Sign in to follow this  
Takara_Soong

The High Ground

What rating would you give The High Ground?  

2 members have voted

  1. 1. What rating would you give The High Ground?

    • 5. It?s great, I loved it!
      1
    • 4. It?s good.
      1
    • 3. It?s average.
      0
    • 2. It?s not that good.
      0
    • 1. I hated it.
      0


Recommended Posts

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season: 3

Episode #: 12

Production #: 160

Episode Name: The High Ground

Original Air Date: 01.29.90

 

While on a mission to deliver medical supplies to a war torn planet, Beverly Crusher is kidnapped by a group of terrorists. Members of the terrorist group are dying from the effects of an interdimensional transporter and need a doctor to treat them. It soon becomes apparent that the leader of the group, Kyril Finn, is enamoured with Beverly but that doesn't stop him from planning an attack to destroy the Enterprise.

 

Cast:

 

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes as William Thomas Riker

Brent Spiner as Data

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn as Worf

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher

 

Guest Cast:

 

Kerrie Keane as Alexana Devos

Richard Cox as Kyril Finn

Marc Buckland as Waiter

Fred G. Smith as Policeman

Christopher Pettiet as Boy

 

Director: Gabrielle Beaumont

Written By: Melinda M. Snodgrass

 

Related Items:

Rutia IV

inverter

shuttlebus

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Outstanding episode.

 

Nice title too because it has a double meaning.

 

"The High Ground" can refer to the "moral" high ground or a tactical stance in battle.

 

This episode is in the same dark spirit of DS9 and it's obvious that by this point, Roddenberry's influence over TNG was virtually at an end, which allowed the wonderful Melinda Snodgrass to write a dark, complicated story with an open ending that allowed the viewer to make up their own minds.

 

Roddenberry wouldn't have allowed most of the stories in this third season and certainly wouldn't have approved of a story about sympathetic terrorists/freedom fighters. Some people worship Roddenberry as a messiah figure. I certainly do not.

 

All the roles in the episode were performed superbly, even Wesley Crusher.

 

The Ansata leader was charismatic and charming and totally sympathetic. Very deep and well written and you could certainly understand his position. Gates McFadden was superb in this episode. Her feelings towards Finn again natural and logical and I loved the way he subtlely won her over and she started developing Stockholm Syndrome where hostages begin to sympathise with their captors.

 

The woman who played the beleagured police and security leader was also outstanding in her role.

 

When this episode was broadcast in the UK, we were still dealing with the IRA so it was always broadcast late and edited. The line about "Ireland being unified in 2025 through terrorism" was removed from British broadcasts due to the fact that under the circumstances the line would be incredibley offensive to British audiences, myself included.

 

Still, I love controversial stories and subject matters. I love dark complicated and morally ambiguous Star Trek episodes.

 

Gold Standard Episode.

 

Rating = 5

Edited by The King

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Very good episode. I give it a 4. I think the Ansata's leader tried just a little too hard to walk that line between loathsome and likable. The dimensional jumping byproduct of the episode fascinated me the most, and Picard's abduction added a twist. But the whole episode still seemed just a little wooden, as enjoyable as it was.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Sign in to follow this