The Enemy ( episode ) La Forge and a Romulan are trapped on a planet ravaged by electromagnetic storms ; Worf turns out to be the only viable donor to save the life of an injured Romulan aboard the " Enterprise " . Summary . Teaser . The intercepts a distress call from a craft within the Neutral Zone and Captain Picard chooses to set aside Federation diplomatic policy and quietly respond . The " Enterprise " is just about to reach the vessel at maximum warp when the object plummets to the surface of an inhospitable , though life - supporting planet , Galorndon Core . Powerful electromagnetic storm s on the surface are obscuring all scans and Picard orders an away team to beam down to the surface to look for survivors . Riker , La Forge and Worf are dispatched , and great care is taken in maintaining a transporter lock on them . As the team disperses , it is made clear that the atmosphere is very harmful and that it causes slow health decay . As well , their combadge s do not function . Based on the markings on the remnants of the ship , Riker and Worf conclude that it was a Romulan vessel . As the group splits up to investigate the area , Worf locates a Romulan survivor , alive enough to feebly attack him . Worf incapacitates the Romulan and calls for Riker . Meanwhile , La Forge falls into a large chasm and is cut - off from the rest of the away team . As the transport window closes , Worf and Riker return to the beam - out site with the wounded Romulan , and are forced to return without La Forge to avoid being stranded on the planet . Act One . While the Romulan is rushed off to sickbay , Picard and Riker discuss the situation . Picard is concerned Galorndon Core could be a hiding place for the Romulans . They intend to question the Romulan as soon as they can . In sickbay , they are informed the Romulan , Patahk , is dying . Dr . Crusher determines that he needs a ribosome infusion from a compatible donor to live , one too complicated to replicate . She orders tests of all " Enterprise " crew to see if anyone can do this . Riker attempts to question him , but he will only state his name . He also states he was alone , which Riker interprets as false . On the planet , La Forge is OK . He melts chunks of silver ore with his hand phaser , fashions them into a pair of spikes , and uses them to make a difficult climb out of the pit . He makes it and takes a breather . Wesley Crusher proposes setting up a beacon out of a portable neutrino source installed in a probe sent to the planet . La Forge should be able to identify it on his VISOR as a signal , but must alter it to alert the " Enterprise " to beam him up . Picard agrees and he leaves to execute it . Data reports a transmission coming from the Neutral Zone . A Romulan commander named Tomalak is reaching out to the vessel and intends to arrive at the planet . Act Two . Picard engages in dialogue with Tomalak , the commander of a Romulan warbird to notify him of the rescued Romulan and implicitly confront him over the obvious transgression into Federation space . Tomalak claims it was a navigational error . They agree to rendezvous in the Neutral Zone , where Picard will hand over the dying Romulan found on the planet . Despite Riker and Worf noting the right to detain and interrogate the Romulan , Picard decides to return the officer when they are finished on the planet . Unfortunately , Crusher reports he is not responding to treatment . It appears a ribosome donor is the only answer . Wesley Crusher completed the beacon using a class - 3 probe and Worf launches it . La Forge makes his way to the previous beam - out point , and sees the neutrino beacon . He recognizes it as Wesley ' s work and thanks him aloud . Making his way towards it , however , La Forge is knocked out by another Romulan . Act Three . On the planet , the Romulan , whose name is Bochra , holds La Forge at disruptor - point . La Forge attempts conversation with him , however , the Romulan is very reluctant to relinquish authority or accept help , even after he is injured by falling rocks . The electromagnetic radiation has debilitating consequences for the Romulan , as he becomes paralyzed and is unable to walk . As it turns out , only Lieutenant Worf has the compatible ribosome for the Romulan . Citing his parents ' deaths at the hands of Romulans at Khitomer , Worf refuses to donate his blood to Dr . Crusher . Back on the ship , the " Enterprise " is still waiting anxiously to hear back from La Forge . They hear from Tomalak , who has noticed they have not reached the rendezvous and objects to not being able to receive their man . La Forge is eventually successful in eliciting cooperation from Bochra , and explains their only hope is being able to sense the neutrino stream . Similarly to Bochra , however , La Forge ' s nervous system is soon compromised by the EM radiation , rendering him unable to process the signals he receives through his VISOR , and thus blinded . Act Four . Riker attempts to convince Worf to agree to the transfusion , noting that grudges have to end some time . Worf still cannot agree . He ' s called to sickbay to see the Romulan before he dies . He tells the Romulan he can save him , but the Romulan states that he would rather die , that he doesn ' t want " Klingon filth " in his blood anyway . On the planet , Bochra suggests using the tricorder in conjunction with La Forge ' s VISOR to detect the neutrinos , but La Forge cannot perform this task blindly . So , Bochra offers to be his eyes while La Forge directs him as how to connect the tricorder and VISOR . The " Enterprise " soon learns that the Romulan ship has crossed the Neutral Zone and is entering Federation space . Act Five . Bochra and La Forge successfully set up the tricorder . Finally , they are able to detect the location of the neutrino beam and alert the " Enterprise " . Picard calls Worf to his ready room to ask that he volunteer to donate his blood to the Romulan because they cannot afford causing an incident if the Romulan were to die on board a Federation starship . Worf respectfully refuses to do so . He , however , " will " do it if Picard makes it an order . Picard replies that he does not want to order him , but he asks and begs his security chief to reconsider . " " I cannot " " , Worf says . Picard , without further pursuing this , dismisses him . While he informs Dr . Crusher as to Worf ' s final decision , she tells him that the Romulan has already died . Then , the Romulan ship approaches the " Enterprise " giving them one last chance to return their officer to them . When Picard informs him that he is dead , the Romulan ship powers up its disruptor array . At this instant , the signal - pattern from the neutrino beacon modulates , indicating that La Forge found it and is alive . Data also detects a second lifeform in addition to La Forge . They realize , however , that they cannot transport them with the shields up . At the same time , if they lower their shields , the Romulan vessel will strike . The EM window that allows for transport is rapidly closing , however , and they need to act quickly . Given that one of the people trapped on the planet is a Romulan , Picard hails the Romulan ship , explaining the situation and asks that they not fire on the " Enterprise " while it is transporting them over . Tomalak continues to ignore Picard but he also does not fire when La Forge and Bochra are beamed right to the bridge . He warns that if the Romulan fire destroys the " Enterprise " , they will have broken the cease fire that the Federation and the Romulan Empire currently enjoy . Picard tells Tomalak that he can transport his man back to his own ship . Bochra assures Tomalak that he has not given Starfleet any information and that , in fact , La Forge saved his life . Tomalak , who until the very end still refuses to acknowledge any wrong - doing on his side , is pleased . La Forge and Worf escort Bochra back to the transporter room so that the " Enterprise " can escort the Romulan ship out of Federation space . Memorable quotes . " " Thank you , Wesley ! " " " " The Romulan craft is a total loss . There ' s nothing there to salvage , unless you wanna use tweezers . " " " " You ' re my prisoner ! " " " " Right . . . congratulations . Surely a strategic triumph for the Romulan Empire . " " " " You ' re lying ! " " " " I never lie when I ' ve got sand in my shoes , commodore . " " " " Welcome to Galorndon Core . Where no good deed goes unpunished . " " " " I ' m blind . " " " " Worf , you are the only one who can save his life . " " " " Then he will die . " " " " We do have a right to detain him , captain . " " " " Without clear evidence of intent , it would not be a simple matter . " " " " This was obviously not pilot ' s error , captain . . . it requires a response from us . " " " " We must measure the response carefully , Number One . Or history may remember Galorndon Core alongside Pearl Harbor and Station Salem - One . . . as the stage for a bloody preamble to war . " " " " How did this happen ? " " " " I was born that way . " " " " And your parents let you live ? " " " " What kind of question is that ? Of course they let me live ! " " " " No wonder your race is weak . You waste time and resources on defective children . " " " " For what it ' s worth , I understand your bitterness . " " " " With respect , sir , you cannot . I am asked to give up the very lifeblood of my mother and my father to those who murdered them . " " " " Must you blame all Romulans for that ? " " " " Yes . " " " " Forever ? What if some day the Federation made peace with the Romulans ? " " " " Impossible . " " " " That ' s what your people said several years ago about Humans . Think how many died on both sides in that war . Would you and I be here now like this if we hadn ' t been able to let go of the anger and the blame ? Where does it end , Worf ? If that Romulan dies , does his family carry the bitterness on another generation ? " " " " Lieutenant , sometimes the moral obligations of command are less than clear . I have to weigh the good of the many against the needs of the individual and try to balance them as realistically as possible . God knows I don ' t always succeed . " " " " I have not a cause to complain , captain . " " " " Oh , lieutenant , you wouldn ' t complain even if you had cause ! " " " " I would rather die . . . than pollute my body with Klingon filth . . . ! " " " " I have no more wish to die than you do . " " " " Bochra , there are times when it is necessary to die for one ' s ideals . . . do you believe that this is one of those times ? " " " " . . . Bearing three - five - zero . " " " ( laughing ) " We did it ! The first Federation - Romulan co - venture ! " " " " You see - they have no way of knowing how accurate our sensors are . . . Put on your best poker face , Number One ! " " " " This is your final chance , Picard . Return my officer . " " " " Commander , you have entered the Neutral Zone , despite my warning ! " " " " You forced the situation ! I will not leave without him ! " " " " He ' s dead . " " " " . . . Then he is but the first to fall , Picard . " " " " Commander Tomalak . It would appear our away team has rescued a " second " man from your one - man ship . " " " " Commander , both our ships are ready to fight . We have two extremely powerful and destructive arsenals at our command . Our next actions will have serious repercussions . We have reason to mistrust one another but even better reason to set those differences aside . Of course , the question is , who will take the initiative ? Who will make the first gesture of trust ? The answer is , I will . I must lower our shields to beam those men up from the planet ' s surface . Once the shields are down , you will of course have the opportunity to fire on us . If you do , you will destroy not only the " Enterprise " and its crew , but the cease fire that the Romulans and the Federation now enjoy . " " " " Close call . " " " " Too close , Number One . Brinkmanship is a dangerous game . " " " ( to Picard ) " If he has been in any way mistreated . . . " " " " I have given them no information , Commander . But I have not been mistreated . In fact , this Human . . . saved my life . " " Links and references . References . anti - grav lift ; arsenal ; away team ; bearing ; brain ; centurion ; class - 3 probe ; commodore ; cranial trauma ; ; distress signal ; disrupter ; donor ; Federation ; fever ; Galorndon Core ; Geiger counter ; gesture ; ; ; light year ; magnetic field ; meter ; Mogh ; mother ship ; neural output pod ; neural pathway ; neutrino ; neutrino beacon ; neutrino pulse ; number one ; Pearl Harbor ; " " ; poker face ; polarity ; positron ; ribosome ; ribosome infusion ; Romulan ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; Romulan scout ship ; Romulan Star Empire ; sector ; security team ; Station Salem - One ; synapse ; Tomalak ' s Warbird ; tricorder ; ultritium ; VISOR ; Vulcan