Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)


Summary Edit

Teaser Edit

Shields up

"Scanning intensity has increased by 1,500%."
"Shields up."

As the crew is going through a typical day, with Data in Ten Forward fixing Deanna Troi a Samarian sunset done in the traditional style to settle a bet over a three-dimensional chess game, Dr. Beverly Crusher tending to Kristin, a crewmember injured cliff-diving on the holodeck, and Commander Riker arguing with Ensign Ro about her changing ship's procedure without his knowledge, the USS Enterprise-D is approached by a small vessel of unknown configuration. After the vessel initiates an intense scan of the Enterprise, a wave of green energy passes throughout the ship, and the entire crew suffers from memory loss.

Act One Edit


While trying to ascertain who they are and why they are on this starship, Riker suggests to an equally anonymous Captain Picard that he is their leader, since he has four pips on his collar, more than anyone else present. Worf suggests otherwise, and presumes he is the leader because he is the most decorated person on board due to his baldric. Dr. Crusher realizes that she is a medical officer, but the injured crewmember in sickbay still doesn't know what she is doing there. Riker, Ro, and La Forge go to engineering to try to get the engines running. La Forge works on getting propulsion back online and tries to find personnel files so that they'll know who they are while Riker and Ro go to the rest of the ship as a survey team. Worf, in the meantime, has assumed leadership and is happy when La Forge reports the ship is ready for battle with the navigation, propulsion, weapons, and communications back online.

Act Two Edit


After La Forge successfully accesses the ship's computer, he is able to get a list with photos of the Enterprise's bridge officers. The list confirms that Picard is indeed the commanding officer of the Enterprise. To Worf's dismay, the list has him near the bottom, second to last; he apologizes to Picard for asserting authority, but Picard tells him to think nothing more of it. Interestingly, the computer's list has one new addition to the ship's regular command crew. Commander Kieran MacDuff is the ship's first officer, and Commander Riker has been bumped down to second officer.


Act Three Edit

Troi has a strong feeling that the war is wrong but can't pin down a reason, and Riker suggests it is just due to the general nature of war. When Riker returns to his quarters, he finds Ro waiting for him. They assist each other in exploring their Pagh.

As the Enterprise crosses into Lysian space, a Lysian destroyer tries to hail the Enterprise. Picard wants to open a channel, but MacDuff suggests that that may be how they lost their memories to begin with. The Lysian destroyer starts to fire at the Enterprise, but the starship is able to easily destroy the Lysian vessel – too easily.

Act Four Edit

Troi also inexplicably feels that Riker is very "familiar"; the two realize they have some connection when he finds a book, Ode to Psyche by John Keats, which she gave him as a gift "with love", producing a rather awkward moment when Ro arrives and sees them nearly kissing before she kisses Riker herself once Troi leaves.



Act Five Edit

Lysian central command-galaxy class

Lysian starbase

The Enterprise proceeds towards the Lysian Central Command, where it is intercepted by unmanned Lysian sentry pods. These vessels are easily destroyed, and the Enterprise proceeds to the command center. Commander Data informs Picard that the Lysian command center is virtually defenseless with over fifteen thousand people aboard. One photon torpedo could destroy the entire structure, while its entire arsenal could not even damage Enterprise. Troi again insists the situation is wrong, and Riker poses the question: How could the Federation's mortal enemy be over a hundred years behind it in weapons technology? MacDuff insists that Picard destroy the station, but Picard refuses to fire on defenseless people; MacDuff declares that something is wrong with the captain and attempts to assume command, giving Worf an order to fire. When Worf refuses, MacDuff knocks him away with surprising force and tries to fire himself. Riker shoots him with a phaser. The beam knocks MacDuff back and reveals a shocking fact; he is not Human. Worf and Riker then combine their phaser shots to knock MacDuff to the floor and subdue him.


Log entries Edit

Memorable quotes Edit

"Hmm. You are a challenging opponent, counselor."

- Troi, after defeating Data at a game of chess in Ten Forward

"I don't know who any of you are."
"Nor do I. I don't… I don't even remember who I am."

- Riker and Picard, on the bridge after having their memories blocked

"It looks like I'm the pilot."

- Ro Laren

(To Picard) "Looks like you're the leader."
(Picard counts his pips.)


"We're going to search the ship."
"Very well. Proceed."

- Riker and Worf

(Data pops up from behind the bar's counter.)
"Can I get you something? A beverage?"

- Data to Riker, Ro, and Troi in Ten Forward

"Contact the operations officer to assist you."
"He's in Ten Forward, waiting tables."

- Picard and Ro, on Data


- Riker and Ro

"You must've been one hell of a bartender."

- La Forge, commenting on the speed at which Data moves

"We must attack!!!"
"I do not fire on defenseless people."



- Ro, to Riker on their brief relationship

Background information Edit

Production history Edit

Story and script Edit

Production Edit

Sets and props Edit

  • As a memory-less Ro Laren waits for him in bed, we see that Commander Riker has a horga'hn in his quarters. The horga'hn was first seen in TNG: "Captain's Holiday", when Riker asked Captain Picard to acquire a horga'hn for him while the captain vacationed on Risa.

Continuity Edit

  • As the crew attempts to learn more about their identities from the computer's databanks, a great deal of biographical data of the Enterprise-D crew is presented in the form of computer readouts. See personnel file.

Reception Edit

Awards Edit


Video and DVD releases Edit

Links and references Edit

Starring Edit

Also starring Edit

Guest stars Edit

Co-stars Edit

Uncredited co-stars Edit

Stunt doubles Edit

Stand-ins Edit

References Edit

ability; Alaska; analysis; android; arm; armament; artificial lifeform; As You Like It; attack; attack vessel; attitude; authority; bartender; basic system directory; bathing suit; battleship; battle stations; behavior; bioelectric field; biographical listing; boarding party; brain chemistry; brain scan; checkmate; chief engineer; chief medical officer; choice; Cirrus IV; Cliffs of Heaven; cobalt fusion warhead; coincidence; command path discontinuity; commanding officer; communication channel; computer; computer core; computer record; computer system; console; corridor; crew manifest; culture; cure; damage; databank; database; death; debris; decade; deck; diagnostic; diencephalon; diplomacy; diplomat; disruptor; distance; distress signal; doctor; el-Mitra Exchange; Emerald Wading Pool; emotion; enemy; energy wave; engineer; engineering core; Epsilon Silar system; evasive maneuvers (aka evasive action); executive officer; Federation; Federation starships; feeling; file; file wall; flight handling assessment; flight path; frequency; front; fun; fusion; Galaxy-class decks; gambit; genocide; hail; hand; hate; head; helm; helm officer; hesitation; hippocampus; history; holodeck; Holodeck Program 47-C; holographic program; home planet; horga'hn; hour; idea; impulse drive; information; information storage area; injury; intercept course; intuition; jealousy; Keats, John; kilometer; kilojoule; king; kiss; knowledge; Kriskov Gambit; laser cannon; leader; leadership; length; lifeform; life support system; ligament; living quarters; locator subroutine; long-term memory; Lysia; Lysians; Lysian Alliance; Lysian border; Lysian Central Command; Lysian destroyer (Lysian warship); Lysian destroyer crew; Lysian system; Lysian territory; magnetic propulsion; main engineering; marriage; Master of Science; medial temporal; medical file; medical index; medical record; medical specialist; megajoule; memory; meter; military operation; mission; mission report; moral; mountain climbing; musician; navigation; navigator; object; Ode to Psyche; offline; onboard communications system; operations officer; optical data network; order; organization; panic; patient; percent; personnel file; phaser; phaser array; phaser bank; photon torpedo; pilot; plan; plasma; processor; propulsion; pulse laser; question; race; radio silence; record; red alert; representative; Risa; risk; Roddenberry, Gene; rook; room; Samarian sunset; Satarrans; Satarran starship; scanning signal; schematic; science officer; scientist; second officer; security chief; senior officer; sensor range; sensor system; sensor sweep; sentry pod; sequence initiator; sequencing program; shield grid; ship's counselor; short-term memory;shuttlecraft; skill; sleep; snoring; speed; Starbase 301; Starfleet; Starfleet Headquarters; Starfleet records; state of war; status report; Stewart, Patrick; stranger; subspace interference pattern; subspace radio; subspace signal; Sumiko IV; superior; survey team; swimming; swimming pool; synapse; table; tactical analysis; tactical array; tactical system; tape; three-dimensional chess; throat; torpedo bay; transporter; treatment; trombone; turbolift; turbolift system; vacation; vessel; victory; visual range; voice interface; volunteer; warp drive; warrior; weapon; weapon range; year

Other references Edit

Personnel files: 2305; 2323; 2324; 2327; 2334; 2334; 2336; 2338; 2340; 2341; 2342; 2345; 2350; 2352; 2355; 2356; 2357; 2358; 2359; 2361; 2362; 2364; Academy of Starfleet Surgeons; Arbiter of Succession; Bajor; Betazed; Copernicus City; court martial; Crusher, Wesley; Earth; flight control officer; France; Gamma Canaris N; Garon II; Howard, Isabel; Howard, Paul; Klingon; La Barre; Lal; Luna; MacDuff, Joseph; MacDuff, Les; Omicron Theta colony; Orion, USS; Picard, Maurice; Picard, Yvette; probability mechanics; psychology; Ro Gale; Ro Talia; Soong, Noonian; Starfleet Academy; Troi, Ian; Troi, Ian Andrew; Troi, Lwaxana; Wellington, USS
Engineering Department Status: atmospheric recycle and processing subsystem; celestial timebase reference system; external navigational interferometer; Federation navigational beacon sensor; gravimetric generation and inertial damping subsystem; impulse propulsion system; intraship voice communications net; matter-antimatter reaction assembly; navigational realtime relative timespace monitor sensor; optical data network; thermal integrity; warp field generational nacelle coils; water and solid waste recycling subsystem

Retconned references Edit


External links Edit

Previous episode:
"The Masterpiece Society"
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 5
Next episode:
"Power Play"


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