First Contact: The Next Generation Introcast

So what is it? ‘Cause and Effect’ is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation all about a time loop. A time loop? Yes, a time loop. It is perhaps, the greatest time loop episode of all time with the Enterprise trapped in a cycle which sees the ship being destroyed after a collision, and no one even gets the chance to exchange insurance details. But everyone is getting a bit of a sense of deja vu, including Beverly who hears the death screams of the whole crew as she downs her evening liquer. Can Data use a weird time loop messaging service to save the day? Or will we never get to that great cameo? Find out all that and more in First Contact.

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The Enterprise is called in to render assistance to the J’naii after one of their shuttles disappears down a weird space hole. Riker works closely with a member of their species, Soren, and they become close. The J’naii are gender neutral and regard other species as more primitive, however Soren confides in Riker that they identify as female, but it is forbidden on her planet and regarded as a sickness and if anyone finds out, they will be sent to conversion therapy. There are many discussions about gender roles, makeup and Riker’s genitals, which probably made this a fun watch with the family at teatime. When Riker and Soren kiss in the gardens, their relationship is discovered and Soren is taken away. Riker attempts to intervene, and considers breaking the prime directive to do so. Following a rescue attempt, he is rejected as it’s too late and returns to the Enterprise, a little sadder than he was before.

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While playing a game of find the plastic melting radiation, some barrels fall on Worf, leaving him paralysed. Crusher invites a neurological specialist, Doctor Toby Russell, to assess his condition and she offers a miracle cure with low odds of survival which involves growing a new spine. Meanwhile, Worf asks Riker to help him commit ritual suicide which he is not thrilled about, but Picard tells him that other cultures are different so it’s okay and encourages him to help his friend. To give other people something to do,  the Enterprise responds to a medical emergency and Crusher asks for help from Russell, but she uses some experimental treatments which result in death. Riker lectures Worf and Alexander gets sad so Worf decides to live and gets the experimental treatment. He almost dies but then doesn’t because Klingons have double organs for everything or something. But we all learned some important lessons along the way.

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The Enterprise answers a centuries old distress call solving the mystery of an early Federation starship that disappeared. But Troi senses life so an away team take a shuttle down to investigate as space rays or something make transporting impossible. So Chief O’Brien beams down with a pattern enhancer but before they can return, some glowing lights possess the bodies of Troi, Data and O’Brien, leaving Riker’s alone because… well, they knew where it had been.They claim to be the dead crew but act extremely sketchy, taking hostages and shooting everyone. Picard tries to negotiate with them and they finally confess that they are all prisoners forced to live on a moon as energy, unable to escape. Picard tells them about willing to die for a cause, and fearing a long monologue, they decide to give the bodies back and then everything is fine.

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The crew of the Enterprise have lost their memories but still remember how to push all the buttons. Using the ship’s systems, they find their personnel files and their mission. The Federation is at war and they’re on their way to attack a big space station and they can’t communicate with Starfleet or risk giving away their position, which is mighty inconvenient. Upon scanning their enemy, it appears that they are nowhere near as advanced as the Enterprise. Picard starts to have doubts about blowing them up with a photon torpedo but first officer Kieran McDuff encourages him to fight on. Meanwhile, Riker, Troi and Ro get involved in a 1970s sex comedy.

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While carrying out the Starfleet’s primary mission, following big rocks in space, the Enterprise realises that this one is heading for a previously unknown human colony. While Picard offers assistance, the colonists are resistant. They reveal they have been selectively breeding for eight generations, to create a version of paradise, the very best of mankind where everyone’s life and role is predetermined. Without help, their home will be destroyed by earthquakes but some fear that the natural balance of their society will collapse through interaction with the outside world. Troi is charmed by their leader while Geordi keeps his distance from their head scientist, Hannah after putting into action everything that he learned on his mandatory training course. With a mixture of Hannah’s innovation and Federation technology, the colony is saved but damage has been done. Many decide to leave, seeing the greater potential in the outside world. And that means that we can end the episode by saying something deep about the prime directive.

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The writers sat around thinking, you know what? It’s been awhile since an alien entered Troi’s quarters in the night, we better do some kind of psychic violation storyline. A delegation of three memory archaeologist aliens are on the Enterprise on their way to a planet to create some kind of history of some other aliens. Everyone is reluctant to use their services except Keiko because the actor was available. But one of them is clearly a baddie because sinister music plays when he gets in the turbolift and people keep falling into comas: first Troi, then Riker and finally Crusher. Data and Geordi investigate comas on other planets and it turns out this happens a lot when these guys are around. Everyone wakes up and the bad guy is revealed as the bad guy.

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The Enterprise investigates a missing ship in a wibbly purple region of space. The only survivor is a boy named Timothy who data rescues from under a pillar. Those are always falling on people in these situations. Timothy’s way of dealing with trauma is to pretend to be an android and he starts acting like Data which allows us to play the TNG greatest hits of how weirdos in the future deal with grief and Data hanging out with a child. Meaning the crew investigate what caused the accident and work out it’s some weird echoey thing in space which amplifies power into a feedback loop. Or something like that. It doesn’t really matter. The important thing to learn is, don’t go into purple regions of space.

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The Enterprise is helping a scientist with a new form of propulsion, a soliton wave, which offers warp travel without a drive. For this first dangerous test of this experimental technology, they decide to fire it straight at another populated planet. Meanwhile, Worf’s mother turns up with Alexander and buggers off as swiftly as she can, leaving the Klingon working out what it means to be a father. Turns out Alexander is difficult, disruptive and a liar which is odd considering his mother was murdered and his father sent him away instantly. Worf decides to send him away to a Klingon school. But can they resolve their differences and somehow tie into the science plot before the episode is done?

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While the Enterprise tries to save a planet suffering from an environmental disaster, a historian, apparently from the future, arrives on the Enterprise to observe the events. His eccentric manner infuriates some of the crew, except Doctor Crusher, but I’m not sure what they were trying to do there. Anyway, they save the planet with some phasers and deflectors because they can solve all problems and the time guy is revealed to be a con artist from the past. And that’s about it. 

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