This is an episode that gets at the real dirt of entrenched enemies. It must have been hard for war veterans of World War II to embrace the Japanese after the conflict ended. In this one we are introduced, for the first time, to the Kardassians. They have formed an alliance with the Federation but are now seeking retribution for the actions of a rogue Starfleet Captain. A supposed, Kardassian "scientific" outpost has been obliterated by a Federation starship. Picard has orders to investigate and to solve it by peaceful means. This, of course, ties his hands but in the meantime, the same vessel destroys two other Kardassian crafts. The Captain is intercepted and ordered to bring his ship in and surrender himself to his superiors. At first he acquiesces, but soon alters course and heads for another Kardassian supply ship. Now, Picard must negotiate or open fire on a ship like his own. As a show of good faith, the Kardassian captain and two of his aides have had a limited run of the ship. They are at odds with the crew and acting victimized. I believe that Patrick Steward as Jean-Luc Picard gives his best performance in this episode. It is about balancing the threat of reprisal versus the future of the bond between these two entities. Later, in other Star Trek incarnations, we come to know the Kardassians quite well and know them to be anything but trustworthy. They have a certain charm that the Romulans don't have that allows them to slime their way into situations that benefit them.
Review of The Wounded
