Just after Ishara Yar beams down, there is a 10-second riff of music played while we see the Enterprise-Dand then Riker; listen closely,and you'll recognize it as a part of the opening theme of 'Star Trek: Voyager'! Interesting, as this episode is years before the debut of 'Voyager', and the music was created by Dennis McCarthy, while the 'Voyager' theme is from Jerry Goldsmith.

The McCarthy of our time, having heard the Voyager theme, went back in time and altered history by adding that theme to the earlier episode.

It was part of his plan to bring a lawsuit against Goldsmith and make extra cash. Fortunately, the Enterprise crew was able to stop his and save the universe, but that footprint still remains.

In this episode, Picard says that when he first met Tasha Yar she was rescuing a fellow crewman from a mine field. He said that that incident was what prompted him to request Tasha to be assigned to the Enterprise ("Her captain owed me a favor"). However, "All Good Things..." clearly indicates that Tasha was already on board the Enterprise when Picard took over the captaincy. In fact, she was already security chief. They even make it pretty clear that the two were meeting for the first time when she shuttled him to the ship.

The only way this would work is if Picard had command of a starship between the Stargazer and the Enterprise. It's even possible (and this would make a good story for a novel or flashback story) that Picard was given some dangerous assignment to the planet where he saw Tasha in action. Perhaps she was there on some mission, and her ship was destroyed while she and her away team were on the planet, and for some reason, Picard was available, so they said to him, "Look, we don't have time to assign this to another captain/you're familiar with the planet/with the enemy/with the class of ship we're assigning to this mission, etc., [fill in the rationale]." This was only a temporary command for Picard, and sometime afterward, he was given the Enterprise, perhaps in part, because of his performance on the rescue mission.

As for the notion that the shuttle ride in All Good Things was Picard and Tasha's first meeting, what dialogue in that scene established such a thing?

Besides, you have to remember that that past timeline was one contrived by Q for the purpose of testing Picard in that episode, and as such, certain things took place in it that in fact DID NOT occur in Encounter at Farpoint, and DID NOT get added to the new timeline at the end of the episode (because no one in the latter time periods recalled such events), and that everything was "back to normal" at episode's end.

On page 262 of the NextGen Guide II, Phil correctly pointed out that Data's knowing how the trick was done doesn't nullify the bet. However, after stunning Riker with this how to, Data says, "Under the circumstances, I believe the pot belongs to me." (Not an exact quote, but I believe that is the gist of it.) Riker sits there too stunned to realize that Data lost the bet. In other words, Riker was tricked into believing that Data won. (Who says androids can't bluff?)

If Data knew how the trick was done, then why did he seem surprised that it was his card?

With a whole planet to crash on, why aim an escape pod at the colony of an unfriendly planet? For that matter why did they even go into the Turkana system?

Throughout the show they keep referring to THE colony, and yet when the society broke down the colonists seemed to have three options: escape the planet; get killed; or join a gang, but wouldn't it have been a lot simpler to just abandon the city and build a log cabin far, far away?

Why would the DNA comparison take `a few hours?' It can't be the actual comparison since they would only compare the DNA of two known individuals. If they ran Ishara's DNA against the whole Federation DNA database, then I could see it taking a few hours, but all they had to do was call up Tasha's DNA and compare. Possibly the few hours could be how long it would take for the computer to scan Ishara's DNA, but it seems to me that they have gotten pretty extensive results from quicker scans before. In Bloodlines Dr. Crusher takes a sample of Jason Vigo's DNA and in a minute or two mentions that his DNA is a mix of Miranda Vigo and Jean-Luc Picard's DNA.

Is it standard procedure to leave someone from an anti-Federation planet all alone with access to a Bridge Station?

During the rescue, after blasting down the door, the Away Team walks on the fallen door and it bends very easily. Not the sort of door one would expect to be used to imprison people behind.

On page 262 of the NextGen Guide II, Phil commented that sending Ishara back to the planet without her proximity detector would allow her to slip into enemy territory and finish the job she started. However, the Enterprise made another mistake that would help the Coalition, that 1.6 kilometer hole that leads to the lower levels. All the Coalition has to do is dig the remaining 400 meters and they could attack where the Alliance would least expect it.

KAM: "Under the circumstances, I believe the pot belongs to me." (Not an exact quote, but I believe that is the gist of it.)

Luigi Novi: They exact line was "Under the circumstances..."

WHY didn't SOMEONE monitor Ishara's message to the planet surface?

Troi must have been napping. She failed to sense that Ishara was deceiving everyone about her true intentions. (Either that, or she was thinking about me and got distracted )

Na, she just read the scpipt and found out she wasent supossed to notice :D

Does anyone remember Beth Toussaint from a Jack In The Box commercial that came out maybe a year or two before this ep first aired? I do and was struck by how totally hot she was in it (high cheekbones and a squarish jaw signifies to me a strong personality and intelligence, which I find very attractive in women--oh, and those full, luscious lips of hers, too!), especially at the end when she cocked her left eyebrow (in a none-too-subtle Vulcan way, come to think of it). She wore the same hairstyle, too. I even noticed she sort of cocked the same eyebrow in this ep when I saw it today, but I forget which scene. I tell ya she sure wore that tight fitting outfit very nicely! Yes, the same one Phil referred to as "really tight...which show off every curve", and boy does it!

Another actor I remember from a JITB ad from about the same time is John Corbett, who stars in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. All I remember from his ad is at the end him saying something like, "I've got my burger, my fries and my Coke. I'm a happy man."

I got my burgers, my fries, and my coke, and I'm happy too!

I got my burgers, my fries, and my coke, and believe you me, honey, with the kinda coke I got, I'm waaaaaaaay happier than you two!

Did you happen to get a receipt?

Sure. $730,000,000.00 of 'em.

Christopher Michael (Lieutenant) plays Detective (now Captain) Michaels on the drama "7th Heaven."

Some of the weapons used in this episode looked like Klingon pain sticks; what tactical advantage would weapons shaped like that offer? Attempting to add to the suspense, the first Alliance guy shot by Ishara still had the strength to set the alarm off, even when her phaser was set to kill.

Anyone else think Beth Toussiant bears a close resemblance to Linda Hamilton? She could have been cast in Terminator 3 without missing a beat; they then wouldn't have had to kill off Sarah Connor. Nick Stahl, by the way, looks nothing like an older Edward Furlong.

Yeah, but Linda Hamilton's twin sister bears an even stronger resemblance to her, which is why she appeared as Sarah Conner in that dream sequence with the playground in T2.

Linda Hamilton's twin sister Leslie also played the T-1000 in the sequence where the T-1000 morphs into Sarah Connor. That film is Leslie's only acting credit, btw. Yes, she could have taken the role in T3, if Linda Hamilton had turned it down. It's possible that her divorce from James Cameron (partly due to his affair with Suzy Amis on the set of Titanic) soured her on doing any more Terminator films, and Leslie may not have wanted to take the role, due to loyalty to her sister.

Jill Hennesy's twin sister Jacqueline subbed for her on at least one episode of Law & Order.

No way! I knew Hennessy had a twin, but I didn't know she did any acting too.

As for Leslie, T3 wasn't made by Cameron, was it?

Here's the bio for Jacqueline Hennessy. She's a writer, who had hosted a Canadian medical show. (Both Hennessy sisters are Canadian.) Every time I see that episode of Law & Order that Jacqueline subbed for her sister, I forget to look for the switcheroo.

And no, James Cameron had nothing to do with T3.

Adam Bomb: Both Hennessy sisters are Canadian.
Luigi Novi: LOL. Well, um, yeah it kinda goes without saying when they're twins.

At one point, the Enterprise fires its Phasers onto the planet surface to dig a tunnel for beaming.

Wouldn't such an act arrouse suspicion that a rescue attempt was underway?

I'm surprised the hostages were found alive after all that!

Prime Directive Violation (Maybe)

The Enterprise departed without reinstalling Ishara's magnetic chip. Without it, she can no longer be detected by the planetary sensors. Therefore, she may yet again try and blow up the generator...which would make the Federation responsible.

"If Data knew how the trick was done, then why did he seem surprised that it was his card?" - KAM

Data was only able to examine the card at close range after (in a piost-tumbed state) he 'found' it in the deck, thus discovering Riker's subtrefuge.

And yes, those chips should be Riker's. He did as he promised- methodology of how he'd make Data help him or how he'd find it was not discussed. Riker's trick fulfilled both requirements.

(You know what else would have? "Now, Mr. Data, as your superior officer, I order you to take this deck and find that card." He would've located the card, AND had Data help him! :-) As for the chips, under THOSE circumstances, however...)

The fusion reactor appears to have a 20th century PC keyboard with no visible display as it's interface.