Episode Guide #1: Ro Laren
Hello, Where No Woman! I was very pleasantly surprised by the response to last week's pitch for an ongoing episode guide challenge, and am happy to say that most characters and all but one week of the remaining year have been claimed! That day is the 23rd of September, two weeks from now, and among others (such as Chapel and Leeta) that have gone unclaimed, there are still three main cast members: Tasha Yar, Kes, and T'Pol. So the first person to claim a TV Trek lady gets the 23rd, and if there's still interest we can do another round of claims for January.
Now, without further ado, a half-assed character guide of my very own, brought to you by a week of crises, bad sleep, and allergies.
RO LAREN
what to watch when you're watching
Most often known as "Ensign Ro," this character played by Michelle Forbes (more recently of Battlestar Galactica, True Blood, and The Killing) made her first appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation's fifth season, and her last in its penultimate episode before the series finale. Although not one of my favorites in pure character terms, she represents an important turning point in the history of the franchise, and I recommend watching a few of her episodes for anyone who's interested in Trekly politics and world-building.
See, Ro is the first Bajoran: the first with that cute nose ridge (whose design changed throughout her appearances), the first to wear the bitchin' chained earring (on a different ear than all later Bajorans), and the first to insist upon being addressed in opposite order, as Bajoran naming holds that the family name comes first and the given name comes second. With her comes the planet Bajor and their people, my very favorite in all of Star Trek -- a very old civilization recently brought to its knees and tempered violently through half a century of occupation by the totalitarian Cardassians. Bajor's culture and conflict with Cardassia are absolutely key to Deep Space 9, for which Ro was originally intended to be a castmember. (Major Kira Nerys was only created instead after Michelle Forbes refused the job.)
Ensign Ro is also something of a first within Starfleet crews, as Gene Roddenberry's old dictum had always been that conflict on Star Trek came from external sources, rather than internal strife between crewmembers, who were supposed to be a fairly harmonious cooperative. With a backstory of having been courtmartialed and losing her rank, and grown up in a labor camp, Ro was intended to be a hard-edged character to spice things up a bit.
Since she only appears in eight episodes, I will list them all:
season 5, episode 3 - Ensign Ro
This introduces her, Bajor (here called "Bajora") and its suffering under Cardassian occupation, and also Riker being kind of a dick. Actually that last one is old news. Guinan also shows up! An important episode, especially recommended for the lolz to DS9 fans. Also, here, I made you a goofy Mean Girls macro:
(on tumblr here)
ba dum ching
season 5, episode 5 - Disaster
I should have made a "Telephone" macro for this episode, but I didn't. I actually don't recommend it for Ro purposes, as she mostly just naysays at acting captain Deanna Troi, and although their storyline is a definite Bechdel pass, the naysaying gets boring. I do, however, recommend the episode as a classic for its other storylines -- Picard gets stuck with three little kids! And Worf delivers Keiko's baby Molly in a bar! Good times.
season 5, episode 14 - Conundrum
Buffy fans will know what I mean when I describe this episode as Star Trek's "Tabula Rasa." Everyone loses their long-term memory! Hijinks ensue! Sadly, none of the hijinks are very interesting at all, but Ro does choose this time to brazenly form a love triangle with Riker and Troi, and perhaps most notably, wears a dress. It's... weird.
season 5, episode 15 - Power Play
This is an action episode which I didn't get a chance to rewatch, so I can't tell you if it's any good. I can tell you that it's not Ro-centric, however.
season 5, episode 18 - Cause and Effect
This is an episode I really like -- the Enterprise is stuck in a repeating time loop! with poker! who will save the day? BEVERLY CRUSHER! -- but, again, it has very little to do with Ensign Ro.
season 5, episode 24 - The Next Phase
In which a transporter accident convinces the Enterprise crew that Ro and Geordi LaForge have died, while their disembodied selves tromp around the ship trying to communicate with others and doing fun stuff like attend their own funeral. Good Ro ep.
season 6, episode 7 - Rascals
In which a transporter accident reverts Captain Picard, Ensign Ro, Keiko O'Brien, and Guinan to their twelve-year-old bodies. (How unreliable are transporters anyway? Since they're all different ages shouldn't they -- no. Shhh. Just come.) This is a very cute episode, and I think it's classic Where No Woman fodder, giving focus to three minor female characters and insight on their characters and views of childhood. Given Ro's rough backstory, being a child again is especially emotionally challenging. Definitely recommended if you're up for it.
season 7, episode 24 - Preemptive Strike
In a farewell that returns Ro to her politically uneasy roots, she embarks on a dangerous undercover mission to infiltrate the Maquis (a rebel militia of ex-Federation citizens left disenfranchised and at the mercy of Cardassia, of great importance in DS9 and Voyager). Will Ro obey Starfleet orders, or sympathize a little ~too much~ with the enemy? I think this is a really nice send-off for the character, and also showcases her interesting relationship with Picard.
There you have it! Ensign Ro Laren in eight episodes, easily narrowed down to four. Next week on WNW Episode Guides: Jadzia Dax, a considerably greater challenge, by ds9anon. Yay!
Now, without further ado, a half-assed character guide of my very own, brought to you by a week of crises, bad sleep, and allergies.
RO LAREN
what to watch when you're watching
Most often known as "Ensign Ro," this character played by Michelle Forbes (more recently of Battlestar Galactica, True Blood, and The Killing) made her first appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation's fifth season, and her last in its penultimate episode before the series finale. Although not one of my favorites in pure character terms, she represents an important turning point in the history of the franchise, and I recommend watching a few of her episodes for anyone who's interested in Trekly politics and world-building.
See, Ro is the first Bajoran: the first with that cute nose ridge (whose design changed throughout her appearances), the first to wear the bitchin' chained earring (on a different ear than all later Bajorans), and the first to insist upon being addressed in opposite order, as Bajoran naming holds that the family name comes first and the given name comes second. With her comes the planet Bajor and their people, my very favorite in all of Star Trek -- a very old civilization recently brought to its knees and tempered violently through half a century of occupation by the totalitarian Cardassians. Bajor's culture and conflict with Cardassia are absolutely key to Deep Space 9, for which Ro was originally intended to be a castmember. (Major Kira Nerys was only created instead after Michelle Forbes refused the job.)
Ensign Ro is also something of a first within Starfleet crews, as Gene Roddenberry's old dictum had always been that conflict on Star Trek came from external sources, rather than internal strife between crewmembers, who were supposed to be a fairly harmonious cooperative. With a backstory of having been courtmartialed and losing her rank, and grown up in a labor camp, Ro was intended to be a hard-edged character to spice things up a bit.
Since she only appears in eight episodes, I will list them all:
season 5, episode 3 - Ensign Ro
This introduces her, Bajor (here called "Bajora") and its suffering under Cardassian occupation, and also Riker being kind of a dick. Actually that last one is old news. Guinan also shows up! An important episode, especially recommended for the lolz to DS9 fans. Also, here, I made you a goofy Mean Girls macro:
(on tumblr here)
ba dum ching
season 5, episode 5 - Disaster
I should have made a "Telephone" macro for this episode, but I didn't. I actually don't recommend it for Ro purposes, as she mostly just naysays at acting captain Deanna Troi, and although their storyline is a definite Bechdel pass, the naysaying gets boring. I do, however, recommend the episode as a classic for its other storylines -- Picard gets stuck with three little kids! And Worf delivers Keiko's baby Molly in a bar! Good times.
season 5, episode 14 - Conundrum
Buffy fans will know what I mean when I describe this episode as Star Trek's "Tabula Rasa." Everyone loses their long-term memory! Hijinks ensue! Sadly, none of the hijinks are very interesting at all, but Ro does choose this time to brazenly form a love triangle with Riker and Troi, and perhaps most notably, wears a dress. It's... weird.
season 5, episode 15 - Power Play
This is an action episode which I didn't get a chance to rewatch, so I can't tell you if it's any good. I can tell you that it's not Ro-centric, however.
season 5, episode 18 - Cause and Effect
This is an episode I really like -- the Enterprise is stuck in a repeating time loop! with poker! who will save the day? BEVERLY CRUSHER! -- but, again, it has very little to do with Ensign Ro.
season 5, episode 24 - The Next Phase
In which a transporter accident convinces the Enterprise crew that Ro and Geordi LaForge have died, while their disembodied selves tromp around the ship trying to communicate with others and doing fun stuff like attend their own funeral. Good Ro ep.
season 6, episode 7 - Rascals
In which a transporter accident reverts Captain Picard, Ensign Ro, Keiko O'Brien, and Guinan to their twelve-year-old bodies. (How unreliable are transporters anyway? Since they're all different ages shouldn't they -- no. Shhh. Just come.) This is a very cute episode, and I think it's classic Where No Woman fodder, giving focus to three minor female characters and insight on their characters and views of childhood. Given Ro's rough backstory, being a child again is especially emotionally challenging. Definitely recommended if you're up for it.
season 7, episode 24 - Preemptive Strike
In a farewell that returns Ro to her politically uneasy roots, she embarks on a dangerous undercover mission to infiltrate the Maquis (a rebel militia of ex-Federation citizens left disenfranchised and at the mercy of Cardassia, of great importance in DS9 and Voyager). Will Ro obey Starfleet orders, or sympathize a little ~too much~ with the enemy? I think this is a really nice send-off for the character, and also showcases her interesting relationship with Picard.
There you have it! Ensign Ro Laren in eight episodes, easily narrowed down to four. Next week on WNW Episode Guides: Jadzia Dax, a considerably greater challenge, by ds9anon. Yay!