Cause and Effect

OK, it took a bit longer than I expected to get back into blogging after the move. Settled into new house OK, though still have a few boxes to sort and unpack, mostly books. There's a fair bit of work to do, but mostly superficial and I think we'll work on them gradually. But that's enough about my life, you're presumably here for weirdness and meetings ...in spaaaace!


Episode: s5, ep 18

What Happens:
The Enterprise is in trouble, spining out of control, Bridge and Engineering try desperately to save it. Just as Picard orders everyone to abandon ship, it explodes!

The Enterprise is going into a previously unexplored part of space. Data, Riker, Worf and Dr Crusher play cards; Riker bluffs, but Beverly beats him. Then she's called to sickbay to see Geordi; he seems to have an inner ear infection, except without the infection. She has a super strong sense of deja vu. As she's going to bed she hears voices, it startles her and she knocks a glass over. Beverly reports her experience during a routine staff meeting. Worf calls from the Bridge to report weird readings. There's a weird field ahead and the engines aren't working. A Federation-looking ship emerges and is going to collide with the Enterprise, they don't respond to hails. Riker suggests a plan for getting out of the way, but Data suggests something else and Picard goes with Data's plan. The other ship hits the Enterprise. It's in trouble, spinning out of control, Bridge and Engineering try desperately to save it. Just as Picard orders everyone to abandon ship, it explodes!

The Enterprise is going into a previously unexplored part of space. The same card game is happening, but Beverly is distracted. Riker knows she is going to call his bluff, and they both have a feeling about which cards are next. Beverly is called to sickbay to see Geordi. She pauses during her diagnosis because its so familiar, and Geordi feels like its familiar this time too. They check the logs but can't find that Geordi's had these symptoms before. Can 2 people have deja vu about the same thing? As she's going to bed Beverly is still distracted, things are eerily familiar. She puts down her glass cautiously, but still knocks it over when she hears voices. This time she goes to see Picard straight away. They have a cosy chat, Picard was reading a book and he was sure he'd read it before, but couldn't think when. He says it might be nothing, but will get Geordi and Data to scan and report in the morning; they find nothing.  Worf calls from the Bridge to report weird readings. Weird field ahead. Engines aren't working. Federation-looking ship on collision course. Riker and Data suggest plans, Picard goes with Data's. Collision, ship spinning out of control. Just as Picard orders everyone to abandon ship, it explodes!

The Enterprise is going into a previously unexplored part of space. The same card game is happening, but Worf has deja vu, as does Beverly who can now name the cards before Data deals them. Everyone's a bit freaked out. Worf and Riker can also name the cards. Crusher checks if Geordi is in sick bay, just before he arrives. Beverly calls Picard (more official, less cosy this time). She reports her experience and says others have the same feeling. She knew standard tests wouldn't work on Geordi, so she did something that showed his visor was picking up images that weren't there. Again she has touble preparing for bed and is uneasy, unwilling to finish any action because of the familiarity. She moves her glass away from her bedside table. When the voices come she records them. Then she calls Geordi immediately and asks if sensors picked up anything weird. She goes to Engineering, knocking the glass over on her way out. Geordi and Data analyse her recording. There are about 1000 voices overlapping and Data identifies them as the voices of the Enterprise crew. Crusher calls early staff meeting, Geordi explains that they're probably stuck in a time loop. Data plays the recording and isolates the part where Worf finds the weird readings and the collision happens. They can try to avoid the collision but Geordi points out it could still happen again, so they should try to send a message to themsleves in the next loop, Data will probably get it but not consciously. Geordi works on Data to set up the message emitter, and they muse on what they might have tried before. Beverley points out that it doesn't feel familiar anymore, which is hopefully a good sign. Red alert goes on as they encounter the field again. Engines aren't working. Riker wonders how they dealt with this before. Federation-looking ship on collision course. Riker and Data suggest plans, Picard goes with Data's. Collision, ship spinning out of control. Data programmes something into the emitter just before the ship explodes!

The Enterprise is going into a previously unexplored part of space. The same card game is happening, Worf and Beverley have deja vu. She thinks she can name the cards, but Data deals all 3s, then deals 3 of a kind to everyone. Beverly is called to sickbay to see Geordi. She pauses during her diagnosis because its so familiar, and Geordi feels like its familiar this time too. They check the logs but can't find that Geordi's had these symptoms before. Can 2 people have deja vu about the same thing? She finds the visor issue, and calls Picard to sickbay immediately to report. In Engineering every scan Geordi asks Data to run comes out as 3, Data says he's been encounter 3 a lot. Crusher calls them about the voices. In a meeting Data plays the recording of the collision. Geordi explains that they're probably stuck in a time loop, which appears to be sponsored by the number 3. The 3s seem to be coming from Data, and Geordi says they're probably sending a message to themselves. Ro calls from the Bridge to report weird readings. Weird field ahead. Engines aren't working. Riker wonders how they dealt with this before. Federation-looking ship on collision course. Riker and Data suggest plans, Picard goes with Data's. Then Data sees the 3 pips on Riker's collar, understands that he was telling himself that Riker's plan will work, and enacts that plan without orders. They pull clear of the distortion and avoid the other ship. Turns out they've been in the loop 17.4 days. The other ship is one that hasn't been in service for 80 years. The captain of the other ship (Kelsey Grammar, finally!) hails and Picard tells him about the time loop.

Guest Star
I saw Kelsey Grammar's name come up in the credits and I was exicted because he and Patrick Stewart work really well together. I mean X-Men: Last Stand was a mess that my husband (a long-time X-Men fan) pretends doesn't exist, but that wasn't the fault of either of these two fine actors, their scenes together were good. Plus, who can forget the episode of Fraiser where Sir Patrick plays a gay opera director with whom Fraiser unintentionally enters into a relationship. Basically I was looking forward to seeing these 2 on screen together, and what did we get? A minute or so tacked onto the end, a conversation via view screen, meaning they aren't even sharing a set and the fascinating potential of Grammar's character is never used. I feel a little cheated, which is a shame as the rest of the episode is well done.


Staff Meetings: 1 ...but four versions of it, so... 4
1. During a routine staff meeting Dr Crusher reports the voices she heard the previous night, and that
she's found out 10 other people had the same experience at the same time. Troi sensed nothing. Data is asked to check the logs. Worf calls Picard from the Bridge.
1. (a) Data and Geordi report that their scans couldn't find anything odd happening on the ship the previous night. Dr Crusher mentions that she's found 10 other people had the same experience at the same time. Worf calls Picard from the Bridge.
1. (b) Crusher calls senior staff before the usual 0700 meeting. Geordi reports that they think they're stuck in a time loop, and that's what's causing the deja vu. Geo can't tell how long they were trapped there (minutes, hours, years). The voices and his visor issues are echoes. Data analysed Crusher's recording, it's mostly normal, but he plays the audio of Worf finding the distortion and Pic giving the abandon ship order. Geordi guesses that the collision caused the time problem, and they should avoid the collision, but anything they try might cause it. He points out that they might still collide this time and then forget again, so they should try to send information into the next loop. Data thinks it's possible as they've been experiencing echoes. Geordi says the message can only be short, maybe only one word or a few characters. If they do it Data will pick it up, but probably not consciously, it'll be like a post-hypntoic suggestion.
1. (c) Data is playing the isolated audio relating to the collision, and Geordi explains the time loop. Geordi guesses that the collision caused the time problem, and they should avoid the collision, but anything they try might cause it. He says the number 3 is appearing all the time. The only odd thing on scans is in Data, and Geordi reckons that he'd use Data to send a message to the next loop. They realise they're sending a message, but don't know what the 3 means. Ro calls Picard from the Bridge.

The End
After Picard mentions that both their ships have been caught in a time loop the other Captain is dubious as they only left star base 3 weeks earlier. Picard asks him what year it is and other Captain says 2278. Picard asks him to beam aboard as they have "something we need to discuss".
And that's it! No telling someone they're nearly a century in the future. No dealing with the fallout of time travel or the time loop for the ot crew (who must be suffering heavily with deja vu by this point). No face to face scene with Grammar and Stewart being likeable at each other.

I just wanted somethign like this!