Original air date: November 6, 1989
The Enterprise picks up a distress call from inside the Romulan Neutral Zone and tracks the distressed ship as it crash-lands on the inhospitable planet Galorndon Core, just inside Federation space. Riker, La Forge, and Worf beam down to investigate and determine if there are any survivors.
In the midst of heavy electrical storms, which disrupt the tricorders and communicators and allow only limited periods to safely beam in and out, La Forge is separated from the group and falls down a deep hole. Riker and Worf find the wreckage of a small Romulan ship, and a wounded survivor. They beam back to the ship with the Romulan, but due to the storms they are unable to locate La Forge.
Wesley launches a neutrino beacon to the surface, the idea being that 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 that he'd rather die than have "Klingon filth" in his blood anyway. Meanwhile, Captain Picard makes contact with a Romulan commander, Tomalak, who insists that 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 due to the storms, his 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 that 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.
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 them vulnerable to the Warbird.
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 that he has not given any information, and 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.
Tropes featured in "The Enemy":
- AB Negative: Patahk's blood is only compatible with Worf, which causes problems since both despise each other.
- Artistic License – History: It seems rather out-of-character for Frenchman Picard to reference Pearl Harbor, the event that led to the United States entering World War II, as the stage for a "bloody preamble to war" when the fighting had been going on in France for several years by that point.
- Aside Glance: 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. - Blatant Lies: Tomalak claims that the scout ship crashed on Galorndon Core because of a "slight navigational error." Picard knows that it's bullshit.
- Bury Your Disabled: Discussed. We learn that the Romulans kill all disabled children when Geordi is stuck with a Romulan soldier, who basically asked him why he's still alive. Naturally, Geordi is quite offended.
- Deadpan Snarker: Geordi is so done with Bochra's initial threats and posturing, it's hilarious.
- Death World: Compared with Ceti Alpha V, Galorndon Core is capable of supporting life, barely. Heavy electromagnetic storms disrupt the nervous systems of living beings after a short time, leaving Bochra partially paralyzed and Geordi unable to process input from his VISOR.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Bochra is surprised that, being blind since birth, Geordi wasn't killed in infancy as a waste of resources.
- Enemy Mine: Geordi and Bochra have to put aside their differences and work together, making up for the disabilities of each, to get off planet.
- Famous, Famous, Fictional: Picard worries that if they don't tread lightly in their dealings with the Romulans, Galorndon Core might come to be remembered alongside Pearl Harbor and Station Salem One as precursors to a bloody war.
- Fantastic Racism: Worf refuses to donate blood to the Romulan Patahk. Fortunately for him, Patahk refuses to take Klingon blood anyway.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Geordi and Bochra, initially suspicious of each other, are forced to work together to survive on Galorndon Core. By the end, they are as close as you could expect a Human and a Romulan to be.
- Honor Before Reason:
- Zig-zagged with Worf. Worf refuses to willingly 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. That said, Worf makes it clear he would do so if ordered, so he's not so unreasonable that he isn't willing to give Picard a loophole, even if Picard can't bring himself to take it.
- 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. He's willing to risk another war with the Romulans to honor Worf's refusal.
- Patahk himself is an example, although more minor. He flat-out says that he'd rather die than take Worf's blood.
- 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. It demonstrates that, for all their scheming, even Romulans care for those under their command.
- Hourglass Plot: When Geordi gets captured by Bochra, Geordi tries to persuade him to work together so that they get off Galordon Core, but Bochra doesn't believe him, and would sooner stay on the planet than potentially be captured. Later, when Geordi's VISOR shorts out and he's blinded, Geordi's about to give up when Bochra convinces him that they'll make it if they can connect his VISOR with his tricorder to scan for the neutrino pulse.
- Idiot Ball: 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.
- Inspirational Insult: 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.)
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: 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. Reality Ensues 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.
- MacGuffin: Patahk and Bochra's mission is one of these, since it serves only to get Romulans and Federation in a tense situation and is never explained beyond "Romulans gonna Romulan". Even though Picard initially refuses to release Patahk until he gets a damn good explanation for what Romulan soldiers were doing in Federation space, he allows Bochra to leave without even bringing up the matter.
- The Needs of the Many: 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, a fact Worf himself accepts and even agrees with. Ultimately, however, Picard is willing to risk plunging the Federation into war to honor Worf's wishes.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Said verbatim by Geordi. Despite saving him from a rockfall, Bochra still views Geordi as a prisoner instead of a comrade.
- Perspective Flip: It's subtle, but in keeping with the theme of the episode, Picard's dialogue with Tomalak shows us what a Trek episode looks like from the opposite side of the viewscreen. Tomalak does exactly what Picard or Kirk would do in his place when he crosses the Neutral Zone to rescue a wounded crewman. This forces Picard into the role of the unreasonable alien seemingly more interested in protecting his territory than saving a life. Tomalak even attempts a Kirk Summation, which Picard shuts down with a dire threat: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. Picard out. - Plot-Driven Breakdown: Geordi and Bochra both deteriorate physically in ways that necessitate the two working together in order to escape their predicament.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: 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 that he would obey without question were Picard to do so.
- Wham Shot: As Geordi's walking to the neutrino probe, a second pair of feet emerges from behind a corner and starts walking after Geordi, and he gets knocked out by another Romulan officer, thereby confirming that Patahk was lying about being alone on the planet surface.
- Whole-Plot Reference: According to LeVar Burton, this episode was Star Trek's homage to The Defiant Ones.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Geordi has this exact reaction when Bochra still treats him like a prisoner after he rescues him.
