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Did you know that Ireland will reunify in the year 2025? That "fact" comes courtesy of "The High Ground," an episode of
The Next Generation in which the struggles of Northern Ireland are echoed in the ongoing violence between Federation members the Rutians and disenfranchised rebels called the Ansata. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the
Enterprise arrive to apply pressure on the Rutians to resolve differences with the terrorist underground, but when an Ansatan bombing results in the capture of Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the mission changes. Guest stars Richard Cox and Kerrie Keane are very effective, respectively, as an Ansatan leader and the Rutian cop determined to bring him down. The episode also puts a rare spotlight on Picard as an action hero--he actually gets to punch out a terrorist at one point--and extends the teasing possibility of an eventual romance between the captain and the ship's comely physician. Not a classic from the series, necessarily, but a good one with interesting moral murkiness.
--Tom Keogh
From the Back Cover
While delivering medical supplies to the strife-torn planet of Rutia, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) is caught in the middle of a terrorist attack and taken hostage. The terrorists' leader, Finn (Richard Cox), wants Crusher to aid terrorists dying from the effects of an interdimensional transporter.
To rescue Crusher, the crew enlists the help of Alexana Devos (Kerrie Keane), the leader of the Rutian police. Alexana warns Riker (Jonathan Frakes) that Finn will not listen to negotiations.
Alexana's warning is justified when Finn launches an attack that kills several crew members and leads to the capture of Picard (Patrick Stewart). Now Riker must attempt a daring rescue before Picard and Crusher become two more victims of the Rutian conflict.
