YMMV / Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E11 "The Hunted"

• Anvilicious: The episode is an allegory about neglected war veterans (specifically veterans of The Vietnam War, but really applicable to the veterans of any war), and in true Star Trek fashion, it is not subtle about making its point. Sadly, the anvil-dropping would become even more relevant in about 10 years.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Danar and the Angosian super-soldiers now seem like forerunners to the Jem'Hadar, the soldier race to the Dominion on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: genetically-enhanced soldiers made to serve an oppressive government that thinks nothing of their lives and well-being. The only difference being that the Angosians didn't program them to worship their leaders as gods.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Worf shows up in the climactic scene no worse for wear after Roga dumps a bunch of crates on him. Which is pretty funny after he gets seriously hurt after one in "Ethics."
  • Riker's expression◊ while meeting Angosian prime minister Nayrok now looks like he's thinking "Wow, he really resembles Zefram Cochrane.", whom James Cromwell would play in Star Trek: First Contact.
• Jerkass Woobie: Roga Danar mocks Troi mercilessly, even though she's just trying to help, because he doesn't want Troi's (or anybody's) pity. That said, given that much of his psychological conditioning would have been done by trained psychologists and counselors, it's understandable he'd have a low opinion of them. Seeing how badly he was treated by his own government, it's hard not to feel for the guy, and it's no surprise that he has such a bitter, sardonic sense of humor. Of course, once we see him in action, he borders on Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds.
• Magnificent Bastard: Roga Danar was one of many volunteers who fought in a war when his home planet Angosia III was attacked. The Angosian government altered the volunteers with genetic engineering and psychological conditioning. Danar and his fellow Super Soldiers were exiled to a lunar prison after the war. Danar escapes the prison while the Enterprise is in orbit of Angosia III who are asked by the Angosian government to capture him. Danar outwits the Enterprise crew several times before being captured. Conversations between Danar and Data and Troi reveal Danar to be a clever, charming, and tragic figure. When Danar is about to transferred back to lunar prison, Danar again escapes and outwits the Enterprise crew again, creating several diversions until he escapes the Enterprise. Danar frees the other super soldiers from the lunar prison and plans to attack Angosia III's capital so that the government will be forced to welcome them back into society.
• Retroactive Recognition: While James Cromwell was already an experienced character actor at this point, he was still a few years away from becoming well-known after his turn in Babe.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Okay, okay, it's a minor thing. Data was busy on the bridge, so it was up to Worf to stop Danar's escape, but man, how cool would Data vs Danar have been?
  • Somewhat more major thing, but Danar and his fellow super soldiers are the Angosian equivalent of old Earth's augments, the super soldiers that almost destroyed Earth. No one points out the similarities.

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