The Wounded

September 29, 1987. Barely 15 minutes into "Encounter at Farpoint", Picard prepares to surrender to Q. In the battle bridge, there's a curly haired guy with an Irish accent in a red uniform. As with most background characters, he'll just appear once and never again. He'll be the conn officer who gets one or two lines in an episode and has no bearing on the plot whatsoever. Right? Right?


No, that was Colm Meany playing Chief O'Brien. He would have one more appearance in Season 1 before getting more speaking time in Season 2, where he would become known as "Transporter Chief". By the end of this shaky season, Meany would get his name and become a full-fledged recurring character, having...well, some bearing on the plot. By Season 4, it was decided to give him some true character, which was done in stages. First, he was given a first and middle name in "Family", then he was married in "Data's Day". After that, we got to go deep into the character's history.


"The Wounded" was written by Jeri Taylor, long before she was given control over the first female captain of a series. The episode opens with the Enterprise-D on the Cardassian border. Peh, Cardassians. Must be some alien race with a cheap rubber forehead, like the Talarians. Picard mentions in his log how the Federation has concluded a peace agreement with Cardassia (proving that once again, the Federation does engage in military conflict) and recalls a story about how he fled from a Cardassian patrol ship last time he was here with the Stargazer. Wow, Picard running? Since there's only one omnipotent race in the universe and the Borg are pretty far, these guys must be tough if they can get Picard to run! Troi does her job of being annoying pretty well by telling Worf (who says the Cardassians have no honour; does anyone have honour other than Klingons?) that they are the Federation's allies now. Uh, Deanna, a peace agreement or an armistice does not equal an alliance!


Anyway, we are introduced to the star of the episode: Miles O'Brien, who is having dinner with his wife Keiko. Keiko introduces him to some Japanese cuisine. I have to agree with Miles, who's not that much of a fan of seaweed (more into shellfish). He begins talking about some Irish food he can make for her, like scalloped potatoes (one of my favorites). Miles also brings in a shocking revelation that his mother cooked real food and touched it with her hands...

You mean, there was a time before replicators?!

Okay, I have to address this. I know that this is the future. They have warp drive and are part of a galactic government. Why, why, WHY, and I'm talking to you three (Rick, Jeri, and Brannon), must they always present 20th Century terms and practices as being foreign or something people have done away with? Why must the 24th Century be so dramatically different than today? Besides, in DS9, we see that people still cook! Ben Sisko cooks all the time! His father runs a restaurant! Why is the idea of people handling meat to Keiko so foreign? Sure, pushing a button saves hours of preparation, but cooking brings a flair to the taste. Besides, some material say that replicated food tastes slightly different than real food.


Anyway, after some sex talk, the ship is attacked and red alert is sounded. Miles runs to his station while we cut to the bridge. They are under attack by a Cardassian warship. Wow, their ships are pretty impressive and not some cheap model. They actually put time and effort into these new bad guys. We then get our first look at them and...wow! Full make-up! Not a single bit of regular skin shown! And...some really ridiculous hats. Oh well, they can ditch them quickly.

I sense hostility and distrust, Captain.
*psst* Deanna, you're not helping.

So, within the first third, the situation is quickly assessed. The USS Phoenix, under the command of Ben Maxwell, appears to have gone rogue and attacked a Cardassian station. With Starfleet still reeling from their battle with the Borg, Picard is ordered to find Maxwell and maintain the peace by any means necessary. The Cardassians come aboard and we quickly get a sense of how different they are. For one thing, they don't use Royal or US naval ranks. They have their own ranking system with "Gul" and "Glinn". After they remove their ridiculous helmets (okay, they're alien, but I'd prefer a spray-painted helmet or something), we get a briefing of the situation. Miles is there because...out of a thousand people, he's the only guy to serve under Maxwell before. Well...Starfleet does probably have millions of officers and crewmen...nevermind. He goes to the turbolift followed by the two Cardassian Glinns, who try to chat him up. Miles quickly reveals himself to be something of a speciesist, with non-subtle hatred to the them.


On the bridge, Picard debates the best course of action with the Cardassian commander, Gul Macet, played by Marc Alaimo (whom you may remember had one line in Total Recall). Macet tries to coax Picard into revealing classified transponder signals that will help the closer Cardassian (wow, I do love that name. "Cardassian") ships find the Phoenix. Of course, Picard is a seasoned veteran, not a science officer put in charge of a counterterrorism mission or an elitist snob put in command simply because his dad's name is on the engine. He knows how to handle a dangerous opponent. Hell, he even restricted their access to sensitive parts of the ship.


Back in their quarters, Miles makes Keiko some potato casserole. He then begins singing "The Minstrel Boy", an old Irish patriotic song, which they used to sing on the Rutledge (named for Edward Rutledge, the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence). He begins to talk about how others in the conference room felt uncomfortable about the Cardassians, attributing this to fighting the war. It truly amazes me how some people will try to pass off their own prejudices to others. After all, Miles did try to defend his captain who was breaking a treaty of the Federation and raised his voice when the Cardassian officers made a friendly overture. But then, I'm sure some Jews may still feel uncomfortable sitting at lunch with a German, even years after the war has ended.


Meanwhile, Picard reluctantly hands over the codes to Gul Macet, thus rendering Phoenix defenseless. However, being a Nebula-class starship (an updated version of the Miranda-class), it's able to evade the enemy warship and destroy it, along with the supply ship it was chasing. Picard and Macet take a collective "oh...crap" when the latter reveals that 650 crewmen were just killed. The former goes to see Miles for some insight in Captain Maxwell, asking how he took losing his family to the Cardassians. Miles claims Maxwell took it fine, but starts to rethink when Picard gives some words of wisdom:


"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"

So, eleven hundred colonists go in the water, 300 come
out, sharks took the rest...

Hearing this, Miles heads to Ten Forward, where I shall avoid a cheap drunk Irishman joke. One of the Glinns arrives and joins Miles in drinks. One thing this episode does extremely well is how much information about the Cardassians is organically introduced: their appearance, their ranks, their ships, their history with the Federation, and now their drinks. Curious that the Enterprise bar staff has Cardassian alcohol on board (like US subs have vodka during the Cold War), but nevermind. Here, we get some of the first backstory for Miles, where he recounts his experiences from the earliest days of the Cardassian Wars. During the attack on Setlik III, where Maxwell's family died, Miles killed a Cardassian with full vaporize when he intended to stun him (the first time he ever killed something). The way he recounts it is very much how any veteran will recall a particularly trying battle or skirmish.




Following this, Worf brings in the other Glinn, whom he claims was trying to access information on the ship's weapons systems. This scene is partially padding, but also serves to show how Cardassians try to talk their way out of a situation. Macet also speaks grandly about a lasting peace with Picard. Wow, Marc Alaimo is quite a thespian. He should come back as a Cardassian. Not this one, of course. The make-up is still in beta, but then, great things come in stages.


So, the Enterprise finally catches up with the Phoenix. Maxwell beams over and has a reunion with Miles, saying that he was his tactical officer on the Rutledge. Odd, a senior NCO being a department head...anyway, Maxwell goes to see Picard (after giving a wink to Miles; nice moment). He proceeds to give his side of the story: the Cardassians are rearming. The "science station" he destroyed was a military depot. He goes into an argument with Picard, who appears to neither agree nor disagree with his claim. Finally, Picard says they will return to Federation space. However, while heading back, Maxwell changes course and pursues another Cardassian starship (which conveniently has jamming equipment). With some treknobabble, Miles has a way to beam over.




What follows in Maxwell's ready room is truly some impressive acting. Maxwell is a soldier who thinks the war is still going on; he's one of many veterans who lives to fight, who will never adjust back into civilian life. He starts to talk about how the Federation does not start wars, before breaking into tears over the death of his family on Setlik III. Followed by...this:

Truly one of the most heartwarming moments I've ever seen of Star Trek.

Cross me again, Gul Macet, and so help me
I shall pit you against a black man.

Afterwards, Maxwell surrenders himself and is held aboard the Enterprise. Macet congratulates Picard on his accomplishment, but the latter responds with pity for Maxwell. He was twice awarded the highest medals for courage and valor during the war, so he will have a highly difficult time readjusting to peace. Finally, Picard reveals that Maxwell was absolutely correct. The science station was an arms depot. However, by not boarding the supply ship, he managed to maintain the peace. This is what I like about Picard: on his best days, he carefully plays his cards before fully revealing his hand. He has Gul Macet leave his ship with a warning: "We'll be watching." FORESHADOWING!




I need to dock the score for some future stupidity in the teaser, but the rest of the episode is solid. We finally get a main enemy of the Federation after the failed Ferengi, the reclusive Romulans, and the distant Borg. Besides focusing on a secondary recurring character, here we see the all-too-real consequences of war. The best decorated officer who defies orders because he cannot stand the thought of peace. The subordinate who tries to hide his prejudice to a former enemy. And of course, the man who is willing to do anything to uphold the new peace. All of this leads back to one fundamental truth, known since the dawn of human history:

War is hell.

Final Score: 9/10