In this episode of To Baldly Go, we return to Star Trek: The Next Generation with Season 3, Episodes 10–12: “The Defector,” “The Hunted,” and “The High Ground.”
This week, we get:
One hell of an episode to come back to
Have we seen this before?
An interesting concept, poorly executed
We begin with “The Defector,” a tense Romulan episode that feels like a major step forward in storytelling from what we saw in The Original Series. The return of Tomalak gives the episode real weight, but the heart of the story is the defector himself — a man whose choices raise questions about loyalty, duty, and whether someone can betray a government without betraying their people.
We also talk about the episode’s devastating ending, Data’s objectivity, Picard’s refusal to surrender the Enterprise, and the role of Shakespeare in Star Trek. Naturally, Nate finds room for a DS9 tangent, and we also take a few detours through Battlestar Galactica and the ways science fiction handles stories that end on low notes.
Next is “The Hunted,” an episode with a fascinating concept: what happens to engineered soldiers after the war is over? That leads us into a larger discussion about military ethics, mind control, MKULTRA, and how societies treat the people they create or train for violence once they no longer need them.
There are some strong ideas here, and James Cromwell gives the episode an added spark, but we also talk about the missed opportunities — especially how the story could have done more to flip expectations or explore the scale and consequences of its own premise. We also compare it to The Original Series, especially “Dagger of the Mind,” and find time for A Gentleman in Moscow, gulags, and the Enterprise security strategy of simply yelling, “Double it!”
Finally, we watch “The High Ground,” an episode that wants to explore uncomfortable political and moral territory, but doesn’t fully land for us. There are interesting ideas here about terrorism, resistance, historical perspective, and whether it is possible — or responsible — to see a conflict from more than one side.
We talk about nuance, real-world responses to “historical” references like Irish unification, changing episode ratings, and whether this is another example of The Next Generation setting a higher standard for itself — one where a strong concept is no longer enough if the execution doesn’t quite work.
Join us as we discuss the next three episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation on To Baldly Go Podcast.
Where we are on our Trek:
Last week we covered:
Next week we will continue with:
TBG Episode 053 - Star Trek TNG S3E13-15 Deja Q, A Matter of Perspective, Yesterday’s Enterprise | First Time Watch-Through
If you want to see my journey from the very beginning, start here:
Also, be sure to check out Nate’s and my other podcast – The In Lap with Aaron and Nate – to listen to us discuss all things Formula 1 on race weekends, wherever you listen to your podcasts.