The Enterprise pursues the Phoenix, another Starfleet starship which has been accused of destroying a Cardassian scientific outpost. The pursuit occurs in Cardassian space.
A peace treaty between Starfleet and the Cardassians has recently been agreed upon by both sides. Captain Picard allows three Cardassians on board the Enterprise to monitor the apprehension of the Phoenix.
Chief O'Brien served under Captain Maxwell, who now commands the Phoenix. He's convinced that whatever Captain Maxwell did he did for a good reason even though he knows that Captain Maxwell's wife and child were killed along with dozens of others in a Cardassian raid on Setlik III.
The Enterprise catches up to the Phoenix but not before the Phoenix strikes again, this time destroying first a Cardassian warship and then a Cardassian supply ship. Captain Maxwell comes aboard the Enterprise. He thinks that Picard will understand and side with him but Picard does not.
Captain Picard orders Captain Maxwell to return to his ship and have it travel with the Enterprise to Starbase 211. Captain Maxwell complies at first but then the Phoenix breaks away from the Enterprise. The Enterprise catches up to it as it approaches another Cardassian supply ship.
Maxwell wants Picard to send a team to search the supply ship. Picard refuses and sends Chief O'Brien over to the Phoenix to talk Captain Maxwell down. O'Brien gets the job done. Picard reveals in the end that he believes that Maxwell's suspicions about the Cardassian scientific outpost he destroyed but did not agree with Maxwell's choice of action.
Thoughts
The Cardassians make their first appearance in this episode.
This is the first episode in which Chief O'Brien plays a significant role, according to Memory Alpha, despite the fact that he had been in over three dozen episodes of the show prior to this one.
There are heavy overtones of the Vietnam War and / or the Cold War in this episode. Maxwell is a highly decorated officer who has gone too far, crossed the line. There are plenty of books and movies about the Vietnam War and some other wars where similar things happen, like Apocalypse Now.
I have a few minor quibbles with this episode but the actor who played Maxwell was excellent. He nailed that performance. One quibble I did have was with Picard's decision to let Maxwell return to the Phoenix after they talked. Picard should have had him locked up, based on what had happened already. Maxwell may have been a decorated veteran but he had already proven that he was untrustworthy by his recent track record.
I don't recall watching this episode before. It isn't perfect but it's damn good.
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