Pen Pals (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Pen Pals (Star Trek: The Next Generation) "Pen Pals" is the 15th episode of the of the American science fiction television series "", the 41st episode overall, first broadcast on May 1, 1989. The series follows the adventures of the crew of the Federation starship "Enterprise" commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In this episode, Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher learns to manage a science team, and in the primary plot, focusing on Starfleet's Prime Directive, Data helps a young girl on a troubled planet. As the "Enterprise" surveys an area of unexplored planets with unusually short life spans due to severe
Descent (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Descent (Star Trek: The Next Generation) "Descent" is the 26th episode of the and the first episode of the of the American science fiction television series "", the 152nd and 153rd episodes overall. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Federation starship "Enterprise". The episode features a guest appearance by Stephen Hawking, making it the only episode to feature a guest star appearing as themselves on any "Trek" series. On the holodeck, Lt. Commander Data plays a game of poker with holographic representations of Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking.