star trek next generation paxans

Search this site

Star Trek: The Next Generation

“Clues”

Air date: 2/11/1991 Teleplay by Bruce D. Arthurs and Joe Menosky Story by Bruce D. Arthurs Directed by Les Landau

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

"Clues" is one of those bottle shows that works better the first time you see it. It's intriguing when you don't know what's going to happen. But it loses something the next time through. As mysteries go, "Clues" holds the attention reasonably for an hour. The questions are: What happened, and do we dare try to repeat history when we have no memory of the consequences?

As they approach a planet, the Enterprise crew is unexpectedly rendered unconscious. Upon awakening, Data, unaffected, says the crew has been out for 30 seconds. Gradually, however, clues are discovered that Data is probably lying, that the crew was unconscious for much longer, and that something serious happened that no one can remember.

What works best about this story is its pace. It's a slow burn that gradually reveals peculiar clues hinting at an inevitable truth: Data is covering something up. The evidence — from Crusher's botany experiment to Worf's broken wrist to Troi's freak-out in the mirror — all paints an odd picture surrounding the original mystery of the planet the crew never reached before blacking out. My favorite dialog scene is between Picard and Data, where a frustrated Picard grills Data on the facts and Data simply says that he cannot answer. (When Data stonewalls, he's never anything but calm, polite, and matter-of-fact; he can't answer simply because ... well, he can't .)

What doesn't quite work is the explanation for this whole charade. A group of isolationist aliens wiped the crew's memory because they didn't want to be found. Except Data's memory could not be wiped, so Picard swore Data to secrecy rather than allowing the aliens to destroy the Enterprise . But it didn't work and now we need a second chance, this time leaving no clues. I'm not sure how you leave no clues on a ship with 1,000 people.

The episode, which opened with Picard on the holodeck trying to solve a Dixon Hill murder, does not take the subtle road regarding its message, which is that we cannot resist a good mystery. One wonders if Picard's holodeck games and his speech at the end are both necessary. Show, don't tell.

Previous episode: Devil's Due Next episode: First Contact

Like this site? Support it by buying Jammer a coffee .

◄ Season Index

Comment Section

83 comments on this post, david forrest.

I agree with most of your reviews here and the were great to read. You had some pretty good one-liners, especially the one for "Devil's Due" in that you don't mess with the Enterprise. Two episodes that I enjoyed much more than you did are "Final Mission" and "Clues". The former I thought would easily garner three stars, maybe 3.5 as it was a nice conclusion to the arc of Wesley in that he truly respects Picard, and almost looks at him as a father-figure. As for "Clues"---I love that episode. It's one of my favorite episodes and I would easily give it four stars. I thought it was wonderfully acted and written in the way they constructed the story. They were isolationist aliens and I thought it was a reasonable solution to their problem in that they didn't want anyone to know of their existence.

Yay! TNG reviews! I'm a long-time lurker on your site, Jammer. All the way back to when Voyager was still airing, and I've always very much enjoyed your commentary. I also really enjoyed "Clues." It may not have the same impact on second viewing but it remains an engaging episode. The fourth season overall is first-rate TV. I never noticed the running theme of family in it until I read your reviews. I look forward to more.

Toph In Blacksburg

Good to see the first batch of 4th season reviews! Just a few personal thoughts. I agreed strongly with many of the reviews (I'll never forget reading BSG's Crossroads Part II review and saying repeatedly "That's what I was thinking!") though there were a couple I'd give differing ratings on: Devil's Due: 2 1/2 stars. Not a classic by any stretch, slapstick in nature, but I actually enjoyed that episode and still do when I catch it on re-runs. It simply had a lighthearted feel that was almost refreshing. My feeling is that it's season placement had an effect: Had this episode been in season one or even season two I am betting your star rating would have been higher. It's a matter of the quality it is matched up against this season. Clues: Though predictable after the first watching I always felt this was more of a 3 1/2 star entry. The idea of Data being caught in a catch-22 was fascinating. The final scene, where Data is at the controls, looking as if nothing had happened at all, knowing that the secret of the xenophobes would be kept with him forever, was great. Legacy: Blah. 1 1/2 stars at best. Must agree on one point: Tasha Yar's sister was definitely the pride of the family (body-wise). Aside from that.....blah. Just a few random thoughts. Keep on trucking! :)

Ah, good to see some brand spanking new Jammer reviews. You were a little hard on "Devil's Due." Yeah, it's pretty corny, but it's certainly watchable, especially compared to the snooze-fest "Suddenly Human." I thought "Clues" was a good example of the Trek crew-member-acting-inexplicably-weird genre. It would be 3 or 3-1/2 for me, but hey, I don't have a Trek reviews website. By the way, your rave reviews of The Wire finally got me to watch Season One. It really is incredible. Keep those TNG reviews coming!

Great new reviews :) I agree with Toph, Devil's Due was hardly a classic, but it was refreshing and fun, I enjoy it when it comes around, I'd probably give it 2 and 1/2 Clues I only watched a few days ago and I quite liked it too, it was kind of pointless but interesting, and the ending was nice, sort of optomistically simple ^^ "you deserve a second chance" - "ok everyone lets do it right this time!" I would probably have given Remember me 1/2 a star less, and The Wounded 1/2 a star more, but either way you covered everything in the review :) Looking foward to the next set :D

I think you were too harsh on Devil's Due and Clues. The former is a fun episode - I particularly enjoyed Picard replicating all of Ardra's powers at the end. It's not going to win any awards, certainly, but it's one of those light TNG episodes that I can stick on if I'm not in the mood for something too heavy. Clues, meanwhile, was a lovely slow-burn episode, with the extent of Data's deception and the mystery of the black-out growing over the course of the episode. I don't think it loses that much on a repeat viewing - I still get a thrill out of "The Mind's Eye" even though I know that Geordi is going to be stopped in the nick of time. I think Data and co's access to the Borg's command systems was acceptable, given that they had made a connection with such an important Borg (Locutus). Voyager started to strain credulity, when they became experts on Borg technology, with their "neural suppressors" and whatnot. It's strange to see how the Borg have changed over the years - in Voyager, Borg Cubes suddenly had a "Central Plexus" which could be used to send a virus throughout the Collective. Meanwhile, in "Q Who", Data couldn't detect any identifiable bridge, engineering, etc, and the Enterprise barely survived its confrontations with a Cube.

I didn't realize how long that first post was so I thought for the sake of not creating one big long post that I divide the rest of ny thoughts on thee episodes into a second separate post. Hope that is alright. As for the other episodes: I pretty much agree about "Family" but would give it a 3.5 star rating. Agreed about "Brothers". I'd also point out that I thought the Soong/Data conversation about continuity was a highlight and the scene as Soong is dying and Data tells him he can't grieve broke my heart. I related to this episode a lot because I've got a brother. "Suddenly Human" is one of only about four episodes I really didn't care for this season and that is saying a lot about how strong season four was in my opinion. "Remember Me" would get 4 stars. In addition to what Jammer said I would also add Gates did a fantastic job as Dr. Crusher trying to solve the mystery in these extraordinary circumstances. And this episode also showcased exceptionally well the qualities I like best about her. She is a formidable woman with such a steely resolve that once she has her mind made up not even someone like Picard can say no to her. And even when others might cave in and succumb to the overwhelming situation she finds herself in, she remains steadfast keeping her wits about her never letting herself fall to pieces. She got in some good lines—“ Was he invisible? Did I carry on a conversation with thin air?”, “Will, I didn't conjure up one of my best friends from a test tube.”, “I'm sorry I lost my temper. You do remember that?” and Picard’s “vividly” in reply, “If there isn't anything wrong with me... maybe there's something wrong with the universe...” or her clicking her heels line. And I loved the moment when she sits in the captain’s chair. No Trek series excelled at these high-concept sci-fi mysteries the way TNG did. "Legacy" I'd give 3 stars to. It is the crew’s reactions to Ishara Yar that elevate this episode in my eyes. Beth Touissant did a good job of portraying a hardened yet wounded individual who never could break totally free of the society she grew up in feeling a misplaced allegiance to Hayne & the rebels. It was a nice contrast to how Tasha turned her life around and didn’t let her environment consume her. The continued display of Ishara's disgust & resentment with her sister was cutting. I especially liked the Picard/Ishara exchange in sickbay where Picard talks of the woman Yar became. I liked that the encounter with Ishara ended up leaving everyone pretty much empty & stung by the events. They were all ready to leave Turkana IV behind. The only good thing to come of it was the safe return of the hostages. And the cold android way Data dismissed Ishara in the transporter room was great. Overall, one of TNG’s more depressing endings. As for the rescue plot I did like the action sequences and the idea of the myographic scanner. Plus Data's technical description of familiarity that he experiences was great and of course would be mentioned again in "Times Arrow I" also written by Joe Menosky. "Future Imperfect" I'd give 3.5 stars. It is one of my favorites and unlike Jammer I was able to buy into the emotional arc of the story. It probably helped that when I first saw this episode I was 13 and bought into the jeopardy or situations each week. Like Jammer I liked the touches in the alternate future including the communicator but I also would add that the Riker/Troi interplay both in the teaser and in the illusion were quite good. One of the nice human aspects that came out of this situation was seeing Riker’s concerns of not ending up being the kind of father Kyle was to him in his childhood especially after the loss of his mother. One can easily imagine the greatest fear for someone like Riker would be to fail their own child. It is clear Riker hopes he has been a better father to Jean-Luc than Kyle was to him especially in the wake of his mother’s death. He consciously wants to not fail his son which comes through wonderfully in the brief scene in the turbolift well played by Frakes. I thought the final scene between Barash and Riker was touching. It is interesting to note the illusion Barash ended up creating was based on scans of Riker’s mind. It is interesting insight into Riker and consistent with the way a child deprived of closeness to another person would behave and think. Barash provided a pretty ideal “future” that he believed would make Riker happy. Here he is captain of the Enterprise, the place he has been most comfortable, surrounded by all of his friends. Barash also created a situation that would resonate strongly with Riker reminiscent of his childhod-a single father, a young boy whose mother has died. And given Barash was a lonely child desperate for attention it would makes sense he would exploit this as well as to remove someone like Troi from Riker's life that might have interfered with "Jean-Luc" receiving all of his attention. "Final Mission" I'd give 3 stars. I've always saw a lot of myself in Wesley especially when I was younger. I was an overachiever and more comfortable around adults than my peers so may be that's why I'm not so hard on him. There were plenty of scenes that I enjoyed. Just some really great emotional stuff that TNG excels at. Picard is clearly a person that any one would love to spend some one-on-one time with just to learn about him and to see that beyond this confident, seemingly super-human captain is a man who isn’t perfect and has his share of flaws. Beverly and Troi got a nice scene in sickbay. I also enjoyed the Garbage Scow subplot well enough and was an interesting idea that generated a nice jeopardy to keep the Enterprise crew occupied. Nothing particularly ground-breaking but pretty good. The fountain ended up being a plot device without any real insight into who set it up or why. The location shooting was a welcome change and the filming captured really well the harsh conditions they were facing on the desert world. There were some great shots of the Enterprise throughout the episode like when it first enters orbit. I was sorry to see Wes leave but in a way it was a good thing given that the cast was already pretty large. But unlike some characters Wes had about as near perfect a sendoff as one could ask with Picard’s ”Wesley, know this…you will be missed” as they exit the cave. "The Loss" seems to be an episode no one cares for. The commopn complaint being Troi's behavior was like nails on a chalkboard. I actually thought this was a fairly effective disability story headlining Troi. I enjoyed seeing the vulnerable and frightened side of her. I know many seem to view her as a pathetic/whiney and there is some of that but that is part of the point. I think anyone who loses a sense would be angry and wallowing in self-pity. So how Troi behaves in this context works. Troi is usually the one helping others the way she is now placed in the unenviable role of facing her own personal crisis directly is quite interesting. Troi’s anger at Beverly seemed like a realistic reaction even though misdirected. And then of course Riker/Troi had their tribulations in some rather nice scenes that further cemented what great chemistry both the actors & characters have. And of course Guinan is always a pleasure. I really liked that scene with Troi in Ten-Forward. I think both are counselors in their own right but have completely different ways of dispensing advice. I'd easily give it 3 stars. Nothing really to add to "Data's Day" or "The Wounded". I strongly disagree with "Clues" receiving only 2.5 stars. This has always been a favorite of mine. I wouldn't hesitate given it 3.5 stars. I mentioned earlier TNG excelled at high concpt sci-fi mysteries and this is one of its best in my opinion I love a good mystery but they are hard to do. It is easy enough to generate the build-up and intrigue but the reveal needs to be as satisfying. The teaser was alright although it felt more like Whoopi in dress-up than Guinan although I did appreciate the touch of Data piping the call to Picard through the telephone. I loved the twist that it was Picard that ordered Data's silence. I thought the idea of a stalemate was an interesting and fresh approach for the story. I liked the ominous tone the episode took. I liked how the crew and the audience only got tantalizing pieces of the puzzle as to what happened that day before finally filling us in with the flashback. I liked that the writers remembered the little details that I didn't even consider like the beard growth or Beverly using the transporter trace although I was a little confused regarding the 24 hour cycle. I would rank it up there with The Survivors, Remember Me, Future Imperfect, Night Terrors, Cause and Effect, Parallels as far as bizarre Twilight Zone sorts of tales.

I just want to quickly thank everyone for leaving comments and offering their thoughts on the episodes. Keep the comments coming. I won't reply to every point as I've made enough points in the reviews, but I will say that "Clues" (which seems to be generally favored here) came close to 3 stars. In the end it didn't quite get there, but it was close and I definitely understand why many people enjoyed it.

ya, I also liked clues! 4 stars there as well. Reading some of the comments, it seems alot of ppl agree

Just saw "Clues" and I have to say it really makes me wonder if they ever figured out they were a couple of days behind the rest of the galaxy.

Generally agree with your reviews. I used to think I loved "Clues" but, as you said, the more I see it, the worse it gets. Not only did I think the whole plot was excessive (the cover-up could never work with over 1,000 people on board), it annoys me on subsequent views that Picard cannot simply trust that Data is doing what's best, accept and let it go. Also, I grow bored with "The Nth Degree" every time I see it, and in my opinion, doesn't warrant a full four-star rating! Star-ratings should for Nth and "Future Imperfect" should be switched, lol.

Im reading through all these comments and I have to say you are way off on clues. its one of my favorites and appears to be underrated. please consider giving it another star

@P "Not only did I think the whole plot was excessive (the cover-up could never work with over 1,000 people on board), it annoys me on subsequent views that Picard cannot simply trust that Data is doing what's best, accept and let it go." Now that you mention it (re: Clues), I suppose one could blame Data's programing not being flexible enough to allow him to break Picard's Order (although he does so once Troi-alien gives him the a-ok), but I look at it like this: It's one thing to hide the truth upon the crew waking up, but as soon as the coverup starts to unravel the truth, and ESPECIALLY once Picard turns the ship around and heads back to enemy space, I feel like Data's logic circuits ought to have pulled Picard into his ready room and told him "listen, you can't tell any of the others, but here's what happened" and warn him not to go naer that space ever again. I admit, I haven't seen it in a while so I forget whether Data has an opportunity to speak to Picard between when Picard decides to return and when they actually get there, but I feel like Picard can keep his mouth shut, and if he orders the crew to stop investigating, it'll all go away - a lot better than if they go back, anyway. Frankly, I don't imagine the aliens would ever find out that the Federation has set up a "no fly" policy around their space.

Just have to say, I really like clues. And yes, I like it even on a repeated viewing! It's different to see Data in a cover-up, and Data and Picard have some good dialog. 3/4 stars here I would give it.

Are there any Red Dwarf fans here? This episode is very reminiscent of the RD episode, "Thanks For the Memory". Though, it's very doubtful that "Clues" is a direct rip-off, the similarities in the plot are striking. I half expected Worf to come on to the bridge with his leg in a cast, saying, "All right which one of you humans did this?"

As with the other commenters, I think "Clues" is very good. I agree with Jammer's two major criticisms -- that it's not really a satisfying ending to "leave no clues" (what even?), and that the opening and closing speeches from Picard about the thrill of finding clues are over-the-top and not really necessary. However, while definitely problems, neither bothers me all that much when measured against what works in this episode. In particular, the resolution to the mystery *is* very satisfying to me, especially details like Worf's wrist having been broken by the alien possessing Troi rather than by Data as had been suspected. The Picard/Data scene Jammer singles out gets to the heart of why this episode is so compelling. Picard (and the rest of the crew) simply cannot let go the mystery that has been presented to them. Data simply cannot let go of his imperative to follow Picard's orders -- to protect both the ship and, indeed, the isolationist species. They both have too much strength of will and too much integrity -- albeit in different ways -- to compromise; not only is there a stalemate with the aliens, but there is a stalemate on the ship with Data and Picard. And the end result leads, almost inexorably, to the Enterprise returning to the Paxans' system and to its near-destruction. If Picard were able to let things be and trust that Data has his reasons, they could simply continue on their way. If Data were able to divulge the secret about the Paxans, even to Picard, the mystery could be resolved. But neither can do so. It would run counter to Picard's spirit as an explorer; and, indeed, as he points out, the fact that they can never trust Data again makes it impossible to stop. And while any other crew member would likely simply tell Picard about the Paxans, Data's programming, devotion to *Picard's* orders, and respect for other life forms (I do think the recognition that if he lets Picard know about the Paxans, he will be violating the agreement by which the Enterprise would be allowed to survive and that this would run explicitly counter to the Paxans' wishes and would thus be wrong, is even more a motivating factor for Data than Picard's orders), stop him from doing so. This is an episode cleverly constructed around character, so that the very traits that make these two both extraordinary individuals of high integrity bring them into conflict which cannot really be resolved. The ending does resolve it, to a degree -- the Enterprise leaves intact -- but there is something unsettling about the ending, seeing the mystery go "unresolved" in that Picard et al. have lost the memory again, and that, following Picard's lines, not everything is quite tidy when we know that over a thousand people are missing a crucial couple of days and the knowledge of their near-destruction twice. The last shot of Data is a bit hard to parse, but I interpret it on some level as a signal of his isolation -- Data has a secret that could destroy the whole ship and no one knows about it. On that level, the episode also follows up from (e.g.) "Brothers" on exactly how frightening Data is, if for a moment one stops having full faith in Data's commitment to the chain of command. He is stronger than Worf, as skilled a scientist as Crusher and an engineer as La Forge, has a better poker face than Riker and has the iron will of Picard. (I omit Troi, I suppose, not because her skills aren't worthwhile, but because she's the person whose skill set is furthest from Data's.) The idea that Data might be hiding something is all the more frightening because Data could take over the whole ship at any time and the crew *knows* this. Which, ironically, makes it all the more essential that Data follow Picard's orders, even if it leads to disaster. On that level, Picard stating that not only will Data lose his Starfleet commission but most likely be stripped down to his constituent parts to be examined to see what happened with him is chilling; one wonders whether this contradicts "The Measure of a Man," and I'm not entirely sure that Picard is not bluffing on some level when he suggests this, trying to do anything he can think of to convince Data that it's in his best interests to tell him what is happening. But it hints at both ways in which Data is still not really considered a person, and why. Data's rights to self-determination in "The Measure of a Man" on some level still are provisional, where the provision that Data is not a threat: once he becomes one, even provisionally, it becomes difficult or even impossible to regard him as a peer sentient being.

Anyway with a few mostly minor plot holes I think the plot holds together and the execution is generally great, though some of the exposition at the end is a bit off. I'd say that it's a low 3.5 star show for me.

Some comments on this episode: - I agree with most that this is a better episode than Jammer gives it credit for. And I think it does hold up for a second viewing, namely due to the strength of Data's character. It's fun watching the android brain working, trying to keep his ship safe despite knowing that he is betraying all of his friends. It's like the first act of Brothers, only with Data fully conscious of what he's doing. Even with the mystery known, Data's part (and everyone responding to him) still holds up. - One nice subtle touch: on one scene in the bridge, Worf is rubbing his arm in the background. This was before he went to sickbay. - The holodeck intros sure haven't been very subtle lately. First there was Scrooge denying the reality of Jacob Marley's existence in Devil's Due, and now we have a Dixon Hill startup in an episode called Clues. Sheesh... - I've heard people say that Nth Degree reminds them of 2001: A Space Odyssey. But I get some of that here, when Picard calmly asked Data to go run an errand and then starts plotting against him. I half expected Data to be watching from a distance and reading their lips. Enh, I got nothing else. It's a good episode, but kinda nondescript. No brilliant insights, just good clean fun.

I didn't really like this episode. Yes, the story was clever, but I didn't really enjoy watching it that much.

It's funny that the possessed Deanna changed out of her pajamas before visiting Data. It's hard to buy that the entity inside her would give a damn.

I also find it absurd that Deanna "isn't capable" of breaking a Klingon's wrist (by the episode's own reckoning), but somehow Deanna's possessed body is.

I didn't see how or why the aliens didn't anticipate the discrepancy in the condition of the plants or why Troi perceived someone else in the mirror or why those things wouldn't happen again. I would have also liked explicit mention of the events of "Brothers." I was kind of expecting/hoping that in the end Data would admit they had lost a day but instead it feels too much like chance.

I'm with Jammer on this one, except I would have rated it lower. It's just too much that there's a mystery that they're "not allowed" to solve. Rubs me the wrong way. Also, wouldn't it have been easier for Data to just admit that they were out for a whole day? Or have Picard record for himself some kind of message telling him not to go back? The point is, Picard is too curious, and simply by including some sensor readings/chart records on computer logs, he or Starfleet are likely to return to that place to investigate further. In other words, by being so aggressively xenophobic, the aliens are making it more likely that people go after them.

I really liked this episode the first time, but upon a second viewing there are just too many things you have to ignore to make it plausible. The biggest of those to me is how they plan on dealing with what was, by the end of the 2nd ship-wide memory wipe, a 2+ day time discrepancy. That would fly to assuage any curiosity at the time, but surely they'd discover fairly easily later on that their super-advanced starship's computers are a couple days behind actual time.

IIRC, the "official story" is that the crew went through some kind of crazy temporal warp that shifted them out of regular time by a few days, as well as moving them through space. This is the type of thing that happens all the time in TNG, so I buy it.

Maybe, but none of the actual dialogue at the end indicated that. When they wake up the second time, it's mentioned that they were only out for 30 seconds and the only real change from the first time they tried to cover it up is that they don't go back to the planet. Nothing further is said about any sort of time shift. I dunno, minor complaint I suppose. It's just hard to believe they managed to account for every possible clue the second time around, especially given that one of them was a fairly noticeable time difference.

"'Clues' is one of those bottle shows that works better the first time you see it. It's intriguing when you don't know what's going to happen. But it loses something the next time through." That could be said about all mystery stories. The whole point of a mystery is that you don't know what's going to happen/has happened. The second time you visit any mystery it's naturally going to lose something - that's just the nature of the beast. A good mystery is one which can still offer entertainment on repeat viewings/readings. "Clues" is one of those mysteries. Even knowing what's going on from the get-go, it's still a very dramatic and enthralling episode. And that's because the mystery itself isn't the only thing the episode has in its favor. The main, number one, element "Clues" has going for it are the performances. Nothing shows that better than in the scenes where non-verbal communication is employed. This episode is a masterwork of using what is not said to great effect. For example, the scene where Picard grills Data in his quarters over the fabricated evidence from the probe. When Picard says "strange, that an obscure planet several hundred light years from here should be picked up by the probe," Data just stares at him without saying a word. Brent Spiner manages to convey such a sense of atmosphere and tension in that one, cold stare than most people could do with an ten page soliloquy. Another example - later when Picard confronts Data for the final time on the bridge. When Picard gets the thought in his head that Starfleet might have contacted Data during the missing day and ordered him to conceal the truth, you can almost see the wheels turning in Patrick Stewart's head without him saying a word. That isn't to say that "Clues" is flawless. There are major problems with the story. First, the solution is nonsensical when you stop and examine it. The whole house of cards is going to come crashing down the moment the Enterprise meets up with any other Federation personnel and they realize that they are two days off from the rest of the galaxy. Second, and I'm sorry but.... I have to dock points for what is quite possibly the most obvious plothole in all of TNG. How did Picard know the name of the Paxons during the flashback sequence? Come on, guys! That's a basic screenwriting 101 mistake right there! 8/10

I enjoy this episode and just rewatched it ok BBC America after a good decade since my last viewing of it. The biggest problem however is what happens when they get to the nexr starbase or the Capt's log does not match up with the correct stardate? They spent approximately 3 days dealing with this incident (2 getting memories wiped, 1 solving the mystery) so... To set it up to say they were only out for 30 seconds... Basically they set themselves up to eventually have to ask what happened to the missing 2 days 23 hrs 59 mins and 30 secs. This is one of those uncharacteristic times the writers didn't pay attention to an Enterprise sized plot hole and dismissed the viewer's intelligence.

One of the first things Data says at the episode's beginning after the crew apparently goes through the wormhole is, "Sir, I should re-align the ship's clock with Starbase four ten's subspace signal to adjust for the time distortion." That wormholes can create time distortions if pretty well accepted by Picard et al. So any time difference when they get out to contact with others will be attributed to the wormhole warping time, so that the internal "30 seconds" on the ship corresponds to 1 or 2 days external to the wormhole. The wormhole is also later referred to by La Forge as a space-time disturbance (well, he comments that there IS no space-time disturbance, to confirm that Data's story is wrong. I suppose the episode should have had Data repeat this comment at the episode's end to clarify what the "official story" is, but I find it clear enough.

Sorry but I agree with others that Jammer was way off base here; this is an example of single- episode TNG at its finest and is a classic. TNG does mysteries very well, and I also love Data episodes, so it has much going for it from the start. Also Jammer since when do you rate episodes based so much on their value for repeated viewings? I could see how to some degree in reviewing such a classic, widely shown series like TNG a little of that would be inevitable but it seems like you let go of the necessary critic's discipline and rated it on impulse. That and this review along with some of you other TNG reviews that either rate good-great episodes with mediocre scores stars or decent, watchable episodes (that beat most Voyagers) with very low scores make me think that to some degree you just didn't quite "get" TNG. I love DS9 as much as you but TNG has a special place in my heart and a unique sense of magic for me as well.

Diamond Dave

Yes, we get a heavy handed opening that rams home that mysteries are appealing, and the mystery element is repeatedly talked up. But what we then get is a very cleverly handled... well... mystery with some nice... well... clues. Possibly the best element to it is the reveal that it is the crew's own curiosity and ingenuity that unravel a scheme put in place to protect themselves - that it was Picard who ordered Data to keep quiet is an effective act closer. And the final hint that we might be playing Groundhog Day for just a second is amusing enough. It doesn't add up to very much at the end of the day, but as a self-contained, tightly written piece, it comes recommended. 3 stars.

Did this episode remind anyone of something else... maybe a Voyager episode? It seemed so familiar...

Like Future Imperfect, I like the mystery, but feel like the ending is really a letdown. In any other episode (with more than 5 minutes of screen time to work with), the Enterprise crew would try *a lot* harder to escape the situation without forcing 1000+ people to submit to a memory wipe. I just don't buy Picard making that order so lightly: for the wiped Starfleet officers, it's a significant personal intrusion (the kind of order Picard wouldn't give to Warf in The Enemy, despite the risk of war); for the non-Starfleet personnel, it's probably illegal; for Troi, it leads to significant psychological trauma; for Data, it leads to a long-term moral dilemma. And we're willing to accept all this because... it seems like the aliens will be hard to beat? I guess I can imagine a scenario in which that is the case, but the few glimpses we get of the conflict don't do a very convincing job of making it feel like all other options have been exhausted.

"I just don't buy Picard making that order so lightly" He didn't , but I think it was either that or be destroyed IIRC. That makes it an easy choice when you have 1000+ lives counting on you.

Geordi is sure fixated on beard growth on this episode.

Scott from Detroit

I enjoyed the episode but I have one burning, glaring issue with the plot... So they manipulated the computer's time by 24 hours to cover for the "missing day" - but what the hell happens when they pull up to the next Starbase and start arguing over whether it's Tuesday or Wednesday?

Startrekwatcher

It’s a 3.5 Star episode only thing holding it back from 4 stars was the reveal of missing day. In hindsight I think a better alternative to Paxans being isolationists and needing memories of their existence wiped would be that they are so paranoid about the Borg learning of their species existence and coming for them to be assimilated that that was the reason for them so determined no one knows of them

Guinan not knowing what to do with stockings seems odd considering the events of Time's Arrow...

Sean Hagins

I did like this episode, but it kind of bothers me that no one but Data knows the truth about this new alien race. I guess I feel it makes the good guys "lose" somehow. Either way, it really was an exciting and fun episode

Surprised to see Jammer's low rating; I found this to be an exciting, original and excellent episode. Yes, the ending is a bit heavyhanded - TNG had a problem with some of its overly-talky endings - but the premise was just so much fun, I think we can let that slide.

I'm with Scott-who is much more succinct than I am . So here is a starship that is part of a very large fleet run on quasi military tenets. It regularly reports in to star bases-drops in for maintenance and crew assignment ...and so on. Yet here we are expected to believe that nobody in the whole of starfleet are going to notice the ship's own record of elapsed time-timestamps on communications and all the other forged records on the ship which will be evident once the Enterprise contacts anyone else. Their ship and everyone on it are two stardates behind where they should be. That planet they are headed for is a good example. They are going to ask why the ship is two days late. Picard will immediately be alerted to the lost two days , the whole daft premise unravels. I am sorry but for me Jammer's rating is way too generous.

Sarjenka's Little Brother

I agree with Jammer on this one. It was a good outing the first time out. But it doesn't hold up well on repeat viewing or if you stop and start to think about things -- never a good idea for sci-fi. One of the things that bothered me was how fast Picard just accepted their extreme isolationist needs. I like the idea from Startrekwatcher about the Borg. Throw that in -- just a few lines -- and it ties back to an epic change in the Alpha Quadrant and gives us a better explanation of why they want to go to such lengths to keep themselves hidden. I'm not sure how to fix the very real problem of the Enterprise never reporting anything to Starfleet even at first. Bottom line: I liked it better in my memories than I did in a 2018 viewing. Still, it's by no means a stinker.

I enjoyed this one -- the Picard/Data interactions were great and the resolution of what happened is ticks all the boxes -- the Enterprise was under threat of destruction and Data was trying to prevent this; however the ending is a bit hokey (to try the suspended animation again and not leave clues this time). Still, it's a pretty good hour of Trek and an interesting one. The mystery slowly builds, the clues are intriguing, and Data's strange behavior gets justified. I think humans should admire the qualities Spiner gives Data -- the calm unflappability in the face of human emotion. Picard threatens Data with a court martial but it's great (albeit frustrating) to see how Data dodges these questions. I also enjoyed Data bullshitting everybody about his theory in the senior staff meeting -- of course, nobody fell for it (it was plenty obvious) -- but it set the wheels in motion for unraveling the mystery. Maybe the xenophobic aliens and the lengths they go to defend their world are a bit farfetched as the resolution to the mystery but I won't complain about it. The way it worked through Troi and having to deal with the challenge Data presented made for a fairly creative episode. Whether humans love a mystery or not -- maybe the Enterprise crew does. Certainly Picard does as evidenced by his "fun" playing Dixon Hill. Thought that opener went on for way too long if only to hint at Picard's love for a mystery. But TNG has plenty of episodes trying to solve mysteries methodically and this is a decent example of one. 3 stars for "Clues" -- liked how all the unknowns were tied together (Worf's broken wrist, and how Picard gave an order to erase the memories etc. that Data tried his best to follow). Many times the resolution of an episode just isn't satisfying, is lame etc. but here it was decent -- if only the end result wasn't to have to get a 2nd chance at erasing the memories of the encounter. Great episode for Picard and Data, decent sci-fi and plays to the strengths of TNG.

Great episide but I think the reveal of what happened during missing day could have been a bit more intriguing. At the very least give some understanding to the Paxans as isolationists other than just wanting to be isolationists for the sake of it. Maybe they go to such lengths to ensure others have no memory, no knowledge and no computer records of them because they fear that if those that encounter them were to be assimilated by the Borg they’d learn of their existence and come for them. Something like that to spice it up.

I feel for poor Geordi in this one. He's made to seem obsessed with facial hair growth just so that nerds on a BBS won't get snarky about a minor plot hole. I rolled my eyes the first time he *randomly* brought it up, and had to laugh when he brought it up again once the mystery was solved. Yes, Geordi, thanks for clearing that up!

7/10 As soon as this one started I remembered what was coming. I don't know how I remember it or when I saw it last. this has happened with a number of these episodes and speaks to their impact on me I guess. I liked the mystery structure of this one. The wrap up was a little too pat. I wanted to see what they did to solve all of the clues...but I am like that.

4 of 4 stars until the reveal, 1,5 of 4 stars after the reveal. the first half was so good that i felt the need to give two ratings, but the reveal did not really work and was somewhat disappointing... and the solution had some logic holes.

I enjoyed the mystery. However, Picard's is quick to agree to the memory wipes. It also seems that the missing days will eventually be discovered.

Jeffrey Jakucyk

I agree the ending is pretty bad. As a kid I always thought, why didn't Data just say they were out for 24 hours? Or by the end, 72 hours or however long this whole thing took. Sure that wouldn't solve everything, but it should be enough to prevent the mystery from escalating. Also, biochemical stasis doesn't explain anything since they were never in stasis for more than a minute or so (the impression I got from the flashback with the Paxan/Troi was that it would take "one of your days" to prepare for the memory wipe, not that they'd need to be in stasis that long, since the crew needed the day to prepare everything else). So the whole beard growing thing is bunk; their beards didn't grow because they were awake and they shaved just like any other day. Otherwise, the stasis field would have stopped Dr. Crusher's moss from growing too. I find Picard's arguments to the Paxan/Troi to be pretty weak. He should've hit much harder on the "if you destroy us everyone will come searching," but that was just brushed aside. Picard could say their coordinates have already been relayed to Starfleet, so they know where they are. Plus, while there are over 1,000 people on the ship, only the bridge crew and perhaps a few in engineering have any idea what happened. I also agree that Data should've been given an out (either through his programming or Picard's orders) that would let him tell Picard and only Picard something if he got too close to the truth. Data's intransigence, on top of some shockingly incompetent sensor manipulation and off-the-cuff explanations, is what tipped everyone off that something was amiss. The relative time difference to the rest of space is a non-issue as William B pointed out. Wormholes can distort time in-universe, and Data even suggested re-synchronizing their clocks with a nearby starbase, so them losing a day or three is completely plausible.

I like this one. It's a nice mystery and a clever, unusual idea. My only real complaint is that Picard comes up with a solution to the problem in about 30 seconds, on his feet. None of the usual careful deliberation, or discussions around a table with the senior personnel. In one of the other fourth series (that's 'season' in LeftPond) episodes, it's claimed that Data is incapable of lying. Actually I've just checked, and it's literally the previous episode. That's not a proposition that holds up too well in this one. I enjoyed the scene in Dixon Hill's office, but how is it that Guinan - an alien - can be so culturally American, not just human, in every mannerism? But the stockings are a lovely touch. I could have done without the old 'taking over one of the crew's bodies' plot device. It's overdone in the whole franchise and I think unnecessary in this particular story.

Is Ardra's description of Data: "he's an android. He is incapable of deceit or bias. He has no feelings to get in the way of his judgment" necessarily to be taken as an indication that he's flat out incapable of lying? In context she's saying that he'd do his job as an arbiter impartially. Furthermore, how would Ardra know one way or the other? She seems to be extrapolating from the "he's an android" point.

Tannhaueser

I enjoyed this episode precisely because I enjoy a mystery. Yeah, there would be too many clues to remove in a ship of over a thousand. The best solution seems to be to leave Picard (or maybe the entire senior staff) in the know and wipe out everyone else's memory.

James G -"how is it that Guinan - an alien - can be so culturally American, not just human, in every mannerism?" In the episode Time's Arrow we see Guinan living in San Francisco in the 19th century. I don't know if there is any more information regarding this in the canon but it is feasible that she remained in the US for a few more decades.

Hotel bastardos

Awfully reminiscent off the boys from the dwarf.....

The only thing I dislike about this episode is the Casual Way, Picard suggests data would be stripped down to his wires, after passionately defending his right to be an individual in Measure of a Man.” If Data still has rights, then he could be drummed out of Starfleet, even imprisoned. But not destroyed. It’s disappointing for the writers to put those words in a friend’s mouth.

The way I read it is that Picard believes that Starfleet's treatment of Data is contingent on Data's good behaviour, under it all, and that Picard will not be able to protect Data if Data continues to stonewall them. I don't think Picard is deliberately threatening Data on his own behalf, or that he thinks it would be correct if Starfleet does disassemble him. It's one of several moments suggesting that Data's rights are more fragile than is usually let on.

Nice idea, William. I guess we could also suggest that despite having nominal rights at this point, or perhaps only de facto right since Starfleet will not expressly claim Data *does not* have rights, there is still the issue of proper functionality. Unlike biological organisms where we tend to think of their proper functioning as being 'medical', in Data's case it's mechanical *and* an issue of programming. So for instance in Brothers where Data is effectively taken over by Soong, I don't think it would be outrageous for Starfleet to have, in process of stopping him (which in that episode they failed to do), take him apart looking for the mechanical or programming failure. It's not quite the same as a biological being in this sense. And likewise, if it appeared that Data was usurping Starfleet's prerogatives in Clues, perhaps a legitimate and even moral argument could leave room to have his disassembled under the assumption that he is broken or his programming compromised in some way. I'm not sure this would be a violation like 'taking apart' Picard would be if he disobeyed an order, because as far as our understanding of Picard goes, he can't just randomly 'break' in such a way as to cause him to violate Starfleet's commands. But maybe Data could? It's a tough area, even if Starfleet is being completely moral.

@Peter, yeah, that makes sense too. I will add that while the biological crew members can themselves be compromised in many ways (possession, brainwashing), it's unlikely that taking their body apart is going to solve anything. If Data is having a hardware malfunction then disassembly could well find it.

A very enjoyable episode, despite obvious caveats that fail to stand up to much scrutiny (most of which have been listed in detail by other commenters above). While I understand the 'thirty seconds of unconsciousness' ploy on which the plot hinges was intended as a dramatic tool upon which to build an accumulation of further clues, it is strikingly unnecessary and fundamentally undermines the episode. Data simply informing the crew that they had been unconscious for the entire missing day (or two days) would have headed off a slew of later problems, not least with Starfleet. When one considers that Data's freedom is ultimately at stake in choosing this deception, it is a irrationally high risk decision on Data's part. Also, what is stopping Picard and the crew simply repeating their mistake and finding clues the second time round? It is hard to believe a second round of tidying up eliminated absolutely everything when the first round failed to do so and their memories have been wiped. Again, a very high risk approach when the crew's lives are hanging in the balance. That said, the revelation of the clues is very much an intriguing and unsettling mystery, played very well with some memorable performances by Spiner, Stewart and the rest of the crew. Troi's piercing scream and her panic about the mirror (which is never actually explicitly explained) always disturbs me as a true horror moment. Watching this again, I'd also forgotten about the overly lengthy return to Picard's Dixon Hill holodeck fantasy from S1. The inclusion of Guinan (great fun performance by Goldberg as always) makes this more worthwhile than in S1, but Dixon Hill still does not fit with Picard's personality in my opinion.

Oh, and one other puzzling aspect: unless I have misunderstood, we actually see (in the flashback) Picard ordering, in extremely strict, final, and absolute terms, that Data is never to under any circumstances reveal what has transpired. So (again, I cannot help but feel I have missed something here), why does Data ultimately divulge the entire course of events in full detail? I realise it is for the benefit of us the viewers but it has no logical internal justification in the episode. When Paxan-possessed Troi appears on the bridge, and the crew demand an explanation, Data should have continued to say nothing and leave the crew to their confusion. Or did Data reason that, as the Enterprise-D was about to be destroyed by the Paxans, the basis for the original order (avoiding the destruction of the ship) no longer applied? And was Data, during the second round of tidying up the clues, disciplined by Picard for disobeying his original very absolute order? I am being a little facetious on that last point, but it is yet another example of how this (very good) episode unravels if you pull at its fraying edges.

So for the rest of their lives, did everyone on the Enterprise think that they were one day younger than they actually were? Would be kind of funny if that was the case. But wait, there's more. What about the *first* missing day? Did the computer get unwiped? Or now will they be two days behind where they were supposed to be? Or even three days, considering the day that they were conscious again and solved the mystery. Right--better not to think too much about it... but it was a good mystery, and the reveal of "You gave the order, sir" was pretty cool if you hadn't seen it before. Somehow reminds me of that old anti-drug commercial with the kid and his dad -- "You! I learned it from watching you!" They don't make 'em like that anymore, do they? The opening scene was one of Guinan's few good moments in the show. I'll never know why they put a comic actress in a role where she was so drearily serious 99% of the time.

"Clues" seems to be an example of he writers' reach exceeding their grasp. As many have mentioned, the most glaring problem is what happens when they find out they're two days behind everyone else. The 30-second conceit sort of works the first time around, because there has to be a mystery, or there is no episode. But a cleverer team of writers could have kept the time frame accurate, and still left behind enough clues to spur the mystery, while leaving them room to "fix" things on a second attempt without the glaringly obvious problem of 48 missing hours. I credit the writers with a clever, fun episode, but I have to knock them for biting off more than they could chew. I'm surprised the plot holes escaped a team of professional writers. Another issue is why, when it was clear the attempt had failed, Data let them proceed. They were safely away from the Paxans; why not tell Picard what he wants to know? Picard could be trusted to do the right thing, and never mention the Paxans, and between him and Data, they had the resourcefulness and authority to put the mystery to bed, loose ends and all. Speaking of loose ends, more could have been done to tie up the ones dealt with in the show, like what to do with Troi when she starts seeing Candyman or whoever in her own reflection. Anyway, "B+" for ambition, "B" for effort, "C" for execution. I give it 2.75 stars out of 4.

"...the glaringly obvious problem of 48 missing hours." The writers accounted for that by noting that wormholes have time distortion effects. "We're lucky we didn't end up half way across the galaxy in the middle of next week." "Another issue is why, when it was clear the attempt had failed, Data let them proceed. They were safely away from the Paxans; why not tell Picard what he wants to know?" Because Data was following Picard's order to the letter, never to reveal the existence of the Paxans. He was incapable of disobeying that order due to his programming. Once the Paxans revealed themselves through Troi then he was free of that burden. Had Picard worded his order differently, or given Data an out of some sort (which maybe he did do in the second try) then it could've played out differently.

Really Picard should have had a contingency plan such as a video recorded message corroborating the order without the need to reveal anything about the Paxons.

The problem is the Paxans would not have tolerated any plan involving a record or proof that the orders even existed. Even if Picard never learned *why* he gave those orders, he would know he did, and that therefore there was a reason for it. That alone would probably cause the Paxans to kill them all. I think that was going to be their default anyhow, and although this wasn't exactly stated explicitly, the plan to erase *all* evidence of their existence was probably something they bargained as their only chance of survival. I expect anything short of that and the Paxans wouldn't have agreed. So really it had to be a perfectly executed trick.

I knew I was going to enjoy this episode from the moment I saw Riker and Worf practising Tai Chi at the start! I agree largely with Jammer’s review but not with his rating: I’d give this a high 3 stars, maybe even a bit more. The one downside - and it’s quite big - is the cause of it all, especially the takeover of Troi as a mouthpiece. It would have worked better if they had found another way of learning the truth, e.g. by accessing something in Data’s memory and then replaying it. Then they could have avoided the second encounter with the xenophobic aliens, and a completely unnecessary dramatic plot contrivance. This aside, I loved the episode, apart from Picard telling Data “you have free will” - he doesn’t!! He’s an android… Otherwise, Data’s role in this is brilliant and compelling, as always. And the brief Dixon Hill sequence was an added bonus.

DR SOONG: “Relax, Data. I’m going to install a panel of totally unnecessary flashing red, green and yellow lights in your head. That will remind doctors that you are an android. If the colour of your skin and eyes hadn’t already let them know…”

I really did not like Picard in this episode. Data tells you that if you go to this planet you'll put the ship in grave danger. You go to the planet anyway, and waddaya know, the ship is in grave danger. Picard can't show an ounce of trust. And this isn't the first time he's done this either. It's infuriating.

OmicronThetaDeltaPhi

@Areliae To be fair, Data never said anything about danger. He was just acting really weird while also getting caught red-handed lying. Not exactly a situation which garners trust...

I give it three because it's kind of a nifty plot, but there are a large number of flaws. Stewart seemed out of character for much of the episode. It doesn't make any sense that they didn't prepare for the contingency of clues being left behind. There was the weird beard thing which ultimately didn't make sense. Strange they didn't iron that out. Still I think it was good overall. The inexorable accumulation of clues pointing toward Data works very well. I think it works fine on rewatch. I also greatly appreciated that one of the clues was actually wrong-- that Data was one of the few people on board that could injure Worf, but in fact, he didn't do it. That seems extremely rare in Trek. Also Geordi saying Data's technobabble was bs was comical. Though again, characterization seemed off because when do they EVER call bs on technobabble without a lot more navel gazing? Especially with the implication that Picard immediately thought it was bs.

I think there's a plausible explanation for all the oddities in the episode, and that's that we are ultimately seeing Data's recollection of the entire affair, including extrapolation of the events occurring when he wasn't in the room.

@Silly "Also Geordi saying Data's technobabble was bs was comical. Though again, characterization seemed off because when do they EVER call bs on technobabble without a lot more navel gazing." It's indeed funny from the viewer's perspective, but this scene actually makes sense in-universe. Suppose you've been given two paragraphs full of technical jargon in a topic you know absolutely nothing about. Suppose further that you were told one of these pieces is scientifically sound and the other is completely bs. Would you be able to tell which is which? I most certainly wouldn't. To the layman, genuine modern science sounds just as crazy as crackpot science, because the universe is far stranger then what most people can imagine.

I want to see the post credits scene of Data lathering everyone one up at lightning speed! (Except Riker of course).

Oh no, this was at least 3-1/2 for me! It's a great whodunnit, with an excellent combination of technology, science (yes, even Trekkie gobbledy-science), character portrayal, mystery... - the only nitpick might be the explanation, i.e. yet another weird-ass alien species that, yet again, possesses Troi who writhes and swoons around (pretty comically, too, NGL!). I'm also not happy that Picard agreed to bamboozle the Enterprise crew again instead of, somehow, standing his ground and insisting the contact with the species be recorded. These couple points deduct maybe a half a star only though, not more.

It seems very un-Picard like to just give up without a fight and allow some aliens to wipe their memories and computer records. He's made it clear many times that they are all willing to die in the line of duty if necessary, even if he has to blow up the ship himself. Apparently these Paxans are more powerful than the Borg and he decides they'd better just run away though even though we never see what kind of weapons they have other than their sleep cloud which doesn't even affect Data. Why did Guinan seem so clueless about a time period that she actually lived through?

Would it be in character for Picard to insist on staying in the alien's territory even if it would result in violence? When Kevin Uxbridge tells you to skedaddle, well, sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. "Why did Guinan seem so clueless about a time period that she actually lived through?" Well, I was going to say that there isn't any evidence that Guinan stayed on Earth after the Enterprise crew's adventure in San Francisco, but Memory Alpha says that there's an episode of Picard featuring Guinan in 21st century L.A. so so much for that theory.

@OmicronThetaDeltaPhi YES, it actually does make sense in universe. Probably I was more weirded out by Geordi throwing Data under the bus. Technobabble aside, Geordi is both nice and loyal to a fault. To me, this episode is most incongruent in his characterization. He would be bending reality over backwards to make Data sound like he's making sense. Data is his bestie. I think the episode was meant to be bubblegum so it never bothered me.

Probably meant to be bubblegum, but a rather good flavor, so, you know.

Again both enjoyable and, mostly the ending, frustrating ... it felt forced that Data didn't reveal the actual events and order just a bit sooner when it was clear that if he didn't they would be going back and therefore be exposed to the same crisis danger.

BadLieutenant

Anyone else get the sense that Picard still has a residue of memory of these events at the end right before agreeing to the probe. Stewart is a great actor, and there's just a hint of a knowing look in his eye right before agreeing to the probe, almost like "oh yeah, I remember this, but yeah, let's just launch a probe."

Michael Miller

@BadLieutenant Yes! I was thinking the same thing, glad I wasn't the only one who noticed it. Thrilling 4 star episode, but I do have a few problems with it. 1. Picard's almost immediate suggestion of "just wipe everyone's memories with your energy field" was a little impulsive and unreasonable. He should have used the leverage that "if we're destroyed others will find out about your species" to demand a more reasonable compromise. 2. So they trusted Data that he would just blindly obey the captains orders and conceal his knowledge of the Paxons forever? What data should have done is waited until the ship was safely out of their territory, and then reveal everything that happened, inform starfleet and as many other races as possible to avoid that star system. Otherwise any other unfortunate space traveling species could end up in the same predicament they did, with the weirdo Paxons being less patient next time around if they didn't find that species "as worthy". 3. Picard was also a little unreasonable toward the end, he knew Data was trying to act in their best interest, even admitted that he got that feeling early on, yet still insisted on keeping the ship there until Data answered him. Knowing he's a non-biased android yet didnt trust him was weird. He trusted data instantly in that episode where he told him to "drop the shields" before a wavefront hit in that episode with the kid Timothy. He should have agreed to take the ship away and then have Data tell him and starfleet after the fact. 4. The paxons, with the tech they had, it made little sense that they would need to teraform a planet in a remote system just to hide themselves better. They could probably just cloak their own planet, or move it, to begin with. Also, such an advanced species not realizing how destroying their ship would Illicit rescue missions to come and try to find out what happen and how other ships would then be crawling over that system trying to figure out what happened, is dumb. Basically everyone was stupid here, the aliens for thinking destruction was a good idea, Data for possibly not telling star fleet about it once a safe distance away, and Picard putting the ship at risk by not trusting data, but very good episode.

Willy Lovington

I say! What a tricky situation! Ol' Data telling fibs; I'm surprised his nose didn't grow like that wooden chap, with the talking cricket... ah, Pinocchio! That's it. And taking over bodies like that, what scallywags! Who knows what outrages they'd get up to? Why, if I'd have everyone dancing naked around the bridge and singing jolly good songs and broadcast it across subspace. A jolly good prank!

In my 4-star rating scheme, 1/4 means I was actively repelled. 1.5/4 means I was bored and/or found it unconvincing. This episode met both criteria. Their clocks are off by 2 days, and everybody is going to be good with that? Starfleet doesn't track the location of its ships? There are always going to be plot holes, but this one is just to ridiculous to ignore. 1.5/4

Submit a comment

Addicted to Star Trek

Episode reviews and essays on almost anything related to Star Trek can be found in this blog.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Episode review - clues (next generation, season 4), no comments:, post a comment.

Den of Geek

Revisiting Star Trek TNG: Clues

This week's Star Trek TNG episode is distinctly average, and its central mystery doesn't quite stand up to repeat viewings...

• Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• Share on email (opens in a new tab)

This review contains spoilers.

The Enterprise crew are collectively having some personal time after completing a mission early. Worf is taking a mok’bara class. Picard is showing Guinan his Dixon Hill holodeck program. And Crusher is growing some moss. I don’t even have to make jokes any more, that’s literally what she’s doing. Data informs Picard that they’ve found an interesting star (Again, not joking) with an unstable wormhole and an M-class planet nearby. The wormhole disappears then reappears close to the ship, flinging it away and apparently knocking everyone on board unconscious.

When the crew awakes, Data tells them they were only out for around 30 seconds or so. As Crusher tends to the crew’s minor injuries, she realises that her moss has grown a full day’s worth. The Enterprise returns to the planet and their probe indicates that it’s not actually M-Class anymore. The crew reasons that it may be a sensor glitch, so they leave. Meanwhile, Crusher brings her moss to the Captain (you have to see it to believe it, apparently) and Picard is at a loss to explain.

Ad – content continues below

As the crew discusses the moss problem, Data comes up with a theory so unconvincing that it makes Geordi suspicious. Picard suggests that he check no-one has been tinkering with the clocks, and Crusher decides she’ll do something with the transporters which will tell them how much time has passed. Those things are magic, let me tell you.

The transporter lead comes up trumps and Geordi confirms that the clocks have been changed – but a security program has been placed there to prevent anyone noticing. Only he and Data could’ve managed such a feat, and when Data cannot adequately answer Picard’s questions on the matter, he’s sent for a diagnostic.

By now it’s clear that everyone was unconscious for more than 30 seconds. In fact, they may have missed an entire day. Crusher then learns that Worf’s wrist was recently broken then repaired, so not only are they missing a day, they’re missing a day that they were awake for! Increasingly suspicious of their Robot Friend, Geordi discovers that Data rigged the first probe to make it seem as though the planet was no longer M-Class. A new scan confirms that it is indeed M-Class.

Concerned for Data and the implications on his career, Picard begs Data to tell them the truth about all his lies and tampering so he doesn’t have to court martial him. When Data refuses, they return to the planet and Troi is immediately possessed by an alien being that informs the crew that “The plan has failed”. Data asks for another chance and that they not destroy the Enterprise. Picard wants to know why Data can’t explain any of this and Data explains that he was ordered not to tell the truth… by Captain Picard! BOMBSHELL.

It turns out that the planet was inhabited by an advanced but xenophobic race called the Paxans. When the Enterprise discovered their existence they tried to conceal themselves by knocking out the crew and transporting them away, but Data’s unique robo-body was immune to their macguffin rays. He had revived the crew, foiled the Paxans’ plan, but to stop them destroying the Enterprise Picard came up with a plan to wipe the crew’s memories. Realising that they left too many clues (hey, episode title!) Picard asks that they be given a second chance. The Paxans agree, and Data is once again ordered not to reveal the truth, because that worked well last time.

The deed is done, and once again the crew wake up with no memory of the Paxans. This time, instead of launching a probe at the Paxan planet, Picard drops a beacon warning all other ships to stay away from the dangerous environment. And the Paxans are presumably left in peace.

TNG WTF: The second time the crew has their memories wiped, no-one even seems to mention the moss. How is Crusher supposed to de-grow her moss samples? Weren’t they the cause of this whole thing in the first place!?

Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

TNG LOL: There’s not a huge amount to laugh at in this episode, but I did find it quite funny that the Paxan’s seem to have randomly selected Troi for possession. Is there any more frequently possessed character in the crew? It’s a toss-up between her and Data across the whole series, but overall he definitely gets a lot more lines of his own than she does.

To Boldly Go: The Enterprise has completed its mission on Harrakis V ahead of schedule and is therefore having some downtime so that the crew can pursue some personal interests. I swear if these guys had any more time off Starfleet would grind to a halt.

Mistakes and Minutiae: Picard suggests that if Data is taken in by Starfleet they’ll “strip him down to his wires” to figure out what went wrong. Really? Because that sounds like it’d effectively be an execution. And as was previous proven, Data is legally NOT a toaster. Not cool, Starfleet!

Time Until Meeting: 14:47. A very late but ultimately thrilling meeting about the unexpected growth of moss samples.

Captain’s Log: This episode is a great little mystery show which is only partially undermined by the fact that once you’ve seen it, you know exactly where it’s going and that really sucks the tension out of the episode. I feel like it could’ve had a little more depth to it, not least because we don’t really know why the Paxans want to be left alone. It might be easier to accept this story a second time around if there was a stronger concept driving it.

Similarly, it would’ve been nice if we had been able to follow the crew’s suspicions. Normally I don’t like the audience knowing more than the crew during a mystery, but if we’d been able to see Data doing things then telling the crew the opposite, we’d have been able to build up a healthy suspicion too. As it was, we’ve only got one perspective and that makes it hard to get too invested in what’s going on.

Still, it’s worth noting that despite being a thoroughly average episode of Star Trek , that’s a far cry from the early days where this would’ve been about as good as it got. The fact that something which is creatively watertight and competently executed is considered average speaks volumes about the leaps of improvement we’ve seen overall.

Read James’ look-back at the previous episode, Devil’s Due, here.

Follow our  Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here . And be our  Facebook chum here .

Clues Stardate: 44502.7 Original Airdate: 11 Feb, 1991

<Back to the episode listing

Star Trek ® and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc . Copyright © 1966, Present. The Star Trek web pages on this site are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All other copyrights property of their respective holders.

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WMG/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E14Clues

WMG / Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E14 "Clues"

Edit locked.

This entire episode is actually from Data's recollection of the events, his version of a "Captain's log" if he could make one for these events. This includes his extrapolation of the events he wasn't in the room for. This explains some odd characterization, such as Geordi completely blowing off Data's technobabble (since when?), Picard quickly yielding to the Paxans, and Picard's borderline threat to Data.

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

Log in or Sign up

You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser .

Why "Clues" bothers me just a little bit...

Discussion in ' Star Trek: The Next Generation ' started by Darth_Pazuzu , Nov 13, 2008 .

Darth_Pazuzu Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

I was recently watching some of my Season 4 DVD's of Star Trek: The Next Generation , and one of the episodes I saw was Clues . While I think it's a fairly decent episode, there's something about it which kind of bothers me. If you'll allow me to momentarily digress... Last summer, I was all psyched up by the hype surrounding Batman: Dark Knight , and I was really eager to see Heath Ledger's posthumous performance as the Joker. While I can't say that the movie didn't deliver the goods, and was good thrilling fun for the most part, there's one aspect of the movie that kind of ticked me off: The ending . I thought that the whole thing about protecting the good name of Harvey Dent so that the citizens of Gotham would have their memory of the White Knight D.A. preserved, and Batman playing the fall guy and becoming a true outlaw, the "bad guy," as it were...well, truthfully, I found it rather unnerving and unsettling! For the same reason, albeit to a somewhat lesser extent, I found Clues rather unsettling. Data's - and Captain Picard's - sanctioning of having the entire crew's memories of the Paxans erased just so the big, bad superpowerful xenophobic aliens would be able to keep knowledge of their existence from outsiders just doesn't really sit well with me. I mean, why , for God's sake?! It's certainly not a Prime Directive issue, since the Paxans are so obviously advanced! And even if it's accepted that Captain Picard would assent to having the Enterprise crew's memories erased for the sake of preventing their destruction by the Paxans, there's no compelling reason why Data couldn't have filled everybody in later on when there was no threat of reprisal from the aliens! Granted, that would be deceptive to the Paxans, but they're just a bunch of uptight, xenophobic twits anyway, so who freakin' cares what they think?! Starfleet could have just been selective in who they shared information about the Paxans with and simply declared their system off limits to other vessels. My point is, if you're going to write a story in which the truth is covered up, you had best have some morally compelling reason to back it up! The famous Deep Space Nine episode In The Pale Moonlight is also an example of a Trek story in which even worse acts - lying, cheating, bribery and murder - are committed for the sake of bringing the Romulans into the war with the Dominion. While that episode's moral relativism is not necessarily beyond argument, I believe that for the sake of preserving the Federation and winning the war, and Captain Sisko was justified - albeit just barely! - in doing what he felt had to be done. (Although it certainly didn't hurt that he had the amoral Elim Garak to do all those things that he couldn't do behind his back - which may indeed have been a kind of subconscious motivation for Sisko's working with Garak in the first place!) Purely as a matter of principle, I prefer to know the truth. The truth may not be pretty, it may be inconvenient, and it may even be downright scary, but I'm the sort of person who would sleep better at night knowing the awful, ugly truth than I could sanctioning someone's deceiving me in order to somehow "protect" me! But hey, that's just me!  

USS Excelsior Commodore Commodore

Because Data was ordered to keep it a secret.  

USS Excelsior said: ↑ Because Data was ordered to keep it a secret. Click to expand...

Iamnotspock Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

Picard had to order Data to never reveal the truth in order to satisfy the Paxans. Once the situation was over, Data still would not have violated that order as it would've gone against his programming.  

Sheliak Commodore Commodore

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."  

Flying Spaghetti Monster Vice Admiral Admiral

I afgree with the OP. Plus there are some clues that they can't avoid.. like beards and plants growing. That's the point, and Picard agrees to it again I still can't figure out how they are going to "get it right" this time  

Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

Then again, what right do our heroes have to know the truth? Don't the Paxans hold equal rights to truth, especially the truth about themselves? Our heroes are out to pillage, to take truth away from those who originally owned it. They have little justification for this pillage, except for the abstract desire to have as much truth as they can. But no truth or other abstraction can ever be worth even a single life. If our heroes are harming the Paxans in their quest for truth, they should cease and desist - and they should lose their wrongful gains. Timo Saloniemi  

Savage Dragon Not really all that savage Moderator

It's been a long time since I saw this episode but I thought they were under threat from the Paxans and the only way to stay safe was to make sure they didn't know the truth. Seems like a good reason to cover up the truth to me. Of course I could be remembering wrong.  

Christopher Writer Admiral

Darth_Pazuzu said: ↑ For the same reason, albeit to a somewhat lesser extent, I found Clues rather unsettling. Data's - and Captain Picard's - sanctioning of having the entire crew's memories of the Paxans erased just so the big, bad superpowerful xenophobic aliens would be able to keep knowledge of their existence from outsiders just doesn't really sit well with me. I mean, why , for God's sake?! It's certainly not a Prime Directive issue, since the Paxans are so obviously advanced! And even if it's accepted that Captain Picard would assent to having the Enterprise crew's memories erased for the sake of preventing their destruction by the Paxans, there's no compelling reason why Data couldn't have filled everybody in later on when there was no threat of reprisal from the aliens! Granted, that would be deceptive to the Paxans, but they're just a bunch of uptight, xenophobic twits anyway, so who freakin' cares what they think?! Starfleet could have just been selective in who they shared information about the Paxans with and simply declared their system off limits to other vessels. Click to expand...

Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

At the end, when Picard is explaining to the Paxans that they left too many clues, and that this should be a "dry run" for the real thing, I always envision the Paxans replying, "That is what you said the last two times!" and blowing up the Enterprise anyway.  

Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

Christopher said: ↑ There's also an enormous conceptual flaw with the story. Okay, supposedly they hide all the evidence that the crew has lost a whole day (and then a second whole day) of memory rather than just a few moments. The ship's clocks are set back to make it seem only seconds passed. Okay, fine. But what happens when the ship gets a subspace communique from Starfleet, or docks at a starbase, and they discover that the ship's clocks are two days behind the rest of the galaxy? ST has never implied that there's any kind of time-dilation effect with warp drive, so that would pretty much give away that they'd lost time. True, it's possible that the wormhole could be blamed for sending them a day or two forward in time, but the script never addressed that. It's not an insoluble issue, but it's one the scriptwriters forgot to deal with, and that's sloppy thinking. Click to expand...

Vic Sixx Commodore Commodore

It bothered me too, as I've said a few other times. Picard seem to cave a little to easily, unless there was more of an argument that was edited out. Granted the Captain has the right to sacrifice his crew, but does he have the right to order them to have memories erased? I don't think so. And the curiosity about the two day time lag would have created the mystery all over again.  

Holdfast said: ↑ As for the ethics of covering up evidence/truth, it's an interesting question. We assume knowing truth is good, but we each have a different version of truth. Leaving aside issues of absolute truth and just thinking practically: Picard acts to protect the lives of his crew the only way he can figure out. To him, the truth about the Paxans is worth sacrificing. Pragmatic bit of realpolitik I think, allowing him & his crew to survive and potentially do good in the future. Click to expand...

Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

I don't see the problem here. The Paxans would have destroyed the Enterprise if the crew hadn't voluntarily hidden the truth from themselves. Covering up the truth in this case saved a thousand lives, so I consider it justified. It hurt no one, and saved the ship's crew. Win-win.  

Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

Last summer, I was all psyched up by the hype surrounding Batman: Dark Knight, and I was really eager to see Heath Ledger's posthumous performance as the Joker Click to expand...

Unicron Boss Monster Mod Moderator

Babaganoosh said: ↑ I don't see the problem here. The Paxans would have destroyed the Enterprise if the crew hadn't voluntarily hidden the truth from themselves. Covering up the truth in this case saved a thousand lives, so I consider it justified. It hurt no one, and saved the ship's crew. Win-win. Click to expand...

Christopher said: ↑ Babaganoosh said: ↑ I don't see the problem here. The Paxans would have destroyed the Enterprise if the crew hadn't voluntarily hidden the truth from themselves. Covering up the truth in this case saved a thousand lives, so I consider it justified. It hurt no one, and saved the ship's crew. Win-win. Click to expand...

Indeed. While there's something to be said about conspiracies being portrayed as negative things, it wouldn't do to categorically condemn lying and hiding of truth. Especially if it saves you from bloodshed. Ever compliment on a hideous dress or hairdo? Timo Saloniemi  

• Log in with Facebook
• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?
• Search titles only

Separate names with a comma.

• Search this thread only
• Display results as threads

Useful Searches

• Recent Posts

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Apr 10, 2024

A Brief History of the Progenitors in Star Trek

They designed life itself!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery 's "Red Directive ."

StarTrek.com

Captain Burnham's top-secret mission in the final season of Star Trek: Discovery has finally been revealed. But this time, the Discovery crew isn’t stopping a future-destroying A.I., or a lethal, extra-galactic force. Instead, they’re investigating the basic mysteries of why most species in the Star Trek universe look vaguely human.

As revealed in " Red Directive ," the search for technology used by ancient "Progenitors" sets-up a massive treasure hunt for the season. But, who are the Progenitors? What did Jean-Luc Picard know about the secrets of inter-species alien DNA? And how does all of this fit in with Gene Roddenberry’s earliest ideas for Star Trek ?

Here’s a brief history of the Progenitors, from the early 1960s, to the 24th Century, all the way to 2024, and the 31st Century.

The Real World-Origins of the Progenitors

"The Cage"

When the U.S.S. Enterprise first set out to seek out "new life and new civilizations," a huge swath of those alien lifeforms turned out to look a lot like human beings. And the primary reason for that, at least behind-the-scenes, was two-fold.

First, human actors are more affordable, and second, Gene Roddenberry wanted the classic Star Trek to avoid the sci-fi trope of "Bug-Eyed Monsters." And so, in one of the original 1964 pitch documents for Star Trek , Roddenberry floated the idea of "The Parallel Worlds" concept . The idea was that the format of Star Trek — from a writing and production standpoint — would generally deal with "...plant and animal life, plus people, quite similar to Earth. Social evolution will also have interesting points of similarity with ours."

Unlike a huge swath of science fiction on TV at the time, the promise of strange, new worlds, that were, in fact, populated by people , is something that set Star Trek apart, and was the cornerstone of what gave the series its humanist angle. But, the side effect of course, was an in-universe question — why were so many aliens humanoid?

The Old Ones, Sargon, and The Preservers

"The Paradise Syndrome"

The first two seasons of The Original Series are sprinkled with hints that, in the distant past, the galaxy was visited by super-powered aliens with technology far more advanced than anything in the Federation.

In " What Are Little Girls Made Of? ," we meet Ruk, an android built by "The Old Ones," an alien race capable of creating humanoid androids that were basically immortal. In " Return to Tomorrow ," the disembodied soul of Sargon, refers to humanity as "my children." While Dr. Muhuall says this idea flies in the face of evolutionary theory, Spock mentions the idea that aliens seeded life would "explain certain elements of Vulcan pre-history."

Then in Season 3, in " The Paradise Syndrome ," Bones and Spock tackle the question head-on. When they realize an ancient race of "Preservers" helped various humanoid species throughout the galaxy, the idea of an ancient alien race guiding and "seeding" a ton of humanoid species became less of a myth and more of a working theory. "I’ve always wondered why there were so many humanoids scattered through the galaxy," Bones says. To which Spock replies, "So have I. Apparently, the Preservers account for a number of them."

And then, the questions about an ancient humanoid species went answered. At least, until The Next Generation . 

"The Chase"

Directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Ronald D. Moore and Joe Menosky, " The Chase " was a sixth-season episode of The Next Generation , which, according to The Next Generation Companion , was considered in the writers' room the most "Roddenberryesque" episode of TNG at that time. The story itself took cues from Carl Sagan's novel Contact , and posited that yes, ancient aliens not only seeded most of the humanoid species, but also hid a message in the DNA of all those species.

Captain Picard's interest in archeology comes in handy during the quest to locate all the DNA strands and reveal the message, which was also represented metaphorically by the ancient artifact known as the Kurlan naiskos .

At the end of the episode, representatives from the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Empire, the Cardassian Union, and the Federation, all witness the truth — an ancient Progenitor (played by Salome Jens) makes it clear that all the humanoid species in the galaxy don’t exist out of pure hubris, but instead, out of a kind of desire for legacy. "You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence…. Remember us."

Ronald D. Moore pointed out that there's no reason to believe that the Progenitors from "The Chase" and the Preservers from TOS aren't one in the same. Though not explicitly stated in the script, he said, "But this could be them, and be internally consistent."

Discovery Brings It All Home

"Red Directive"

While The Next Generation established a canonical fact that TOS only danced around, that only answered the question of why . With Discovery Season 5, a stranger, and more complex question is getting broached — how ?

"The Chase" told us why there are so many humanoid species in the galaxy, but we had no idea how the Progenitors specifically pushed life to evolve on various planets toward the exact form of life we’re all so familiar with. As the crew of Discovery — and other forces — are in pursuit of this ancient tech, Star Trek is boldly speculating on one of the biggest questions of all time.

If there was a supreme intelligence behind the creation of life, what was their method? While these kinds of questions are somewhat mind-boggling in real life, what Discovery is doing now is what Star Trek has done all along: Ask provocative questions that are beyond what we know now, so that maybe, in the future, we’ll be better prepared.

We don’t know that the Progenitors exist in real science, but the "panspermia hypothesis," is a very real scientific concept. A friendly alien may not have consciously sparked life on Earth eons ago, but, in reality, it is possible that some building blocks for life itself may have come from the stars.

Get Updates By Email

Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

• Star Trek 101

• Xenophobic Races
• Live Action Species
• Star Trek Universe
• Races of the Milky Way Galaxy
• Isolationist Races
• View history

The Paxans are an alien race native to the Alpha Quadrant.

Biology [ ]

Nothing for sure is known about them save that they might possibly be an energy-based species.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

• View history

Star Trek: The Next Generation , often abbreviated to TNG , is the second live-action Star Trek television series, and the first set in the 24th century . Like its predecessors, it was created by Gene Roddenberry . Produced at Paramount Pictures , it aired in first-run syndication , by Paramount Television in the US, from September 1987 to May 1994 . The series was set in the 24th century and featured the voyages of the starship USS Enterprise -D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The series led to four spin-offs set in the same time period: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , which it ran alongside during its final two seasons, Star Trek: Voyager , Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Picard . It is also the beginning of a contiguous period of time during which there was always at least one Star Trek series in production, ending with Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 .

• Main Title Theme  file info (arranged by Dennis McCarthy , composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage )
• 2.1 Starring
• 2.2 Also starring
• 3.1 Season 1
• 3.2 Season 2
• 3.3 Season 3
• 3.4 Season 4
• 3.5 Season 5
• 3.6 Season 6
• 3.7 Season 7
• 4.1 Remastering
• 5.1 Performers
• 5.2 Stunt performers
• 5.3 Production staff
• 5.4 Companies
• 6 Related topics
• 8 External links

Summary [ ]

Star Trek: The Next Generation moved the universe forward roughly a century past the days of James T. Kirk and Spock . The series depicted a new age in which the Klingons were allies of the Federation , though the Romulans remained adversaries. New threats included the Ferengi (although they were later used more for comic relief), the Cardassians , and the Borg . While Star Trek: The Original Series was clearly made in the 1960s, the first two seasons of The Next Generation show all the markings of a 1980s product, complete with Spandex uniforms .

As with the original Star Trek , TNG was still very much about exploration, "boldly going where no one has gone before". Similarly, the plots captured the adventures of the crew of a starship, namely the USS Enterprise -D . Despite the apparent similarities with the original series, the creators of TNG were adamant about creating a bold, independent vision of the future. The public did not widely accept the show on its own terms until the airing of " The Best of Both Worlds ", which marked a shift towards higher drama, serious plot lines, and a less episodic nature. This helped pave the way for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and its two-year-long Dominion War arc and preceding build-up, as well as the third and fourth seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise . Star Trek: Voyager capitalized on the heightened crew relationships and familial bonds first seen on The Next Generation. DS9, on the other hand, balanced political intrigue, character development, and series-long plot threads with a rerun-friendly format.

As with the original Star Trek , TNG's special effects utilized miniatures, but due to great advancements in computerized effects and opticals, the show leaped ahead of its predecessor in terms of quality effects. This series marked the greatest surge in Star Trek 's mainstream popularity, and paved the way for the later televised Trek shows.

Four of the Star Trek motion pictures continued the adventures of the TNG cast after the end of the series in 1994. Star Trek Generations served to "pass the torch" from The Original Series cast, who had been the subject of the first six motion pictures, by including crossover appearances from William Shatner , James Doohan , and Walter Koenig ; it also featured the destruction of the USS Enterprise -D. Star Trek: First Contact , released two years later , was the first of the motion pictures to solely feature the TNG cast, transferred aboard the new USS Enterprise -E and engaging with one of their deadliest enemies from the television series, the Borg. Star Trek: Insurrection followed in 1998 , continuing certain character arcs from the series. In 2002 , Star Trek Nemesis brought some of these character arcs and plot threads to a seemingly definite conclusion, although some cast members expressed hope that future movies would yet pick up the story. Regardless, a new generation of actors appeared in 2009 's Star Trek , which created an alternate reality and returned the films' focus to Kirk and Spock .

On television, characters from TNG appeared in subsequent series. Recurring TNG character Miles O'Brien became a series regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , as did Worf in DS9's fourth season . Jean-Luc Picard appeared in Deep Space Nine 's pilot episode , and supporting characters from TNG appeared occasionally on DS9 (specifically, Keiko O'Brien , Lursa , B'Etor , Molly O'Brien , Vash , Q , Lwaxana Troi , Alynna Nechayev , Gowron , Thomas Riker , Toral , and Alexander Rozhenko ). Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi appeared several times each on Star Trek: Voyager , and Troi and William T. Riker appeared in the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise , which was primarily a holographic simulation set during the TNG episode " The Pegasus ". However, Star Trek Nemesis was the final chronological appearance of the Next Generation characters for over 18 years, until Star Trek: Picard , which focused on the later life of Jean-Luc Picard. Riker, Troi, Data , and Hugh also appeared in Picard .

In 1994 , Star Trek: The Next Generation was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. During its seven-year run, it was nominated for 58 Emmy Awards, mostly in "technical" categories such as visual effects and makeup; it won 18.

Main cast [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. j.g. / Lt. / Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Denise Crosby as Lt. Tasha Yar ( 1987 - 1988 )
• Michael Dorn as Lt. j.g. / Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher ( 1987 - 1988 ; 1989 - 1994 )
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
• Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher ( 1987 - 1990 )

Episode list [ ]

Season 1 [ ].

TNG Season 1 , 25 episodes:

Season 2 [ ]

TNG Season 2 , 22 episodes:

Season 3 [ ]

TNG Season 3 , 26 episodes:

Season 4 [ ]

TNG Season 4 , 26 episodes:

Season 5 [ ]

TNG Season 5 , 26 episodes:

Season 6 [ ]

TNG Season 6 , 26 episodes:

Season 7 [ ]

TNG Season 7 , 25 episodes:

Behind the scenes [ ]

Star Trek: The Next Generation was originally pitched to the then-fledgling Fox Network . However, they couldn't guarantee an initial order greater than thirteen episodes, not enough to make the enormous start-up costs of the series worth the expense. It was then decided to sell the series to the first-run syndication market. The show's syndicated launch was overseen by Paramount Television president Mel Harris , a pioneer in the syndicated television market. Many of the stations that carried The Next Generation had also run The Original Series for a long time.

According to issues of Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine from early 1987, TNG was originally planned to be set in the 25th century, 150 years after the original series, and the Enterprise would have been the Enterprise NCC-1701-G. Gene Roddenberry ultimately changed the timeline to mid-24th century, set on board the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, as an Enterprise -G would have been the eighth starship to bear the name and that was too many for the relatively short time period that was to have passed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was billed initially as being set 78 years after the days of the original USS Enterprise . [1] (p. 16) However, after the series' first season was established as being set in the year 2364 , this reference became obsolete as dates were then able to be set for the original series and the four previous films. When this happened, it was established that the events of the original series were about a hundred years before the events of TNG. With TNG's first season being set in 2364, 78 years prior would have been 2286 . Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home partly takes place during this year along with the shakedown cruise of the USS Enterprise -A .

On the special The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation To The Next , Gene Roddenberry commented, " On the original Star Trek , I practically lost my family from working so many twelve-hour days, fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, and I told them, 'You can't pay me enough to do that.' But then they said, 'Hey, but suppose we do it in a way in which' they call syndication, 'in which we don't have a network and we don't have all those people up there?' And Paramount was saying to me, 'And we guarantee that you will be in charge of the show.' "

Andrew Probert was first hired by Roddenberry in 1978 . However, not until 1986 , when Roddenberry was preparing to launch a new show, entitled Star Trek: The Next Generation , did he call upon Probert to take a lead design role. Everything had to be rethought, imagined, planned and redesigned. As the vision evolved in the designers' minds, the evolution was charted in successive sketches and paintings.

Among Probert's creations, in addition to the new Enterprise starship and many of its interiors including the main bridge , are many other featured spacecraft. The Ferengi cruiser , and even the Ferengi species, are Probert designs.

Roddenberry originally insisted on doing a one-hour pilot and assigned D.C. Fontana to write the episode, first titled Meeting at Farpoint . However, the studio was keen on having a two-hour pilot, mainly because they wanted something big and spectacular to launch the series, especially considering first-run syndication. Roddenberry himself volunteered to extend Fontana's script to two hours, eventually adding the Q storyline to it.

Ronald D. Moore commented, " Gene did not want conflict between the regular characters on TNG. This began to hamstring the series and led to many, many problems. To put it bluntly, this wasn't a very good idea. But rather than jettison it completely, we tried to remain true to the spirit of a better future where the conflicts between our characters did not show them to be petty or selfish or simply an extension of 20th century mores. " ( AOL chat , 1997 ) Rick Berman explained, " The problem with Star Trek: The Next Generation is Gene created a group of characters that he purposely chose not to allow conflict between. Starfleet officers cannot be in conflict, thus its murderous to write these shows because there is no good drama without conflict, and the conflict has to come from outside the group. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 8)

Roddenberry tried to recruit many production staff members from The Original Series to work on the new series. These included producers Robert H. Justman and Edward K. Milkis , writers D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold (who served as the main creative force behind the formation of the series), costume designer William Ware Theiss , assistant director Charles Washburn , composer Fred Steiner , set decorator John M. Dwyer , and writer John D.F. Black . Roddenberry also tried to bring back cinematographer Jerry Finnerman , but he declined the offer, being busy working on Moonlighting at the time. However, all of the above people finished working on the series after or during the first season.

Unit Production Manager David Livingston was responsible for hiring Michael Westmore for the pilot episode. ( ENT Season 3 Blu-ray , " Impulse " audio commentary )

Remastering [ ]

After several months of speculation and partial confirmation, StarTrek.com announced on 28 September 2011 (the 24th anniversary of the series premiere) that The Next Generation would be remastered in 1080p high-definition for release on Blu-ray Disc and eventual syndication, starting in 2012 . The seventh and final season was released on Blu-ray in December 2014 .

Cast and crew [ ]

The following people worked on The Next Generation ; it is unknown during which season or on which episodes.

Performers [ ]

• Antonio – background actor
• Charles Bazaldua – voice actor
• Terrence Beasor – voice actor (17 episodes, including the voice of the Borg )
• Libby Bideau – featured actress
• Brian Ciari – background actor: Cardassian ( TNG Season 6 or 7 )
• Amber Connally – background actress: child
• Phil Crowley – voice actor
• Vincent DeMaio – background actor: Enterprise -D operations division officer
• David Dewitt – background actor
• Gregory Fletcher – background actor Borg
• Dan Horton – background actor
• Carlyle King – voice actress
• Mark Laing – featured actor
• Daryl F. Mallett – background actor
• Tina Morlock – background actress
• Jean Marie Novak – background actress: Enterprise -D operations division officer
• Rick H. Olavarria – background actor (1988)
• Jennifer Ott – background actress: Enterprise -D command division officer
• Richard Penn – voice actor
• Judie Pimitera – background actress: Ten Forward waitress
• Paige Pollack – voice actress
• Jeff Rector – background actor: Enterprise -D command division officer
• Gary Schwartz – voice actor/ADR voice
• Beth Scott – background actress
• Steve Sekely – background actor
• Andrea Silver – background actress: Enterprise -D sciences division officer
• Oliver Theess – recurring background actor (around 1990)
• Richard Walker – background actor
• Harry Williams, Jr. – background actor
• Bruce Winant – supporting actor
• Stephen Woodworth – background actor

Stunt performers [ ]

• Laura Albert – stunts
• John Lendale Bennett – stunts
• Richard L. Blackwell – stunts
• John Cade – stunts
• Chuck Courtney – Assistant Stunt Coordinator
• Terry James – stunts
• Gary Jensen – Assistant Stunt Coordinator
• Lane Leavitt – stunts
• Pat Romano – stunts

Production staff [ ]

• Joseph Andolino – Additional Composer
• David Atherton – Makeup Artist
• Gregory Benford – Scientific Consultant
• Steven R. Bernstein – Additional Music Composer/Orchestrator
• Les Bernstien – Motion Control Operator
• R. Christopher Biggs – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Howard Block – Second Unit Director of Photography
• Stephen Buchsbaum – Colorist: Unitel Video (Four Seasons)
• Alan Chudnow – Assistant Editor
• Marty Church – Foley Mixer
• Scott Cochran – Scoring Mixer: Advertising Music
• Robert Cole – Special Effects Artist
• Sharon Davis – Graphics Assistant
• David Dittmar – Prosthetic Makeup Artist
• Dragon Dronet – Prop Maker: Weapons, Specialty Props and Miniatures
• Jim Dultz – Assistant Art Director
• Shannon Dunn – Extras Casting: Cenex Casting
• Chris W. Fallin – Motion Control Operator
• Edward J. Franklin – Special Effects Artist
• Lisa Gizara – Assistant to Gates McFadden
• John Goodwin – Makeup Artist
• Simon Holden – Digital Compositor (between 1989 and 1994)
• Kent Allen Jones – Sculptor: Bob Jean Productions
• Michael R. Jones – Makeup Artist (early 1990s)
• Jason Kaufman – Prop and Model Maker: Greg Jein, Inc.
• Nina Kent – Makeup Artist
• David Kervinen – Visual Effects Illustrator: Composite Image Systems (4 Seasons)
• Andy Krieger – Extras Casting: Central Casting
• Tim Landry – Visual Effects Artist
• Lisa Logan – Cutter/Fitter
• Jon Macht – Post Production Vendor
• Gray Marshall – Motion Control Camera Operator: Image "G"
• Karl J. Martin – Digital Compositor
• Belinda Merritt – VFX Accountant: The Post Group
• John Palmer – Special Effects Coordinator: WonderWorks Inc.
• Frank Popovich – Mold and Prop Assistant
• Molly Rennie
• Chris Schnitzer – Motion Control Technician/Rigger: Image "G"
• Steven J. Scott – Digital Compositor
• Bruce Sears – DGA Trainee
• Casey Simpson – Gaffer
• Ken Stranahan – Visual Effects Artist
• Rick Stratton – Makeup Artist
• Greg Stuhl – Miniatures: Greg Jein, Inc.
• Tim Tommasino – Assistant Editor
• Peter Webb – Digital Compositor
• Gregory A. Weimerskirch – Assistant Art Director
• Bill Witthans – Dolly Grip

Companies [ ]

• Bob Jean Productions
• Movie Movers
• Newkirk Special Effects
• WonderWorks Inc.

Related topics [ ]

• TNG directors
• TNG performers
• TNG recurring characters
• TNG studio models
• TNG writers
• Character crossover appearances
• Undeveloped TNG episodes
• Star Trek: The Next Generation novels
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics, volume 1 (DC)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics, volume 2 (DC)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics (IDW)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation soundtracks
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on VHS
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on Betamax
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on LaserDisc
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray
• Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball machine

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: The Next Generation at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at StarTrek.com

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

• Gene Roddenberry
• Patrick Stewart
• Brent Spiner
• Jonathan Frakes
• 321 User reviews
• 162 Critic reviews
• 39 wins & 61 nominations total

Episodes 176

Photos 3429

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard …

• Lieutenant Commander Data …

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker …

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge …

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Worf …

• Doctor Beverly Crusher …

• Enterprise Computer …

• Wesley Crusher …

• Chief Miles O'Brien …
• Youngblood …

• Lieutenant Natasha 'Tasha' Yar …

• Doctor Katherine Pulaski …

• Nurse Alyssa Ogawa …

• Ansata Terrorist …

• Ensign Ro Laren …

• Keiko O'Brien …
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Stellar Photos From the "Star Trek" TV Universe

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Almost everyone in the cast became life-long friends. At LeVar Burton 's 1992 wedding, Brent Spiner served as best man, and Sir Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , and Michael Dorn all served as ushers. Man of the People (1992) (#6.3) aired on that day.
• Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

[repeated line]

Capt. Picard : Engage!

• Crazy credits The model of the Enterprise used in the opening credits is so detailed, a tiny figure can be seen walking past a window just before the vessel jumps to warp speed.
• Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
• Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

User reviews 321

• Jan 2, 2004

Exceptional Robots on Film & TV

• How many seasons does Star Trek: The Next Generation have? Powered by Alexa
• Who is the captain of the USS Enterprise?
• Did any cast members of the original Star Trek series appear in The Next Generation?
• September 26, 1987 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• Star Trek: TNG
• Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant - 6100 Woodley Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA (location)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 45 minutes
• Dolby Stereo

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

A Star Trek Icon Was In The X-Men '97 Finale But You Likely Missed It

Contains spoilers  for "X-Men '97" Season 1, Episode 10 -- "Tolerance Is Extinction, Part 3"

When an X-Men show kicks off its season finale with a hopelessly injured Wolverine (Cal Dodd), the viewer knows the stakes are high. "Tolerance Is Extinction, Part 3" goes on to feature things like Jean Grey's (Jennifer Hale) Phoenix force, Professor X (Ross Marquand) flexing his powers, the team getting scattered across time, and major Marvel characters like Captain America (Josh Keaton), Daredevil, and Iron Man popping by for air punch-worthy cameos. However, even amidst all this action, it's probably safe to say that few people were ready for a cameo from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" icon Gates McFadden.

It's easy to miss by all but the most perceptive listeners, but the actor behind Dr. Beverly Crusher voices Mother Askani, whom Jean and Cyclops (Ray Chase) meet in the far future. It remains to be seen whether McFadden's appearance is a one-off or if her character continues to be a part of "X-Men '97" moving forward.

Read more: 20 Strongest Superheroes Ever, Ranked

Mother Askani Is An Important Character With Close Connections To Cyclops And Jean

As you'd expect, the arrival of Mother Askani in such a critical moment isn't a fluke. The character is part of the untold truth of Cyclops -- particularly his uncanny knack for having what must be the most convoluted family tree in the entire Marvel universe. Much like Cable (Chris Potter), Mother Askani is actually Cyclops and Jean's child from an alternate universe. This adds an extra layer on the decision to have a Star Trek alum voice the character. After all, the mirror universe in Star Trek  is a particularly famous example of alternate-universe antics. 

Askani entering the "X-Men '97" universe and Cyclops and Jean being stranded in the far future seems to suggest that "X-Men '97" Season 2 will at least partially adapt the 1994 miniseries "The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix" by Scott Lobdell and Gene Ha. The story sees the superhero couple spend time in the future while raising their son. Season 1 has kept a fairly brisk pace, jogging through classic storylines, so it's unlikely that the pair will stay in such a comparatively happy bubble for too long. Even so, there's little denying that Scott and Jean have earned a moment of respite before they inevitably have to join the rest of the X-Men and deal with the season finale's other major character debut -- En Sabah Nur (Adetokumboh M'Cormack), who's better known as Apocalypse.

Did you enjoy Marvel's acclaimed animated show? Check out the best Marvel cartoons to watch after "X-Men '97."

Read the original article on Looper