Power Play (episode)
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| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
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| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
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| "Power Play" | ||
|---|---|---|
| TNG, Episode 5x15 Production number: 40275-215 First aired: 24 February 1992 | ||
| ← | 114th of 176 produced in TNG | → |
| ← | 114th of 176 released in TNG | → |
| ← | 222nd of 726 released in all | → |
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| Teleplay By Rene Balcer and Herbert J. Wright & Brannon Braga Story By Paul Ruben and Maurice Hurley Directed By David Livingston | ||
| 45571.2 (2368) | ||
Alien entities take over the minds of Data, Troi, and Miles O'Brien.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
[edit] Teaser
- "Captain's log, stardate 45571.2. We are going into orbit around an unexplored M class moon of Mab-Bu VI. Though the moon was reported to be uninhabited, we have picked up a weak distress call."
As the USS Enterprise-D attempts to identify the source of the distress call, they are confronted with extreme interference due to electromagnetic whirlwinds on the moon, which renders the sensors incapable of picking up life signs. However, Commander Data is able to identify the distress call to be consistent with that of Daedalus-class starships, which, however, have not been in service for 172 years. Captain Picard asks Data to check if any starships have been reported missing in this area. Data determines that the USS Essex under the command of Captain Bryce Shumar disappeared in the vicinity, over 200 years ago. He also determines, that the signal from the moon is identical to the subspace signature from the Essex. The captain thinks that they have solved the mystery of the Essex, seeing no need to beam down to check a ghost ship, and orders Lt. Worf to notify Starfleet. However, in that moment, Counselor Deanna Troi tells the captain that they have not necessarily solved the mystery of the missing ship, since she senses life on the moon's surface.
[edit] Act One
- "First officer's log, supplemental. The electromagnetic interference on the surface has been judged too dangerous for anyone to transport down. So we've taken a shuttle to investigate."
William Riker, Data and Deanna Troi are on board the shuttle on their way down to the moon surface. However, the shuttle is continually being shaken by the winds, until some systems fail and the crew are forced to emergency land on the moon's surface. On the Enterprise, the crew are worried about the people on the shuttle, however, Ro Laren is able to determine the coordinates where the shuttle crashed.
The crew in the shuttle manage to release the exit door of the shuttle. However, they are unable to communicate with the Enterprise, and all equipment in the shuttle has been rendered inoperable. Riker's arm is broken. Troi notices an odd-looking storm front close to their own position. Data does not pick up any life signs in the front, but Troi is absolutely certain that there is life, and it is approaching along with the storm.
On the Enterprise, Geordi La Forge and Chief O'Brien are attempting to find a way to beam the away team from the surface. O'Brien suggests that he beams down with a set of pattern enhancers, which would allow safe transport. La Forge reminds the chief that the chance for him to make it down to the surface are very bad, but O'Brien insists that he be allowed to try. As Worf informs Captain Picard that a storm front is moving towards their crew on the moon, he allows O'Brien to take the risk.
O'Brien manages to beam down to the away team and starts distributing the pattern enhancers. However, as he tries to activate the third enhancer, it is struck by a violent lightning, knocking the four crewmembers over on the ground. As they lie unconscious, the storm passes over them and glowing orbs enter the bodies of O'Brien, Data, and Troi. A fourth one passes over Riker, but will not enter and flies away instead. He gets up and activates the third pattern enhancer, and the crew are beamed up to the ship, with Data, Troi, and O'Brien still unconscious.
[edit] Act Two
Now in sickbay, Troi's eyes move rapidly and she screams as she opens her eyes. Doctor Crusher comes to calm her down. The rest of the away team are also in sickbay and have all recovered consciousness. Captain Picard enters sickbay to check on his crew and finds them all in a fairly good condition. Troi, Data, O'Brien, Riker, and Picard then enter the turbolift to the bridge. In the turbolift, Data explains how they can continue with the investigation. However, there is a short audible buzz in his voice, which he dismisses as a fluctuation in his speech processors. He claims that he will have it corrected shortly.
On the bridge, Troi asks Picard to have a word with him in private and they proceed to his ready room. Riker orders the helm to take a synchronous orbit around the shuttle's crash site, but Data claims that due to the EM-patterns it would be best if they begin the search around the southern polar region. Riker is skeptical and maintains to begin the search at the crash site. There is a visible reluctance on Data's face as he hears that.
In the captain's ready room, Troi claims that the entities she sensed on the moon surface were calling her to the southern polar region. She recommends that they should look for the Essex there.
On the bridge, Ro Laren notices that she has been locked out from the helm, but Riker has no explanation for it. He asks Data what may have happened, but Data does not answer. As Riker walks up to Data's console, Data hits Riker and knocks him on the floor. As Worf tries to fire a phaser on Data, he is pulled away and knocked over the tactical station by O'Brien. Ro Laren tries to stun O'Brien with a phaser of her own, but he can take cover and shoots Ro Laren. Rikers manages to transfer all bridge control to engineering, which completely locks out Data from his console. In his ready room Picard gets knocked on his back by Troi. Data, O'Brien, and Troi enter the turbolift and proceed to engineering.
Riker restores bridge control and Worf walks up to tactical station. There he overrides the control for the turbolift and stops it at deck ten. However, O'Brien has sufficient technical skills to override the bridge command and can get the turbolift to move again. Picard orders Worf to engage emergency bulkheads in the turboshaft. The turbolift is stopped at deck 13 and Picard orders Worf to take a security team there. However, when the security team opens the door of the turbolift, it is empty except for Troi's, Data's, and O'Brien's communicators. On deck ten, the three walk through a corridor, as they get trapped by force fields. Data smashes a computer console on the wall and touches the exposed circuitry, thereby connecting with the computer and overriding the force field. Picard is informed of their break-free and orders a security team to Ten Forward.
In Ten Forward, Keiko O'Brien, Miles O'Brien's wife, tries to calm her daughter, Molly, who is hungry and crying. In that moment, Troi, Data, and O'Brien enter Ten Forward and force everyone on the floor. A security team arrives, which results in a phaser shoot-out. However, none of the phasers seems to have any effect on any of the three and they successfully seize control over Ten Forward. When asked if Worf could be heard, Troi points a phaser at him and responds that "... he can..."
[edit] Act Three
On the bridge, the crew try everything they can get the situation under control, but without any success. Data isolates Ten Forward with force fields and O'Brien collects all communicators from any of the crew in Ten Forward. Meanwhile, Picard asks Dr. Crusher to see if she can find any clue as to what happened to Troi, Data, and O'Brien. He then contacts Ten Forward and asks the captors to discuss the situation. After some delay, they respond and tell Picard to move the ship to the southern polar region. Picard orders the ensign to move the ship there, but as slowly as possible. Dr. Crusher then comes up with a possible explanation – she has determined that other life forms may have taken control over their people – Riker was not affected because his broken arm inflicted pain, which has prevented him from being taken over by the alien entity. Picard then suggest that inflicting pain on Troi, Data, and O'Brien may free them from their possessors. Ro and La Forge come up with the possibility to fire a plasma shock on their people, which would inflict pain on Troi and O'Brien and incapacitate Data. They suggest that they could place a micro-optic drill in the ceiling of Ten Forward from above, deactivate the force-field for a short moment and then fire the plasma shock through the drill. Picard then orders Dr. Crusher to work on a way to contain the alien entities once they have been forced out.
Picard then contacts Ten Forward about the injuries of the people there. Troi tells Worf to inform the bridge about the injuries. Picard then asks Troi to release the injured, in exchange for him as another hostage. Troi agrees, and Picard proceeds to Ten Forward. But he tells his first officer to watch for any opportunity Picard might give him. A medical team and Picard then enter Ten Forward. Troi tells Picard that she is Captain Shumar of the Essex.
[edit] Act Four
Stunned, Picard is in disbelief, and Troi tells him that Data is Shumar's first officer, Commander Steven Mullen and that O'Brien is the security chief Lt. Morgan Kelly. She also says that she has no wish to harm Counselor Troi, who is still alive, or anybody else on the Enterprise. She tells Picard that they have commandeered the ship because they have been trapped on the moon for over two centuries and simply want to find rest. For that, they need the help of the Enterprise.
La Forge and Ro have reached a service crawlway above Ten Forward. On the bridge, Dr. Crusher has determined how she could trap the alien entities – by duplicating the magnetic flux density in the storms on the moon. However, La Forge tells the bridge that it would still take up to an hour for them to calibrate the device to fire the plasma shock.
In Ten Forward, Picard and Worf have a chance to discuss the situation. They find that there are many legends, both in human as in Klingon history, where the living become possessed by the dead. However they come to the conclusion that their captors are not the crew of the Essex, because as Starfleet officers they should be behaving much better. Data cuts them off and orders them to sit down apart from each other.
The Enterprise is nearing the southern polar region of the moon and Picard asks Troi for further instructions. She demands that they beam up the skeletal remains of the Essex crew and bring them to Earth for a proper burial. Picard demands that all the hostages are released first, but Data threatens to kill some of the hostages if the Captain does not cooperate.
Meanwhile, La Forge and Ro attempt to fire the plasma charge on the three captors but they miss Data. The the alien beings emerge from of the bodies of Troi and O'Brien as they slump to the floor. Dr. Crusher establishes the field that traps the alien entities. An enraged Data, still possessed, grabs Picard's neck and lifts him from the floor. He threatens to kill everyone in Ten Forward starting with the Captain if he does not order the bridge to stop. Picard, under duress; gives in and the bridge deactivate the field and the glowing orbs again seize control of Troi and O'Brien.
[edit] Act Five
- "First officer's log, supplemental. The Enterprise has moved into a synchronous orbit near the southern polar region. We await further instructions from Ten Forward."
The ship has arrived at the destination, but the electromagnetic storm activity renders the sensors useless again. The same distortion also makes the use of the transporters impossible and Picard reminds the captors that O'Brien is the only person on board who can get the transporters to work. Since there is no transporter pad in Ten Forward to conduct the transport, Picard proposes to give them safe passage to a transporter cargo bay four. After some debate, the captors agree, but they each take a hostage. Troi takes Picard, O'Brien takes Keiko, who gives Molly to the care of another woman, and Data takes Worf. They deactivate the force fields and leave Ten Forward.
After arriving in cargo bay four, Picard asks 'Shumar' when he will really tell him who he is, but gets no response. On the bridge, Riker explains that there is only one reason why Picard chose cargo bay four. The bridge crew can blow the cargo bay hatch if it becomes necessary. In the cargo bay, O'Brien is able to modify the transporter and beams up hundreds more of the alien beings. Then, Troi tells Picard that he was right, that it is escape, not rest, that they seek. She informs him that they and the other entities are all condemned prisoners from a system called Ux-Mal, who were brought to the moon 500 years ago and left to drift in the storms, and that the moon is, essentially, a penal colony. They tried to escape on the Essex, but the attempt failed because the ship was incapable of eluding the moon's electromagnetic storm. Now, they intend to use the Enterprise and the bodies of its crew to escape.
On the bridge, Riker gives Picard another opportunity to deceive their captors. He orders Dr. Crusher to release the same field that would confine the entities, which she has previously released in Ten Forward, in the cargo bay. Enraged, Troi threatens to kill Picard, but he calmly tells her that her threats have no value now. He reminds her that everyone will die if the cargo bay hatch is blown, including the entities O'Brien transported up from the moon. Picard tells them that he as the Captain is more than willing to give up his own life to save his ship. Worf tells them that dying in defense of his ship is what every Klingon hopes for. Keiko declares that she is prepared to die to save her child, and Picard reminds them that Troi, Data and O'Brien are Starfleet officers who would also give their lives in this situation. He proposes to them that if they free their host bodies, Picard will return all the entities to the moon's surface. After some thought, Troi gives in and warns Picard not to pass their way again.
The entities leave the bodies of O'Brien, Troi, and Data and join the others on the transporter pad. Using Troi's communicator, Picard informs the bridge that the siege was successfully ended and orders Worf to beam all the entities back to the moon.
- "Captain's log, stardate 45572.1. Dr. Crusher has examined Troi, Data, and O'Brien. There seem to be no residual effects from their experience."
O'Brien, Data, and Troi are returned to normal and they apologize for their ruthless behavior.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
"I never want to see this part of the Enterprise again."
"I hear you. This is what starship designers call 'easy access'."
- - Ro and La Forge, carrying a bulky device through a narrow service crawlway.
"Tell them to stop or I will kill everyone in this room, starting with you!"
"Picard to bridge! Abort immediately!"
- - Data and Picard
"I would die to save the life of my child."
"To die defending one's ship is the hope of every Klingon."
"If you each know the officers you inhabit, then you know they're equally ready to give their lives for this ship."
- - Keiko O'Brien, Worf, and Picard
"Lieutenant, I must apologize for my inadvertent misconduct toward you."
"No apology necessary."
"Your restraint was most remarkable."
"You have no idea."
- - Data and Worf
[edit] Background Information
- Something rarely seen in Star Trek appears in this episode: seatbelts, in the type 15 shuttlepod Campbell.
- Pattern enhancers make their first appearance in this episode. Here, they are carried in a set of three in a practical carry-bag.
- The broken off nacelle of the Campbell later turns up in DS9: "Battle Lines", oddly enough as a runabout warp nacelle of the doomed USS Yangtzee Kiang.
- Five years later, in DS9: "The Assignment", Keiko O'Brien was possessed by an alien consciousness in a similar way to her husband Miles in this episode.
- In the scene where the crew is thrown backward by the force of the storm, Marina Sirtis (doing her own stunt) "flung [herself] back, onto [her] coccyx," breaking it. She was the only cast member in the scene to do the stunt herself, despite her face being barely visible in the finished shot. Marina later claimed, "It could have been Worf in Troi's costume and we wouldn't have known the difference." (Journey's End: The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation)
- When Data repeatedly hits his Ops panel on the bridge, you can see Brent Spiner's hand make-up rubbing off on its black surface.
[edit] Awards
- This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Series.
[edit] Video and DVD releases
- Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 58, 11 January 1993.
- UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 5.5, 7 October 2002.
- As part of the TNG Season 5 DVD collection.
[edit] Links and References
[edit] Guest Stars
- Rosalind Chao as Keiko O'Brien
- Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren
- Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien
- Ryan Reid as the transporter technician
- Majel Barrett as the USS Enterprise-D computer voice
[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars
- Joyce Robinson as Ensign Gates
- Lorine Mendell as Diana Giddings
- Cameron as Ensign Kellogg
- Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
- Michael Braveheart as Martinez
- Christina Wegler Miles as a command division ensign
- Patricia Tallman as a security officer
- Lincoln Simonds as a security officer
- Unknown performers as Molly O'Brien (baby)
[edit] References
anesthizine; anionic energy; anti-grav lift; authorization code; biofilter; Campbell; cargo bay 4; cargo transporter; communicator; concussive charge; conduit; confinement beam; Daedalus-class; diagnostic mode; distress call; Earth; electromagnetic storm; emergency bulkhead; Essex, USS; Federation; force field; ghost; impulse generator; ionic cyclone; ionogenic particles; jat'yIn; Jefferies tube; Kelly, Morgan; laser scanner; Mab-Bu VI; magnetic flux; McKinley Park; M-class; micro-optic drill; moon; Mullen, Steven; Narsu, Uttan; neural net; neural pattern; neutrino field; O'Brien, Keiko; O'Brien, Molly; pain receptor; pattern enhancer; penal colony; plasma inverter; plasma shock; primary speech processor; seatbelt; sector; security alert; security lockout; skeletal system; Shumar, Bryce; Starbase 12; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; subspace transponder; synaptic activity; thruster; transporter; transporter array; transporter pad; tree; turboshaft; type 15 shuttlepod; Ux-Mal
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