Pentara

Pentara was a Garidian female who was captain of the Garidian Warbird Assiyram around 2370. Starfleet Intelligence rated her as a capable but unimaginative tactican.

First encounter with the Enterprise
Pentara's first encounter with the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) was after the Assiyram had chased a Garidian scoutship across the Neutral Zone and into Federation space. The scoutship contained Pentara's own sun Avakar, and two other fugitives, Lucana and T'bak. The occupants of the scoutship asked the Enterprise for political assylum, and were beamed onto the Enterprise. Pentara warned Picard that matters between her and the scoutship occupants was an internal Gardian matter, and told Picard not to interfere. Picard then convinced her to go back to Garidian space, on the basis he would overlook her violation of the Neutral Zone if she did so.

Second encounter
The Assiyram then encountered the Enterprise again, at Frigis, just after an Away Team led by Commander Riker had discovered the original Garidian Fifth Scroll. Lucana had sent a subspace message to Garid about the discovery of the Fifth Scroll, which caused a revolution on Garid. Pentara was able to trace the location and demanded the Enterprise return Avakar, Lucana and T'bak to her. Avakar convinced Pentara to deliver the Fifth Scroll and him and his colleagues safely back to Garid, so that their people could benefit from the wisdom of the scroll.

Encounter at the Unity Device
When the Enterprise arrived at the Unity Device, it encounters Chodak Admiral Brodnack in his vessel and Pentara in the Assiyram. Pentara explained to Picard that the situation on Garid being so bad, with all opposers to the Fifth Scroll being executed, that her people need something as powerful as the Unity Device to help the situation.

All three ships sent down teams in shuttles, but Pentara, Picard, and Brodnack soon lost communications and are forcibly separated from their subordinates. Now, all three commanders were required to face rigorous, dangerous automated tests to see who is "worthy" of controlling the Unity Device.

Picard is eventually able to persuade Pentara and Brodnack to work together to circumvent the tests, and they reach a mysterious stasis chamber containing a member of the Kábalan species, a race of telepaths that Brodnack explains were created by the ancient Chodak using the Unity Device. The Kábalan were apparently brought into existence to be perfect and impartial test administrators, and to perform psychological assessments aimed at uncovering anything that might mean a test subject was not suitable for their prospective role. The Kábalan first uses telepathic insight to ruthlessly expose the fears, doubts, and some of the innermost shameful secrets hidden by each of the three visitors, in Pentara's casse, her willingness to obey her orders by killing her own son. The Kábalan asks all three what they would use the Device for, and tells Pentara that her honesty in saying she wants to use it to make the Garidians a respected force in the galaxy proves her worthy. However, this is a trick and Pentara instead takes the place of the creature in the stasis chamber.