesis.

This would apply to the Cardassian Federation conflict.

"There is an interesting aspect (Well, I find it interesting) about the form of government and success in war. Dictatorship far more often lose wars than democracies who win the vast majority of wars and win all the time when they start a war. There are several hypothesis why that is. 1. It is easier for dictatorships to start wars. 2. Dictatorships want to prolong their lifespan by starting a war 3. Democracies don't attack other democracies 4. Democracies only attack weaker enemies; to name a few hypothesis." Democracy is such a new thing (at least the liberal kind) that the sample size is way too small to draw any real conclusions.

The Democratic Peace is a well established theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_peace_theory Sample size is a point of contention. Here is a reputable study from 1998 about the topic. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2585670?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Well okay but does team dictatorship get credit for all of Germany's conquests during WW2?

The methodology is explained in the study. :)

Great episode imo. I like to pretend that it really is Gul dukat but he's going by a different name that starfleet doesn't yet know so he would be more likely to get their cooperation. Marc alaimo is a great actor and even his first cardassian role is played so well.

Having the Cardassians actually be guilty of what Maxwell was accusing them of really hurt the episode in my opinion. They shouldn't have tried to justify what he did, there was no justification for disobeying orders or mass murder. One of the things I never liked about the show was how enemies like the Cardassians and the Romulans were always treated as one-dimensional over the top evil races. It was ridiculous that Maxwell wasn't thrown into the brig immediately the first time they caught him. Letting him return to his ship and maintain his command for the journey back to Federation space? Absurd. Imagine the police catching a murderer and then telling him he was free to drive himself the police station as long as he promised to be good.

The Cardassians and Romulans are clearly not shown as "one-dimensional over the top evil races." Watch Balance of Terror. Watch The Enterprise Incident. Watch The Defector. Watch Duet. Watch any Garak episode. And on and on and on. The twist at the end of The Wounded gives the episode another layer of depth. It isn't there to "justify" what Maxwell did. It's there to drive home the point that sometimes, even when you are technically right, you can still be wrong. Maxwell was right about what the Cardassians were up to, but it didn't give him carte blanche to kill civilians or start an interstellar war.

It is interesting to note that brief melody of the closing music as Picard turns his chair and his back on Gul Macet has shades of the DS9 Theme, which is quite interesting given the other DS9 parallels.

Gilligan’s Starship

This is a pretty tense, well-done story — I only had a couple quibbles with it, but they are more than made up for by the stronger elements of the script. And Patrick Stewart’s understated performance in this ep is just top-notch, you can feel the conflicting emotions within him about this mission, but without any over-the-top histrionics. Plus, Marc Alaimo superbly lays the groundwork for Gul Dukat in this ep. He plays the “villain” with so many layers, you’re just not sure if you should side with him or hate him. I can see why they ended up casting him in DS9. Also, loved the bar scene with O’Brien & the Cardassian—wasn’t expecting it to go down the road it did & it was powerful.

This was a rough patch for Picard. In the previous episode he gets duped by a Romulan spy. Here he watches Maxwell murder 650 Cardassians before finally deciding to go to warp 9 ( for some they were only at warp 4). Then Picard nonchalantly ignores the Cardassian snooping around Starfleet computers. He then refuses to put Captain Maxwell in the brig, resulting in his escape which then leads to a hostage situation. Picard wants to trust everybody, but it doesn't serve him here very well. He's a great explorer but he's terrible at maintaining basic security when the stakes are high.

I disliked O'Brien gettting away with the old Golda Meir self-righteous aggression excusing cop-out of will we forgive them for killing our kids but not forgive them for making us kill theirs. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/664790-when-peace-comes-we-will-perhaps-in-time-be-able#:~:text=Golda%20Meir%20%3E%20Quotes%20%3E%20Quotable%20Quote%20%28%3F%29,love%20their%20children%20more%20than%20they%20hate%20us.%E2%80%9D

The Cardassian uniforms look like they are made of chocolate.

Chudleigh Jones

@matthew h True, I thought that line was really stupid especially since that particular Cardassian he said it to was rather polite. ... After watching this episode again after a long time and after watching DS9, I must say I prefer these older Cardassians than what they were turned into. The more human-like skin tones and the armor design I think look better, and, although they are certainly duplicitous in this episode, they come off as less comically evil than they do in the later episodes.

I was thinking what Steve wrote. The Cardassian uniforms DO look like they are made of chocolate. I found this episode particularly uneven. Warp 4? You are pursuing a starship that has blown up a "research station" at warp 4? The gul is asking for Maxwell's prefix code so his ships can intercept, but all he needs to do is tell his ships to protect the transport. Picard fails to realise this? To counter that is red Dukat's deliciously ambiguous behaviour, setting a pattern for all future Cardassians. Gosh, but Marc Alaimo can act. And the scene where Chief O'Brian ends the crisis with a song....... That was just good tv. (Okay, take a look at the date I am posting this.) 2.5/4

Out of Nowhere

@Brandon from your 2013 post: "Fascinating that the final musical cue of the episode sounds very much like the DS9 theme, if you listen closely." A few others have made this observation as well. Yes I definitely thought the exact same thing when I heard that music at the end! Looked it up and it was indeed Dennis McCarthy, composer of the DS9 theme, who did the music for this episode. This was a couple of years before DS9 started so I wonder if he was just playing around with a Cardassian-based theme that he later developed, or if it was completely random. I always thought the DS9 theme was very Aaron Copland influenced ala Fanfare for the Common Man. Anyway, a subtle but cool connection here.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Wounded

Cast & crew.

Colm Meaney

Chief Miles O'Brien

Rosalind Chao

Keiko O'Brien

Capt. Benjamin Maxwell

Marc Alaimo

Time Winters

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

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The Wounded

Picard and the crew attempt to apprehend a renegade Federation starship that has attacked a Cardassian space station without provocation.

Colm Meaney

Rosalind Chao

John Hancock

Marco Rodríguez

Time Winters

Marc Alaimo

Cast appearances.

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Marina Sirtis

Brent Spiner

Episode discussion.

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

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

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[TNG] The Wounded

One of Star Trek’s favorite things in the whole wide world is to do a story where a former captain of one of our main characters turns against the Federation (We just saw it in DS9’s Homefront/Paradise Lost episodes, combined with their other favorite thing – a Federation admiral as villain.) I get why it’s a concept frequently revisited, there’s a lot of drama and complex emotions inherent in the situation. This episode handles that aspect of the story well, as well as effectively establishing the Cardassians as an interesting villain. O’Brien’s hatred of the Cardassians is portrayed in an uneven way, but overall it adds a nice wrinkle to the show.

Read more at Memory Alpha

Cardassians! Marc Alaimo! Dorky face-guard things! And just DISGUSTING facial hair.

The federation and cardassians recently signed a peace treaty, but a Starfleet captain is acting on his own and attacking cardassians. Enterprise has to stop him!

Some cardassians tag along. O’Brien served under the captian they’re searching for, Captain Maxwell. O’Brien thinks Maxwell has to have a good reason to do what he’s doing.

O’Brien isn’t too friendly with the Cardassians.

Keiko and O’Brien just got married, but apparently have never eaten together. During their time dating, I guess O’Brien never made Irish food for her, and she never made Japanese food? Also, the two fly all over the galaxy but haven’t ever tried food from another place on Earth.

They see from long range sensors that Maxwell is going after another ship. Picard struggles about whether or not to give sensative info to the Cardassians so that they might stop him, but Maxwell destroys them anyway.

Enterprise finally catches up with Maxwell. He seems like a nice guy. Let’s trust him!

He says the Cardassians are up to something. Those cargo ships aren’t so innocent.

Enterprise tries to escort him back to a starbase but he goes after another cardassian ship. He challenges Picard to board the ship and see what they have.

So O’brien beams over and sings to him. This scene flirts with being terribly awkward, but I think it veers safely into being a pretty effective moment.

Maxwell surrenders himself and the cardassians thank Picard. Picard says he did what he had to do to maintain the peace, but he knows the Cardassians were up to something so they better watch themselves!

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The Star Trek: TOS and Star Trek: TNG movies will return to Paramount+ in July

P aramount is once again juggling its Star Trek projects. At the start of 2024, all ten of the Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation movies vacated the streamer because of a licensing deal with Max. With that deal ending, the movies will be returning to Paramount+ beginning July 1st, according to Trekmovie .

It's a rather convenient time for the movies to return on the exact same date as Star Trek: Prodigy launches its second season on Netflix. The animated series was unceremoniously cancelled by Paramount+ in April of last year after the streaming channel called itself "the home of Star Trek." That home is still missing a room without Prodigy.

With all ten of the classic movies back on Paramount+ and the three Kelvin Timelines movies available as well, Paramount+ will be the sole host of the films...at least for now. There's no way the streamer won't be looking to build on its revenue by seeking licensing deals with other streamers, especially considering Paramount+ hasn't made a profit since its inception.

Another movie, Section 31 , will be exclusive to Paramount+ is complete, but a release date has not been scheduled yet. And a Star Trek: Origins movie is reportedly in production while Star Trek 4 continues to struggle to find its footing. The three could potentially bring in substantial income to the streamer, which it desperately needs. Recently, Paramount+ CEO George Cheeks announced at an employee town hall, via MSN Money , that the streamer had hired investment bankers to sell off some assets in an attempt to reduce debt.

In addition, the streaming channel is increasing its prices for new subscribers both ad-free and ad-supported content beginning in August. Paramount+ with Showtime will cost an additional $1.00 ($12.99) while Paramount Essentials (ad-supported) will increase by two dollars ($7.99). The price increases will go into effect for current subscribers beginning September 20th, according to a report by Variety .

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as The Star Trek: TOS and Star Trek: TNG movies will return to Paramount+ in July .

Screen Rant

Star trek: tng almost cast the predator as data or geordi.

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10 Star Trek Actors Who Also Appear In Alien Movies

5 times deanna troi deserved better on star trek: tng, i wish star trek: tng had never introduced data's emotion chip.

• Kevin Peter Hall, who played the Predator, was considered for Star Trek: TNG roles.
• Hall appeared as Leyor in Star Trek: TNG's "The Price," after not getting the Data or Geordi parts.
• Hall's career included various movie monsters and guest appearances, before his passing in 1991.

The actor who portrayed the Predator in the first two Predator films was considered for the roles of both Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) on Star Trek: The Next Generation . After its initial run in the 1960s, Star Trek: The Original Series developed a passionate fanbase, and many of these fans were wary of a new Star Trek series with different characters . This put a lot of pressure on Gene Roddenberry and the people at Paramount to perfectly cast the crew of the USS Enterprise-D for TNG .

The first Predator film premiered in 1987 and went on to become a classic, despite initially mixed reviews. The commercial success of the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led film spawned an entire Predator franchise which includes five total films, as well as two crossover films with the Alien franchise. In 1987's Predator, Schwarzenegger's Dutch Schaefer leads a rescue mission to save hostages in a Central American rainforest. The military men soon find themselves the ones being hunted, as a technologically advanced alien known only as the Predator stalks them. At 7 feet 2 inches tall, actor Kevin Peter Hall cut an intimidating figure as the terrifying Predator.

Several actors have made the jump from exploring the stars in Star Trek to hunting Xenomorphs in the Alien franchise.

Predator Actor Kevin Peter Hall Was Considered For Star Trek: TNG's Geordi & Data

Kevin peter hall played the predator in 1987's predator & 1990's predator 2..

As seen in a 1987 memo from Paramount (pictured below), Kevin Peter Hall was on the shortlist of actors to play Lt. Geordi La Forge or Lt. Commander Data. While LeVar Burton was also on the list as a possibility for Geordi, alongside Reggie Jackson and Wesley Snipes, Brent Spiner was not even being considered to play Data at this point in the casting process. Patrick Stewart was already a frontrunner for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but Gene Roddenberry wasn't a fan of Stewart . Many different actors were considered for the roles of the Enterprise-D crew members, but the final cast choices ended up being a resounding success.

Because of his height, Kevin Peter Hall appeared as numerous movie monsters throughout his career, beginning with several horror films throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. Hall also popped up in episodes of Night Court and The Dukes of Hazzard . Hall played the Bigfoot named Harry in 1987's Harry and the Hendersons, a role he reprised for the first season of the spin-off sitcom of the same name. Kevin Peter Hall's life was tragically cut short when he passed away from AIDS-related pneumonia on April 10, 1991, at the age of 35.

In addition to playing the Predator, Hall also appeared as an unnamed helicopter pilot near the end of 1987's Predator.

Kevin Peter Hall Guest Starred In An Episode Of Star Trek: TNG

Hall portrays a caldonian named leyor in tng season 3, episode 8, "the price.".

Some of the actors who had been considered for major roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but didn't get the part, were later brought in for guest roles. Kevin Peter Hall didn't end up portraying Data or Geordi, but he did appear in TNG season 3, episode 8, "The Price." "The Price" centers on negotiations for the right to control a supposedly stable wormhole that would allow starships to travel a vast distance in a matter of seconds. Hall plays Leyor, a Caldonian diplomat and negotiator.

Eric Menyuk, who was also considered for the role of Data, played the mysterious Traveler in three episodes of TNG.

Leyor eventually withdraws the Caldonians from the negotiations after another negotiator, Devinoni Ral (Matt McCoy), convinces him that maintaining the wormhole would require too much time and resources. Although the Caldonians were mostly intellectuals and academics, Hall's height helped make Leyor a particularly imposing alien figure. His Star Trek: The Next Generation role may have been a minor one, but Kevin Peter Hall cemented his place in film history by portraying the iconic Predator in the first two Predator films.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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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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The 5 Best New TV Shows of June 2024

S ummertime, and the viewing is easy. Which is a relief, considering the heat dome conditions that have made outdoor recreation, in much of the eastern half of the U.S., feel like playing in a furnace. Among June’s best new TV shows are documentary series about disco and a Renaissance faire. (Both are pretty substantive but feel relatively light for a genre whose favorite topic is serial killers.) Julio Torres returns with another comedy that finds ethereal humor in the precarity of an artist’s life. Queenie chronicles a wounded yet charming 20-something’s second coming of age. There’s even a new Star Wars show premised on a twin-sister switcheroo. 

The Acolyte (Disney+)

The best thing about the latest Star Wars spin-off is that you don’t have to be Yoda to understand who everyone is and what’s going on and how the show fits into Disney’s 100-year plan (or whatever) for Lucasfilm . That’s because The Acolyte takes place a century before the rise of the Empire and its reams of blockbuster lore, when the Jedi Order is thriving and the galaxy peaceful. Our heroine is Osha ( Amandla Stenberg ), a young Jedi-Knight-training dropout who is apprehended for a murder that was actually committed by a twin sister, Mae (also Stenberg), whom Osha had long believed to be dead. Mae’s quest to assassinate several Jedi leaders as retribution for a past wrong intriguingly muddies Star Wars ’ standard light-vs.-dark moral dichotomy. Other reasons to be optimistic about the series: it was created by Russian Doll mastermind Leslye Headland, and the delightful cast includes Carrie-Anne Moss, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Manny Jacinto, and Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae .

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution (PBS)

Music documentaries are everywhere these days, and plenty of them are fascinating. But how many actually embody, rather than simply describe, the spirit of their subject? In the case of disco, that feeling is ecstasy, and PBS’s three-part docuseries Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution is at once a serious, politically engaged, and culturally aware history of the genre and a pleasure bomb, fogging your living room with hi-hat shimmer and metallic confetti. Told largely by the DJs and singers who invented disco in the ‘70s, the series not only immerses viewers in the atmosphere of the dance floor, but also breaks down influential tracks—from Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango’s oft-sampled "Soul Makossa" to Donna Summer ’s heavy-breathing masterpiece “Love to Love You Baby”—to explore each artist’s innovations.

The triptych structure is perfectly suited to Disco , which opens with an episode tracing the sound’s rise from gay nightlife; followed by an account of an imperial era defined by Black, female acts like Gloria Gaynor , Labelle, and Candi Staton (who sits for a wonderfully candid interview); and a finale that both laments the record industry’s disco cash grab (see: Village People, “Disco Duck”) and celebrates the continuous evolution of dance music. Recent years have seen a crucial recontextualization of disco as a movement pioneered by Black, Latino, queer, and female artists, then simultaneously co-opted and demonized by the white, male mainstream. Disco brings an unusually nuanced perspective to this revisionism, noting upsides as well as downsides to the genre’s gentrification and never losing sight of music as a business. 

Fantasmas (HBO)

Los Espookys co-creator and SNL alum Julio Torres is back on HBO with his weirdest and most wonderful creation to date. Fantasmas (Spanish for ghosts ) gets its title from a pitch writer and director Torres’ quasi-autobiographical protagonist Julio makes to Crayola, early in the six-episode series’ premiere, for a clear-colored crayon with that spectral name. But it applies equally to the show’s characters, offbeat dreamers set adrift in a society eager to commodify their identities and aspirations. The premise makes Fantasmas both a sparkling specimen of weird TV and a manifesto championing the existence of that possibly dying art. [ Read the full review .]

Queenie (Hulu)

Hulu’s wonderful new dramedy Queenie opens with an overhead, medium close-up shot that puts viewers face-to-face with the show’s namesake heroine. Twenty-five-year-old Queenie Jenkins is staring at the ceiling, her braids spread out on a white pillow, a tangle of necklaces grazing her clavicle, and an expression of idle bemusement twisting her features. In a voiceover, as the camera zooms out and we see that she’s in the midst of a gynecological exam, she enumerates the many “things I should’ve done today”—a bikini wax, for instance.

It’s hard to imagine a more intimate introduction. And that’s fitting. Based on the celebrated 2019 novel of the same name and created by its author, Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie delves deep into the subjectivity of its title character, a Londoner of Jamaican descent who works in social media at a newspaper but dreams of earning a byline. [ Read the full review .]

Ren Faire (HBO)

You might think you know what to expect from a documentary series called Ren Faire , but you are almost certainly wrong. From Spellbound and the crossword chronicle Wordplay to Trekkies and the live action role-playing doc Darkon , the Y2K era set the template for offbeat, warmhearted nonfiction films about nerdy subcultures. Ren Faire , HBO’s perceptive and surprisingly thrilling three-part portrait of the Texas Renaissance Festival as it approaches its 50th anniversary, is not that kind of story. It’s Succession , but with corsets and chainmail. [ Read the full review .]

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Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

The wounded (1991).

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