Maybe this episode felt different before 9/11, but today it feels more like an episode about Stockholm syndrome. The terrorists/freedom fighters are being led by a sociopath which makes it kinda hard to empathize with them. Unless you are Dr. Crusher apparently. She is not at her best in this episode, especially after she has been held hostage for most of the episode and when Picard mentions that maybe listening to her and not getting her off the surface before she was kidnapped was a mistake she is outraged. Really? Of course he should have gone with his gut and beamed her out of there. They almost destroyed the entire ship!
While dropping off medical supplies on a neutral planet the away team is at the scene of a terrorist attack. Dr. Crusher insists in helping the wounded even thought he scene is clearly not secure. (As an aside I am an EMT and the first thing you ever worry about at a trauma scene like this is scene safety, you are no good if you end up as another patient.) And to prove my instincts correct she is kidnapped by the terrorists using some sort of untraceable transporter device. She awakens in a cave with a terrorist who offers he food which she refuses. In fact she refuses to talk or acknowledge his presence. Back on the ship Picard has to break it to Wesley that his mom has been taken as a hostage. He is put on the team trying to discover how the transporters the terrorists are using work.
Riker meets with the head of planetary security who explains that they have been fighting the terrorists for decades ever since they tried to break one continent off from the government. They have killed thousands including many children. Recently they started using the untraceable transporter devices and are even more dangerous now. In engineering Wesley has a breakthrough discovering how the terrorists are transporting, and it is very dangerous. Back on the planet Dr. Crusher eventually agrees to eat and after she is shown a bunch of hurt people she immediately tries to start helping them. But of course she needs supplies which, fortunately for her, the terrorists already stole from the shipment intended for the government. To the head terrorist is totally unsympathetic, but he draws some pictures of Beverley and she seems to think he is a nice guy all of a sudden.
Learning the Beverley is from the Federation flag ship the terrorists beam themselves onto the ship and try to blow it up, but Geordi stops them. They do succeed however and kidnapping the captain. They transport so much that Wesley is able to detect more about how they are doing it, he just needs them to do it one more time. And fortunately for them the head terrorist beams over to tell Troi his demands and they are on to them. Riker leads a rescue team of like 5 guys to take on the whole terrorist base and despite this being a terrible plan it of course works. But the head of security shoots the head terrorist dead which upsets Bev. Then a kid who worked with her doesn't kill them all which is a sign of hope I guess?
Review: It seemed like this episode wanted the audience to feel for the terrorists despite them being totally terrible and unsympathetic. Unlike last nights episode about a harsh government fighting just rebels this one seems like the government is doing the right thing and fuck the terrorists. Except Beverley is convinced that the sociopath leader must be a good guy since he likes to draw or something.
3 out of 10
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