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The Wounded (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

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"The Wounded" is the 86th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 12th episode of the fourth season.

"The Wounded"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Directed byChip Chalmers
Story by
Teleplay byJeri Taylor
Featured musicDennis McCarthy
Cinematography byMarvin Rush
Production code186
Original air dateJanuary 28, 1991 (1991-01-28)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Devil's Due"
Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4
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Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, Picard is shocked when the highly respected Captain Maxwell apparently turns renegade and begins destroying Cardassian vessels. Maxwell claims that the Cardassians, who recently signed a treaty with the Federation, are secretly rearming for war, but he has no proof. Picard demands that Maxwell—Transporter Chief O'Brien's former commanding officer—surrender his ship, but Maxwell refuses. Reluctant to fire on a fellow officer, Picard asks O'Brien to convince his old comrade to surrender peacefully.

This episode is noted for introducing the Cardassians, who would go on to have a major role in the Star Trek franchise.[1]

Plot

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While patrolling near Cardassian space, the starship Enterprise is suddenly attacked by a Cardassian vessel. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is able to convince its commander, Gul Macet (Marc Alaimo), to stand down, and learns that Macet's attack was in retaliation for a Federation ship attacking a Cardassian science station two days prior. Picard confirms this with Starfleet, and is told that the starship Phoenix, commanded by Captain Benjamin Maxwell (Bob Gunton), was responsible, and ordered to locate the vessel. Picard invites Gul Macet and two of his officers to come aboard as observers to maintain the fragile peace between the Federation and Cardassia. As the Enterprise looks for signs of the Phoenix, Picard discovers that transporter chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) was a former crewmember under Maxwell on the Rutledge during the Cardassian war, and invites him to join a briefing with Gul Macet. There, O'Brien reveals he still harbors some resentment for the Cardassians, revealing that Maxwell's family was killed by Cardassians. Gul Macet infers that Maxwell must be out for revenge, but O'Brien denies this.

The Enterprise locates the Phoenix on an intercept course for a Cardassian freighter, but they will not be able to reach it in time. Picard lets Gul Macet relay the position of the Phoenix to a closer Cardassian cruiser, but Maxwell outmaneuvers and destroys both the warship and the freighter, killing over 650 Cardassians.

Shortly thereafter, the Enterprise rendezvous with the Phoenix, and Maxwell transports aboard, greeting O'Brien as an old friend. Alone, Maxwell asserts to Picard that the Cardassians are re-arming themselves; the science station was a cover for a military base, and the freighters are carrying weapons. Picard admonishes Maxwell for his behavior unbecoming a Starfleet captain, and gains his assurance that he will pilot the Phoenix directly back to Federation space. However, en route, the Phoenix breaks course towards another freighter. Maxwell is poised to destroy the freighter, demanding that the Federation officers be allowed aboard to see proof of the Cardassians' deception. The Enterprise crew notes that the freighter is equipped with a field that blocks their scans. Picard prepares to fire on the Phoenix to maintain the peace, but O'Brien requests permission to beam over to the Phoenix, using a transporter trick to sneak past its shield, and talk to Maxwell. Aboard the Phoenix, O'Brien and Maxwell reminisce about their time aboard the Rutledge and sing a song from their past (The Minstrel Boy). O'Brien is able to convince Maxwell to stand down. Maxwell transfers his command to his first officer and the Phoenix starts its return to Federation space, while Maxwell returns to the Enterprise with O'Brien, to be held there pending return to Starfleet.

As the Cardassian observers are returned to their ship, Picard cautions them that while Maxwell's actions may have been improper, his suspicions are not without merit; the so-called "science station" is located in a strategic military position with little scientific value, and the shields on the freighters were specifically designed to block Federation scanning. He cautions Gul Macet that the Federation will be watching the Cardassians very closely in the future.

Production

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The Cardassian uniform costumes were designed by Robert Blackman.[2][3] The makeup for the Cardassians was developed by Michael Westmore.[3]

Notes

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  • "The Wounded" introduces a new species of aliens, the Cardassians, who would become a major element of the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
  • This episode was the first to feature Colm Meaney's character Miles O'Brien in a prominent role. It makes reference to O'Brien's history with the Cardassians, and the massacre at Setlik III which would be touched upon again several times during the run of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where it would be revealed that O'Brien was known as "the hero of Setlik III" and repaired a transporter for the first time while rescuing several of his shipmates.
  • The song "The Minstrel Boy" returns as a leitmotif for O'Brien in "What You Leave Behind", the series finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
  • Gul Macet was played by Marc Alaimo in his third appearance on The Next Generation. He would go on to portray another Cardassian, Gul Dukat, a recurring character and primary antagonist on Deep Space Nine. It also marks the only appearance of a Cardassian with facial hair.

Reception

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Empire ranked "The Wounded" the 31st best out of the top 50 episodes of all the 700-plus Star Trek television episodes. This film magazine notes that Captain Picard must juggle the difficulties of a renegade Starfleet captain, as political and military considerations pile up on the border between war and peace with the newly-introduced Cardassians.[4] Gizmodo rated "The Wounded" the 80th greatest episode of Star Trek.[5] Business Insider listed "The Wounded" as one of the most underrated episodes of the Star Trek franchise at that time.[6]

Den of Geek ranked it in the top 25 "must watch" episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[7]

TrekMovie.com suggested it as viewing for Saint Patrick's Day due to its Irish content, in particular for Captain Maxwell and Miles O'Brien's rendition of the Irish ballad "The Minstrel Boy".[8]

Regarding Starfleet's Benjamin Maxwell, IGN ranked Maxwell as the 25th best character of Star Trek.[9] Wired ranked Maxwell as the 94th most important Starfleet character in the Star Trek universe.[10]

Home video

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This episode was released in the United States on September 3, 2002, as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation season four DVD box set.[11]

On April 23, 1996, this was released on LaserDisc in the United States, paired with "Data's Day" on one double-sided 12 inch disc.[12]

CBS announced on September 28, 2011, in celebration of the series' twenty-fifth anniversary, that Star Trek: The Next Generation would be completely re-mastered in 1080p high definition from the original 35mm film negatives. For the remaster almost 25,000 reels of original film stock were rescanned and reedited, and all visual effects were digitally recomposed from original large-format negatives and newly created CGI shots. The release was accompanied by 7.1 DTS Master Audio.[13] On July 30, 2013 "The Wounded" was released on 1080p high definition as part of the Season 4 Blu-ray box set in the United States.[14][15] The set was released on July 29, 2013, in the United Kingdom.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hise, James Van (1993). Trek Versus Next Generation. Pioneer Books. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-55698-370-2.
  2. ^ Reeves-Stevens, Judith (October 1, 1997). The Art of Star Trek. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-0855-0.
  3. ^ a b Reeves-Stevens, Judith; Reeves-Stevens, Garfield (1997). The Continuing Mission: A Tenth Anniversary Tribute. Pocket Books/Star Trek. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-671-87429-2.
  4. ^ "The 50 best Star Trek episodes ever". Empire. July 27, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  5. ^ Charlie Jane Anders (February 10, 2014). "The Top 100 Star Trek Episodes Of All Time!". io9.
  6. ^ Holodny, Elena. "The 31 most underrated 'Star Trek' episodes". Business Insider. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  7. ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation's 25 must-watch episodes". Den of Geek. October 18, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Whitley, Jared. "Celebrate the Feast of Saint Patrick with These Pat-Trek Classics". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  9. ^ IGN Movies (May 8, 2009). "Top 25 Star Trek Characters". IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  10. ^ McMillan, Graeme (September 5, 2016). "Star Trek's 100 Most Important Crew Members, Ranked". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  11. ^ Ordway, Holly E. (September 9, 2002). "Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 4". DVD Talk. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  12. ^ "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Next Generation #085/86: Data's Day/The Wounded [LV 40270-185]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  13. ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation: Blu-Ray Release". July 10, 2012. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  14. ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 4 Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest". bluray.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  15. ^ Miller III, Randy (July 28, 2013). "Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Four (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  16. ^ Simpson, Michael (July 29, 2013). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Blu-Ray Review". Sci-Fi Now. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
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