The High Ground

As of writing this in 2025 this is as topical as ever. The chief freedom fighter was excellently portrayed and the standout of the episode. All of his actions and the development of the plot felt consistent and reasonable to his character.

Prior to now we have always seen the federation be neutral, reasonable and questioning of potential immoralities in civilisations they encounter.

Here, it felt that compared to their usual selves 'our heroes' were too quick to side with the ruling powers, they were not skeptical enough of the ruling powers nor seemed to consider the rebel cause for a moment. Finn getting his request raised to Troi fulfilled would have felt like the happy ending.

However, that wasn't the ending we got, and the position the federation took throughout makes you understand why the Klingons, Ferengi and Romulans view them in the way that they do, making this a great episode.

The negatives, I'm still not convinced by Doctor Crusher as a character. More romantic hints at Picard, more mother scenes with Wesley, illogically disobeying orders with no subsequent discipline. I'd much rather Pulaski back.

Dr crusher would of never passed her entrance exam to star fleet. I wasn't a fan of this episode, it has lots of logical and story goofs and the focus on crusher always makes me snore. Her son is annoying enough.. Somehow he always has answers that work and that the officers and even data never can figure out.. shut up Westley!

Intelligently written, doing what good science fiction always does, and what Star Trek sometimes excelled at. Using the backdrop of fictional situations to illustrate the more contentious issues and aspects of contemporary societal and political life.

And it manages to do this while maintaining the tension within the plot of a good story.

Yes it features the Crushers, but long gone is the somewhat mawkish relationship between mother and son of the first series.

The writer even manages to work in an old fashioned fist fight in the final act.

Sorry, no Buck Rogers stuff here for the space cadets, just a well executed, thoughtful allegorical tale of what happens when a division of a society is marginalised to the point that they are driven to extremism.

It asks questions that are very relevant, especially now, and doesn't attempt to answer them, and nor should it, to do so really would be preaching.

This episode deals with the repercussions of terrorism. Not on its victims. But on the not inoccent-at-all bystanders: .

The crew of the Enterprise.

It poses the question of whether we should intervene in local affairs. Nowadays it can be seen as a commentary on the Israeli occupation, and annexation of the West bank,

or the Northern Ireland situation.

Hereby SF fullfills it function as social commentary on present day. This can be seen as Sci-Fi function to society. It is a mirror to our present day society.

This is another annoying, non-sequiteur episode that has nothing to do with the wider conflict within the Federation. The ridiculous capturing of Dr. Crusher was just annoying beyond belief.

I couldn't watch this episode because of the heavy-handed way of preaching and trying to make me swayed to a particular view-point.