History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E7TheEnemy

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Bochra is surprised that, being blind since birth, Geordi wasn't killed in infancy as a waste of resources.

** Worf refuses to give his blood to Patahk, believing that he'd be helping those that killed his parents, even though the Romulan dying while in Federation custody could spark a war.

** Tomalak is willing to start a war over one deceased officer and a second, secret one still in danger, even though Romulan efforts to start such a war usually involve separating the Federation from their Klingon allies first. Even Romulans care for those under their command.

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Picard warns Worf that he has to take into account the needs of the many over Worf's personal issues with donating blood to a Romulan. Ultimately, however, Picard is willing to risk plunging the Federation into war to honor Worf's wishes.

* AsideGlance: Showing the power of having a Shakespearean stage actor playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard, when he announces "Red Alert" after Tomalok enters Federation space, he looks straight at the camera with a heavy expression, thus accentuating the gravity of the situation.

* ShoutOut: According to Creator/LeVarBurton, this episode was ''Star Trek'''s homage to ''Film/TheDefiantOnes''.

* IdiotBall: Tomalak crosses into Federation space and almost starts a war when the Romulan who was injured in the crash dies. A war which the Romulans would almost certainly have lost due to the Federation Klingon alliance.

-->'''Tomalak''': Territories? You would measure territories against a man's life?
-->'''Picard''': Commander, I am singularly impressed by your concern for ''a'' life. Do not risk any more lives by leaving the Neutral Zone. [[RudelyHangingUp Picard out]].

* LetsSplitUpGang: Commander Riker orders the away team to split up individually. This is despite the fact that the weather is extreme, the team members must shout as loud as possible to be heard even when they are close together, and they have a very specific time constraint to regroup and beam away safely. RealityEnsues as Geordi gets lost and falls into a sinkhole when he is out of sight of the others, and can't be heard shouting for help over the sounds of the weather storm.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Bochra is surprised that, being blind since birth, Geordi wasn't killed in infancy as a waste of resources.

* UnfortunateNames: The first Romulan is named Patahk, which sounds similar to the Klingon insult "petaQ". Maybe that's why Worf wouldn't help him.

Wesley launches a neutrino beacon to the surface, the idea being La Forge's VISOR can pick up the signal, and when he reaches the beacon, he can modulate it to let the ship know where he is. Meanwhile, La Forge manages to fashion some crude spikes to help him climb out of the hole. When he sees the beacon signal, however, he's knocked out by another Romulan.

Back on the ship, the Romulan is dying, and the only way to save him is through a donation of healthy genetic material. The only compatible donor is Worf, who refuses to do so in light of the Romulans having killed his parents on Khitomer; the Romulan, in turn, states he'd rather die than have "Klingon filth" in his blood anyway. Meanwhile, Captain Picard makes contact with a Romulan commander, Tomalak, who insists the crashed ship was a one-man scout craft. Picard agrees to rendezvous in the Neutral Zone in six hours to return the Romulan officer.

On the surface, La Forge wakes up to find himself held at disruptor-point by Centurion Bochra (who refuses to give his name at first, leaving Geordi to refer to him as "Commodore"). Bochra is reluctant to trust that Geordi has a way off the planet, but as the two are suffering debilitating effects from the planet's electromagnetic radiation, they agree to work together. But, just as they set out for the beacon, Geordi's VISOR goes out, leaving him blind. It still works, but his own neural pathways are no longer processing the input. Bochra gets the idea of using La Forge's tricorder and VISOR together to make a "neutrino detector," and Geordi directs him on how to link the two.

Back on the ship, tensions increase as Tomalak has realized the ''Enterprise'' is still at Galorndon Core; he crosses the Neutral Zone to intercept them. Picard asks Worf once more to volunteer to help save the Romulan's life, hoping to avoid a major political incident, but when Worf respectfully refuses, Picard drops the matter. As it turns out, though, the Romulan has just died.

Picard hails Tomalak again, and although the Romulan commander won't answer, Picard continues anyway--they've found an apparent second survivor of the "one-man" scout craft, and they're going to lower their shields to beam them up to the bridge, keeping the channel open. Picard acknowledges that he will be leaving himself open to Tomalak's attack, and that he is extending his trust to his foe (along with a reminder of the consequences should the Romulans violate the cease-fire with the Federation). With no acknowledgement from Tomalak, they proceed, and La Forge and Bochra materialize. At that point Tomalak chimes in. Bochra insists he has not given any information, but that it was La Forge who saved his life. Picard has La Forge (and Worf) escort Bochra to the transporter room so he can beam to the Warbird, and the ''Enterprise'' peacefully escorts the Warbird back to the Romulan side of the Zone.

* FantasticRacism: Worf refuses to donate blood to the Romulan Patahk. Fortunately for him, Patahk refuses to take Klingon blood, anyway.

** Worf refuses to give his blood to Patahk, believing he'd be helping those that killed his parents, even though the Romulan dying while in Federation custody could spark a war.

** Patahk himself is an example, although more minor. He flat out says that he'd rather die than take Worf's blood.
* InspirationalInsult: After Geordi's VISOR quits, he gives up hope of locating the beacon, leading Bochra to sneeringly ask him, "Do all humans give up so easily?" (The example is somewhat ambiguous; it's unclear whether Bochra was prodding Geordi to keep trying or just venting his own frustration.)
* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Picard warns Worf that he has to take into account the needs of the many over Worf's personal issues with donating blood to a Romulan. Ultimately, however, Picard is willing to plunge the Federation into war to honor Worf's wishes.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Though stressing the importance of keeping Patahk alive, Picard won't order Worf to give blood against his wishes, even though Worf himself makes it clear he would obey without question were Picard to do so.

* DramaticIrony: A human and a Romulan are able to put their differences aside in the interests of mutual survival, but elsewhere, a Klingon and another Romulan's hatred of each other causes one to die.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Bochra is surprised that, being blind since birth, Geordi wasn't killed in infancy as a waste of resources.

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Picard warns Worf that he has to take into account the needs of the any over Worf's personal issues with donating blood to a Romulan. Ultimately, however, Picard is willing to plunge the Federation into war to honor Worf's wishes.

** Worf makes it clear to Picard that he would give his blood without question if Picard [[ThatsAnOrder just ordered him to]], but Picard can't bring himself to violate Worf's personal beliefs, even if it's Worf himself giving him the option. Notably it isn't clear whether Federation law would allow Picard to force Worf to donate his blood in the first place, but regardless it's not territory Picard is willing to tread into.

On the surface, La Forge wakes up to find himself held at disruptor-point by Centurion Bochra (who refuses to give his name at first, leaving Geordi to refer to him as "Commodore"). Bochra is reluctant to trust that Geordi has a way off the planet, but as the two are suffering debilitating effects from the planet's electromagnetic radiation, they agree to work together. But, just as they set out for the beacon, Geordi's VISOR goes out, leaving him blind. It still works, but his own neural pathways are no longer processing the input. Bochra gets the idea of using La Forge's tricorder and VISOR together to make a "neutrino detector", and Geordi directs him on how to link the two.

Tomalak's Warbird arrives, and he gives Picard one last chance to return his officer. Picard is forced to concede that he has died, and Tomalak orders his ship's weapons powered up. At that moment, the neutrino beacon begins modulating. The ''Enterprise'' is able to detect another life form with La Forge at the beacon, and Picard realizes what must have happened. To transport them up, however, they have to lower their shields, leaving the vulnerable to the Warbird.

* BlatantLies: Tomalak claims that the scout ship crashed on Galorndon Core because of a "slight navigational error". Picard knows that it's bullshit.

* HumansAreSpecial: Averted. Geordi being able to work with a Romulan and Worf being unable to do so has nothing to do with their species; it's simply because of the differences in their characterizations and world views.

** Worf makes it clear to Picard that he would give his blood without question if Picard [[ThatsAnOrder just ordered him to]], but Picard can't bring himself to violate Worf's personal beliefs, even if it's Worf himself giving him the option.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: It seems rather out-of-character for Frenchman Picard to reference ''Pearl Harbor'', the event that led to ''the United States'' entering UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo, as the stage for a "bloody preamble to war" when the fighting had been going in France for several years by that point.

** Worf makes it clear to Picard that he would give his blood without question if Picard just ordered him to, but Picard can't bring himself to violate Worf's personal beliefs, even if it's Worf himself giving him the option.

** Worf makes it clear to Picard that would give his blood without question if Picard just ordered him to, but Picard can't bring himself to violate Worf's personal beliefs, even if it's Worf himself giving him the option.

** Despite having it spelled out for him that Worf would give his blood without question if Picard just ordered him to, Picard refuses to force Worf to do so.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Though stressing the importance of keeping Patahk alive, Picard won't order Worf to give blood.