And we're back with more Star Trekking as we resume our look back at Star Trek: The Next Generation. We're up to season 5 as TNG expands on it's supporting cast. After being part of the background in the very first episode of the series, Colm Meaney has developed Miles Edward O'Brien into a well rounded character and a beloved member of the team. After marrying Keiko in season 4, this season finds O'Brien adding the role of father.
Adding to the supporting cast in season 5 is Michelle Forbes as Ensign Ro Laren, a Bajoran officer. Ro's flint sharp personality provides a provocative contrast to the more genial main cast.
Her backstory lays the ground work for new alien intrigue with the reptilian Cardassians and their conquest of her home world of Bajor. This dynamic will fuel a major development for the Star Trek franchise in the following year.
After being written out in season 4 to go to Starfleet Academy, Wil Wheaton returns for a couple of episodes as Wesley Crusher.
But the really big name guest star on TNG in season 5 was Leonard Nimoy as Spock.
The legacy of Star Trek experiences a loss during season 5 when Gene Roddenberry dies of cadiac arrest. Gene had long deferred any involvement to Rick Berman but his shadow still loomed large over the franchise that began with the original Star Trek back in the 1960's.
When deciding what season 5 episode I was going to spotlight for today's post, I had quite a few good ones to choose from.
- "Darmok" with a great performance from guest actor Paul Winfield. The episode introduces the Tamarians who speak in allegories. A Tamarian will join Starfleet in Star Trek: Lower Decks.
- "Ensign Ro" which brings introduces our new Enterprise crew member. She doesn't want to be there and the feeling is mutual as far as Riker is concerned.
- "Conundrum" where the Enterpise crew is mind wipe and in a state of war with some damn body. Oh and Riker and Ro hook up.
- "Cause and Effect" where the Enterprise blows up! And blows up again! And again! With clever direction from Jonathan Frakes.
- "The First Duty" which a strong dramatic outing as Wesley Crusher is placed in an ethecial dilemna. The episode features Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian) as Boothy, the grounds keeper.
- "I Borg" where LaForge makes friends with a Borg named Hugh.
- "The Next Phase" where LaForge and Ro get killed! And haunt the Enterprise as ghosts!
- "The Inner Light" where Jean Luc Picard lives another man's lifetime on another planet. One of the most emotionally powerful episodes of the entire series.
But my personal favorite for season 5 is this episode directed by Gabrielle Beaumont working from a story by Ron Jarvis & Philip A. Scorza. With a teleplay by TNG stalwart Ronald D. Moore, this is "Disaster".
It's just another day on the good ship Enterprise.
In Ten-Forward, Keiko O'Brien is commiserating with Riker, Data and Worf on the joys of pregnancy.
KEIKO: It's all right. He's just doing somersaults. Here, feel.
(She puts Riker's hand on her bump)
KEIKO: Right there.
RIKER: He's going to be a hell of a gymnast.
DATA: May I?
KEIKO: Sure. There, feel it? When he's not turning, he's kicking and punching. When I want to sleep, he wants to wake up. At this point, I just wish it were over.
My wife Andrea complained about the same thing in the last weeks of her pregnacy.
Meanwhile, Beverly Crusher and Geordi LaForge are cataloging some supplies in a cargo bay while the good doctor is trying to talk our engineer into something he doesn't want to do.
So it's not a sex thing?
Then what pray tell does Crusher want him to do?
Let's find out! (Read this and imagine it is a sex thing. It's fun!)
LAFORGE: No.
CRUSHER: Come on, Geordi.
LAFORGE: No.
CRUSHER: Just try it once. It is not as hard as you think. I'm telling you, you will be terrific.
LAFORGE: All right. (sings) I am the very model of a modern major general, I've information vegetable, animal and mineral. And.... I can't do this.
CRUSHER: Yes you can!
LAFORGE: I cannot sing in front of people.
CRUSHER: You were terrific! You were a little off pitch, but I think I can take care of that.
As we established last season, Dr. Crusher does have a background in the arts as the "dancing doctor" and Beverly wrangling her crew mates into performing in plays will become a recurring thing.
Gates McFadden has a background in directing and choreography.
Meanwhile on the bridge, Capt. Picard is facing down a challenge he dreads even more than an encounter with the Borg.
Children.
TROI: Captain, I'd like to introduce you to the winners of the primary school science fair. This is Marissa, Jay Gordon, and Patterson. They're here for their tour.
PICARD: Hello.
PATTERSON: Can we see the battle bridge and torpedo bay?
PICARD: No, I'm afraid not. But we will be visiting the hydroponics and astrophysics laboratories.
TROI: I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.
The disappointment of the children is palpable. Somebody really wanted to see that battle bridge!
PICARD: Well. If you'll come with me.
(Picard and children go into the turbolift as O'Brien comes out)
O'BRIEN: I'm not sure who to feel sorry for, the Captain or the kids.
It's a toss up.
So it's just another day as various people doing various things in various parts of the ship while a certain blogger uses the word "various" too much.
Then suddenly and without warning!
KA-BLAM!!!
The Enterprise is violently jolted, shuddering and shaking, lights flickering off, sparks flying from panels.
It's a....
Well, it's right there in the title: DISASTER!!!
What happened?
On the bridge....
MONROE: (female helm) What happened?
I just asked that!
MANDEL: (man at ops) Sensors are picking up subspace distortions and high energy particles directly to starboard.
MONROE: Looks like we ran into a quantum filament. Damage report?
O'BRIEN: We've lost primary life support. Switching to secondary systems. Impulse and warp engines are offline.
MANDEL: There's another filament moving toward us, sir.
MONROE: All decks brace for impact!
(Thump! and it all goes dark)
O'BRIEN: Counsellor?
TROI: I'm all right. Medical team to the Bridge. Troi to Sickbay. Counsellor Troi to Captain Picard. Troi to Engineering. Counsellor Troi to any crew member, please acknowledge.
(Mandel tries to open the turbolift doors)
TROI: Medical team to the Bridge.
O'BRIEN: The computer's down. It looks like we still have impulse power but not much else.
TROI: Lieutenant Monroe!
(She's dead)
MANDEL: Chief O'Brien. The turbolifts aren't working. We're trapped up here.
Let's take a moment to mourn for Lieutenant Monroe.
...
...
...
Well, she ain't getting any deader! Let's move on!
In the turbo lift, Picard is crumpled on the floor surrounded by crying children. His leg is broken.
PICARD: Bridge, this is Picard. This is the Captain. Can anyone hear me?
PATTERSON: Why don't they answer?
PICARD: I don't know.
JAY GORDON: They're all dead.
PICARD: They're not dead. Communication is down, that's all.
JAY GORDON: We're going to die, too.
PICARD: We most certainly are not. Now listen to me. No one here is going to die. The bridge will be sending a rescue party as soon as possible. So I want you all to stop crying. Everything is going to be all right.
Which makes the kids cry even more.
Back on the bridge...
O'BRIEN: This is the Federation Starship Enterprise calling any vessel within range. We are in distress and need assistance. Please respond. I'm still not sure we're even transmitting. I'll set the message on auto repeat and see if we get a response.
(a turbolift door is forced open, and Ro Laren hauls herself out of the stuck car)
O'BRIEN: Are you all right?
RO: I'm alive. What the hell happened?
O'BRIEN: We were hit by a quantum filament. Most of our systems are down and we haven't been able to contact anyone off the bridge.
RO: Well, don't count on leaving through there. An emergency bulkhead closed just beneath that lift.
The gang is assessing the situation which is grim.
Virtually nothing is working, not even internal sensors.
Hey, let's see if the empath can sense anything.
O'BRIEN: Can you sense anything, Counsellor?
TROI: There are a lot of people still alive. Many of them are hurt but I can't tell where they are.
RO: We need to start emergency procedures. Who's the duty officer?
O'BRIEN: Lieutenant Monroe was in command, but she's dead. I believe Counsellor Troi is the senior officer on the deck.
Are we fucked?
RO: Counsellor Troi?
We're so fucked!
O'BRIEN: She carries the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
To quote li'l Jay Gordon, "We are going to die!"
TROI: I'd appreciate some suggestions.
Look, she's not feeling so good about this herself.
O'BRIEN: I recommend we initiate emergency procedure alpha two. Bypass computer control and place all systems on manual override.
TROI: Very well.
O'BRIEN: Aye, aye, sir.
RO: May I suggest that our next priority be to stabilise life support and try to re-establish intership communications?
TROI: Yes. Mister Mandel, I'd like you to assist Ensign Ro.
MANDEL: Yes, sir.
Meanwhile, the body of Lieutenant Monroe is just lying there... somewhere... out of camera range.
Meanwhile, in the Cargo Bay, the second worst thing of the day is happening!
(The first was that whole "modern major general" thing!)
LAFORGE: Right. And bypass the flow current, and (nothing). The computer still won't release the doors.
CRUSHER: Can we force them open?
LAFORGE: Yes, we can try. There's an emergency hand actuator.
CRUSHER: Geordi?
LAFORGE: Yes?
CRUSHER: This wall is hot.
LAFORGE: Where?
(then something blows out where he had removed a panel, knocking him off his feet)
LAFORGE: I'm all right, but I think we've got a new problem. One of the energy conduits must've ruptured and ignited the polyduranide inside the bulkhead. That's a plasma fire.
(and it's green)
CRUSHER: It's putting out a lot of radiation. We can't stay in here very long.
LAFORGE: We've got a bigger problem than that. The quaratum in these containers is used in emergency thruster packs. It's normally pretty stable stuff but when you expose quaratum to radiation, it has a way of exploding.
Way to bring down the room, Geordi!
Meanwhile, in the turbo lift, Picard gets the kids to calm down with field promotions:
- Marissa is First Officer ("Number One")
- Jay is Science Officer
- Patterson is executive officer in charge of radishes.
Radishes? It's... it's a thing. Accept it. Patterson did.
Let's move on.
With bulkheads on lockdown (as Ro mentioned earlier), Riker and Data are hustling through a Jeffries Tube to get to engineering to suss out what is what.
Back on the bridge, Troi is trying to get up to speed.
TROI: Yes. How big is a quantum filament?
O'BRIEN: It can be hundreds of metres long, but it has almost no mass, which makes it very difficult to detect.
TROI: So, it's like a cosmic string?
O'BRIEN: No. that's a completely different phenomenon.
Well, God bless her for trying.
And Ro delivers some bad news. Well, bad news is her specialty.
RO: We've got half impulse power available, but I'm getting some odd readings from the warp drive. I'm reading a spike in the warp field array. It looks like a containment deviation.
O'BRIEN: Switch to primary bypass.
RO: Nothing. Field strength's at forty percent and falling. We've got a problem. The quantum resonance of the filament caused a polarity shift in the antimatter containment field.
O'BRIEN: When the filament hit us, the ship was momentarily charged, as if it had come into contact with a live electrical wire.
RO: That weakened the containment field surrounding the antimatter pods. The field strength is at forty percent and it is still falling.
O'BRIEN: If it falls to fifteen percent the field will collapse and we'll have a containment breach.
TROI: Which means?
RO: Which means the ship will explode.
Well, that's something we can all understand.
Elsewhere in a Jeffries tube, Riker and Data are trapped by an sparking white hot arc of energy and Data suggests breaking the circuit with his body.
Riker does not like this plan.
DATA: Commander, our options are very limited.
RIKER: First of all, android or not, I wouldn't ask anyone to take that kind of risk. Second, if the computer is not working in Engineering, I'm going to need your help to get control of the ship.
DATA: My positronic brain has several layers of shielding to protect me from power surges. It would be possible for you to remove my cranial unit and take it with you.
RIKER: Let me get this straight. You want me to take off your head?
DATA: Yes, sir. Is something wrong, sir?
RIKER: Well, Data, would you be all right?
DATA: My memory core and neural nets are self-contained. I would be fine, sir.
RIKER: Well, like you said, our choices are very limited.
(Data walks forward into the energy currents, he stops as he gets lit up like a Christmas tree and he falls forward)
RIKER: Data? Data! Data.DATA: A remarkable experience, Commander.
RIKER: Are you all right? Did the shielding work?
DATA: Apparently so, sir. My neural nets are still fully operational. You may begin by opening the ventral access panel located two centimetres beneath my right ear.
Picard and the kids need to get out of turbo lift before it crashes. Picard says he needs to stay behind because of his bum leg.
The kids do not like this plan.
MARISSA: We have to climb up the shaft.
PATTERSON: I want to stay here with you, Captain.
PICARD: Patterson, you're an officer. You have to obey orders.
PATTERSON: I don't want to be an officer any more. I want to stay here with you.
JAY GORDON: If the captain stays here, we won't make it. We'll all die.
PICARD: We don't have time to argue. You must go now.
MARISSA: The crew has decided to stick together. We all go or we all stay.
PICARD: All right. I'll try. But I want you to know this is mutiny.
Back in the cargo bay, the plasma fire is getting closer to the "why are things this dangerous on a star ship anyway" cargo.
One way to put out a fire is to deprive it of oxygen.
Hey, we're in outer space, right?
LaForge and Crusher don't really like this plan.
Meanwhile in Ten Forward....
Let's summarize:
- Keiko is pregnant.
- The ship has been beset by a disaster.
What do you think is going to happen?
KEIKO: Oh, oh, oh. I'm having contractions.
Of course she is!
WORF: I believe that is not uncommon in the late months of pregnancy.
KEIKO: No, I mean contractions. I'm going into labour.
WORF: You cannot. This this is not a good time, Keiko.
KEIKO: It's not open for debate. Like it or not, this baby is coming.
Worf does not like where THIS is heading.
Things are getting tense on the bridge.
RO: We should separate the saucer now, and put as much distance as possible between us and the drive section.
O'BRIEN: Excuse me, sir, but that's damn cold blooded. What about the people down there?
RO: There's no evidence that anyone is still alive in the drive section.
O'BRIEN: No evidence they're dead, either. If you were trapped down there, would you like us to just cut you loose and leave?
RO: No, of course not. But I also wouldn't expect the bridge crew to risk the safety of the ship and hundreds of lives in a futile effort to rescue me.
TROI: You said there was no way to stabilise the containment field from the Bridge. Could it be done from Engineering?
O'BRIEN: Yes, but my readings indicate there's no power down there. They don't even have monitors to tell them there's a problem.
TROI: Could we divert energy from the Bridge to those monitors?
O'BRIEN: Yes, sir.
RO: I'll say it again. There is no reason to believe that anyone is alive in Engineering. We're wasting time even talking about this. We have to separate the ship now.
TROI: I believe there are still people alive down there and I'm going to give them every chance. Assuming they're alive, they'll be hoping there's someone up here who can help them. So we'll help them. Chief, divert the necessary power to Engineering.
O'BRIEN: Aye, sir.
RO: I remind you, Counsellor, that power coupling could overheat at any moment. By not separating the ship now, you may be responsible for all our deaths.
TROI: Thank you, Ensign. Proceed.
I do declare but I think Troi is getting the hang of this being in charge thing.
Picard and the kids extricate themselves from the turbo lift and climb up the shaft. Just before the turbo lift gives way.
Picard is climbing with only one good leg, both arms doing all the heavy lifting, his good leg providing a modicum of balance, the busted leg just dangling.
Damn! Jean-Luc is one bad mother-fu---
Hey, there are kids present!
And they need to focus on climbing up this shaft.
Picard suggests a climbing song.
Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques, dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines,
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.
Frere Jacques, frere Jacques, dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines.
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.
Frere Jacques, frere Jacques,
dormez vous? Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines.
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.
Frere Jacques, frere Jacques
Let's check in with Lt. Worf, OB-GYN!
WORF: Your contractions are now only thirty seconds apart. Dilation has gone to seven centimetres since the onset of labour. That did not take long.
KEIKO: That's easy for you to say.
WORF: You are doing very well. I am sure the child will arrive soon.
KEIKO: Worf, have you ever done this before? Delivered a baby?
WORF: Yes!
<pause>
WORF: No. I have taken the Starfleet Emergency Medical Course. In a computerised simulation, I assisted in the delivery of a human baby.
KEIKO: Sometimes it doesn't go by the book, Worf.
WORF: I am sure everything will be fine.
Funny, Worf doesn't sound all that sure.
Elsewhere....
Crusher and LaForge do their thing with opening the cargo bay doors to put out the fire and not get sucked into space.
On the bridge, the ship nearly explodes.
O'Brien and Ro do some technobabble and buy some time.
TROI: What happened?
RO: Exactly what I said might happen. The power coupling overheated and the entire containment field almost collapsed. O'Brien's fixed it temporarily, but this could happen again at any moment, and next time we might not be able to stop it. You can't let wishful thinking guide your decision, Counsellor. It's time to leave.
TROI: We will separate the ship when I decide that it's time, and not before. Is that clear, Ensign?
RO: Yes. Perfectly.
Damn, you go, girl!
Riker is in Engineering with Data's head which is hooked up to some panels.
Well, that's one way to get a head in Starfleet!Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Er, sorry about that.
RIKER: Data, the containment field strength is down to eighteen percent. Can you stabilise it?
DATA: No, sir. I do not have access to the containment field. You will have to establish a new link. Locate the ODN conduit, sir.
(Riker probes the exposed circuits in Data's head.)
RIKER: Got it.
DATA: Yes, sir. You must now change the input matrix in my secondary optical port and then connect the ODN conduit.
(his right eye closes)
DATA: That is not the correct port, sir.
RIKER: Sorry.
DATA: You must hurry, Commander. The containment field has dropped to sixteen percent.
RIKER: I'm trying. You need a bigger head.
DATA: The field continues to drop, sir. Collapse is imminent.
RIKER: Try it now.
DATA: I have a connection, sir. I am now stabilising the containment field.
And the good news is seen on the bridge.
O'BRIEN: Sir, the field strength is stabilising. Eighteen percent, twenty, twenty five.
RO: I guess they got our message. I was wrong, Counsellor.
TROI: You could have easily been right.
A turbolift door opens, and Picard hauls himself onto the deck like a seal hauling itself onto land, followed by the children. They sit panting.
They are Frere Jacqued out!
Now back to Ten-Forward, it's the moment we've all been waiting for!
WORF: Congratulations. You are fully dilated to ten centimetres. You may now give birth.
KEIKO: That's what I've been doing.
WORF: Bearing down is the next stage. It should start at full dilation. Why has it not begun?
KEIKO: I don't know. I don't think it's up to me. It happens when it happens.
WORF: The computer simulation was not like this. That delivery was very orderly.
KEIKO (snarling at Worf): Well, I'm sorry!
WORF: Did you feel an uncontrollable urge to push?
(screams with a nod)
WORF: Good. You are bearing down. Now you must push with each contraction and I must urge you gently but firmly to push harder. Push, Keiko. Push hard. Push, Keiko. Push. Push.
KEIKO: I am pushing! (she is so pissed off at Worf right now)
WORF: The baby is emerging head first. One more contraction.
KEIKO: Okay.
WORF: That's good. Push. Push. Hard. I have the baby. I will smack the child to induce breathing.
(waaa!)
WORF: Now I will cut the umbilical cord. Blanket. I believe she looks like Chief O'Brien.
(he hands the baby to Keiko)
KEIKO: Hello. You were wonderful, Worf. I couldn't have done it without you. Hello.
And we move forward in time and to the bridge.
PICARD (VO): Captain's log, supplemental. We are en route to Starbase sixty seven, to undergo repairs. Life aboard the Enterprise is slowly returning to normal.
Except for Lieutenant Monroe.
Who is dead.
(Troi leads the children onto the Bridge)
TROI: Now just wait here.
RIKER: You just can't stay away from the big chair, can you?
TROI: I don't think I'm cut out to be Captain. First officer, maybe. I understand there aren't many qualifications.
RIKER: Captain Picard to the Bridge, please.
(Picard enters)
PICARD: Hello. It's good to see you again. What brings you to the Bridge?
MARISSA: In appreciation for the way you helped us get out of the turboshaft, and the way you helped us not be scared, we want to present to you this commemorative plaque. Give it to him.
(Jay Gordon hands it over. It reads - to Captain Picard, in appreciation for the way you helped us get out of the turboshaft and the way you helped us not be scared. Jay Gordon Graas, Paterson Supra, Marissa Flores)
PICARD: Thank you. Thank you very much.
PATTERSON: I made the back piece.
PICARD: And a wonderful job you did of it, too. Well, later this afternoon, we're going to finish the tour I promised you, starting with the battle bridge. I'll see you at fourteen hundred hours. You have the Bridge, Number One.
RIKER + MARISSA: Aye, sir.
And we're out!
I really like this episode. It gives everyone something to do.
And something to do outside of everyone's comfort zone.
Riker, not LaForge, has to tinker with Data's positronic head.
Data is only a head.
Troi has to rise to the occassion to be in command.
O'Brien usually left alone to tinker with something has to step up to provide counsel to Troi.
Picard has to deal with children.
I don't know what Crusher is thinking but LaForge is NOT cut out for Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.
And the big sequence everyone remembers from this episode: Worf delivers Keiko's baby!
"You may now give birth!"
Sometimes when Andrea and I are watching a TV show with a scene of someone giving birth, one of us will quote Worf.
"You may now give birth!"
It's never not going to be funny.
And that is that for this week's Star Trekking.
Thanks again to Chrissie's Transcripts Site for her handy-dandy transcipts of all things Star Trek and Doctor Who.
Next time, we advance up to season 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's a time of some changes as the Star Trek universe is set to expand.
And our spotlight falls on the return of an old advesary.
