Plot summary
The Enterprise is investigating the planet Angosia III as a candidate for entry into the Federation. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is approached by Prime Minister Nayrok (James Cromwell), who asks for help in apprehending Roga Danar (Jeff McCarthy), a convict who has escaped on a transport ship from their prison colony on Lunar V. Danar eludes the Enterprise for several minutes through stealth and misdirection, but eventually he is located in an escape pod and beamed aboard the Enterprise. When security try to take him into custody he fights back; it takes five officers to subdue him and incarcerate him in the brig.
The empathic Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) reads little aggression from Danar, finding it unlikely that he could be so violent. The crew finds that despite being a prisoner, he has no criminal record. Danar explains that he was one of many soldiers who received biological enhancements and psychological conditioning, greatly increasing their combat abilities; and rather than attempt to reverse the conditioning after the war, the government imprisoned them all. Nayrok tells Picard that the soldiers were found to be unsuited for civilized society in peacetime and "resettled" on Lunar V. Declaring the veterans' treatment an internal matter that is none of Picard's concern, he insists that Danar to be returned to the colony.
During the transfer from the Enterprise to an Angosian police transport, Danar manages to escape. Easily evading security, he cripples the Enterprise by causing an explosion in one of the Jefferies tubes, disabling her sensor systems. With the Enterprise blind, Danar beams aboard the police transport. Taking control, he attacks the Lunar V colony and rescues several of his fellow inmates.
Nayrok pleads with the Enterprise for help. Picard beams down with an away team but refuses to help, questioning the morality of how they've treated their soldiers. In the middle of this argument, Danar and his rebels storm the government building. Nayrok asks Picard to intervene against this insurrection. Picard elects instead to depart, reminding Nayrok that he himself declared the issue an internal matter. He tells the Angosian government the Angosians must make a choice about what to do with their veterans, and invites them to reapply for Federation membership when their society is ready.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The Hunted (Star Trek: The Next Generation). Paragraphs and formatting adjusted; illustrations, reference markers, block quotations and non-story material omitted.