When reviewing "Ensign Ro" for Tor.com, DeCandido described Michelle Forbes as "stellar" and called Ro "one of "TNG"'s best recurring characters". He also added that the character was "a bit of piss and vinegar to add to the syrupy mix of homogeneity that the TNG cast tends to be". In his review of "Preemptive Strike", he said that the Ro character arc "comes full circle: once again making a decision that puts her on the outs with Starfleet." He praised Forbes again, saying that she "inhabits the character so completely, from her awkwardness at the reception in her honor to her playing the role of rebel, to her pain at thinking about her father... to her decision to betray Starfleet and the Enterprise." He did criticise the episode for not wrapping up the Riker-Ro relationship in the same way that closure had been given to her friendship with Picard. Zack Handlen reviewed "Ensign Ro" for The A.V. Club, and described Ro as "terrific" and said that the role represented "one of the rare times that "TNG" has managed to have a frustrated character who doesn't immediately seem overly hateful or falsely confrontational". But he criticized the manner in which her opinion changed to be more favourable of Picard and the "Enterprise", as he felt that Guinan's intervention was detrimental to the plot.