Star Trek: The Next Generation s05e09 Episode Script
A Matter of Time
Captain's log, stardate 45349.
1.
The Enterprise|is on its way to Penthara IV.
A type-C asteroid has struck|an unpopulated continent.
The resulting dust cloud|could create a phenomenon like the nuclear winters|of 21st-century Earth.
Cmdr La Forge has begun work on a plan that would counteract|the devastation.
I'm afraid the numbers|indicate climatic changes.
What drop can we expect? The Pentharans predict ten to 12|degrees Celsius within ten days.
Their ecosystem will be shot to hell.
I doubt they're prepared to cope|with the cold.
- Cmdr Riker.
|- Yes, sir? - Join me on the bridge, please.
|- Right away.
Are you certain? There was a space-time distortion.
|Something is there.
- We passed within 300 kilometres.
|- Too close to be a coincidence.
Mr La Forge, would a delay|of one hour affect your plans? Not unless another asteroid|hits Penthara, sir.
The odds of that occurring|are extremely unlikely.
Thank you, Mr Data.
Let's look at Mr Worf's distortion.
- Aye, sir.
|- Mr Worf's what? Sensors detected a temporal|distortion almost in our course.
There's a small object|that wasn't there before.
It's 50 kilometres ahead, sir.
- Full stop.
|- Aye, sir.
On screen.
Dimensions, Worf? Approximately five metres long, sir.
Life signs? No signs of any kind.
Our sensors|do not penetrate the hull.
Try hailing it.
- That's odd.
|- What's odd? We've received a response, but Yes, Mr Worf? They want you to move over, sir.
Reply that the Enterprise|isn't going anywhere.
Not the Enterprise, Captain.
You.
What are you trying to tell me? Excuse me, but you were standing|right where I needed to be.
Who are you? Rasmussen's the name, sir.
|Professor Berlinghoff Rasmussen.
This is wonderful! Actually,|quite a bit larger than I thought.
Really? Where I come from, every historian|knows the bridge of old 1701-D! Where exactly do you come from? Why, Earth.
Late 26th-century Earth, to be exact.
I've travelled back nearly|300 years just to find you.
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 civilisations, .
.
to boldly go|where no one has gone before.
Exactly what kind of historian|are you? My focus is on the 22nd|through the 24th centuries.
Early interstellar history.
It was always believed|this was on your desk, not here.
Fascinating! Don't move it on my account! You can't expect me to believe|that the layout of my ready room can be of interest|to future historians.
No less so than|your legendary modesty, Captain.
If I could describe to you|what a thrill it is to be here! This is the original.
You flatter me, Professor.
But I can't help but wonder what could possibly have caused you|to select me as a subject for study.
Even in this decade, there are far|wiser humans in and out of Starfleet.
I'd love to tell you, I would.
But imagine what a young Caesar|might have done differently had someone given him|a hint of what lay ahead, or if Lincoln had been coerced|into changing his theatre plans! I wish I could be more specific|on why you were selected, but I'm afraid the exchange|of information will have to flow in one direction only.
Five, six, seven metres.
I was right.
- Why now?|- Right.
If you've come to study us|and the Captain, why today? Why not a year ago|or a year from now? I picked the right day.
|Just wait.
You'll see.
Do you always sit there,|on that side of the table? Usually.
Why? It's not important.
At what point does time travel|become a tool for historians? Now, now, Commander,|you know better than that.
I've studied a great deal|about your century.
You are all aware of the dangers|of altering the past.
That's what I'd be doing if it were|to divulge information like that.
- Telurian plague.
|- I beg your pardon? The Telurian plague, was it cured? Did they find the cure|by your century? Surely I can ask that.
It's difficult, but we must keep to|ourselves questions about the future.
Go on, Professor.
I'll prepare questionnaires.
|Complete them when you can.
If you're concerned|about a breach of security, I'm sure your captain|can make a determination.
And thank you in advance|for curbing your curiosity.
If I hand it in on time, can I get|a glimpse of next week's poker game? Mr Data, escort the Professor|to his quarters.
This way, sir.
What did he mean,|he picked the right day? - You know everything I do.
|- Deanna? It's hard to tell,|but he is holding something back.
Of course he is.
|All the things he could tell us.
It might be that.
I don't know.
What if he's an impostor?|We've seen enough of them.
He is human.
|Medical scans prove that.
He's human, alright.
There was a temporal distortion,|Mr Worf? Yes, sir.
No one can deny that his ship|is unlike anything we've ever seen.
The hull is made|of a plasticised tritanium mesh.
We've nothing like it on record.
Mr Worf,|I do appreciate your caution.
I share it.
Bring his vessel into the shuttlebay.
|Place it under guard.
Yes, sir.
I realise that this visit is going|to be difficult for some of us, but his credentials|seem to be in order, so we should extend to him|every courtesy.
Including questionnaires? Including questionnaires, Mr Worf.
This is really a thrill, like running across a Redstone|missile or a Gutenberg Bible.
To think, the Model T of androids.
If you mean the first|production-model automobile of the 20th century, the Model A|would be a more apt analogy, since I am Dr Soong's|revised prototype.
I stand corrected.
Is there a problem? I suppose it'll have to do, for now.
I'll get you a list of the things|I'll be needing, OK? Would I be correct in assuming that you know whether or not|I am still alive in the 26th century? Since you seem to know so much|about the ship, I assumed It'd be best if you kept your|assumptions to yourself, wouldn't it? Yes, sir.
Sorry, sir.
Captain's log, stardate 45350.
3.
We have arrived at Penthara IV|and can see for ourselves the atmospheric devastation|caused by the asteroid's impact.
We've located underground pockets|of carbon dioxide here, here and here.
Our drilling phasers|can release enough of the gas to form an envelope to temporarily|hold in the heat of the sun.
We've spent years|trying to avoid anything that would lead|to a greenhouse effect, and now we're about|to create one on purpose! Less than 20 percent of|normal sunlight is getting through.
If we can hold enough heat in, that|should give the planet time to mend.
- Excuse me, Dr Moseley?|- What now? New Seattle reports a cloud depth|of 12 kilometres.
Two tropical rivers are freezing.
Let's start,|before there's nothing left to mend.
Look who's here.
I hate questionnaires.
Professor! Come and join us.
Hope I'm not intruding.
Not at all.
You're the topic|of conversation at every table here.
As I promised,|here are your assignments.
I'm sure they're painless.
Please try and complete them|by tomorrow.
- Tomorrow?|- No problem, Professor.
- You're all very calm.
|- Any reason we shouldn't be? History always records|what people were doing when important events took place.
But it rarely remembers|their activities a week before, a day or even an hour.
Are you suggesting|an important event is imminent? I didn't say that.
Go on doing what you're doing|and pretend I'm not here.
Why is there no record|of other historians travelling back to witness events? We're obviously very careful.
In fact, a colleague and I recently|paid a call on a 22nd-century vessel.
They hadn't perfected quarantine|fields.
You saw surgical masks? Isn't it fascinating|how everyone has different interests when it comes to history?|Different perspectives on progress.
- Would you tell me what that is?|- Just checking the time.
Is something important|supposed to be happening? No, it's nothing.
What about you?|What do you see as the most important example|of progress in the last 200 years? I suppose the warp coil.
|Before there was warp drive, humans were confined|to one sector of the galaxy.
Spoken like the consummate explorer! What is going on?|Are you expecting someone? - Phasers.
|- I beg your pardon? There were no phasers|in the 22nd century.
See? Our Klingon friend is a perfect|example of what I was telling you.
He views history through the eyes|of a hunter.
A warrior.
His passion lies in the perfection|of the tools of violence.
How delightfully primitive! When we input this data, the computer should tell us|how many holes to punch.
- How is tectonic stability?|- Couldn't be better.
Scans were all clear.
There|hasn't been a quiver in a century.
Just the two I'm looking for.
|I brought you the forms.
Shouldn't take more than a few hours.
We're busy.
|Tomorrow would be better.
Data, we've got|23,000 thermal simulations.
- Could you check for anomalies?|- Certainly.
Is that as fast as he can go? Not fast enough for you? There's little known|about Data's efficiency.
Almost nothing|about his part in this mission.
It's a topic of great conjecture.
Thanks, Data.
You're here to witness this mission.
|That's it, isn't it? It'd be best if you|thought of me as a fly on the wall and went about your business.
I will have|your answered questions soon.
Data at Penthara IV! If you'll excuse me.
Your prosthesis,|what do you call it again? - A visor.
|- Visor.
Right.
A visor.
I have a picture of you wearing that.
|How do you like it? It allows me to see.
|I like it just fine.
You know, Homer was blind.
Milton, Bach, Monet, Wonder.
- A fly on the wall, huh?|- Fly on the wall.
The computer has configured|the drilling patterns.
Captain,|I'm ready to transport down.
I'll notify Dr Moseley.
|Good luck, Geordi.
Gentlemen.
Who said these moments are less|exciting when you know the outcome? I know of no one who said that.
Enterprise will monitor the CO2|concentrations at six altitudes.
If all goes well, it should take|only 20 bore sites.
Let's hope all goes well.
La Forge to Cmdr Riker.
|How are you doing? The monitoring stations are on line.
|We're ready when you are.
Excellent.
All we need now|is an open channel to Data.
Open a channel, Mr Worf,|and prepare to fire.
The computer has locked in|the phaser-depth calculations.
- Mr Data?|- Ready, sir.
Fire.
Target one is emitting|2,000 cubic metres per second.
Target two, 1, 600.
Surface wind patterns are stable.
Anything at altitude, Data? CO2 concentrations remain|unchanged at upper elevations.
Have I missed much? Target 14 complete, sir.
Data? - What have you got?|- No change, sir.
How are the surface winds, Geordi? Holding steady, sir.
The computer has stopped drilling.
You should be getting something now,|Data.
Elevated CO2 levels|at 20 kilometres, sir.
Now you're talking.
|We've got new temperatures.
All stations report|no further temperature drops.
Correction, two equatorial stations|report slight increases.
Thank you, all.
|You've given us what we need.
Time.
We're glad to be of help.
We will continue to monitor|your progress.
Picard out.
"You've given us what we need.
|Time.
" - Return to synchronous orbit.
|- Aye, sir.
Very clever, Picard.
Well done! We always knew how you did it,|but to experience the moment, to witness the nuances,|it's indescribable.
He's after|more than a history lesson.
- What are you getting from him?|- I don't know.
It's like he's trying to confuse us,|misdirect us somehow.
There you are! Well, that certainly was exciting,|wasn't it? Is everything alright? Are you well? Yes.
Couldn't be better.
I thought we might chat|about your questionnaire.
Buck up, Crewman!|You're a credit to that uniform! I've got things to do.
No, please, Counsellor.
|I'd appreciate your remaining.
Doctor, in response to question six,|you spoke of a neural stimulator.
May I see one? I don't see why not.
|Give me a minute.
- You don't like me very much.
|- I don't dislike you, Professor.
Keep your eyes wide, soldier.
You'll tell your grandchildren|you were at Penthara lV.
But you don't trust me.
- You should.
|- Should l? "Picard's empath won't trust you,"|they said.
- Picard's empath?|- We're not that unalike, you and I.
You possess a sense|that is foreign to the others.
My knowledge of the future|is similar.
Some of my best friends are empaths.
|They trust me.
Why should you care|if I trust you or not? We're birds of a feather.
|We're colleagues.
We could learn a lot from each other.
You're right.
I don't trust you.
- I knew you'd say that.
|- I'm sure you did.
Well, I'm glad you two|are finally getting along.
I really have to be going.
Thank you.
Why not try a berylite scan? I'd be interested|to see what his micro-levels are.
So, what else can I show you? You're a very curious woman.
No, I don't mean curious like that.
I mean, you're curious about things, about berylite levels,|about the future.
Well, curiosity is why all of us|are out here, isn't it? I understand.
But you're different,|you're more vibrant.
- More|- More vibrant.
That's nice.
I like that.
Whenever I travel back, I meet very interesting people,|men and women.
But I've never met anyone who gave|me thoughts about not going home.
You're not supposed to be|influencing the past, remember? And I am beginning to feel|just a little bit influenced.
Anyway, I could be your|great-great-great-great-grandmother.
What kind of questions did he ask? He only asked about previous|starships, what was innovative|about the last Enterprise.
He wanted to see if we had|a grasp of the fundamentals.
His questions to me|were on Dr Soong's I am detecting a massive earthquake.
|Two earthquakes.
Location? Both are beneath|the southern drill sites.
Is La Forge there? - Yes, sir.
|- Find him.
We've got volcanic activity.
|Pretty severe.
Magnify.
La Forge here.
Moseley and I|are on our way to his lab.
Are you alright? We're OK, but those were pretty big.
If this was Earth,|I'd say 8.
5 on the Richter scale.
We're starting to see|some volcanic plumes.
Two more eruptions.
We probably overestimated geologic|stability around the CO2 pockets.
- We're in the lab, sir.
|- On screen.
We're fairly quake-proof.
It's the|volcanic dust I'm worried about.
What about the dust? The ash from the volcanoes|will compound the existing problem.
Soon, no sunlight will get through.
No amount of CO2 will help us then.
Captain, take a look at this.
These are the coordinates|of the eruptions.
And these are the coordinates|of the phaser-drilling sites.
The mantle is collapsing|where the pressure was released.
We have some ideas, but it will take time|to sort them out.
- Sort them out, Geordi.
|- Aye, sir.
We came here to help these people.
And look what we've done.
What in God's name is that? - Music, Professor.
|- Music? Yes, sir.
Mozart's Jupiter Symphony|in C major, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.
3, Beethoven's 9th Symphony,|second movement, molto vivace, and La donna é mobile|from Verdi's Rigoletto.
Could you thin it out a bit? Computer, eliminate program one.
Computer, eliminate program two.
Computer, eliminate program three.
Computer, half-volume.
How the? How can you listen to four pieces|of music at the same time? I can distinguish|over 150 simultaneous compositions.
In order to analyse the aesthetics,|I try to keep it to ten or less.
Only four today? I am assisting Cmdr La Forge|with a complex calculation.
It demands|a great deal of concentration.
I came to thank you|for answering my questions.
I should have asked you|to limit yourself to 50,000 words.
You did ask me to be thorough.
I know it's hard to believe, but few records of Dr Soong's work|survived to the 26th century.
So it would be invaluable to myself,|and other historians, if you could provide us|with some schematics.
Certainly.
Once my work here|is completed.
As long as it's before 0900 tomorrow.
|That's when I head back.
- Bridge to Data.
|- Yes, Worf? Cmdr La Forge is hailing you|from the surface.
Patch him through, please.
Have you rerun|the phase-reversal figures? There were no errors.
The variance must be|no more than .
06 terawatts.
I see no other choice.
|We'll continue to run the numbers but I doubt|we'll find anything different.
Tell the Captain|the good news and the bad news.
La Forge out.
Which do you suppose|he's gonna want to hear first? - The good news.
|- The motion of the dust has created electrostatic energy|in the upper atmosphere.
With a modified phaser blast, we can create a shock front|to ionise the particles.
That would be like a spark|in a gas-filled room.
With one exception.
The particles would|turn into high-energy plasma which our shields could absorb|and redirect into space.
Turn the ship into a lightning rod? - Precisely, sir.
|- The bad news? If our phaser discharge|is off by just .
06 terawatts, it would cause|a cascading exothermal inversion.
Meaning? We would completely burn off|the atmosphere.
Captain's log, supplemental.
While Dr Moseley|takes La Forge's plan to the colony, I am weighing the consequences|of a more philosophical issue.
Come.
You know why I've asked you here.
Yeah, I have a fairly good idea.
I'm faced with a dilemma.
A planet|beneath us is slowly turning to ice.
Unless we do something about it,|in a matter of weeks, thousands,|maybe tens of thousands, will die.
That'd be a shame.
Yes, it would.
|It would be quite a shame.
So, what's your dilemma? Cmdr La Forge|has a possible solution.
The margins of error|are extremely critical, but if successful,|there'll be no more threat.
And if it's not successful? Every living thing will perish.
So, do nothing,|and thousands will die.
Do something and millions could die.
|That's a tough choice.
Not if you were to help me.
You're not suggesting|I tell you the outcome? Oh, no.
I am not.
Everything I have ever believed in|tells me I cannot ask you that.
But, at the same time, there are|20 million lives down there.
And you know what happened to them.
|What will happen to them.
So,|it seems you have another dilemma.
One that questions your convictions.
I've never been afraid|of re-evaluating my convictions.
Now, I have 20 million reasons|to do so.
And why did you ask to see me? Because your presence|gives me a potential access to a kind of information|that I've never had before.
And if I am|to re-examine my beliefs, then I must take advantage|of every possible asset.
It would be irresponsible|not to ask you here.
However you come to terms|with your beliefs, I'm quite comfortable with mine.
How can you be? How can you be|comfortable watching people die? Let me put it to you this way.
If I were to tell you|that none of them died, you'd conclude|that you tried and succeeded.
So you'd confidently try again.
|No harm in that.
But what if I were to tell you|they all died? You'd decide not to make|the same mistake twice.
What if one of the people grew up I know! What if one of those lives|I saved as a child grows up to be the next Adolf Hitler|or Khan Singh? Every philosophy student|has been asked that since wormholes were discovered.
But this is not a class|in temporal logic! It's not theoretical or hypothetical.
|It's real! - Surely you see that?|- All too well.
But you must see|that if I were to influence you, everything in this sector,|in this quadrant, could change.
History, my history, would unfold|in a way other than it already has.
What possible incentive could anyone|offer me to allow that to happen? I have two choices.
Either way, one version of history|or another will wend its way forward.
The history you know or another.
|Who is to say which is better? What I do know is that here, today, one way,|millions of lives could be saved.
Isn't that incentive enough? Everyone dies, Captain.
|It's just a question of when.
All those people|died years before I was born.
All of you up here as well.
I can't get quite as worked up as you|over the fate of some colonists who, for me, have been dead|a very, very long time.
You know of the Prime Directive, which tells us|we have no right to interfere in the natural evolution|of alien worlds.
I have sworn to uphold it.
But, nevertheless,|I have disregarded that directive, on more than one occasion, because I thought|it was the right thing to do! Now, if you are holding on to some temporal equivalent|of that directive, then isn't it possible|that you have an occasion here to make an exception,|to help me choose, because it's the right thing to do? It's not just a choice.
You're|trying to manipulate the future.
Every choice we make allows us|to manipulate the future.
Do I invite Adrienne or Suzanne|to the spring dance? Do I holiday on Corsica or Risa? A person's life, their future, hinges on each|of a thousand choices.
Living is making choices! You ask me to believe|that if I make a choice other than the one|in your history books, then your past|will be irrevocably altered.
Well, you know, Professor, perhaps|I don't give a damn about your past because your past is my future and as far as I'm concerned,|it hasn't been written yet! The electrostatic conditions|are about as good as they'll get.
If we're going to try this,|now's the time.
Please don't ask me, Captain.
I can't help you.
I'm sorry.
How long to program the phasers? We've just got to|tie in to Geordi's sensors.
So you made your choice,|without my help.
On the contrary,|you were quite helpful.
How's that? By refusing to help, you left me|with the choice I had to begin with.
To try or not to try,|to take a risk or to play it safe.
Your arguments have reminded me|how precious the right to choose is.
And because I've never been one|to play it safe, .
.
I choose to try.
- Program the firing sequence.
|- Aye, sir.
Captain's log, stardate 45351.
9.
Dr Moseley has met|with the colony leaders who are all willing to take the risk.
Warp power has been rerouted|from the deflector dish.
Keep the phasers on active surge|control.
We get one shot at this.
- Well, this is it!|- Is the sequence locked in? Yes, sir.
After an 8.
3-second burst, we will discharge all EPS taps|through the phasers.
Time to return, Mr La Forge.
|Mr O'Brien, stand by.
I can be more help here.
We'll have to compensate|for density variations.
Dr Moseley's computers|can accomplish that task, but Geordi would be better able|to anticipate variances.
You know there's no guarantee|this will work.
If it fails There's no guarantee it will fail,|Captain.
I'd like your permission|to remain here.
- Permission granted.
|- La Forge remained below.
- Good luck, Commander.
|- Thank you.
The deflector dish|has been reconfigured, sir.
Proceed, Mr Data.
Stand by for auto-phaser interlock.
Activating deflector beam.
EPS taps on line.
Phasers firing.
Activating shield inverters now.
Mr La Forge? La Forge here.
|Still breathing, Captain.
We've got particulate levels|right where they should be and the sun is shining! See? I told you|there was nothing to worry about.
Report back when you're ready.
Doctor, we'll analyse|the remaining volcanic disturbances, but the best advice would be|to let them cool down on their own.
I'm getting in the habit|of thanking you, Picard.
Well, I'd love to see more,|but it's nearly time to go.
I am tickled pink to have had|the opportunity of witnessing this.
And you did it all without any help.
Well, must run.
|Got some packing to do.
You know you're taller in person,|Commander.
Look at this! Who would have|expected a teary farewell? We have to look inside your vessel.
Curious till the end, Captain? You can't be serious.
|We've been through this.
Some objects have gone missing.
If they're in your possession,|we would like them returned.
I'm not here in search of relics!|I'm sure they'll turn up.
If you will not open the vessel,|I will, with explosives if necessary.
I doubt you have the means.
If we don't get in there,|I guarantee you don't either.
Considering the sensitive nature|of my equipment, you'll understand if I request that|only Mr Data be allowed to see it.
Why Data? Because if I order Data never|to divulge what he sees, he won't, except anything|that might belong to us.
Understood, sir.
Back in a minute.
None of these items belong to you.
Nor does this.
This phaser is set|at the highest stun setting.
If I'm correct, that is sufficient|to immobilise even you.
Why have you stolen these objects?|For a museum? Far too valuable for that.
In the century I come from,|they haven't been invented.
But this vessel, the temporal|distortion on your arrival.
This is a timepod|and it is from the 26th century.
At least,|that's what the poor fella said.
He travelled back|to the 22nd century, that's my time, and had the misfortune to meet me.
His clothes fit quite well.
It took me weeks to figure out|how to work this thing.
You are not an historian? More of an inventor.
Until recently,|a dismally unsuccessful one.
What are your intentions? Thanks to your captain, it seems|they have changed slightly.
I was quite content|to return with these trinkets.
I'd invent about one a year.
But now, look what fortune|has graced me with! You will take longer to figure out|than a tricorder, but it should be well worth it.
If the auto-timer is programmed|the way I think it is, in about two minutes, we should be on our way back|to a place called New Jersey.
I'm afraid you won't be awake|for the ride.
I assume your hand print|will open this door whether you are conscious or not.
That weapon was working yesterday.
You were right to suspect him.
But he is not from the future.
|He is from the past.
Trying to make my history unfold|in a way other than it already has? This was all a misunderstanding.
Let me back in.
|We'll forget the whole thing.
What possible incentive|could I have to allow that? You will find|all the missing items in the vessel.
- Doctor.
|- Very nice performance.
Not all of it.
Some of it was real.
Captain.
He claims to be|a 22nd-century inventor, Captain.
If you were more inventive|and fewer things had disappeared, we wouldn't have suspected.
The stumbling block was your ship.
|Our sensors couldn't penetrate it.
Once the door was open, the computer|was able to detect and deactivate everything you'd stolen,|including this.
I'd love to hear more,|but I must get back in that pod.
Take him to a detention cell,|Mr Worf.
Notify Starfleet that we will|drop him off at Starbase 214.
You can't do this.
I've got to|get back.
I don't belong here! No! I'm sure there are more than a few|legitimate historians at Starfleet who will be eager|to meet a human from your era.
Professor? Welcome to the 24th century.
1.
The Enterprise|is on its way to Penthara IV.
A type-C asteroid has struck|an unpopulated continent.
The resulting dust cloud|could create a phenomenon like the nuclear winters|of 21st-century Earth.
Cmdr La Forge has begun work on a plan that would counteract|the devastation.
I'm afraid the numbers|indicate climatic changes.
What drop can we expect? The Pentharans predict ten to 12|degrees Celsius within ten days.
Their ecosystem will be shot to hell.
I doubt they're prepared to cope|with the cold.
- Cmdr Riker.
|- Yes, sir? - Join me on the bridge, please.
|- Right away.
Are you certain? There was a space-time distortion.
|Something is there.
- We passed within 300 kilometres.
|- Too close to be a coincidence.
Mr La Forge, would a delay|of one hour affect your plans? Not unless another asteroid|hits Penthara, sir.
The odds of that occurring|are extremely unlikely.
Thank you, Mr Data.
Let's look at Mr Worf's distortion.
- Aye, sir.
|- Mr Worf's what? Sensors detected a temporal|distortion almost in our course.
There's a small object|that wasn't there before.
It's 50 kilometres ahead, sir.
- Full stop.
|- Aye, sir.
On screen.
Dimensions, Worf? Approximately five metres long, sir.
Life signs? No signs of any kind.
Our sensors|do not penetrate the hull.
Try hailing it.
- That's odd.
|- What's odd? We've received a response, but Yes, Mr Worf? They want you to move over, sir.
Reply that the Enterprise|isn't going anywhere.
Not the Enterprise, Captain.
You.
What are you trying to tell me? Excuse me, but you were standing|right where I needed to be.
Who are you? Rasmussen's the name, sir.
|Professor Berlinghoff Rasmussen.
This is wonderful! Actually,|quite a bit larger than I thought.
Really? Where I come from, every historian|knows the bridge of old 1701-D! Where exactly do you come from? Why, Earth.
Late 26th-century Earth, to be exact.
I've travelled back nearly|300 years just to find you.
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 civilisations, .
.
to boldly go|where no one has gone before.
Exactly what kind of historian|are you? My focus is on the 22nd|through the 24th centuries.
Early interstellar history.
It was always believed|this was on your desk, not here.
Fascinating! Don't move it on my account! You can't expect me to believe|that the layout of my ready room can be of interest|to future historians.
No less so than|your legendary modesty, Captain.
If I could describe to you|what a thrill it is to be here! This is the original.
You flatter me, Professor.
But I can't help but wonder what could possibly have caused you|to select me as a subject for study.
Even in this decade, there are far|wiser humans in and out of Starfleet.
I'd love to tell you, I would.
But imagine what a young Caesar|might have done differently had someone given him|a hint of what lay ahead, or if Lincoln had been coerced|into changing his theatre plans! I wish I could be more specific|on why you were selected, but I'm afraid the exchange|of information will have to flow in one direction only.
Five, six, seven metres.
I was right.
- Why now?|- Right.
If you've come to study us|and the Captain, why today? Why not a year ago|or a year from now? I picked the right day.
|Just wait.
You'll see.
Do you always sit there,|on that side of the table? Usually.
Why? It's not important.
At what point does time travel|become a tool for historians? Now, now, Commander,|you know better than that.
I've studied a great deal|about your century.
You are all aware of the dangers|of altering the past.
That's what I'd be doing if it were|to divulge information like that.
- Telurian plague.
|- I beg your pardon? The Telurian plague, was it cured? Did they find the cure|by your century? Surely I can ask that.
It's difficult, but we must keep to|ourselves questions about the future.
Go on, Professor.
I'll prepare questionnaires.
|Complete them when you can.
If you're concerned|about a breach of security, I'm sure your captain|can make a determination.
And thank you in advance|for curbing your curiosity.
If I hand it in on time, can I get|a glimpse of next week's poker game? Mr Data, escort the Professor|to his quarters.
This way, sir.
What did he mean,|he picked the right day? - You know everything I do.
|- Deanna? It's hard to tell,|but he is holding something back.
Of course he is.
|All the things he could tell us.
It might be that.
I don't know.
What if he's an impostor?|We've seen enough of them.
He is human.
|Medical scans prove that.
He's human, alright.
There was a temporal distortion,|Mr Worf? Yes, sir.
No one can deny that his ship|is unlike anything we've ever seen.
The hull is made|of a plasticised tritanium mesh.
We've nothing like it on record.
Mr Worf,|I do appreciate your caution.
I share it.
Bring his vessel into the shuttlebay.
|Place it under guard.
Yes, sir.
I realise that this visit is going|to be difficult for some of us, but his credentials|seem to be in order, so we should extend to him|every courtesy.
Including questionnaires? Including questionnaires, Mr Worf.
This is really a thrill, like running across a Redstone|missile or a Gutenberg Bible.
To think, the Model T of androids.
If you mean the first|production-model automobile of the 20th century, the Model A|would be a more apt analogy, since I am Dr Soong's|revised prototype.
I stand corrected.
Is there a problem? I suppose it'll have to do, for now.
I'll get you a list of the things|I'll be needing, OK? Would I be correct in assuming that you know whether or not|I am still alive in the 26th century? Since you seem to know so much|about the ship, I assumed It'd be best if you kept your|assumptions to yourself, wouldn't it? Yes, sir.
Sorry, sir.
Captain's log, stardate 45350.
3.
We have arrived at Penthara IV|and can see for ourselves the atmospheric devastation|caused by the asteroid's impact.
We've located underground pockets|of carbon dioxide here, here and here.
Our drilling phasers|can release enough of the gas to form an envelope to temporarily|hold in the heat of the sun.
We've spent years|trying to avoid anything that would lead|to a greenhouse effect, and now we're about|to create one on purpose! Less than 20 percent of|normal sunlight is getting through.
If we can hold enough heat in, that|should give the planet time to mend.
- Excuse me, Dr Moseley?|- What now? New Seattle reports a cloud depth|of 12 kilometres.
Two tropical rivers are freezing.
Let's start,|before there's nothing left to mend.
Look who's here.
I hate questionnaires.
Professor! Come and join us.
Hope I'm not intruding.
Not at all.
You're the topic|of conversation at every table here.
As I promised,|here are your assignments.
I'm sure they're painless.
Please try and complete them|by tomorrow.
- Tomorrow?|- No problem, Professor.
- You're all very calm.
|- Any reason we shouldn't be? History always records|what people were doing when important events took place.
But it rarely remembers|their activities a week before, a day or even an hour.
Are you suggesting|an important event is imminent? I didn't say that.
Go on doing what you're doing|and pretend I'm not here.
Why is there no record|of other historians travelling back to witness events? We're obviously very careful.
In fact, a colleague and I recently|paid a call on a 22nd-century vessel.
They hadn't perfected quarantine|fields.
You saw surgical masks? Isn't it fascinating|how everyone has different interests when it comes to history?|Different perspectives on progress.
- Would you tell me what that is?|- Just checking the time.
Is something important|supposed to be happening? No, it's nothing.
What about you?|What do you see as the most important example|of progress in the last 200 years? I suppose the warp coil.
|Before there was warp drive, humans were confined|to one sector of the galaxy.
Spoken like the consummate explorer! What is going on?|Are you expecting someone? - Phasers.
|- I beg your pardon? There were no phasers|in the 22nd century.
See? Our Klingon friend is a perfect|example of what I was telling you.
He views history through the eyes|of a hunter.
A warrior.
His passion lies in the perfection|of the tools of violence.
How delightfully primitive! When we input this data, the computer should tell us|how many holes to punch.
- How is tectonic stability?|- Couldn't be better.
Scans were all clear.
There|hasn't been a quiver in a century.
Just the two I'm looking for.
|I brought you the forms.
Shouldn't take more than a few hours.
We're busy.
|Tomorrow would be better.
Data, we've got|23,000 thermal simulations.
- Could you check for anomalies?|- Certainly.
Is that as fast as he can go? Not fast enough for you? There's little known|about Data's efficiency.
Almost nothing|about his part in this mission.
It's a topic of great conjecture.
Thanks, Data.
You're here to witness this mission.
|That's it, isn't it? It'd be best if you|thought of me as a fly on the wall and went about your business.
I will have|your answered questions soon.
Data at Penthara IV! If you'll excuse me.
Your prosthesis,|what do you call it again? - A visor.
|- Visor.
Right.
A visor.
I have a picture of you wearing that.
|How do you like it? It allows me to see.
|I like it just fine.
You know, Homer was blind.
Milton, Bach, Monet, Wonder.
- A fly on the wall, huh?|- Fly on the wall.
The computer has configured|the drilling patterns.
Captain,|I'm ready to transport down.
I'll notify Dr Moseley.
|Good luck, Geordi.
Gentlemen.
Who said these moments are less|exciting when you know the outcome? I know of no one who said that.
Enterprise will monitor the CO2|concentrations at six altitudes.
If all goes well, it should take|only 20 bore sites.
Let's hope all goes well.
La Forge to Cmdr Riker.
|How are you doing? The monitoring stations are on line.
|We're ready when you are.
Excellent.
All we need now|is an open channel to Data.
Open a channel, Mr Worf,|and prepare to fire.
The computer has locked in|the phaser-depth calculations.
- Mr Data?|- Ready, sir.
Fire.
Target one is emitting|2,000 cubic metres per second.
Target two, 1, 600.
Surface wind patterns are stable.
Anything at altitude, Data? CO2 concentrations remain|unchanged at upper elevations.
Have I missed much? Target 14 complete, sir.
Data? - What have you got?|- No change, sir.
How are the surface winds, Geordi? Holding steady, sir.
The computer has stopped drilling.
You should be getting something now,|Data.
Elevated CO2 levels|at 20 kilometres, sir.
Now you're talking.
|We've got new temperatures.
All stations report|no further temperature drops.
Correction, two equatorial stations|report slight increases.
Thank you, all.
|You've given us what we need.
Time.
We're glad to be of help.
We will continue to monitor|your progress.
Picard out.
"You've given us what we need.
|Time.
" - Return to synchronous orbit.
|- Aye, sir.
Very clever, Picard.
Well done! We always knew how you did it,|but to experience the moment, to witness the nuances,|it's indescribable.
He's after|more than a history lesson.
- What are you getting from him?|- I don't know.
It's like he's trying to confuse us,|misdirect us somehow.
There you are! Well, that certainly was exciting,|wasn't it? Is everything alright? Are you well? Yes.
Couldn't be better.
I thought we might chat|about your questionnaire.
Buck up, Crewman!|You're a credit to that uniform! I've got things to do.
No, please, Counsellor.
|I'd appreciate your remaining.
Doctor, in response to question six,|you spoke of a neural stimulator.
May I see one? I don't see why not.
|Give me a minute.
- You don't like me very much.
|- I don't dislike you, Professor.
Keep your eyes wide, soldier.
You'll tell your grandchildren|you were at Penthara lV.
But you don't trust me.
- You should.
|- Should l? "Picard's empath won't trust you,"|they said.
- Picard's empath?|- We're not that unalike, you and I.
You possess a sense|that is foreign to the others.
My knowledge of the future|is similar.
Some of my best friends are empaths.
|They trust me.
Why should you care|if I trust you or not? We're birds of a feather.
|We're colleagues.
We could learn a lot from each other.
You're right.
I don't trust you.
- I knew you'd say that.
|- I'm sure you did.
Well, I'm glad you two|are finally getting along.
I really have to be going.
Thank you.
Why not try a berylite scan? I'd be interested|to see what his micro-levels are.
So, what else can I show you? You're a very curious woman.
No, I don't mean curious like that.
I mean, you're curious about things, about berylite levels,|about the future.
Well, curiosity is why all of us|are out here, isn't it? I understand.
But you're different,|you're more vibrant.
- More|- More vibrant.
That's nice.
I like that.
Whenever I travel back, I meet very interesting people,|men and women.
But I've never met anyone who gave|me thoughts about not going home.
You're not supposed to be|influencing the past, remember? And I am beginning to feel|just a little bit influenced.
Anyway, I could be your|great-great-great-great-grandmother.
What kind of questions did he ask? He only asked about previous|starships, what was innovative|about the last Enterprise.
He wanted to see if we had|a grasp of the fundamentals.
His questions to me|were on Dr Soong's I am detecting a massive earthquake.
|Two earthquakes.
Location? Both are beneath|the southern drill sites.
Is La Forge there? - Yes, sir.
|- Find him.
We've got volcanic activity.
|Pretty severe.
Magnify.
La Forge here.
Moseley and I|are on our way to his lab.
Are you alright? We're OK, but those were pretty big.
If this was Earth,|I'd say 8.
5 on the Richter scale.
We're starting to see|some volcanic plumes.
Two more eruptions.
We probably overestimated geologic|stability around the CO2 pockets.
- We're in the lab, sir.
|- On screen.
We're fairly quake-proof.
It's the|volcanic dust I'm worried about.
What about the dust? The ash from the volcanoes|will compound the existing problem.
Soon, no sunlight will get through.
No amount of CO2 will help us then.
Captain, take a look at this.
These are the coordinates|of the eruptions.
And these are the coordinates|of the phaser-drilling sites.
The mantle is collapsing|where the pressure was released.
We have some ideas, but it will take time|to sort them out.
- Sort them out, Geordi.
|- Aye, sir.
We came here to help these people.
And look what we've done.
What in God's name is that? - Music, Professor.
|- Music? Yes, sir.
Mozart's Jupiter Symphony|in C major, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.
3, Beethoven's 9th Symphony,|second movement, molto vivace, and La donna é mobile|from Verdi's Rigoletto.
Could you thin it out a bit? Computer, eliminate program one.
Computer, eliminate program two.
Computer, eliminate program three.
Computer, half-volume.
How the? How can you listen to four pieces|of music at the same time? I can distinguish|over 150 simultaneous compositions.
In order to analyse the aesthetics,|I try to keep it to ten or less.
Only four today? I am assisting Cmdr La Forge|with a complex calculation.
It demands|a great deal of concentration.
I came to thank you|for answering my questions.
I should have asked you|to limit yourself to 50,000 words.
You did ask me to be thorough.
I know it's hard to believe, but few records of Dr Soong's work|survived to the 26th century.
So it would be invaluable to myself,|and other historians, if you could provide us|with some schematics.
Certainly.
Once my work here|is completed.
As long as it's before 0900 tomorrow.
|That's when I head back.
- Bridge to Data.
|- Yes, Worf? Cmdr La Forge is hailing you|from the surface.
Patch him through, please.
Have you rerun|the phase-reversal figures? There were no errors.
The variance must be|no more than .
06 terawatts.
I see no other choice.
|We'll continue to run the numbers but I doubt|we'll find anything different.
Tell the Captain|the good news and the bad news.
La Forge out.
Which do you suppose|he's gonna want to hear first? - The good news.
|- The motion of the dust has created electrostatic energy|in the upper atmosphere.
With a modified phaser blast, we can create a shock front|to ionise the particles.
That would be like a spark|in a gas-filled room.
With one exception.
The particles would|turn into high-energy plasma which our shields could absorb|and redirect into space.
Turn the ship into a lightning rod? - Precisely, sir.
|- The bad news? If our phaser discharge|is off by just .
06 terawatts, it would cause|a cascading exothermal inversion.
Meaning? We would completely burn off|the atmosphere.
Captain's log, supplemental.
While Dr Moseley|takes La Forge's plan to the colony, I am weighing the consequences|of a more philosophical issue.
Come.
You know why I've asked you here.
Yeah, I have a fairly good idea.
I'm faced with a dilemma.
A planet|beneath us is slowly turning to ice.
Unless we do something about it,|in a matter of weeks, thousands,|maybe tens of thousands, will die.
That'd be a shame.
Yes, it would.
|It would be quite a shame.
So, what's your dilemma? Cmdr La Forge|has a possible solution.
The margins of error|are extremely critical, but if successful,|there'll be no more threat.
And if it's not successful? Every living thing will perish.
So, do nothing,|and thousands will die.
Do something and millions could die.
|That's a tough choice.
Not if you were to help me.
You're not suggesting|I tell you the outcome? Oh, no.
I am not.
Everything I have ever believed in|tells me I cannot ask you that.
But, at the same time, there are|20 million lives down there.
And you know what happened to them.
|What will happen to them.
So,|it seems you have another dilemma.
One that questions your convictions.
I've never been afraid|of re-evaluating my convictions.
Now, I have 20 million reasons|to do so.
And why did you ask to see me? Because your presence|gives me a potential access to a kind of information|that I've never had before.
And if I am|to re-examine my beliefs, then I must take advantage|of every possible asset.
It would be irresponsible|not to ask you here.
However you come to terms|with your beliefs, I'm quite comfortable with mine.
How can you be? How can you be|comfortable watching people die? Let me put it to you this way.
If I were to tell you|that none of them died, you'd conclude|that you tried and succeeded.
So you'd confidently try again.
|No harm in that.
But what if I were to tell you|they all died? You'd decide not to make|the same mistake twice.
What if one of the people grew up I know! What if one of those lives|I saved as a child grows up to be the next Adolf Hitler|or Khan Singh? Every philosophy student|has been asked that since wormholes were discovered.
But this is not a class|in temporal logic! It's not theoretical or hypothetical.
|It's real! - Surely you see that?|- All too well.
But you must see|that if I were to influence you, everything in this sector,|in this quadrant, could change.
History, my history, would unfold|in a way other than it already has.
What possible incentive could anyone|offer me to allow that to happen? I have two choices.
Either way, one version of history|or another will wend its way forward.
The history you know or another.
|Who is to say which is better? What I do know is that here, today, one way,|millions of lives could be saved.
Isn't that incentive enough? Everyone dies, Captain.
|It's just a question of when.
All those people|died years before I was born.
All of you up here as well.
I can't get quite as worked up as you|over the fate of some colonists who, for me, have been dead|a very, very long time.
You know of the Prime Directive, which tells us|we have no right to interfere in the natural evolution|of alien worlds.
I have sworn to uphold it.
But, nevertheless,|I have disregarded that directive, on more than one occasion, because I thought|it was the right thing to do! Now, if you are holding on to some temporal equivalent|of that directive, then isn't it possible|that you have an occasion here to make an exception,|to help me choose, because it's the right thing to do? It's not just a choice.
You're|trying to manipulate the future.
Every choice we make allows us|to manipulate the future.
Do I invite Adrienne or Suzanne|to the spring dance? Do I holiday on Corsica or Risa? A person's life, their future, hinges on each|of a thousand choices.
Living is making choices! You ask me to believe|that if I make a choice other than the one|in your history books, then your past|will be irrevocably altered.
Well, you know, Professor, perhaps|I don't give a damn about your past because your past is my future and as far as I'm concerned,|it hasn't been written yet! The electrostatic conditions|are about as good as they'll get.
If we're going to try this,|now's the time.
Please don't ask me, Captain.
I can't help you.
I'm sorry.
How long to program the phasers? We've just got to|tie in to Geordi's sensors.
So you made your choice,|without my help.
On the contrary,|you were quite helpful.
How's that? By refusing to help, you left me|with the choice I had to begin with.
To try or not to try,|to take a risk or to play it safe.
Your arguments have reminded me|how precious the right to choose is.
And because I've never been one|to play it safe, .
.
I choose to try.
- Program the firing sequence.
|- Aye, sir.
Captain's log, stardate 45351.
9.
Dr Moseley has met|with the colony leaders who are all willing to take the risk.
Warp power has been rerouted|from the deflector dish.
Keep the phasers on active surge|control.
We get one shot at this.
- Well, this is it!|- Is the sequence locked in? Yes, sir.
After an 8.
3-second burst, we will discharge all EPS taps|through the phasers.
Time to return, Mr La Forge.
|Mr O'Brien, stand by.
I can be more help here.
We'll have to compensate|for density variations.
Dr Moseley's computers|can accomplish that task, but Geordi would be better able|to anticipate variances.
You know there's no guarantee|this will work.
If it fails There's no guarantee it will fail,|Captain.
I'd like your permission|to remain here.
- Permission granted.
|- La Forge remained below.
- Good luck, Commander.
|- Thank you.
The deflector dish|has been reconfigured, sir.
Proceed, Mr Data.
Stand by for auto-phaser interlock.
Activating deflector beam.
EPS taps on line.
Phasers firing.
Activating shield inverters now.
Mr La Forge? La Forge here.
|Still breathing, Captain.
We've got particulate levels|right where they should be and the sun is shining! See? I told you|there was nothing to worry about.
Report back when you're ready.
Doctor, we'll analyse|the remaining volcanic disturbances, but the best advice would be|to let them cool down on their own.
I'm getting in the habit|of thanking you, Picard.
Well, I'd love to see more,|but it's nearly time to go.
I am tickled pink to have had|the opportunity of witnessing this.
And you did it all without any help.
Well, must run.
|Got some packing to do.
You know you're taller in person,|Commander.
Look at this! Who would have|expected a teary farewell? We have to look inside your vessel.
Curious till the end, Captain? You can't be serious.
|We've been through this.
Some objects have gone missing.
If they're in your possession,|we would like them returned.
I'm not here in search of relics!|I'm sure they'll turn up.
If you will not open the vessel,|I will, with explosives if necessary.
I doubt you have the means.
If we don't get in there,|I guarantee you don't either.
Considering the sensitive nature|of my equipment, you'll understand if I request that|only Mr Data be allowed to see it.
Why Data? Because if I order Data never|to divulge what he sees, he won't, except anything|that might belong to us.
Understood, sir.
Back in a minute.
None of these items belong to you.
Nor does this.
This phaser is set|at the highest stun setting.
If I'm correct, that is sufficient|to immobilise even you.
Why have you stolen these objects?|For a museum? Far too valuable for that.
In the century I come from,|they haven't been invented.
But this vessel, the temporal|distortion on your arrival.
This is a timepod|and it is from the 26th century.
At least,|that's what the poor fella said.
He travelled back|to the 22nd century, that's my time, and had the misfortune to meet me.
His clothes fit quite well.
It took me weeks to figure out|how to work this thing.
You are not an historian? More of an inventor.
Until recently,|a dismally unsuccessful one.
What are your intentions? Thanks to your captain, it seems|they have changed slightly.
I was quite content|to return with these trinkets.
I'd invent about one a year.
But now, look what fortune|has graced me with! You will take longer to figure out|than a tricorder, but it should be well worth it.
If the auto-timer is programmed|the way I think it is, in about two minutes, we should be on our way back|to a place called New Jersey.
I'm afraid you won't be awake|for the ride.
I assume your hand print|will open this door whether you are conscious or not.
That weapon was working yesterday.
You were right to suspect him.
But he is not from the future.
|He is from the past.
Trying to make my history unfold|in a way other than it already has? This was all a misunderstanding.
Let me back in.
|We'll forget the whole thing.
What possible incentive|could I have to allow that? You will find|all the missing items in the vessel.
- Doctor.
|- Very nice performance.
Not all of it.
Some of it was real.
Captain.
He claims to be|a 22nd-century inventor, Captain.
If you were more inventive|and fewer things had disappeared, we wouldn't have suspected.
The stumbling block was your ship.
|Our sensors couldn't penetrate it.
Once the door was open, the computer|was able to detect and deactivate everything you'd stolen,|including this.
I'd love to hear more,|but I must get back in that pod.
Take him to a detention cell,|Mr Worf.
Notify Starfleet that we will|drop him off at Starbase 214.
You can't do this.
I've got to|get back.
I don't belong here! No! I'm sure there are more than a few|legitimate historians at Starfleet who will be eager|to meet a human from your era.
Professor? Welcome to the 24th century.