Since day one, one of the biggest draws of the Star Trek franchise has been the eclectic cast of characters we meet within the Federation, as well as across the pantheon of various alien species they come in contact with. There are, of course, the iconic captains (Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Sisko, and more) and multiple ruthless villains (Khan Noonien Singh, the Borg, the Dominion, etc.), but many of the franchise’s most beloved characters belong to the crews of the various Federation starships we follow across each series. And for hardcore fans, some of the underdog characters are the most beloved and most missed. And now, 35 years after her initial introduction in the 1991 episode “Ensign Ro,” Ro Laren, as played by actress Michelle Forbes, is back. But not in the way anyone might have expected.
Debuting back in the third episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s fifth season, Ro Laren is a member of the oppressed Bajoran species who joins the crew of the Enterprise-D after being court martialed for a mistake that left members of her original crew deceased. Despite Captain Picard’s initial reluctance, she rises through the ranks of the crew to become Lieutenant, only to abandon Starfleet after becoming sympathetic to the plight of the Maquis, an anti-Federation resistance group she’s tasked with infiltrating. The character returned as a Starfleet Commander in the third season of Star Trek: Picard, making amends with her former captain before dying in a heroic sacrifice, which was her last appearance in the franchise…until now.
