“The Hunted” is episode eleven of season three of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is orbiting Angosia III which wishes to join the Federation. The prime minister, Nayrok, has given Captain Picard and Commander Riker a tour of the capital city. The captain thinks the Federation will look favourably on the Angosians, especially how quickly they recovered from the Tarsian War. The prime minister says they are not warriors; they believe in using reason to settle disputes but not everyone agrees. The mind and the intellect are the pursuits they have dedicated themselves towards for centuries.
When the prime minister is called away for a moment, Picard comments that he thinks the Angosians will make a fine addition to the Federation. Riker finds the place a little stuffy for his tastes. The prime minister comes back; a prisoner has escaped from the penal colony on Lunar V. Two guards are dead and he’s stolen a transport vessel. They currently have little means for recapturing him, so Riker contacts the Enterprise.
He tells Data that they are to detain the vessel and quarantine the pilot, who is armed and extremely dangerous. The transport lacks warp engines and has minimal weapons. It heads behind an asteroid and only the drive section comes out the other side. There are no lifesigns on the drive section, and the rest of the ship is on the asteroid. However, the drive section is now missing. The prisoner has eluded them.
Data tells the captain and Riker he cannot explain how the prisoner escaped. Nayrok contacts them; he has an ID on the prisoner, Roga Danar. His criminal record is too long to go into, but he’s prone to bouts of uncontrollable violence. The drive section can’t be out of range and the Angosians lack cloaking technology. Riker suggests that perhaps Danar is using the magnetic field at the pole to hide. He is. The drive section attempts to ram the Enterprise and bounces of the shield. Data deduces that Danar is now in an escape pod. There are still no lifesigns.
The captain orders O’Brien to beam aboard anything inside the pod large enough to be a humanoid. O’Brien deactivates a weapon and holds Danar in stasis pending security’s arrival. When they arrive, Danar tries his weapon and finds it doesn’t work, then goes after the security officers. Phasors on stun don’t work and it takes Worf and Riker’s arrival for them to finally restrain Danar.
Nayrok recommends they keep Danar full sedated. The captain thinks he will be okay in his cell, which the computer thinks is vacant. Troi senses Danar having a nightmare in his sleep and comes to check on him. She explains where he is and who she is. Danar says he wasn’t mistreated on Lunar V; just never allowed to leave. He plays games with her, saying that’s what mind control experts like.
Troi reports to the captain in his ready room, because she’s concerned. Danar is inherently non-violent and not an inherently criminal personality. Afterwards, she speaks to Data, wanting to know if they are connected to the Angosians computer. They are. Danar has no criminal record, but Lunar V is a military prison. His military record is exemplary. Troi heads to speak to Danar again. She asks how a non-violent man can perform acts of excessive violence. You can learn to do it if you have to, and his learning started the day he volunteered.
Troi meets with the captain, Riker, Data and Dr Crusher. She explains that Danar joined the military and was subjected to psychological manipulation and biochemical modifications. The doctor has examined him and found substances she doesn’t even recognise. Danar’s own government did this to him. He is programmed to be the perfect soldier; when subjected to danger, the programming takes over. One of the substances shields him from sensors. Danar was ordered to Lunar V with others like him. The first soldiers who returned had problems adjusting, so the rest were imprisoned. Their programming was not adjusted.
Data speaks to Danar; he feels they have something in common. Both are programmed, but his programming can be adjusted. Can Danar’s? It seems they didn’t even try, just swept their returning soldiers under a rug. Captain Picard is not pleased. Danar is extremely competent when subjected to danger, and proves a handful even for the entire crew of the Enterprise. This episode is one of those that appears to be making a point; namely, treat returning soldiers who have problems, don’t ignore them.