Template:Realworld Commander Riker fights for his life in sick-bay after he is infected by an alien parasite while on an away-mission. Dr. Pulaski soon discovers that the only way to save Riker's life is to force his mind to relive painful memories. (Season finale)
Summary
The USS Enterprise-D orbits an unexplored planet named Surata IV. An away team of Lieutenant Geordi La Forge and Commander Will Riker are on the surface in an alien swamp, teeming with strange lifeforms. La Forge finds Riker sitting on a log, injured. Something has bitten his leg. La Forge, not taking any chances with alien biology, calls for the transporter.
Transporter Chief O'Brien gets an alert signal from the biofilter in the transporter, as Riker's body has been infected with some type of unidentified microbes. Doctor Pulaski is summoned, as the chief medical officer must authorize any transportation of unfiltered biomaterial.
Dr. Pulaski prepares to use the transporter to beam down to the surface of Surata IV.
Pulaski reluctantly uses the transporter – a rare occasion for her – to beam down and verify if it is safe to bring Riker aboard. She materializes and inspects Riker's wound. He complains of no pain, but of a numbness near the bite. La Forge hasn't had any luck finding what might have infected the wound. Pulaski beams them directly to sickbay.
Two medical orderlies help Riker to the bed. He tries to shrug off their help, but when he takes a step his leg gives out.
Captain Picard records a log entry detailing Riker's predicament. He chides Riker for putting his foot where it didn't belong, but Riker maintains he is just trying to keep the doctors busy. Pulaski informs them that Riker's nervous system is being invaded by a microbe which combines elements of both a virus and a bacteria. She uses a medical scanner to illustrate the microbes bonding themselves to Riker's sciatic nerve and multiplying. They are not damaging his nerves, just preventing them from functioning – and they are progressing towards his brain.
Meanwhile, Picard decides to send La Forge and Lt. Commander Data to the surface to locate the source of the infection. Data protests at risking La Forge for the mission, but, using his android reflexes, prevents his Human friend from being hurt. They find a parasitic thorn which uses all of the vines in the swamp to paralyze animal life. Data records significant fossil remains around the area of the vines, which, judging by their fast motion attacking La Forge, are predatory in nature.
La Forge uses his phaser to cut off one of the vine's thorns.
When La Forge begins to cut off the stinger of one of the vine's thorns with his phaser, the entire swamp begins to move, and the vines close in on the away team. The officers call for emergency beamout just as more vines swing at them.
The thorn sample is delivered to sickbay, and Data reports on the predatory nature of the vines to the captain.
Pulaski is hard at work analyzing the samples and Riker's condition, but is unable to find what characteristic in Human nerves causes the microbes to thrive. Riker is continuing to grow more numb, but acts stoic when Picard expresses regret at Riker's condition. As Counselor Deanna Troi watches unseen, Riker even tries to cheer up the medical technicians with stories. Troi attempts to reach out to her imzadi, but Riker soon falls unconscious. Pulaski attempts to stabilize him, but estimates he will die within an hour.
As a last ditch attempt to save Riker's life, Pulaski puts him into a machine that will artificially stimulate his brain neurons, hopefully keeping them active and resisting the virus. This causes Riker to dream of his past adventures aboard the Enterprise.
Riker relives the death of Lt. Tasha Yar.
At first, Riker's dreams are of reasonably neutral occasions, such as his first meeting with Data (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint"). Soon, his dreams become more pleasurable, perhaps even erotic, including meeting the cheerful young Edo women on Rubicun III (TNG: "Justice"), the matriarch Beata on Angel I (TNG: "Angel One"), and the computer-generated holodeck woman Minuet (TNG: "11001001").
However, while pleasing to Riker's mind, the passionate dreams actually worsen Riker's condition, as the virus feeds on the positive endorphins his brain is creating. Pulaski and Troi therefore agree to try to make the machine evoke negative dreams instead. Riker then experiences such dreams as the death of Lieutenant Natasha Yar and the apparent death of Troi's child (TNG: "Skin of Evil", "The Child").
This has the desired effect, as the negative endorphins drive the bacterio-virus away, but these endorphins are not strong enough. As a last resort, Pulaski uses the machine to evoke dreams of raw, primitive feelings of fear and survival. Riker then begins dreaming of fighting the tar creature Armus (TNG: "Skin of Evil"), the fake Admiral Gregory Quinn (TNG: "Conspiracy"), and the Klingon officer Klag on board the warship Pagh (TNG: "A Matter Of Honor").
Seeing that the raw emotions work best, Pulaski intensifies the neural stimulation, causing Riker's primal dreams to come at a more rapid pace. This treatment finally eradicates the infection, and Riker recovers to his well-adjusted, humorous self.
Log Entries
Memorable Quotes
"I hope these are the right coordinates. Just kidding, Doctor. I know how much you love the transporter."
"About as much as I love comical transporter chiefs."
- - Chief O'Brien and Dr. Pulaski
"My great-grandfather was once bitten by a rattlesnake. After three days of intense pain, the snake died."
- - Riker
"There may be some residual memory loss. I just want to be certain that you still know who you are."
"Of course I know who I am. I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise."
"I'm delighted that you're feeling better. . . Captain. The Admiral and I were worried about you."
"Captain, I do not believe you have the authority to promote me to the rank of Admiral."
- - Dr. Pulaski, Riker, Picard, and Data
Background Information
Clip Show
- This episode is Star Trek's first clip show. This does not count TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I" and "The Menagerie, Part II", which were built only out of segments from TOS: "The Cage". Clips also feature in Act 8 of the DS9 finale, "What You Leave Behind".
- This episode was written to save time and money as a result of the writers' strike of 1988. It was shot in only three days, while most take at least a week. Director Rob Bowman commented, "It was Paramount saying, 'We gave you more money for "Elementary Dear Data" and the Borg show. Now do us a favor and give us a three-day show.' So that's what you do. It's an accepted part of the medium." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)
- Production assistant Eric A. Stillwell was given the task of searching through tapes to come up with scenes representing Riker's memories. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
- Only three sets were used for the episode – the surface of Surata IV, sickbay, and the transporter room.
- Several of the scenes from Riker's flashbacks contain cutaways of locations which are not in Riker's point of view. For example, when the away team evacuates the Klingon ship, Riker's "flashback" contains scenes from the bridge and the transporter room of a ship he was not on.
- This episode is thought to be one of the weakest ever made. Maurice Hurley, who co-wrote the episode, commented, "Piece of shit. It was supposed to be a bottle show. Terrible, just terrible, and a way to save some money. I was on the way out the door." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)
- Ronald D. Moore called it "embarrassing". [1]
Cast and Characters
- This episode marks the final appearance of Diana Muldaur (Dr. Katherine Pulaski) on the series.
- Besides clips from previous episodes, Michael Dorn (Worf) does not appear in this episode.
- Despite its poor reception, this episode is the only episode of The Next Generation to feature virtually all major characters: Picard, Riker, Data, La Forge, Troi, Dr. Crusher, Wesley, Tasha Yar, Dr. Pulaski, O'Brien, and Guinan.
- This is the only episode to feature both Gates McFadden (albeit in stock footage) and Diana Muldaur.
Video and DVD releases
- Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 24, catalogue number VHR 2507, 7 October 1991.
- UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 2.7, catalogue number VHR 4743, 5 July 1999.
- As part of the TNG Season 2 DVD collection.
Links and References
Guest Stars
Uncredited Co-Star
Flashback appearances
- Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher
- Denise Crosby as Natasha Yar
- Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher
- Michael Dorn as Worf
- Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
- Vaughn Armstrong as Korris (TNG: "Heart of Glory")
- Merritt Butrick as T'Jon (TNG: "Symbiosis")
- Richard Lineback as Romas (TNG: "Symbiosis")
- Karen Montgomery as Beata (TNG: "Angel One")
- Tracey Walter as Kayron (TNG: "The Last Outpost")
- Jay Louden as Liator (TNG: "Justice")
- Brenda Bakke as Rivan (TNG: "Justice")
- Brian Thompson as Klag (TNG: "A Matter Of Honor")
- Robert Schenkkan as Dexter Remmick (TNG: "Conspiracy")
- Ray Reinhardt as Aaron (TNG: "Conspiracy")
- Carolyn McCormick as Minuet (TNG: "11001001")
- Abdul Salaam el Razzac as Bass Player hologram(TNG: "11001001")
- Richard Lavin as warrior in Riva's chorus (TNG: "Loud As A Whisper")
- Tim McCormack as Bennett (TNG: "Skin of Evil")
References
autonomic nervous system; bacteria; biofilter; brain; endorphin; exobiology; fossil; imzadi; nervous system; neurons; probability mechanics; rattlesnake; REM sleep; sciatic nerve; Surata IV; Surata system; Surata microbes; tricordrazine; virus
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