Cause and Effect (Star Trek: The Next Generation) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cause and Effect Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Episode no. Season 5 Episode 18 Directed by Jonathan Frakes Written by Brannon Braga Featured music Dennis McCarthy Production code 218 Original air date March 23, 1992 Guest actors Kelsey Grammer - Morgan Bateson Michelle Forbes - Ro Laren Patti Yasutake - Alyssa Ogawa Episode chronology ← Previous The Outcast Next → The First Duty List of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes Cause and Effect is the 118th episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 18th episode of the fifth season. Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 References 4 See also 5 External links Plot During the opening sequence, The Enterprise-D is shown severely damaged, then exploding, killing the entire crew. The scene then cuts to Data, Worf and other senior crew playing poker. The crew are summoned to the bridge, where a space-time anomaly has been detected. As the Enterprise approaches the anomaly, another Starfleet vessel suddenly emerges on a collision course with the ship. Helm control is unresponsive, so both Data and Riker suggest different methods to avoid contact. Picard chooses Datas method, but it is unsuccessful, and the unidentified ship strikes one of Enterprises nacelles, causing a chain reaction which destroys the ship. Abruptly the scene shifts, and all the crew and the ship are alive and well - with the senior officers once again playing cards. After several iterations of the Enterprises destruction the crew begin to suspect that they are caught in a time loop, experiencing the same sequence of events over and over again. As each loop proceeds, various crew begin to experience feelings of déjà vu; Dr. Beverly Crusher hears numerous conversations before going to bed, and during one cycle, manages to capture the voices on a tricorder, and in the oft-repeated card game all the players correctly predict the cards as dealt by Data. Analysis reveals that the voices are Enterprise crewmembers during the hours before the destruction of the ship, with Picard identified as yelling all hands abandon ship! Geordi theorizes that the time loop is caused by the initial collision. Every time they collide again, they have feelings of déjà vu. Dekyon field distortions near the space-time anomaly, are perceived by Beverly, and although they cannot prevent their own coming destruction, Datas positronic brain can be used to send an intentional feeling of déjà vu to his next iteration where it may be of some use. Data sends the signal seconds before the ship is destroyed again. On the next iteration, the crew still experiences déjà vu, but actions performed by Data, such as dealing the poker cards, instead reveal the number three, going against their expectations. They draw the same conclusions from the previous iteration, but are unable to establish the significance of the numbers frequent appearance. The Enterprise arrives at the anomaly, and as the other ship emerges, both Data and Riker again suggest alternate plans to avoid a collision. Though Picard opts for Datas plan as before, Data realizes that the three message was in reference to the number of insignia pips worn by Riker, and initiates his plan instead. The Enterprise is able to avoid being struck and thus the time loop is broken. The crew discovers they have been stuck in the loop for 17 days, while the ship they narrowly avoided, the USS Bozeman, has been missing for 90 years. The Enterprise welcomes the Bozeman to the 24th century at the end of the episode. Production The production team had hoped to get Kirstie Alley in a cameo role behind Kelsey Grammer in the USS Bozeman shots, reprising her role as Lt. Saavik from the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but could not do so due to scheduling difficulties.[1] References Nemecek, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 03:37:59 +0000
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