Ro Laren

Ro Laren was a Bajoran national who formerly served in Starfleet aboard the Federation starship Enterprise-D, before finally sympathizing with, and later joining, the Maquis.

Childhood
Born in 2340 on Bajor to Ro Gale and Ro Talia, Laren grew up in the Bajoran diaspora, one of thousands displaced into refugee camps by the Cardassian occupation of her homeworld. During her youth, she spent some time in the camps on Valo II. Later in her life, it was revealed that the young Ro Laren was a repressed jumper.

In 2347, Ro was shown the true nature of the occupation as she was given a piece of sugar candy by a Cardassian who led her to a room where she found her father sitting inside. For the next two hours, she was forced to sit and watch as a Cardassian questioned and tortured her father until he died.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Ro felt ashamed for being a Bajoran. She was ashamed for her father being so weak, as she watched him beg for mercy. Laren eventually found that she could not live in an environment where her people were unable to feed and clothe themselves. Because of this, she ran away.

Over time, Ro later began to understand how misguided her feelings of shame were and eventually chose to no longer be ashamed of her heritage, as she had been before. Ro decided to keep her name in traditional form: family name first, given name second. She did this despite the fact that most Bajorans accepted the distortion of their names in order to assimilate. She also strongly favored wearing the traditional Bajoran earring, albeit on the left ear as opposed to the traditional right ear. ("Ensign Ro," "Rascals")

Academy and Early Career
Ro Laren entered Starfleet Academy in 2358. She was assigned to Nebula Squadron, and graduated with the class of 2362. ("The Next Phase", Star Trek: Pendragon)

Following her graduation, she served on a number of various starships.

One of Ro's early assignments was aboard the USS Wellington. During that assignment in the mid-2360s, Ro was a member of the disastrous away team mission to Garon II. During the mission, Ro disobeyed direct orders, causing the eight other members of the away team to die. Ro was court martialed for her actions and refused to speak in her defense. One of the judges at her court-martial was Admiral Leonard James Akaar. With little alternative, the court found Ro guilty and sentenced her to imprisonment in the stockade on Jaros II. ("Ensign Ro")

First mission
In 2368, Ro was released by Admiral Kennelly and reinstated into Starfleet in exchange for helping locate a Bajoran terrorist. While secretly conducting her mission, Ro was assigned to assist the USS Enterprise-D on stardate 45076.3.

Due to her familiarity with the Valo system, she was initially assigned as flight controller. Upon reaching Valo II, she suggested the best route for them to take would be for them to go to the camp on the southern continent to find a man named Keeve Falor.

Since the Enterprise was next scheduled to survey sector 21305, and Picard was reluctant to let go of an officer with Ro's potential, he asked her to remain on board after her mission had concluded. ("Ensign Ro")

Later missions
On stardate 45571.2, Ro Laren was at the helm of the Enterprise when one of the vessel's shuttlecraft crashed on the surface of a moon orbiting Mab-Bu VI. There, a number of the crew became possessed by anionic energy life-forms superimposing neural patterns. During their attempted takeover of the bridge, Ro attempted to shoot the possessed Miles O'Brien, but missed. She was in turn stunned by O'Brien.

After the life-form possessed crew members took over Ten-Forward, Ro suggested giving the crew members a plasma shock, as a means of causing pain to the beings without causing any physical harm. If the plan was to work, and they were able to hit all three with a single discharge, they would cause the beings to evacuate the crew members.

Geordi La Forge and Ro Laren later attempted a rescue in the small access area between decks 10 and 11, above Ten-Forward When they finally made their attempt, they were unable to get all three crew members in the beam, which eventually led to the abortion of their rescue attempt. (TNG: "Power Play").

On stardate 45652.1, Ro served on the bridge during an encounter with a temporal causality loop. She interrupted a staff meeting to report that sensors were getting unusual readings twenty thousand kilometers off the port bow. She noted that sensors did not detect the phenomenon until the ship was almost on top of it. As she attempted to back the Enterprise off from the phenomenon, she reported that the maneuvering thrusters were not responding, and as a ship emerged and she attempted to back the ship off, she reported that the helm was not responding.

In an alternate version of events, when the Enterprise collided with the USS Bozeman, which had emerged from the phenomenon, Ro Laren reported that the Enterprises inertial dampers were failing and that the ship was losing attitude control moments before it was destroyed and Ro died. (TNG: "Cause and Effect")

The Maquis


In 2370 Ro was assigned to infiltrate the Maquis. Although a bit reluctant she agreed, partially to validate Captain Jean-Luc Picard's belief in her. By having lieutenant commanders Data, and Worf faking pursuit on the basis she killed a Cardassian soldier, she gained the attention of the Maquis Santos in a DMZ settlement bar.

She was kidnapped by Santos and was briefly questioned by him, Kalita and Macias. Macias immediately took a liking to Ro and trusted her even before her alibi was verified by Santos. He eventually became a father-like figure.

She later gained the trust of the rest of the Maquis by "stealing" medical supplies from the Enterprise-D.

After gaining the Maquis trust, she had them plan to invest significant resources to attack a Yridian Convoy which in actuality was a Federation trap.

Soon after, three Cardassians attacked the area near the Maquis cell, and killed Macias who with his dying breath told Ro "When an old fighter like me dies, someone always steps foward to take his place".

She started questioning her loyalties, and tried to have the fake convoy trap canceled by claiming the Maquis would not invest resources to attack. However, Picard saw through her lies and questioned her resolve. She claimed she would carry out her duties but Picard had Commander Riker accompany her to the attack.

During the attack she drew a phaser on Riker, and fired a low intensity particle beam from the shuttlecraft that revealed a Starfleet attack force hiding in a nebula near the bogus Convoy.

When the Maquis retreated, she had her ship move towards the Enterprise so Riker could leave. When asked why she was going with the Maquis, she claimed "It's been a long time since I really felt like I belonged somewhere." Just before she beamed to another Maquis ship, she asked Riker to tell Picard she was sorry for betraying his trust. (TNG: "Preemptive Strike")

In 2373 Cardassia joined the Dominion, and quickly slaughtered the vast majority of Maquis, however, Ro and a few other Maquis survivors fought their own, independent, war effort against the Dominion and their allies. After the war ended, Ro returned to Bajor, where she was given the rank of Lieutenant in the Bajoran militia. Starfleet had originally wanted to have her arrested, but did not after the behind the scenes urging of Jean-Luc Picard. (DS9 novels: Avatar books one and two)

Deep Space 9
Her superiors in the Bajoran militia assigned her the job of Chief of security aboard the space station Deep Space 9, under the command of Colonel Kira Nerys in late February of 2376.

Shortly after her arrival at the station, Ro discovered a book of prophcies that was written by the heretic Ohalu some 20,000 years previously that had been removed from the ruins of the city of B'Hala by murder victim, Prylar Istani Reyla.

Reyla was killed because the Vedek Assembly, led by Vedek Yevir Linjarin, wanted the book suppressed. Ro, stating the book was evidence in Istani's murder investigation, refused to turn it over. Kira interceded by giving the book back to Vedek Assembly, but uploaded the contents of the book to the bajoran comnet, making them public. For this act of defiance, Kira was attained from the Bajoran faith. (DS9 novels: Avatar books one and two)

Ro returned to Sindorin a few weeks later, when it was discovered that a rogue agent of the independent intelligence agency, Section 31, named Ethan Locken had re-furbished a Dominion Jem'Hadar factory, and was creating his own army. Ro traveled with Dr. Julian Bashir, Ezri Dax and the Jem'Hadar observer Taran'atar to Sindorin, where they put a stop to Locken's plans and rescued the Ingavi tribe from Locke's Jem'Hadar troops. (DS9 novel: Section 31: Abyss)

Soon after, Ro went undercover as a Dabo girl when the Ferengi bartender, Quark, found himself in over his head with the Orion Syndicate on the world of Farius Prime. Ro managed to bring down the entire organiztion of the Orion crimelord, Malik, and freed an Orion Slave Girl named Treir from servitude. (DS9 novel: Gateways book four: Demons of Air and Darkness)

When it was announced the the documentation admitting Bajor into the United Federation of Planets would be signed on the Promenade of Deep Space 9, Ro was put in charge of the security arrangements.

A member of the Trill contingent named Hiziki Gard was assigned to assist Ro, and Ro gave him full access to his plans. When Gard assassinated Bajoran First Minister Shakaar Edon before the documents could be signed, there was nothing Ro could do to stop him. (DS9 novel, Mission Gamma book 3, Cathedral)

Ro eventually brought Gard into custody only to find out that the creature that Gard had killed wasn't Shakaar at all, but an alien Parasite that had consumed his psyche. Shakaar had already been long dead. (DS9 novel, Mission Gamma book 4, Lesser Evil)

Return to Starfleet
After the resolution to the parasite crisis, Ro was prepared to resign her commission and leave the Bajoran sector with Quark, with whom which she had developed a friendship, as they both felt that they would have no place in the Bajoran sector after the planets admittance to the Federation.

It was only after the persuasion of Captain Picard that Ro stayed with the Bajoran militia as it was integrated into Starfleet. Ro was once again given the rank of Lieutenant in Starfleet. (DS9 novel, Unity)

Ro later accompanied Quark and his nephew Nog to Ferenginar and helped them maintain the rule of Grand Nagus Rom from a take-over attempt by Congressman Brunt. (DS9 novel, Worlds of Deep Space Nine volume three: "Ferenginar: Satisfaction is Not Guaranteed")

On the final day of 2376, Ro was attacked and critically injured by the Jem'Hadar observer, Taran'atar. Ro suffered spinal injuries and briefly faced the possibility of life confined to a wheelchair. Fortunately for Ro, an inovative technique, combining several expeimental medical theories, was developed by Dr. Simon Tarses of the station's infirmary that allowed her to return to duty in a matter of weeks. (DS9 novels, Worlds of Deep Space Nine volume three: "The Dominion: Olympus Descending", Warpath)

Jean-Luc Picard
Although initially opposing Ro's assignment aboard the Enterprise, Captain Picard was impressed with the way she handled the situation. Following the mission, he told her she was free to leave the ship, but as a personal request, he wanted her to consider remaining in Starfleet.

During their first mission together, he observed her potential and noticed a certain quality about her that could possibly be harnessed and molded. Although Ro was flattered with his words, she didn't feel she belonged in the uniform. Picard believed that she had a lot to learn from Starfleet, and she retorted that she felt Starfleet had a lot to learn from her. Picard felt that attitude was common among the best officers he had served with, and that although she was not one of those officers, someday she could be one, if she decided to work at it.

Ro accepted Picard's "interesting challenge", something she rarely refused, and in return, at Ro's request, Picard allowed her to bend the Starfleet uniform code and wear her traditional Bajoran earring. ("Ensign Ro")

Picard later sponsored Ro's entrance into Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training program. Though the program was exceptionally difficult Ro graduated and was re-posted to the Enterprise as a full Lieutenant. (TNG: "Preemptive Strike")

William T. Riker
Commander Riker was not thrilled with the assignment of Ro to the Enterprise, and demanded nothing but the highest standards of performance from her.

Upon her initial beam-in, Riker immediately reprimanded her for wearing her traditional Bajoran earring, which was not allowed according to the Starfleet uniform code. Riker later shared his concerns with Picard, stating that there would be members of the crew who would not want to serve with Ro.

Riker was impudent to Ro's acceptance of her assignment aboard the Enterprise, when she stated that "it was better than prison." ("Ensign Ro", "Conundrum", "Preemptive Strike")

Later, during a period in which the Enterprise crew were stripped of their memories, Riker and Ro had a brief sexual tryst. Set against their prior antagonistic relationship, this created an awkward situation when the crew's memories were restored, but Counselor Deanna Troi indicated that people in such a situation might likely act on what they would subconsciously wish to do. (TNG: "Conundrum")

Riker was set to deliver a eulogy for Ro at a memorial service for her and Geordi La Forge when they were believed to have been killed in a transporter accident. However, he never had an opportunity to deliver it as both Ro and La Forge were revealed to be alive. The mystery of what Riker would have said confounded Ro. (TNG: "The Next Phase")

Geordi La Forge
Geordi La Forge believed that the only reason she was on her initial mission was because of orders, as he believed that she didn't belong aboard the Enterprise, nor did she belong in a Starfleet uniform. The two later bonded, however when they were cloaked and phased by a Romulan interphase generator and forced to find a way to return to normal. (TNG: "Ensign Ro", "The Next Phase")

Deanna Troi
During the period when the Enterprise was damaged due to an encounter with a quantum filament, Ro was in conflict with Deanna Troi, who was the senior officer on the bridge, about whether or not to detach the saucer section, thereby saving the lives they could. Troi was opposed to the idea, even though Ro argued vehemently in favor of separating the ship.

After Commanders Riker and Data stabilized the ship, Ro admitted to Troi that she was wrong. Troi responded that she might as easily have been right.

Ro did not appear to be guided by sentimentality when in a crisis situation, as indicated by her harsh comment to Troi during this incident. (TNG: "Disaster", "Contagion")

Guinan
Guinan became interested in Ro after learning a bit about her past from La Forge. Guinan defended Ro in front of Picard, and encouraged her to reveal the truth to him about the nature of her mission. Picard was willing to listen as he knew Guinan did not call someone a friend easily.

Ro and Guinan remained friends. When they were both transformed into children, Guinan helped Ro take the opportunity to experience the childhood she was denied as a Bajoran refugee. (TNG: "Ensign Ro", "Rascals")

Pendragon timeline
During the Federation Civil War, Ro was one of the Maquis cell leaders that joined with the patriot Starfleet in opposing Admiral James Leyton. Like the rest of the Maquis, she felt betrayed when Starfleet and the Federation once again turned their backs on the Demilitarized Zone.

During the late 2370s, she provided support to Michael Eddington's colony on Volan III, and in the 2380s was instrumental in founding the Colonial Alliance. In 2385, she became Captain of the CAS Independence. (Star Trek: Pendragon)