Star Trek: The Next Generation

Picard: Space, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the starship enterprise.

Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds,

to seek out new life and new civilizations,

to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Picard: Captain's log, star date 41153.7.

Our destination is planet deneb iv,

beyond which lies the great unexplored mass of the galaxy.

Man: As you ordered, sir.

Picard: My orders are to examine far point,

a starbase built there by the inhabitants of that world.

Meanwhile, I'm becoming better acquainted with my new command,

this galaxy-class USS enterprise.

I am still somewhat in awe of its size and complexity.

As for my crew, we are short in several key positions,

most notably, a first officer.

But I am informed that a highly experienced man,

one commander William riker, will be waiting to join the ship

at our deneb iv destination.

You will agree, data, that starfleet's orders are difficult.

Simply solve the mystery of far point station.

As simple as that.

Farpoint station. Even the name sounds mysterious.

It's hardly simple, data,

to negotiate a friendly agreement for star fleet to use the base

while, at the same time, snoop around

finding out how and why the life-form there built it.

Inquiry. The word "snoop"?

Data, how can you be programmed

as a virtual encyclopedia of human information

without knowing a simple word like snoop?

Possibility: A kind of human behavior I was not designed to emulate.

It means, uh, to spy, to sneak.

Ah, to seek covertly, to go stealthily,

- to slink, slither... - Exactly, yes.

- Glide, creep, skulk, pussyfoot, gum... - Yes.

."Shoe. Troi: Captain.

I'm sensing a...

A powerful mind.

Something strange on this detector circuit.

Data: It registers as solid, captain.

Or an incredibly powerful force field. If we collide with either, it could be very...

Shut off that damn noise! Go to yellow alert.

Shields and deflectors up, sir.

Reverse power, full stop.

Controls to full stop, sir.

Now reading full stop, sir.

Thou art notified that thy kind hath infiltrated the galaxy too far already.

Thou art directed to return to thine own solar system immediately.

That's quite a directive.

Would you mind identifying what you are?

We call ourselves the q.

Or thou mayst call me that.

It's all much the same thing.

I present myself to thee as a fellow ship captain

that thou mayst better understand me.

Go back whence thou camest.

Stay where thou art.

- Data, call medics. - He's frozen.

He would not have injured you. Do you recognize this? The stun setting?

Knowing humans as thou dost, captain,

wouldst thou be captured helpless by them?

Now, go back or thou shalt most certainly die.

Picard: Captain's log, supplementary.

The frozen form of lieutenant torres has been rushed to sickbay.

The question now is the incredible power of the q being.

Do we dare oppose it?

Captain, thy little centuries go by so rapidly.

Perhaps thou will better understand this.

Actually, the issue at stake is patriotism.

You must return to your world and put an end to the commies.

All it takes are a few good men.

What? That nonsense is centuries behind us.

But you can't deny that you're still a dangerous, savage, child race.

Most certainly I deny it.

I agree we still were when humans wore costumes like that,

400 years ago.

At which time you slaughtered millions

in silly arguments about how to divide the resources of your little world.

And 400 years before that,

you were murdering each other in quarrels over tribal god images.

Since then, there are no indications that humans will ever change.

But even when we wore costumes like that,

we'd already started to make rapid progress.

Oh, yeah? You wanna review your rapid progress?

Rapid progress.

To where humans learned to control their military with drugs.

Sir, sickbay reports lieutenant torres' condition is better.

Oh, concern for one's fellow comrade.

How touching.

And now a personal request, sir. Permission to clean up the bridge.

Lieutenant worf is right, sir.

As security chief, I can't just stand here and let...

Yes you can, lieutenant yar.

Oh, better.

And later, on finally reaching deep space,

humans, of course, found enemies to fight out there too.

And to broaden those struggles,

you again found allies for still more murdering.

The same old story, all over again.

No. The same old story is the one we're meeting now.

Self-righteous life-forms who are eager not to learn, but to prosecute.

To judge anything they don't understand or can't tolerate.

What an interesting idea, prosecute and judge.

Suppose it turns out we understand you humans only too well?

We've no fear of what the true facts about us will reveal.

Facts about you? Splendid. Splendid, captain.

You're a veritable fountain of good ideas.

There are preparations to make.

But when we next meet, captain, we'll proceed exactly as you suggest.

Sir, respectfully submit, our only choice is to fight.

Fight or try to escape.

Sense anything, commander?

Its mind is much too powerful. Recommend we avoid contact.

From this point, no station aboard, repeat, no station for any reason,

will make use of transmitted signals or intercom.

We'll try and take them by surprise.

Let's see what this galaxy-class starship can do.

Lieutenant, inform engine room to prepare for maximum acceleration.

- Aye, sir. - Record search, data.

Results of detaching saucer section at high-warp velocity.

Inadvisable at any warp speed, sir.

Picard: Search theoretical.

It is possible. But absolutely no margin for error.

Using printout only, notify all decks to prepare for maximum acceleration.

Now hear this: "Maximum," you're entitled to know,

means that we'll be pushing our engines well beyond safety limits.

Our hope is to surprise whatever that is out there.

Try and outrun it.

Our only other option

is to tuck tail between our legs and return to earth as they demand.

Man 1: The centrifugal variable cross-mechanism operating at 6.612.

We're currently measuring the magnitude of the inertial velocity.

Run a transporter check at 0400. It's on an elliptical orbit.

Man 2: Inertial reference coordinate system, go.

Some of the solid particles are...

Engine room ready, sir.

The board shows green, captain. All go.

Stand by.

Engage.

Velocity: Warp 9.2.

- Heading: 351, Mark 11, sir. - Steady on that.

The hostile is now giving chase, sir. Accelerating fast.

We're now at warp 9.3, sir, which takes us past the red line.

Continue accelerating.

Counselor, at this point, I'm open to guesses about what we've just met.

It felt like something beyond what we'd consider a life-form.

Beyond?

Very, very advanced, sir, or certainly very, very different.

We're at 9.4, sir.

Hostile is now beginning to overtake us, sir.

You sure?

Data: Hostile's velocity is already warp 9.6, sir.

Data: Shall I put them on the main viewer?

Reverse angle.

Data: Magnifying viewer image.

Hostile's velocity is 9.7, sir.

Picard: Worf, inform the engine room that we need more.

Data: Engine room attempting to comply, sir, but they caution us...

Go to yellow alert, arm aft photon torpedoes,

place them on ready status. Tasha: Torpedoes to ready, sir.

Hostile now at warp 9.8, sir.

Our velocity is only 9.5, sir.

Data: Projection, sir.

We may be able to match hostile's 9.8, sir.

But at extreme risk.

Now reading the hostile at warp 9.9, sir.

Now hear this.

Printout message: Urgent. All stations on all decks,

prepare for emergency saucer sever.

You will command the saucer section, lieutenant.

I'm a klingon, sir.

For me to seek escape when my captain goes into battle...

You are a star fleet officer, lieutenant.

Aye, sir.

Make the Mark, data.

I'm transferring command to the battle bridge.

Picard: Captain's log, star date 41153.7.

Preparing to detach saucer section, so that families

and the majority of the ship's company can seek relative safety,

while the vessel star drive,

containing the battle bridge and main armaments,

will turn back and confront the mystery that is threatening us.

Woman: It's okay, honey.

Man 1: Check your name at the computer terminals.

Man 2: Yes, sir.

Lieutenant, your torpedoes must detonate close enough to the hostile

- to blind it to the moment we separate. - Understood, sir.

All decks acknowledging, sir.

Worf, this is the captain.

At the moment of separation, we will reverse power just enough

to get your saucer section out ahead and clear of us.

Understood, captain.

Torpedoes away, sir.

Begin countdown.

- Mark. - Starship separation,

six, five, four, three,

two, one.

Separation is successful, sir.

Torpedoes have detonated, sir.