“The Wounded” is episode twelve of season four of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is mapping a sector near the Cardassian border. It’s been nearly a year since the peace treaty ended the conflict. Captain Picard tells Worf to look for a Cardassian patrol ship; it should hail them soon. The captain remembers, whilst commanding the Stargazer, being attacked by the Cardassians whilst his shields were down and trying to negotiate. Worf states that Cardassians have no honour. Troi says they have to be trusted now. Worf states trust is earned, not given.
O’Brien is eating breakfast with Keiko; the two having got married in the previous episode, “Data’s Day”. The chief is less than enthralled with the seafood vegetarian dish. He wants to introduce Keiko to the foods he grew up with. He remembers his mother cooking. Keiko is surprised that she handled real meat and cooked. O’Brien will have to use the replicator, though, to make something special. Then the ship lurches and goes to red alert.
They’ve encountered a Cardassian ship and it fired before they had shields up. The Cardassians don’t want to talk. The Enterprise returns fire until they knock out the Cardassians’ shields. Now, they want to talk. The Cardassian captain, Gul Macet (Mark Alaimo, who would later play another Cardassian, Gul Dukat, in DS9), when asked why he’s firing, says that in war, one attacks one’s enemies. Picard states there’s a treaty, but Macet says a Federation ship attacked an unarmed science station. Picard wants to talk to his superiors and asks Macet give him an hour. Or they can continue shooting, in which case Macet is at a disadvantage.
Admiral Haden confirms that Captain Maxwell of the Phoenix attacked and they don’t know why nor can they find him. The Cardassians have agreed that the Enterprise can go look, along with observers. The Federation is not prepared for a new sustained conflict – probably because of the losses suffered at Wolf 259 – and Picard must preserve peace, no matter what the cost.
The observers are Macet and his aides, Glin Telle and Glin Daro. Worf wants to assign security details but they are guests, not prisoners. The captain does consent to guards being posted in sensitive areas. He asks Data if anyone has severed with Maxwell. Yes; O’Brien.
Riker and Troi greet the Cardassians as O’Brien beams them aboard. O’Brien doesn’t seem happy and Troi certainly senses something.
Macet is briefed on their search for the Phoenix. He suggests that they aren’t certain where the Phoenix is. Riker states they have no idea at all, but the last known coordinates seemed a good place to start. O’Brien is there; it seems Maxwell’s family were wiped out in a Cardassian raid that killed over 100 civilians. Macet suggests revenge. O’Brien disagrees. Then Worf states the Phoenix has been located. Macet wants Cardassian ships to intercept; they could do it faster. Picard would prefer the Enterprise did.
O’Brien has made Keiko potato casserole. She seems less than enthralled. O’Brien talks about how some people don’t like the Cardassians. He doesn’t state that one of those is himself. O’Brien says he can’t understand why they feel that; the war is over. He feels fine himself. Not true.
The Phoenix is hunting a Cardassian supply ship and hasn’t responded to the Enterprise. There’s a Cardassian warship closer and Macet wants the transponder frequency, else the supply ship will be destroyed. The captain agrees. Despite the advantage this gives the Cardassians, both the warship and supply ship are easily destroyed.
O’Brien, who gets his first major episode, thinks the Cardassians must be up to something, as Maxwell took the death of his family well. Too well, by the sounds of it; it sounds like he may have buried his feelings. The question is, are the Cardassians up to something?
Back in “Peak Performance”, Commander Riker had stated that combat was a minor province of a Starfleet officer. This episode establishes that at the time he said that, the Federation was involved in a war that had clearly been going on for years, and against an enemy quite possibly comparable to the Romulans or Klingons in power, given that the Federation had been unable to swiftly end the conflict.
In their first appearance, the Cardassians look different to their future one. Their skin isn’t the grey it would become, some of their ridges seem more pronounced and the uniforms are different.