By Joel Croteau on Monday, November 23, 1998 - 04:57 pm:

Why wasn't the link possible out there? It was never clearly explained.
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By Edje on Tuesday, November 24, 1998 - 01:45 pm:

Some transporter thing probably. Well, have you ever tried to combine a physical being and an energy being? Obviously it only worked when the energy being went into Picard's body, and not when Picard went into the energy beings 'body' (or whateer you could decribe it as having)
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By Keith Alan Morgan on Sunday, April 18, 1999 - 07:47 am:

The Selay delegates want to be upwind of the Anticans. At first this seems to be an simple insult, i.e. the Anticans stink, ha, ha, but later we find out that the Selay and the Anticans are hunting each other. Now I'm not a hunter, but I believe that hunters like to be downwind of their prey so the prey doesn't know where they are and, if their noses are good enough, they can smell their prey. So was the request to be upwind an insult or just a bad hunting tactic?

Toward the end of the episode, Picard says to the Bridge crew, "As many of you suspected when we passed by the energy cloud we carried away a sentient being." How would Picard know that any of them suspected this, I don't remember any scene where anyone even discussed the possibility. I think the closest anyone came was that they discovered that some presence had taken over Worf and Dr. Crusher, but no one said, "Hey, you don't think that energy cloud had something to do with it, do you?"

If you listen carefuly while Picard moves around the bridge as he tells about the life forms that the enterprise "captured", you can hear the floor creak as he walks around (this can also be heard in a couple other first season episodes)

5 Selay materialise on the transporter platform at the beginning of the episode. When Riker wants to show them their rooms, only 4 leave the transporter room.

Shortly before Picard orders Geordie to set course for Pacifica at warp 8, he is talking to Data about what happened to Worf. They are standing at the science station. The station looks perfectly normal and shows a graphic of the cloud. When Picard walks to the captain’s chair and the shot changes, there are suddenly two big black squares on the science station viewscreen. They are not part of the console and they look, as if they are made of paper. 9

Those black paper squares can be seen again, when the Enterprise is suddenly slowing down.

When Data is smoking his pipe for the first time (In the observation lounge) there is one shot, where he is holding the pipe under his mouth, the next shot suddenly shows the pipe over way over his mouth.

After initialy investigating the energy cloud, Picard orders the Enterprise to warp 8 to reach the Pacifica peace conference on time. However, after temporarily losing warp power and subsequently regaining it, he orders the ship to resume it's course at warp 6. What happened? Was the peace conference postponed, thereby removing the urgency to reach Pacifica quickly?

He wanted to go easier on what they weren't sure at that point were completely undamaged/stressed engine systems?

He's trying to make it look as if he's had more problems than there actually are?

The warp scale was secretly re-calibrated while we were watching?

He's just fed up and decides to go all "my way or highway" on the anxiously-waiting conference members?

He confuses the number 6 with the number 8?

The ship doesn't run as smoothly without Mr. Singh in Engineering?

I noticed something on a recent viewing which I can't believe I never noticed before.

When the Enterprise first engages the cloud, it cuts to a shot of the Enterprise passing its outer perimeter. The shape of the cloud in the shot is that of the V'ger cloud from The Motion Picture.

This episode reminds me a little like "Return to Tomorrow" (TOS)...except, no android construction.

Doesn't the Enterprise go to Parliament here? Strange name for an episode.

I think they went to Pacifica in "Conspiracy."

Sorry...strange name for a planet...Parliament.

Like Babel, Parliament might be a colony or station intended from the start to fulfil a specific function.

I actually thought the cloud looked like the Mutara Nebula from TWOK.

Zul: Sorry... strange name for a planet... Parliament.

Come to think of it, so is Earth.

Zul: I think they went to Pacifica in "Conspiracy."
Luigi Novi: Manhunt, actually.

Parliament is an odd name for a planet. You almost expect its ruler to refer to himself as Dr. Funkenstein. LOL

I think it's a nice name.

Zul: I think they went to Pacifica in "Conspiracy."

Luigi Novi: Manhunt, actually.

Dan Gunther: And they were on their way to Pacifica in "Conspiracy." Actually.

I think that's the ep where Worf mentions he doesn't like swimming. Too much like bathing.

Most people know that Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat) is the Antican delegate, but the Selay delgate is played by John Durbin, who was Gul Lemec in the "Chain of Command" episode. Perhaps this feud thing is really just a Cardassian plot.

Main Engineering was deserted, except for Singh, who got himself killed. Pretty strange to be alone there, since it and the bridge should never have just a single person around.

For some reason Worf shows up, and informs the bridge that Singh is dead. However, I don't understand how he could tell this, since he appears to place his hand at the base of Singh's neck. I've tried it on myself, and can't find a pulse there.

I could never get over seeing young Wes working a bridge station, let alone Data's console, which is the Operations Manager console-- Data is Second Officer. When Data;s not there, shouldn't there actually be someone with qualifications, sitting in that chair? The Enterprise didn't ship out of drydock without experienced officers to fill in for Data when he's not around-- why not this time?

I get the impression that the Federation is forcing the Selay and Antikans to talk at Parliament, because they show open hatred for each other, hunt one another, and one of them is even killed. Hardly looks like they're ready to cease hostilities, since these aliens are supposed to be *ambassadors*, and not even *soldiers*.

What is there to "get over" seeing young Wesley working a bridge station? He proved time and again that he was more than capable of doing the job, and many times even coming up with an answer to a problem before the others.

edited by the moderator

This was only the sixth episode, and as I said, logically there should be a *Starfleet officer* in that chair, not a *15 year old civilian* that hasn't even stepped foot in the Academy. Would you, as an officer of an American aircraft carrier, feel confident that the CMO's 15 year old son is at one of the most important stations on the bridge, as the ship sits within enemy waters? It makes no sense for Wesley to be anywhere on the bridge other than standing off to the side, keeping out of the way.

Im sorry, I didn't realize the Enterprise was in "enemy waters" in this episode.

And let me ask, would you question a captains orders if he did put a "15 year old civilian" at the controls on the bridge?

Maybe you should just watch the episodes that come after the Fourth Season's "Final Mission".

If I was the First Officer, the Operations Manager, the Ship's Counselor, or the Tactical Officer, yeah, I would question it! The fact that it's a TV show with actors given certain lines is why nobody questions it.
'Enemy waters' was just an example; I didn't mean that the Enterprise was in enemy territory, but it was on a mission.

While I somewhat agree with you, Will, remember that in TNG (especially the early days), the Federation was in an era of peace and exploration - one might even call it a bit naive - and so the environment on the Enterprise was a bit more relaxed than that of a contemporary aircraft carrier. Besides, whether you liked him or not, Wesley was a genius, and Picard was a thoughtful enough man to realize that he should be encouraged, despite his age. If he could get the job done, why not?

Hopefully this doesn't come across as an arguement or a I-hate-Wesley thing (since I really don't), but I can't accept it. Put him at a bridge staion, maybe one of the science consoles, but not the console that's the most important one. I just can't see the logic in it, when you've got a crew of over 1000, and officers that have qualified for the position that are being bumped by a genius kid. Okay, Wesley's a genius, but he's still immature and prone to panicking in a crisis like any kid his age. Genius doesn't make him qualified without hands-on experience and training. And remember, Picard was a bit of a by-the-book hard-ass in the early days, and not as laid back as the years went by, so in that respect I find it out of character for Picard to allow it.

Maybe Beverly persueded Picard to do it or out of a guilt thign for the death of Jack? Either way while it does seem out of place for a kid to be placed at the helm controls of the Federation's flagship from our POV from the internal storyline universe it didn't so that's what we have to accept.

Beverly slipped into something "more comfortable" and Picard was putty in her hands!

I'd be putty in her hands too.

Just a note:

I noticed that Deanna Troi is showing a lot more cleavage in this episode than the others preceding this one. In fact...in all episodes following this one, Troi's cleavage gets a lot more "camera time".

(Not that I'm complaining, mind you)

I noticed that Deanna Troi is showing a lot more cleavage in this episode than the others preceding this one.

You only noticed this NOW?????

I'm ashamed of you, John!

I was distracted by the sight of Troi's cleavage. It has a brain-numbing effect on me.

I'm sorry, I must be defective.
I was noticing her hairstyle change. If I didn't already know what happens in the future, I'd suspect she might go to the princess leia look at some point.


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The enterprise hallway lights are turned off. Granted, you can sneak up on your prey better in the dark, but how would either of the delegates be able to turn off the lighting?

Speaking of lighting, I think there's a lot more shadows on the walls and floors in these early episodes than later in the series. As if lighting effects hadn't been perfected.

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At one point you can see the main bridge from inside the captain's ready room and just right of the main viewscreen, the wall looks black, or a dark gray color. Like it's a temp wall piece.

By Torque, Son of Keplar on Saturday, July 05, 2008 - 8:16 pm:
The enterprise hallway lights are turned off. Granted, you can sneak up on your prey better in the dark, but how would either of the delegates be able to turn off the lighting?

'Computer, lights off'

Alternatively the delegates may dislike or be unused to the brightness of the lighting on the Enterprise, in which case the crew may have turned down the lighting to accommodate them. Assuming that this part of the ship is set aside for the delegates. Voyager did the same thing when Aliens complained about the harsh lighting on their ship.

Keith Alan Morgan on Sunday, April 18, 1999 - 07:47 am: Toward the end of the episode, Picard says to the Bridge crew, "As many of you suspected when we passed by the energy cloud we carried away a sentient being." How would Picard know that any of them suspected this, I don't remember any scene where anyone even discussed the possibility. I think the closest anyone came was that they discovered that some presence had taken over Worf and Dr. Crusher, but no one said, "Hey, you don't think that energy cloud had something to do with it, do you?"
Picard and/or the energy creature must have realised that Riker and Crusher had begun to suspect the truth, as this would explain them voicing their concerns over Picard's unusual actions.