10 Most Shocking Betrayals In Star Trek

When Ro Laren was introduced in the Next Generation's fifth season, she had a stellar first episode. Her story, in hindsight, seemed to be perfectly designed for Deep Space Nine. She was both damaged and dedicated, ready-made to step into a situation that would have required extra-legal details. While the role of Kira was tailored for Ro Laren, it is only Michelle Forbes' reluctance to sign on for a series that ended that dream. Thankfully, Ensign Ro was not forgotten.

The Next Generation's seventh season had many plot threads to resolve before its end and the return of Ro, now lieutenant, was not expected. Not only was it a welcome return but Preemptive Strike became one of the best episodes of the season.

Ro returns for one last mission, tasked with infiltrating the Maquis. There, she befriends an old man who reminds her of her father. She sees the struggle that these colonists are forced to endure from their new Cardassian overlords. She treads the line of sympathy and exploitation for much of the episode.

Then, perhaps inevitably, she makes her choice. The truth is that not many people betrayed Picard when he was in his prime. For Ro to do so, it showed that there was a power in the universe higher than him and, though broken-hearted, she was not afraid to fight for it. The final moments of the episode, as Picard is faced with Riker's report on Ro's motivations, sit silently with the audience as they are both faced with his reaction and the question that Ro herself faced.

In that situation, what would they have done?