The Best of Both Worlds, Part II (episode)

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

"The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"
TNG, Episode 4x01 Production number: 40274-175 First aired: 24 September 1990
←	74th of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	74th of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	181st of 726 released in all	→
Written By Michael Piller Directed By Cliff Bole
44001.4 (2367)
←	Arc: The Best of Both Worlds (2 of 3)	→
	Arc: {{{wsArc1Desc}}} ({{{nArc1PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc1PartCount}}})
	Arc: {{{wsArc2Desc}}} ({{{nArc2PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc2PartCount}}})
	Arc: {{{wsArc3Desc}}} ({{{nArc3PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc3PartCount}}})
	Arc: {{{wsArc4Desc}}} ({{{nArc4PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc4PartCount}}})

With Captain Picard assimilated by the Borg, the enemy is able to totally vanquish a Starfleet/Klingon armada at Wolf 359, leaving Riker in command of the Enterprise and forced to go one on one with his former captain. (Season Premiere)

Contents 1 Summary 1.1 Teaser 1.2 Act One 1.3 Act Two 1.4 Act Three 1.5 Act Four 1.6 Act Five 2 Memorable Quotes 3 Background Information 3.1 Sets 3.2 Firsts 3.3 Models 3.4 Continuity 3.5 Reaction 3.6 Awards and honors 3.7 Video and DVD releases 3.8 Apocrypha 4 Links and References 4.1 Guest Stars 4.2 References

[edit] Summary

[edit] Teaser

Hopes are dashed when the Enterprise's jury-rigged deflector dish-weapon fails to stop the Borg, who have kidnapped Captain Picard and transformed him into Locutus. Shelby is stunned. Commander Riker orders to cease fire on the weapon, and wonders how they were able to adapt so quickly. Locutus then informs the crew that Picard's knowledge was added to the Borg's, and that they were thus prepared for all courses of action that the Enterprise was preparing to take. He then notes a chilling reminder that their resistance is hopeless, while addressing Riker as "Number One".

[edit] Act One

The Borg then set course for Earth with the Enterprise unable to follow due to damage resulting from using the deflector weapon. Admiral Hanson informs that their engagement has bought them time to assemble a fleet of forty starships at Wolf 359. The Klingons are sending ships to assist, and Hanson thought of communicating with the Romulans. Shelby informs Hanson that the Borg would be ready, but Hanson rejects her warning. He officially awards Riker a field promotion to captain. At the same time, the Borg have tapped into Picard's knowledge of Starfleet defenses and Human nature. A single tear is his only reaction to the DNA rewrites and bio-implants that are assimilating his body.

Meanwhile, Worf and newly promoted Captain Riker discuss how to deal with the Borg's ability to adapt to their hand phasers, as Ensign Crusher suggested creating a chip for the phasers that will automatically retune them with every discharge. They both agree that they too can adapt just as well as the Borg, but are left with a severe disadvantage since the Borg have Picard and now know everything they knew, even more than the crew know themselves.

Frustration mounts in engineering as Shelby cannot get the shields working again. She reports to Riker that the main deflector dish is operational now and that they're testing it now. She and La Forge agree they should be underway in two to three hours. Riker then praises her for her effort on the Borg Ship. She conceds that she didn't get Picard but the time allowed the Enterprise to give them a shot, and admits while neither of them have to like each other, but asks Shelby to keep him on his toes. Shelby admits that she may not be the right choice for first officer for Riker, which is now vacant; she reminds him that he needs her as she knows how to get things done, and her knowlege of the Borg. Riker interrupts her that she has a lot to learn, just like he did when he was selected as first officer to Picard, and even admits what a pain in the neck she is. Just then, the Enterprise receives word from the Starfleet armada at Wolf 359, that they have engaged the Borg. Riker quickly heads to the bridge, as Admiral Hanson is relaying news that "the fight does not go well," and are trying to regroup. The signal is abruptly cut off, leaving Riker to wonder what happened.

[edit] Act Two

As the Enterprise completes repairs and heads for Wolf 359, Captain Riker "reluctantly" promotes Shelby to first officer, as Riker cannot afford to move the current staff and needs everyone where they are. The crew discuss several possible methods for fighting the Borg, including heavy graviton beams, nanites, and phaser upgrades, but all possibilities appear to be long shots at best. Riker's pessimism can be heard even in his encouragements that "our efforts in the coming battle will justify Captain Picard's faith in all of us."

Riker then withdraws to his Ready Room, questioning his own command ability. Guinan, realizing that Riker's attitude is filtering down through the crew, visits him and insists that the only way to beat Locutus and save Picard is for Riker to let go of Picard and throw away everything the captain would have done. She goes on to remind him that there can only be, one captain and points to the chair and tells him that is now his. As she leaves and Riker ponders his new role as captain, the Enterprise arrives at Wolf 359. Riker takes the ship to the battle coordinates. Data picks up several ships, which Riker asks if it is the fleet. All the ships are reading no subspace communications and nil power readings. When asked about life signs, Data responds with a no. At visual range, Riker orders on screen, and discovers a horror beyond imagination.

Destroyed Federation starships litter lifeless at Wolf 359, which stuns the whole bridge crew. Shelby identifies three starships, as the Tolstoy, the Kyushu, and the Melbourne, the same ship Riker had been offered. Riker's heavy heart grows heavier with the notion that tens of thousands of Starfleet men and women have been killed in an instant.

[edit] Act Three

With the knowledge that Locutus possesses Picard's tactical genius, and not reflecting on the slaughter at Wolf 359, Riker devises a strategy to retrieve Picard from the Borg cube. By separating the Enterprise, Riker anticipates that the Borg will completely ignore the saucer section and instead concentrate on destroying the more heavily-armed secondary hull, and he's counting on it. Riker, now on the Battle Bridge, stalls for time with fake negotiations with Locutus. Locutus realizes that their delay would not be successful and they would be destroyed if they intervened. Riker throws down the gauntlet telling Locutus to take their best shot, and orders to separate. After separation, both ships fire at the cube, which does nothing. The Borg then fire their tractor beam, but Riker evades the attack. Just as Riker predicted, the saucer section was being completely ignored. The primary hull fires an antimatter spread, masking the engine signature from a shuttlecraft carrying Data and Worf. The shuttle however leaves an ion trail which Lieutenant Gleason speculates that the Borg may have picked it up, after the tractor beam moved towards the spread. Riker orders the shuttle to go in unpowered. This shuttle is able to penetrate the Borg electromagnetic field, allowing Data and Worf to beam to the cube. They locate Locutus, but come under attack by the drones. Neutralizing four, they race to Locutus while Worf restrains him. Data shoots another drone and incapacitates Locutus. Using their Emergency transporter armbands, they transport back to the shuttle and steer clear of the electromagnetic field, allowing O'Brien to bring them back to the Enterprise, before the shuttle itself is blown away.

[edit] Act Four

Rather than fight the now-vulnerable saucer section, and the stardrive section, the Borg resume their course toward Earth. On the Enterprise, Locutus is revived despite Doctor Crusher's request to study the assilimation process; and chastises Riker for putting a whole ship at risk to save just one person, and that the abduction will have no impact on their mission of conquest. Rasing his cybernetic arm, which drew a reaction from Worf by pointing his phaser at him, Locutus then reassures him he intends no harm, and will continue to serve the Borg onboard the Enterprise.

Data discovers that a series of subspace signals form the basis of the Borg Collective, imminating between Locutus and the Borg ship. Crusher hesitates that cutting the link from Locutus could be fatal, and that she is useless to perform surgery to restore Picard back to his human form, but the assimilation process has made that impossible. Data devises he could access the machine that is controlling Locutus and quite possibly, the collective.

Locutus surveys his surroundings for people and technology to assimilate. He coldly advises Worf that the Klingons will also be assimilated, to which Worf replies that they will never yield. Locutus blasts Worf's defiant tone stating that all would become one with the Borg, rendering Data obsolete. Crusher quickly incapacitates Locutus with a hypospray and with Data, takes him to her lab. Riker then gets word that the Borg have entered Sector 001.

[edit] Act Five

As the Borg cube breaks through the Mars Defense Perimeter and is heading to Earth, too far ahead for the Enterprise to intercept in time, Data begins to interface with Locutus. After establishing several neural links, Data manages to establish a connection with Picard. At this point, the Borg ship halts its approach to Earth, and the Enterprise crew discovers what they believe to be the Borg's Achilles' heel: their interdependency. Data attempts to implant commands into the collective consciousness to disarm the ship but is unsuccessful. The Borg attacks the ship in a final battle with the intent to finish the Enterprise off. Just as Riker is about to give up hope and ram the Borg ship, Picard fights through to give Data one simple Borg network command: "Sleep". Data successfully implants a command that causes the Borg cube to activate its regenerative cycle and power down.

Shelby leads an away team to the cube to investigate, and they discover that it is experiencing power feedback – either a deliberate self-destruct sequence to prevent Data from gaining further access, or an accidental result from regenerating when unnecessary. As the away team returns and the Enterprise moves away, the power feedback destroys the Borg cube, saving humanity from the Borg.

Free from the Borg's control, a shaky Picard begins his rehabilitation, thankful for his escape but deeply troubled by his experiences. With the Enterprise preparing for refits at Earth Station McKinley and its captain safely returned, Shelby returns to Starfleet to help in the rebuilding effort and Riker resumes his post as First Officer, noting now that he has a few options on the table for his next job, reminding both Picard and Shelby that his career plans are his own business. Finally alone in his ready room, Picard stands at his window and looks out at Earth, in the dark sea of space, forever changed, wondering how close he had come to being the instrument of humanity's demise.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"The Borg have neither honor nor courage. That is our greatest advantage."

- Worf

"We would like time to prepare our people for assimilation."
"Preparation is irrelevant. Your people will be assimilated as easily as Picard has been. Your attempt at a delay will not be successful, Number One. We will proceed to Earth. And if you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you."
"Then take your best shot, Locutus, because we are about to intervene."

- Riker and Locutus

"What would you do?"

- Riker addressing Picard's empty chair in the ready room

"You must let him go, Riker. It's the only way to beat him. The only way to save him."

- Guinan

"Worf, Klingon species - a warrior race. You too will be assimilated."
"The Klingon Empire will never yield!"
"Why do you resist? We only wish to raise quality of life for all species."
"I like my 'species' the way it is!"
"A narrow vision. You will become one with the Borg. You will all become one with the Borg."

- Locutus of Borg and Worf

"The knowledge and experience...of the human...Picard...is part of us now. It has prepared us...for all possible courses of action. Your resistance is hopeless...Number One."

- Locutus of Borg

"Discussion is irrelevant. There are no terms. You will disarm all weapons and escort us to sector zero-zero-one where we will begin the assimilation of your culture and technology."

- Locutus

"Sleep...sleep...sleep, Data."

- Picard breaking through the Borg consciousness

"The fight does not go well, Enterprise. We're attempting to withdraw and regroup. Rendezvous with fleet..."

- Hanson during the battle of Wolf 359

"What do you remember?"
"Everything...including some brilliantly unorthodox strategy by a...former...first officer of mine."

- Riker and the newly-restored Picard

[edit] Background Information

• Prior to the filming of "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", LeVar Burton had surgery and his scenes were carefully edited from stock footage. Several of his major lines were rewritten for Colm Meaney, which is why Chief O'Brien was one of the main characters working to restore Captain Picard.
• Piller himself did not expect to return to TNG and therefore found himself working on the final details of the plot just days before filming began - more specifically, using the Borg's interdependency against them. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
• Wolf 359 itself is the real-life third-closest system to Sol after the Alpha Centauri system and Barnard's Star, 7.6 light years away. In the Star Trek universe, it would be a 36 hour trip at warp 9. It's especially an episode of the original Outer Limits, which happened to be an influence on Star Trek.
  ^{(citation needed • edit)}
• Whereas Part I originated the quote "Resistance is futile," Part II originated the quote "You will be assimilated." This in turn creates the popular quote, "We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." It's been used in various episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.
• The film Star Trek: First Contact is a sequel to this two-part episode, and ignores the episodes "I, Borg", "Descent", and "Descent, Part II". This is because when Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, and Ronald D. Moore wrote the script to First Contact, they knew they wanted to use the Borg Collective once again, since those three episodes dealt with individual Borg drones. It's especially notified when Data says to the Queen, "The Borg have a collective consciousness. There are no individuals." Braga and Moore discuss it in the commentary for the special edition DVD.

[edit] Sets

• While the episodes took place roughly within the same few days, production of "The Best of Both Worlds" and Part II were actually separated by the summer hiatus, during which time subtle changes were made to sets and costumes. Thus, when the second episode begins, minute details seem to have miraculously changed in the blink of an eye – most noticeably different are the lighting on the main bridge and Beverly Crusher's hair and uniform.
• Additionally, the blue tinge to the transporter "shimmer" effect has gone, leaving a white/silver color and smaller more refined "particles".
• In order to show Picard being turned ghostly white by the Borg probe, the color scheme was turned off, making the film black and white. Picard's upper garment and mechanical implants are all black in order to disguise the loss of color in the picture. The beam, probe, and probe light are later edited to make their color seem to remain constant.
• This is the last TNG episode to feature the saucer separation sequence and the Enterprise battle bridge, heavily remodeled since its last appearance in Season One's "The Arsenal of Freedom". The saucer separation sequence would appear one last time in Star Trek: Generations.

[edit] Firsts

• This episode (and its predecessor) was the first in Trek to use the navigational deflector in such a way, a trend that went on to become a staple of later episodes including "The Loss", "Night Terrors", "The Nth Degree", "A Matter of Time", "All Good Things...", several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Voyager and even Enterprise's Season 3 finale "Zero Hour" as well as in Star Trek Generations on a 23rd century starship.

[edit] Models

• As the Enterprise travels through the aftermath of the battle at Wolf 359, several of the destroyed ships are actually Enterprise concept models built for the ill-fated Star Trek: Planet of the Titans (not Star Trek: Phase II as so often stated). There are also remnants of the "destroyed" refitted Enterprise from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, as well as several new "kit-bash" starships including the Cheyenne-class, Challenger-class, Freedom-class, Niagara-class, New Orleans-class, and Nebula-class. The latter went on to appear as a fully-realized design in "The Wounded" later in the season.
• The shots of the saucer section and the stardrive section mark the last time new footage of the six-foot Enterprise model was shot until Star Trek Generations. Stock footage of the model was used for the separation sequence itself, and continued to be used throughout the show's run.
• The Mars Defense Perimeter ships, seen as the Borg ship approaches Mars, were based on the submarine model used in The Hunt For Red October, dubbed by the staff the "Blue-gray October".

[edit] Continuity

• While the Battle of Wolf 359 went unseen (except for its aftermath) due to budgetary reasons, portions of the battle were recreated two and a half years later for the DS9 pilot "Emissary".
• In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot episode, "Emissary", the USS Saratoga was lost at the battle at Wolf 359, as Benjamin Sisko escaped with his son but lost his wife.
• In a later episode, "The Drumhead", Admiral Norah Satie stated the loss at Wolf 359 as 39 starships and nearly 11,000 lives, while Shelby had said the fleet would be back up in "less than a year"; Starfleet continued to prove shorthanded all the way through Season 5's "Redemption II".
• Worf and Miles O'Brien recall the events of this episode in Deep Space Nine's own fourth season premiere, "The Way of the Warrior". O'Brien tells Worf that he thought that they would all end up assimilated like Picard.
• While the Borg force during this episode appeared to be only one cube, later episodes of Voyager including "Unimatrix Zero, Part II", seem to indicate that Humans were not only assimilated at Wolf 359, but also taken back to Borg space (see Laura). This seems hard to fathom as the only Borg ship seen in the episode was destroyed. The Borg Queen (Star Trek: First Contact) also later claimed to be present at the Battle of Wolf 359, despite the fact that she acknowledged the destruction of that ship and all the Borg on it. This however, may be the result of multiple Borg Queen clones as implied in later episodes and films. However, the queen comments in First Contact that the Human mind cannot comprehend what she was saying and that it can be inferred that the Borg have some technology that allows them to transport across entire quadrants or dimensions. This idea is supported in several Trek novels. There is also the consideration that the Borg have scooped out entire colonies and one could infer that they would assimilate the inhabitants. It is also possible that the Cube shown in this episode was equipped with a Borg Sphere (as seen in Star Trek: First Contact) which may have provided a means of escape for the Queen and numerous drones - although why they would not have resumed the attack on Earth is not certain.
• At the end of the episode, a conversation is held between Shelby and Riker about the future careers of both officers with Shelby stating that Riker could soon have his choice of any ship in the fleet to captain. Riker did not in fact become a captain for nearly a decade later, in Star Trek Nemesis. Shelby however is referenced as a captain in DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited", meaning that she became a captain before Riker did.
• While not technically a sequel to this episode, the following episode to air, "Family", dealt with the repercussions of the events seen here, including the repairs to the Enterprise and Picard's personal trauma; though, as seen in First Contact, Picard never fully recovered.
• The events of TNG: "Time's Arrow, Part II" would suggest that when Guinan visits Riker in the ready room, she knows that Picard would eventually be rescued from the Borg, which is why she tells him to let Picard go, since he hadn't yet traveled back in time to the 19th century to care for her in the San Francisco cavern.

[edit] Reaction

• While several sci-fi publications have voted "The Best of Both Worlds" Star Trek's finest and even in some cases one of science-fiction television's finest pieces, writer Michael Piller and director Cliff Bole have both stated that they felt Part II was a letdown after the strong build up of Part I. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
• On the other hand, Empire magazine thought Part II was the best episode when they ranked The Next Generation #37 on their list of The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.^[1]

[edit] Awards and honors

• This episode won two Emmy Awards. Only four other episodes of Trek have won this many. It was nominated for four, a distinction it shares with only three other episodes. It won for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series and was also nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Series and Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects.
• This episode was featured in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Viewers Choice Marathon.
• Entertainment Weekly ranked this episode (combined with Part I) #2 on their list of "The Top 10 Episodes" to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation. [1]

[edit] Video and DVD releases

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 38, 17 February 1992.
• 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 2, 16 January 1995
  • UK collectors' edition VHS: 9 December 1996
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 4.1, 19 March 2001.
• As part of the TNG Season 4 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] Apocrypha

• A sequel to this episode appeared in comic book form in 1993. Star Trek novel writer Michael Jan Friedman wrote a four part story that featured Picard and the Enterprise going through a wormhole and entering a universe where they failed to rescue Picard from the Borg. Notable characters that appear included Chief Engineer Argyle, Commander Shelby, Ensign Ro, the O'Briens, and Wesley Crusher. Dr. Crusher was still at Starfleet Medical when the Borg took Earth. The issues were in DC's second TNG volume, numbers 47-50, "The Worst of Both Worlds, Part I!", "The Belly of the Beast!", "The Armies of the Night", and "And Death Shall Have No Dominion".

[edit] Links and References

[edit] Guest Stars

• Elizabeth Dennehy as Lieutenant Commander Shelby
• George Murdock as Admiral Hanson
• Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien
• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
• Todd Merrill as Lieutenant Gleason

[edit] References

2367; Ahwahnee, USS; android; antimatter spread; assimilation; assimilation chamber; Barclay, Reginald; battle bridge; Battle of Wolf 359; battle section; biobed; Borg; Borg Collective; Borg cube; Buran, USS; Challenger-class; Chekov, USS; Cheyenne-class; cutting beam; Danula II; deflector dish; DNA; docking latch; Earth; Earth Station McKinley; electromagnetic field; emergency transporter armband; Enterprise, USS (NCC-1701-D); Federation history; Firebrand, USS; Freedom-class; Jupiter Outpost 92; Kotoi; Kyushu, USS; Liberator, USS; Mars; Mars Defense Perimeter; Melbourne, USS; microcircuit fiber implant; multimodal reflection sorting; nanites; nanotechnology; Nebula-class; neuroendocrine; New Orleans-class; New Providence; Niagara-class; Number one; phaser; plasma coolant; Princeton, USS; reaction chamber; Saturn; saucer section; saucer separation; Sector 001; self-destruct; Sherman; shields; Springfield-class; Starfleet Academy marathon; starships at Wolf 359; Tolstoy, USS; tractor beam; transporter; type-7 shuttlecraft; United Federation of Planets; warp core

Previous episode: "The Best of Both Worlds"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4

Next episode: "Family"