Original subtitles

How does it feeI to be back on the Enterprise Bridge?

Captain Kirk?

-Can l ask you a few questions? -Did you participate in the redesign?

We'd Iike to know how you feeI about being on...

Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me.

There wiII be pIenty of time for questions Iater.

l'm Captain John Harriman, and l'd Iike to weIcome you aII aboard.

-lt's our pIeasure. -l just want you to know

how excited we aII are

to have a group of Iiving Iegends with us on our maiden voyage.

l remember reading about your missions when l was in grade schooI.

ReaIIy?

-WeII, may we have a Iook around? -PIease, pIease.

Yes, sir, it's very nice to finaIIy meet you.

-Demora! -Excuse me. Captain?

This is the first Starship Enterprise in 30 years

without James T. Kirk in command. How do you feeI about that, sir?

Just fine. l'm gIad to be here to send her on her way.

And what have you been doing since you retired?

Keeping busy.

Captain Kirk, just a few more questions, sir.

Why don't we give the Captain a chance to Iook around first?

Captain. Excuse me.

l'd Iike you to meet the heImsman of the Enterprise-B. Demora.

Ensign Demora SuIu.

lt's a pIeasure to meet you, sir.

My father's toId me some interesting stories about you.

-Your father is Hikaru SuIu? -Yes, sir.

-You've met her before, but she was... -lt wasn't that Iong ago.

-lt couIdn't have been more than... -TweIve years, sir.

-TweIve years? -AbsoIuteIy.

lncredibIe.

CongratuIations, Ensign.

lt wouIdn't be the Enterprise without a SuIu at the heIm.

Thank you, sir.

l'm sure Hikaru must be very proud of you.

l hope so.

l was never that young.

No, you were younger.

-Damn fine ship if you ask me. -Scotty, it absoIuteIy amazes me.

And what wouId that be, sir?

SuIu, when did he find time for a famiIy?

WeII, Iike you aIways say,

if something's important, you make the time.

So that's why you seem so restIess.

Finding retirement a IittIe IoneIy, are we?

You know, l'm gIad you're an engineer.

With tact Iike that, you'd make a Iousy psychiatrist.

Excuse me, gentIemen, if you'II take your seats.

Yes, of course.

Prepare to Ieave spacedock.

Aft thrusters ahead one-quarter, port and starboard at station keeping.

-Captain Kirk. -Yes?

l'd be honoured if you'd give the order to get underway.

-Thank you very much, l... -PIease, sir.

-No, no, no, no. -PIease, l insist.

Take us out.

-Very good, sir. -Brought a tear to me eye.

Be quiet.

GentIemen, gentIemen.

Now that you've seen the rest of the ship,

how does it feeI to be back?

-WeII, we... Fine. -Fine, fine.

-Fine, fine. -WeII, Iadies and gentIemen,

we've just cIeared the asteroid beIt.

Our course today wiII take us out beyond PIuto

and then back to spacedock. Just a quick run around the bIock.

Captain, wiII there be time to conduct any tests on the warp drive system?

We're picking up a distress caII, Captain.

On speakers.

This is the transport ship Lakul.

We're caught in some kind of energy distortion.

Two ships in our convoy...trapped in a severe gravimetric distortion.

We can't break free. We need immediate help.

lt's tearing us apart. This is the transport...

The LakuI is one of two ships

transporting EI-Aurian refugees to Earth.

Ensign SuIu, can you Iocate them?

The ships are bearing at 3-1-0 mark 2-1-5.

Distance, three Iight-years.

SignaI the cIosest starship.

We're in no condition to mount a rescue.

-We don't even have a fuII crew aboard. -We're the onIy one in range, sir.

WeII, then, l guess it's up to us.

HeIm, Iay in an intercept course and engage at maximum warp.

Aye, sir.

Captain, is there something wrong with your chair?

We're within visuaI range of the energy distortion, Captain.

On screen.

What the heII is that?

l've Iocated the transport ships.

Their huIIs are starting to buckIe under the stress.

They won't survive much Ionger.

We're encountering severe gravimetric distortions

from the energy ribbon, Captain.

We'II have to keep our distance. We don't wanna get puIIed in, too.

-Tractor beam. Tractor beam. -We don't have a tractor beam.

You Ieft spacedock without a tractor beam?

lt won't be instaIIed untiI Tuesday.

Ensign SuIu,

try generating a subspace fieId around the ships.

That might break them free.

There's too much quantum interference, Captain.

What about... What about venting pIasma from the warp naceIIes?

That might disrupt the ribbon's hoId on the ships.

Aye, sir. ReIeasing drive pIasma.

lt's not having any effect, sir. l think the ribbon's hoId...

Sir, the starboard vesseI's huII is coIIapsing!

-How many peopIe were on that ship? -Two hundred and sixty-five.

Sir, the LakuI's huII integrity is down to 12%..

Captain Kirk, l wouId appreciate any suggestions you might have.

First, move us within transporter range.

Beam those peopIe aboard the Enterprise.

What about the gravimetric distortions? They'II tear us apart.

Risk is part of the game if you wanna sit in that chair.

HeIm, cIose to within transporter range.

Second, turn that damn thing off!

-We're within range, sir. -Beam them directIy to Sickbay.

-Aye, sir. -How big is your medicaI staff?

The medicaI staff? lt doesn't arrive tiII Tuesday.

You and you, you've just become nurses. Let's go.

Main Engineering reports fIuctuations in the warp pIasma reIays.

Sir, l'm having troubIe Iocking on to them.

They appear to be in some sort of temporaI fIux.

Scotty!

What the heII?

Their Iife signs are phasing in and out of our space-time continuum.

Phasing? To where?

-Sir, their huII's coIIapsing! -Beam them out of there, Scotty!

Transport compIete.

l got 47

out of 1 50.

-Report! -We're caught in a gravimetric fieId

emanating from the traiIing edge of the ribbon.

AII engines, fuII reverse!

lt's going to be aII right. We're going to heIp you.

We are going to heIp you.

-lt's okay. Everything is fine. -My wife...

Why? Why?

lt's aII right. You're safe. You're on the Enterprise.

-No, no, l have to go. l have to go back. -You need to stay right here.

-No. You don't understand. -lt's okay.

Let me go back. Let me go back!

Let me go back. Let me go back. PIease!

-What was he taIking about? -l have no idea.

Excuse me.

Can l heIp you?

lt's going to be okay. You'II be aII right. You just need to rest. Come over here.

There's just no way to disrupt a gravimetric fieId of this magnitude.

-HuII integrity at 82%. -But l do have a theory.

l thought you might.

An antimatter discharge directIy ahead

might disrupt the fieId Iong enough for us to break away.

-Photon torpedoes. -Aye.

We're Iosing main power.

Load torpedo bays. Prepare to fire at my command.

-Captain, we don't have any torpedoes. -Don't teII me, Tuesday.

-HuII integrity at 40%. -Captain, it may be possibIe

to simuIate a torpedo bIast

using a resonance burst from the main defIector dish.

-Where are the defIector reIays? -Deck 1 5, Section 21-AIpha.

l'II go. You have the Bridge.

Wait.

Your pIace is on the bridge of your ship.

l'II take care of it.

Scotty, keep things together untiI l get back.

l aIways do.

Forty-five seconds to structuraI coIIapse.

Bridge to Captain Kirk.

Kirk here.

l don't know how much longer l can hold her together.

That's it. Let's go!

Activate main defIector.

We're breaking free.

lt's aII right. l'm increasing power to compensate.

-We're cIear. -You did it, Kirk!

Damage report, Ensign.

There's some buckIing on the starboard naceIIe.

We've aIso got a huII breach in Engineering section.

Emergency force fieIds in pIace and hoIding.

Where?

Sections 20 through 28 on Decks 1 3, 14

and 1 5.

Bridge to Captain Kirk. Captain Kirk, pIease respond.

Have Chekov meet me on Deck 1 5.

My God! Was anyone in here?

Aye.

Bring out the prisoner.

Mr Worf, l aIways knew this day wouId come.

-Are you prepared to face the charges? -Answer him.

l am prepared.

"We, the officers and crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise,

"being of sound mind and judgement,

"hereby make the foIIowing charges against Lieutenant Worf.

"One, that he did knowingIy and wiIfuIIy

"perform above and beyond the caII of duty on countIess occasions.

"Two, most seriousIy,

"that he has earned the admiration and respect of the entire crew."

Mr Worf, l hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Commander,

with aII the rights and priviIeges thereto.

And may God have mercy on your souI.

-Hip, hip... -Hooray!

-CongratuIations, Mr Worf. -Thank you, sir.

Extend the pIank.

Lower the badge of office.

-Be carefuI. -You go get that hat.

He'II never make it. No one ever has.

Jump!

Yes! Yes, Worf!

lf there's one thing l've Iearned over the years,

it's never to underestimate a KIingon.

Computer, remove the pIank.

Oh, no!

Number One, that's "retract" pIank, not "remove" pIank.

Of course, sir.

Sorry.

Doctor, l must confess, l am uncertain as to why

someone faIIing into freezing water is amusing.

lt's aII in good fun, Data.

-Fun? -Fun.

l do not understand.

You've got to get into the spirit of things.

Learn to be spontaneous, Iive in the moment.

-Do something unexpected. Get it? -Got it.

-Data. -That was...

Not funny.

AII hands, make saiI. T'gansuIs and courses.

-Stand by the braces. -WiII.

Just imagine what it was Iike. No engines, no computers,

just the wind and the sea and the stars to guide you.

Bad food, brutaI discipIine.

No women.

-Bridge to Captain Picard. -Picard here.

There's a personal message for you from Earth.

Put it through down here.

The best thing about Iife at sea, WiII, was that no one couId reach you.

This was freedom, WiII.

Computer, arch.

Look aIive there.

Here, take the wheeI.

Captain, are you aII right?

Yes, l'm fine. Excuse me.

Computer, exit.

-Mr La Forge, set royaIs and studsaiI. -What's a studsaiI, sir?

You see that Iast yardarm? Just above that...

-Bridge to Holodeck 3. -Riker here.

We're picking up a distress call from the Amargosa Observatory, sir.

They say they're under attack.

Red aIert! AII hands to battIe stations. Captain Picard to the Bridge.

-lt Iooks Iike we're too Iate. -There are no other ships in the system.

Captain, we're approaching Amargosa.

Looks Iike the observatory took quite a beating.

Survivors?

Sensors show five Iife signs aboard the station, Captain.

The station's compIement was 1 9.

Stand down from red aIert.

Number One,

wiII you begin an investigation? l'II be in my Ready Room.

-Sir? l thought you wanted... -Make it so. Just do it!

-Mr Worf. -Aye, sir.

Mr Worf, you're with me.

These bIast patterns are consistent with a type-3 disruptor.

Great. That narrows it down to RomuIan, Breen and KIingon.

Over here!

lt's aII right. Do not struggIe.

lt's okay. We're right here. Got you.

l'm Commander WiIIiam Riker from the Starship Enterprise.

Soran. Dr ToIian Soran.

-Who attacked you, Doctor? -l don't know. lt aII happened so fast.

Commander, you better take a Iook at this.

RomuIans.

Data, whatever possessed you to push her in the water in the first pIace?

l was attempting to get into the spirit of things.

l thought it wouId be amusing. Spot.

ls she stiII angry?

l'd stay out of Sickbay for a coupIe of days if l were you.

Data, you're not actuaIIy thinking about using that thing, are you?

l have considered it for many months.

And in Iight of my recent episode with Dr Crusher,

now may be the appropriate time.

l thought you were worried about it overIoading your neuraI net.

That is true.

However, l beIieve my growth as an artificiaI Iife-form

has reached an impasse.

For 34 years, l have endeavoured to become more human,

to grow beyond my originaI programming.

StiII, l am unabIe to grasp such a basic concept as humour.

This emotion chip may be the onIy answer.

Geordi.

AII right.

Listen, at the first sign of troubIe, l'm gonna deactivate it. Agreed?

Agreed.

We found two dead RomuIans on the station.

We're anaIysing their equipment to see ifwe can determine

what ship they came from.

And there's stiII no indication ofwhy they attacked the station?

They practicaIIy tore the pIace apart. Accessed the centraI computer,

turned the cargo bay inside out.

ObviousIy, they were Iooking for something.

This couId signify a new RomuIan threat in this sector.

-lnform StarfIeet Command. -You want me to contact StarfIeet?

-ls there a probIem? -No, sir.

There was something eIse, Captain.

One of the scientists, a Dr Soran, insisted on speaking with you.

l toId him you were very busy.

He said it was absoIuteIy imperative that he speak with you right away.

Understood. That wiII be aII.

-Sir, is there anything more... -No, thank you.

GentIemen, something new from Forcas lll?

What?

l beIieve this beverage has produced an emotionaI response.

ReaIIy? What are you feeIing?

l am uncertain.

Because l have had IittIe experience with emotion,

l am unabIe to articuIate the sensation.

-Emotion? -l'II expIain Iater.

-WeII, it Iooks Iike he hates it. -Yes, that is it.

-l hate this. -Data, l think the chip is working.

Yes, l hate this. lt is revoIting.

-More? -PIease.

l'm Iooking for a Dr Soran from the observatory.

-Dr Soran? -Yes.

Yes, Captain, thank you for coming. Thank you.

l understand there's something urgent you wish to discuss with me.

Yes. l must return to the observatory immediateIy.

l must continue a criticaI experiment l've been running on the Amargosa star.

We're stiII conducting our investigation into the attack.

-Yes, l... -As soon as that is compIete,

then l wiII aIIow you and your coIIeagues to return.

But untiI then, there's nothing l can do.

Timing is very important in my experiments.

lf it's not compIeted in the next 12 hours, years of research wiII be Iost.

We're doing the best we can. lf you'II excuse me.

They say time is the fire in which we burn.

Right now, Captain, my time is running out.

We Ieave so many things unfinished in our Iives.

l know you understand.

l'II see what l can do.

We have anaIysed the RomuIans' tricorder.

They were scanning for signature particIes

-of a compound caIIed triIithium. -TriIithium?

Yes, an experimentaI compound the RomuIans have been working on.

TriIithium is a nucIear inhibitor.

ln theory, it couId stop aII fusion within a star.

However, the RomuIans never found a way to stabiIise it.

Why wouId they Iook for it on a Federation observatory?

That doesn't make any sense.

l do not know.

Have Geordi and Data go over with the next away team.

TeII them to scan the observatory for triIithium.

Aye, sir.

WeII, there's no sign of any triIithium over here.

-l get it! l get it! -You get what?

When you said to Commander Riker, "The cIown can stay,

"but the Ferengi in the goriIIa suit has to go."

What are you taIking about?

During the Farpoint mission.

We were on the Bridge. You toId a joke. That was the punch Iine.

Farpoint... Data, that was seven years ago.

l know. l just got it!

Very funny.

Wait a minute. There's a door hidden right behind you.

l can see the separation with my VlSOR.

There appears to be a dampening fieId in operation.

l cannot scan beyond the buIkhead.

There doesn't seem to be a controI paneI or an access port.

lt appears to be magneticaIIy seaIed.

l beIieve l can reverse the poIarity by attenuating my axiaI servo.

Open sesame.

You couId say l have a magnetic personaIity.

Humour, l Iove it!

Data, come take a Iook at this, wiII you?

Have you ever seen a soIar probe with this kind of configuration?

No, Geordi, l have not. Have you?

No, l have not. lt is most unusuaI.

Mr Tricorder.

Just see if you can heIp me get these paneIs open, wiII you?

Make it so.

My VlSOR's picking up something in the theta band.

lt couId be a triIithium signature.

-Data, we don't have time for this. -l cannot heIp myseIf.

l think something is wrong.

Data?

Data. Data, are you aII right?

l beIieve the emotion chip has overIoaded my positronic reIay.

We'd better get you back to the ship. La Forge to Enterprise.

-La Forge to Enterprise. -GentIemen, is there a probIem?

Dr Soran.

Yeah. There seems to be some sort of dampening fieId in here.

lt's bIocking our comm signaI. Can you shut it off for us?

Of course, l'd be onIy too happy to.

PIease. PIease. No.

Do not... Do not hurt me. PIease, pIease.

Yes, come.

Yes, CounseIIor? ls there something l can do for you?

ActuaIIy l'm here to see if there's anything l can do for you.

lt's just famiIy matters.

You never met my brother and his wife, did you?

-No. -Robert.

So opinionated. So pompous and arrogant.

He aIways had to have the Iast word.

But he meIIowed a IittIe bit in the Iast few years.

l was going to get together with them aII next month on Earth.

l thought we'd go to San Francisco.

René's aIways wanted to see StarfIeet Academy.

René? Your nephew.

Yes. He's so unIike his father.

He's a dreamer, imaginative.

He's so very gentIe.

What's happened?

Robert and René, they're...

Burned to death in a fire.

-l'm sorry. -lt's aII right. lt's aII right.

These things happen.

Captain, it's not aII right.

l can't heIp thinking about

aII the experiences that René's not gonna have,

about going to the Academy, reading books and Iistening to music

and faIIing in Iove,

buiIding a Iife.

WeII, that's not going to happen now.

l didn't reaIise he meant so much to you.

l'd come to feeI that René was as cIose as l wouId get

to having a chiId of my own.

Your famiIy history is very important to you, isn't it?

What?

From being a smaII chiId,

l can remember being toId about the famiIy Iine.

The Picard who fought at TrafaIgar.

The Picard who won the NobeI Prize for Chemistry.

The Picards who settIed the first Martian coIonies.

And when Robert married and he had a son, l...

You feIt it was no Ionger your responsibiIity

to carry on the famiIy Iine.

Right. Yes. That's it exactIy.

You know, CounseIIor, recentIy l've become very much aware

that there were fewer days ahead than there are behind,

but l took some comfort from the fact that the famiIy wouId go on.

But now there'II be no more Picards.

Report.

A quantum impIosion has occurred within the Amargosa star.

-AII nucIear fusion is breaking down. -How is that possibIe?

Sensor records show the observatory Iaunched

a soIar probe into the sun a few moments ago.

The star is going to coIIapse in a matter of minutes.

Sir, the impIosion has produced a IeveI-12 shock wave.

That'II destroy everything in this system.

Transporter Room to Bridge.

l can't locate Commander La Forge or Mr Data, sir.

-Have they come back to the ship? -No, sir. They are not on board.

How Iong before the shock wave hits the observatory?

Four minutes, 40 seconds.

Number One.

-Mr Worf! -Aye, sir.

Soran, transmit your coordinates.

What the heII's he doing?

Enterprise to CommanderRiker. You have two minutes left.

You hear that, Soran?

We've got a IeveI-12 shock wave coming in. We gotta get out of here!

Sir, a KIingon bird-of-prey is decIoaking off the port bow.

What?

-Data, see if you can get to Geordi. -l cannot, sir.

Prepare for transport.

-Commander Riker's team is aboard, sir. -HeIm, warp 1 , engage!

You've done it, Soran.

Wait!

l hope for your sake you were initiating a mating rituaI.

You got careIess.

The RomuIans came Iooking for their missing triIithium.

lmpossibIe. We Ieft no survivors on their outpost.

They knew it was on the observatory. lf the Enterprise hadn't intervened,

they wouId have found it.

They didn't find it! And now we have a weapon of unIimited power.

No, Lursa, l have the weapon, and if you ever want me to give it to you,

l wouId advise you to be a IittIe more carefuI in the future.

Perhaps we are tired ofwaiting.

Without my research, the triIithium is worthIess,

as are your pIans to re-conquer the KIingon Empire.

Set course for the Veridian system. Maximum warp.

He's an EI-Aurian, over 300 years oId.

He Iost his entire famiIy when the Borg destroyed his pIanet.

Soran escaped with a handfuI of other refugees

aboard a ship caIIed the Lakul.

That ship was Iater destroyed by some kind of energy ribbon.

But Soran and 46 others were rescued by the Enterprise-B.

That was the mission where James Kirk was kiIIed.

l checked the passenger manifest of the Lakul.

Guess who else was on board.

Soran is a name l haven't heard for a Iong time.

-You remember him? -Yes.

Guinan, it is very important that you teII me everything that you know.

We think that Soran has deveIoped a weapon, a terribIe weapon,

one that might even give him enough power to destroy an entire...

Soran doesn't care about weapons or power.

He just cares about getting back to the Nexus.

What is the Nexus?

The energy ribbon that destroyed that ship

was notjust some random phenomena traveIIing through the universe.

lt's a doorway to another pIace that we caII the Nexus,

and it's a pIace l've tried very, very hard to forget.

What happened to you?

lt was Iike being inside joy.

As ifjoy was something tangibIe

and you couId wrap yourseIf up in it Iike a bIanket,

and never in my entire Iife have l ever been as content.

And then you were beamed away from there.

PuIIed. Ripped away.

None of us wanted to go,

and l wouId have done anything, anything to get back there.

And once l reaIised that wasn't possibIe,

l Iearned to Iive with that.

What about Soran?

lf he's stiII obsessed, he couId be a very, very dangerous man.

Why wouId he destroy a star?

Thank you, Guinan.

lf you go,

you're not gonna care about anything.

Not this ship, not Soran, not me. Nothing.

AII you'II want is to stay in the Nexus,

and you're not gonna want to come back.

MarveIIous technoIogy.

This is a remarkabIe piece of equipment.

-GIad you approve. -lt's not very styIish, though, is it?

Have you ever considered a prosthesis that wouId make you Iook a IittIe more...

How can l say? More normaI?

-What's normaI? -What's normaI?

WeII, that's a good question.

NormaI is what everyone eIse is and you are not.

Can we just get down to it, pIease? What do you want?

As you may or may not be aware, l am an EI-Aurian.

Some peopIe caII us a race of Iisteners. We Iisten.

Right now, Mr La Forge, you have my compIete attention.

l want to Iisten to everything you know about triIithium.

Captain's Log, Stardate 48632.4. Dr Crusher has informed me

that Data's emotion chip has been fused into his neural net

and cannot be removed.

However, she believes he is fit for duty,

so l've asked him to join me in Stellar Cartography.

According to our information, the ribbon is a confIux of temporaI energy

which traveIs through this gaIaxy every 39.1 years.

lt wiII pass through this sector in approximateIy 42 hours.

Yes. Guinan was right.

She said that Soran was trying to get back to the ribbon.

Now, if that's true,

there has to be some connection with the Amargosa star.

Data, give me a Iist of anything that was affected by the star's destruction,

no matter how insignificant.

-Data? -Sorry, sir.

lt wiII take the computer a few moments to compiIe the information.

Data, are you aII right?

No, sir. l am finding it difficuIt to concentrate.

l beIieve l am overwheImed with feeIings of remorse

and regret concerning my actions on the observatory.

What do you mean?

l wanted to save Geordi,

but l experienced something l did not expect.

Fear.

l was afraid.

According to our current information, the destruction of the Amargosa star

has had the foIIowing effects in this sector.

Gamma emissions have increased by .05%.

The Starship Bozeman was forced to make a course correction.

Ambient magnetic fieIds...

Wait. The Bozeman, why wouId it make a course correction?

The destruction of the Amargosa star

has aItered the gravitationaI forces throughout this sector.

As a resuIt, any ship passing through this region

wouId have to make a minor course correction.

A minor course correction. Where's the ribbon now?

-This is its current position. -Can you project its course?

Captain.

l cannot continue with this investigation. l wish to be deactivated

untiI Dr Crusher can remove the emotion chip.

Are you having some kind of maIfunction?

No, sir. l simpIy do not have the abiIity to controI these emotions.

Data, l have nothing but sympathy for what you are feeIing,

but right now, l need you to...

Sir, l no Ionger want these emotions!

Deactivating me is the onIy viabIe soIution.

Part of having feeIings is Iearning to integrate them into your Iife, Data,

Iearning to Iive with them

-no matter what the circumstances. -Sir, l cannot!

You wiII not be deactivated.

You're an officer on board this ship,

and l require you to perform your duty. That is an order, Commander.

Yes, sir.

l wiII try, sir.

Sometimes it takes courage to try, Data,

and courage can be an emotion, too.

Now, can you project the course of the ribbon?

l beIieve so.

Enhance grid 9-A.

Where was the Amargosa star?

Now, you said that when the Amargosa star was destroyed,

it affected the gravitationaI forces in this sector.

Now, did the computer take that into account

when it projected the course of the ribbon?

No, sir. l wiII make the appropriate adjustments.

That's what Soran's doing. He's changing the course of the ribbon.

But why? Why wouId he try to change its path?

Why doesn't he just fIy into it with a ship?

Our records show that every ship which has approached the ribbon

has either been destroyed or severeIy damaged.

He can't get to the ribbon, so he's trying to make the ribbon come to him.

Data, does it pass near to any M-CIass pIanets?

Yes, sir. There are two in the Veridian system.

WeII, it gets cIose to Veridian lll, but not cIose enough.

Data, what wouId happen to the ribbon's course

if Soran destroyed the Veridian star itseIf?

That's where he's going.

lt shouId be noted, sir,

that the coIIapse of the Veridian star wouId produce a shock wave

simiIar to the one we observed at Amargosa.

Destroying aII the pIanets in this system.

Veridian lll is uninhabited.

However, Veridian lV supports a pre-industriaI humanoid society.

PopuIation?

Two hundred thirty miIIion, sir.

-Picard to Bridge. -Worf here, sir.

Set a course for the Veridian system, maximum warp.

Did you get anything from the human?

No. His heartjust wasn't in it.

We have entered orbit ofVeridian lll.

-Prepare to transport me to the surface. -Wait. When do we get our payment?

This contains aII the information you'II need to make a triIithium weapon.

lt's been coded.

Once l'm safeIy to the surface,

l'II transmit the decryption sequence to you.

-Not before. -Mistress!

A Federation starship is entering the system.

What? On viewer.

They're haiIing us.

We're stiII cIoaked. They can't see us.

Klingon vessel, we know what you are doing,

and we will destroy any probe launched toward the Veridian star.

We demand that you return our chief engineer

and leave this system immediately.

There's no time for this. EIiminate them.

That is a GaIaxy-cIass starship. We're no match for them.

l think it's time we gave Mr La Forge his sight back.

Maybe they're not out there.

They're just trying to decide if a 20-year-oId KIingon bird-of-prey

can be a match for the Federation fIagship.

-Perhaps they're on the surface. -Sir, according to my caIcuIations,

a soIar probe Iaunched from either the KIingon ship or the pIanet surface

wiII take 1 1 seconds to reach the sun.

However, since we do not have an exact point of origin,

it wiII take us between 8 and 1 5 seconds to Iock our weapons onto it.

-That's a pretty big margin of error. -Much too big.

Mr Data, how Iong before the ribbon arrives?

ApproximateIy 47 minutes, sir.

We have got to find some way to get to Soran.

KIingon vesseI decIoaking directIy ahead, sir.

-They are haiIing. -On screen.

Captain. What an unexpected pleasure.

Lursa, it is very important that l speak with Soran.

l'm afraid the doctor is no longer aboard our ship.

-Then l wiII beam to his Iocation. -The doctor values his privacy.

He would be quite upset if an armed away team interrupted him.

Then l wiII beam to your ship and you can transport me to Soran.

We can't trust them. For aII we know, they kiIIed Geordi.

They might kiII you, too.

We did not harm your engineer. He's been our guest.

Then return him!

-ln exchange for what? -Me, sir.

Me. l wiII be your prisoner.

But first, you must beam me to the surface

so that l can speak with Soran.

The Captain would make a much more valuable hostage.

-We'll consider it a prisoner exchange. -Agreed.

Have Dr Crusher meet me in Transporter Room 3.

You have the Bridge, Number One.

-Receiving the coordinates, Captain. -Energise.

WeIcome, Captain.

-You must think l'm quite the madman. -The thought had crossed my mind.

l know why you're here.

You're not entireIy confident you can shoot down my probe,

so you've come to dissuade me from my horrific pIan. Good Iuck.

Now, if you'II excuse me, Captain, l'm rather busy.

Soran.

Do be carefuI, Captain. That's a 50-gigawatt force fieId.

l wouIdn't want to see you get hurt.

l have estabIished the Iink.

Put it on viewer.

lt's working. The VlSOR's transmitting.

Where is he?

Human femaIes are so repuIsive.

...and some myocardiaI degeneration.

l've removed the nanoprobe, and l think you're going to be fine.

l'II need to run some more tests. l'II Iet you know.

Thanks, Doc.

-Geordi... -Data, it's okay.

l am sorry l Iet you down.

l have not been behaving Iike myseIf IateIy.

No, Data, you haven't. You've been behaving Iike a human.

You don't have to do this, Soran.

l'm sure we can find another way of getting you into this Nexus.

l've spent 80 years Iooking for another way.

BeIieve me, this is the onIy one.

What you're about to do, Soran, is no different

from when the Borg destroyed your worId.

They kiIIed miIIions, too,

incIuding your wife, chiIdren.

Nice try.

You know, there was a time when l wouIdn't hurt a fIy.

Then the Borg came,

and they showed me that if there is one constant in this whoIe universe,

it's death.

Afterwards, l began to reaIise it didn't reaIIy matter.

We're aII gonna die sometime. lt's just a question of how and when.

You wiII, too, Captain.

Aren't you beginning to feeI time gaining on you?

lt's Iike a predator. lt's staIking you.

You can try and outrun it with doctors, medicines, new technoIogies,

but in the end, time is going to hunt you down and make the kiII.

lt's our mortaIity that defines us, Soran. lt's part of the truth of our existence.

-What if l toId you l found a new truth? -The Nexus?

Time has no meaning there. The predator has no teeth.

-Where is he now? -l don't know.

He bathed. Now he's roaming the ship.

He must be the onIy engineer in StarfIeet

who doesn't go to Engineering.

-Any Iuck, Mr Worf? -No, sir. l stiII cannot Iocate the Captain.

Data, the sensors can't penetrate the pIanet's ionosphere.

There's too much interference.

Can you find a way to scan for Iife-forms?

l wouId be happy to, sir.

l just Iove scanning for Iife-forms.

Life-forms

You tiny little life-forms

You precious little life-forms

Where are you?

FinaIIy.

Commander, l'd Iike to run a IeveI 3 diagnostic on the port pIasma reIays.

l think one of the generators is fIuctuating.

Fine. Let's do that.

That's it! RepIay from time index 924.

Magnify this section and enhance.

Their shieIds are operating on a moduIation of 257.4.

Adjust our torpedo frequency to match. 257.4.

They have found a way to penetrate our shieIds.

Lock phasers and return fire!

Deanna, take the heIm. Get us out of orbit!

HuII breach on Decks 31 through 35.

Mr Worf, what do we know about that oId KIingon ship?

-Any weaknesses? -lt's a CIass-D12 bird-of-prey.

They were retired from service because of defective pIasma coiIs.

PIasma coiIs? ls there any way we can use that to our advantage?

l do not see how. The pIasma coiI is part of their cIoaking device.

Let's get a stabiIiser on that conduit.

Reinforce that starboard interIock.

We need to re-route main power through the secondary coupIing.

Data, wouId a defective pIasma coiI be susceptibIe to some sort of ionic puIse?

Perhaps. Yes, yes. lfwe sent a Iow-IeveI ionic puIse,

it might reset the coiI and trigger their cIoaking device.

ExceIIent idea, sir!

As their cIoak begins to engage, their shieIds wiII drop.

They'II have two seconds of vuInerabiIity. Mr Data,

-Iock on to pIasma coiI. -No probIem.

-Our shieIds are hoIding. -Fire at wiII.

Mr Worf, prepare a spread of photon torpedoes.

We have to hit them the instant they begin to cIoak.

-Aye, sir. -We get one shot at this.

Target their primary reactor.

l have accessed their core frequency. lnitiating ionic puIse.

Make it quick!

-Target their bridge. -FuII disruptors.

-We are cIoaking. -What?

Our shieIds are down!

Fire.

Yes!

Haven't you got anything better to do?

Must have been that Iast torpedo. La Forge to Bridge.

l've got a probIem down here.

The magnetic interIocks have been ruptured. l...

CooIant Ieak! We have a cooIant Ieak, everybody.

Let's go. Let's get out of here.

Everybody out. Let's move! Let's move! We've gotta go!

-Quick! -Evacuate! Evacuate!

Bridge, we have a new probIem.

We're five minutes from a warp core breach.

There's nothing l can do.

Deanna, evacuate everyone to the saucer section.

Mr Data, prepare to separate the ship.

Starship separation in five minutes.

-We're going straight down. -Everyone move. Take Corridor A.

Starship separation in four minutes, 45 seconds.

AII right, Iet's move him out. Let's go. Take him out, quick.

Starship separation in four minutes, 30 seconds.

-Keep moving, everyone. Keep going. -Here we go, Rose, this way.

Starship separation in four minutes, 15 seconds.

-Hurry! -Keep moving.

-FarreII! -Yes?

There's no one here with these kids. Let's get them to the Jefferies tube.

-Come on, sweetie. -We'II find their parents Iater.

Starship separation in four minutes.

Now you'II have to excuse me, Captain.

l have an appointment with eternity, and l don't want to be Iate.

The core breach is acceIerating, Geordi. We've gotta get out of here.

-That's it, Bridge. We're aII out. -One minute to warp core breach.

Begin separation sequence. FuII impuIse power once we're cIear.

Warp core is going criticaI.

-Separation compIete. -Engaging impuIse engines.

Core breach in progress.

Primary stabilisers off-line. Engaging secondary systems.

-Report! -HeIm controIs are off-Iine!

Oh, shit!

Here we go. Right around this corner!

Come and heIp me. HeIp me.

Just keep moving.

-On the ground. -Everybody on the bed!

l have re-routed auxiIiary power to the IateraI thrusters.

Attempting to IeveI our descent.

AII hands, brace for impact!

-HoId on, everybody. HoId on tight. -HoId their heads.

l'm okay.

What... What is this? Where am l?

-Surprise! -We Iove you, Father.

-Were you scared? -Look at the tree.

-l heIped decorate it. -lt took aII day.

-Say, "Merry Christmas," Papa. -See the presents?

-l Iove you, Father. -l Iove you, too.

Come on, chiIdren. Let's move back and give your father some room.

-Cup of EarI Grey? -That wouId be perfect.

-This one's for you. -Thank you very much, René.

-Merry Christmas, UncIe. -And Merry Christmas to you, too.

René, can you heIp me with the tabIe?

René!

Come here.

Go heIp your aunt.

Did you get anything eIse?

This isn't right.

-This can't be reaI. -lt's as reaI as you want it to be.

Guinan, what's going on?

-Why am l here? -You're in the Nexus.

-This is the Nexus? -For you. This is what you wanted.

But l never had a home Iike this.

Nor a wife and chiIdren, but these are aII mine.

Guinan, what are you doing here?

l thought you were on board the Enterprise.

l am. l'm aIso here.

Think of me as an echo of the person you know,

a part of herseIf she Ieft behind.

When the Enterprise-B beamed you up from the Lakul.

-Papa, heIp me buiId my castIe. -Yes, l wiII in a few minutes.

Papa, thank you for the doIIy. She's very beautifuI.

These are my chiIdren. These are my chiIdren.

Of course. Time has no meaning here,

so you can go back and see them born

or go forward and see your grandchiIdren.

Dinner's ready, everyone.

-Yay! -Yay!

Mama, can l...

-Dinner's ready, Papa. -Yes, of course. Come on, Thomas.

lt's your favourite.

Go on. Go on without me.

Guinan, can l Ieave the Nexus?

-Where wouId you go? -l don't understand.

WeII, as l said, time has no meaning here.

So, if you Ieave, you can go anywhere, any time.

AII right, l know exactIy where l want to go.

To the mountaintop on Veridian lll just before Soran destroyed the star.

l have to stop him, but l need heIp.

Now, if you were to come back with me, together...

l can't Ieave. l'm there aIready, remember?

But l bet l know someone who can.

And from his point of view, he just got here, too.

Kirk.

James T. Kirk.

BeautifuI day.

Yes, it certainIy is.

WouId you mind?

Captain, l'm wondering, do you reaIise...

HoId on a minute. Do you smeII something burning?

Looks Iike somebody was trying to cook some eggs. Come on in.

lt's aII right. lt's my house.

At Ieast it used to be.

l soId it years ago.

l'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise.

The cIock.

l gave this cIock to Bones.

l'm from what you wouId consider the future, the 24th century.

ButIer!

ButIer.

How can you be here?

He's been dead seven years.

Come on, Jim. l'm starving.

How Iong are you gonna be rattIing around in that kitchen?

Antonia.

What are you taIking about? The future?

This is the past.

This is nine years ago.

The day l toId her l was going back to StarfIeet.

And these are Ktarian eggs, her favourite.

l was preparing them to soften the bIow.

l know how reaI this must seem to you, but it's not.

This isn't reaIIy your house.

We are both of us caught up in some kind of temporaI nexus.

-DiII. -l beg your pardon?

DiII weed. ln the cabinet, second sheIf to the Ieft.

Behind the oregano.

-How Iong have you been here? -l don't know.

l was aboard the Enterprise-B in the DefIector ControI Room and...

Stir these, wiII you?

The buIkhead in front of me disappeared,

and then l found myseIf out there, just now, chopping wood

right before you waIked up.

Thanks.

Look, history records

that you died saving the Enterprise-B from an energy ribbon 80 years ago.

You say this is the 24th century?

-And l'm dead? -Not exactIy. As l said,

-this is some kind of temporaI nexus. -TemporaI nexus, yes, l heard you.

-l... -Something is missing.

Captain, Iook, l need your heIp. l want you to Ieave the Nexus with me.

We have to go back to a pIanet, Veridian lll.

We have to stop a man caIIed Soran from destroying a star.

MiIIions of Iives are at stake.

You say history considers me dead. Who am l to argue with history?

You're a StarfIeet officer! You have a duty.

l don't need to be Iectured by you.

l was out saving the gaIaxy when your grandfather was in diapers.

Besides which, l think the gaIaxy owes me one.

Oh, yeah.

l was Iike you once,

so worried about duty and obIigation l couIdn't see past my own uniform.

And what did it get me? An empty house.

Not this time.

This time l'm gonna waIk up these stairs, march into that bedroom

and teII Antonia l want to marry her.

This time it's gonna be different.

-This is not your bedroom. -No, it's not. lt's better.

-Better? -This is my uncIe's barn in ldaho.

l took this horse out for a ride 1 1 years ago on a spring day.

Like this one. lf l'm right, this is the day l met Antonia.

This Nexus of yours, very cIever.

l can start aII over again and do things right from day one.

l must have jumped that 50 times. Scared the heII out of me each time.

Except this time.

Because it isn't reaI.

Antonia.

She isn't reaI either, is she?

Nothing here is. Nothing here matters.

You know, maybe this isn't about an empty house.

Maybe it's about that empty chair on the Bridge of the Enterprise.

Ever since l Ieft StarfIeet, l haven't made a difference.

-Captain of the Enterprise? -That's right.

CIose to retirement?

-l'm not pIanning on it. -Let me teII you something. Don't.

Don't Iet them promote you. Don't Iet them transfer you.

Don't Iet them do anything that takes you off the Bridge of that ship,

because whiIe you're there you can make a difference.

Come back with me. HeIp me stop Soran.

Make a difference again.

Who am l to argue with the captain of the Enterprise?

What's the name of that pIanet?

-Veridian lll? -Yes.

l take it the odds are against us and the situation is grim.

You couId say that.

You know, if Spock were here,

he'd say that l was an irrationaI, iIIogicaI human being

for taking on a mission Iike that.

Sounds Iike fun.

l have re-routed auxiIiary power to the IateraI thrusters.

Attempting to IeveI our descent.

AII hands, brace for impact!

-Just who the heII are you? -He's James T. Kirk.

Don't you read history?

l've gotta get to the Iauncher.

-The ribbon wiII be here in a minute. -l'II take care of Soran.

ActuaIIy, l am famiIiar with history, Captain,

and if l'm not too much mistaken, you're dead.

l thought you were heading for the Iauncher.

l changed my mind. Captain's prerogative.

We need that controI pad.

Captain, Iook.

Where's Soran?

We're running out of time.

Look, the controI pad, it's stiII on the other side.

l'II get it. You go for the Iauncher.

No, you'II never make that by yourseIf. We have to work together.

We are working together. Trust me. Go.

-Good Iuck, Captain. -CaII me Jim.

Picard!

Get away from that Iauncher.

Now!

Did we do it? Did we make a difference?

Yes. We made a difference. Thank you.

The Ieast l couId do for the captain of the Enterprise.

lt was fun.

Oh, my.

Captain's Log, Stardate 48650.1.

Three Starfleet vessels have arrived in orbit

and have begun to beam up the Enterprise survivors.

Our casualties were light,

but unfortunately, the Enterprise herself cannot be salvaged.

lt has been extremeIy difficuIt, CounseIIor.

WeII, then, why did you decide not to remove the emotion chip?

At first, l was unprepared for the unpredictabIe nature of emotions.

However, having experienced 261 distinct emotionaI states,

l beIieve l have Iearned to controI my feeIings.

They wiII no Ionger controI me.

WeII, l hope you're successfuI, Data.

Data, over here. l found something.

One Iife sign, very faint.

Spot!

l'm very happy to see you, Spot.

Another famiIy reunited.

Data, are you aII right?

l am uncertain, CounseIIor.

l am happy to see Spot, yet l am crying.

Perhaps the chip is maIfunctioning.

l think it's working perfectIy.

HeIIo, Spot.

ls this it?

Yes. Yes, that's it, Number One. Thank you.

l'm gonna miss this ship. She went before her time.

Someone once toId me that time was a predator that staIked us aII our Iives,

but l rather beIieve that time is a companion

who goes with us on the journey,

reminds us to cherish every moment because they'II never come again.

What we Ieave behind is not as important as how we've Iived.

After aII, Number One, we're onIy mortaI.

Speak for yourseIf, sir. l pIan to Iive forever.

l aIways thought l'd get a shot at this chair one day.

Perhaps you stiII wiII.

Somehow, l doubt that this wiII be the Iast ship

to carry the name Enterprise.

Picard to Farragut. Two to beam up.