THE PLOT
The Enterprise is delivering medical supplies to Rutia IV, a non-aligned world that has been torn apart by terrorism. The Ansata, a group of separatists who want the right to rule themselves on the planet's western continent, have orchestrated a campaign of bombings and assassinations against the Rutian government, which has responded by cracking down more and more on all Ansatans, which in turn fuels more terrorism. It's a messy situation, with no clear end game in sight.
The stakes are raised when Finn (Richard Cox), the leader of the Ansatan separatists, kidnaps Dr. Crusher. He wants her to use her advanced knowledge to help his people, whose undectable inter-dimensional transporters have enhanced their campaign, but at the cost of slowly killing those who use it. When Dr. Crusher tells him she can't reverse the damage, and the only cure for those not already dying is to "stop using it," Finn goes even further. He intends to draw the Federation into the conflict, so that they can force the Rutians to grant honorable peace terms. His method? Destroy the Enterprise!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Is dedicated to finding Dr. Crusher, but has no interest in directly involving the Federation in the Rutians' internal problems. When explaining what has happened to Wesley, he is direct but sympathetic. He denies Wesley's request to join Riker on the planet, but finds a way for the boy to be useful by assigning him to work with Geordi to analyze the terrorists' transporter technology. Which has the twin benefits of keeping Welsey out of the way (and out of harm's way), while at the same time using Wesley's actual skills.
Riker: Works with Alexana (Kerrie Keane), the head of the Rutians' security forces. He clearly disapproves of Alexana's methods, which are reminiscent of a police state, but listens to her point of view, and works well with her. When Alexana's questioning of random Ansatans yields no results, Riker spreads the word that the Federation will negotiate directly for the return of Dr. Crusher... which ends up spurring the terrorists to even more desperate action.
Dr. Crusher: Her refusal to simply beam up after witnessing an explosion is what puts her in harm's way to start with. When Picard says he should have just beamed her up, even without her assent, Dr. Crusher is shocked at the suggestion, and says that she'll obey Picard's orders when she deems them "sensible." Which is entirely consisent with the Picard/Crusher relationship - she has questioned his orders on at least two previous occasions - but highlights a problem of Picard having a key staff officer with whom he has such a close and complex relationship. She intellectually understands the chain of command, but can't always make herself see him as "the captain" rather than just "Jean-Luc."
Wesley: Gets another decent episode, as he recognizes the pattern of the terrorists' interdimensional Technobabble, spurring Data and Geordi to Technobabbling their Gizmos to detect and trace the device.
THOUGHTS
Two episodes in a row dealing with a minority group that resorts to a violent response against a repressive government. The High Ground is less simplistic than The Hunted was, but in many ways it's also less effective.
Though Melinda Snodgrass has crafted a thoughtful script about terrorism, the story just doesn't dig very deeply into its topic. Both sides are represented by a single face: Finn (Richard Cox) for the terrorists, and Alexana (Kerrie Keane) for the government. Alexana might reference that her predecessors were more oppressive than she is, but we don't see anyone around her wanting to try a harsher or less harsh approach. Finn, similarly, is the leader of the planet's only terrorist group, with no rival groups or offshoots, and no one challenges any of his plans or approaches. In fact, there aren't even any other terrorists with speaking parts!
It all leads to a conclusion in which Riker says something about the significance of a child not shooting Alexana - a bit that induced me to exercise my eyes by rolling them. Mix in a very wooden performance by Kerrie Keane, who in fairness must contend with a lot of artificial dialogue, and the episode falls a fair bit short of its ambitions.
On the other hand, it is quite watchable. Richard Cox is good as Finn, who has more character depth than the average Trek villain. The script is well-structured, and the plot moves along quite nicely. As with The Hunted, the action scenes are well-directed and there is definite momentum. The climax does show the major flaw in Finn's plan to bring the Federation into it - the Federation's technology and manpower means that, the instant the Enterprise alone becomes involved, Finn can't help but very quicky lose.
Not everything in The High Ground works, and it seems clear that the producers were aiming at a much better episode than they got. But it's well-paced and reasonably thoughtful. Most of all, the situation is just as much of a mess at the end as at the beginning, with no one black-and-white villain and no easy fix for Rutia's complex problems. It may not deliver all that was wanted of it, but it's still a solid piece of television.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
The Enterprise is delivering medical supplies to Rutia IV, a non-aligned world that has been torn apart by terrorism. The Ansata, a group of separatists who want the right to rule themselves on the planet's western continent, have orchestrated a campaign of bombings and assassinations against the Rutian government, which has responded by cracking down more and more on all Ansatans, which in turn fuels more terrorism. It's a messy situation, with no clear end game in sight.
The stakes are raised when Finn (Richard Cox), the leader of the Ansatan separatists, kidnaps Dr. Crusher. He wants her to use her advanced knowledge to help his people, whose undectable inter-dimensional transporters have enhanced their campaign, but at the cost of slowly killing those who use it. When Dr. Crusher tells him she can't reverse the damage, and the only cure for those not already dying is to "stop using it," Finn goes even further. He intends to draw the Federation into the conflict, so that they can force the Rutians to grant honorable peace terms. His method? Destroy the Enterprise!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Is dedicated to finding Dr. Crusher, but has no interest in directly involving the Federation in the Rutians' internal problems. When explaining what has happened to Wesley, he is direct but sympathetic. He denies Wesley's request to join Riker on the planet, but finds a way for the boy to be useful by assigning him to work with Geordi to analyze the terrorists' transporter technology. Which has the twin benefits of keeping Welsey out of the way (and out of harm's way), while at the same time using Wesley's actual skills.
Riker: Works with Alexana (Kerrie Keane), the head of the Rutians' security forces. He clearly disapproves of Alexana's methods, which are reminiscent of a police state, but listens to her point of view, and works well with her. When Alexana's questioning of random Ansatans yields no results, Riker spreads the word that the Federation will negotiate directly for the return of Dr. Crusher... which ends up spurring the terrorists to even more desperate action.
Dr. Crusher: Her refusal to simply beam up after witnessing an explosion is what puts her in harm's way to start with. When Picard says he should have just beamed her up, even without her assent, Dr. Crusher is shocked at the suggestion, and says that she'll obey Picard's orders when she deems them "sensible." Which is entirely consisent with the Picard/Crusher relationship - she has questioned his orders on at least two previous occasions - but highlights a problem of Picard having a key staff officer with whom he has such a close and complex relationship. She intellectually understands the chain of command, but can't always make herself see him as "the captain" rather than just "Jean-Luc."
Wesley: Gets another decent episode, as he recognizes the pattern of the terrorists' interdimensional Technobabble, spurring Data and Geordi to Technobabbling their Gizmos to detect and trace the device.
THOUGHTS
Two episodes in a row dealing with a minority group that resorts to a violent response against a repressive government. The High Ground is less simplistic than The Hunted was, but in many ways it's also less effective.
Though Melinda Snodgrass has crafted a thoughtful script about terrorism, the story just doesn't dig very deeply into its topic. Both sides are represented by a single face: Finn (Richard Cox) for the terrorists, and Alexana (Kerrie Keane) for the government. Alexana might reference that her predecessors were more oppressive than she is, but we don't see anyone around her wanting to try a harsher or less harsh approach. Finn, similarly, is the leader of the planet's only terrorist group, with no rival groups or offshoots, and no one challenges any of his plans or approaches. In fact, there aren't even any other terrorists with speaking parts!
It all leads to a conclusion in which Riker says something about the significance of a child not shooting Alexana - a bit that induced me to exercise my eyes by rolling them. Mix in a very wooden performance by Kerrie Keane, who in fairness must contend with a lot of artificial dialogue, and the episode falls a fair bit short of its ambitions.
On the other hand, it is quite watchable. Richard Cox is good as Finn, who has more character depth than the average Trek villain. The script is well-structured, and the plot moves along quite nicely. As with The Hunted, the action scenes are well-directed and there is definite momentum. The climax does show the major flaw in Finn's plan to bring the Federation into it - the Federation's technology and manpower means that, the instant the Enterprise alone becomes involved, Finn can't help but very quicky lose.
Not everything in The High Ground works, and it seems clear that the producers were aiming at a much better episode than they got. But it's well-paced and reasonably thoughtful. Most of all, the situation is just as much of a mess at the end as at the beginning, with no one black-and-white villain and no easy fix for Rutia's complex problems. It may not deliver all that was wanted of it, but it's still a solid piece of television.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
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