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''Enterprise'' crew members report that they go to sleep but wake up exhausted; a mysterious subspace pocket forms inside a cargo bay.
 
''Enterprise'' crew members report that they go to sleep but wake up exhausted; a mysterious subspace pocket forms inside a cargo bay.
   
==Teaser==
+
==Summary==
  +
===Teaser===
 
:"''[[Captain's log]], [[stardate]] 46154.2. The {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} has entered the [[Amargosa Diaspora]], an unusually dense [[globular cluster]]. We are faced with the daunting task of charting this vast region.''"
 
:"''[[Captain's log]], [[stardate]] 46154.2. The {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} has entered the [[Amargosa Diaspora]], an unusually dense [[globular cluster]]. We are faced with the daunting task of charting this vast region.''"
   
[[William T. Riker]] is having trouble sleeping. He is late to his shift, as [[Geordi La Forge]] tells him how he is attempting to speed up the process. He just listens, and struggles to pay attention.
+
[[William T. Riker]] is having trouble sleeping. He is late to his shift, as [[Geordi La Forge]] tells him how he is attempting to speed up the process of charting the immense globular cluster. He just listens, and struggles to pay attention. [[Data]] asks Riker if he will be attending his poetry reading in [[Ten Forward]]. Riker tiredly tells him he "''wouldn't miss it for the world.''"
   
Later that afternoon, [[Data]] reads some of his poetry. The rhyme and meter are perfect, but there is no emotional content to it. Riker is very obviously tired, falling asleep twice.
+
Later that afternoon, Data reads some of his poetry. The rhyme and meter are perfect, but there is no emotional content to it. Riker is very obviously tired, falling asleep twice while Data recites "[[Ode to Spot]]".
   
 
===Act One===
 
===Act One===
Riker talks to [[Doctor]] [[Beverly Crusher|Crusher]], and explains how he has been on edge all day, and almost swatting away her scanning device on the [[medical tricorder]]. She finds nothing wrong with him, and suggests a warm [[milk toddy]].
+
Riker talks to [[Doctor]] [[Beverly Crusher|Crusher]], and explains how he has been on edge all day, and almost swatting away her scanning device on the [[medical tricorder]]. She finds nothing wrong with him, and suggests a warm [[milk toddy]], a recipe from [[Captain]] [[Jean-Luc Picard|Picard]]'s [[Aunt]] [[Adele]].
   
La Forge gets the [[sensor array]] working, but there is a [[power grid]] overload in [[Cargo Bay]] 4, the location where they were routing power to amplify the [[sensor]]s. When the damage control teams arrive, they find nothing but people working. La Forge concludes that it was a glitch in the [[internal sensors]].
+
La Forge gets the [[sensor array]] working, but there is a [[power grid]] overload in [[Cargo Bay]] 4, the location where they were routing power to amplify the [[sensor]]s. When the damage control and medical teams arrive, they find nothing but people working. La Forge concludes that it was a glitch in the [[internal sensors]].
   
 
That evening Riker asks La Forge to stop by his quarters in the morning, since he's having trouble waking up. After drinking a warm milk toddy, he lies down in his bed and quickly drifts to sleep. What seems to be moments later, he is awoken by La Forge stopping at his quarters to wake him the following morning, as asked. Despite the fact that Riker says he just went to bed, La Forge assures to him that it is actually morning, leaving Riker, not only exhausted, but completely puzzled.
 
That evening Riker asks La Forge to stop by his quarters in the morning, since he's having trouble waking up. After drinking a warm milk toddy, he lies down in his bed and quickly drifts to sleep. What seems to be moments later, he is awoken by La Forge stopping at his quarters to wake him the following morning, as asked. Despite the fact that Riker says he just went to bed, La Forge assures to him that it is actually morning, leaving Riker, not only exhausted, but completely puzzled.
   
 
===Act Two===
 
===Act Two===
While [[Worf]] is getting a haircut, the way the [[barber]]'s [[scissors]] come at his face causes him to react strongly, but clearly he doesn't know exactly why.
+
While [[Worf]] is getting a haircut from [[Mot]], the way the [[barber]]'s [[scissors]] come at his face causes him to react strongly, but clearly he doesn't know exactly why.
   
La Forge is trying to diagnose the sensor problem back in the cargo bay. He can't find it, so at Riker's suggestion, he just disables the modifications. As he is about to run a structural integrity scan, his [[VISOR]] cuts out, making him dizzy. After another strange feeling, he goes to [[sickbay]], leaving Data to continue the diagnosis.
+
La Forge is trying to diagnose the sensor problem back in the cargo bay. He can't find it, so at Riker's suggestion, he just disables the modifications. As he is about to run a structural integrity scan, his [[VISOR]] cuts out, making him [[dizziness|dizzy]]. After another strange feeling, he goes to [[sickbay]], leaving Data to continue the diagnosis.
   
 
Doctor Crusher finds that there is a [[bacteria]]l infection around La Forge's [[neural implant]]s, interrupting the data stream, but it doesn't match anything in the medical database. She runs an additional scan to check that there are no other signs of infection.
 
Doctor Crusher finds that there is a [[bacteria]]l infection around La Forge's [[neural implant]]s, interrupting the data stream, but it doesn't match anything in the medical database. She runs an additional scan to check that there are no other signs of infection.
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When La Forge returns, Data indicates he thought La Forge just left. He finds his [[internal chronometer]] off by more than ninety minutes. La Forge decides to have the cargo bay examined; his VISOR, a sensor glitch, and now Data's chronometer are not a coincidence.
 
When La Forge returns, Data indicates he thought La Forge just left. He finds his [[internal chronometer]] off by more than ninety minutes. La Forge decides to have the cargo bay examined; his VISOR, a sensor glitch, and now Data's chronometer are not a coincidence.
   
On the [[bridge]], Riker is about to make a course correction for an [[ensign]], when he suddenly has an odd reaction to the console. He gets out of the chair, resumes his seat, and decides that [[astrometrics]] won't get their better angle.
+
On the [[bridge]], Riker is about to teach [[Ensign]] [[Sariel Rager|Rager]] how to compensate for gravimetric interference for a course correction, when he sits down at the conn and suddenly has an odd reaction to the console. He gets out of the chair and resumes his seat, apparently deciding that [[Stellar cartography department|Stellar cartography]] won't get their better angle.
   
 
Later, La Forge and Data detect a subspace particle emission within Cargo Bay 4.
 
Later, La Forge and Data detect a subspace particle emission within Cargo Bay 4.
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They examine it, and conclude that this is a [[subspace rift]], and on the other side is something that is so deep into [[subspace]] it shouldn't exist in this universe.
 
They examine it, and conclude that this is a [[subspace rift]], and on the other side is something that is so deep into [[subspace]] it shouldn't exist in this universe.
   
Riker explains to [[Counselor]] [[Deanna Troi]] that he suddenly felt trapped sitting in front of the console on the bridge, and she tells him he is the third person to mention having a fear response provoked by an object. When she gets everyone together, including Worf and La Forge, they all start to realize they are remembering the same thing. They all begin to describe a vague, but consistent, picture.
+
Riker explains to [[Counselor]] [[Deanna Troi]] in Ten Forward that he suddenly felt trapped sitting in front of the conn console on the bridge, and she tells him he is the third person to mention having a fear response provoked by an object. When she gets everyone together in the [[observation lounge]], including Worf, La Forge, and [[Kaminer]], they all start to realize they are remembering the same thing. They all begin to describe a vague, but consistent, picture.
   
They all go into the [[holodeck]], and begin to reconstruct it. Everything was dark, there were clicking sounds. They were laying on a table, with a bright light above it. There was something scissor-like on the end of a swing arm hanging above them. As the pieces are physically created by the holodeck, their memory is jogged.
+
On Riker's suggestion, they all go into the [[holodeck]], and begin to reconstruct it. Everything was dark, there were clicking sounds. They were laying on an inclined table restrained at the chest, with a bright light above it. There was something scissor-like on the end of a swing arm hanging above them. As the pieces are physically created by the holodeck, their memory is jogged.
   
 
In a few moments they complete the scene; they have reconstructed a medical table equipped for experiments. They all conclude that they have been in that room before.
 
In a few moments they complete the scene; they have reconstructed a medical table equipped for experiments. They all conclude that they have been in that room before.
   
 
===Act Four===
 
===Act Four===
Data, after completing his self-diagnostic, concludes he was not aboard the ''Enterprise'' for the lost time in the cargo bay. When [[Captain]] [[Jean-Luc Picard]] asks the computer if anyone is missing, it identifies two crewmen who have been gone almost since 2300 hours. He decides to locate the source of the [[tetryon]] emissions to find the missing crew members.
+
Data, after completing his self-diagnostic, concludes he was not aboard the ''Enterprise'' for the lost time in the cargo bay. When Captain Picard asks the computer if anyone is missing, it identifies [[Lieutenant|Lt.]] [[Edward Hagler|Hagler]] and Ensign Rager, who have been gone almost since 2300 hours. He decides to locate the source of the [[tetryon]] emissions to find the missing crew members.
   
 
When the crew members who remembered the table are examined by the doctor, she finds strange things, such as Riker's arm having been surgically removed and then reattached, almost invisibly.
 
When the crew members who remembered the table are examined by the doctor, she finds strange things, such as Riker's arm having been surgically removed and then reattached, almost invisibly.
   
La Forge's analysis of the cargo bay soon finds the tetryon emissions have intensified and coalesced, the beginning of a [[spatial rupture]]. They decide to put a [[subspace containment field]] around it in case it expands.
+
La Forge's analysis of the cargo bay soon finds the tetryon emissions have intensified and coalesced, the beginning of a [[spatial rupture]]. They decide to put a [[subspace containment field]] around it in case it expands. The ''Enterprise''{{'}}s [[internal sensor]]s have not picked up anything unusual other than the rupture in cargo bay four. Picard orders that a [[metallurgical analysis]] be conducted on the ship's hull, as he believes subspace field incursions may have left a trace.
   
[[Lieutenant|Lt.]] [[Edward Hagler|Hagler]] returns to the ''Enterprise'' shortly after that. When Dr. Crusher examines him, she finds his [[blood]] turning into a [[liquid polymer]]. Commander Riker later states that Lt. Hagler has died.
+
Just then, Worf reports that Lieutenant Hagler has been returned to the ''Enterprise''. When Dr. Crusher comes rushing to his quarters, she finds his [[blood]] turning into a [[liquid polymer]]. She calls for a [[plasma infusion unit]] to deck seven.
   
At the next staff meeting, La Forge tells them that the subspace containment field isn't working. There is no way to [[beam]] the affected sections into space. La Forge also explains that the only way to close the rupture is with a coherent graviton pulse, but that has to be done at the source, and finding the specific subspace domain where the abducting aliens dwell within the infinite number of domains which exist is almost impossible.
+
At the next staff meeting in the observation lounge, La Forge tells them that the subspace containment field isn't working. There is no way to [[beam]] the affected sections into space since the transporter cannot get a positive lock on the affected sections due to severe nucleonic interference. La Forge also explains that the only way to close the rupture is with a coherent graviton pulse, but that has to be done at the source, and finding the specific tertiary subspace manifold where the abducting aliens dwell within the infinite number of domains which exist is almost impossible.
   
Worf suggests a homing device, allowing them to track it when someone is taken. Riker volunteers to carry it, noting that he has been taken every night. The captain also asks Dr. Crusher if she can counteract the effects of the sedative the aliens have been administering. She gives Riker a [[neuro-stimulant]].
+
Worf suggests creating a homing device, allowing them to track it when someone is taken. Riker volunteers to carry it, noting that he has been taken every night. The captain also asks Dr. Crusher if she can counteract the effects of the sedative the aliens have been administering. She gives Riker a [[neuro-stimulant]]. La Forge gives him a [[tricorder]] that's locked into a continuous cycle to record what they can of the subspace domain, and a modified [[sensor relay emitter]] to transmit a subspace beacon.
   
Riker is laying in his bed, waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly, a bright rift appears in his quarters and he is levitated and pulled through it. Worf informs Picard that Riker is no longer on board the ''Enterprise''.
+
Riker is laying in his bed wearing his uniform with his mission equipment and armed with a [[phaser]], waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly, a bright rift appears in his quarters and he is levitated and pulled through it. Worf informs Picard that Riker is no longer on board the ''Enterprise''.
   
 
===Act Five===
 
===Act Five===
 
[[File:Solanogen-based lifeform.jpg|thumb|One of the solanogen-based lifeforms]]
 
[[File:Solanogen-based lifeform.jpg|thumb|One of the solanogen-based lifeforms]]
Riker finds himself on an examination table in a room with hooded aliens who appear to be busy with other tasks. The missing Ensign [[Sariel Rager|Rager]] is unconscious on a similar table nearby. La Forge has trouble finding Riker in subspace, but locks onto him as the rupture in the cargo bay continues to widen.
+
Riker finds himself on an examination table in a room with hooded aliens who appear to be busy with other tasks. The clicking sounds is revealed to be their language. The missing Ensign Rager is unconscious on a similar table nearby. Riker looks around at what he can, feigning unconsciousness whenever they come by to work with him. La Forge has trouble finding Riker in subspace but eventually locks onto him, located at a subspace energy level of 16.2 [[keV]] as the rupture in the cargo bay continues to widen.
   
 
When the field then fluctuates, the crew on the ''Enterprise'' are forced to begin the graviton pulse. The aliens attempt to counteract it, La Forge starts adding a random shift to the frequency, but it doesn't work. He is forced to channel all of the graviton energy into a single burst, which does work.
 
When the field then fluctuates, the crew on the ''Enterprise'' are forced to begin the graviton pulse. The aliens attempt to counteract it, La Forge starts adding a random shift to the frequency, but it doesn't work. He is forced to channel all of the graviton energy into a single burst, which does work.
   
As the aliens are concentrating on keeping the rift open, Riker frees himself from the table, grabs Ensign Rager, and jumps through the rift moments before it collapses, shooting one of the aliens who attempts to interfere. Just as the rift finally collapses, the aliens are able to send something unknown through, which passes through the hull and out into space.
+
As the aliens are concentrating on keeping the rift open, Riker frees himself from the table, grabs Rager, and jumps through the rift moments before it collapses, shooting one of the aliens who attempts to interfere. Just as the rift finally collapses, the aliens are able to send something unknown through, which passes through the hull and out into space.
   
 
:"''Captain's log, stardate 46191.2. The tetryon emissions in Cargo Bay 4 have ceased, and there have been no further indications of alien intrusions. All ''Enterprise'' crew members are safe and accounted for, but we are still left with some unanswered questions.''"
 
:"''Captain's log, stardate 46191.2. The tetryon emissions in Cargo Bay 4 have ceased, and there have been no further indications of alien intrusions. All ''Enterprise'' crew members are safe and accounted for, but we are still left with some unanswered questions.''"
   
Data and La Forge examine the [[tricorder]] readings and conclude that these [[solanogen-based lifeform]]s had created a pocket of "normal" universe within their subspatial domain, allowing them to examine and experiment on their victims taken from the ''Enterprise''. They'd been attempting to establish a pocket of their subspace realm inside the ship's cargo bay. La Forge hypothesizes that they discovered the ship due to his modified sensor signal. Captain Picard decides that [[Starfleet]] will be notified not to perform that modification on other vessels in the future. The alien intent behind the abduction and experimentation was unclear, and there is some discussion of whether or not the energy sent through the rift was a probe of some sort. Noting the death and experimentation, Riker believes that the motivation behind them was beyond mere curiosity.
+
Data and La Forge examine the tricorder readings and conclude that these [[solanogen-based lifeform]]s had created a pocket of "normal" universe within their subspatial domain, allowing them to examine and experiment on their victims taken from the ''Enterprise''. They'd been attempting to establish a pocket of their subspace realm inside the ship's cargo bay. La Forge hypothesizes that they discovered the ship due to his modified sensor signal. Captain Picard decides that [[Starfleet]] will be notified not to perform such a modification on other vessels in the future. The alien intent behind the abduction and experimentation was unclear, and there is some discussion of whether or not the energy sent through the rift was a probe of some sort. Noting the [[death]] of Hagler and the experimentation on the various crew members, Riker believes that the motivation behind them was beyond mere curiosity.
   
 
==Memorable Quotes==
 
==Memorable Quotes==
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* This is the final appearance of the [[Bolian]] barber [[Mot]] (although Picard would later masquerade as Mot in {{e|Starship Mine}}), as well as [[conn officer]] [[Sariel Rager]].
 
* This is the final appearance of the [[Bolian]] barber [[Mot]] (although Picard would later masquerade as Mot in {{e|Starship Mine}}), as well as [[conn officer]] [[Sariel Rager]].
 
* The versatility of the main [[biobed]] in [[sickbay]] is seen in this episode. Riker is seen putting his arm on top of a retractable transparent scanner sheet while sitting on the bed. A scan of his forearm is then seen on a [[viewscreen]], showing that it was severed by the aliens.
 
* The versatility of the main [[biobed]] in [[sickbay]] is seen in this episode. Riker is seen putting his arm on top of a retractable transparent scanner sheet while sitting on the bed. A scan of his forearm is then seen on a [[viewscreen]], showing that it was severed by the aliens.
  +
* Picard's [[Aunt]] [[Adele]] was previously mentioned in {{TNG|Ensign Ro}} and {{e|Cause and Effect}}. In "Ensign Ro", Picard gave [[Admiral]] [[Kennelly]] her cure for the [[common cold]]; [[ginger tea]] with [[honey]]. In "Cause and Effect", he gave Crusher her recipe for steamed [[milk]] with [[nutmeg]] when she had trouble sleeping. Here, Crusher gives Riker her recipe for warm [[milk toddy]].
  +
* This episode is the only time in the series [[William T. Riker|Riker]] takes the conn of the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}}, albeit briefly. The next time he would pilot the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)|''Enterprise'']] would be in {{film|9}}.
 
* The poem "Ode to Spot" later appeared in {{e|A Fistful of Datas}}.
 
* The poem "Ode to Spot" later appeared in {{e|A Fistful of Datas}}.
 
* The wall decoration at the barbershop was previously seen in [[Proconsul]] [[Neral]]'s office in the [[TNG Season 5|fifth season]] episodes {{e|Unification I}} and {{e|Unification II}}. It later appears in the reception area at [[Arkaria Base]] in the episode {{e|Starship Mine}} and in the [[observation lounge]] of the ''Enterprise''-D in the [[TNG Season 7|seventh season]] episode {{e|Parallels}}.
 
* The wall decoration at the barbershop was previously seen in [[Proconsul]] [[Neral]]'s office in the [[TNG Season 5|fifth season]] episodes {{e|Unification I}} and {{e|Unification II}}. It later appears in the reception area at [[Arkaria Base]] in the episode {{e|Starship Mine}} and in the [[observation lounge]] of the ''Enterprise''-D in the [[TNG Season 7|seventh season]] episode {{e|Parallels}}.
  +
* In a continuity error, the Captain's final log entry for this mission (46191.2) Picard states "All ''Enterprise'' Crew members are safe and accounted for..." yet in the final scene Riker states "Ensign [[Sariel_Rager|Rager]] and I were lucky to have escaped. Lieutenant [[Edward Hagler|Hagler]]'s dead."
  +
* In another continuity error, Riker's [http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Type_2_phaser phaser] is dropped onto the floor of the alien medical chamber while carrying Rager and making his escape, yet when he is shown in the cargo bay immediately after, his phaser is still in its holster.
   
 
=== Reception ===
 
=== Reception ===
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* [[Holiday Freeman]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Female command division officer|command division officer]]
 
* [[Holiday Freeman]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Female command division officer|command division officer]]
 
* [[Grace Harrell]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Female operations officer|operations division officer]]
 
* [[Grace Harrell]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Female operations officer|operations division officer]]
  +
* [[Hawthorne]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) sciences division personnel#Female science division officer (2367)|science division officer]]
 
* [[Kerry Hoyt]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Relief tactical ensign (2369-2371)|operations division ensign]]
 
* [[Kerry Hoyt]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Relief tactical ensign (2369-2371)|operations division ensign]]
  +
* [[Hunt]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Operations division officer|operations division officer]]
  +
* [[Gary Hunter]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) sciences division personnel#Male science division officer|science division officer]]
  +
* [[Kai (actress)|Kai]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) sciences division personnel#Female medical officer (2367)|science division officer]]
 
* [[Arvo Katajisto]] as [[Torigan]]
 
* [[Arvo Katajisto]] as [[Torigan]]
 
* [[Ron Large]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Command division officer in Ten Forward (2368)|command division officer]]
 
* [[Ron Large]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Command division officer in Ten Forward (2368)|command division officer]]
 
* [[Mark Lentry]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) sciences division personnel#Candlelight lieutenant|civilian]]
 
* [[Mark Lentry]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) sciences division personnel#Candlelight lieutenant|civilian]]
 
* [[Debbie Marsh]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Female bridge command officer (2366)|command division ensign]]
 
* [[Debbie Marsh]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Female bridge command officer (2366)|command division ensign]]
  +
* [[Brandy Pickett]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) sciences division personnel#Female science division officer (2367-2369)|science division officer]]
 
* [[Victor Sein]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Command division officer|technician]]
 
* [[Victor Sein]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Command division officer|technician]]
 
* [[Noriko Suzuki]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Female engineer|operations division ensign]]
 
* [[Noriko Suzuki]] as [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Female engineer|operations division ensign]]
  +
* [[Talbot]] as [[Ten Forward personnel#Ten Forward waitress|Ten Forward waitress]]
 
* [[Unknown performers]] as
 
* [[Unknown performers]] as
  +
** [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel#Ten Forward civilian (2369)|Female civilian]]
  +
** [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) command division personnel#Poetry reading attendee|Female command division ensign]]
 
** [[Solanogen-based lifeforms#Encountered individuals|Four solanogen-based lifeforms]]
 
** [[Solanogen-based lifeforms#Encountered individuals|Four solanogen-based lifeforms]]
 
** [[Gordon]]
 
** [[Gordon]]
  +
** [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Lieutenant j.g.|Operations division lieutenant j.g.]]
  +
** [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) sciences division personnel#Poetry reading attendee|Science division officer]]
 
** [[Setti]]
 
** [[Setti]]
 
** [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel#Bridge officer (2369)|Starfleet officer (voice)]]
 
** [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel#Bridge officer (2369)|Starfleet officer (voice)]]
  +
** [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) operations division personnel#Technician in cargo bay|Technician]]
  +
** [[Ten Forward personnel#Ten Forward staff (2369)|Ten Forward waiter]]
   
 
=== Stunt double ===
 
=== Stunt double ===
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=== References ===
 
=== References ===
[[Adele]]; [[Amargosa Diaspora]]; [[amino acid]]; [[anapestic tetrameter]]; [[anti-grav lift]]; [[astrophysics]]; [[auxiliary power]]; [[bacteria]]; [[barbershop]]; [[beard]]; [[blood]]; [[bulkhead]]; [[cargo bay|cargo bay 4]]; [[cat]]; [[graviton pulse|coherent graviton pulse]]; [[conduit]]; [[deflector grid]]; [[diagnostic]]; [[diagnostic team]]; [[dream]]; [[keV]]; [[Electromagnetic radiation|EM signature]]; [[EPS conduit|EPS mains]]; [[EPS|EPS explosion]]; [[FGC-13]]; [[fish]]; [[force field]]; [[globular cluster]]; [[gravimetric disturbance]]; [[gravimetric interference]]; [[graviton]]; [[graviton emitter]]; [[haiku]]; [[hippocampus]]; [[holodeck]]; [[honey]]comb; [[internal chronometer]]; [[internal sensors|internal sensor network]]; [[isolinear chip]]; [[joke]]; [[Jorkemo]]; [[John Keats|Keats, John]]; [[liquid polymer]]; [[medical tricorder]];[[metallurgical analysis]]; [[milk]]; [[muscle]]; [[neural input]]; [[neuro-sedative]]; [[neuro-stimulant]]; [[nucleonic interference]]; "[[Ode to Spot]]"; [[plasma infusion unit]]; [[poetry]]; [[probe]]; [[quasi-molecular flux]]; [[radius (bone)|radius]]; [[REM sleep]]; [[resonance tissue scan]]; [[scissors]]; [[sector]]; [[security alert]]; [[sedative]]; [[self-diagnostic]]; [[sensor array]]; [[sensor relay emitter]]; [[sentience]]; [[serotonin]]; [[servo fluid system]]; [[shore leave]]; [[solanogen]]; [[solanogen-based lifeform]]; [[sonnet]]; [[spatial rupture]]; [[Spot]]; [[Starfleet]]; [[stellar cartography department]]; [[structural integrity]]; [[subspace]]; [[subspace containment field]]; [[subspace field tap]]; [[sunflower]]; [[tertiary subspace manifold]]; [[tetryon]]s; [[tricorder]]; [[ulna]]; [[universe]]; [[visual cortex]]; [[warp field]]; [[warp grid coupler]]; [[warp-power transfer]]
+
[[Adele]]; [[Amargosa Diaspora]]; [[amino acid]]; [[anapestic tetrameter]]; [[anti-grav lift]]; [[astrophysics]]; [[auxiliary power]]; [[bacteria]]; [[barbershop]]; [[beard]]; [[blood]]; [[bulkhead]]; [[cargo bay|cargo bay 4]]; [[cat]]; [[graviton pulse|coherent graviton pulse]]; [[conduit]]; [[deflector grid]]; [[diagnostic]]; [[diagnostic team]]; [[dream]]; [[keV]]; [[Electromagnetic radiation|EM signature]]; [[EPS conduit|EPS mains]]; [[EPS|EPS explosion]]; [[FGC-13]]; [[fish]]; [[force field]]; [[globular cluster]]; [[gravimetric disturbance]]; [[gravimetric interference]]; [[graviton]]; [[graviton emitter]]; [[haiku]]; [[hippocampus]]; [[holodeck]]; [[honey]]comb; [[internal chronometer]]; [[internal sensors|internal sensor network]]; [[isolinear chip]]; [[joke]]; [[Jorkemo]]; [[John Keats|Keats, John]]; [[liquid polymer]]; [[medical tricorder]];[[metallurgical analysis]]; [[milk]]; [[muscle]]; [[neural input]]; [[neuro-sedative]]; [[neuro-stimulant]]; [[nucleonic interference]]; [[Number one]]; "[[Ode to Spot]]"; [[plasma infusion unit]]; [[poetry]]; [[probe]]; [[quasi-molecular flux]]; [[radius (bone)|radius]]; [[REM sleep]]; [[resonance tissue scan]]; [[scissors]]; [[sector]]; [[security alert]]; [[sedative]]; [[self-diagnostic]]; [[sensor array]]; [[sensor ghost]]; [[sensor relay emitter]]; [[sentience]]; [[serotonin]]; [[servo fluid system]]; [[shore leave]]; [[solanogen]]; [[solanogen-based lifeform]]; [[sonnet]]; [[spatial rupture]]; [[Spot]]; [[Starfleet]]; [[stellar cartography department]]; [[structural integrity]]; [[subspace]]; [[subspace containment field]]; [[subspace field tap]]; [[sunflower]]; [[tertiary subspace manifold]]; [[tetryon]]s; [[tricorder]]; [[ulna]]; [[universe]]; [[visual cortex]]; [[warp field]]; [[warp grid coupler]]; [[warp-power transfer]]
   
 
{{TNG nav|season=6|last={{e|Relics}}|next={{e|True Q}}}}
 
{{TNG nav|season=6|last={{e|Relics}}|next={{e|True Q}}}}
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[[Category:TNG episodes]]
   
 
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[[fr:Schisms (épisode)]]
[[ja:TNG:謎の第3次亜空間]]
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[[ja:謎の第3次亜空間(エピソード)]]
 
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[[nl:Schisms]]
 
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[[Category:TNG episodes]]
 

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For the comic series, please see Star Trek: Romulans - Schism.

Enterprise crew members report that they go to sleep but wake up exhausted; a mysterious subspace pocket forms inside a cargo bay.

Summary

Teaser

"Captain's log, stardate 46154.2. The USS Enterprise-D has entered the Amargosa Diaspora, an unusually dense globular cluster. We are faced with the daunting task of charting this vast region."

William T. Riker is having trouble sleeping. He is late to his shift, as Geordi La Forge tells him how he is attempting to speed up the process of charting the immense globular cluster. He just listens, and struggles to pay attention. Data asks Riker if he will be attending his poetry reading in Ten Forward. Riker tiredly tells him he "wouldn't miss it for the world."

Later that afternoon, Data reads some of his poetry. The rhyme and meter are perfect, but there is no emotional content to it. Riker is very obviously tired, falling asleep twice while Data recites "Ode to Spot".

Act One

Riker talks to Doctor Crusher, and explains how he has been on edge all day, and almost swatting away her scanning device on the medical tricorder. She finds nothing wrong with him, and suggests a warm milk toddy, a recipe from Captain Picard's Aunt Adele.

La Forge gets the sensor array working, but there is a power grid overload in Cargo Bay 4, the location where they were routing power to amplify the sensors. When the damage control and medical teams arrive, they find nothing but people working. La Forge concludes that it was a glitch in the internal sensors.

That evening Riker asks La Forge to stop by his quarters in the morning, since he's having trouble waking up. After drinking a warm milk toddy, he lies down in his bed and quickly drifts to sleep. What seems to be moments later, he is awoken by La Forge stopping at his quarters to wake him the following morning, as asked. Despite the fact that Riker says he just went to bed, La Forge assures to him that it is actually morning, leaving Riker, not only exhausted, but completely puzzled.

Act Two

While Worf is getting a haircut from Mot, the way the barber's scissors come at his face causes him to react strongly, but clearly he doesn't know exactly why.

La Forge is trying to diagnose the sensor problem back in the cargo bay. He can't find it, so at Riker's suggestion, he just disables the modifications. As he is about to run a structural integrity scan, his VISOR cuts out, making him dizzy. After another strange feeling, he goes to sickbay, leaving Data to continue the diagnosis.

Doctor Crusher finds that there is a bacterial infection around La Forge's neural implants, interrupting the data stream, but it doesn't match anything in the medical database. She runs an additional scan to check that there are no other signs of infection.

When La Forge returns, Data indicates he thought La Forge just left. He finds his internal chronometer off by more than ninety minutes. La Forge decides to have the cargo bay examined; his VISOR, a sensor glitch, and now Data's chronometer are not a coincidence.

On the bridge, Riker is about to teach Ensign Rager how to compensate for gravimetric interference for a course correction, when he sits down at the conn and suddenly has an odd reaction to the console. He gets out of the chair and resumes his seat, apparently deciding that Stellar cartography won't get their better angle.

Later, La Forge and Data detect a subspace particle emission within Cargo Bay 4.

Act Three

They examine it, and conclude that this is a subspace rift, and on the other side is something that is so deep into subspace it shouldn't exist in this universe.

Riker explains to Counselor Deanna Troi in Ten Forward that he suddenly felt trapped sitting in front of the conn console on the bridge, and she tells him he is the third person to mention having a fear response provoked by an object. When she gets everyone together in the observation lounge, including Worf, La Forge, and Kaminer, they all start to realize they are remembering the same thing. They all begin to describe a vague, but consistent, picture.

On Riker's suggestion, they all go into the holodeck, and begin to reconstruct it. Everything was dark, there were clicking sounds. They were laying on an inclined table restrained at the chest, with a bright light above it. There was something scissor-like on the end of a swing arm hanging above them. As the pieces are physically created by the holodeck, their memory is jogged.

In a few moments they complete the scene; they have reconstructed a medical table equipped for experiments. They all conclude that they have been in that room before.

Act Four

Data, after completing his self-diagnostic, concludes he was not aboard the Enterprise for the lost time in the cargo bay. When Captain Picard asks the computer if anyone is missing, it identifies Lt. Hagler and Ensign Rager, who have been gone almost since 2300 hours. He decides to locate the source of the tetryon emissions to find the missing crew members.

When the crew members who remembered the table are examined by the doctor, she finds strange things, such as Riker's arm having been surgically removed and then reattached, almost invisibly.

La Forge's analysis of the cargo bay soon finds the tetryon emissions have intensified and coalesced, the beginning of a spatial rupture. They decide to put a subspace containment field around it in case it expands. The Enterprise's internal sensors have not picked up anything unusual other than the rupture in cargo bay four. Picard orders that a metallurgical analysis be conducted on the ship's hull, as he believes subspace field incursions may have left a trace.

Just then, Worf reports that Lieutenant Hagler has been returned to the Enterprise. When Dr. Crusher comes rushing to his quarters, she finds his blood turning into a liquid polymer. She calls for a plasma infusion unit to deck seven.

At the next staff meeting in the observation lounge, La Forge tells them that the subspace containment field isn't working. There is no way to beam the affected sections into space since the transporter cannot get a positive lock on the affected sections due to severe nucleonic interference. La Forge also explains that the only way to close the rupture is with a coherent graviton pulse, but that has to be done at the source, and finding the specific tertiary subspace manifold where the abducting aliens dwell within the infinite number of domains which exist is almost impossible.

Worf suggests creating a homing device, allowing them to track it when someone is taken. Riker volunteers to carry it, noting that he has been taken every night. The captain also asks Dr. Crusher if she can counteract the effects of the sedative the aliens have been administering. She gives Riker a neuro-stimulant. La Forge gives him a tricorder that's locked into a continuous cycle to record what they can of the subspace domain, and a modified sensor relay emitter to transmit a subspace beacon.

Riker is laying in his bed wearing his uniform with his mission equipment and armed with a phaser, waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly, a bright rift appears in his quarters and he is levitated and pulled through it. Worf informs Picard that Riker is no longer on board the Enterprise.

Act Five

Solanogen-based lifeform

One of the solanogen-based lifeforms

Riker finds himself on an examination table in a room with hooded aliens who appear to be busy with other tasks. The clicking sounds is revealed to be their language. The missing Ensign Rager is unconscious on a similar table nearby. Riker looks around at what he can, feigning unconsciousness whenever they come by to work with him. La Forge has trouble finding Riker in subspace but eventually locks onto him, located at a subspace energy level of 16.2 keV as the rupture in the cargo bay continues to widen.

When the field then fluctuates, the crew on the Enterprise are forced to begin the graviton pulse. The aliens attempt to counteract it, La Forge starts adding a random shift to the frequency, but it doesn't work. He is forced to channel all of the graviton energy into a single burst, which does work.

As the aliens are concentrating on keeping the rift open, Riker frees himself from the table, grabs Rager, and jumps through the rift moments before it collapses, shooting one of the aliens who attempts to interfere. Just as the rift finally collapses, the aliens are able to send something unknown through, which passes through the hull and out into space.

"Captain's log, stardate 46191.2. The tetryon emissions in Cargo Bay 4 have ceased, and there have been no further indications of alien intrusions. All Enterprise crew members are safe and accounted for, but we are still left with some unanswered questions."

Data and La Forge examine the tricorder readings and conclude that these solanogen-based lifeforms had created a pocket of "normal" universe within their subspatial domain, allowing them to examine and experiment on their victims taken from the Enterprise. They'd been attempting to establish a pocket of their subspace realm inside the ship's cargo bay. La Forge hypothesizes that they discovered the ship due to his modified sensor signal. Captain Picard decides that Starfleet will be notified not to perform such a modification on other vessels in the future. The alien intent behind the abduction and experimentation was unclear, and there is some discussion of whether or not the energy sent through the rift was a probe of some sort. Noting the death of Hagler and the experimentation on the various crew members, Riker believes that the motivation behind them was beyond mere curiosity.

Memorable Quotes

"Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature."

- Data, reciting his poem "Ode to Spot"


"Your hesitation suggests you are trying to protect my feelings. However, since I have none, I would prefer you to be honest."

- Data, asking for feedback on his poetry


"Oh, excuse me."
"I know the feeling."

- La Forge yawns and Riker relates


"It's such a pleasure to cut sometimes I get carried away!"

- Mot after he earlier cut Worf's Klingon hair too short


"Good morning."
"Morning? I just went to bed!"
"Commander, it's 0700 hours."

- La Forge after Riker's abduction by the solanogen-based lifeforms


"I've been in this room before."
"We've all been here before."

- La Forge and Riker


"Whoever it was that sent that thing was more than simply curious..."

- Riker


"Have you dreamed about scissors recently?"

- Troi

Background Information

Story and script

Production

  • Co-producer Wendy Neuss, sound editor Jim Wolvington and supervising sound editor Bill Wistrom were tasked with creating the clicking language for the aliens. Neuss recalled it was among the funniest experiences she had on The Next Generation. She explained, "We had decided what kind of clicks we wanted with Rick [Berman] and Peter [Lauritson] at the spotting session. Then the three of us actually sat there one night and wrote a script in English and then transposed it to 'clicks.' We wanted it to be organic, not synthesized, and we had a cadence to it; we decided where the clicks should be and what kind of feeling they should have. Then we brought in the group [of] people to do it – so in addition to the individual clickers we had group clicking: you see five people clicking, really intently, like the professionals that they are. And I just had to leave the stage – that's when you think, 'I can't believe I'm doing this!'" (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion 2nd ed., p. 221)
  • First UK airdate: 9 August 1995

Continuity

File:Barbershop 2369.jpg

The re-used wall decoration at the barbershop

  • The stellar formations of the Amargosa Diaspora seen at the beginning of the episode turned up again later in the season to represent the Borgolis Nebula.
  • This is the final appearance of the Bolian barber Mot (although Picard would later masquerade as Mot in "Starship Mine"), as well as conn officer Sariel Rager.
  • The versatility of the main biobed in sickbay is seen in this episode. Riker is seen putting his arm on top of a retractable transparent scanner sheet while sitting on the bed. A scan of his forearm is then seen on a viewscreen, showing that it was severed by the aliens.
  • Picard's Aunt Adele was previously mentioned in TNG: "Ensign Ro" and "Cause and Effect". In "Ensign Ro", Picard gave Admiral Kennelly her cure for the common cold; ginger tea with honey. In "Cause and Effect", he gave Crusher her recipe for steamed milk with nutmeg when she had trouble sleeping. Here, Crusher gives Riker her recipe for warm milk toddy.
  • This episode is the only time in the series Riker takes the conn of the USS Enterprise-D, albeit briefly. The next time he would pilot the Enterprise would be in Star Trek: Insurrection.
  • The poem "Ode to Spot" later appeared in "A Fistful of Datas".
  • The wall decoration at the barbershop was previously seen in Proconsul Neral's office in the fifth season episodes "Unification I" and "Unification II". It later appears in the reception area at Arkaria Base in the episode "Starship Mine" and in the observation lounge of the Enterprise-D in the seventh season episode "Parallels".
  • In a continuity error, the Captain's final log entry for this mission (46191.2) Picard states "All Enterprise Crew members are safe and accounted for..." yet in the final scene Riker states "Ensign Rager and I were lucky to have escaped. Lieutenant Hagler's dead."
  • In another continuity error, Riker's phaser is dropped onto the floor of the alien medical chamber while carrying Rager and making his escape, yet when he is shown in the cargo bay immediately after, his phaser is still in its holster.

Reception

  • Director Robert Wiemer, Brannon Braga, and Michael Piller were all disappointed at the look of the aliens, and decided not to bring them back, despite the open ending. Braga stated, "I felt they looked like monks – fish monks – and monks aren't terrifying." (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
  • Braga was additionally displeased with previews for the episode. He stated, "Unfortunately, the trailer also gave everything away, 'Aliens are using the Enterprise crew as human guinea pigs.' They showed everything during the coming attractions the week before, which was really annoying." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 262)
  • Weimer stated that he thought the alien scenes were too "languid" and should have used more cuts to create an off-balance feeling. "There was a story consensus to do lighting control, smoke control, to limit what one saw, but it's always harder to paint with light when you're on the crush of time." (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion 2nd ed., p. 221)

Video and DVD releases

Links and references

Starring

Also starring

Guest stars

Co-stars

Uncredited co-stars

Stunt double

Stand-ins

References

Adele; Amargosa Diaspora; amino acid; anapestic tetrameter; anti-grav lift; astrophysics; auxiliary power; bacteria; barbershop; beard; blood; bulkhead; cargo bay 4; cat; coherent graviton pulse; conduit; deflector grid; diagnostic; diagnostic team; dream; keV; EM signature; EPS mains; EPS explosion; FGC-13; fish; force field; globular cluster; gravimetric disturbance; gravimetric interference; graviton; graviton emitter; haiku; hippocampus; holodeck; honeycomb; internal chronometer; internal sensor network; isolinear chip; joke; Jorkemo; Keats, John; liquid polymer; medical tricorder;metallurgical analysis; milk; muscle; neural input; neuro-sedative; neuro-stimulant; nucleonic interference; Number one; "Ode to Spot"; plasma infusion unit; poetry; probe; quasi-molecular flux; radius; REM sleep; resonance tissue scan; scissors; sector; security alert; sedative; self-diagnostic; sensor array; sensor ghost; sensor relay emitter; sentience; serotonin; servo fluid system; shore leave; solanogen; solanogen-based lifeform; sonnet; spatial rupture; Spot; Starfleet; stellar cartography department; structural integrity; subspace; subspace containment field; subspace field tap; sunflower; tertiary subspace manifold; tetryons; tricorder; ulna; universe; visual cortex; warp field; warp grid coupler; warp-power transfer

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Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 6
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