Final Mission (episode)
On his way to Starfleet Academy, Wesley Crusher must care for an injured Captain Picard after their shuttle crashes on a desert moon.

Summary

Teaser 

Ensign Wesley Crusher comes running onto the bridge and apologizes to Captain Picard for being ten minutes late. Picard chastises the young man, then, smiling, informs the young ensign that a position has opened in this year's class at Starfleet Academy and that Wesley has been granted the posting. Admiral Nsomeka has contacted Picard and expects Wesley to be leaving for the Academy in two weeks, though he will have to work hard to catch up with his classmates. Picard has assured the admiral that Wesley is fully capable of doing so and jokingly hopes that he will not make a liar out of him. Wesley promises that he will not.

In the interim, Picard is to arbitrate a mining dispute on Pentarus V between hostile salenite miners, and he opts to bring Wesley along to observe the effects of outpost judiciary decisions on Federation law. The  rendezvouses with Captain Dirgo's shuttle, the Nenebek, and Picard and Wesley depart with Dirgo. On first meeting Dirgo, Wesley quietly makes a rude comment to Geordi La Forge on Dirgo calling himself a captain – though he holds no formal rank and commands only a mere mining shuttle. Dirgo makes it clear he heard it and says the ship has over ten-thousand hours of flight recorded and means a lot to him and his people. Shortly before their departure, the Enterprise receives a distress signal from Chairman Songi of Gamelan V – an unidentified space barge has entered into orbit above Gamelan V and has caused the radiation levels in the planet's atmosphere to increase by 3,000%. Songi is unsure if the planet is under attack by some hostile force aboard the barge, but the ship has not been answering their hails. The Enterprise speeds off at warp 6 under Riker's command to assist. 

Meanwhile, Dirgo tells Wesley that he hopes Picard is tougher than he looks, otherwise the miners will tear him apart. Just then, Dirgo's shuttle suffers a mishap, and is likely going to crash land.

Act One 
The three collaborate in the crisis situation to crash-land on Lambda Paz, a desert moon of Pentarus III. They survive, but the crash landing virtually destroys the shuttle and Picard recommends they abandon it, as it will act like an oven and won't provide shelter from the heat. Worse yet, there are very few emergency supplies and no food or water rations. Dirgo tells Picard that since the mining shuttle had very little space, he depended on the replicator for supplies, which is now damaged beyond repair, leaving them only with a medicine pouch. 

The Enterprise reaches Gamelan V and identifies the orbiting vessel as an unmanned garbage scow. The radiation levels are from toxic waste, and it appears that its engines have not been activated for three centuries. This means the vessel was drifting and simply got caught in the planet's gravity, achieving orbit by itself. Riker promises Songi that they will remove the vessel. He plans to take it into the Gamelan sun. La Forge recommends using portable thrusters attached to construction modules to guide the vessel in order to work at a safe distance. 

Picard decides they must head towards the mountains to find shelter, to which Dirgo first objects but then is forced by Picard to admit that he has no better alternative to offer. After Picard leaves a directional marker on the ground so that a rescue party can follow their path, he, Wesley, and Dirgo start their long walk to the mountains. During the trio's trek, Dirgo becomes weakened from the heat and stumbles. Wesley extends his hand and helps him back up to his feet. "And you were worried about how tough the captain is?", Wesley snaps at him. As Wesley walks away, Dirgo secretly drinks clear liquid from a bottle and hides it in his jacket. During their hike, Wesley notes some strange energy readings with his tricorder in the direction of their travel. It could be dangerous, but the desert is taking its toll on them. They have no choice but to continue towards it.

Act Two 
When the three finally arrive in a cavern in the mountain, Dirgo is hopeful. He believes that because all caves are formed by water, there may be a water source inside. Picard grimly disagrees, pointing out that the walls are dry and were more likely formed by volcanic activity. Just then, the bottle falls out Dirgo's jacket, and is revealed to be an alcoholic beverage called dresci. Dirgo makes an excuse that, "I was going to hand it round". Picard confiscates it, as imbibing it would only dehydrate them further. It would serve better as a disinfectant or coolant, and Picard orders it to be kept under guard in the medicine box, much to Dirgo's chagrin.

On the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher is instructing her staff on three small island groups where the biggest radiation effects will be on the planet. Fortunately, they are sparsely populated and Dr. Crusher plans to replicate hyronalin for those population centers. Deanna Troi is behind her, and waits for her to finish. She attempts to assuage her fears of losing Wesley and Picard by noting that, while the nearest Federation ship is not that close, there's the possibility of the miners performing a search while they deal with the current situation. Crusher is thankful for Troi's concern but says that right now, she doesn't have the luxury of worrying about Wesley. She is a Starfleet officer and duty demands that she put her feelings aside to deal with the crisis at hand. On the bridge, Worf confirms that the miners can start the search. In the meantime, Riker and La Forge configure the thrusters. It works for a bit, but one of the thrusters fails and Riker is forced to use the tractor beam. 

In the cavern, the three find a section with an increased level of the energy readings Wesley found earlier. Upon investigating, the trio find a strange fountain of water. A thirsty Dirgo finds out the hard way that it is protected by a tightly-confined annular force field. Dirgo hastily fires at the field with his phaser, unexpectedly triggering a sentry energy weapon which knocks the weapon from his hand and encases it in a selenium-fiber shell. In the commotion, a landslide begins above Wesley, but Picard runs toward him and pushes Wesley out of the way. Unfortunately, Picard himself is caught in the path of the falling rocks.

Act Three 
Wesley determines that Picard is suffering a broken leg, fractured arm, and is bleeding. Dirgo initially helps staunch the bleeding but is skeptical that Picard will survive and leaves. Weakened, Picard tells Wesley that he has to take charge and deter Dirgo from any further rash attempts to breach the force field. But clearly, their need for water is greater than ever.

Back at Gamelan V, the Enterprise continues to tow the waste vessel by tractor beam while dosing themselves with hyronalin through the ship's ventilation system. Unfortunately, they only have thirty-eight minutes before the radiation becomes lethal. Crusher initiates radiation exposure protocol for all non-essential crew. Seeing that they won't clear the asteroid field for 51 minutes, Riker risks ordering the towing speed to be pushed to the limit. It quickly destabilizes the beam, so La Forge suggests bringing other fusion reactors online, even though the coolant pressure is reaching its maximum. Lethal exposure will now be reached in thirty-five minutes. 

Meanwhile, Wesley is getting closer to figuring out how the sentry works, but Dirgo runs out of patience and tries to convince Wesley to make another attempt to breach the force field with phasers. When the young ensign refuses, Dirgo orders Wesley to set his phaser on automatic, set it to maximum, and fire at the force field, while he fires on the lowest setting from the other side of the room. The miner, in his desperation, believes that two phasers firing together can lure the sentry away from the fountain. Wesley tries to stand firm and talk him out of it, pointing out that there's no evidence that variable phaser settings will do any good, but Dirgo does not yield to Wesley's arguments. Dirgo begins to fire, with Wesley following suit in frustration moments later. The sentry re-appears and begins to encase Wesley's phaser. But just as Dirgo's plan seems to be working, he stops firing for a split second before firing again from a different angle. The sentry ceases its attack on Wesley's phaser and quickly envelops Dirgo, encasing him in a selenium shell, and killing him.

Act Four 
In the Gamelan system, the Enterprise finally manages to get the leaking barge through the asteroid belt and release it directly into Gamelan's sun. The crew breathe a collective sigh of relief, as they were less than ten seconds away from lethal radiation exposure. Riker wastes no time in ordering the ship back to the Pentarus system to participate in the search for the missing shuttle. 

Wesley tends to Picard. The sun has gone down, and so the temperature on the moon's surface has dramatically reduced. Wesley heats up some rocks with a phaser to keep Picard warm. Picard becomes temporarily unresponsive, so Wesley recounts his perspective of their trip to Starbase 515 to keep his attention focused. He remembers dreading the trip at first because of Picard's discomfort with children, but that he was profoundly impressed by Picard's willingness to open up to him. He says he feels extremely lucky to serve under Picard, and Picard in turn regrets his selfishness in bringing him along, as he was worried that he wouldn't see him again before he left for the Academy.

Wesley begins to open up to Picard by telling him something that he doesn't know nor does anyone else. Wesley tells Picard that all he has worked for, including school, his science projects, and getting accepted into the Academy, was all so that Picard could be proud of him. Wesley tells his captain that he has seen Picard think himself out of situations worse than this and now it is his turn to think them out of this one. Wesley takes Picard's hand and assures him he is not going to die, and he promises to get to the water to keep him alive until help arrives.

Act Five 
The Enterprise is now joining the search for the trio. They discover the shuttle debris, and Dr. Crusher briefly fears that they are dead, but Data points out that there is far too little debris to account for the whole shuttle. La Forge remembers that Dirgo had rigged his thruster modules in an unorthodox way, and correctly deduces that one of the modules must have failed, causing the explosion. The crew also correctly deduces that they also probably had enough maneuvering capability to make it to one of the planets or moons in the system. Focusing on M-class worlds, they eliminate Pentarus II and V, as the miners have already thoroughly searched them. Fortunately, there are four such moons, and the closest moon that could support life is Lambda Paz.

Wesley struggles to modify his tricorder to deal with the sentry, while keeping Picard conscious and comfortable. During some tense and emotional exchanges, Picard tells Wesley that he envies him, saying "you're just at the beginning of the adventure." He urges Wesley that when he gets to the Academy to seek out a man named Boothby as he helped Picard when he was there and considers him "one of the wisest men he ever knew." Wesley asks what he teaches, to which Picard answers, "He's the groundskeeper." Wesley confesses that everything he has done to succeed on the Enterprise has been to make Picard proud of him. Picard tells him that he's always been proud of him.

Heading towards the fountain, Wesley jury rigs his combadge and tricorder to interfere and possibly disable the energy sentry. In trying to explain this to Picard, it seems he has some temporary memory loss due to dehydration, but he remembers his solution to the problem. He activates the sentry, and it distorts and warps its shape as Wesley manipulates it with his tricorder. Suddenly, the sentry rushes forward, ready to encase Wesley, but it passes right through him and disables the force field around the fountain. Wesley tentatively checks for the force field before he is convinced it is indeed disabled, and he brings water to Picard in one of the shuttle's survival kit cases.

Wesley is woken some time later by his mother, who is joined by Data and Worf. She informs her son that Picard is all right and his vital signs have been stabilized. As Picard is carried out on a stretcher by Martinez and another medic, he asks that they stop for a moment. Picard looks at Wesley and jokingly asks what he is doing in such a filthy uniform. Wesley kneels down next to Picard and tells the captain that he does not look so ship-shape himself. Picard reaches over and grabs Wesley's hand. He confesses, "You will be missed." They leave the cave to return to the Enterprise.

Log entries 
 Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2367
 First officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)

Memorable quotes 
"Captain? Of a mining shuttle?"
"Yes, Ensign. Captain."
 - Wesley Crusher, talking to Geordi La Forge while Dirgo overhears their conversation

"She seems a very… a very sturdy craft."
 - Picard, struggling to give Dirgo a compliment on his shuttle, the Nenebek

"Dear God."
 - Picard, upon viewing the surface of Lambda Paz

"Are you telling me there's no water?"
 - Picard, after discovering Dirgo carried no emergency supplies on the Nenebek

"And you were worried about how tough the captain is?"
 - Wesley Crusher, after picking up Dirgo when he fell due to exhaustion from the heat

"Sir, in the past three years, I've lived more than most people do in a lifetime."
 - Wesley, reflecting to an injured Picard about his time on the Enterprise

"If there's one thing that I've learned from you it's that you don't quit, and I'm not going to quit now. I've seen you think yourself out of worse problems than this, and I'm going to think us out of this. You're not going to die. I'm not going to let you die. I'll get to the water and I'll keep you alive until they find us. I promise."
 - Wesley Crusher, trying to keep a severely injured Picard alive

"Oh, I envy you, Wesley Crusher. You're just at the beginning of the adventure."
 - Picard

"Wesley. You remember… I was always proud of you."
 - Picard

"Mr. Crusher?"
"Yes, sir?"
"What are you doing in such a filthy uniform?"
"You don't look so shipshape yourself, sir."
"Wesley… you will be missed."
 - Picard and Wesley Crusher (last lines of the episode)

Background information

Production history 
 Final draft script:  
 Premiere airdate: 
 First UK airdate:

Story and production 

 This episode was created expressly with the purpose of providing an appropriate way for Wil Wheaton to leave the show. Wheaton had asked to leave The Next Generation so he could pursue offers to appear in feature films. ()
 Michael Piller commented, "There had been a lot of very bad feeling around here about the way Tasha Yar was sent off. So we were determined to give Wesley a send-off that had real value and something that stayed with us. We finally decided that he would go to the Academy, which I think was Gene's idea [and] the most reasonable and easiest idea, which also keeps him alive for future episodes." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 212)
 In the original story, Wesley and Picard crashed on an ice planet. On the suggestion of Rick Berman, this was changed as it was believed that a desert planet could be created more realistically. (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 212)
 This episode was previously titled "Turnabout". 
 Jeri Taylor recalled, "That's the episode I probably put more work on than any all year long, because it was a combination of a very delicate kind of interpersonal story, and the dreaded technical story which is the garbage scow in space. So I had this supertechnical thing going on at the same time as this delicate kind of interpersonal story." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 212)
 The shuttle Nenebek was named after Larry Nemecek. Jeri Taylor related to Nemecek years later that she had one of his TNG Concordances on her shelf, and simply altered two of the letters in his last name. 
 Two days of location shooting were done on the El Mirage Dry Lake Bed in San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles to portray the surface of Lambda Paz. ()
 The fountain was created on Stage 16. Rick Berman recalled, "We had huge optical problems with the fountain. It was a nightmare. It was something we built and it didn't work. Then we were going to do it optically and that didn't work. So we had a lot of technical problems." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 212)
 The incident where Picard finds and commandeers the dresci and orders it to be kept in the medicine box is similar to, and may have been inspired by, a real incident that happened in  as reported in a television reconstruction.

Cast 

 This episode marks Wesley Crusher's final regular appearance on TNG. He later appeared in the episodes , ,  (in another quantum reality), and  as well as .
 Nick Tate later played Liam Bilby in the  episode .

Continuity 
 Wesley references his prior shuttle trip with Picard in .
 Before beginning their trek to the mountains, Dirgo distributes some phasers he scavenged from his damaged shuttle. The props used are Starfleet phaser pistols circa 2285, from , which would make sense since Dirgo operated his shuttle with old and outdated equipment. This is supported by Wesley's observation that some of Dirgo's equipment looked "…about a hundred years old."
 The groundskeeper for the Starfleet Academy, Boothby, is mentioned for the first time. In the fifth season Next Generation episode , Wesley would mention that he took Picard's advice and seek out Boothby. Boothby would appear later in the season in the episode  and would return in the fifth season  episodes  and .
 According to the graphic on Data's ops station, the shuttle Nenebek leaves through the main shuttlebay. The main shuttlebay was only seen once more in .

Reception 
 Michael Piller remarked, "I think Jeri did a wonderful job on the script and Corey Allen, who is one of my favorite directors, gave you the best pieces of film you can get. If it gets an A- instead of an A, it's only because the story itself, of two guys trapped on a planet and how do we get off, in general is not very original, and the story of the garbage scow was no great shakes either. But I think we handled it pretty well." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 212)
 Rick Berman added, "That's one of my favorite episodes. I think it was very poignant and the acting on the part of our guest cast, Nick Tate, Patrick's work and Wil's, was just excellent. I thought it was just a terrific piece of drama." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 212)
 A mission report for this episode by Patrick Daniel O'Neill was published in .

Video and DVD releases 
 Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 42, 
 UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 4.3, 
 As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection

Links and references

Starring 
 Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
 Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker

Also starring 
 LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
 Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
 Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
 Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
 Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
 Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher

Guest stars 
 Nick Tate as Dirgo
 Kim Hamilton as Songi
 Mary Kohnert as Allenby

Uncredited co-stars 
 Rachen Assapiomonwait as 
 Majel Barrett as  computer voice
 Karen Baxter as operations division ensign
 Michael Braveheart as Martinez
 Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
 Denise Deuschle as science division officer
 A. Flores as science division officer
 Marin as command division officer
 Michael Moorehead as science division ensign
 Randy Pflug as 
 Joycelyn Robinson as Gates
 Unknown performers as
 Female science division officer
 Female science officer (voice)

Stunt doubles 
 Joe Murphy as stunt double for Nick Tate
 John Nowak as stunt double for Patrick Stewart
 Noon Orsatti as stunt double for Wil Wheaton

Stand-ins 
 Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
 Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner
 Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
 Randy Pflug – stand-in for Nick Tate
 Joycelyn Robinson – stand-in for Kim Hamilton
 Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
 Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
 Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Wil Wheaton
 James Washington – stand-in for Michael Dorn

References 
21st century; 2364; "a lot"; ability; acceleration; ; alcohol; "all right"; alternative; annular force field; approach control zone; arm; ; asteroid; asteroid belt; atmosphere; "Auprès de ma Blonde"; auxiliary fusion generator; "beyond repair"; blurred vision; Boothby; braking maneuver; breathing; bypass; captain; casualty; cave; Celsius; chairman; choice; class; class M; collinated energy; collision; "come in"; "come on"; comfort; communication channel; communicator; construction module; contamination; coolant; coordinates; corridor; course; "dear God"; debris; deflector; : dehydration; deuterium flow; disinfectant; distance; distress signal; dresci; duranium; effect; ; electromagnetic (EM); electromagnetic wave pattern; EM pattern; emergency; emergency situation; energy; energy pattern; engine; environment; ermanium; evidence; "excuse me"; experience; experiment; eye; Federation; Federation law; feeling; "first thing"; fission reactor; flight dynamics; food ration; fountain; fracture; French language; freighter; frequency; friend; fusion generator; Gamelan V; Gamelan V natives; Gamelan sun; Gamelan system; Gamelan system sector; garbage scow; gaseous-core fission reactor; "go on"; gravitational pull; groundskeeper; guidance coupling; hail; hailing frequency; head; ; helm; hertz; "hold on"; hour; hull; hull temperature; ; hyronalin; "I see"; idea; impulse engine; internal bleeding; island group; "keep your eye on": kilometer; Lambda Paz; lava flow; ledge; leg; liar; lifeform; location transponder; Mach; magnetic field; Meltasion Asteroid Belt; main shuttlebay; maneuvering thruster; medical personnel; Medical Unit One; mean temperature; medical personnel; megahertz; meter; meter per second; metric ton per meter; million; millirads per minute; miner; mining shuttle; minute; mission; moisture; moon; mountain; NAR; navigation; navigational system; Nenebek; nose; Nsomeka; "of course"; "on board"; "one moment"; operational inspection; Ops; optical scan; orbit; outpost; output; oven; overtime; Pentarus II; Pentarus III; Pentarus III moon; Pentarus V; Pentarus V mining settlement; Pentarus station; Pentarus system; Pentarus system moons; Pentarus system primary; percent; phaser; pilot; plasma; port; ; power level; prefire sequence; problem; propulsion; propulsion system; radiation; radiation exposure; radiation exposure protocol; radiation level; radiation sickness; range; rate; ration; reaction chamber resonance; reason; Regalian law; relative velocity; replicator; ; rock; salenite; scanning range; science project; school; search; search party; second; selenium; sensor array; sentry (energy force);  (occupation); shearing force; shelter; shuttlecraft; sonodamite; spacecraft; speed; Starbase 515; Starfleet Academy; starship; stretcher; structural integrity; "study up on"; sublight; subspace channel; subspace message; surface; "take cover"; "take my chances"; temperature; "thank God"; thermal limit; thirst; thousand; thrust vector; thruster; thruster quad (thruster module); tokamak; towing speed; tractor beam; trajectory; transponder element; tricorder; truth; "under attack"; "under control"; unnamed search vessel; unnamed starbase; ventilation system; "very well"; vision; visual range; vital signs; volcanic activity; "wake up"; wall; waste product; waste ship; water (drinking water/water ration); week; "well done"; wound; wreckage; 'you know"

Other References 
 Shuttlebay Operations: Ansel Adams; approach vector; ; Chris Pike; Clarke; ; ; ; Decartes; ; El Baz; ; ; Hangar 2; Hangar 3; Hangar 4; Hangar 5; Heinlein; Indiana Jones; JF Kennedy; Lindberg; main shuttlebay; McAuliffe; Onizuka; PT Farnsworth; primary acquisition zone; refit; Sakharov; ; Shuttlebay 3; Starbase 515; ; tractor control zone; Type 7 shuttlecraft; Type 15 shuttlepod; Von Braun

Deleted references

External links 
 
 
 
 

de:Die letzte Mission
es:Final Mission
fr:Final Mission (épisode)
it:L'ultima missione (episodio)
ja:ファイナル・ミッション～新たなる旅立ち～（エピソード）
nl:Final Mission
pl:Final Mission
TNG episodes