Original subtitles

Captain's log, stardate 46731.5.

We're in the midst of the Volterra Nebula,

a stellar nursery.

Our three-week mission is a routine analysis

of several dozen protesters in various stages of development.

Captain, I have completed the spectral evaluation of the outer shell.

Our survey of this protostar is complete.

Ensign, lay in a course to the next one, three-quarters impulse.

Riker to Captain Picard.

Go ahead, Number One.

May I see you in the Observation Lounge, sir?

I'll be right there.

Oh, my God.

Then you can identify that object, Mr. Picard.

- Professor Galen? - Computer, lights up.

I suppose I should say "Captain Picard."

The professor contacted me from his shuttle about an hour ago.

He suggested that we surprise you.

To clarify, I insisted, and your first officer

was good enough to accommodate me.

I trust I'm not being overly presumptuous,

now that my star pupil is master of the stars.

No one could be more welcome on the Enterprise.

I never thought I would see a Kurlan naiskos.

Fifth Dynasty.

Is that your conclusion, Mr. Picard?

Forgive me again. I should say "captain."

No, please, "mister" will do fine.

Um, well, the overall impression is certainly Fifth Dynasty.

Um...

The...

The surface ornamentation...

Yes?

Green polychrome over the eyes and the eyes themselves are closed.

This is Third Dynasty.

From the workshop of the Master of Tarquin Hill.

Will, the Master of Tarquin Hill designed ceramic objects

that were 300 years ahead of their time.

All we know of him is the work. His name was never discovered.

This object is over 12,000 years old.

The planet Kurl?

That's a hell of a long way outside Federation territory.

Indeed.

I thought your study of Kurlan artifacts was done long ago.

I happened to be in the neighborhood last summer.

I couldn't resist.

Go ahead.

You mean it's complete?

Will...

The Kurlan civilization believed that an individual

was a community of individuals.

Inside us are many voices,

each with its own desires, its own style,

its own view of the world.

The Kurlan civilization died out thousands of years ago.

It is extraordinarily rare to find a figurine intact.

Professor, this is an incredible find.

It's yours, Jean-Luc.

Oh, no.

No.

How can I accept this?

Graciously, Mr. Picard.

You could accept it graciously.

Thank you.

How long can you stay? There's so much to talk about.

The professor is scheduled to meet a Vulcan transport day after tomorrow.

Two days? But that's not enough time.

We may have considerably more than that.

I don't understand.

I am currently on an expedition.

A journey into an unexplored and historical territory.

And I intend to take you with me.

Space, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.

to explore strange new worlds,

to seek out new life and new civilizations,

to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Captain's log, supplemental.

It's been over 30 years since I last saw my archaeology professor.

His presence has taken me

back to a time when I had considered a very different career.

May I ask you a frank question?

Please.

Your published writings have been sporadic for the past decade.

Your appearance at symposia has been rare.

All scheduled and then canceled at the last moment.

The finest archaeologist of this century

is now shrouded with a cloak of mystery.

And as a result, my reputation has no doubt grown.

I've never heard of anyone who didn't love a good mystery.

The Saataran of Sothis Ill disdain them.

But as a general idea, your statement holds.

So, what have you been doing for the past decade?

Are you familiar with micropaleontology?

Yes, it's the study of fossil records at the microscopic level.

I read your papers on the subject,

but that was years ago.

It seemed as though the work had stopped.

No.

The work continued.

I made a discovery so profound in its implications

that silence seemed the wisest course.

This work has occupied my every waking thought.

It's intruded upon my dreams. It's become my life.

When finished and I announce my findings,

it will be heard halfway across the galaxy.

Tell me.

I cannot, Mr. Picard.

That information comes with a price:

your agreement to join me on the final leg of this expedition.

For how long?

Three months, perhaps a year.

If I had complete diplomatic access and a starship,

it'd be a matter of weeks.

But as it is, we'll only have my shuttle

and whatever arrangement we can make with transports,

combined with our talents.

Why do you need my help in this?

I'm not a young man.

There will be hazards along the way.

I don't want my own inadequacies

to jeopardize the completion of this work.

I'm deeply honored that you would think of me,

but I have responsibilities.

To history.

What if you could have helped Schliemann discover the city of Troy?

Or have been with M'Tell when she first stepped on Ya'Seem?

How can anything compare?

May I sleep on it?

Dream not of today, Mr. Picard.

Dream not of today.

The night blessing of the Ashell.

As I recall, you missed that question on your final exam.

Well, I've had a few years to look it up.

Professor, the Enterprise is yours for as long as you're here.

Thank you.

Dream not of today.

Come.

Good morning.

Looks like you've been up for a while.

Yes.

Let's hear it.

I had a long talk with Professor Galen last night,

and he asked me to leave the Enterprise

and to join him in an archeological expedition

which could last for nearly a year.

That must be tempting.

I couldn't leave the Enterprise.

But the offer raised in me certain feelings of regret.

That you could have been an archaeologist

and not starship captain.

No, not really.

I'm not sorry for the path that I chose.

But the professor did not choose this gift at random.

The many voices inside the one.

You see, he knows that

the past is a very insistent voice inside me.

This gift is meant to remind me of that.

And the exploration of space, surely that must count for something.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

And I would still make the same choice that I made all those years ago.

I just wish that I didn't have to say no to him a second time.

Were you two very close?

I had a father,

but he was like a father who understood me.

And he had his own children, but they didn't follow in his footsteps,

so I was like the son who understood him.

And yet you turned your back on him.

In a way, I wish that he'd never come on board the ship.

Good morning, Mr. Picard.

Professor.

The Vulcan ship will take us as far as DS Four.

An Al-Leyan transport is scheduled to arrive at the station

three weeks later, and they'll take us to Caere.

And then we'll use the shuttle to get us to Indri VIII, our first stop.

Professor...

I'm afraid I won't be going.

The Enterprise isn't something that I can leave and then come back to.

If I go, I go for good.

And it's not something that I'm prepared to do.

This is not some undergraduate study project that you're turning down.

This is the chance of a lifetime.

Don't make the same mistake twice.

You don't believe that my career in Starfleet has been a mistake?

What are you doing at this very moment?

A study mission.

You're like some Roman centurion out patrolling the provinces,

maintaining a dull and bloated empire.

We both know that's not true.

I know this,

I know that, as a scholar, you're nothing but a dilettante.

Years ago, I gave you the opportunity

to become the foremost archaeologist of your generation.

Your achievements could have outstripped even my own, but, no,

you decided to reject a life of profound discovery.

You walked out on me.

I never wanted to become--

Will you come with me?

I can't.

I'll be going.

But, professor, you're not scheduled

to catch the Vulcan ship for another two days.

There's nothing for me here. Goodbye, captain.

Captain's log, supplemental.

We have completed our mission in the nebula

and are en route to a diplomatic conference on Atalia VII.

I must admit, I've lost my enthusiasm for those proceedings.

At our present speed, we will arrive at the Atalia system in 37 hours.

Captain.

I'm going for a walk in the arboretum. I wouldn't mind some company.

Captain, a distress call from Professor Salem's shuttle.

On-screen.

Enterprise, I'm being boarded.

Transmission has been blocked.

I have located the shuttle, sir. It is under attack.

Take us out of warp. On-screen.

A Yridian destroyer.

- Battle stations. - Aye, sir.

Professor Galen is still inside his vessel, sir.

His life signs are barely registering.

Get him out of there.

The shuttle is enveloped by a tractor beam.

The transporter cannot penetrate it.

Hail the Yridians.

They are not responding.

Return phaser fire. Disable their offensive systems.

Worf!

I don't understand, commander.

The phaser blast was not powerful enough to destroy the ship.

Transporter Room 1, lock onto Professor Galen

and transport him directly to Sickbay.

Aye, sir.

He took a disruptor hit point-blank. There is nothing I can do.

Jean-Luc,

I was too harsh.

I'd say at least three Yridians boarded the professor's shuttle.

- What did they want? - We're not sure.

It looks like they were trying to download something

from his computer.

When he was attacked, Professor Galen began to protect

certain files in his computer memory.

We were able to partially reconstruct the shuttle's computer,

so at least we have some of those files.

We found 19 different blocks of numbers like this one.

What do they mean?

They could mean anything.

Unless we narrow the parameters of the search,

it would be almost impossible for the computer to identify

the pattern with any accuracy.

We tried every decryption key on record

in case Professor Galen was using some kind of code,

but we still can't make heads or tails of them.

Were the Yridians able to get the number blocks?

At least some of them. It's impossible to know how many.

Apparently, the Yridians knew more about the professor's work than we do.

They may have known what these numbers mean.

Well, if they did, that information died with them.

Not necessarily.

The Yridians are information dealers.

They may have been delivering these number blocks to someone else.

Did they send a signal before they were destroyed?

No, sir. We detected no transmissions.

There were no other ships in the vicinity.

Did the shuttle's flight log show where Galen had been

before coming to the Enterprise?

Yes, sir.

The logs indicate Professor Galen visited an unexplored star system,

Ruah IV.

What's the distance from our position?

Four days at warp 6, sir.

The conference can wait. Set a course for the Ruah system.

Standard orbit, ensign.

Ruah IV is a Class-M planet.

Sixty-seven percent of its surface is covered with water.

Its landmass contains multiple animal species,

including a genus Protohominids.

Scan for earthworks and monuments. It might indicate a previous civilization.

There is nothing to indicate former occupancy

by even a primitive culture, sir.

Then what's the foremost archaeologist in the Federation doing here?

He left the Enterprise in a Vulcan ship for Deep Space Four,

and then an Al-Leyan transport to Caere.

And then the shuttle to Indri VIII.

Mr. Data, what do we know about Indri VIII?

The lndri system was first identified

by Federation vessels nearly 60 years ago.

The eighth planet is L-Class.

It is covered with deciduous vegetation, unexplored,

with no apparent evidence of civilizations either past or present.

The planet possesses no animal life whatsoever.

Number One, we will proceed to Indri VIII.

With all due respect, sir, we've already run into one dead end.

Indri VIII doesn't seem much more promising.

And we're late for the conference on Atalia VII.

I'm aware of the Federation's timetable, Number One.

Professor Galen visited here a few days ago

and he was on his way to Indri VIII when he was killed.

There is connection between these two planets.

I'm gonna find it.

Aye, sir.

Ensign, lay in a course for Indri VIII, warp 7.

Come.

How's it going?

I thought that if I stared at these number blocks long enough,

then I would begin to see some kind of pattern.

So far...

...nothing.

I meant, how's it going with you?

If I had gone with him--

Captain, you can't start thinking like that.

You didn't abandon him.

You chose not to abandon a lifelong career.

It was the right decision

and in no way responsible for his death.

I realize that.

I know how much the professor meant to you

and how much you want to find out what happened.

But staring at these numbers isn't going to bring him back.

The conference on Atalia VII has been scheduled for six months.

Starfleet is relying on your mediation efforts to--

Counselor, this is not simply a case

of me taking the Enterprise and its crew

on some wild-goose chase to purge myself of guilt and remorse.

I will not let Salem's death be in vain.

Now, if that means inconveniencing a few squabbling delegates

for a few days, then so be it.

I will take the full responsibility.

Captain.

We are about to enter the lndri system, sir.

Riker to Picard. We are approaching Indri VIII.

On my way.

Sensors are picking up severe atmospheric fluctuations on the planet.

Assume a high orbit.

On-screen, Mr. Worf.

Some sort of plasma reaction is consuming the lower atmosphere.

- Can we stop it? - No, sir.

The reaction is global.

All life on the planet is being destroyed, sir.

Why would anyone want to destroy

all the life on an uninhabited neutral planet

with no strategic importance whatsoever?

"All the life..."

Perhaps the professor's number blocks

had something to do with organic matter.

If we narrow the search parameters to the biological database,

it might increase the chances of the computer finding a match.

I'll be in the lab.

Pattern match found.

Specify.

COMPUTER". The number blocks are mathematical representations

of fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid strands.

DNA fragments?

Each a different life form from 19 different worlds.

Planets that these fragments are from are scattered across the quadrant.

No wonder it took the professor so long to collect them.

But why?

Wait a minute.

These fragments all seem to have similar protein configurations.

They may be chemically compatible.

But how can that be possible?

They're different species from different planets.

- There should be no compatibility. - I know.

But look at the base-pair combinations. They're uniform.

If I'm right...

Computer, connect the DNA fragments

according to protein-link compatibility.

What is it?

I have no idea.

This is not part of a natural design, captain.

This is part of an algorithm, coded at the molecular level.

An algorithm?

Are you saying that these DNA fragments are elements

in some kind of computer program?

I know how it sounds,

but there's no way this could be a random formation.

This is definitely part of a program.

This fragment has been part of every DNA strand on Earth

since life began there.

And the other fragments are just as old.

Someone must have written this program over 4 billion years ago.

So 4 billion years ago, someone scattered this genetic material

into the primordial soup of at least 19 different planets across the galaxy.

The genetic information must have been incorporated

into the earliest life forms on these planets

and then passed down through each generation.

But why would anyone do this in the first place?

And what was this program designed to do?

Couldn't know that until we assembled the entire program and ran it.

We've tried all of the DNA material

in the Federation computer but we haven't been able to come up

with any compatible protein configurations.

Then they must be from worlds outside the Federation.

Mr. Data, how many people on the Enterprise

are from non-Federation planets?

Seventeen, sir.

You know, this may be a long shot,

but we should check each one of these 17 people

to see if they have the correct protein configuration.

I'll begin collecting DNA samples now.

You know, captain, I've been thinking,

somebody else must know about this program.

I bet one of the missing fragments was on Indri VIII.

And that's why it was destroyed.

To keep us from finding that piece of the puzzle.

It's 4 billion years old.

A computer program from a highly advanced civilization.

And it's hidden into the very fabric of life itself.

Whatever information this program contains

could be the most profound discovery of our time.

Or the most dangerous.

And the professor knew that.

They all came up negative.

Well, I have been through every page in the professor's published works

looking for some clues to where to go next.

So far, nothing.

Maybe we've been at this too long.

Why don't we get some sleep and start again tomorrow morning?

"I was in the neighborhood."

Hmm?

When I asked the professor why he went all the way to Kurl, he said,

"I was in the neighborhood."

- Doing what? - Collecting DNA samples.

There's only one planet in the Kurlan system

capable of supporting life, Loren Ill.

No.

There is no Loren Ill sample

from the data downloaded from the professor's shuttle.

If he did have one,

it must have been taken by the Yridians when they attacked.

Mr. Data, set a course for Loren Ill, maximum warp.

Aye, sir.

We are approaching the Loren system.

Slow to half impulse.

Take us into orbit above the third planet.

There is a good chance that our competition may be here before us.

- Battle stations, Mr. Worf. - Aye.

We are now entering orbit.

On-screen.

You were right, captain. We've got company.

Cardassians.

- They are hailing us. - On-screen.

My name is Gul Ocett.

Identify yourself and state your business in this star system.

I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise.

And I see no reason why I should answer to you.

Cardassians have no claims in this sector.

I suppose not.

But my admittedly hasty estimate

shows one Federation starship and two Cardassian war vessels.

Perhaps I have miscounted.

Not at all.

But we are on a purely scientific mission.

You have no reason to interfere with us.

And you have nothing to lose by delaying

a purely scientific mission for a few days.

I invite you to withdraw.

Captain, Klingon attack cruiser decloaking off the starboard bow.

They are hailing us.

NUDAQ". This is the Klingon vessel MahH-Ya.

What are you doing here?

Captain's log, supplemental.

It seems that we have not one, but two competitors

in our attempt to complete Professor Galen's puzzle.

I have prevailed upon the Cardassian and Klingon captains to meet with me.

I believe we all know why we're here.

If we can admit that, then we can move forward.

We were merely scouting the planet for possible colonization.

Agh! A ridiculous story.

What were you doing here, then?

- Scientific research. - Ha!

Look, if we try to deceive one another, then we shall get nowhere.

I think we all know about Professor Salem's research.

And about the computer program composed of DNA fragments.

I will take your silence as a confirmation.

Now, it stands to reason that none of us

have the DNA fragments necessary to complete the program.

You were the first to arrive in this system.

Do you have an organic sample from the planet below?

Yes.

And I will fire on anyone who attempts to obtain another one.

As if we fear Cardassian threats.

I believe that one of you has a fragment from Indri VIII.

Yes.

And there will be no other samples from lndri VIII.

What is that supposed to mean?

He destroyed the biosphere of the planet

after he had taken the sample.

Typical Klingon thinking.

Take what you want and destroy the rest.

We're all missing some of the fragments.

Not necessarily the same ones.

But unless we combine the ones we have,

we will never learn the secret of the program.

There is no secret.

It is an ancient weapon design of incredible power.

And the Klingon Empire will not allow it to fall into an enemy's hands.

Or even a friend's.

A weapon?

The Yridian who sold us the information

claimed that the program would yield the key

to an unlimited power source.

But until we assemble it, we will never know its purpose.

Heh. He's right.

As far as we know, it might just be a recipe for biscuits.

Biscuits?

If that is what you believe, then go back to Cardassia.

- I will send you my mother's recipe. - How dare you.

Enough!

Without cooperation, we will get nowhere.

What do you propose?

If you each bring your samples on board the Enterprise,

I will combine them with ours.

And then, we will all observe the results simultaneously,

giving no one the advantage.

And if we refuse?

Then this endeavor dies here, in this room.

Captain.

Excellent.

There's still one missing piece.

We have surrendered what we had for nothing.

You are remarkably short-sighted, Nu'Daq.

We are closer to the answer than we were.

We may be very much closer indeed.

How can that be?

We have no idea where to start looking for the missing DNA fragment.

This is a jigsaw puzzle

whose pieces are scattered across the galaxy.

Doesn't it make it natural to assume

that the original designers of the puzzle should want us to find it?

Why else would they have put the pieces in our DNA?

And in turn, wouldn't that suggest

that they would try to make it easy for us to find those pieces,

that there might be some pattern to the distribution?

The computer might be able to find that pattern.

Doctor, program the computer to analyze

the distribution of the pieces that we have,

correcting for changes in star configurations over 4 billion years.

Then extrapolate for the missing piece.

That's gonna take several hours to set up and process.

Excuse me.

If you wish, you can stay on board while we wait.

I intend to.

Good evening, Commander Data.

Captain.

Is there any word yet on the missing fragment?

The computer is processing the data.

I will be notified as soon as there is any information.

Ah.

Commander, your reputation for physical strength

is known even in the Klingon Empire.

You are familiar with the B'aht Qul challenge?

I am familiar with many Klingon rituals, including the B'aht Qul.

Uh-huh.

Ah.

My upper spinal support is a poly-alloy

designed to withstand extreme stress.

My skull is composed of cortenide and duranium.

I understand your intellectual prowess

is equally impressive.

If I were to learn of the results

from the computer search before the others,

the Klingon Empire would have a strategic advantage.

A being of your abilities would go far in the empire.

You are attempting to bribe me.

Not at all.

You suggested a plan that would work to your advantage,

one that I would be capable of executing.

You then implied a reward.

- Clearly, you were-- - Commander.

Never mind.

What the hell?

Computer, run a Level 3 diagnostic on the primary defensive systems.

La Forge to Captain Picard.

- What is it, Geordi? - You might wanna come down here.

I found something that I think you should see.

The computer has completed its analysis.

The computer was able to extrapolate this geometric pattern

based on the distribution of the fragments.

Computer, highlight the section of the missing pattern.

The missing DNA fragment should be in this system.

The star is in Sector 21459. The Rahm-lzad system.

Direct hit on our port nacelle.

They are powering up for another volley.

Let's make it look good. Ensign, release the inertial dampers.

Aye, sir.

They are firing.

Report, Number One.

The power boost to the structural integrity field protected the nacelles.

We used the inertial dampers to simulate complete shield failure.

It is fortunate that your engineer discovered Gul Ocett's attempt

to tamper with your defensive systems.

Maht-H 'a, status.

Minor damage to starboard nacelle.

We will be operational in less than one hour.

What? You incompetent to'ba.

You were supposed to be prepared.

The Cardassian vessels have set a course for Rahm-lzad.

Well, it won't take them long to realize that Rahm-lzad is the wrong planet.

Captain, you're very welcome to join us.

I will go with you.

Ensign, set in a course for the Vilmoran system, warp 9.

- Aye, sir. - Engage.

I am scanning all seven planets of the Vilmoran system.

- None appear to support life. - How can that be?

- Professor's data depends on-- Correction.

The second planet shows evidence of an ancient ocean, now dry.

It once supported life.

Yes, and it still may,

in a limited fashion not detectable by our long-range sensors.

Lay in a course, ensign. Full impulse.

Riker to Transporter Room 1.

Captain, we've located a planet that may still support life.

We'll know in a minute.

Any sign of the Cardassians?

Not yet, but we don't know how long it'll stay that way.

Acknowledged.

I am reading a small pocket of vegetative life.

A primitive lichen growing in a fossilized seabed.

Transporter Room 1, I am programming the coordinates.

Stand by.

There, over there.

Captain, we've got company. I'm ready to pull you out of there.

Wait for my order, Number One.

You dishonorable to'ba.

Perhaps we could exchange insults some other time.

I'm rather busy now.

Well...

It was quite a chase, wasn't it, my friends?

How-J?

We intercepted several communique between the Yridians and Cardassia.

My ship was watching under cloak

when Professor Galen's shuttle was attacked.

And you have been shadowing us ever since.

And now the reward.

Step clear, please.

I shall destroy the entire rock face and every trace of DNA with it.

You will go back to Romulus empty-handed.

Your superiors will be quite pleased.

Perhaps we could come to a compromise?

You give us the gene code and the Romulans...

The seabed, it may be only partially fossilized.

It could still contain organic material.

Which would still contain the DNA.

--been searching for the answer as long as anyone.

I will not be eliminated now.

You can be eliminated by a disruptor.

Now, what do you say to my offer?

How can I be sure you won't kill me if I acquiesce?

I've given you my word.

Etched in stone, no doubt. No deals.

There will be no deals as long as I'm still alive.

Do not press me, Klingon. I don't care whether you live or die.

If you fire, others will also. Many will die.

We have superior numbers.

The program has been activated. I think it's reconfiguring the tricorder.

We will die together, brother.

It's modifying the diode emitter to project something.

You are wondering who we are, why we have done this,

how it has come that I stand before you,

the image of a being from so long ago.

Life evolved on my planet

before all others in this part of the galaxy.

We left our world,

explored the stars and found none like ourselves.

Our civilization thrived for ages.

But what is the life of one race

compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time?

We knew that one day we would be gone,

that nothing of us would survive.

So we left you.

Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds

where life was in its infancy.

The seed codes directed your evolution

toward a physical form resembling ours,

this body you see before you.

Which is, of course, shaped as yours is shaped,

for you are the end result.

The seed codes also contained this message,

which we'd scattered in fragments on many different worlds.

It was our hope that you would have to come together

in fellowship and companionship to hear this message.

And if you can see and hear me,

our hope has been fulfilled.

You are a monument.

Not to our greatness, but to our existence.

That was our wish.

That you, too, would know life

and would keep alive our memory.

There is something of us in each of you,

and so something of you in each other.

Remember us.

That's all?

If she were not dead, I would kill her.

The very notion that a Cardassian could have anything

in common with a Klingon, it turns my stomach.

Pica rd to Enterprise.

Standing by, sir.

Captain's log, stardate 46735.2.

Our frequent use of high warp over the last few days

has overextended the propulsion systems.

We are finishing minor repairs before returning to Federation territory.

It's a shame Professor Galen didn't live to see the end result of his study.

I can't think of anyone who would have appreciated it more.

If it hadn't been for you,

his dream to solve that puzzle would never have been realized.

You left him a wonderful legacy.

Yes, but it would have been a more fitting legacy

if the message did not fall on such deaf ears.

Hmm. You never know.

Mm.

Well-- Ah. I have to get this day started.

Both of us.

See you this afternoon.

Riker to Captain Picard.

Incoming transmission from the Romulan command ship.

Put it through.

Acknowledged.

Captain.

My ships are leaving orbit for Romulan space.

Until our next encounter.

Until then.

It would seem that we are not completely dissimilar after all,

in our hopes or in our fears.

Yes.

Well, then, perhaps one day...

One day.