Star Trek: The Next Generation

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Ensign Ro Laren; Bajoran national who served in Federation Starfleet before becoming a member of the Maquis resistance group. Born in 2340 and raised during the Cardassian occupation of her homeworld, Ro spent her childhood in Bajoran resettlement camps. When she was seven years old, she was forced to watch as Cardassians tortured her father to death.

As a Starfleet ensign, Ro earned numerous reprimands, and she was court-martialed after a disastrous mission to planet Garon II in which she disobeyed orders and eight members of her U. S. S. Wellington away team were killed. Ro was subsequently imprisoned on Jaros II until her release in 2368 by Admiral Kennelly. She was released in exchange for her participation in a covert mission aboard the Enterprise-D, intended to apprehend Bajoran terrorists believed to have attacked Federation interests. Ro was instrumental in the discoveries that the attacks were actually Cardassian in origin, and that Kennelly had been acting as an agent for the Cardassians. Ro subsequently agreed to remain aboard the Enterprise-D as a crew member. Bajoran custom dictates that an individual's family name is given first, and the given name is last; thus Ro is her family name. "Ensign Ro".

In 2368, on stardate 45494, Ro and Commander Riker shared a brief romantic liaison when both suffered from memory loss while under the influence of a Satarran probe, a somewhat ironic occurrence considering that both of them had been frequently at odds over her performance as an Enterprise-D crew member. "Conundrum".

Despite her people's spiritual nature, Ro was never sure about her faith in the Bajoran religion. When she was exposed to a Romulan Interphase generator in 2368 that rendered her invisible, she believed she was dead, and tried to make peace with herself in accordance with those religious beliefs. "The Next Phase".

Ro was temporarily reduced to a child after passing through an energy field in 2369. "Rascals". (Megan Parlen.)

Early in 2370, Ro was accepted into Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training school, on a recommendation from Captain Picard. Following her successful completion of the training, she was promoted to lieutenant first class, and returned to the Enterprise-D. Captain Picard reassigned her to conn during the Enterprise-D's mission to the Cardassian Demilitarized Zone. At the urging of Admiral Necheyev, Ro volunteered to infiltrate a Maquis cell, using her history as a Bajoran Starfleet officer as a convincing cover. Ro convinced the members of the cell of her sincerity, but as she spent more time with the Maquis, Ro found herself genuinely sympathizing with their cause. She sabotaged a planned Starfleet ambush of a Maquis ship, and subsequently disappeared into the Maquis underground. "Preemptive Strike".

Ensign Ro also appeared in "Disaster", "Power Play", "Cause and Effect".