Star Trek: The Next Generation s05e18 Episode Script
Cause and Effect
- Damage report.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
We are venting drive plasma.
Initiating emergency core-shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown is unsuccessful.
We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejection systems off line.
|Core breach is imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat.
All hands, abandon 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.
Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We're the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Eight.
Ace.
Queen.
The dealer receives a four.
No bet.
Ten.
Seven.
No help there.
Pair of ladies for the Doctor.
Dealer receives a nine.
Doctor? You show the highest hand.
|You control the next bet.
Thank you, Data.
I bet ten.
Worf? Jack.
Four.
Deuce.
Six.
Your 20, and 50 more.
I'm in.
I will also see the bet.
Seven.
|A possible straight for Cmdr Riker.
Jack.
Still no help for the Klingon.
|Eight.
Nine for the dealer.
Too rich for my blood.
Your 200, 100 more.
Fold.
Your two, and 300 more.
He does not have a straight.
Well, we'll soon find out, won't we? Let's see your cards.
Take it.
- How did you know I was bluffing?|- I just had a feeling.
I guess it's better|to be lucky than good.
It's the way your left eyebrow raises|when you're bluffing.
Just kidding, Commander.
- Ogawa to Dr Crusher.
|- Go ahead.
Cmdr La Forge needs you in sickbay.
On my way.
At first I thought|the catwalk was spinning.
It turns out it was me.
Luckily, Fletcher grabbed me.
It's a long way down|to the bottom of the warp core.
You have the symptoms|of an inner-ear infection.
That would explain|the dizziness and headaches.
But there's no physical evidence.
My guess|is you've been working too hard.
I have been putting in extra hours|on this Typhon Expanse project.
But finding time to relax|is up to you.
What? What is it? Have you had these symptoms before? No.
- You're sure?|- I'm positive.
Why? It's funny.
I feel like|we've discussed this before.
I remember giving you|a hypospray for dizziness.
I've never had these symptoms.
|You're thinking of another patient.
No, I'm sure it was you.
Well, try to get some rest.
Stay away from high places|for a few days.
Thanks, Doc.
- Goodnight.
|- Goodnight.
As you can see,|the Typhon Expanse is huge.
If we want to chart it,|we'll have to launch a probe soon.
What about the luminosity studies? - That may pose a problem.
|- How so? The spectrometers are still down.
They were supposed to be on line.
They were until Stellar Dynamics|decided to install new modules.
I recommend a graviton polarimeter.
- It performs a similar function.
|- Make it so, Mr Data.
Captain,|I have something I'd like to report.
Yes, Doctor? I heard voices in my room last night.
I was alone,|so I thought I was imagining things.
But ten other people reported|hearing voices at the same time.
What were they saying? I couldn't make them out.
Data, did the sensors|pick up anything unusual? No anomalous readings were reported.
When we're through,|recheck the sensor logs.
- Aye, sir.
|- Counsellor? I sensed nothing unusual last night.
Maybe it's the comm system.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
|- Go ahead.
We have unusual readings, 20,000|kilometres off the starboard bow.
On our way.
Report.
Sensors didn't detect|the phenomenon until now, sir.
It is a localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
On screen.
Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels dropping rapidly.
Red alert.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Captain, something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel is on a collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
Hail them.
No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to kick us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
Mr Worf, make it so.
Engaging tractor beam.
- Damage report.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
- Venting drive plasma.
|- Initiating core shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown was unsuccessful.
We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejection systems off line.
|Core breach is imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat, all hands, abandon Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We are the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Eight.
Ace.
Queen.
The dealer receives a four.
No bet.
Ten.
Seven.
No help there.
Pair of ladies for the Doctor.
|Dealer receives a nine.
Doctor? You show the highest hand.
|You control the next bet.
Is there something wrong, Doctor? No.
I'll bet ten.
Jack.
Four.
Deuce.
Six.
Your 20.
I'll raise you 50.
You're going to call my bluff.
I think I'll quit while I'm ahead.
How did you know|I'd call your bluff? - I just had a feeling.
|- Me, too.
- Ogawa to Dr Crusher.
|- Go ahead.
- Cmdr La Forge needs you in sickbay.
|- On my way.
At first I thought the catwalk|was spinning.
Turns out it was me.
Luckily, Fletcher grabbed me.
It's a long way down|to the bottom of the warp core.
You have the symptoms|of an inner-ear infection.
That would explain|the headaches and dizziness.
But there's no physical What? - What is it?|- Have you had these symptoms before? - Come to think of it, yes.
|- Do you recall when? No, I don't We've had this discussion before.
|I've given you this examination.
Let's check the medical logs.
You've been treated|for headaches from your visor but I read no mention of dizziness.
Must be déjá vu.
Both of us? About the same thing? - Crusher to Picard.
|- Yes, Doctor? Do you have a minute? My Aunt Adele cured a lot of|sleepless nights with steamed milk.
Thank you.
Nutmeg.
Whenever I get insomnia,|I try to perfect the recipe.
It was the eeriest feeling.
When the glass broke, it triggered the sensation even more|that I'd done it all before.
You know, earlier,|I was reading this book .
.
and I had the distinct feeling that I'd read|certain paragraphs before.
But I assumed that I'd read the book|years ago and I'd forgotten.
I've had this feeling for hours.
|And then the voices Well, it could be nothing more|than the result of a sleepless night.
But let's be sure.
Have Data and Geordi|run a diagnostic on the time and place|you heard the voices.
We'll discuss the results tomorrow|at 0700 hours.
Thank you.
For everything.
No, thank Aunt Adele.
The internal scans were negative.
There was no evidence|of auditory anomalies.
As far as the sensors are concerned,|nothing unusual happened.
Ten other people reported hearing|voices at the same time I did.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
|- Go ahead.
We have unusual readings, 20,000|kilometres off the starboard bow.
On our way.
Report.
Sensors didn't detect the phenomenon|until now.
It is a localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
On screen.
Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels are dropping.
Red alert.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Captain, something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel is on a collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
- Hail them.
|- No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to blow us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
- Make it so, Mr Worf.
|- Engaging tractor beam.
- Damage report.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
We are venting drive plasma.
Initiating emergency core-shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown unsuccessful.
|We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejector systems off line.
|Core breach imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat, all hands, abandon Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We are the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Something wrong, Mr Worf? I am experiencing nlb'poH,|the feeling I have done this before.
- Last Tuesday.
|- That's not what I mean.
I've been having the same feeling.
|Keep dealing, Data.
Eight.
Ace.
A queen.
|You're going to give me a queen.
You're going to get a four.
Deal, Data.
- But no one has bet.
|- Forget the bet.
Just deal.
Ten.
Seven.
Queen.
Nine.
Jack.
- Four.
|- Deuce.
Six.
This is highly improbable.
- How did we know?|- Wait.
Crusher to sickbay.
- Sickbay here.
|- Is Cmdr La Forge there? No, Doctor, he's not.
Wait a minute.
He just came in.
- You wanted to see me, Doctor?|- Yes.
Captain, have you been|getting the feeling that you've experienced|things before? A sense of repetition? Yes, recently.
While I was reading.
|Why do you ask? There have been similar incidents|all over the ship.
Feelings of déjá vu.
I had a premonition|Geordi would come into sickbay.
Seconds later he did.
With the|symptoms of an ear infection.
I was going to run tests but I had|a feeling they'd be negative.
So I ran an optical diagnostic which traced the problem|to Geordi's visor.
His dizziness is caused by a phase shift|in his visual receptors, making him see images|that aren't there.
They're like blurry after-images.
I ran a scan to see|if I could detect what he saw.
I picked up distortions|in the surrounding dekyon field.
Somehow his visor translates them|into visual impulses.
Could be a malfunction|in the warp-field generator.
Run a localised subspace scan|for anything else.
Keep me advised.
- Crusher to Cmdr La Forge.
|- La Forge here.
Geordi, I just heard what sounded|like voices in my room.
But no one else is here.
Sensors picked up something strange.
|We're checking it out.
I'm on my way.
Looks like you managed|to record 6.
2 seconds' worth.
Let's see|if we can filter the signal.
- Then I wasn't hearing things?|- The sound appears real.
However, it does not|correspond to any ship's system, nor to any voice communication|at that time.
Then where did it come from? You heard it at the same time our scan picked up|a dekyon-field distortion.
The two may be related.
|Let's have another listen.
Computer, perform|a narrow-bandwidth analysis.
Eliminate|non-vocal waveform components.
Can we isolate the voices?|Find out what they're saying? Computer, continuous playback.
There are approximately|1,000 voices overlapping.
The voices|are those of the Enterprise crew.
Our voices.
I'm sorry to call you so early but we couldn't wait|till 0700 hours.
We think we have an explanation|for the occurrences.
- Commander.
|- This is gonna sound pretty wild.
Somehow we seem to have entered|a temporal-causality loop.
We think we're stuck|in a fragment in time.
We've been repeating that fragment|over and over.
Is this causing our déjá vu? Yes, but it's more.
In déjá vu,|you think you're repeating events.
- We actually are.
|- Our theory is this.
Every time the loop begins again, everything resets itself|and starts all over.
We don't remember anything so each time,|we think it's the first.
You mean we could have had|this conversation a dozen times? A dozen, a hundred.
|It's impossible to tell.
We could have been here for hours,|days, maybe years.
If what we're saying is true, those voices I heard|might be echoes from previous loops.
It's the same with my visor.
After-images in time.
If you're right, how did it happen?|How did we get there? I have a hypothesis|that may explain that.
I have analysed the recording.
Most is quite ordinary.
five couples|in romantic encounters Your point, Mr Data? There is evidence|of a disaster aboard the Enterprise, severe enough that the Captain|ordered all hands to abandon ship.
I have isolated three segments|of this recording that are crucial.
A localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
Collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat.
All hands, abandon Worf refers to a distortion.
If this were temporal|and we were close enough, it's possible an explosion ruptured|the space-time continuum.
We collided, exploded, then got|caught in this repeating loop.
If you're right, we could escape|by avoiding collision.
That's our guess.
Perhaps we should reverse course.
For all we know, reversing course|may lead us into the crash.
No.
We can't start|second-guessing ourselves.
Stay on course|until we have reason to change.
But let's do everything we can|to avoid the collision.
We might not be able to figure out|how to avoid this accident.
If the loop begins again, we'll|forget everything we've learned.
What do you suggest? If we find a way|to avoid this collision, we should send that information|into the next loop.
Is that possible? We have seen that echoes or|after-images from previous loops appear as distortions|in the dekyon field.
We could send an echo|into the next loop.
- Like a message in a bottle?|- Exactly.
We could enhance a dekyon emission|and send ourselves a message.
Not a long one,|only a few characters.
Maybe one word.
How will we know|to pick up that word? If the dekyon emission|is modulated correctly, it will set up resonances|in my positronic subprocessors.
I will receive the information|on a subconscious level.
There's the catch.
We don't know|how this will be perceived by Data.
It might be like|a post-hypnotic suggestion.
Even so, we've got to try.
Take whatever steps are necessary|to send a message.
Dismissed.
It's possible we've tried this|1,000 times and it's never worked.
Do you feel|that you've done this before? No, I don't.
Neither do I.
|Maybe that's a good sign.
Let's test the emitter.
Particle accelerators at full power.
Dekyon field active.
Particle flux nominal.
|We're in business.
All we need now is a message.
Senior officers, to the bridge.
On our way.
We have to figure out|how we handled this before.
Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels are dropping.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel is on a collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
- Hail them.
|- No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to blow us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
- Make it so, Mr Worf.
|- Engaging tractor beam.
- Damage report.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
- We are venting drive plasma.
|- Emergency core shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown is unsuccessful.
|We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejection systems are off line.
|Core breach is imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat, all hands, abandon Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We are the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Something wrong, Mr Worf? I am experiencing nlb'poH,|the feeling I have done this before.
- Last Tuesday night.
|- That's not what I mean.
I've been having the same feeling.
|Wait! An eight.
An ace.
A queen.
|And a four.
Deal the cards, Data.
Three.
All threes.
I was positive I knew what cards|were going to be dealt.
I was also sure.
Finish dealing the hand.
Look at this.
|We've all got three of a kind.
First we get a three|and then three of a kind.
Ogawa to Dr Crusher.
Go ahead.
Cmdr La Forge needs you in sickbay.
I'm on my way.
At first I thought the catwalk|was spinning.
It turns out it was me.
Luckily, Fletcher grabbed me.
It's a long way down|to the bottom of the warp core.
You have the symptoms|of an inner-ear infection.
That would explain|the headaches and dizziness.
But I don't see any physical What? What is it? Have you had these symptoms before? Now that you mention it, yes.
Do you recall when? No, I don't.
We've had this discussion before.
I remember giving you|this examination.
Let's check the medical logs.
You've been treated for headaches|from your visor but no mention of dizziness.
Must be déjá vu.
Both of us? About the same thing? I'd like to run|an optical diagnostic.
For an ear infection? I have a hunch.
Hold still.
|This pulse may be a little bright.
Have you made changes|to your visor lately? No, why? I'm detecting a small phase shift|in your visual receptors.
Crusher to Capt Picard.
Yes? Can you come to sickbay? It's urgent.
I'm on my way.
Dizziness is from a phase shift|in his visual receptors.
It's causing him to see things.
Like blurry after-images.
I ran a scan to see|if I could detect what he saw.
I picked up distortions|in the surrounding dekyon field.
His visor seems to be translating|them into visual impulses.
Could be a malfunction|in the warp-field generator.
Run a localised subspace scan|for anything unusual.
Aye, sir.
Keep me advised, Doctor.
Lateral sensors on line.
|Subspace scanners active.
Data, run a level-two diagnostic|on the warp subsystems.
All threes.
That can't be right.
I have encountered the numeral three|many times in the last two hours.
We have a dekyon-field fluctuation|on deck nine, section 28.
- Crusher to La Forge.
|- Here.
I've just heard voices in my room,|but there's no one here.
Sensors picked up|something strange, too.
On my way.
Dr Crusher.
Are you alright? I'm fine.
I have isolated three segments|of this recording.
A localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
Collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
All hands, abandon ship!|Repeat, all hands, abandon Worf refers to a distortion.
If this were temporal|and we were close enough to it, it's possible an explosion ruptured|the space-time continuum.
We collided, exploded, then got stuck|in this repeating loop.
If you're right, perhaps we can|escape by avoiding collision.
- That's our guess.
|- Reverse course.
For all we know, reversing course|might lead to the crash.
We can't second guess ourselves.
Stay on course|until we have reason to change.
In the meantime,|do what we can to avoid a collision.
We've seen the number three|all over the ship.
On consoles, in a poker game.
To date, we have encountered 2,085|examples of the number three.
All these threes|can't be coming up by accident.
Maybe someone|is telling us something.
We came to the same conclusion,|so we ran a diagnostic.
We found a dekyon-field modulation|in Data's subprocessors.
- What could be causing it?|- I don't know.
But if I wanted to send information|between loops, I might use a dekyon emission.
- We sent ourselves a message?|- It would make sense.
Maybe we are trying|to contact ourselves.
If that were true,|what could three indicate? We should run|a level-three diagnostic.
That's a good idea.
|I'll run an algorithm on three.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
|- Go ahead.
We have unusual readings, 20,000|kilometres off the starboard bow.
On our way.
Report.
Sensors didn't detect the phenomenon|until now.
It is a localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
On screen.
How did we handle this before? Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels dropping rapidly.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel will impact in 36 seconds.
Hail them.
No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to kick us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
Make it so.
Engaging tractor beam.
The tractor beam|will not be successful.
I am decompressing main shuttlebay.
We are clear of the distortion.
Data, what happened? At the last moment,|I speculated that three might refer to the rank insignia|on Cmdr Riker's uniform.
That indicated that his suggestion|was the correct course.
You must have picked up|a message from the last loop and stacked the poker deck|without realising.
That is possible.
I may also have been responsible for the unexplained occurrences|of the number three.
Mr Worf, end red alert.
Try to access|a Federation timebase beacon.
Let's see how long|we've been in this causality loop.
Timebase confirms our chronometers|are off by 17.
4 days.
Reset them, Mr Data.
Aye, sir.
Captain, we are being hailed|by the other vessel.
The computer identifies it|as USS Bozeman, a Federation starship.
- Soyuz-class.
|- Soyuz-class? They haven't been in service|in over 80 years.
Open a channel.
This is Capt Bateson|of Federation Starship Bozeman.
Can we render assistance? I'm Capt Jean-Luc Picard|of Federation Starship Enterprise.
We were going to ask you the same.
Capt Picard,|your vessel is not familiar to us.
Captain, have you any idea|what has happened? Our sensors detected|a temporal distortion.
Then your ship appeared.
|We nearly hit you.
The Enterprise has been|in a temporal causality loop.
I suspect that something similar|happened to you.
You must be mistaken.
|We left starbase three weeks ago.
Captain.
Do you know what year this is? Of course I do.
It's 2278.
Perhaps|you should beam aboard our ship.
There's something we need to discuss.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
We are venting drive plasma.
Initiating emergency core-shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown is unsuccessful.
We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejection systems off line.
|Core breach is imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat.
All hands, abandon 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.
Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We're the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Eight.
Ace.
Queen.
The dealer receives a four.
No bet.
Ten.
Seven.
No help there.
Pair of ladies for the Doctor.
Dealer receives a nine.
Doctor? You show the highest hand.
|You control the next bet.
Thank you, Data.
I bet ten.
Worf? Jack.
Four.
Deuce.
Six.
Your 20, and 50 more.
I'm in.
I will also see the bet.
Seven.
|A possible straight for Cmdr Riker.
Jack.
Still no help for the Klingon.
|Eight.
Nine for the dealer.
Too rich for my blood.
Your 200, 100 more.
Fold.
Your two, and 300 more.
He does not have a straight.
Well, we'll soon find out, won't we? Let's see your cards.
Take it.
- How did you know I was bluffing?|- I just had a feeling.
I guess it's better|to be lucky than good.
It's the way your left eyebrow raises|when you're bluffing.
Just kidding, Commander.
- Ogawa to Dr Crusher.
|- Go ahead.
Cmdr La Forge needs you in sickbay.
On my way.
At first I thought|the catwalk was spinning.
It turns out it was me.
Luckily, Fletcher grabbed me.
It's a long way down|to the bottom of the warp core.
You have the symptoms|of an inner-ear infection.
That would explain|the dizziness and headaches.
But there's no physical evidence.
My guess|is you've been working too hard.
I have been putting in extra hours|on this Typhon Expanse project.
But finding time to relax|is up to you.
What? What is it? Have you had these symptoms before? No.
- You're sure?|- I'm positive.
Why? It's funny.
I feel like|we've discussed this before.
I remember giving you|a hypospray for dizziness.
I've never had these symptoms.
|You're thinking of another patient.
No, I'm sure it was you.
Well, try to get some rest.
Stay away from high places|for a few days.
Thanks, Doc.
- Goodnight.
|- Goodnight.
As you can see,|the Typhon Expanse is huge.
If we want to chart it,|we'll have to launch a probe soon.
What about the luminosity studies? - That may pose a problem.
|- How so? The spectrometers are still down.
They were supposed to be on line.
They were until Stellar Dynamics|decided to install new modules.
I recommend a graviton polarimeter.
- It performs a similar function.
|- Make it so, Mr Data.
Captain,|I have something I'd like to report.
Yes, Doctor? I heard voices in my room last night.
I was alone,|so I thought I was imagining things.
But ten other people reported|hearing voices at the same time.
What were they saying? I couldn't make them out.
Data, did the sensors|pick up anything unusual? No anomalous readings were reported.
When we're through,|recheck the sensor logs.
- Aye, sir.
|- Counsellor? I sensed nothing unusual last night.
Maybe it's the comm system.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
|- Go ahead.
We have unusual readings, 20,000|kilometres off the starboard bow.
On our way.
Report.
Sensors didn't detect|the phenomenon until now, sir.
It is a localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
On screen.
Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels dropping rapidly.
Red alert.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Captain, something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel is on a collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
Hail them.
No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to kick us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
Mr Worf, make it so.
Engaging tractor beam.
- Damage report.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
- Venting drive plasma.
|- Initiating core shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown was unsuccessful.
We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejection systems off line.
|Core breach is imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat, all hands, abandon Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We are the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Eight.
Ace.
Queen.
The dealer receives a four.
No bet.
Ten.
Seven.
No help there.
Pair of ladies for the Doctor.
|Dealer receives a nine.
Doctor? You show the highest hand.
|You control the next bet.
Is there something wrong, Doctor? No.
I'll bet ten.
Jack.
Four.
Deuce.
Six.
Your 20.
I'll raise you 50.
You're going to call my bluff.
I think I'll quit while I'm ahead.
How did you know|I'd call your bluff? - I just had a feeling.
|- Me, too.
- Ogawa to Dr Crusher.
|- Go ahead.
- Cmdr La Forge needs you in sickbay.
|- On my way.
At first I thought the catwalk|was spinning.
Turns out it was me.
Luckily, Fletcher grabbed me.
It's a long way down|to the bottom of the warp core.
You have the symptoms|of an inner-ear infection.
That would explain|the headaches and dizziness.
But there's no physical What? - What is it?|- Have you had these symptoms before? - Come to think of it, yes.
|- Do you recall when? No, I don't We've had this discussion before.
|I've given you this examination.
Let's check the medical logs.
You've been treated|for headaches from your visor but I read no mention of dizziness.
Must be déjá vu.
Both of us? About the same thing? - Crusher to Picard.
|- Yes, Doctor? Do you have a minute? My Aunt Adele cured a lot of|sleepless nights with steamed milk.
Thank you.
Nutmeg.
Whenever I get insomnia,|I try to perfect the recipe.
It was the eeriest feeling.
When the glass broke, it triggered the sensation even more|that I'd done it all before.
You know, earlier,|I was reading this book .
.
and I had the distinct feeling that I'd read|certain paragraphs before.
But I assumed that I'd read the book|years ago and I'd forgotten.
I've had this feeling for hours.
|And then the voices Well, it could be nothing more|than the result of a sleepless night.
But let's be sure.
Have Data and Geordi|run a diagnostic on the time and place|you heard the voices.
We'll discuss the results tomorrow|at 0700 hours.
Thank you.
For everything.
No, thank Aunt Adele.
The internal scans were negative.
There was no evidence|of auditory anomalies.
As far as the sensors are concerned,|nothing unusual happened.
Ten other people reported hearing|voices at the same time I did.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
|- Go ahead.
We have unusual readings, 20,000|kilometres off the starboard bow.
On our way.
Report.
Sensors didn't detect the phenomenon|until now.
It is a localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
On screen.
Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels are dropping.
Red alert.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Captain, something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel is on a collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
- Hail them.
|- No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to blow us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
- Make it so, Mr Worf.
|- Engaging tractor beam.
- Damage report.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
We are venting drive plasma.
Initiating emergency core-shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown unsuccessful.
|We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejector systems off line.
|Core breach imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat, all hands, abandon Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We are the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Something wrong, Mr Worf? I am experiencing nlb'poH,|the feeling I have done this before.
- Last Tuesday.
|- That's not what I mean.
I've been having the same feeling.
|Keep dealing, Data.
Eight.
Ace.
A queen.
|You're going to give me a queen.
You're going to get a four.
Deal, Data.
- But no one has bet.
|- Forget the bet.
Just deal.
Ten.
Seven.
Queen.
Nine.
Jack.
- Four.
|- Deuce.
Six.
This is highly improbable.
- How did we know?|- Wait.
Crusher to sickbay.
- Sickbay here.
|- Is Cmdr La Forge there? No, Doctor, he's not.
Wait a minute.
He just came in.
- You wanted to see me, Doctor?|- Yes.
Captain, have you been|getting the feeling that you've experienced|things before? A sense of repetition? Yes, recently.
While I was reading.
|Why do you ask? There have been similar incidents|all over the ship.
Feelings of déjá vu.
I had a premonition|Geordi would come into sickbay.
Seconds later he did.
With the|symptoms of an ear infection.
I was going to run tests but I had|a feeling they'd be negative.
So I ran an optical diagnostic which traced the problem|to Geordi's visor.
His dizziness is caused by a phase shift|in his visual receptors, making him see images|that aren't there.
They're like blurry after-images.
I ran a scan to see|if I could detect what he saw.
I picked up distortions|in the surrounding dekyon field.
Somehow his visor translates them|into visual impulses.
Could be a malfunction|in the warp-field generator.
Run a localised subspace scan|for anything else.
Keep me advised.
- Crusher to Cmdr La Forge.
|- La Forge here.
Geordi, I just heard what sounded|like voices in my room.
But no one else is here.
Sensors picked up something strange.
|We're checking it out.
I'm on my way.
Looks like you managed|to record 6.
2 seconds' worth.
Let's see|if we can filter the signal.
- Then I wasn't hearing things?|- The sound appears real.
However, it does not|correspond to any ship's system, nor to any voice communication|at that time.
Then where did it come from? You heard it at the same time our scan picked up|a dekyon-field distortion.
The two may be related.
|Let's have another listen.
Computer, perform|a narrow-bandwidth analysis.
Eliminate|non-vocal waveform components.
Can we isolate the voices?|Find out what they're saying? Computer, continuous playback.
There are approximately|1,000 voices overlapping.
The voices|are those of the Enterprise crew.
Our voices.
I'm sorry to call you so early but we couldn't wait|till 0700 hours.
We think we have an explanation|for the occurrences.
- Commander.
|- This is gonna sound pretty wild.
Somehow we seem to have entered|a temporal-causality loop.
We think we're stuck|in a fragment in time.
We've been repeating that fragment|over and over.
Is this causing our déjá vu? Yes, but it's more.
In déjá vu,|you think you're repeating events.
- We actually are.
|- Our theory is this.
Every time the loop begins again, everything resets itself|and starts all over.
We don't remember anything so each time,|we think it's the first.
You mean we could have had|this conversation a dozen times? A dozen, a hundred.
|It's impossible to tell.
We could have been here for hours,|days, maybe years.
If what we're saying is true, those voices I heard|might be echoes from previous loops.
It's the same with my visor.
After-images in time.
If you're right, how did it happen?|How did we get there? I have a hypothesis|that may explain that.
I have analysed the recording.
Most is quite ordinary.
five couples|in romantic encounters Your point, Mr Data? There is evidence|of a disaster aboard the Enterprise, severe enough that the Captain|ordered all hands to abandon ship.
I have isolated three segments|of this recording that are crucial.
A localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
Collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat.
All hands, abandon Worf refers to a distortion.
If this were temporal|and we were close enough, it's possible an explosion ruptured|the space-time continuum.
We collided, exploded, then got|caught in this repeating loop.
If you're right, we could escape|by avoiding collision.
That's our guess.
Perhaps we should reverse course.
For all we know, reversing course|may lead us into the crash.
No.
We can't start|second-guessing ourselves.
Stay on course|until we have reason to change.
But let's do everything we can|to avoid the collision.
We might not be able to figure out|how to avoid this accident.
If the loop begins again, we'll|forget everything we've learned.
What do you suggest? If we find a way|to avoid this collision, we should send that information|into the next loop.
Is that possible? We have seen that echoes or|after-images from previous loops appear as distortions|in the dekyon field.
We could send an echo|into the next loop.
- Like a message in a bottle?|- Exactly.
We could enhance a dekyon emission|and send ourselves a message.
Not a long one,|only a few characters.
Maybe one word.
How will we know|to pick up that word? If the dekyon emission|is modulated correctly, it will set up resonances|in my positronic subprocessors.
I will receive the information|on a subconscious level.
There's the catch.
We don't know|how this will be perceived by Data.
It might be like|a post-hypnotic suggestion.
Even so, we've got to try.
Take whatever steps are necessary|to send a message.
Dismissed.
It's possible we've tried this|1,000 times and it's never worked.
Do you feel|that you've done this before? No, I don't.
Neither do I.
|Maybe that's a good sign.
Let's test the emitter.
Particle accelerators at full power.
Dekyon field active.
Particle flux nominal.
|We're in business.
All we need now is a message.
Senior officers, to the bridge.
On our way.
We have to figure out|how we handled this before.
Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels are dropping.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel is on a collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
- Hail them.
|- No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to blow us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
- Make it so, Mr Worf.
|- Engaging tractor beam.
- Damage report.
|- Casualties all over the ship.
Starboard nacelle|sustained an impact.
- We are venting drive plasma.
|- Emergency core shutdown.
Inertial dampers failing.
|Losing attitude control.
This is the bridge.
|All hands to escape pods.
Core shutdown is unsuccessful.
|We are losing antimatter containment.
We've got to eject the core.
Ejection systems are off line.
|Core breach is imminent.
All hands, abandon ship! Repeat, all hands, abandon Captain's log, stardate 45652.
1.
The Enterprise has entered an area|known as the Typhon Expanse.
We are the first Starfleet vessel|to chart this region.
I wonder if he's stacking the deck.
I assure you, the cards|are sufficiently randomised.
I hope so.
Something wrong, Mr Worf? I am experiencing nlb'poH,|the feeling I have done this before.
- Last Tuesday night.
|- That's not what I mean.
I've been having the same feeling.
|Wait! An eight.
An ace.
A queen.
|And a four.
Deal the cards, Data.
Three.
All threes.
I was positive I knew what cards|were going to be dealt.
I was also sure.
Finish dealing the hand.
Look at this.
|We've all got three of a kind.
First we get a three|and then three of a kind.
Ogawa to Dr Crusher.
Go ahead.
Cmdr La Forge needs you in sickbay.
I'm on my way.
At first I thought the catwalk|was spinning.
It turns out it was me.
Luckily, Fletcher grabbed me.
It's a long way down|to the bottom of the warp core.
You have the symptoms|of an inner-ear infection.
That would explain|the headaches and dizziness.
But I don't see any physical What? What is it? Have you had these symptoms before? Now that you mention it, yes.
Do you recall when? No, I don't.
We've had this discussion before.
I remember giving you|this examination.
Let's check the medical logs.
You've been treated for headaches|from your visor but no mention of dizziness.
Must be déjá vu.
Both of us? About the same thing? I'd like to run|an optical diagnostic.
For an ear infection? I have a hunch.
Hold still.
|This pulse may be a little bright.
Have you made changes|to your visor lately? No, why? I'm detecting a small phase shift|in your visual receptors.
Crusher to Capt Picard.
Yes? Can you come to sickbay? It's urgent.
I'm on my way.
Dizziness is from a phase shift|in his visual receptors.
It's causing him to see things.
Like blurry after-images.
I ran a scan to see|if I could detect what he saw.
I picked up distortions|in the surrounding dekyon field.
His visor seems to be translating|them into visual impulses.
Could be a malfunction|in the warp-field generator.
Run a localised subspace scan|for anything unusual.
Aye, sir.
Keep me advised, Doctor.
Lateral sensors on line.
|Subspace scanners active.
Data, run a level-two diagnostic|on the warp subsystems.
All threes.
That can't be right.
I have encountered the numeral three|many times in the last two hours.
We have a dekyon-field fluctuation|on deck nine, section 28.
- Crusher to La Forge.
|- Here.
I've just heard voices in my room,|but there's no one here.
Sensors picked up|something strange, too.
On my way.
Dr Crusher.
Are you alright? I'm fine.
I have isolated three segments|of this recording.
A localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
Collision course.
|Impact in 36 seconds.
All hands, abandon ship!|Repeat, all hands, abandon Worf refers to a distortion.
If this were temporal|and we were close enough to it, it's possible an explosion ruptured|the space-time continuum.
We collided, exploded, then got stuck|in this repeating loop.
If you're right, perhaps we can|escape by avoiding collision.
- That's our guess.
|- Reverse course.
For all we know, reversing course|might lead to the crash.
We can't second guess ourselves.
Stay on course|until we have reason to change.
In the meantime,|do what we can to avoid a collision.
We've seen the number three|all over the ship.
On consoles, in a poker game.
To date, we have encountered 2,085|examples of the number three.
All these threes|can't be coming up by accident.
Maybe someone|is telling us something.
We came to the same conclusion,|so we ran a diagnostic.
We found a dekyon-field modulation|in Data's subprocessors.
- What could be causing it?|- I don't know.
But if I wanted to send information|between loops, I might use a dekyon emission.
- We sent ourselves a message?|- It would make sense.
Maybe we are trying|to contact ourselves.
If that were true,|what could three indicate? We should run|a level-three diagnostic.
That's a good idea.
|I'll run an algorithm on three.
- Bridge to Capt Picard.
|- Go ahead.
We have unusual readings, 20,000|kilometres off the starboard bow.
On our way.
Report.
Sensors didn't detect the phenomenon|until now.
It is a localised distortion|of the space-time continuum.
On screen.
How did we handle this before? Back us off, Ensign.
Nice and slow.
Aye, sir.
Manoeuvring thrusters|are not responding.
Distortion field is fluctuating.
All main systems down.
|Power levels dropping rapidly.
There is an energy build-up.
We have to get out of here.
Something is emerging.
Shields up.
Evasive manoeuvres.
- Shields inoperative.
|- The helm's not responding.
The vessel will impact in 36 seconds.
Hail them.
No response.
Suggestions? Decompress main shuttlebay|to kick us out of the way.
I suggest we use the tractor beam|to alter their trajectory.
Make it so.
Engaging tractor beam.
The tractor beam|will not be successful.
I am decompressing main shuttlebay.
We are clear of the distortion.
Data, what happened? At the last moment,|I speculated that three might refer to the rank insignia|on Cmdr Riker's uniform.
That indicated that his suggestion|was the correct course.
You must have picked up|a message from the last loop and stacked the poker deck|without realising.
That is possible.
I may also have been responsible for the unexplained occurrences|of the number three.
Mr Worf, end red alert.
Try to access|a Federation timebase beacon.
Let's see how long|we've been in this causality loop.
Timebase confirms our chronometers|are off by 17.
4 days.
Reset them, Mr Data.
Aye, sir.
Captain, we are being hailed|by the other vessel.
The computer identifies it|as USS Bozeman, a Federation starship.
- Soyuz-class.
|- Soyuz-class? They haven't been in service|in over 80 years.
Open a channel.
This is Capt Bateson|of Federation Starship Bozeman.
Can we render assistance? I'm Capt Jean-Luc Picard|of Federation Starship Enterprise.
We were going to ask you the same.
Capt Picard,|your vessel is not familiar to us.
Captain, have you any idea|what has happened? Our sensors detected|a temporal distortion.
Then your ship appeared.
|We nearly hit you.
The Enterprise has been|in a temporal causality loop.
I suspect that something similar|happened to you.
You must be mistaken.
|We left starbase three weeks ago.
Captain.
Do you know what year this is? Of course I do.
It's 2278.
Perhaps|you should beam aboard our ship.
There's something we need to discuss.