It has been 32 years since an underrated Star Trek cult hero appeared in her final episode of the franchise, a departure that lasted for almost 29 years before she finally showed up again. The Star Trek franchise has had countless characters come and go, and the best of these have often appeared in more than one series in the long-running franchise. There was one character who was not only a fan favorite on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but she was also someone around whom Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was supposed to be based. However, the actress turned down the role, and it changed everything about DS9.
Michelle Forbes finished her run as Ro Laren on Star Trek: The Next Generation on May 16, 1994, in the episode “Preemptive Strike.” While producers planned Deep Space Nine to be based around her character, when she rejected that role, things changed, and “Preemptive Strike” was the last time Forbes appeared in the franchise until March 16, 2023, when she appeared in the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 episode, “Imposters.”
The original premise for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was different from what fans saw when the TV show aired. In the series, the Nazi-like Cardassians ruled over the planet of Bajor, regularly enslaving and mass-murdering Bajoran citizens. When DS9 started, the Cardassian occupation ended, and Starfleet was assigned to run Deep Space Nine and oversee the rebuilding of Bajor’s government. Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) was the Starfleet officer put in charge, and his first officer was a former Bajoran resistance fighter named Major Kira (Nana Visitor).
That was not the original plan. When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was in the planning stages, some familiar faces were set to move from Next Generation to the new show, including Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and Ro Laren (Forbes). However, Forbes turned down the role, and the producers had to create a new character in Major Kira. This happened during The Next Generation Season 5, so the new series moved on without her. She did return for a guest appearance in Season 6 (“Rascals”) and Season 7 (“Preemptive Strike”), but that was the extent of it.
Forbes final appearance was in “Preemptive Strike,” which made the proper debut of the Maquis. Picard had Ro undergo advanced tactical training, and then she went to infiltrate the Maquis and gain their trust. However, she became sympathetic to their cause and left Starfleet completely to join up with the Maquis. She even had a chance to return to Star Trek in Voyager as part of the Maquis, but she turned that down as well. It was assumed that her disappearance meant her character had died.
In the oral history book, The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J.J. Abrams, it was noted that Forbes wanted to move on from TV and star in movies. She got a few great roles, such as in Kalifornia, where she was nominated for a Saturn Award. Forbes was gone from the Star Trek world for decades.
It wasn’t until March 16, 2023, that Forbes brought Ro Laren back to the Star Trek franchise. She appeared in the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 episode, “Impsters.” This episode sees the USS Intrepid arrive to arrest Picard and Riker, and the starship is led by Commander Ro Laren. It turned out she had been imprisoned, but had found redemption and asked for Picard’s help, believing that the Changeling conspiracy had compromised Starfleet’s highest levels.
It was a nice moment, as Ro and Picard reconciled, and she gave him her treasured Bajoran earring. She also had her final moments in the franchise, as she realized there was a bomb on her shuttle and she flew it into the Intrepid, damaging that ship and sacrificing her own life to delay the Changelings’ plan, while the earring she gave Picard had the intelligence on their plans. Seeing a long-forgotten but beloved character get a send-off like this was a gift to long-time Star Trek fans, and a fitting farewell for Ro Laren.
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