Television Review: The High Ground (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S3X12, 1990)

The High Ground (S03E12)

Airdate: January 29th 1990

Written by: Melinda A. Snodgrass
Directed by: Gabrielle Beaumont

Running Time: 45 minutes

Films and television episodes can achieve infamy for the most trivial of reasons, often overshadowing their artistic merits and thematic depth. Just as cinematic history is littered with works remembered not for their quality but for peculiar circumstances of their creation or reception, so too can episodes of grand television series find themselves defined by a single, often incidental detail. In the case of Star Trek: The Next Generation, one such example can be found in The High Ground, an episode which, were it not for one historically specific line of dialogue, would undoubtedly be remembered as one of the finest offerings from Season Three – widely regarded as the Star Trek's golden age. Instead, this thoughtful, provocative exploration of terrorism, freedom fighting, and moral ambiguity became notorious for its unintended prophecy, a fate that has unjustly diminished appreciation for its considerable narrative sophistication and dramatic power.

The narrative commences with the USS Enterprise undertaking what appears to be a routine humanitarian mission: delivering medical supplies to Rutia IV, a planet maintaining non-aligned status while fostering generally cordial relations with the Federation. Dr. Beverly Crusher, supervising the transfer operation, takes a moment of respite at a local restaurant, only to have her calm afternoon shattered by a violent explosion. Despite Captain Picard's explicit directive to beam aboard immediately, Crusher's medical instincts compel her to remain and tend to the wounded. This act of compassion proves her undoing, as she is violently abducted by armed militants and vanishes without trace.

Commander Riker, dispatched to coordinate the search and rescue effort, receives a briefing from Alexana Devos (Kerrie Keane), a Rutian security officer. Devos elucidates that the bombing and subsequent abduction were orchestrated by the Ansata, a separatist organisation fighting for independence of the western continent, which has recently escalated its tactics towards greater radicalism. Meanwhile, in captivity, Dr. Crusher encounters her abductor, revealed to be Kyril Finn (Richard Cox), the Ansata's leader. Finn attempts to articulate his cause while simultaneously seeking medical assistance for his comrades. The Ansata possess dimensional shifting technology – a form of teleportation that inflicts devastating side effects, gradually destroying living tissue and condemning every user to certain death. Yet Finn maintains with fervent conviction that freedom justifies such terrible sacrifice, a belief that resonates with tragic intensity.

Finn and his followers subsequently employ their dimensional shifter in a daring raid against the USS Enterprise itself, attempting to plant explosives that would annihilate the starship and thereby compel the Federation to heed their demands. Lieutenant Geordi La Forge manages to avert catastrophe in the final moments, but Captain Picard is captured during the assault, becoming Finn's second hostage. The militant leader now threatens Picard's execution unless the Federation imposes a blockade on Rutia IV, forcing concessions to the separatist cause. Instead, Riker and Devos successfully locate the Ansata base and execute a rescue operation during which Devos kills Finn. In a moment of profound moral significance, a young Ansata soldier, presumably traumatised by years of conflict, raises his weapon to avenge his fallen leader, only to lower it when Dr. Crusher implores him to break the cycle of violence. The episode concludes with Crusher reuniting with her son Wesley aboard the Enterprise, the crew collectively relieved to depart Rutia IV's troubled shores.

Star Trek had established a tradition of political allegory since its original series incarnation, frequently employing fictional narratives to explore contemporary social issues. However, The High Ground distinguishes itself through its explicitness and effectiveness, achieving a level of moral complexity rarely matched in the franchise's history. In some respects, it shares DNA with The Hunted, broadcast merely weeks earlier, which similarly depicted the Enterprise embroiled in an alien society's internal strife. Yet unlike the heavy-handed moralising of Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, The High Ground adopts a far more nuanced approach, acknowledging the messy, contradictory realities that characterise both fictional conflicts and their real-world counterparts.

The episode's central theme, crafted by writer Melinda M. Snodgrass, interrogates the perennial question of when violence becomes justified as a solution to social injustice – or, more precisely, where the line lies between noble freedom fighter and despicable terrorist. Remarkably, the script suggests this boundary is perpetually blurred, even invoking historical figures like George Washington who might have been condemned as terrorists had the American Revolution concluded differently. Snodgrass refuses simplistic moral binaries; instead, she presents both sides with empathetic complexity. Rutia IV functions as a police state where children face imprisonment in camps that effectively become death sentences, as exemplified by Finn's own son. Yet Finn himself, despite his passionate advocacy, emerges as a dangerous fanatic willing not only to sacrifice his own life but to endanger innocents entirely unconnected to the conflict – including the Enterprise's crew. Dr. Crusher, who experiences moments of sympathy towards her captor that border on Stockholm Syndrome, must be reminded that Finn's actions nearly cost her son his life. Through Devos, we witness how such conflicts transform moderates into hardened pragmatists; her shift from idealism to ruthlessness stems from witnessing Ansata militants murder an entire schoolbus of children, illustrating how these struggles inevitably spiral into irrational, self-perpetuating bloodshed.

While the episode ultimately sides with the Rutians' perspective – much like the Enterprise crew must make pragmatic choices – this alignment stems from dramatic necessity rather than moral certainty. Crucially, the conflict remains unresolved; the brief scene where the Ansata boy soldier lowers his weapon serves merely as a symbolic glimmer of hope, explicitly acknowledged as such by Devos. This narrative restraint prevents the episode from collapsing into facile optimism, instead offering a moment of human connection that softens what would otherwise be an unbearably bleak conclusion.

Produced at the twilight of the Cold War, The High Ground emerged during a period of profound geopolitical uncertainty for America. Traditional adversaries like Communist Eastern Europe were dissolving, while erstwhile allies such as South Africa's apartheid regime were becoming international embarrassments. This was precisely when Star Trek should have taken its boldest steps, exploring uncomfortable truths that later iterations would find unimaginable – particularly the roots of terrorism and the uncomfortable question of its potential justification under extreme circumstances.

Paradoxically, Snodgrass herself later expressed dissatisfaction with the final product, revealing that her original vision was even more provocative. Her initial script – her last for the series – framed the conflict as an allegory for the American Revolution, with the Federation representing the British Empire, the Romulans standing in for the French, and the militants embodying the American Patriots. The production team deemed this approach too radical, opting instead for a scenario inspired by the still-ongoing Troubles in Northern Ireland – a decision that would prove historically significant.

The episode deserves considerable praise for its expert direction. Gabrielle Beaumont deals with the complex thematic terrain without resorting to lengthy expository speeches, instead weaving philosophical inquiry with genuinely exciting action sequences. The violence feels consequential and authentic, raising the stakes through the deaths of Rutians, Ansata fighters, and Enterprise crew members alike – a stark departure from the often bloodless conflicts typical of the series.

Performances across the board are commendable, with the episode providing a rare showcase for Dr. Crusher that allows Gates McFadden to deliver one of her strongest performances of the series. Richard Cox proves merely adequate as the charismatic militant leader, his performance lacking the depth required for such a morally complex character. Conversely, Canadian actress Kerrie Keane excels as the pragmatic policewoman, embodying the tragic transformation from idealism to hardened resolve with compelling authenticity.

Snodgrass' script, however, occasionally indulges in fan service, particularly in the form of “red meat” for Picard/Crusher romantic enthusiasts. The scene where the two hostages attempt to share an intimate moment only to be interrupted became a running gag throughout the series and beyond – a charming but ultimately superfluous element that slightly undermines the episode's otherwise serious tone.

For all its artistic achievements, The High Ground – often dubbed "the Terrorist Episode" by fans – earned its lasting infamy through an unintended prophecy. During a discussion about the justifiability of violence for political ends, Data references the "successful" violent unification of Ireland in 2024. While this seemed a plausible extrapolation when the episode aired in 1990, history has proven otherwise. More significantly, the episode's explicit parallels to the Northern Ireland conflict led both the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland to ban its broadcast or heavily edit the controversial scene – restrictions that remained in place until 2007. This censorship, while understandable given the real-world context, has overshadowed the episode's considerable merits as a thoughtful exploration of one of humanity's most intractable problems.

The High Ground remains a powerful, uncomfortable episode that refuses easy answers to impossible questions. Its historical notoriety, while understandable, should not diminish recognition of its narrative ambition and moral complexity. In an era when many science fiction series shied away from contemporary political parallels, Star Trek: The Next Generation demonstrated remarkable courage in confronting the uncomfortable realities of terrorism, state oppression, and the cyclical nature of violence. That such bravery resulted in censorship only underscores the episode's enduring relevance – a testament to its power to disturb, provoke, and challenge audiences long after its initial broadcast.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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