Spoilers for TNG S04E14 Clues

!The Enterprise encounters a planet inhabited by an isolationist species who uses a fake wormhole to knock people out so they can somehow mask their presence. OK, I’m with it so far.

This trap fails on Data who revives the crew and the aliens say they need to destroy the Enterprise to stop people finding out about them. Picard points out that if the Enterprise is destroyed Starfleet will come looking for them. Again, so far so good.

The aliens agree to let the crew live if they can wipe everyone’s memory and order Data to never say what happened. This memory wipe takes 24 hours so they modify the computer records to make everyone think a day hasn’t passed and they were actually out for 30 seconds. Then they do it again when the crew realises after finding some unforseen clues, so now at least 48 hours has passed. This is where it lost me.

I can understand them not realising straight away if they’re in deep space and not communicating with Starfleet, but surely they’re going to figure out their chronometer is 2 days off eventually and go back to try and figure out what went on?!<

  • FuglyDuckEnglish
    1•2 days ago

    I don’t think they have much experience with races that were built by other races being considered sentient and have been accepted by the UFP, so I can understand a lack of precendent here.

    The UFP (and starfleet would follow that,) would already have a test… a guideline that could be followed to determine if [whatever species] qualified as ‘sentient’. the prime directive would literally not work with out such a test. As for Data being built by someone… that’s irrelevant. Also, there is some weak precedent in Data’s commission as a starfleet officer.

    And I would think that if Worf pulled off Riker’s arm, hilarious though it may be, there would be little doubt about the point he was trying to make between the difference in a painful dismemberment and the disassembly of a toaster.

    This is why Worf should use a really sharp bat’leth. he won’t even feel it. It’s not Data’s fault Ryker is of an inferior design, in any case.

    you might be right about the pretext of why ryker did it. still a prick, though.