Descent (episode)

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"Descent"
TNG, Episode 6x26 Production number: 40276-252 First aired: 21 June 1993
←	151st of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	151st of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	278th of 726 released in all	→

Teleplay By Ronald D. Moore Story By Jeri Taylor Directed By Alexander Singer
46982.1 (2369)
	Arc: Descent (1 of 2)	→
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The Borg begin a new offensive against the Federation, but this time they're acting as individuals; Data experiences his first emotions while fighting them. (Season Finale)

[edit] Summary

[edit] Teaser

The USS Enterprise-D responds to a distress call from Ohniaka III, and arrives to find the outpost scientists dead. Furthermore, it appeared as though whomever attacked the outpost was more interested in the death of its crew rather than the outpost itself. Shortly after arriving, the away team consisting of Riker, Worf, Data, and a security officer are then attacked by Borg soldiers.

[edit] Act One

Immediately, the away team notice a marked difference in Borg behavior when compared to earlier encounters. Most notably, one drone expressed sympathy for another after it is killed by the away team, promising that he would 'make [the away team] suffer' for the death of his comrade. In a similar display, after a Borg kills the Enterprise security officer, Data becomes uncharacteristically enraged and brutally kills a Borg in hand-to-hand combat. Following the Borg's departure, Data reveals that he had genuinely felt anger. The engagement ends shortly afterward and the Borg transport out. The Enterprise follows them, but the Borg vessel disappears through a subspace distortion.

[edit] Act Two

Later, in a briefing, Riker describes the marked differences in Borg behavior as compared to their previous encounters. The Borg were more aggressive, emphasizing destruction over assimilation, and Riker compares their behavior to that of Klingons rather than the Borg they had encountered in the past. Worf notes furthermore that they demonstrated facets of individuality rather than a collective consciousness, in referring to themselves in the singular 'I' over the plural 'we', as well as their concern for the dead comrade. It is hypothesized that the developments of named Borg and assertions of individuality may be tied to the influence of the Borg Hugh, who developed a sense of individuality after being rescued by the crew in 2368.

Data speaks with La Forge and Troi about his feelings of rage, and begins to fear that negative emotions are the only ones he is capable of feeling, despite all attempts to elicit other positive emotions through experimentation. Troi assures him that feelings of anger are natural, and are not to be suppressed. However, what most worries Data is that he felt pleasure after killing the Borg on Ohniaka III, which in turn worries Troi as well.

[edit] Act Three

Following the incident, Admiral Nechayev arrives on the USS Gorkon and assigns the Enterprise to head a three-ship contingent of a fifteen-ship task force in the sector, consisting of the Enterprise, the USS Crazy Horse, and the USS Agamemnon. Nechayev berates Picard for having sent Hugh back to the Borg when they had a chance to destroy the collective. Despite Picard's insistence that Hugh's budding individuality had ethically compelled him to respect his desire to return to the Collective, she demands it would be better for Picard to safeguard Federation citizens rather than submit to his own feelings in the future.

La Forge later joins Data in a holodeck simulation of his experience with the Borg, wherein he tries to recreate the emotional response it had generated on the outpost. Despite multiple attempts, Data tells him that he has not been able to duplicate the sensation, repeatedly and dispassionately killing the simulated Borg while increasing its strength with each failure. Data then asks La Forge if he could help him deactivate the safety protocols on the holodeck in order to augment the Borg's strength to dangerous levels. While La Forge refuses to let him put his life on the line for a theory, Data genuinely believes it will allow him to answer his questions of emotion that he has sought throughout his entire life. Data asserts his ownership over his life, and that he can risk it if he chooses, but despite compassion La Forge refuses.

After sixteen hours of patrol, the Enterprise had no further Borg encounters, though tension still ran high on board and throughout the surrounding sector. During this time Picard reviewed mission recordings of Hugh's experiences on the Enterprise, and revealed to Riker an ounce of regret and second thoughts over sending Hugh back to the Collective. Though Riker maintains it was the moral thing to do, Picard is still fighting with himself over whether it was the right thing to do, given that Hugh presented the opportunity to destroy the Collective before it had caused further destruction.

During this time, analysis of the subspace distortion through which the Rogue Borg ship escaped is revealed as an "artificially-created energy conduit", which later becomes labeled as a transwarp conduit. Shortly afterwards, the Enterprise receives a distress call from the MS-1 colony, and immediately responds. The Enterprise gives chase to the Borg vessel, and is pulled into the transwarp conduit as it attempts to flee the system.

[edit] Act Four

As the Enterprise exits the conduit her shields were down significantly, allowing Borg drones to transport aboard the bridge. After succeeding in killing a security officer, the drones are neutralized, though in the diversion the Borg vessel was able to escape. This incident further compounds the differences in Borg behavior for the Enterprise crew, notably in that the disabled drones were left behind instead of vaporizing them, as had been done on previous occasions.

One of the drones survives, and during his interrogation it reveals that he does not have a designation, but a name: "Crosis", given to him by an individual referred to as 'the one', and, "the one who will destroy [them]". Picard argues with him on this emphasis of destruction, that it is the purpose of the Borg to assimilate rather than destroy. However, Crosis reveals that the "modus operandi" of these particular Borg is far different from those encountered in the past, in that they "do not assimilate inferior biological organisms, they destroy them", reflecting the development of an internalized ideological identity in these Borg rather than a mere collective identity as linked cybernetic organisms. After an unsuccessful attempt by Picard to communicate with him by referring to himself as Locutus, he orders Dr. Crusher to perform an autopsy of the dead drone to find any connection to Hugh as an explanation for this behavior, and also leaves Data alone with the drone to conduct a multispectral analysis.

While Data is alone with the drone, it attempts to communicate with him. After activating an unknown device on its body that noticeably affects Data in some way, the drone begins talking to Data about emotions. Despite resistance to the drone's insistent inquiries Data relents and reveals his experience on Ohniaka III. The drone pointedly asks him if it felt good to kill, and though Data fights with his understanding of ethics he reveals the pleasure he felt in killing, despite the fact that Dr. Soong gave him program that defines his sense of right and wrong. It quickly becomes evident that the drone is goading Data into admitting his like of brutal pleasure. Data admits that it was a potent experience, and noticeably appears to be getting seduced by emotion. Data's ethics begin to deteriorate as he admits he wants to feel this way again. When the Borg asks him if he had a friend, Data mentions La Forge, and in a tremendous reversal of his ethical programming Data says he would kill his friend in order to feel emotions again.

During this exchange, La Forge continued his analysis of the subspace conduit and its operation. As he explains the analysis a shuttlecraft leaves the shuttlebay, revealed to contain Data and the Borg prisoner, and proceeds through the transwarp conduit.

[edit] Act Five

After a short flight through the conduit, it is revealed that there had been significant Borg activity in the surrounding three sectors from the terminus, as there had been indications both of advanced civilizations, recent plasma weapon discharge, and no signs of life.

The shuttlecraft is tracked to a planetoid with unusually high EM interference. The shuttle El-Baz is found abandoned in a field, with no structures in immediate area and no signs of Data or the Borg prisoner. Dr. Crusher is left in command of the Enterprise and a skeleton crew on board while the majority of the crew is beamed to the surface as search parties.

During their search Picard, La Forge, Troi, and an armed security officer discover and enter a structure some distance from the landing site, the interior and exterior bare save for a heretofore unknown claw-like insignia in the decor. When the crew attempt to leave the building, a large number of armed Borg flood the building, displaying a near-mob mentality. The security officer is killed, and shortly afterwards Lore appears on a promontory in the hall, revealing himself as their leader. As the episode closes, Data reveals himself as in league with his brother, as well as their plans to destroy the Federation.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"All the quantum fluctuations in the universe will not change the cards in your hand."

- Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking incorrectly calling a bluff

"Wrong again, Albert."

- Stephen Hawking while showing his winning hand to Albert Einstein

" ... transmit another copy of Starfleet's ship recognition protocols, and tell them to read it this time!"

- Picard to Worf after a false alarm

"Biological organism: Human. Sever spinal cord below third vertebrae. Death is immediate."

- Crosis

"The sons of Soong have joined together, and together we will destroy the Federation."

- Data

[edit] Background Information

This is the only Next Generation episode in which the episode title and guest star credits appear in the teaser before the main opening sequence. This may have been done so as not to detract from the action of the phaser fight between the away team and the Borg, which comprises the majority of Act One.
Professor Stephen Hawking appears as himself. He remains the only person to have done so in any Star Trek episode.
In one of the few identical shooting sites used by both TOS and TNG (besides Vasquez Rocks), the oak-studded hillside seen just before Lore's fortress is spotted was the same location used for Spock and Leila's discussion of rainbows and dragons in TOS: "This Side of Paradise".
One of the most subtle references to the number 47 occurs in this episode. Stephen Hawking's poker hand consists of four of a kind: four sevens.
Hawking's off-screen remark which Newton doesn't understand is a bit of an inside joke: Einstein understands the joke (and Data, who has no sense of humor, understands that a joke has been made and appreciates it), but Newton doesn't get it. Data explains that the joke is based on knowledge about the perihelion precession of the planet Mercury, before Newton angrily cuts him off, saying "Don't patronize me, I invented physics". The perihelion precession of Mercury could not be explained by Newtonian physics alone, and was regarded as a major flaw of Newton's theory, but it later was explained by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
Furthermore, Hawking's comment "Wrong again, Albert," when revealing his winning hand is a reference to the Professor's life work in physics, in which he has disproved some of Einstein's theories.
It's the first time that the Enterprise-D is commanded by a female officer (commander Beverly Crusher). Previously, the original Enterprise NCC-1701 was commanded by lieutenant Uhura in TAS episode The Lorelei Signal, and the ill-fated Enterprise-C's captain was Rachel Garrett.
The Rogue Borg compound was the Brandeis-Bardin Campus, American Jewish University, which was also used as Camp Khitomer in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Newton makes a reference to the day the apple fell on his head as the day science was born. In VOY: "Death Wish" we learn that the apple fell on his head because Q shook the tree.
In this episode Data says "I believe I've experienced my first emotion". However, in the episode Deja Q Data experiences a brief moment of laughter, which he then describes as "a wonderful... feeling".
According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, the plot was inspired by the novella Heart of Darkness.
Darien Wallace, a background character played by long-time extra Guy Vardaman, receives his last name in this episode.
Two starship naming firsts are made in this episode. The USS Crazy Horse is the first named after a Native American, while the USS Gorkon is the first named for a non-Human individual, Klingon Chancellor Gorkon.
The eyepiece used by Crosis is identical to the medallion on Worf's baldric.
The matte painting for the Ohniaka III outpost is a reuse of the Darwin Station painting from TNG: "Unnatural Selection".
According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, no live effects were used for the phaser fight; all flames and sparks were added in post-production.
Although many Borg appear on screen in the final scenes, only eleven extras were used (limited by the available wardrobe). They were multiplied using split-screen overlays. (ST: TNG Companion)

[edit] Video and DVD releases

UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 76, catalogue number VHR 2738, 10 January 1994.
As part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - Borg Box: 5 December 1994.
In feature-length form, as part of the UK VHS release Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Full Length TV Movies: Volume 8, catalogue number VHR 4108, 24 April 1995.
As part of the US VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Data Collection: 19 August 1997.
As part of the TNG Season 6 DVD collection.
In feature-length form, as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete TV Movies collection.
As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Borg collection.

[edit] Links and References

[edit] Main Cast

[edit] Guest Stars

And

Professor Stephen Hawking as himself

Previous episode:
"Timescape"

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 6

Next episode:
"Descent, Part II"

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