TNG Flashback: The Enemy

After a long dry spell, Geordi plays a key role in two back-to-back episodes, following up on "Booby Trap" with "The Enemy."

The Enterprise discovers debris from a recently crashed Romulan ship on the inhospitable planet Galorndon Core. Beaming to and from the surface is only possible during brief windows of calm between intense storm activity, so when Geordi is knocked unconscious during a cave-in, Riker and Worf are forced to leave him behind. But Geordi is not alone. A Romulan survivor captures him and holds him prisoner; eventually, the two must work together to signal the ship for rescue. Meanwhile, another crisis is happening aboard the Enterprise. A second Romulan survivor is dying of injuries, and a Romulan warship is threatening to cross the Neutral Zone and start a war to recover him.

I remembered this as being a fairly strong episode of the show, but watching it again, I found it even better than I remembered. It starts with a very strong script. Two enemies forced to work together is a story that has been done many times before and many times since, but in any given case, it's the strength of the characters that sells the tale. Geordi is a great choice to put in this situation. He not only has the MacGyver-like skills to survive in the harsh conditions (he even fashions himself some makeshift climbing tools), but he's one of the most human characters on the show. Riker and Worf would be too stoic for you to really feel the suffering of the situation, for example -- nor would they as credibly be able to make peace with the Romulan survivor.

Of course, this episode isn't just centered on Geordi. Worf takes a central role as well, and it's here that the script proves even sharper. The Romulan brought aboard the Enterprise is dying of injuries, and Dr. Crusher must perform a blood transfusion. Worf is found to be the only compatible donor, and he refuses to do it out of bitterness over his parents' deaths at Romulan hands. It was head writer Michael Piller who conceived of the notion that Worf would let the Romulan die rather than save his life, and he had a bit of a fight getting it on the screen. The entire writing staff was against him, and even Michael Dorn felt negatively about it when he first read the script. Producer Rick Berman backed the choice, and after the fact, everyone realized it was the right one.

At this point in television, heroic characters did not do such dark things. And this was in Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future, no less, where everybody is flawlessly moral and never fights. This move for Worf was able to drive home that he's an alien, with alien morality and motivations. It provided a truly surprising twist for the episode; who would have thought in 1989 that Worf would actually let the Romulan die?

It also provided for great scenes between Worf and other characters. Gates McFadden is wonderful as an uncomprehending Dr. Crusher. She simply cannot conceive of Worf's reluctance here, and tries delicately to persuade him. Jonathan Frakes is just as good in a scene between Riker and Worf, in which the commander tries an "I know how you feel" speech, but then admits he doesn't. But best of all, unsurprisingly, is Patrick Stewart in a scene where Picard wrestles with the idea of ordering Worf to agree to the transfusion in spite of the Klingon's wishes.

This episode marks the first appearance of Andreas Katsulas as Romulan commander Tomalak. He's a character with a lot of gears: he can be falsely jovial, a grinning liar, and coldly threatening. It's almost a tiny taste of what the actor would achieve in the role of G'Kar on Babylon 5 (where he was one of the best actors on the show). His role here also sets up even more great scenes for Patrick Stewart, in which Picard verbally jousts with the Romulan.

Other observations:

• There's a significant first behind the camera as well, as this is the first episode directed by David Carson. He would go on to helm several memorable episodes of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and also drew the assignment of directing the Next Gen's first big screen adventure, Generations.

• The show does a fairly good job of making the planet look inhospitable on a tight budget.

• "Geordi vision" returns for the first time since "Heart of Glory." Its look has been refined for the better.

• Romulan blood is shown as being green in this episode, a nice nod of continuity to their established shared lineage with Vulcans.

• Perhaps to hedge their bets on Worf's decision to let the Romulan die, the writers include a scene in which the Romulan refuses the transfusion anyway, unwilling to pollute his body with "Klingon filth."

• Dennis McCarthy delivers a rather strong score for this episode. There's an interesting and ominous bass theme beneath the early exploration of the planet. Mournful woodwinds score the wordless scenes in which Geordi struggles alone on the surface. A very unsettling spray of synthesized pizzicato strings accompanies the moment where the Romulan first ambushes Geordi. And there's a strong, noble Klingon melody for the moment where Worf confronts the Romulan he refuses to save.

In a season that has already shown great improvement, "The Enemy" is the best episode yet. I give it an A-.