Who is Ro Laren in ‘Star Trek?’

Warning: This article contains spoilers about season three of Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek has produced its fair share of popular, enduring characters. A stand-out must be Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), the tough yet tragic Bajoran Starfleet officer who didn’t feel at home anywhere.

For 50 years between 2319 and 2369, the peaceful planet of Bajor reeled under a repressive and increasingly brutal Cardassian Occupation. Ro Laren was a Bajoran born during these dark times. She later described her childhood as “a long and depressing saga” and was grateful when it was finally over. At the tender age of seven, she was forced to watch her father being tortured and eventually executed. Unsurprisingly, this left her with a burning hatred of all things Cardassian.

To escape the Occupation, Ro signed on with Starfleet when she was 18, graduating a few years later and being assigned to the USS Wellington. Ro proved to be an energetic young officer, and she was rapidly promoted to Lieutenant. During a botched away mission on Garon II, Ro disobeyed direct orders, leading to the deaths of eight crewmen — her entire team. Starfleet was quick to court martial Ro, and she found herself demoted to Ensign and imprisoned in a military stockade.

Service aboard the Enterprise

But Starfleet could ill-afford to keep such a skillful officer on ice for long. In 2368, Ro was granted temporary release from jail to serve on board the USS Enterprise-D under the legendary Jean-Luc Picard. Picard needed someone who knew about Bajoran culture and the Bajoran resistance which had emerged during the occupation. Ro acquitted herself well, and Picard asked her to remain on board after the initial mission concluded. Even so, many Enterprise personnel refused to have anything to do with her, still blaming her for the disaster on Garon II. This left Ro still feeling like an outsider.

One of the few real friendships Laren struck up during this period was with the ship’s bartender Guinan, who was naturally drawn to Ro because everyone else shunned her.

Ro went on to serve in an exemplary manner through several key Enterprise missions. She was present when an encounter with a quantum filament nearly destroyed the ship, discovered a secret Romulan phasing device, and managed to rescue her shipmates from Ferengi pirates. She even engaged in a very short-lived sexual relationship with Enterprise First Officer William T. Riker (the pair was suffering from amnesia at the time, but they clearly desired one another). However, Ro’s tough, uncompromising style was unpopular with much of the crew in spite of her bravery and skill at the helm.

Maquis and later years

The feeling of being distinctly un-Starfleet did not go away. Her Bajoran roots and hatred for the Cardassians eventually led her to make a momentous decision. During the Next Generation episode “Preemptive Strike,” Ro was tasked by Starfleet with infiltrating a group of Maquis (a loose and very anti-Cardassian military confederation of border planets). The Maquis was threatening the fragile peace between Cardassia and the Federation. Things went well at first as Ro managed to successfully embed herself with the group.

But old loyalties died hard in Ro Laren, and she found herself identifying more with this rag-tag band of resistance fighters than she ever did Starfleet. When Riker was sent to bring her in, she turned traitor to the Federation and deserted her post to join the rebels.

Little is known of Ro during these years, but most fans assume she was a valuable and deadly member of the Maquis. When the Maquis was eventually destroyed during the events of Deep Space Nine, Ro managed to use her skills to wrangle her way back into Starfleet once again.

In Star Trek: Picard, Ro was working for Starfleet Intelligence where her previous experience in terrorist cells made her a valuable asset. She emerges as the Handler to Worf and Raffi during their spying activities. An uncomfortable meeting with her old Captain led to a reconciliation. Unfortunately, Ro was killed by Changeling imposters on her own security team, but not before she handed Picard the old Bajoran earring she always wore. Inside it was all the information she possessed on the conspiracy within Starfleet.

Unless a mirror-universe or alternate reality Ro pops up in the future, fans are unlikely to see this beloved character again.