Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

The High Ground (1990)

Jonathan Frakes: Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

Photos 

Quotes 

• [Dr. Crusher has been abducted by terrorists] 

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard : I would like to leave Commander Riker here to assist in your search for Dr. Crusher.

  Alexana Devos : [shrugs]  If you like.

  Commander William T. Riker : You don't sound very optimistic.

  Alexana Devos : I know my enemy, Commander; they don't leave much room for optimism.

• [Crusher has managed to talk the Ansata boy out of shooting Devos] 

  Alexana Devos : Already another one to take his place. It never ends.

  Commander William T. Riker : He could've killed you. He didn't. Maybe the end begins with one boy putting down his gun.

• [Devos has agreed to go along with Riker's attempt to contact the Ansata separatists] 

  Commander William T. Riker : Is that what you want?

  Alexana Devos : What I want... is to go home. Back to my own country. To leave behind the round-ups, the interrogations. The bodies lying in the street. To be able to walk without the bodyguards, and not to have to jump at every unexpected noise. That's what I want, Riker!

• [Devos has shot Finn in order to save Picard's life] 

  Commander William T. Riker : You didn't have to kill him.

  Alexana Devos : As a prisoner, he would have been a focus for violence, as his followers tried to free him. Now, he's a martyr. But the death toll might go down, at least in the short term. It's an imperfect solution, for an imperfect world.

• Alexana Devos : [discussing her methods in dealing with the Ansata]  Believe it or not, I always considered myself moderate.

  Commander William T. Riker : What changed your mind?

  Alexana Devos : Being stationed here the last six months. Watching the body count grow. The three assassination attempts on my life.

  Commander William T. Riker : I can see where that could affect your point of view.

  Alexana Devos : The event that really opened my eyes took place only a few days after my arrival. A terrorist bomb destroyed a shuttlebus... 60 schoolchildren. There were no survivors. The Ansata claimed it was a mistake. That their intended target was a police transport. As if that made everything alright. That day I vowed to put an end to terrorism in this city. And I will.