The Good: Great acting, Wonderful character development of O'Brien, Great new villain
The Bad: Stewart's headcold, Final resolution, Timeline sensibilities
The Basics: When O'Brien's former captain goes off on a killing spree, O'Brien is forced to balance his past loyalties and hatreds against doing the right thing in "The Wounded."
At this point in Star Trek The Next Generation, the series had already surpassed the number of episodes created of Star Trek and there seemed no end to the possibilities for continuing the franchise. At this point, it must have occurred to someone on the staff that there was a whole universe out there of Star Trek and it might be advantageous to tap into that. Whether that was intentional or not, here we have two components that would be integral in the third - and best - series in the Trek universe, Star Trek Deep Space Nine: the introduction of the villainous Cardassians and the utilization of O'Brien as an interesting, viable character with a backstory.
When Captain Benjamin Maxwell takes the U.S.S. Phoenix into Cardassian space on a killing spree, the Enterprise is dispatched to find out what is going on and apprehend Maxwell. Apparently, only recently hostilities between the heretofore unmentioned Cardassians and the Federation ceased and the uneasy peace is kept tense by memories of Cardassian brutality. Miles O'Brien, still honeymooning it seems, was the only Enterprise crewperson to serve with Maxwell in the past. Unfortunately, O'Brien still suffers from bad memories about the massacre on Setlik 3. Indeed, the title "The Wounded" may be debated to be about O'Brien as well as Maxwell. So, the Enterprise takes about three Cardassian observers and heads deep into Sector 21505 on a hunt for a man who has gone paranoid and dangerous. And when they find him . . . things get even more difficult.
The only true strike against "The Wounded" is in the sensibilities of the episode as part of the Star Trek timeline: it makes little sense that the most powerful ship in the fleet would have spent the last few years exploring as opposed to helping bring about a swift resolution to a conflict with such a ruthless enemy. And it's not a nitpicky thing: at least one other Galaxy Class starship was sent out exploring (the U.S.S. Yamato from the episode "Contagion," reviewed here!). Given how quickly the Enterprise disabled the powerful Galor Class Cardassian warship, it makes little sense that the Enterprise wasn't out stopping Cardassians all along, especially with the increased threats of the Romulans and the Borg. The Federation would want to have as few conflicts as possible going on; that's just basic military strategy.
And yes, the Federation is supposed to be a peaceful group of explorers, but here the given element is a sustained conflict that has just ended. It doesn't fit the sensibilities of anyone . . . well, with sensibilities.
Beyond that, there are no real problems, save the grandstanding Picard does at the very end of the episode. That's somewhat bothersome in that it closes the episode with a strange sense of Federation superiority in an episode that does not deserve it.
But these are minor problems compared to how great the rest of the episode is. First, using O'Brien - or rather the O'BrienS - is genius. Here we have an underused character exploring a compelling problem: what do we become when we go to war? O'Brien, being classically a simple background character here grows to the point that we want to see even more of him.
O'Brien and Keiko are wonderful characters and here we get to see them both. Keiko gets more airtime here than in her wedding episode and as a result, we see her as an interesting person and a great spouse. It's easy to see why Miles fell in love with Keiko. She is understanding and caring here. O'Brien here is both strong and hurt and we learn critical details about his past. His relaying of his wartime experiences are sad and horrible to hear.
But the character that matters as much as O'Brien is Ben Maxwell. Maxwell comes across as paranoid and intelligent, making for a dangerous combination that is at times difficult to watch. The great thing about Maxwell and his vengeful quest into Cardassian space is that he seems to have a reasonable approach: the Cardassians, he claims, are rearming for a new conflict. In one of the best scenes that openly takes on warmongers, Picard confronts Maxwell, cutting down his paranoid arguments. It's truly a gem to see someone rational use logic against ALL of the heavy arguments for going to war.
War is not a rational approach to solving any problem.
Holding the episode together is the acting. Rosalind Chao is a great foil for Colm Meany and here she's given the chance to actually act. Even more than Chao, Colm Meany rises to the occasion. After a few years of being stuck behind the transporter console, O'Brien gets a chance to shine. This attempt would not be possible if it were not for the caliber of actor Meany is. He breathes life into what could be a fairly stale shellshock episode. Instead, he plays O'Brien as subtly hostile to the Cardassians, confused to his wife and then ultimately vulnerable in a way that is complete magic.
Quite significant, "The Wounded" introduces the Cardassians and as a result is very accessible to those who are non-fans of the series. In some ways, this is the first time we are truly introduced to O'Brien as well. What anyone who watches will get is a tense, humanistic episode focusing on two men dealing with the consequences of a war that scarred them both. A worthwhile endeavor for anyone who doesn't like war, but who does like a good war thriller.
[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the fourth season by clicking here!
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8.5/10
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© 2011, 2007, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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