Star Trek: The Next Generation s05e26 Episode Script
Time's Arrow (1)
Captain's log, stardate 45959.
1.
The Enterprise has been recalled to|Sector 001 on a priority mission.
Evidence has been discovered|of extraterrestrials on Earth five centuries ago.
Work crews installing seismic|regulators found some artefacts.
And they date back|to the late 19th century? Yes.
The bifocal visual aid|is typical of the era.
The weapon is a .
45 calibre|double-action cavalry pistol invented by Colt Firearms in 1873.
Here, look inside the watch.
How are extraterrestrials|related to these discoveries? There was a problem|with the regulators.
Something inside the cavern|was interfering with them.
It turned out to be|the cavern itself.
The rock face has been altered|by exposure to triolic waves.
Which you won't find on Earth|in either the 19th or 24th century.
Triolic waves? The by-product of an energy source,|used by few species because it is harmful|to living tissue.
No one has been in or out|of this cavern in centuries.
So we are left with|a 500-year-old mystery.
I'm curious.
There are greater experts on Earth|to investigate your mystery.
Why bring the Enterprise|all the way home? As we continued our excavation,|we found one other thing.
We've tried to leave everything|as we found it.
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 45960.
2.
We have transported the materials|from the cavern back to the ship.
I wish I could be as dispassionate|about the implications as my second officer.
Interesting.
There is a 12-percent decomposition|of bitanium in the neural links.
That suggests the alloys Data, how can you look inside that, analyse the decomposition, without - Emotion, sir?|- Yes.
I am simply being objective.
- Is this yours?|- I believe so.
Could it be Lore? No, sir.
My brother's|positronic brain has a type-L|phase-discriminating amplifier.
- Mine is a type R.
|- Type R? Yes, sir.
Can you tell how long|this has been in the cavern? Decomposition indicates life ended|approximately 500 years ago.
That is consistent|with the other artefacts.
Your head is not an artefact! In relative terms, no.
Nevertheless, it seems my life|is to end in the 19th century.
- Not if we can help it.
|- It cannot be prevented, sir.
At some future date I will be|sent back to 19th-century Earth, where I will die.
It has occurred.
It will occur.
I can't tell you|exactly who the aliens were, but I have found out a few things.
The rock face tells us|we're dealing with a species with microcentrum cell membranes.
Triolic waves wouldn't harm them.
- They might be shape-shifters.
|- They may have appeared as humans? It isn't anybody|we've run into before.
Nothing matches up|with any known life forms.
What does match is a cellular fossil|which might have hitched a ride.
- A cellular fossil?|- A microscopic, ciliated life form.
Not unlike a thousand other|single-cell life forms.
Except this particular one|is LB10445.
And LB10445 is only known|to exist on one place.
Devidia II, in the Marrab sector.
- Number One, lay in a course.
|- On my way.
So, do you want to talk about it? You refer to|the foreknowledge of my death? Yeah.
I have no particular desire|to discuss the matter.
- Do you need to talk about it?|- Yeah! Why? Data, this has got to|bother you a little.
On the contrary.
|I find it rather comforting.
Comforting? I have often wondered about|my own mortality as I see others age.
Until now it was possible I would|live an unlimited period of time.
Although some might|find this attractive, to me it only reinforces|the fact that I am artificial.
I never knew|how tough this was for you.
Tough? As in difficult? Knowing that you would outlive|all your friends.
- I expected to make new friends.
|- True.
And then to outlive them as well.
Now that you know you might not? It provides a sense of completion|to my future.
In a way, I am not that different|from anyone else.
- I can now look forward to death.
|- I never thought of it that way.
One might also conclude, it brings me|one step closer to being human.
- I am mortal.
|- Picard to bridge officers.
Approaching the Devidia System.
|Report to your stations.
See you later.
Let's get together|for a game of chess or something.
That sounded like|a very intense talk.
Yeah.
They found Data's head|a mile beneath San Francisco.
Been down there about five centuries.
That's why the Enterprise|has been sent back to Earth.
- I didn't realise.
|- It's something, isn't it? He seems fine about it.
|Better than I am.
Well, I'd better get to Engineering.
Full circle.
- I heard about Data.
|- Yeah.
It's having an unusually|traumatic effect on everyone.
Yeah.
If you don't want to talk, it's OK.
I'm fine! Just - Angry.
|- I'm not angry.
Yeah, I'm angry.
Why should I be angry? Because it reminds us|of our own mortality.
I just don't want to believe it.
Have you heard Data|define friendship? No.
How did he put it? "As I experience|sensory input patterns, my mental pathways|become used to them.
" "The inputs are anticipated|and even missed when absent.
" - So what's the point?|- He's used to us, and we to him.
It's like finding out a loved one|has a terminal illness - Data!|- Counsellor.
Commander.
Would either of you mind|if I made a personal inquiry? A personal inquiry?|No, go right ahead.
I perceive an apparent change|in the way others behave toward me.
For example, people abruptly|end conversations when I appear, as you did|when the turbolift doors opened.
Is that an accurate observation? - Not at all.
|- Yes.
Yes.
You're right, Data.
|And it's not a very nice thing to do.
It's just that our mental pathways|have become accustomed to your sensory input patterns.
I understand.
I am also fond of you, Commander.
|And you as well, Counsellor.
- We're in orbit.
|- Any sign of life? - Negative, sir.
|- Captain.
Sensors are picking up|an unusual temporal disturbance on the planet's surface.
Temporal disturbance? Standard orbit at those coordinates.
Spectral analysis shows|a high level of triolic waves.
Any correlation|with the readings from Earth? Affirmative, sir.
|The magnetic signature is identical.
Are the waves|dangerous for humanoids? Only with long-term exposure, sir.
- Take an away team.
|- Worf, Geordi, Troi.
Join me in transporter room three.
- Commander.
|- Mr Data.
I need you to monitor the sensor|readings during this investigation.
Captain, may I speak to you alone? Sir, it is standard for the second|officer to accompany the away team.
Yes, yes, Mr Data.
|I am aware of that.
Your decision|is related to the discovery I think it is reasonable|to take precautions.
There is no rational justification|for this course.
Then I'll be irrational! It is possible that my death will not|occur for years.
Even centuries.
I hope that's true.
However, this|investigation began with your death.
I'm trying to see|it doesn't end that way.
I appreciate your concern.
But, to employ an aphorism,|one cannot cheat fate.
Cheat fate? Perhaps we can't, Mr Data.
|But at least we can give it a try.
The concentration of triolic waves|falls off about here.
It increases the closer in we go.
What's the source?|Something underground? - Negative.
|- What's the explanation? I don't have one yet.
La Forge to Enterprise.
|Run a spectral-field correlation.
Let's see if these readings are|related to the temporal distortions.
Acknowledged.
Deanna? There's life here.
A child.
An old woman.
Dozens more, hundreds.
Terrified.
Terrified? My God, Will, they're human.
Troi's convinced they're human.
They may be trapped somehow.
|We're not sure.
The results of my temporal analysis|may be pertinent.
Go ahead.
It indicates a synchronic distortion|in the areas emanating triolic waves.
That explains a few things.
|How much, Data? A positive displacement|of .
004 percent.
Well, whatever or whoever is there,|we're out of phase with it, by only a fraction of a second.
That would make them invisible? A millisecond, a year,|it makes no difference.
If what we're reading is true, we're occupying the same space,|but in a different time.
- How do we compensate?|- We can manipulate the distortion.
Maybe.
If we were to create|a contained subspace force field.
But to get a .
004 variance, we need|a very sensitive phase discriminator.
- We don't have one that comes close.
|- Yes, we do.
It is built into|my positronic decompiler.
It will be necessary for me|to join the away team, sir.
Proceed, Mr Data.
- Mr Data.
|- Sir.
Let me give you a hand with that.
Once the force field is adjusted,|I will no longer be visible.
However, you will still|be able to hear me.
If you will help me|test the comm system? My voice will go out on a delay|correlated to the phase adjustment.
That should allow me|to maintain verbal contact.
- Will we be able to talk to you?|- No, sir.
That will not be possible.
The subspace field is established.
|You're set to go, Data.
Adjusting the synchronic distortion.
.
001.
.
002.
.
003.
.
004.
I have made visual contact.
|There are life forms here.
They are either unaware of me|or choosing to ignore me.
I am moving 10 metres north|to observe more closely.
They range from two to three metres|in height.
Silver-grey in colour.
They have four limbs.
|No eyes or ears are noticeable.
There is a single orifice|where a humanoid forehead would be.
They are reclined against the rock, surrounding some sort of apparatus|approximately 1.
5 metres in height.
It is releasing|what appear to be energy fragments, which are ingested by the entities.
Perhaps some sort of nourishment.
The upper portion of the apparatus|seems to hold the energy segments.
There are hundreds, perhaps|thousands, of these fragments inside.
I have resumed the northerly course.
|There is no evidence yet of humans.
OK, that's enough, Data.
|Come on back now.
I have encountered another life form,|an ophidian.
It seems to be restricted|by a force field.
Two of the silver-grey entities|are approaching it.
They have released the force field.
I am reading a temporal distortion|of massive proportions.
The ophidian|is time/space continuum.
.
.
caught in I am attempting Data! Over here.
Cmdr Riker, report.
We've lost him.
Excuse me.
Pardon me.
I'm searching for two individuals|with an ophidian.
A snake.
Frenchman! Could you help out a forty-niner? I fell down a shaft.
- I got blown up in a tunnel.
|- That is unfortunate.
Most unfortunate.
I require large|amounts of whiskey as a liniment.
- I am sorry, but I have no whiskey.
|- I'll take a dime.
I am sorry,|but I have no form of legal tender.
Well, we're in the same boat, huh? Well, this is my street.
|You'll have to find one of your own.
I would be happy to do so,|but I am in search of information.
Stockbrokers are cheap as hell.
|Don't even bother to ask.
Your best handout is from|a young fella with his lady.
You give him a chance|to show her he's generous.
Steer clear of sailors.
Most likely you'll get a fist|across your jaw for your trouble.
Thank you, but I'm trying to find|two individuals with a snake.
A snake? You are an odd fella, aren't you? But just don't be too particular|where you get your funds from.
You need medical attention.
|I will get a doctor.
No, no, it's too late for that.
Could you help out a forty-niner? Thanks! Put it on Gentleman Jim.
|Knockout in the fifth.
Sir.
I need temporary lodging.
Looks like the missus booted you out|in the middle of the night.
I understand your misperception.
However, this is not sleepwear|and I do not have a missus.
Well I am a Frenchman.
Everybody's from somewhere.
|That doesn't matter here.
- It's sixpence a day, or $4 a week.
|- I have no money.
Now, that matters.
But I can perform significant tasks,|both mental and physical.
Perhaps your hotel|would offer me a job.
Geez, I don't know.
|We're happy with the maid we've got.
Cook's decent.
Dishwasher's drunk|all day, but he gets here on time.
And there's me.
|I do everything else round here.
Sorry.
Lady Luck not with you tonight,|Mr Lane? Poor fella.
|Hasn't filled a straight in weeks.
Poker? Fold.
Me, too.
Go to blazes! A poker face carved in marble.
- Excuse me, gentlemen.
|- What in hell do you want? - I would like to join the game.
|- Pale face.
- I don't like Easterners.
|- I am a Frenchman.
Mes parents sont originaires|du Bourgonais.
Je suis né á la New Orléans.
Alors, nous sommes presque fréres.
|Je suis heureux de vous connaître.
Please, sir.
The game is poker.
The deal is yours.
|The ante is four bits.
- Family heirloom?|- In a manner of speaking.
It is a crystalline composite of|silicon, beryllium, carbon 70 and - Gold.
|- Gold.
I'll give you $3 for it.
I accept.
Did you see their faces?|I did all I could not to laugh.
To whom are you referring? Frederick La Rouque|and Joe Falling Hawk.
Those guys are card sharks.
Sure, they play easy at first|not to scare off the marks, but you give them a little time,|they'll bleed a man dry.
Especially an out-of-towner|like yourself.
What caused your jocular reaction? - What was it you found humorous?|- Don't you see? They had you pegged for a sap.
Your clothes, the way you talk.
|It's like you were born yesterday.
- You sure fooled them.
|- I did not intend to deceive.
Well, have it your way.
This is the place.
Breakfast is six|to eight.
Check-out's at noon.
Thank you.
It has been a pleasure.
It would be advisable|to monitor that cough.
I have read that there is|currently a cholera epidemic.
Never felt better.
Of course.
The gratuity.
- Thank you for your assistance.
|- A dollar?! If there's anything you need|It can get lonely in San Francisco.
You might want some company.
|I can introduce you to Lilian.
I have no need for companionship.
|But I do require some supplies.
Anything you need.
|I can get it wholesale.
I can get it for less than wholesale|if you don't ask where it came from.
What do you need all this stuff for? - I am an inventor.
|- No kidding! Well, this stuff's|gonna take a while.
I'll have to go clear across town.
And it won't be cheap.
- Will this be enough?|- More than enough.
You may retain the surplus|for yourself.
- Keep the change?|- Exactly.
Done! Help out a forty-niner.
Fell down a shaft.
Forty-niner.
Help me.
Help me out.
No.
No! Captain's log, supplemental.
Close-range sensor analysis|has yielded no further trace of Data.
Despite repercussions among my crew,|I must move this mission forward.
I can't accept he's dead|and leave it at that.
- We cannot make Data a priority.
|- What is more important than Data? Look at what we have so far.
Evidence that these aliens have been|travelling in time to Earth.
What if they're trying to|undermine our history? Some kind of guerrilla war? We must assume|that there is a threat, if not to us, then to 19th-century|Earth, and determine what it may be.
Mr La Forge, we need a way|to communicate with the life forms.
It's not going to be easy|to reproduce what Data did.
We can create a subspace field, but we need a very sensitive phase|discriminator to get .
004 variance.
Can you build one? It won't be as good as Data's.
- Will it be good enough?|- I can try.
It'll take some time.
I don't want anyone else|going in alone.
I can create a large enough|subspace field to encompass everyone.
But adjusting the phase inside it,|that'll be the hard part.
Make it so.
We have to assume one thing, sir.
Wherever Data may be, he's also|trying to get to the bottom of this.
He may have a better idea|of what's going on, so it's in our interest to find him.
Perhaps in the course of this|investigation, we will.
I hope so.
If we find Cmdr Data, it may be|our fate to die with him in the past.
If our remains are in that cavern, they would have turned to dust|long ago.
I'm afraid to interrupt.
Captain, you didn't have|to come all the way down here.
I'd have been happy|to come up to you.
And miss all this? I haven't seen|such a complex operation since the Academy lab final|in exochemistry.
It's a Tzartak aperitif.
|It's very, very touchy.
You have to change the evaporation|point of the main ingredient.
The temperature|where it goes to vapour must be half a degree below the body|temperature of the customer.
When the liquid touches the tongue,|it evaporates and the flavour is carried|entirely by the vapour.
A few molecules off, the vapour point|crashes and puff! It's all gone.
What is it you wanted|to see me about? I hear you're sending an away team|down to the surface.
Are you going? It is rather unusual for you|to be curious about an away mission.
Maybe it's an unusual away mission.
If you have something to say,|I'm listening.
Starfleet captains|don't usually accompany away teams.
- It's general policy.
|- This time, you have to.
Why? You just do.
Do you remember|the first time we met? - Of course.
|- Don't be so sure.
I just mean,|if you don't go on this mission, .
.
we'll never meet.
- Sorry it took so long, Mr Data.
|- Apology is not necessary.
Are you alright? - I believe I overexerted myself.
|- Yeah, I'll say! - Did you get it working?|- Yes.
- Whatever it is.
|- This is for your trouble.
What are you gonna do|with the anvil? I require a low-intensity|magnetic-field core.
The iron mass of the anvil|will provide that.
What's it gonna be|when it's finished? What do you think it is "gonna be"? If I were to guess, maybe a new kind|of motor for a horseless carriage.
- That is a good guess.
|- Hot damn! - You think there's money in them?|- Perhaps.
Isn't that what makes America great? To what are you referring? A man rides into town in pyjamas,|wins a grub stake at a poker table, turns it into a horseless carriage|and makes a million.
That's America! I have given you|an erroneous impression.
You know, someday|my ship's gonna come in.
- You have a ship?|- Yeah.
It's full of gold.
I'm just|biding my time till it gets here.
Raising a stake any way I can.
I've been a newsie,|cut fish at a cannery.
- I've even been an oyster pirate.
|- Quite a spectrum of occupations.
You can't stay in one place too long.
|I'm always looking for the angle.
Say, maybe we could go into business.
|Selling your horseless carriage.
You invent 'em, I sell 'em.
|I can sell anybody anything.
What do you say? Your plan is a bit premature.
Keep it in mind, though.
I'd better get back.
I forgot.
I got you something|at the bakery on Third.
- Thank you, Jack.
|- No.
It's on me, partner.
The eminent scientist Alfred Russel|Wallace has revived the theory that Earth is at the centre|of the stellar universe.
This distinguished natural .
.
philosopher has|reaffirmed our planet as the only habitable globe|in the heavens.
A world, furthermore, constructed|for the sole benefit of man.
He's got a lot of folks|excited about the notion.
My dear Mr Clemens, why do I think|you are not one of them? Your suspicions, Madam Guinan, are undoubtedly based upon|your keen observational skills.
Now, if you'll permit me, I'll continue my character|assassination unimpeded.
My dear Mr Clemens, please do.
According to our best|geologic estimate, the Earth is approximately|100 million years of age, perhaps a bit less, perhaps more.
Perhaps a great deal more.
Indeed.
But regardless,|it is ancient in the extreme.
Now, geology also tells us|that man himself has existed but for a microscopic fraction|of those years.
Yes.
Curious, isn't it, that the world got by|for such a great long while with no humans around|to fill up space? I suppose Mr Wallace|and his supporters would say that the Earth needed all that time to prepare itself|for our illustrious arrival.
Why, the oyster alone|probably required 15 million years to get it to come out just right.
But if the Earth is not alone and there are millions of inhabited|planets in the heavens Quite my point.
Man becomes|a trivial creation, does he not? Lost in the vastness|of the cosmic prairie, adrift on the deep ocean of time.
A single one|amongst countless others.
Some may argue|that a diamond is still a diamond even if it is one amongst millions.
It still shines as brightly.
Someone might say that, dear lady, if someone thought that the human|race was akin to a precious jewel.
But this increasingly|hypothetical someone .
.
would not be me.
- Good afternoon, sir.
|- Good afternoon.
- I would like to speak to Guinan.
|- And you are? - Data.
|- Mr Data.
- Could it be under another name?|- No.
I can't find your name|on the guest list.
I am a personal friend.
Madam Guinan has found many friends|since the newspaper announcement, but if your name is not on the list,|there's nothing I can do.
- It is urgent that I see her.
|- Sir Unless you leave immediately,|I will send for the police.
That is an excellent idea.
|I will wait for them in there.
Sir, please, you can't go in there! Guinan! Excuse me.
- I must speak to you.
|- Forgive me.
He barged in.
I am sorry for the disruption.
|He would not believe we were friends.
Do I know you, Mr? Data.
|Yes.
We were on a ship together.
Well, I do so much travelling.
|What ship would that be? - The Enterprise.
|- Is that a clipper ship? - It is a starship.
|- Starship? What registry is that? Of course! Mr Data.
Excuse us.
We have so much|to catch up on.
How are you? - What exactly are you?|- Android.
Artificial life form.
Did my father send you? - If he did, go back and tell him|- I was not sent by your father.
Circumstances demand|I take you into my confidence.
- I require your assistance.
|- Sorry.
I am from the 24th century,|where you and I serve on a starship.
And? We encountered a species|threatening 19th-century Earth.
I was inadvertently pulled into|their temporal vortex.
When I saw your photograph|in the newspaper, I assumed you had joined me|from the future.
From the Enterprise.
I knew you were long-lived, but I did not realise|you had visited Earth so long ago.
Eavesdropping is by no means|a proper activity for a gentleman.
Nonetheless, the deed is done.
Captain's log, stardate 45965.
3.
An away team has beamed down with a device that may enable them|to phase-shift into the alien world.
OK, Counsellor, right over there.
The triolic waves end right here.
Mr Worf? - Sir!|- How soon will you be ready? We're ready now, Captain.
Subspace field established.
I'd prefer you to monitor us|from the bridge, Captain.
I have reason to believe|my presence is imperative.
- Imperative?|- Yes.
Mr Worf, report back to the bridge.
Sir, as chief of security,|my place is at your side.
The security of the Enterprise|is of paramount importance.
Yes, sir.
- Worf to Enterprise.
|- Go ahead, sir.
Beam me up.
Proceed, Mr La Forge.
This tricorder can interface|with the subspace generator.
It should allow me to control|the phase discrimination, if this is going to work at all.
I need everyone inside the field.
Adjusting synchronic distortion.
.
001.
.
002.
.
003.
.
004.
If we can see them,|why can't they see us? We might not be far enough into|their perceptual range.
These strands|appear to be biomagnetic.
Variable flux.
|Possibly organic in origin.
A life form.
No.
There's no life here.
What I have sensed|is more like an imprint.
An echo of the last moment of life.
Human life.
They all died in terror.
Oh, my God! They're delivering more of them|for the others to ingest.
Look at what he's carrying.
1.
The Enterprise has been recalled to|Sector 001 on a priority mission.
Evidence has been discovered|of extraterrestrials on Earth five centuries ago.
Work crews installing seismic|regulators found some artefacts.
And they date back|to the late 19th century? Yes.
The bifocal visual aid|is typical of the era.
The weapon is a .
45 calibre|double-action cavalry pistol invented by Colt Firearms in 1873.
Here, look inside the watch.
How are extraterrestrials|related to these discoveries? There was a problem|with the regulators.
Something inside the cavern|was interfering with them.
It turned out to be|the cavern itself.
The rock face has been altered|by exposure to triolic waves.
Which you won't find on Earth|in either the 19th or 24th century.
Triolic waves? The by-product of an energy source,|used by few species because it is harmful|to living tissue.
No one has been in or out|of this cavern in centuries.
So we are left with|a 500-year-old mystery.
I'm curious.
There are greater experts on Earth|to investigate your mystery.
Why bring the Enterprise|all the way home? As we continued our excavation,|we found one other thing.
We've tried to leave everything|as we found it.
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 45960.
2.
We have transported the materials|from the cavern back to the ship.
I wish I could be as dispassionate|about the implications as my second officer.
Interesting.
There is a 12-percent decomposition|of bitanium in the neural links.
That suggests the alloys Data, how can you look inside that, analyse the decomposition, without - Emotion, sir?|- Yes.
I am simply being objective.
- Is this yours?|- I believe so.
Could it be Lore? No, sir.
My brother's|positronic brain has a type-L|phase-discriminating amplifier.
- Mine is a type R.
|- Type R? Yes, sir.
Can you tell how long|this has been in the cavern? Decomposition indicates life ended|approximately 500 years ago.
That is consistent|with the other artefacts.
Your head is not an artefact! In relative terms, no.
Nevertheless, it seems my life|is to end in the 19th century.
- Not if we can help it.
|- It cannot be prevented, sir.
At some future date I will be|sent back to 19th-century Earth, where I will die.
It has occurred.
It will occur.
I can't tell you|exactly who the aliens were, but I have found out a few things.
The rock face tells us|we're dealing with a species with microcentrum cell membranes.
Triolic waves wouldn't harm them.
- They might be shape-shifters.
|- They may have appeared as humans? It isn't anybody|we've run into before.
Nothing matches up|with any known life forms.
What does match is a cellular fossil|which might have hitched a ride.
- A cellular fossil?|- A microscopic, ciliated life form.
Not unlike a thousand other|single-cell life forms.
Except this particular one|is LB10445.
And LB10445 is only known|to exist on one place.
Devidia II, in the Marrab sector.
- Number One, lay in a course.
|- On my way.
So, do you want to talk about it? You refer to|the foreknowledge of my death? Yeah.
I have no particular desire|to discuss the matter.
- Do you need to talk about it?|- Yeah! Why? Data, this has got to|bother you a little.
On the contrary.
|I find it rather comforting.
Comforting? I have often wondered about|my own mortality as I see others age.
Until now it was possible I would|live an unlimited period of time.
Although some might|find this attractive, to me it only reinforces|the fact that I am artificial.
I never knew|how tough this was for you.
Tough? As in difficult? Knowing that you would outlive|all your friends.
- I expected to make new friends.
|- True.
And then to outlive them as well.
Now that you know you might not? It provides a sense of completion|to my future.
In a way, I am not that different|from anyone else.
- I can now look forward to death.
|- I never thought of it that way.
One might also conclude, it brings me|one step closer to being human.
- I am mortal.
|- Picard to bridge officers.
Approaching the Devidia System.
|Report to your stations.
See you later.
Let's get together|for a game of chess or something.
That sounded like|a very intense talk.
Yeah.
They found Data's head|a mile beneath San Francisco.
Been down there about five centuries.
That's why the Enterprise|has been sent back to Earth.
- I didn't realise.
|- It's something, isn't it? He seems fine about it.
|Better than I am.
Well, I'd better get to Engineering.
Full circle.
- I heard about Data.
|- Yeah.
It's having an unusually|traumatic effect on everyone.
Yeah.
If you don't want to talk, it's OK.
I'm fine! Just - Angry.
|- I'm not angry.
Yeah, I'm angry.
Why should I be angry? Because it reminds us|of our own mortality.
I just don't want to believe it.
Have you heard Data|define friendship? No.
How did he put it? "As I experience|sensory input patterns, my mental pathways|become used to them.
" "The inputs are anticipated|and even missed when absent.
" - So what's the point?|- He's used to us, and we to him.
It's like finding out a loved one|has a terminal illness - Data!|- Counsellor.
Commander.
Would either of you mind|if I made a personal inquiry? A personal inquiry?|No, go right ahead.
I perceive an apparent change|in the way others behave toward me.
For example, people abruptly|end conversations when I appear, as you did|when the turbolift doors opened.
Is that an accurate observation? - Not at all.
|- Yes.
Yes.
You're right, Data.
|And it's not a very nice thing to do.
It's just that our mental pathways|have become accustomed to your sensory input patterns.
I understand.
I am also fond of you, Commander.
|And you as well, Counsellor.
- We're in orbit.
|- Any sign of life? - Negative, sir.
|- Captain.
Sensors are picking up|an unusual temporal disturbance on the planet's surface.
Temporal disturbance? Standard orbit at those coordinates.
Spectral analysis shows|a high level of triolic waves.
Any correlation|with the readings from Earth? Affirmative, sir.
|The magnetic signature is identical.
Are the waves|dangerous for humanoids? Only with long-term exposure, sir.
- Take an away team.
|- Worf, Geordi, Troi.
Join me in transporter room three.
- Commander.
|- Mr Data.
I need you to monitor the sensor|readings during this investigation.
Captain, may I speak to you alone? Sir, it is standard for the second|officer to accompany the away team.
Yes, yes, Mr Data.
|I am aware of that.
Your decision|is related to the discovery I think it is reasonable|to take precautions.
There is no rational justification|for this course.
Then I'll be irrational! It is possible that my death will not|occur for years.
Even centuries.
I hope that's true.
However, this|investigation began with your death.
I'm trying to see|it doesn't end that way.
I appreciate your concern.
But, to employ an aphorism,|one cannot cheat fate.
Cheat fate? Perhaps we can't, Mr Data.
|But at least we can give it a try.
The concentration of triolic waves|falls off about here.
It increases the closer in we go.
What's the source?|Something underground? - Negative.
|- What's the explanation? I don't have one yet.
La Forge to Enterprise.
|Run a spectral-field correlation.
Let's see if these readings are|related to the temporal distortions.
Acknowledged.
Deanna? There's life here.
A child.
An old woman.
Dozens more, hundreds.
Terrified.
Terrified? My God, Will, they're human.
Troi's convinced they're human.
They may be trapped somehow.
|We're not sure.
The results of my temporal analysis|may be pertinent.
Go ahead.
It indicates a synchronic distortion|in the areas emanating triolic waves.
That explains a few things.
|How much, Data? A positive displacement|of .
004 percent.
Well, whatever or whoever is there,|we're out of phase with it, by only a fraction of a second.
That would make them invisible? A millisecond, a year,|it makes no difference.
If what we're reading is true, we're occupying the same space,|but in a different time.
- How do we compensate?|- We can manipulate the distortion.
Maybe.
If we were to create|a contained subspace force field.
But to get a .
004 variance, we need|a very sensitive phase discriminator.
- We don't have one that comes close.
|- Yes, we do.
It is built into|my positronic decompiler.
It will be necessary for me|to join the away team, sir.
Proceed, Mr Data.
- Mr Data.
|- Sir.
Let me give you a hand with that.
Once the force field is adjusted,|I will no longer be visible.
However, you will still|be able to hear me.
If you will help me|test the comm system? My voice will go out on a delay|correlated to the phase adjustment.
That should allow me|to maintain verbal contact.
- Will we be able to talk to you?|- No, sir.
That will not be possible.
The subspace field is established.
|You're set to go, Data.
Adjusting the synchronic distortion.
.
001.
.
002.
.
003.
.
004.
I have made visual contact.
|There are life forms here.
They are either unaware of me|or choosing to ignore me.
I am moving 10 metres north|to observe more closely.
They range from two to three metres|in height.
Silver-grey in colour.
They have four limbs.
|No eyes or ears are noticeable.
There is a single orifice|where a humanoid forehead would be.
They are reclined against the rock, surrounding some sort of apparatus|approximately 1.
5 metres in height.
It is releasing|what appear to be energy fragments, which are ingested by the entities.
Perhaps some sort of nourishment.
The upper portion of the apparatus|seems to hold the energy segments.
There are hundreds, perhaps|thousands, of these fragments inside.
I have resumed the northerly course.
|There is no evidence yet of humans.
OK, that's enough, Data.
|Come on back now.
I have encountered another life form,|an ophidian.
It seems to be restricted|by a force field.
Two of the silver-grey entities|are approaching it.
They have released the force field.
I am reading a temporal distortion|of massive proportions.
The ophidian|is time/space continuum.
.
.
caught in I am attempting Data! Over here.
Cmdr Riker, report.
We've lost him.
Excuse me.
Pardon me.
I'm searching for two individuals|with an ophidian.
A snake.
Frenchman! Could you help out a forty-niner? I fell down a shaft.
- I got blown up in a tunnel.
|- That is unfortunate.
Most unfortunate.
I require large|amounts of whiskey as a liniment.
- I am sorry, but I have no whiskey.
|- I'll take a dime.
I am sorry,|but I have no form of legal tender.
Well, we're in the same boat, huh? Well, this is my street.
|You'll have to find one of your own.
I would be happy to do so,|but I am in search of information.
Stockbrokers are cheap as hell.
|Don't even bother to ask.
Your best handout is from|a young fella with his lady.
You give him a chance|to show her he's generous.
Steer clear of sailors.
Most likely you'll get a fist|across your jaw for your trouble.
Thank you, but I'm trying to find|two individuals with a snake.
A snake? You are an odd fella, aren't you? But just don't be too particular|where you get your funds from.
You need medical attention.
|I will get a doctor.
No, no, it's too late for that.
Could you help out a forty-niner? Thanks! Put it on Gentleman Jim.
|Knockout in the fifth.
Sir.
I need temporary lodging.
Looks like the missus booted you out|in the middle of the night.
I understand your misperception.
However, this is not sleepwear|and I do not have a missus.
Well I am a Frenchman.
Everybody's from somewhere.
|That doesn't matter here.
- It's sixpence a day, or $4 a week.
|- I have no money.
Now, that matters.
But I can perform significant tasks,|both mental and physical.
Perhaps your hotel|would offer me a job.
Geez, I don't know.
|We're happy with the maid we've got.
Cook's decent.
Dishwasher's drunk|all day, but he gets here on time.
And there's me.
|I do everything else round here.
Sorry.
Lady Luck not with you tonight,|Mr Lane? Poor fella.
|Hasn't filled a straight in weeks.
Poker? Fold.
Me, too.
Go to blazes! A poker face carved in marble.
- Excuse me, gentlemen.
|- What in hell do you want? - I would like to join the game.
|- Pale face.
- I don't like Easterners.
|- I am a Frenchman.
Mes parents sont originaires|du Bourgonais.
Je suis né á la New Orléans.
Alors, nous sommes presque fréres.
|Je suis heureux de vous connaître.
Please, sir.
The game is poker.
The deal is yours.
|The ante is four bits.
- Family heirloom?|- In a manner of speaking.
It is a crystalline composite of|silicon, beryllium, carbon 70 and - Gold.
|- Gold.
I'll give you $3 for it.
I accept.
Did you see their faces?|I did all I could not to laugh.
To whom are you referring? Frederick La Rouque|and Joe Falling Hawk.
Those guys are card sharks.
Sure, they play easy at first|not to scare off the marks, but you give them a little time,|they'll bleed a man dry.
Especially an out-of-towner|like yourself.
What caused your jocular reaction? - What was it you found humorous?|- Don't you see? They had you pegged for a sap.
Your clothes, the way you talk.
|It's like you were born yesterday.
- You sure fooled them.
|- I did not intend to deceive.
Well, have it your way.
This is the place.
Breakfast is six|to eight.
Check-out's at noon.
Thank you.
It has been a pleasure.
It would be advisable|to monitor that cough.
I have read that there is|currently a cholera epidemic.
Never felt better.
Of course.
The gratuity.
- Thank you for your assistance.
|- A dollar?! If there's anything you need|It can get lonely in San Francisco.
You might want some company.
|I can introduce you to Lilian.
I have no need for companionship.
|But I do require some supplies.
Anything you need.
|I can get it wholesale.
I can get it for less than wholesale|if you don't ask where it came from.
What do you need all this stuff for? - I am an inventor.
|- No kidding! Well, this stuff's|gonna take a while.
I'll have to go clear across town.
And it won't be cheap.
- Will this be enough?|- More than enough.
You may retain the surplus|for yourself.
- Keep the change?|- Exactly.
Done! Help out a forty-niner.
Fell down a shaft.
Forty-niner.
Help me.
Help me out.
No.
No! Captain's log, supplemental.
Close-range sensor analysis|has yielded no further trace of Data.
Despite repercussions among my crew,|I must move this mission forward.
I can't accept he's dead|and leave it at that.
- We cannot make Data a priority.
|- What is more important than Data? Look at what we have so far.
Evidence that these aliens have been|travelling in time to Earth.
What if they're trying to|undermine our history? Some kind of guerrilla war? We must assume|that there is a threat, if not to us, then to 19th-century|Earth, and determine what it may be.
Mr La Forge, we need a way|to communicate with the life forms.
It's not going to be easy|to reproduce what Data did.
We can create a subspace field, but we need a very sensitive phase|discriminator to get .
004 variance.
Can you build one? It won't be as good as Data's.
- Will it be good enough?|- I can try.
It'll take some time.
I don't want anyone else|going in alone.
I can create a large enough|subspace field to encompass everyone.
But adjusting the phase inside it,|that'll be the hard part.
Make it so.
We have to assume one thing, sir.
Wherever Data may be, he's also|trying to get to the bottom of this.
He may have a better idea|of what's going on, so it's in our interest to find him.
Perhaps in the course of this|investigation, we will.
I hope so.
If we find Cmdr Data, it may be|our fate to die with him in the past.
If our remains are in that cavern, they would have turned to dust|long ago.
I'm afraid to interrupt.
Captain, you didn't have|to come all the way down here.
I'd have been happy|to come up to you.
And miss all this? I haven't seen|such a complex operation since the Academy lab final|in exochemistry.
It's a Tzartak aperitif.
|It's very, very touchy.
You have to change the evaporation|point of the main ingredient.
The temperature|where it goes to vapour must be half a degree below the body|temperature of the customer.
When the liquid touches the tongue,|it evaporates and the flavour is carried|entirely by the vapour.
A few molecules off, the vapour point|crashes and puff! It's all gone.
What is it you wanted|to see me about? I hear you're sending an away team|down to the surface.
Are you going? It is rather unusual for you|to be curious about an away mission.
Maybe it's an unusual away mission.
If you have something to say,|I'm listening.
Starfleet captains|don't usually accompany away teams.
- It's general policy.
|- This time, you have to.
Why? You just do.
Do you remember|the first time we met? - Of course.
|- Don't be so sure.
I just mean,|if you don't go on this mission, .
.
we'll never meet.
- Sorry it took so long, Mr Data.
|- Apology is not necessary.
Are you alright? - I believe I overexerted myself.
|- Yeah, I'll say! - Did you get it working?|- Yes.
- Whatever it is.
|- This is for your trouble.
What are you gonna do|with the anvil? I require a low-intensity|magnetic-field core.
The iron mass of the anvil|will provide that.
What's it gonna be|when it's finished? What do you think it is "gonna be"? If I were to guess, maybe a new kind|of motor for a horseless carriage.
- That is a good guess.
|- Hot damn! - You think there's money in them?|- Perhaps.
Isn't that what makes America great? To what are you referring? A man rides into town in pyjamas,|wins a grub stake at a poker table, turns it into a horseless carriage|and makes a million.
That's America! I have given you|an erroneous impression.
You know, someday|my ship's gonna come in.
- You have a ship?|- Yeah.
It's full of gold.
I'm just|biding my time till it gets here.
Raising a stake any way I can.
I've been a newsie,|cut fish at a cannery.
- I've even been an oyster pirate.
|- Quite a spectrum of occupations.
You can't stay in one place too long.
|I'm always looking for the angle.
Say, maybe we could go into business.
|Selling your horseless carriage.
You invent 'em, I sell 'em.
|I can sell anybody anything.
What do you say? Your plan is a bit premature.
Keep it in mind, though.
I'd better get back.
I forgot.
I got you something|at the bakery on Third.
- Thank you, Jack.
|- No.
It's on me, partner.
The eminent scientist Alfred Russel|Wallace has revived the theory that Earth is at the centre|of the stellar universe.
This distinguished natural .
.
philosopher has|reaffirmed our planet as the only habitable globe|in the heavens.
A world, furthermore, constructed|for the sole benefit of man.
He's got a lot of folks|excited about the notion.
My dear Mr Clemens, why do I think|you are not one of them? Your suspicions, Madam Guinan, are undoubtedly based upon|your keen observational skills.
Now, if you'll permit me, I'll continue my character|assassination unimpeded.
My dear Mr Clemens, please do.
According to our best|geologic estimate, the Earth is approximately|100 million years of age, perhaps a bit less, perhaps more.
Perhaps a great deal more.
Indeed.
But regardless,|it is ancient in the extreme.
Now, geology also tells us|that man himself has existed but for a microscopic fraction|of those years.
Yes.
Curious, isn't it, that the world got by|for such a great long while with no humans around|to fill up space? I suppose Mr Wallace|and his supporters would say that the Earth needed all that time to prepare itself|for our illustrious arrival.
Why, the oyster alone|probably required 15 million years to get it to come out just right.
But if the Earth is not alone and there are millions of inhabited|planets in the heavens Quite my point.
Man becomes|a trivial creation, does he not? Lost in the vastness|of the cosmic prairie, adrift on the deep ocean of time.
A single one|amongst countless others.
Some may argue|that a diamond is still a diamond even if it is one amongst millions.
It still shines as brightly.
Someone might say that, dear lady, if someone thought that the human|race was akin to a precious jewel.
But this increasingly|hypothetical someone .
.
would not be me.
- Good afternoon, sir.
|- Good afternoon.
- I would like to speak to Guinan.
|- And you are? - Data.
|- Mr Data.
- Could it be under another name?|- No.
I can't find your name|on the guest list.
I am a personal friend.
Madam Guinan has found many friends|since the newspaper announcement, but if your name is not on the list,|there's nothing I can do.
- It is urgent that I see her.
|- Sir Unless you leave immediately,|I will send for the police.
That is an excellent idea.
|I will wait for them in there.
Sir, please, you can't go in there! Guinan! Excuse me.
- I must speak to you.
|- Forgive me.
He barged in.
I am sorry for the disruption.
|He would not believe we were friends.
Do I know you, Mr? Data.
|Yes.
We were on a ship together.
Well, I do so much travelling.
|What ship would that be? - The Enterprise.
|- Is that a clipper ship? - It is a starship.
|- Starship? What registry is that? Of course! Mr Data.
Excuse us.
We have so much|to catch up on.
How are you? - What exactly are you?|- Android.
Artificial life form.
Did my father send you? - If he did, go back and tell him|- I was not sent by your father.
Circumstances demand|I take you into my confidence.
- I require your assistance.
|- Sorry.
I am from the 24th century,|where you and I serve on a starship.
And? We encountered a species|threatening 19th-century Earth.
I was inadvertently pulled into|their temporal vortex.
When I saw your photograph|in the newspaper, I assumed you had joined me|from the future.
From the Enterprise.
I knew you were long-lived, but I did not realise|you had visited Earth so long ago.
Eavesdropping is by no means|a proper activity for a gentleman.
Nonetheless, the deed is done.
Captain's log, stardate 45965.
3.
An away team has beamed down with a device that may enable them|to phase-shift into the alien world.
OK, Counsellor, right over there.
The triolic waves end right here.
Mr Worf? - Sir!|- How soon will you be ready? We're ready now, Captain.
Subspace field established.
I'd prefer you to monitor us|from the bridge, Captain.
I have reason to believe|my presence is imperative.
- Imperative?|- Yes.
Mr Worf, report back to the bridge.
Sir, as chief of security,|my place is at your side.
The security of the Enterprise|is of paramount importance.
Yes, sir.
- Worf to Enterprise.
|- Go ahead, sir.
Beam me up.
Proceed, Mr La Forge.
This tricorder can interface|with the subspace generator.
It should allow me to control|the phase discrimination, if this is going to work at all.
I need everyone inside the field.
Adjusting synchronic distortion.
.
001.
.
002.
.
003.
.
004.
If we can see them,|why can't they see us? We might not be far enough into|their perceptual range.
These strands|appear to be biomagnetic.
Variable flux.
|Possibly organic in origin.
A life form.
No.
There's no life here.
What I have sensed|is more like an imprint.
An echo of the last moment of life.
Human life.
They all died in terror.
Oh, my God! They're delivering more of them|for the others to ingest.
Look at what he's carrying.