The Enemy

DVD, TNG S3 (The Enemy)

Tales which feature the Romulans have the deserved reputation of being consistently of a high standard of story and execution, but it wasn't always the case. In the early seasons of 'TNG' they often appeared in less impressive stories, this being one of them. I'm not sure what the lack of appeal is down to, except that things are slow and laborious to get to the point and we don't learn much about the race, perhaps a reason why they've remained a mysterious foe.

Though I'd seen the episode before I still expected Worf to relent and save the 'enemy' with his transfusion, but if I'd thought about it I'd have seen the get-out clause that had been worked in with Bochra and Geordi learning to trust each other. Geordi was the perfect selection to be left behind - he shows his engineering ingenuity to get out of the pit, he cobbles together a tracking device to rescue them as all Starfleet engineers should, but most of all he's a peaceful man, not given to violence. He could easily have knocked his Romulan captor's disruptor away, or paid him back for the thump he received, but instead he chooses to try and talk to the guy and get to know him in the easygoing La Forge way, eventually engendering trust and common sense to reach a rescue plan. If it had been Riker or Worf, both of whom are necessarily belligerent toward the Romulans they'd have avoided any attempt at common ground and simply fought back.

I thought in some ways that the episode is saying that Klingons are less honourable than humans or have stiffer necks, but Riker's fierceness shows him up too. With good reason, but at least there has been some small understanding between a human and at least one Romulan, and that may lead to that one Centurion thinking more favourably of humanity in the future. La Forge's approach may have changed perceptions in a small way.

Dr. Crusher's assertion (and she isn't having a good day - she also notes that the patient doesn't have any sign of blunt trauma to the head, but Worf smacked him in the face hard enough to knock him out!), that Vulcans wouldn't be suitable to help the Romulan patient seem at odds with their common biology and suggesting Klingon genes (or whatever) were better is a bit of a cop-out to manoeuvre the story round to Worf. It does make for some strong drama even so, although the episode as a whole is lacking.

The Galorndon Core planet set looked fine, and I'm sure Levar Burton had a tough time wading through mud and slime, but it all falls a bit flat, except for Worf's intransigence, Bochra wasn't a well played character and things peter out a bit. The Romulans have yet to be fully featured in their strength, but this was the first of several appearances from Tomalak from (now deceased) Andreas Katsulas. So much for humans being truthful however: Picard states he will escort the Warbird to the Neutral Zone, but instead the two ships warp off in opposite directions!

**