star trek tng conundrum

Conundrum (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4 Sets and props
• 3.5 Continuity
• 3.6 Reception
• 3.8 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Co-stars
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stunt doubles
• 4.7 Stand-ins
• 4.8.1 Other references
• 4.8.2 Retconned references
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

" Scanning intensity has increased by 1,500%. " " Shields up. "

As the crew is going through a typical day, with Data in Ten Forward fixing Deanna Troi a Samarian sunset done in the traditional style to settle a bet over a three-dimensional chess game, Dr. Beverly Crusher tending to Kristin , a crewmember injured while cliff-diving on the holodeck , and Commander Riker arguing with Ensign Ro about her changing ship's procedure without his knowledge, the USS Enterprise -D is approached by a small vessel of unknown configuration. After the vessel initiates an intense scan of the Enterprise , a wave of green energy passes throughout the ship, and the entire crew suffers from memory loss .

Act One [ ]

The crewmembers have forgotten their identities but have retained their appropriate skills for running the ship. What they also don't realize is that there is someone else on the bridge who wasn't there before the wave hit, also wearing a Starfleet uniform and claiming to be suffering from memory loss.

While trying to ascertain who they are and why they are on this starship, Riker suggests to an equally anonymous Captain Picard that he is their leader, since he has four pips on his collar, more than anyone else present. Worf suggests otherwise, and presumes he is the leader because he is the most decorated person on board due to his baldric . Dr. Crusher realizes that she is a medical officer , but the injured crewmember in sickbay still doesn't know what she is doing there. Riker, Ro, and La Forge go to engineering to try to get the engines running. La Forge works on getting propulsion back online and tries to find personnel files so that they'll know who they are while Riker and Ro go to the rest of the ship as a survey team . Worf, in the meantime, has assumed leadership and is happy when La Forge reports the ship is ready for battle with the navigation, propulsion, weapons, and communications back online.

Act Two [ ]

With computer access limited, Riker and Ro travel throughout the ship and confirm that the memory loss is not limited only to the bridge; rather than their normal hostility, the two have an almost playful relationship, with Ro commenting that Riker doesn't look like someone who needs a holodeck to have fun.

After La Forge successfully accesses the ship's computer, he is able to get a list with photos of the Enterprise 's bridge officers . The list confirms that Picard is indeed the commanding officer of the Enterprise . To Worf's dismay, the list has him near the bottom, second to last; he apologizes to Picard for asserting authority where he had none, but Picard tells him to think nothing more of it. Interestingly, the computer's list has one new addition to the ship's regular command crew. Commander Kieran MacDuff is the ship's first officer , and Commander Riker has been bumped down to second officer .

Data and La Forge are able to get more information out of the computer, and they brief the senior officers about their current mission: The Enterprise has been tasked to destroy the Lysian command center as part of a coordinated attack on their mortal enemy, with whom the Federation has been at war for years. The information also suggests that the Lysians have a new weapon which could cause memory loss. Troi wants to open communications with headquarters to confirm their mission, but the Enterprise 's orders include radio silence at all times. Picard orders MacDuff to set a course towards the Lysian command center. Troi doesn't like it.

Act Three [ ]

Troi has a strong feeling that the war is wrong but can't pin down a reason, and Riker suggests it is just due to the general nature of war. When Riker returns to his quarters, he finds Ro lounging in a chair waiting for him. Ro tells Riker that they could be married, and Riker tells it is also equally possible that they hate each other. They begin to lie down on Riker's bed and Riker asks her what if he snores in his sleep . Ro responds by asking him what makes him think he is going to get any sleep tonight.

As the Enterprise crosses into Lysian space, a Lysian destroyer tries to hail the Enterprise . Picard wants to open a channel, but MacDuff suggests that that may be how they lost their memories to begin with. The Lysian destroyer starts to fire at the Enterprise , but the starship is able to easily destroy the Lysian vessel – too easily. MacDuff congratulates Picard for his decisiveness, but the captain is bothered by how ineffective the Lysian's defenses were.

Act Four [ ]

" Am I interrupting anything? " " No. " " No. "

Troi also inexplicably feels that Riker is very " familiar "; the two realize they have some connection when he finds a book , Ode to Psyche by John Keats , which she gave him as a gift "with love", producing a rather awkward moment when Ro arrives and sees them nearly kissing before she kisses Riker herself once Troi leaves. Ro informs Riker that she gets the feeling she used to be the jealous type before giving him a kiss.

Efforts to repair the memory loss have been limited, as La Forge cannot gain access to more detailed personnel files or medical records that might allow Dr. Crusher to safely attempt to restore the crew's memories; MacDuff volunteers despite the risks, but Crusher stops her efforts when he apparently begins having seizures , missing MacDuff's slight sinister smile as she walks away.

Picard wonders if the Federation is truly at war with such a technologically inferior enemy. He feels a moral dilemma, comparing his situation to being given a weapon and told to go into a room to kill a stranger but still wanting to know why; MacDuff counters that it would be wrong to allow the war to continue and claim millions of lives just because Picard is experiencing moral qualms. MacDuff has a private conversation with Worf, his fellow warrior, and warns him there might be a situation where a split-second decision may need to be made, even if Picard has not yet given the orders to do so.

Act Five [ ]

Lysian starbase

The Enterprise arrives in the Lysian system and proceed towards the Lysian Central Command , where it is intercepted by 47 unmanned Lysian sentry pods . These vessels are easily destroyed, and the Enterprise continues on to the command center. Data informs Picard that the Lysian command center is virtually defenseless with 15,311 people aboard. One photon torpedo could destroy the entire structure, while its entire arsenal could not even damage the Enterprise . Troi again insists the situation is wrong, and Riker poses the question: How could the Federation's mortal enemy be over a hundred years behind it in weapons technology? MacDuff insists that Picard destroy the station, but Picard refuses to fire on defenseless people and instead tells Worf to open a channel. MacDuff tells Worf belay the order and declares that something is wrong with the captain and attempts to assume command, giving Worf an order to fire all weapons. When Worf refuses, MacDuff knocks him away with surprising force and tries to fire himself. Riker shoots him with a phaser . The beam knocks MacDuff back and reveals a shocking fact; he is not Human . Worf and Riker then combine their phaser shots to knock MacDuff to the floor and subdue him.

Determining that there was an artificial effect suppressing the crew's memories, Dr. Crusher works to quickly restore them. MacDuff is identified as a Satarran , a race which has been at war with the Lysians for decades. Despite their skill with memory suppression, the Satarrans lacked sophisticated weapons technology, and so had plotted to hijack the Enterprise and tilt the war in their favor. Picard apologized on behalf of the Federation for the deaths of the Lysian destroyer's crew. With MacDuff's plan foiled, the Enterprise heads off to its next assignment – although Riker remains uneasy when he encounters Troi and Ro intensely conversing in Ten Forward. Ro insists somewhat facetiously that they have a memory they will both treasure; Troi concludes that such actions tend to result from subconscious desires. When Riker concedes confusion, she smiles and assures him that " if you're still confused tomorrow, you know where my office is ."

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2368

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Data, chess isn't just a game of ploys and gambits; it's a game of intuition. " " Hmm. You are a challenging opponent, Counselor. "

" I don't know who any of you are. " " Nor do I. I don't… I don't even remember who I am. "

" It looks like I'm the pilot. "

(To Picard) " Looks like you're the leader. " (Picard counts his pips .) " Perhaps we should not jump to conclusions. " (Worf points to his baldric ) " I am decorated as well. "

" We're going to search the ship. " " Very well. Proceed. "

(Data pops up from behind the bar's counter.) " Can I get you something? A beverage ? "

" Contact the operations officer to assist you. " " He's in Ten Forward, waiting tables. "

" For all we know, you and I could be married. " " For all we know, you and I could hate each other. "

" You must've been one hell of a bartender. "

" We must attack!!! " " I do not fire on defenseless people. "

" Commander, don't worry about it. As far as I'm concerned, you and I have shared something that we will treasure forever. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Ronald D. Moore relays pitch to Michael Piller : 12 April 1990 [1]
• In a memo to Rick Berman , David Livingston approves of pitch: 23 April 1990 [2]
• Final draft script: 14 November 1991 [3]
• Filmed: 18 November 1991 – 26 November 1991
• Second unit inserts filmed: 19 December 1991
• Premiere airdate: 17 February 1992
• First UK airdate: 22 March 1995

Story and script [ ]

• The original pitch involved drafting soldiers by rewriting their memories. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 191)) A similar story later appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Nemesis ".
• The story was one of several amnesia stories first pitched in Season 4 . Two of these were produced (" Future Imperfect " and " Clues "), and this one was held for further development. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 191); Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , pp. 237-238)
• The majority of this episode's teleplay was in fact written by an uncredited Joe Menosky . According to Brannon Braga , the story went through a number of writers before Menosky made it work. ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , pp. 237-238)
• Rick Berman commented, " It's based on that whole concept of what if? If you have nine people who don't know who or what they are, will they find themselves? Will they find the pecking order? Will the captain become the captain? " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 238)

Production [ ]

• "Conundrum" was filmed between Monday 18 November 1991 and Tuesday 26 November 1991 on Paramount Stage 8 and Paramount Stage 9 . Second unit inserts were filmed on Thursday 19 December 1991 on Paramount Stage 8 and 9.
• This episode is a bottle show . ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 238)

Sets and props [ ]

• The Lysian Central Command model was previously used as the Edo God in " Justice ".
• As a memory-less Ro Laren waits for him in bed, we see that Commander Riker has a horga'hn in his quarters. The horga'hn was first seen in " Captain's Holiday ", when Riker asked Captain Picard to acquire a horga'hn for him while the captain vacationed on Risa .
• One of the chess pieces at the beginning of the episode bears a resemblance to the Robot B-9 from Lost In Space .

Continuity [ ]

• As the crew attempts to learn more about their identities from the computer's databanks, a great deal of biographical data of the Enterprise -D crew is presented in the form of computer readouts. See personnel file .
• The tune Riker plays on his trombone is " The Nearness of You " by Hoagy Carmichael . He had previously performed this with the holographic jazz band in " 11001001 ".
• This episode marks the third time Picard is seen at the helm of the Enterprise during the series. The other times were in " 11001001 " and " Booby Trap ".

Reception [ ]

• Michael Piller felt that this episode didn't quite do justice to the original pitch. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 191))
• Rick Berman commented, " It's a thought provoking episode, I thought. Not one of the greats. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 238)
• Ronald D. Moore , Brannon Braga and Jeri Taylor all nominated the Ro Laren / William T. Riker / Deanna Troi triangle as the highlight of the episode. Taylor commented that it " invigorated the relationships and showed another side of Ro in that she plays comedy very nicely. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 237-238)
• However, Braga thought that the mystery around the fake first officer , Kieran MacDuff , didn't work. ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 238)
• Michelle Forbes enjoyed acting in this episode. " It was fun working with Frakes . It's an interesting problem for a character, because you have a very defined character that leans one way. When you have amnesia you wonder if that brings out a side of you that's always wanted to come out. Would you really be comfortable with that? It's an interesting thing. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 237)
• A mission report for this episode, by John Sayers, was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 20 , pp. 43-46.
• This episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special Visual Effects, sharing it in a tie with TNG : " A Matter Of Time ".

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 57, 11 January 1993
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 5.5, 7 October 2002
• As part of the TNG Season 5 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest stars [ ]

• Erich Anderson as Kieran MacDuff
• Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren

Co-stars [ ]

• Liz Vassey as Kristin
• Erick Weiss as Crewman
• Majel Barrett as Computer Voice

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Rachen Assapiomonwait as Nelson
• Lena Banks as operations division ensign
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Debbie David as Russell
• Gerard David, Jr. as operations division ensign
• Lanier Edwards as command division ensign
• Gina Gallante as science division officer
• Melba Gonzalez as command officer
• Grace Harrell as operations division officer
• Melanie Hathorn as sciences officer
• Christie Haydon as command division ensign
• Gary Hunter as science division officer
• Kast as command division officer
• Mark Lentry as civilian
• Jay Montalvo as operations division officer
• Michael Moorehead as science division ensign
• Keith Rayve as civilian
• Noriko Suzuki as operations division ensign
• Talbot as Ten Forward waitress
• John Tampoya as command division ensign
• Théyard as science division officer
• Uchizono as civilian
• Christina Wegler Miles as command division ensign
• Unknown actor as Ten Forward waiter

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Chris Doyle as stunt double for Erich Anderson ( deleted scene )
• Rusty McClennon as stunt double for Michael Dorn

Stand-ins [ ]

• David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Margaret Flores – stand-in for Michelle Forbes
• Melba Gonzalez – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Mark Lentry – stand-in for Erich Anderson and Brent Spiner
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner , Erich Anderson , and Erick Weiss
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden and Michelle Forbes
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Terri – stand-in for Liz Vassey and Michelle Forbes
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• James Washington – stand-in for Michael Dorn

References [ ]

ability ; Alaska ; analysis ; android ; arm ; armament ; artificial lifeform ; As You Like It ; attack ; attack vessel ; attitude ; authority ; bartender ; basic system directory ; bathing suit ; battleship ; battle stations ; behavior ; bioelectric field ; biographical listing ; boarding party ; brain chemistry ; brain scan ; checkmate ; chief engineer ; chief medical officer ; choice ; Cirrus IV ; Cliffs of Heaven ; cobalt fusion warhead ; coincidence ; command path discontinuity ; commanding officer ; communication channel ; computer ; computer core ; computer record ; computer system ; console ; corridor ; crew manifest ; culture ; cure ; damage ; databank ; database ; death ; debris ; decade ; deck ; diencephalon ; diplomacy ; diplomat ; disruptor ; distance ; distress signal ; doctor ; el-Mitra Exchange ; Emerald Wading Pool ; emotion ; enemy ; energy wave ; engineer ; engineering core ; Epsilon Silar system ; evasive maneuvers (aka evasive action ); executive officer ; Federation ; Federation starships ; feeling ; file ; file wall ; firing range ; flight handling assessment ; flight path ; frequency ; front ; full diagnostic (aka complete diagnostic ); fun ; fusion ; Galaxy -class decks ; gambit ; genocide ; hail ; hand ; hate ; head ; helm ; helm officer ; hesitation ; hippocampus ; history ; holodeck ; Holodeck Program 47-C ; holographic program ; home planet ; horga'hn ; hour ; idea ; impulse drive ; information ; information storage area ; injury ; intercept course ; intuition ; jealousy ; Keats, John ; kilometer ; kilojoule ; king ; kiss ; knowledge ; Kriskov Gambit ; laser cannon ; leader ; leadership ; length ; lifeform ; life support system ; ligament ; living quarters ; locator subroutine ; long-term memory ; Lysia ; Lysians ; Lysian Alliance ; Lysian battleship ; Lysian border ; Lysian Central Command ; Lysian destroyer (aka Lysian warship ); Lysian destroyer crew ; Lysian system ; Lysian territory ; magnetic propulsion ; main engineering ; marriage ; Master of Science ; medial temporal ; medical file ; medical index ; medical record ; medical specialist ; megajoule ; memory ; meter ; military operation ; mission ; mission report ; moral ; mountain climbing ; musician ; navigation ; navigator ; object ; Ode to Psyche ; offline ; onboard communications system ; operations officer ; optical data network ; order ; organization ; panic ; patient ; percent ; personnel file ; phaser ; phaser array ; phaser bank ; photon torpedo ; pilot ; plan ; plasma ; processor ; propulsion ; pulse laser ; question ; race ; radio silence ; record ; red alert ; representative ; Risa ; risk ; Roddenberry, Gene ; rook ; room ; Samarian sunset ; Satarrans ; Satarran starship ; scanning signal ; schematic ; science officer ; scientist ; second officer ; security chief ; senior officer ; sensor range ; sensor system ; sensor sweep ; sentry pod ; sequence initiator ; sequencing program ; shield grid ; ship's counselor ; short-term memory ; shuttlecraft ; skill ; sleep ; snoring ; speed ; Starbase 301 ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Headquarters ; Starfleet records ; state of war ; status report ; Stewart, Patrick ; stranger ; subspace interference pattern ; subspace radio ; subspace signal ; Sumiko IV ; superior ; survey team ; swimming ; swimming pool ; synapse ; table ; tactical analysis ; tactical array ; tactical console ; tactical control (aka tactical system ); tape ; three-dimensional chess ; throat ; torpedo bay ; transporter ; treatment ; trombone ; turbolift ; turbolift system ; vacation ; vessel ; victory ; visual range ; voice interface ; volunteer ; warp drive ; warrior ; weapon ; weapon range ; year

Other references [ ]

Retconned references [ ].

Bajora ; MacDuff, Keiran

External links [ ]

• " Conundrum " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Conundrum " at Wikipedia
• "Conundrum" at StarTrek.com
• " "Conundrum" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Conundrum" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein
• 3 John Paul Lona

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E14Conundrum

Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E14 "Conundrum"

Edit locked.

Original air date: February 10, 1992

It's a typical day on the Enterprise . The ship is en route to an uncharted sector of space to make First Contact with warp-capable civilizations, Doctor Crusher is tending to a patient in Sickbay, Troi and Data are playing chess in Ten Forward, and Ro and Riker are kvetching in the halls. Things take a turn for the not-so-typical when they encounter a small spacecraft of unknown design. The ship releases some sort of strange scan that wipes the memory from everyone aboard the ship.

Our amnesiac heroes try to take stock of their situation. They quickly deduce that they're on a starship with the wreckage of another ship outside, but the ship's computer and many other systems are offline. Logic dictates they're the crew of a ship and they've just suffered some kind of attack. Assuming that he's in command due to his fancy baldric, Worf orders Riker and Ro to assess the rest of the ship while everyone else focuses on getting the ship back into fighting shape in case a new enemy presents itself.

Riker and Ro discover that the problem is shipwide. No one knows anything about who or where they are and have to guess through the circumstances they found themselves in. Crusher quickly figures out that she's a doctor, but Data assumes that he's a bartender because he was behind the bar when the flash hit. Troi realizes that she's empathic and seems to remember some sort of connection with Riker.

Geordi retrieves the ship's personnel files so they can figure out who is who. To his embarrassment, Worf realizes that he's just the security officer. However, the computer also says Riker is only second officer, while the random Red Shirt who's been hanging around for some reason is First Officer Kieran MacDuff. Who?

Now that everyone is in their proper place (?), the senior staff receive a presentation of what they've gleaned about their current mission from the restored computer: They are the crew of the Enterprise , flagship of the United Federation of Planets, which is at war with the Lysian Alliance. They're on a secret mission to destroy the Lysian command center. The memory loss they've experienced is a new Lysian weapon that's been disabling Federation vessels. The Enterprise 's mission is a crucial one for ending the war, and they are under strict comm silence orders, so they can't verify any of this data. Despite some obvious misgivings, Picard orders the Enterprise to move forward.

Meanwhile, crew members are trying to get to some point of normalcy. Riker escorts Troi back to her quarters, where she expresses her unease: something about this whole situation doesn't feel right at all. Riker shares her unease, but he thinks it's just because they're at war; war never feels right. Bidding Troi a good night, Riker returns to his quarters... to find a provocatively-dressed Ro waiting for him. Well now...

The next day, the Enterprise reaches Lysian space. They are immediately accosted by a Lysian warship. Surprisingly, the ship doesn't immediately attack; in fact, they open a hailing frequency. Picard is about to answer, but MacDuff advises against it: this might have been what they did the first time. The Lysian ship gets tired of waiting for a response and opens fire, but its weapons are wholly ineffective, and a single phaser blast from the Enterprise destroys it.

Now that the Enterprise is killing people, Picard is even more insistent to get his memories back so he knows what he's doing. Crusher proposes some Techno Babble as a way of recovering the memories, and MacDuff volunteers to be a guinea pig, but he suffers some kind of seizure in the middle of the procedure (how convenient), so Crusher scraps the idea.

After MacDuff has recovered, he continues to beat the war drums. Picard has moral issues with blindly following orders to kill people he doesn't know, particularly against such seemingly weak foes, but MacDuff insists that everyone is counting on them to end the war and save lives. He then goes behind Picard's back to Worf, noting that they're alike and asking his support to override the captain should he fail to do his duty.

Meanwhile, Troi visits Riker to explore her feelings of familiarity with him. There's obvious attraction between them, and Riker discovers a loving note from Troi in a book he owns. They are about to share a tender moment, but then Ro comes in and breaks up the party, declaring that she thinks she's the jealous type.

The Enterprise steamrollers its way through Lysian space, and Riker notes that this seems far too easy. They reach the Lysian command center, with a crew of thousands and weapons that are a hundred years behind the Federation's. MacDuff urges Picard to destroy the station, but the captain has had enough. There is no way the Lysian Alliance could possibly be the mortal enemy of the Federation if this is how advanced they are. MacDuff, on the verge of Villainous Breakdown , tries to stage a mutiny, but he's quickly shot dead by Worf and Riker. In the process, his disguise is damaged: he's not even human.

In the aftermath, the truth comes out: "MacDuff" was a member of the Satarran race, the actual mortal enemies of the Lysians. He was using the Enterprise to bring a swift and decisive end to the decades-long war between them. And he very nearly succeeded: Picard muses grimly on the Lysians they killed while under the influence of this evil plan.

Tropes featured in "Conundrum" include:

• Amnesia Danger : The Enterprise and her crew becoming a pawn in a war between two alien civilizations? Selective amnesia and radio silence are really the only ways to make that happen.
• Amnesia Episode : One of several proposed in the fourth season, this one finally got made in the fifth.
• Anti-Mutiny : Attempted by "MacDuff." Fails miserably.
• Arc Number : There are 47 sentry pods defending the Lysian Central Command.
• Aside Glance : MacDuff manages a few of these. You know, just in case we didn't think he was in on the plot.
• Backstory Invader : MacDuff tries to pull this off. Interestingly, the direction for the episode doesn't go out of its way to present him as a "new guy"; there's no closeup shot with ominous music or anything when we first see him. If you had never seen TNG before, you might not know there was anything special about him at all. Even regular fans might think he's just some random helmsman or other officer if they didn't notice his three pips prior to him being introduced as the first officer.
• Beam Spam : One of the rare instances of the Enterprise firing more than one phaser beam in one second against the Lysian sentry pods.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension : This episode confirms its existence between Riker and Ro. They act on it during their memory loss, after Ro points out their obvious mutual attraction, and promptly suggests that they should have a little fun before they get their memory back and realize that they actually hate each other.
• Bittersweet Ending : The imposter is uncovered and the crew's memories are restored, but it won't bring back the Lysians they mistakenly killed.
• Bling of War : Invoked—this is the reason why Worf thinks he's the captain, given his shiny sash.
• Complexity Addiction : MacDuff's plan suffers from this upon reflection. He's got the technology to selectively erase both computer and organic memory as well as implant his own information. You'd think he would have found a simpler way to use that technology to end the war than hijacking a shipload of total strangers, insinuating himself into the crew, and railroading them into fighting the war for him.
• Picard's file notes his artificial heart and previous service as the Klingon Arbiter of Succession.
• Data's file notes his daughter, Lal.
• Troi's file notes her son, Ian.
• While speculating about his purpose, Data suggests that androids like him may be standard-issue on starships. Isn't that what Bruce Maddox wanted?
• Riker plays "The Nearness of You" by Hoagie Carmichael on his trombone. He'd previously played it in " 11001001 ".
• Data's chess match with Troi calls back to a similar match between Kirk and Spock in the second original series pilot .
• Riker examines his horga'hn from Risa, which he got from Picard in " Captain's Holiday ."
• Cringe Comedy : The awkwardness in Riker's conversation at the end with Ro and Troi... oh, it's palpable.
• Curb-Stomp Battle : The Enterprise quickly destroys the meager defenses of the Lysians without any real effort. This serves as a major clue that something is very fishy about that story of the lengthy war the Federation is supposedly fighting against them.
• Dizzy Cam : Briefly used right after the crew's memories are erased, to better illustrate their disorientation.
• Dramatic Irony : The audience knows the crew's real occupations and relations to each other while the crew themselves struggle to figure it out. We also know that the Federation's war with the Lysians is false and that MacDuff is an imposter long before the crew does.
• Easily Forgiven : The Enterprise crew wiped out a Lysian destroyer with few dozen hands aboard and crippled the defenses of their central command, which you would think would cause some sort of repercussions. However, when it is revealed that they were manipulated by Satarrans, expressing their solemn apologies for what happened is all it takes for Lysians to forgive them. Then again, it's not like they had the means to make any demands from Federation.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good : This is ultimately MacDuff's downfall — he fails to take the Enterprise crew's pacifistic nature into account, assuming they will simply follow the orders they think they have been given. Instead, they start to question the morality of their supposed mission, especially when it becomes clear that the Lysians aren't even remotely a match for the Federation . When MacDuff realizes they're having doubts, he attempts to manipulate Worf , dropping hints about the possible need for a mutiny if Picard won't go through with it, but it doesn't work — in the end, the Klingon is no more willing to fire on a defenseless enemy than the rest of the crew, especially when MacDuff starts yelling for him to fire all weapons at a station which, it was already established, could be destroyed with a single photon torpedo.
• Gut Feeling : One of the main reasons MacDuff's plan falls apart is that this whole situation feels wrong to the crew.
• Just Following Orders : Picard does his utmost to defy this. Picard: I feel as though I've been handed a weapon, sent into a room, and told to shoot a stranger. Well, I need some moral context to justify that action, and I don't have it. I'm not content simply to obey orders. I need to know that what I am doing is right.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia : Exactly how the Satarran weapon works.
• Love Triangle : A minor one between an amnesiac Riker, Ro and Troi . This leads to an awkward moment for him at the end, when he learns the two women have been talking about what happened.
• Made of Iron : MacDuff is able to absorb a surprising amount of phaser energy before he finally goes down. It's not clear if the Satarrans are just super-tough or if he's been augmented somehow.
• Meaningful Name : MacDuff is not of woman born.
• Moment Killer : At least as far as Troi is concerned, when Ro interrupts a tender moment between her and Riker. As for Riker—he just proceeds to have a tender moment with Ro instead.
• Mundane Utility : Watching Data demonstrate his speed and dexterity in Engineering, La Forge remarks, "You must have been one hell of a bartender." Considering that Troi's wager in their chess game was that Data make her a specific cocktail "as only you can make it," this is probably very true.
• Ontological Mystery : IN SPACE!
• Patrick Stewart Speech : Even suffering from amnesia, Picard manages one of these when refusing to eradicate a defenseless enemy.
• Reverse Whodunnit : While we don't know the exact circumstances, we do know that this MacDuff guy isn't part of the crew, and this war with the Lysians is a fabrication. We just don't know what's really going on or how he figures into it.
• She Cleans Up Nicely : Ro looks pretty good in a dress. Riker certainly thinks so.
• Shout-Out : The brief glimpse of MacDuff's true physical form shows that the Satarrans closely resemble the aliens from They Live! , another race who make use of illusion and subterfuge to get humans to do their dirty work for them.
• Smart People Play Chess : Data and Troi play chess at the beginning of the episode, and Troi actually beats Data by playing intuitively. This comes after it being established that defeating Data in a strategy game is a virtually unthinkable feat.
• Spotting the Thread : The fact that the Lysians are so technologically inferior to the Enterprise undoes the assertion that they are the Federation's mortal enemy.
• Status Quo is God : A First Contact situation goes horribly wrong, leading to the Enterprise becoming an Unwitting Pawn in an interstellar war, singlehandedly wiping out a huge chunk of one side's defense forces and most likely severely altering the balance of power in that sector of space. You'd think there'd be some kind of diplomatic fallout from this. But no; neither the Lysians nor the Satarrans are ever mentioned again.
• Stock Footage : The Lysian Central Command is the Edo "God" from " Justice ".
• Technician Versus Performer : Data versus Troi in their chess game. Troi is the Performer, playing by intuition, whereas Data, as an android, is incapable of being anything other than the Technician. Surprisingly, Troi wins.
• The Unfair Sex : Troi and Ro really give Riker the business after everything is resolved, even though Ro was the one who made a pass at him.
• Villainous Breakdown : MacDuff has one when his plan starts to unravel.
• The Worf Effect : Just to demonstrate that MacDuff is more dangerous than anyone thought, guess who gets tossed halfway across the bridge? At least Worf gets to return the favour .
• Writers Have No Sense of Scale : OK, so the Lysian defence system is really puny. But 4.3 kilojoules? Let's leave aside the fact that you would surely be more interested in power (watts) than energy (joules)—a domestic wood-burning stove puts out more than 4.3 kilojoules every second. Apparently the aliens have built base defences with something that wouldn't boil a kettle.

Video Example(s):

"take us straight through.".

"Conundrum". The Enterprise approaches the Lysian defense perimeter and is attacked by sentry ships, and promptly blows them out of space with a rapid-fire spread of phaser blasts.

Example of: Beam Spam

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

• The Next Generation, Season 5: Conundrum

Ro and Riker being attracted to each other made total sense. Ro is the kind of woman Riker would be attracted to, imo. She is not just some bimbo, but smart, confident and forceful. she doesnt take shit and Ricker likes it that way. it felt very natural. I found the Worf taking command part hilarious. It is like no matter where and what he is, he is always stuck in this BATTLE WARRIOR BATTLE GRUNT loop. It's like all his microbrain could process and it was amusing. It became painful obvious why he is not in command. Worf is a soldier, a warrior, he is not a leader. never will be. Not even later in DS9 when he is given command of the Defiant. I found it strange seeing Picard at the helm taking orders. it was really odd. His personality didnt match that of someone in a lower rank.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Conundrum

Season 5, Episode 14

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5, Episode 14.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5, Episode 14

Where to watch, star trek: the next generation — season 5, episode 14.

Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation — Season 5, Episode 14 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Cast & crew.

Patrick Stewart

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes

Cmdr. William Riker

LeVar Burton

Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Dr. Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis

Counselor Deanna Troi

Episode Info

Conundrum (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

14th episode of the 5th season of star trek: the next generation / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about Conundrum (Star Trek: The Next Generation)?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

" Conundrum " is the 14th episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation , and the 114th episode overall. It aired in syndication starting February 10, 1992.

In this episode, the entire crew suffers complete memory loss after an unknown alien ship scans the Enterprise . Although unable to recall their names or duties, they quickly realize that somehow they still know how to operate the starship. With their memories limited, no one notices that Kieran MacDuff, identified by the ship's computer as the Enterprise' s executive officer , is someone they've never seen before. The computer also provides evidence that they are on a mission to cross into Lysian space and destroy that species' central command, as well as any Lysian vessel that attempts to stop them. Somehow, it all seems wrong to Picard , but his new first officer insists he must follow his orders.

The episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects .

Late to the Game Blog

Retro TV Review: Star Trek TNG SSN 5 Episode Fourteen: Conundrum

Amnesia, repression, fugue, whatever you call it it all comes down to the classic storytelling trope of memory loss.  Star Trek is certainly no stranger to the trope as we see in the episode that originally aired on February 17,1992.  This is Conundrum .

The Episode:

Stardate 45494.2  Conundrum

The Enterprise crew gets mass amnesia and discover that they may indeed be in a war with a violent enemy.  As they try to determine who they are and their purpose as a crew, they soon find things are not quite what they appear.

The Breakdown:

They Enterprise encounters a strange ship that scans and erases the memories of the crew on board.  It appears that everyone remembers their skills but not who they are or what they were doing at the time of their memory loss.  They soon begin working to figure out the issue on board by playing to their skills,  Worf assumes command of the ship while the rest of the crew begin to analyze all of the systems for more information.

They continue on until they finally access their personnel files where they discover their names and positions aboard the ship.   There is one interesting addition of Commander Kieran MacDuff who is identified as the second in command aboard the ship.  They then discover that they are at war with a people called the the Lysians and the Enterprise has been tasked with destroying the Lysian Command Center as the Enterprise is the linchpin of the operation.   At the command of Picard and the encouragement of the new Commander, they enter Lysian space and begin their mission.

Before long it becomes apparent that Commander MacDuff isn’t who he appears and, as Picard begins to have doubts, MacDuff enlists Worf to begin a coup to lead the Enterprise into battle.  Picard begins to suspect that their enemy is not who Commander MacDuff claims they are and when it becomes clear that he is the real enemy the crew reacts.   Riker shoots him with a phaser, revealing his real identity.   It appears that MacDuff was a Sataraan, who was a member of a race that has been at war with the Lysians.   He used a mind erasing technology to take over the Enterprise to strike out at the peaceful Lysian people. Crusher restores the crews memories and they continue on their mission.

Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:

This is a decent episode and, while it doesn’t really further the crew in any way, it does tell a good tale.  It doesn’t quite feel like the rest of the series and, much like the crew, it feels like you as a view are ‘forgetting’ something the entire episode.  I have to wonder if this was done on purpose as the episode feels somewhat disjointed and unnerving for most of it.

Overall I think it works as a stand alone episode. Overall it is a bit of a throwaway episode as it has no real message and really doesn’t further the plot of the characters in any meaningful way, outside of Riker’s love-life that is.

Gleanings and Cool Bits:

Riker and Troi continue their on again off again relationship in this one.  even with their memory loss they realize that they mean something to one another, this revelation is something that they keep pushing aside and ignoring, despite the obviousness of their love.

On another note,  it seems that Ensign Ro is very much interested in Riker and Riker her as they… shall we say take advantage of the situation a couple of times. Even without his memory,  Riker can not keep it in his pants.

Data gets a stint as a bartender.  Maybe he has a future in Ten-Forward if this Starfleet gig doesn’t pan out.

Worf does get his moment in ‘the big chair’ but is soon humbled by the revelation that he is not in command .   We’ll see him in command of his own ship soon enough…

Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review,  I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!  Next Review: Power Play

If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Wednesday and also a complete review of  Star Trek Discovery.

For more retro TV goodness check out the rest of the Retro TV Reviews here.

As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with these episodes as well. If you just happened by, tell me what you think! Don’t Forget To Follow me if you like the blog!

Late To The Game 9/19/18

Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available.  Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.

“ Star Trek  and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other  Star Trek  franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made production intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.”

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One thought on “ retro tv review: star trek tng ssn 5 episode fourteen: conundrum ”.

I do remember this one. Really was a fun episode, and I really liked Worf playing as the captain lol 😂

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Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

Conundrum (1992), jonathan frakes: commander william thomas 'will' riker.

• Quotes (10)

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["Mac Duff" has been revealed as a Satarran bent on annihilating the Lysians] 

Commander William T. Riker : With all the power that MacDuff had, to alter our brain chemistry and manipulate the computers, it's hard to believe he needed the Enterprise.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard : The Satarran weapons technology was no more advanced than the Lysian. One photon torpedo would have ended their war.

Commander William T. Riker : It almost did.

[Ro has paid Riker a surprise visit in his quarters] 

Ensign Ro Laren : I just didn't like the way my quarters were decorated.

Commander William T. Riker : Maybe we should switch quarters.

Ensign Ro Laren : Maybe we should stay right here and see what happens.

Commander William T. Riker : What if I snore in my sleep?

Ensign Ro Laren : What makes you think you're gonna get any sleep?

Ensign Ro Laren : For all we know, you and I could be married.

Commander William T. Riker : For all we know, you and I could hate each other.

[after being hit by an energy wave, everybody on the Enterprise appears to have lost their memories] 

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : Looks like we're all in the same boat.

Commander William T. Riker : Make that the same starship.

Commander William T. Riker : [about Riker]  He's athletically inclined, loves to climb mountains; he's from somewhere called Alaska, enjoys exotic food... and takes his vacations on a planet called Risa.

Counselor Deanna Troi : Nothing feels right. This room, this ship... most of all this war we're fighting.

Commander William T. Riker : I don't imagine war ever feels right.

Counselor Deanna Troi : I suppose that's true.

[last lines] 

[after the crew's memories have been restored, Riker and Ensign Ro have to come to terms with their recent fling] 

Ensign Ro Laren : The Counselor tells me that at times like that, we might do the things that we've always wanted to do.

Commander William T. Riker : She said that?

Counselor Deanna Troi : It's psychologically valid.

Ensign Ro Laren : Commander, don't worry about it. As far as I'm concerned, you and I have shared something that we will treasure forever.

[gets up and leaves] 

Commander William T. Riker : [flustered]  Well... I'm a little confused.

Counselor Deanna Troi : Well, if you're still confused tomorrow, you know where my office is.

Commander William T. Riker : The rules on this ship do not change just because Ro Laren decides they do!

Commander William T. Riker : [explaining Troi's visit in his quarters]  We were just discussing the situation we're all in.

Ensign Ro Laren : Hm... good. Because I have a feeling that I used to be the jealous type.

Ensign Ro Laren : So, if everything were back to the way it was supposed to be, what do you think you'd be doing right now?

Commander William T. Riker : I'd be having more fun than searching the ship, I'd imagine.

Ensign Ro Laren : [surprised]  Fun?

Commander William T. Riker : Well, with that holodeck we just saw. I think I could conjure up an interesting program or two.

Ensign Ro Laren : Now, that's disappointing.

Commander William T. Riker : Why?

Ensign Ro Laren : You don't strike me as a man who needs a holodeck to have a good time.

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Conundrum Stardate: 45494.2 Original Airdate: 17 Feb, 1992

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Star trek: the next generation : conundrum (1992), directed by les landau.

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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Characteristics, related movies.

Star Trek: The Next Generation : "The Masterpiece Society"/"Conundrum"

Related content.

"The Masterpiece Society"

Or The One Where Sir Francis Galton Was Right

I'm not sure human beings are designed to appreciate Utopia. At least, not the sort of Utopia we can create ourselves. It always bothers me in  The Matrix  when Agent Smith talks about people "rejecting" a perfect world. I think we flatter ourselves by pretending that we're too driven and clever to be satisfied with a computer generated heaven; I doubt it would be that difficult to provide us with some simulacrum that would satisfy our pleasure centers and scratch whatever itch we have to achieve. But the machines would have to be the ones in charge. A human-run Utopia, to me, isn't really possible, because it would require every person involved to always be acting with the best interests of everyone else in mind. Individual people can, by turns, be noble, sacrificing, and trustworthy. They can also be selfish, short-sighted, and cruel. While it would be nice to believe that an environment without negative influences would prevent these characteristics from arising, I'm not sure I believe it.

Of course, "The Masterpiece Society" tries to make a case otherwise, but then, that's not really surprising coming from  TNG . This has always been a show built on idealism, as much as any show can be. Admittedly, life can't be perfect for the crew of the  Enterprise  and the universe they inhabit, because then we'd have no drama, and that would make for a fairly boring series. But  TNG  delivers us a version of the future in which nearly all our current major crises have been resolved, where, so far as we can tell, there's no class struggle, no poverty, and no discrimination of any kind. Sure, it's not exact, and maybe I'm being too cynical by not believing humanity would be capable of getting even this much perfection out of its government. But I'm almost reflexively more interested in the show when it tries to show the impossibilities of ever maintaining a life of complete harmony when dealing with multiple cultures over multiple worlds. Life is not designed to ever be perfectly satisfied, at least not for very long; perfect satisfaction is perfect rest, and perfect rest is death.

"Society" doesn't quite confirm this; before the  Enterprise  shows up, the group of bred and perfect humans living in isolation on Moab IV seem to be in perfect harmony, and it's only the reminder that there are other worlds than these that gets everybody riled up. In fact, large parts of "Society" are dedicated to giving as true a sense of loss as possible to the community's dissolution. But that society is by far the least interesting element here. It's as blandly generic as nearly all attempts to portray group perfection are (while I don't agree with Agent Smith that humans would reject an ideal environment, I do think it makes for incredibly boring fiction), because the ideas here are more important than the individuals. We're dealing with the Prime Directive again, and the tricky ground our heroes walk on whenever they interact with strangers, even if they aren't violating their own rules, even when they have the best of intentions. Also we're dealing with Troi apparently failing in love with yet another stranger within five minutes of meeting him, but that's a bit less heady.

Speaking of heady, I should probably get to the plot here: The  Enterprise  is following a core fragment of a neutron star, to study it and to warn any inhabited planets it might disrupt. To the crew members' surprise, they discover a colony of humans on Moab IV, a supposedly uninhabited planet in the Moab Sector, but when they contact the society to warn them of what's coming, and to offer their assistance in evacuating the locals, they're met with polite, but firm, dismissal. Aaron Conor, the colony's leader, explains that they are a society designed to live in perfect balance with their environment and each other, and that any change, no matter how slight, would result in chaos. But that core fragment isn't something you can exactly ignore, and Conor is so impressed by the idea of matter-energy transport (ie, the transporter magic we've been enjoying since the original series first debuted) that he invites a few crew-members down from the ship to talk things over with the society's scientists.

Once Riker, Troi, and Geordi arrive, Conor explains the situation a bit more clearly. He and the rest of his people are the result of a centuries old selective breeding process which… yeah, that's right. "Selective breeding." Which means Eugenics, and while there are rational ways to discuss this (and the episode does its best to stick to those ways, with some exceptions), it's hard not to be uncomfortable at how, well, happy everybody here is that they were designed at birth to fit specific roles. "Masterpiece" largely gets around the moral dilemma by making sure the people who initiated this colony are all long dead; this is the only life Conor and the others have known, and no one objects to it. One of the primary arguments against eugenics is that it takes away the individual's right to procreate and lets a select group decide which qualities are "desirable" and which are "undesirable" to reproduce. Here, that argument is somewhat moot, since it doesn't seem like there are any "undesirable" traits left to "purge." Apart from blindness or other physical defects, I guess.

Still, it's a queasy concept, and the more I think about this episode, the more surprised I am that it asks us to take that concept at face value. Much of the dramatic weight here comes from the idea that the chaos the Moabians are thrown into is as much a bad thing as it is a good one, and that means believing that something beautiful and irreplaceable is lost once Troi and Geordi and the others work their inadvertent influence. This is a bit like "The Apple" from the original series, but here, instead of Kirk deciding it's his duty to destroy Eden, Picard and Troi are distraught over what's happening, and regret their interference even while understanding it was inevitable. Sure, there are some important differences: the natives in "Apple" were essentially kept in thrall to a super computer, while the folks in "Society" are as autonomous as their biology and circumstance allow. But there's still that sense of innocence being lost.

Really, though, we don't see anything here that seems all that singular. We're told over and over again how balanced the group's life is, how everyone fits exactly where they belong, but for the little time the episode spends on the planet, there's no evidence of anything much better than what we've come to expect in the Federation. After spending four-plus seasons being told how wonderful the future will be for humanity, to stumble across a small pocket of humans who are supposedly living even better lives is a stretch to buy into. No one experiences any career doubt? Well, that's nice, but the advancements we see on the planet aren't particularly significant, largely because (as Geordi points out) advancement comes out of a response to crisis. If everything's fine, people might putter about a bit, but there's no real reason for them to push outward. I mean, these are supposedly the pinnacles of human mental ability, bred to achieve ultimate potential, but they're astonished by technology that existed in the original  Star Trek . These folks have stagnated.

I suppose you could make an argument that progress isn't necessarily the pinnacle of human existence and that the Moabians have some kind of inner peace going that outstrips a "normal" life, but that's more implied than explained here. One of the things I enjoy about  TNG  this far into its run is that when it fails, it nearly always fails because it's trying to work with too many ideas at once. (Even "Violations," miserable though it was, had ambitions.) "Masterpiece" raises a lot of questions, but it doesn't really do justice to any of them. The first, most obvious problem, is that we aren't given much of a reason to regret the colony's woes. Judging by Troi and Picard's response, there should be a sense of loss here, but it mostly just seems like a bunch of bland people are being forced to be a little less bland. (Apart from Martin, the shouting guy, who is really unhappy about all of this.) People leave home all the time.

It's different here, though, we're told over and over, because the community is so well designed that it can't bear the loss of a few of its members. That seems like a bit of design flaw to me. On the one hand, it does ensure that everyone feels valued, which is one of the main factors in social disenfranchisement. But on the other, there's too much telling here, and not really a sense of what Conor means when he says the loss of Hannah (a scientist who becomes infatuated with the possibilities the  Enterprise  represents) and the others will wreck the place. Does he mean general dissatisfaction? Food shortages? Riots? Will someone else have to learn how to play the piano? We need stakes here, in order to make the conflict actually feel two-sided. Our natural impulse is to side with the folks who want to leave, because they want to ride in a space ship, and because whenever we see someone being potentially held against their will, unless that someone is a bad person, we want them to escape. If there'd been a clearer sense of the problems that would arise when Hannah's people got their wish or the dangers that awaited them, Conor's point would be easier to sympathize with.

As it is, he just comes off as whiny. As does Troi, with her horrible guilt over her three-day infatuation or however long that lasts. She blames herself for getting involved with Conor, when their romance is about as passionate and exciting as a Sesame Street Valentines card. Picard is equally distressed over what's happened, although at least he seems to understand that the change is most likely inevitable at this point. Out of our regular cast, only Geordi seems truly bothered by what the society represents, and what their genetic manipulations and restrictions truly mean. In a bizarre capper, Riker and Picard discuss what happened, and Picard refers to the Prime Directive, and how events of the episode reminded him of the importance of that restriction. Riker says, "But they were human," which is an odd, uncomfortable point to make; if there were human cultures on other planets which existed independently of our own, wouldn't they fail under the same rules? And then Picard once again bemoans the Moabians' dissolution. For once, the captain's usually unshakable moral authority is curiously absent. There was a nice house, and then some people left it, and if there's a loss in that, the gain far exceeds the cost. If Utopia requires you to spend your life indoors, I, frankly, don't see much use in it.

Stray Observations:

• Okay, Hannah's "multi-phase tractor beam" was very clever. Clearly, these are smart people; they just haven't had a reason to be smart.
• I also liked how Geordi and Hannah's combined efforts were able to move the neutron fragment, and I also liked how Hannah claims there's a biosphere breach when there isn't one. I wish the episode had focused more on her growing awareness than on Conor's polite complaints.

"Conundrum"

Or  The One Where Troi Beats Data At Chess, And Everyone Is So Embarrassed They Forget Everything

Seriously, what the hell was that? "Chess is a game of intuition" my ass. Data doesn't have emotions! She can't read what he's planning, and it's not like you can "feel" your way to victory playing against a computer. I'm all for Troi showing greater competence, but this is absurd. It would work if it wasn't Data; she made a bet that he'd have to make a drink for her if she won, but since Data would obviously make her a drink either way, it would've made just as much sense to show her sparring off against, I dunno, Worf. (Of course, then we wouldn't get the "Data is a bartender" joke, which isn't a terrible gag, so… I dunno.)

Once we're past that initial unpleasantness, however, "Conundrum" settles into my favorite kind of episode, the sci-fi puzzle: Something inexplicable happens, our heroes struggle to explic it, and a crisis arises that makes the explanation not just compelling but mandatory. Here, the problem is this: The  Enterprise  encounters a strange ship. It ignores attempts at communication, and then scans the  Enterprise  with a green light that first glitches out Data, then ultimately wipes out the memory of everyone on board. Not the complete memory: The crew still remember how to perform their jobs, even if they're not longer sure exactly what those jobs are. But all personal knowledge is gone, including names, friendships, and even the most fundamental understanding of their purpose onboard a starship. Everyone's so confused, in fact, that nobody realizes they have a special guest among their midst, a new bridge officer named MacDuff who Dawns his way aboard and acts like he belongs there.

MacDuff's unremarked upon appearance is one of the best parts of "Conundrum," and while his presence here is significantly less impressive than what  Buffy the Vampire Slayer  did with Buffy's little sister (in what was essentially a live-action ret-con), there's that same casual boldness that marked Dawn's debut. Actually, even Dawn was underlined a bit when she showed up. MacDuff is in the background, and even as someone who's watched every episode of the show this far, I still had a brief moment of doubt. I knew he wasn't a regular, but it was possible that he was one of the rotating helmsmen, and I'd just missed him before. Except, well, helmsman don't wear red uniforms on this show. Which means that whatever was going on, the reason for it was right there in front of us.

Not only does MacDuff's integration go unremarked upon, but "Conundrum" does a great job of letting us know what he's trying to accomplish without ever having him come out and state it directly. We don't have a scene where he communicates with home base or where he tells Data his secrets before turning the android off (presumably laughing malevolently while doing so), or any one of half a dozen clearer ways of making sure everyone in the audience realized what was going on. Yes, when he starts urging Worf to mutiny, it's hard to ignore what his true intentions are, but those scenes are still perfectly in character. There's no hand-holding here, and while the episode isn't the most complex piece of writing ever, it is worth noting just how much this slight gesture of faith in the audience helps to make the rest of the story work better.

The "blank slate" plotline is a familiar one to genre fans; it's been used many, many times before ( Buffy's  "Tabula Rasa,"  Supernatural 's "It's a Terrible Life,"  Angel's  "Spin the Bottle," pretty much all of  Dollhouse ) and there's something fun about seeing it in action with a new group of characters, especially characters we know as well as we do the  TNG  ensemble. It's a chance to re-examine established relationships, to remind us why we like these people and what they mean together. It's also a great way to reinforce basic truths. One of the best subplots here is how Worf, stripped of his knowledge of his place on the ship, assumes the position of command. It makes a limited sort of sense (although it would mean discounting the fact that nearly everyone else aboard the  Enterprise  is human, but then, he has no way of knowing this, and besides, if he's the only Klingon on-board, he must be a pretty spectacular Klingon), and it fits in with what we know about Worf and his people. This could've turned unpleasant if Picard and Worf had squared off, but Picard holds back, simply doing his best to influence the new "captain's" decisions in a way that indicates he's the one more fit for the big chair. When the bridge crew finally learn their real roles, Worf steps aside and apologizes for his presumption, and that's basically that. Sure, there's some tension when MacDuff tries to get Worf on his side, but there's no real conflict there; the Picard and Worf relationship makes too much sense to pretend otherwise.

That low-key approach could destroy tension, but I actually found it to be one of the most entertaining aspects of "Conundrum." Plenty of times when a show uses this trope, it's a way to force characters in difficult circumstances to be friendly with each other again. A memory wipe clears away the drama, and it also offers an excuse for the writers to try and recapture their initial conceptions of each cast-member, before history and development took hold. Here, though, everybody acts roughly the same way they always act. Worf tries to take charge, and Riker and Ensign Ro hook up, but neither of these events are particularly shocking. (Apart from the fact that I can't remember the last time two crew members slept together on the show.) Picard is reasonable and a good leader, Geordi is smart, Dr. Crusher is a doctor, and so on. It's not the most exciting way to handle the concept, but there's something to be said for not forcing conflict where there doesn't need to be any. There aren't any lingering issues built up between our heroes, apart from, apparently, Riker and Ro's simmering sexuality. Trying to pretend there were would've been embarrassing.

Admittedly, sometimes, "Conundrum" is a little too laid-back for its own good. Once everyone realizes the basic scope of the problem, they get to work trying to get as much information out of their computer banks as they can. This leads to everybody finding out what their job is, and also learning that they are part of the United Federation of Planets, and that the Federation is currently at war with the Lysian Alliance and that the Lysians apparently have a weapon that can wipe memories. Which gives us the real crisis of the episode: Can Picard and the others realize they've been duped in time to avoid destroying a space station in the name of a made up war? The answer being, mostly, yeah. Sure, the  Enterprise  destroys one ship, but Picard comes to his senses before they take out the command center, and while it's a well done sequence, it's not a particularly surprising resolution.

"Conundrum" generally works. It benefits from breaking outside the mold a bit, structurally, since much of the running time is given over character fumbling and trying to regain old patterns. But even that fumbling isn't that intense; the biggest change-up here is Worf, and his ascension to the throne lasts only a few scenes. (Fun as it is, Riker and Ro's hook-up doesn't really shake the foundations of  TNG . As Ro points out herself, the lack of context probably just allowed them to do what they'd really wanted to do all along. As movies and TV have taught us, any couple who bickers that intensely is bound to end up in bed together eventually.) The episode also benefits from subtly presenting us with a storyline beneath its main action, as we, the audience, are able to put together what's happening before the ensemble does; while they're debating over who sits where, we're wondering where MacDuff is leading. It also helps that MacDuff's plan isn't a terrible one. It requires an impressive amount of energy to put together (and it's also amazing that he's able to wipe out everyone's memory about the ship, and with that degree of precision, and they still aren't winning the war?), but the fundamentals are sound.

It's too bad, though, that we never learn anything more about him. One-sided villains are fun and all, but this show often works best when it shows us a bunch of different sides at once. I would've liked to have gotten a sense of MacDuff, beyond our glimpse of his "real" self under phaser fire during the climax. More than that, though, I was a little bored by this one, despite my affection for the premise. It is possible, after all, to be too low-key, and once the basic parameters were set, the plot became a stalling mechanism until Picard finally made his decision not to fire on the command center. While it makes sense that MacDuff would leave the crew's technical expertise intact, that also meant doing away with one of the more entertaining parts of the blank slate episode: There wasn't much danger here for our heroes, and there wasn't much sense of discovery, either. A middle of the road episode like this one can be enjoyable for its character moments and for allowing us to spend more time in this world. But it still makes me wish they'd swing for the fences more often.

• So, apparently there are gymnastics in the future.
• I guess everybody got their memories back, then? Actually, I like how this is treated so casually. Once Picard decides not to fire on the Lysians and Worf stands up to MacDuff (once again getting his ass handed to him), the journey back to who they were is essentially complete.

Next week:  We try and make a "Power Play" and get into a question of "Ethics."

Opinionated Next Gen Episode Guide kicks off a look at Ro Laren with Conundrum. Everyone forgets who they are and what they're doing, so they decide to go attack a space station to see if that fixes it.

Star Trek (TNG): Conundrum

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Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery finally reveals what happened after tng’s “the chase”.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 provides new details on what happened after Captain Picard saw the Progenitor in Star Trek: TNG's "The Chase."

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 3 - "Jinaal"

• Discovery season 5 continues the chase for Progenitors' technology, introduced in TNG's "The Chase".
• Janaal reveals how Federation handled Progenitor discovery, keeping technology hidden for peace.
• The Federation's past missteps led to hesitation in trusting Starfleet with powerful technology.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Chase" introduced some big ideas to the Star Trek universe that Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is finally following up on. Discovery season 5 involves a literal chase in Star Trek 's 32nd century, as Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery race to find the Progenitors' treasure before the villainous Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis). Although unnamed at the time, the Progenitors were first introduced in TNG season 6, episode 20, "The Chase," when Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) helped uncover a message left by one of the ancient humanoids.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3 , "Jinaal," written by Kyle Jarrow and Lauren Wilkinson and directed by Andi Armaganian, Captain Burnham and her crew continue to gather the puzzle pieces that will presumably lead them to the Progenitors' technology. This journey takes the USS Discovery to the planet Trill, where Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) acts as a host for the consciousness of an 800-year-old Trill named Jinaal Bix. Jinaal reveals more information about what happened after Picard received the Progenitors' message in the 24th century. While "The Chase" explained why many Star Trek aliens are humanoid, the implications of Picard's discovery were never fully explored.

Star Trek: Discovery’s TNG Connection Explained - "The Chase" & Who Are The Progenitors?

Star trek: discovery finally updates what happened after tng’s “the chase”, the federation didn't ignore captain picard's discovery..

When Captain Picard unlocked the Progenetors' message in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Chase," the Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans also had representatives present. In the message, the ancient humanoid (Salome Jens) revealed that Progenitor "scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds," meaning all humanoid life originated from a single ancestor. The Progenitors hoped this information would bring peace among humanoid species, but the Cardassians and Klingons reacted negatively to the message. Nevertheless, the United Federation of Planets and many other species would undoubtedly be interested in these Progenitors and the technology that allowed them to create all humanoid life.

The Federation President during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was Jaresh-Inyo (Herschel Sparber), and he may have been who oversaw finding the Progenitors' technology.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is finally addressing this mystery, and Janaal reveals more about how the Federation responded to the discovery of the Progenitors. The Federation President secretly assembled a team of six scientists from different Federation and non-Federation worlds, including Janaal and the Romulan Dr. Vellek (Michael Copeman) , to research the Progenitors and the message Picard found. This team eventually found a technology "beyond anything [they had] ever seen," but one of the scientists was horribly killed when he tried to activate it. The scientists then made a pact that they would do everything in their power to keep the Progenitors' technology hidden until some future date when the galaxy was at peace.

Janaal does not reveal the names of the other scientists, and he says that they removed their names from "every database [they] could access." This explains why these characters and their mission have never been mentioned in Star Trek before.

How “The Chase” Tied Into DS9’s Dominion War & Star Trek: Insurrection

Why didn't jinaal give the progenitor technology to the federation.

After Jinaal reveals how he and his fellow scientists hid the Progenitor technology, Captain Burnham asks why they didn't give it to the Federation. Jinaal responds that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Dominion War was raging at the time, so "everyone saw an enemy in everyone else." Despite the trust Michael places in the Federation and Starfleet, these organizations have not always been above reproach. During the Dominion War, there were fears that Changelings could infiltrate the Federation even at the highest levels, but it wasn't just Changelings that posed a threat. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 11, "Homefront," and episode 12, "Paradise Lost," for example, Admiral Leyton (Robert Foxworth) staged a coup against Federation President Jaresh-Inyo.

Starfleet could not be trusted with technology as powerful as the Progenitors'.

Leyton's plan to initiate a military takeover of Earth ultimately failed, but it proved that Starfleet could not be trusted with technology as powerful as the Progenitors'. In Star Trek: Insurrection , another Starfleet flag officer, Admiral Dougherty (Anthony Zerbe), attempted to forcibly move the peaceful Ba'ku people in order to access the healing properties of the area of space known as the Briar Patch. The Federation of the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery seems better prepared to safeguard the Progenitors' technology, but the high-stakes treasure hunt still has everyone on edge.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery air Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

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