Amazon.com
The uneasy treaty between the Federation and the Cardassians is broken when a Cardassian warship fires on the
Enterprise. When Picard hails the attacking ship, its captain, Gul Macet (Marc Alaimo), explains that they are retaliating for the destruction of one of their space stations, which was accomplished by the Federation starship U.S.S.
Phoenix, helmed by captain Benjamin Maxwell (Bob Gunton). To better gauge the mental condition of the apparently amok Captain Maxwell, Picard consults with Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) who once served under Maxwell during war with the Cardassians, and discovers that Maxwell's family had been cruelly slaughtered by the enemy. Maxwell claims the space station contained not the scientific equipment the Cardassians say it did, but arms for a coming war against the Federation. Now Picard must decide whether Maxwell acted out of hate and vengeance, or if indeed there is some grain of truth in his accusations.
The ways in which war and hatred can twist one's psyche are ably explored in the persons of Maxwell and O'Brien, the latter coming to terms with his demons in keeping with the show's plan to give its regular crew members heightened sensibilities. But Maxwell's motivations are not fully developed; Gunton portrays the apparently mad captain with rather a muted countenance for someone supposedly eaten up with hatred. There is also a subplot involving O'Brien and his wife sharing their native dishes that is almost wholly unnecessary, and a strange lack of personnel on Maxwell's ship that speaks to budget constraints. But the ending allows Picard to mete out a solution that adds a satisfying complexity. --Jim Gay
