Star Trek: The Next Generation s05e13 Episode Script
The Masterpiece Society
Captain's log, stardate 45470.
1.
The Enterprise|is in the Moab Sector to track a stellar core fragment|of a disintegrated neutron star.
Our science teams have been asked|to monitor any planetary disruption.
We've got a problem.
Our core fragment will pass Moab IV|in six days.
Isn't that what we anticipated? We didn't anticipate|someone living there.
An artificial environment|on the southern continent, sir.
You've established|that there's someone inside? Yes.
|Sensors are reading human life forms.
- Human?|- Are they responding? Negative.
Any starships reported missing|in this sector, Mr Data? No, sir.
How did they find themselves|on a deserted planet? - They must know we're here.
|- Mr La Forge? Our sensors are picking up|EM readings.
Wave patterns|from an old subspace relay.
Which would suggest|they can communicate with us.
Mr Worf, open frequencies|commonly used in the last century.
Channel open.
This is Capt Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship|Enterprise.
It is urgent that you respond.
Sir, the shield around the structure|is increasing strength.
Not exactly a welcome mat.
We mean you no harm.
We must warn you that your planet|is about to experience massive seismic disruptions due to an approaching|stellar core fragment.
No structure|will be able to withstand them.
- They are responding.
|- On screen.
Enterprise, I am Aaron Conor.
Mr Conor, we were unaware|of human colonies in this system.
I don't want to be rude, but we don't wish|to interact with outsiders.
I'm only responding to your warning.
The fragment will have effects|on your planet in six days.
Yes, I know.
|We have been tracking it.
Our biosphere can withstand quakes|of 8.
7 on the Richter scale.
Mr Data? The fragment has a density|of 100 billion kg per cubic cm.
As a result,|when it passes Moab IV, it will cause tectonic shifts well|beyond 8.
7 on the Richter scale.
We have to evacuate you.
Evacuate? That is not possible.
|There must be an alternative.
We will gladly|explore the possibility with you.
Would you like to come aboard? Our environment is sealed.
|No one can get in or out.
We are capable|of matter-energy transport.
Matter-energy? We can take you|through the structure.
Really? That's quite remarkable.
May we arrange your transport? No, I must remain here.
|But under the circumstances, I will permit a small delegation|inside the biosphere.
If only to see|your matter-energy transportation.
Very good.
Cmdr Riker and team|will be with you shortly.
- This is a mistake.
|- What would you have me do? Anything to keep them out.
- We have nothing to hide.
|- We have much to lose.
- What is that?|- It's them.
Look at this, Martin.
Incredible.
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.
It's lovely.
I can understand|why you're reluctant to leave.
Not just reluctant, Miss Troi.
|It is imperative that we remain.
It would be suicide to evacuate.
It would destroy what|we have worked for for two centuries.
You see,|this is an engineered society.
- Engineered?|- Genetically.
Our ancestors from Earth|came to create a perfect society.
They believed|through controlled procreation, they could|create people without flaws, and those people|would build a paradise.
All of you have been|selectively bred? - Your DNA patterns chosen?|- Eight generations of us.
We have immeasurably extended|the potential of humanity, physically, psychologically.
We have evolved beyond - Beyond|- Beyond us? Frankly, yes.
No one in this society|would be blind.
- No offence intended.
|- I can see you, sir.
- Yes.
Well, my point|- Thank you, Martin.
Perhaps you've made it clear|there are still a few imperfections.
For the most part,|we are fully integrated, not just among ourselves|but with our environment.
We don't just live here.
|We are a part of our environment.
Every plant, microscopic life form|is part of the master design.
We cannot separate ourselves from it|without altering who we are.
Your presence has already begun|to affect the balance of our society.
If we don't survive, the balance of our society|won't mean a great deal, will it? I apologise.
But he is performing his function|as designed to.
What function is that? He is the interpreter|of our founders' intentions.
- A judge?|- More or less.
Obviously,|he has no diplomatic talents.
And obviously you do.
I've been bred|to fill this specific role.
We grow up knowing exactly|what our society needs from us.
- That takes the fun out of it.
|- No.
My psychology|tells me that I was born to lead.
I am what I would choose to be.
|Think of it another way.
Are there still people in|your society who have not discovered what to do in life? They may be in the wrong job|or writing bad poetry.
Or worse, they may be great poets,|working as labourers.
That does not happen here.
It is for us an ideal existence.
We will not give it up easily.
We will do whatever we can|to help you preserve it.
Hannah, meet our guests.
Yes, from the starship.
|I've been looking forward to this.
Hannah Bates, a scientist.
If there's a way,|Hannah will find it.
She has a remarkable talent|with theoretical physics.
I've worked up a few schematics based on gravimetric potentials|and deflector energy-allocation.
Geordi, Troi and I will return|to the Enterprise.
Contact us.
If Mr Conor doesn't mind,|I'd like to see more.
No, no.
That would be fine.
|I'd like you to see it.
Riker to Enterprise.
|One to beam up.
- Acknowledged, Commander.
|- Energise.
Are you sure my being here|is not going to be disruptive? Disruptive?|You mean what Martin was saying? I certainly wouldn't wish|to throw off your entire balance.
Too late.
The damage is done.
Seriously.
Strict interpreters like Martin|can forget we're still human.
We'll adjust, accommodate.
There must be other unexpected|events you have to deal with.
An untimely death, an accident.
Our geneticists screen out|congenital risks before conception.
Our population is diverse enough|to maintain a genetic balance in the event of accidental death.
Very little|that is unexpected occurs here.
- Am I making this sound dull?|- Not at all.
I'll tell you the truth,|but don't tell Martin.
I've found today exhilarating.
Meeting you, meeting new people,|with new ideas.
I feel the same about being here.
I'm a student of human nature.
- I find this all fascinating.
|- A student of human nature? I'm the ship's counsellor.
I'm afraid you wouldn't find|much work here.
I'd book a vacation|at your hotel if you had one.
In that case,|I shall have them build one.
The biosphere won't hold up.
The|environment would be compromised.
That's how I see it.
Your ship.
What kind of output|is it capable of? We have a powerful matter/antimatter|warp reaction system.
Normally, it kicks plasma|up into the terawatt range.
Why? Either we're going to have to move|or that fragment is.
We can move a small moon but a stellar core fragment|is much too massive for us.
- What's that?|- A wild idea, purely theoretical.
A multiphase tractor beam? When we spotted the fragment,|I came up with the idea.
But we can't generate|that kind of energy.
You can.
- We'd need Hannah on board.
|- No.
With their equipment,|we might alter the fragment's path.
It's our only chance|to avoid evacuation.
No one had ever come here and|no one had ever left until today.
This is a date to note|in our history books.
This is in violation|of the intentions of our founders.
I don't think|they intended us to die.
Her absence will create an imbalance.
Temporarily.
Circumstances|require us to be flexible.
We have no idea how molecular|transport will affect her DNA.
It won't affect her DNA at all.
|There's a century of evidence.
You can go, Hannah.
- May I return later?|- I look forward to it.
Enterprise, three to beam up.
Energise.
Captain's log, supplemental.
La Forge and Bates|have spent three days trying to adjust the path|of the fragment.
If they do not succeed|in 48 hours, we must evacuate.
I believe some will choose to risk|death rather than leave, Captain.
You've spent time there.
|How do we change their minds? I'm not sure we can.
It would mean abandoning|their fundamental way of life.
They've managed to turn a dubious|scientific endeavour into dogma.
You don't approve|of genetic engineering? It was a bad idea|whose time is past.
They've made it succeed.
They've given away their humanity|with this genetic manipulation.
Many of the qualities|that they breed out, .
.
uncertainty, self-discovery, the|unknown, are many of the qualities that make life worth living.
Well, at least, to me.
I wouldn't want to live|knowing that my future was written, my boundaries had been already set,|would you? I've asked myself that a lot|during the past few days.
I don't know.
I doubt it.
Nevertheless,|it's what they believe in and it won't be easy|to talk them into leaving.
This leader of theirs, Conor,|seems a reasonable man.
I find him very reasonable.
Open to suggestions,|thoughtful, quite disarming.
The perfect administrator.
I'm sure.
Will he leave|when he sees there's no other choice? I don't know.
I hope so.
- You admire him?|- Yes.
Then help him to see the reality of what may happen to his colony.
If he makes the right decision, if he's as good|as he's designed to be, perhaps the others will follow.
If we increase warp transfer|by 80 percent It's going|to blow the emitters again.
We won't be able|to hold that power level.
- It just doesn't work.
|- Yeah.
I haven't had any sleep.
|My eyelids feel like lead weights.
Were you always blind? I'm sorry.
I probably shocked you.
No.
- I'll put it back on.
|- Don't.
I'm sorry.
|I didn't mean to embarrass you.
I've never been embarrassed|by this, Hannah.
Never.
I was born blind.
|I've always been this way.
May I see your visor? Sure.
So, I guess if I had been conceived|on your world, I wouldn't be here.
No.
I'd have been terminated|as a fertilised cell.
It was the wish of our founders|that no one suffer disability.
Who gave them the right|to decide if I should be here, if I might|have something to contribute? I don't know what to say.
Here you go.
How does it work? The visor scans the spectrum|from one hertz to 100,000 terahertz, converts it to usable frequencies|and transmits that to my brain.
What about|the data conversion rates? How do you avoid|a sensory overload? A bank of pre-processors compresses|the data into pulses.
That way, my visual cortex never Wait a minute.
Wait just a minute.
We could send a high-energy pulse|through the tractor system.
Short enough|not to overload the emitters.
The technology is right here.
If we could adapt|those pulse-compression routines and apply them to the conduits We have to avoid|tractor-force rebounding.
- That shouldn't be hard.
|- With a few modifications That's perfect.
What? If the answer is in a visor,|created for a blind man, who never would've existed|in your society.
No offence intended.
Please, Matthew, continue.
It's hard to believe.
So much loveliness here, just metres|away from such desolation.
It's hard to believe|we're about to lose it.
This may sound|incredibly simplistic, but can't you re-engineer all this|on another planet? A nursery rhyme has been in my mind|since all this began.
A nursery rhyme? Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,|Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses|and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again.
Why do we tell children|such ghastly stories? Perhaps to prepare them|for times like these.
We are every bit as fragile|as an egg.
And as impossible to reconstruct.
We are integrated and refined|to such a degree any fundamental change|would lead to chaos.
I'm so sorry, Aaron.
|I wish I could do something to help.
You have helped.
You've been wonderful|these past few days.
You've been my counsellor.
No.
A counsellor has to maintain|a discreet distance.
I'd rather think of us as friends.
Friends? That won't do, either.
- Will it?|- Aaron I must confess, part of me knows that|if I transport through these walls, you'll be on the other side.
This is wrong.
Terribly wrong.
In order to move the fragment, we needed our tractor beam|to handle pulses.
We needed a more efficient emitter.
Four times more.
We couldn't get that|without overloading the arrays.
So, we added|a little visor technology and we could boost the force and lower|the power-conduit stress levels.
- The increase in efficiency?|- Up to almost 300 percent.
- That's not enough.
|- True.
We won't move the fragment far.
But if we also fortify|the biosphere With shields like yours|it could work.
Of course, we have to lend them|support crews.
Advise Mr Conor and|brief the appropriate officers.
Prepare for transport|as soon as Mr Conor approves.
You're up early.
I'm still on Enterprise time.
I'm going back to the ship.
- I'm not going to see you again.
|- Why? Because it's the right thing to do.
I'm not convinced of that.
You know it, as well.
- You're angry.
|- Yes, I'm angry.
I'm angry I allowed this to happen.
I could fall in love with you|so easily.
But we both know|the end of that story, don't we? How would Martin feel|about introducing half-Betazoid DNA|into the genetic balance? If we evacuate,|anything's possible.
Listen to yourself.
A few days ago|you wouldn't talk to us.
This is my fault.
I'm so sorry.
I need you here.
This doesn't have to happen again.
I have to go.
Good news, Aaron.
We can change|the course of the fragment.
But we need|to fortify the structure.
And we need help.
Engineering crews from the Enterprise|will work with your people.
Engineering crews? They have to install shield|generators and power supplies.
We don't have much time.
- Is there any other choice?|- None.
Enterprise, you may begin transport|when ready.
Captain's log, supplemental.
The Enterprise is on a parallel|course with the fragment.
We must adjust its trajectory|by 1.
2 degrees to ensure the colonists' safety.
Bring us within range|of the fragment, Ensign.
You may proceed, Mr La Forge.
- Yes, sir.
Good luck.
|- You, too.
Engage tractor beam.
OK.
Let's give it a try.
Shutting down non-critical systems.
Emitter circuits 170 percent|over standard.
Increasing impulse power|to tractor emitters.
EPS power-levels rising.
Transferring warp power|to tractor beam.
Graviton generators|operating normally.
Surge pulse now synchronised.
Emitters radiating|at 320 percent over standard.
Bridge, we need more power.
- Reduce life support to minimum.
|- Aye, sir.
Come on, come on.
- No change in course.
|- Increase pulse frequency.
- The circuits won't hold.
|- We don't need them for long.
- 400 percent over standard.
|- OK.
Now we're getting there.
Fragment's moved 0.
4 degrees|off its previous heading.
We have lost an emitter circuit.
Life-support failure.
|Decks nine, 12 and 13.
Evacuate those decks.
Geordi,|we're going to need power back soon.
Acknowledged.
Fragment's new heading adjustment|is at 1.
01 degrees.
- Is it enough?|- Not yet.
We've lost a second circuit.
Losing life support|on decks five through nine.
Evacuation initiated.
- Mr La Forge.
|- Hold on, Captain.
Ship-wide life-support failure|in 15 seconds, sir.
Almost there.
|Core shift is at 1.
16 degrees.
Termination of all life support|in five seconds.
Now, Mr La Forge.
Yes, sir.
Shutting down|all tractor emissions.
Transferring power to life support.
Life support normal on all decks.
Mr Data? The fragment's course has been|altered by 1.
21 degrees, sir.
Hail the colony.
- Yes, Captain.
|- Success, Mr Conor.
With the upgrades, the fragment|should no longer be a danger.
I cannot adequately express|my appreciation.
Can Hannah hear me? - Yes.
Go ahead, Aaron.
|- An historic achievement.
You've done a wonderful thing.
Thank you.
We look forward|to honouring you when you return.
Thank you again, Captain.
|Conor out.
Captain's log, supplemental.
The fragment has passed out|of the Moab System.
The colony was shaken but|fortunately there were no injuries.
Only minor damage was reported.
Energise.
That should do it.
|All crew are accounted for.
They've been invaluable.
|Thank you.
If there's nothing else, we'll go.
Would you tell Deanna Troi|that I'm sorry I didn't get|the opportunity to say goodbye? I'm sure she is, too.
A breach in the biosphere.
|Get Hannah Bates.
The refortification wasn't adequate.
|There's definite structural damage.
The tectonic shifts created a breach.
Can it be repaired? I don't know.
|I'll run a diagnostic.
Unless we seal it,|we may have to evacuate.
- How long do we have?|- With the toxicity outside, hours.
- Mind if I give her a hand?|- By all means.
Isn't it amazing|after all we went through? Yeah.
Amazing.
Looks bad.
It's cracked|well beneath the surface.
- Why are you doing this?|- What do you mean? There's no breach.
What are you talking about?|Look at it, it's right here.
I measured the toxic leak.
|You saw me.
My visor's positronic scan|would have detected the leak.
Its molecular-pattern enhancer would|pick up even the smallest crack.
The damn thing doesn't miss much,|does it? Fine.
I'll tell them the truth.
Will that make you happy? Why are you doing this? I was born to be one of the best|scientific minds of my generation.
In five days, I have encountered|technology I had barely imagined.
I've got to ask myself, if we're so brilliant, how come|we didn't invent these things? Maybe necessity really|is the mother of invention.
You never look for something|until you need it.
But all my needs have been|planned for before I was even born.
All of us|have been living in the Dark Ages.
It's like we're victims|of a 200-year-old joke.
Till you came, all we saw|was the wall of our biosphere.
Suddenly, our eyes are open|to infinite possibilities.
- Asylum?|- She wants to leave the colony.
She may not be the only one.
The science teams fielded|a lot of questions from colonists who were curious|about what's outside their world.
- Why shouldn't we grant asylum?|- We can't.
- We have to.
|- Do you understand that colony? I understand that these|are human beings with free will.
She has the right to leave.
What happens to the colony|if others join her? The society is genetically|integrated.
There would be gaps.
It would destroy them.
There must be something we can do.
We may have done too much already.
- We saved them from destruction.
|- Did we? Counsellor, I think it's time|you took me to meet Mr Conor.
Transporter room three.
Computer, halt.
Captain,|I have to tell you something.
It isn't easy because|I've used very poor judgement.
- I've acted unprofessionally.
|- Counsellor.
What is it you say?|"Take a deep breath.
" Conor and I|have had a relationship.
- I see.
|- It should never have happened.
I knew there was concern|about outside influences and I should have been more careful.
- What is your status with him now?|- I did not intend to see him again.
Would you prefer not to return? No, I think I should come with you.
I wanted you to know before we went.
I appreciate that.
Computer, resume.
I wanted to help him.
To be there for him,|but the more I was We all went into this|with the best intentions.
I should have walked away.
But you didn't.
And that's human.
|We make mistakes.
Genetic manipulation or not,|nobody's perfect.
You would ignore|the welfare of the colony for your own selfish interests! The welfare of this colony|lies in rejoining the human race.
She has been contaminated|by those people.
Mr Conor, you and I should talk.
This is your doing.
|We never should have answered.
If we followed that advice,|we'd all be dead.
- So much for welfare.
|- You will not take her.
I'm leaving! A dozen others|are ready to go with me.
Let's allow Aaron and Capt Picard|to discuss this.
Why don't we go for a walk? There's nothing else for them|to talk about.
I think I want to talk to him alone.
- But|- Thank you, Martin.
The irony is, he saw this coming|from the moment you arrived.
I didn't want to hear,|so I chose not to listen.
You made decisions|you felt would save your colony.
No.
I wish it were that simple.
I'm afraid|I can't forgive myself so easily.
You see, Captain,|I know what Hannah Bates is feeling.
I've been feeling it as well.
I've found your people as intriguing|and stimulating as she has.
I've been as curious|about you as the next man.
But I am not the next man.
|I am the leader of these people.
Every fibre in my being|demands that I protect them.
Instead, I have betrayed them.
- I allowed this to happen.
|- We both allowed this to happen.
Then let us both find a way|to stop it going further.
I wish I could see a way.
Picard, I was born to govern|this colony, not to dismantle it.
If you force them to stay,|you suppress their human rights.
If even a handful leave,|the damage will be devastating.
What about the rights of those|who stay and inherit social chaos, that will follow for generations? Your arrival created this problem.
- Your departure solves it.
|- That is simplistic.
Refuse them passage.
I cannot ignore|the requests of people, humans, who ask for transport away from here.
But thousands will suffer|if you agree to take them.
As suffering grows,|more will demand to leave.
We are witnessing|the end of this existence.
I implore you, Captain,|do not let this happen.
You would have me make the decision|for you, but I can't.
I am willing|to talk to these people with you.
I will urge them|not to be impulsive but if finally|they choose to leave, .
.
the Enterprise|will not turn them away.
Capt Picard will grant transport|to any individuals who wish to leave.
I am asking you to stay.
Aaron, don't you see|we can't be happy here any longer? We were innocent.
|It will never be that way again.
The experience|will become part of our heritage.
We will adjust.
|In a few generations We're not willing|to stay a few generations.
Alright.
Give me six months.
- Just wait six months.
|- What will that accomplish? It's true that our presence|has had an unintended influence on your society.
But it's done.
|There is no way to undo it.
But feelings are running very high.
Perhaps it's not such a bad idea|that you should take time to weigh carefully the consequences|of what you're about to do.
We are prepared|to return in six months.
In other words,|we are being asked to stay here while they pressure us|to change our minds.
In five days, you've seen|the most superficial evidence of what life is like|outside this biosphere.
Would you choose|this ship in a bottle? You are in command of a starship.
You live for the unknown.
|We ask the same privilege.
This is your home.
We are all, in a sense,|your family.
Don't we deserve|to open a dialogue on this issue? - I am only asking for six months.
|- It won't make any difference.
You'll only put the colony|through unnecessary pain.
You are the ones causing pain|in this colony.
You.
Don't you see? It's over.
|It's time to lead us into a new era.
You could come with us.
When you're ready to come home,|you will be welcome.
What will you do now? Attempt to assess the damage.
Spend the rest of my life|on the near-impossible task of rebuilding this society|without the proper pieces.
You acted in the interests|of your people.
There was no way to avoid|what happened.
I replay each step, looking for the|wrong turn, a mistake in judgement.
I can find only one.
And as hard as I try,|I cannot regret even that one.
In fact, I'm quite certain that,|given the opportunity, .
.
I would choose to make it again.
I wonder why, with all|these genetically compatible women, - I fell in love with you.
|- Don't say that.
Perhaps it's your imperfections|which make you so unique.
But I am in love with you,|Deanna Troi.
And I will always be.
Come.
The colonists are on board.
- How many finally?|- 23.
If ever we needed reminding|of the Prime Directive, it is now.
The Prime Directive doesn't apply.
|They're human.
Doesn't it? Our very presence|may have damaged, even destroyed, their way of life.
Whether or not we agree|with that way of life, or whether they're human,|is irrelevant.
We are responsible.
We had to respond|to the threat of the core fragment.
Of course we did.
But in the end, we may have proved|just as dangerous as any core fragment|could ever have been.
1.
The Enterprise|is in the Moab Sector to track a stellar core fragment|of a disintegrated neutron star.
Our science teams have been asked|to monitor any planetary disruption.
We've got a problem.
Our core fragment will pass Moab IV|in six days.
Isn't that what we anticipated? We didn't anticipate|someone living there.
An artificial environment|on the southern continent, sir.
You've established|that there's someone inside? Yes.
|Sensors are reading human life forms.
- Human?|- Are they responding? Negative.
Any starships reported missing|in this sector, Mr Data? No, sir.
How did they find themselves|on a deserted planet? - They must know we're here.
|- Mr La Forge? Our sensors are picking up|EM readings.
Wave patterns|from an old subspace relay.
Which would suggest|they can communicate with us.
Mr Worf, open frequencies|commonly used in the last century.
Channel open.
This is Capt Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship|Enterprise.
It is urgent that you respond.
Sir, the shield around the structure|is increasing strength.
Not exactly a welcome mat.
We mean you no harm.
We must warn you that your planet|is about to experience massive seismic disruptions due to an approaching|stellar core fragment.
No structure|will be able to withstand them.
- They are responding.
|- On screen.
Enterprise, I am Aaron Conor.
Mr Conor, we were unaware|of human colonies in this system.
I don't want to be rude, but we don't wish|to interact with outsiders.
I'm only responding to your warning.
The fragment will have effects|on your planet in six days.
Yes, I know.
|We have been tracking it.
Our biosphere can withstand quakes|of 8.
7 on the Richter scale.
Mr Data? The fragment has a density|of 100 billion kg per cubic cm.
As a result,|when it passes Moab IV, it will cause tectonic shifts well|beyond 8.
7 on the Richter scale.
We have to evacuate you.
Evacuate? That is not possible.
|There must be an alternative.
We will gladly|explore the possibility with you.
Would you like to come aboard? Our environment is sealed.
|No one can get in or out.
We are capable|of matter-energy transport.
Matter-energy? We can take you|through the structure.
Really? That's quite remarkable.
May we arrange your transport? No, I must remain here.
|But under the circumstances, I will permit a small delegation|inside the biosphere.
If only to see|your matter-energy transportation.
Very good.
Cmdr Riker and team|will be with you shortly.
- This is a mistake.
|- What would you have me do? Anything to keep them out.
- We have nothing to hide.
|- We have much to lose.
- What is that?|- It's them.
Look at this, Martin.
Incredible.
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.
It's lovely.
I can understand|why you're reluctant to leave.
Not just reluctant, Miss Troi.
|It is imperative that we remain.
It would be suicide to evacuate.
It would destroy what|we have worked for for two centuries.
You see,|this is an engineered society.
- Engineered?|- Genetically.
Our ancestors from Earth|came to create a perfect society.
They believed|through controlled procreation, they could|create people without flaws, and those people|would build a paradise.
All of you have been|selectively bred? - Your DNA patterns chosen?|- Eight generations of us.
We have immeasurably extended|the potential of humanity, physically, psychologically.
We have evolved beyond - Beyond|- Beyond us? Frankly, yes.
No one in this society|would be blind.
- No offence intended.
|- I can see you, sir.
- Yes.
Well, my point|- Thank you, Martin.
Perhaps you've made it clear|there are still a few imperfections.
For the most part,|we are fully integrated, not just among ourselves|but with our environment.
We don't just live here.
|We are a part of our environment.
Every plant, microscopic life form|is part of the master design.
We cannot separate ourselves from it|without altering who we are.
Your presence has already begun|to affect the balance of our society.
If we don't survive, the balance of our society|won't mean a great deal, will it? I apologise.
But he is performing his function|as designed to.
What function is that? He is the interpreter|of our founders' intentions.
- A judge?|- More or less.
Obviously,|he has no diplomatic talents.
And obviously you do.
I've been bred|to fill this specific role.
We grow up knowing exactly|what our society needs from us.
- That takes the fun out of it.
|- No.
My psychology|tells me that I was born to lead.
I am what I would choose to be.
|Think of it another way.
Are there still people in|your society who have not discovered what to do in life? They may be in the wrong job|or writing bad poetry.
Or worse, they may be great poets,|working as labourers.
That does not happen here.
It is for us an ideal existence.
We will not give it up easily.
We will do whatever we can|to help you preserve it.
Hannah, meet our guests.
Yes, from the starship.
|I've been looking forward to this.
Hannah Bates, a scientist.
If there's a way,|Hannah will find it.
She has a remarkable talent|with theoretical physics.
I've worked up a few schematics based on gravimetric potentials|and deflector energy-allocation.
Geordi, Troi and I will return|to the Enterprise.
Contact us.
If Mr Conor doesn't mind,|I'd like to see more.
No, no.
That would be fine.
|I'd like you to see it.
Riker to Enterprise.
|One to beam up.
- Acknowledged, Commander.
|- Energise.
Are you sure my being here|is not going to be disruptive? Disruptive?|You mean what Martin was saying? I certainly wouldn't wish|to throw off your entire balance.
Too late.
The damage is done.
Seriously.
Strict interpreters like Martin|can forget we're still human.
We'll adjust, accommodate.
There must be other unexpected|events you have to deal with.
An untimely death, an accident.
Our geneticists screen out|congenital risks before conception.
Our population is diverse enough|to maintain a genetic balance in the event of accidental death.
Very little|that is unexpected occurs here.
- Am I making this sound dull?|- Not at all.
I'll tell you the truth,|but don't tell Martin.
I've found today exhilarating.
Meeting you, meeting new people,|with new ideas.
I feel the same about being here.
I'm a student of human nature.
- I find this all fascinating.
|- A student of human nature? I'm the ship's counsellor.
I'm afraid you wouldn't find|much work here.
I'd book a vacation|at your hotel if you had one.
In that case,|I shall have them build one.
The biosphere won't hold up.
The|environment would be compromised.
That's how I see it.
Your ship.
What kind of output|is it capable of? We have a powerful matter/antimatter|warp reaction system.
Normally, it kicks plasma|up into the terawatt range.
Why? Either we're going to have to move|or that fragment is.
We can move a small moon but a stellar core fragment|is much too massive for us.
- What's that?|- A wild idea, purely theoretical.
A multiphase tractor beam? When we spotted the fragment,|I came up with the idea.
But we can't generate|that kind of energy.
You can.
- We'd need Hannah on board.
|- No.
With their equipment,|we might alter the fragment's path.
It's our only chance|to avoid evacuation.
No one had ever come here and|no one had ever left until today.
This is a date to note|in our history books.
This is in violation|of the intentions of our founders.
I don't think|they intended us to die.
Her absence will create an imbalance.
Temporarily.
Circumstances|require us to be flexible.
We have no idea how molecular|transport will affect her DNA.
It won't affect her DNA at all.
|There's a century of evidence.
You can go, Hannah.
- May I return later?|- I look forward to it.
Enterprise, three to beam up.
Energise.
Captain's log, supplemental.
La Forge and Bates|have spent three days trying to adjust the path|of the fragment.
If they do not succeed|in 48 hours, we must evacuate.
I believe some will choose to risk|death rather than leave, Captain.
You've spent time there.
|How do we change their minds? I'm not sure we can.
It would mean abandoning|their fundamental way of life.
They've managed to turn a dubious|scientific endeavour into dogma.
You don't approve|of genetic engineering? It was a bad idea|whose time is past.
They've made it succeed.
They've given away their humanity|with this genetic manipulation.
Many of the qualities|that they breed out, .
.
uncertainty, self-discovery, the|unknown, are many of the qualities that make life worth living.
Well, at least, to me.
I wouldn't want to live|knowing that my future was written, my boundaries had been already set,|would you? I've asked myself that a lot|during the past few days.
I don't know.
I doubt it.
Nevertheless,|it's what they believe in and it won't be easy|to talk them into leaving.
This leader of theirs, Conor,|seems a reasonable man.
I find him very reasonable.
Open to suggestions,|thoughtful, quite disarming.
The perfect administrator.
I'm sure.
Will he leave|when he sees there's no other choice? I don't know.
I hope so.
- You admire him?|- Yes.
Then help him to see the reality of what may happen to his colony.
If he makes the right decision, if he's as good|as he's designed to be, perhaps the others will follow.
If we increase warp transfer|by 80 percent It's going|to blow the emitters again.
We won't be able|to hold that power level.
- It just doesn't work.
|- Yeah.
I haven't had any sleep.
|My eyelids feel like lead weights.
Were you always blind? I'm sorry.
I probably shocked you.
No.
- I'll put it back on.
|- Don't.
I'm sorry.
|I didn't mean to embarrass you.
I've never been embarrassed|by this, Hannah.
Never.
I was born blind.
|I've always been this way.
May I see your visor? Sure.
So, I guess if I had been conceived|on your world, I wouldn't be here.
No.
I'd have been terminated|as a fertilised cell.
It was the wish of our founders|that no one suffer disability.
Who gave them the right|to decide if I should be here, if I might|have something to contribute? I don't know what to say.
Here you go.
How does it work? The visor scans the spectrum|from one hertz to 100,000 terahertz, converts it to usable frequencies|and transmits that to my brain.
What about|the data conversion rates? How do you avoid|a sensory overload? A bank of pre-processors compresses|the data into pulses.
That way, my visual cortex never Wait a minute.
Wait just a minute.
We could send a high-energy pulse|through the tractor system.
Short enough|not to overload the emitters.
The technology is right here.
If we could adapt|those pulse-compression routines and apply them to the conduits We have to avoid|tractor-force rebounding.
- That shouldn't be hard.
|- With a few modifications That's perfect.
What? If the answer is in a visor,|created for a blind man, who never would've existed|in your society.
No offence intended.
Please, Matthew, continue.
It's hard to believe.
So much loveliness here, just metres|away from such desolation.
It's hard to believe|we're about to lose it.
This may sound|incredibly simplistic, but can't you re-engineer all this|on another planet? A nursery rhyme has been in my mind|since all this began.
A nursery rhyme? Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,|Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses|and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again.
Why do we tell children|such ghastly stories? Perhaps to prepare them|for times like these.
We are every bit as fragile|as an egg.
And as impossible to reconstruct.
We are integrated and refined|to such a degree any fundamental change|would lead to chaos.
I'm so sorry, Aaron.
|I wish I could do something to help.
You have helped.
You've been wonderful|these past few days.
You've been my counsellor.
No.
A counsellor has to maintain|a discreet distance.
I'd rather think of us as friends.
Friends? That won't do, either.
- Will it?|- Aaron I must confess, part of me knows that|if I transport through these walls, you'll be on the other side.
This is wrong.
Terribly wrong.
In order to move the fragment, we needed our tractor beam|to handle pulses.
We needed a more efficient emitter.
Four times more.
We couldn't get that|without overloading the arrays.
So, we added|a little visor technology and we could boost the force and lower|the power-conduit stress levels.
- The increase in efficiency?|- Up to almost 300 percent.
- That's not enough.
|- True.
We won't move the fragment far.
But if we also fortify|the biosphere With shields like yours|it could work.
Of course, we have to lend them|support crews.
Advise Mr Conor and|brief the appropriate officers.
Prepare for transport|as soon as Mr Conor approves.
You're up early.
I'm still on Enterprise time.
I'm going back to the ship.
- I'm not going to see you again.
|- Why? Because it's the right thing to do.
I'm not convinced of that.
You know it, as well.
- You're angry.
|- Yes, I'm angry.
I'm angry I allowed this to happen.
I could fall in love with you|so easily.
But we both know|the end of that story, don't we? How would Martin feel|about introducing half-Betazoid DNA|into the genetic balance? If we evacuate,|anything's possible.
Listen to yourself.
A few days ago|you wouldn't talk to us.
This is my fault.
I'm so sorry.
I need you here.
This doesn't have to happen again.
I have to go.
Good news, Aaron.
We can change|the course of the fragment.
But we need|to fortify the structure.
And we need help.
Engineering crews from the Enterprise|will work with your people.
Engineering crews? They have to install shield|generators and power supplies.
We don't have much time.
- Is there any other choice?|- None.
Enterprise, you may begin transport|when ready.
Captain's log, supplemental.
The Enterprise is on a parallel|course with the fragment.
We must adjust its trajectory|by 1.
2 degrees to ensure the colonists' safety.
Bring us within range|of the fragment, Ensign.
You may proceed, Mr La Forge.
- Yes, sir.
Good luck.
|- You, too.
Engage tractor beam.
OK.
Let's give it a try.
Shutting down non-critical systems.
Emitter circuits 170 percent|over standard.
Increasing impulse power|to tractor emitters.
EPS power-levels rising.
Transferring warp power|to tractor beam.
Graviton generators|operating normally.
Surge pulse now synchronised.
Emitters radiating|at 320 percent over standard.
Bridge, we need more power.
- Reduce life support to minimum.
|- Aye, sir.
Come on, come on.
- No change in course.
|- Increase pulse frequency.
- The circuits won't hold.
|- We don't need them for long.
- 400 percent over standard.
|- OK.
Now we're getting there.
Fragment's moved 0.
4 degrees|off its previous heading.
We have lost an emitter circuit.
Life-support failure.
|Decks nine, 12 and 13.
Evacuate those decks.
Geordi,|we're going to need power back soon.
Acknowledged.
Fragment's new heading adjustment|is at 1.
01 degrees.
- Is it enough?|- Not yet.
We've lost a second circuit.
Losing life support|on decks five through nine.
Evacuation initiated.
- Mr La Forge.
|- Hold on, Captain.
Ship-wide life-support failure|in 15 seconds, sir.
Almost there.
|Core shift is at 1.
16 degrees.
Termination of all life support|in five seconds.
Now, Mr La Forge.
Yes, sir.
Shutting down|all tractor emissions.
Transferring power to life support.
Life support normal on all decks.
Mr Data? The fragment's course has been|altered by 1.
21 degrees, sir.
Hail the colony.
- Yes, Captain.
|- Success, Mr Conor.
With the upgrades, the fragment|should no longer be a danger.
I cannot adequately express|my appreciation.
Can Hannah hear me? - Yes.
Go ahead, Aaron.
|- An historic achievement.
You've done a wonderful thing.
Thank you.
We look forward|to honouring you when you return.
Thank you again, Captain.
|Conor out.
Captain's log, supplemental.
The fragment has passed out|of the Moab System.
The colony was shaken but|fortunately there were no injuries.
Only minor damage was reported.
Energise.
That should do it.
|All crew are accounted for.
They've been invaluable.
|Thank you.
If there's nothing else, we'll go.
Would you tell Deanna Troi|that I'm sorry I didn't get|the opportunity to say goodbye? I'm sure she is, too.
A breach in the biosphere.
|Get Hannah Bates.
The refortification wasn't adequate.
|There's definite structural damage.
The tectonic shifts created a breach.
Can it be repaired? I don't know.
|I'll run a diagnostic.
Unless we seal it,|we may have to evacuate.
- How long do we have?|- With the toxicity outside, hours.
- Mind if I give her a hand?|- By all means.
Isn't it amazing|after all we went through? Yeah.
Amazing.
Looks bad.
It's cracked|well beneath the surface.
- Why are you doing this?|- What do you mean? There's no breach.
What are you talking about?|Look at it, it's right here.
I measured the toxic leak.
|You saw me.
My visor's positronic scan|would have detected the leak.
Its molecular-pattern enhancer would|pick up even the smallest crack.
The damn thing doesn't miss much,|does it? Fine.
I'll tell them the truth.
Will that make you happy? Why are you doing this? I was born to be one of the best|scientific minds of my generation.
In five days, I have encountered|technology I had barely imagined.
I've got to ask myself, if we're so brilliant, how come|we didn't invent these things? Maybe necessity really|is the mother of invention.
You never look for something|until you need it.
But all my needs have been|planned for before I was even born.
All of us|have been living in the Dark Ages.
It's like we're victims|of a 200-year-old joke.
Till you came, all we saw|was the wall of our biosphere.
Suddenly, our eyes are open|to infinite possibilities.
- Asylum?|- She wants to leave the colony.
She may not be the only one.
The science teams fielded|a lot of questions from colonists who were curious|about what's outside their world.
- Why shouldn't we grant asylum?|- We can't.
- We have to.
|- Do you understand that colony? I understand that these|are human beings with free will.
She has the right to leave.
What happens to the colony|if others join her? The society is genetically|integrated.
There would be gaps.
It would destroy them.
There must be something we can do.
We may have done too much already.
- We saved them from destruction.
|- Did we? Counsellor, I think it's time|you took me to meet Mr Conor.
Transporter room three.
Computer, halt.
Captain,|I have to tell you something.
It isn't easy because|I've used very poor judgement.
- I've acted unprofessionally.
|- Counsellor.
What is it you say?|"Take a deep breath.
" Conor and I|have had a relationship.
- I see.
|- It should never have happened.
I knew there was concern|about outside influences and I should have been more careful.
- What is your status with him now?|- I did not intend to see him again.
Would you prefer not to return? No, I think I should come with you.
I wanted you to know before we went.
I appreciate that.
Computer, resume.
I wanted to help him.
To be there for him,|but the more I was We all went into this|with the best intentions.
I should have walked away.
But you didn't.
And that's human.
|We make mistakes.
Genetic manipulation or not,|nobody's perfect.
You would ignore|the welfare of the colony for your own selfish interests! The welfare of this colony|lies in rejoining the human race.
She has been contaminated|by those people.
Mr Conor, you and I should talk.
This is your doing.
|We never should have answered.
If we followed that advice,|we'd all be dead.
- So much for welfare.
|- You will not take her.
I'm leaving! A dozen others|are ready to go with me.
Let's allow Aaron and Capt Picard|to discuss this.
Why don't we go for a walk? There's nothing else for them|to talk about.
I think I want to talk to him alone.
- But|- Thank you, Martin.
The irony is, he saw this coming|from the moment you arrived.
I didn't want to hear,|so I chose not to listen.
You made decisions|you felt would save your colony.
No.
I wish it were that simple.
I'm afraid|I can't forgive myself so easily.
You see, Captain,|I know what Hannah Bates is feeling.
I've been feeling it as well.
I've found your people as intriguing|and stimulating as she has.
I've been as curious|about you as the next man.
But I am not the next man.
|I am the leader of these people.
Every fibre in my being|demands that I protect them.
Instead, I have betrayed them.
- I allowed this to happen.
|- We both allowed this to happen.
Then let us both find a way|to stop it going further.
I wish I could see a way.
Picard, I was born to govern|this colony, not to dismantle it.
If you force them to stay,|you suppress their human rights.
If even a handful leave,|the damage will be devastating.
What about the rights of those|who stay and inherit social chaos, that will follow for generations? Your arrival created this problem.
- Your departure solves it.
|- That is simplistic.
Refuse them passage.
I cannot ignore|the requests of people, humans, who ask for transport away from here.
But thousands will suffer|if you agree to take them.
As suffering grows,|more will demand to leave.
We are witnessing|the end of this existence.
I implore you, Captain,|do not let this happen.
You would have me make the decision|for you, but I can't.
I am willing|to talk to these people with you.
I will urge them|not to be impulsive but if finally|they choose to leave, .
.
the Enterprise|will not turn them away.
Capt Picard will grant transport|to any individuals who wish to leave.
I am asking you to stay.
Aaron, don't you see|we can't be happy here any longer? We were innocent.
|It will never be that way again.
The experience|will become part of our heritage.
We will adjust.
|In a few generations We're not willing|to stay a few generations.
Alright.
Give me six months.
- Just wait six months.
|- What will that accomplish? It's true that our presence|has had an unintended influence on your society.
But it's done.
|There is no way to undo it.
But feelings are running very high.
Perhaps it's not such a bad idea|that you should take time to weigh carefully the consequences|of what you're about to do.
We are prepared|to return in six months.
In other words,|we are being asked to stay here while they pressure us|to change our minds.
In five days, you've seen|the most superficial evidence of what life is like|outside this biosphere.
Would you choose|this ship in a bottle? You are in command of a starship.
You live for the unknown.
|We ask the same privilege.
This is your home.
We are all, in a sense,|your family.
Don't we deserve|to open a dialogue on this issue? - I am only asking for six months.
|- It won't make any difference.
You'll only put the colony|through unnecessary pain.
You are the ones causing pain|in this colony.
You.
Don't you see? It's over.
|It's time to lead us into a new era.
You could come with us.
When you're ready to come home,|you will be welcome.
What will you do now? Attempt to assess the damage.
Spend the rest of my life|on the near-impossible task of rebuilding this society|without the proper pieces.
You acted in the interests|of your people.
There was no way to avoid|what happened.
I replay each step, looking for the|wrong turn, a mistake in judgement.
I can find only one.
And as hard as I try,|I cannot regret even that one.
In fact, I'm quite certain that,|given the opportunity, .
.
I would choose to make it again.
I wonder why, with all|these genetically compatible women, - I fell in love with you.
|- Don't say that.
Perhaps it's your imperfections|which make you so unique.
But I am in love with you,|Deanna Troi.
And I will always be.
Come.
The colonists are on board.
- How many finally?|- 23.
If ever we needed reminding|of the Prime Directive, it is now.
The Prime Directive doesn't apply.
|They're human.
Doesn't it? Our very presence|may have damaged, even destroyed, their way of life.
Whether or not we agree|with that way of life, or whether they're human,|is irrelevant.
We are responsible.
We had to respond|to the threat of the core fragment.
Of course we did.
But in the end, we may have proved|just as dangerous as any core fragment|could ever have been.