The Naked Now TNG

The Naked Now is the second episode of Star Trek The Next Generation written by John D.F Black and J. Michael Bingham, directed by Paul Lynch. This story borders on the classic episode "The Naked Time." In 2364, the crew of U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D encounter the distressed science ship S.S. Tsiolkovsky which has been routinely monitoring the collapse of an unstable red giant. A mystery plagues the Tsiolkovsky ship with the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D responding to a series of strange messages confirming something has gone amiss aboard the research vessel.

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The happy Tsiolkovsky crew are determined to have a wild party with frenzied enthusiasm but blow themselves into space when an emergency hatch is blown..... Captain Picard gives the signal for Riker's away team to beam over and establish the facts however, the Tsiolkovsky enigma grows even deeper when Commander Riker reports the entire ship's crew is dead and blown out the airlocks. Captain Picard is shocked to discover eighty people are dead apparently by their very own hands. The science vessel's bridge is open to space and a variant of the Psi 2000 virus has contaminated the Tsiolkovsky which infects the U.S.S. Enterprise-D crew.

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On their return to the U.S.S. Enterprise-D crew members start behaving very strangely. Geordi La Forge is the first to be confined to Sickbay suffering from unusual behaviour and profuse sweating. Picard and Beverly find themselves at the mercy of a virulent virus which spreads like wildfire throughout the flagship USS Enterprise-D. The ship's Chief of Security Tasha Yar abandons her post and seduces the android Mr. Data who informs her he is fully functional and capable of multiple techniques. Data words bring joy and happiness to Tasha ears and a huge smile to her face. Its Datas lucky day!

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The mind twister here is how did the virus get past the Enterprise transporter "maximum decontamination" filtering systems? Commander Riker and Data launch an investigation into the old U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701 historical records and discover a reference that can cause water molecules to mutate into an alcohol substance. Picard's crew are acting weird because they're drunk!



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The Enterprise NCC 1701-D crew are spreading the intoxication virus throughout their Federation starship through human contact with each other. Mr. Data retrieves a cure from the ships computer records but when Chief Medical Officer, Dr Beverly Crusher replicates the Psi 2000 medicine, it has no effect. To make matters even worse a drunk Wesley is playing captain in Main Engineering and has sabotaged bridge control of the engines placing the U.S.S. Enterprise in grave danger....

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The U.S.S.Enterprise-D's plight deepens when we learn the ship is paralysed and in the direct line of fire from an expanding red giant star which collapses into a white dwarf spewing stellar core matter towards it. Meanwhile Riker deactivates Wesley's repulser beam blocking the door to Engineering and reports to the bridge. Someones pulled out all the Isolinear Chips that control the ships propulsion systems.



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Why did Commander Riker expend so much time bypassing Wesleys repulser contraption? Logic dictated he should have just beamed into Engineering with Mr Data in tow.....*except* It was Wesley's idea to use Data to replace the isolinear chips which saved the entire ship from disaster! Actually I was surprised how natural the crusher boy performs in this episode. Data's knowledge of the Enterprise systems allows Wesley to use his "repulser beam" instead of engaging the ships tractor beam which was offline.


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The U.S.S. Enterprise-D is launched away from the Tsiolkovsky in time for viewers to see the stellar core matter pulverize the oberth class starship and blow it to smithereens with a huge KABOOM! The Enterprise-D gains enough velocity and time to escape because Data reactivated the engines isolinear chips. Data played by Brent Spiner is the top man in this episode. It was fun watching the "android" smiling too and his conversation with Captain Picard on the bridge added a nice human touch all round, considering Data was drunk too from the strange water molecules!"




"If you prick me do I not bleek?"

"There was a woman from Venus whose body was shaped like a........"

"Thankyou Mr Data!"

Live Long and Prosper, Trekkers and Trekkies

Encounter at Farpoint TNG

Encounter at Farpoint is the two hour premiere of Star Trek The Next Generation written by Gene Roddenberry and Dorothy Fontana. The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D swings by Deneb IV to collect reinforcements on its way to the mysterious Farpoint Station. But all is not what it seems when humanity is placed on trial by the Omnipotent Q entity who baits Captain Picard to answer for the multiple and grievous savagery of humanity. The bridge crew find themselves fighting for their lives in a chamber of horrors with Q as Judge, Jury and Executioner! Picard challenges Q to test the Enterprise crew and judge how far humans have evolved.

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Picard's mission is twofold. Satisfy Q humans are no longer savages and establish what is behind the mystery of Farpoint. The mind twister here is where did the undisciplined leader "Groppler" get the technological tools and skill to build such a fascinating station? Captain Picard orders Riker to investigate the Bandi on the planet below who are negotiating admission to the Federation. The Farpoint's enigma deepens when counsellor Troi senses deep emotional distress within the walls of the new city with intense anger from a strange spaceship creature in outerspace.

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Picard and Troi realise just in the nick of time whats happening. The Enterprise places itself between the spaceship creature to quell its angry emotional outbursts directed at the old Bandi city. But why is this interstellar alien so cheesed off? We soon learn that the outerspace lifeform was in fact rushing to the aid of the "Farpoint Station" making Riker suspicious. Meanwhile Q is strutting around taunting Picard, doing his level best to bait him into making mistakes with ambitions of exposing the savage impulses of humans, except Q's masterplan backfires. The captain doesn't buckle under pressure who instead tells Security Chief Tasha Yar to direct an energy beam at the "Farpoint Station."

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All is revealed when viewers witness the Farpoint Station transforming itself into an alien creature capable of spaceflight. The thing lifts off! Freed from captivity and re-energized, the creature achieves higher orbit and reunites with its twin reducing the lovely Counsellor Troi to weepy tears of joy!

Its fun watching Q swallow his Omnipotent pride and admit defeat in the face of a victorious Picard, who secretly must have enjoyed having the final word.  "Get off my bridge". yells Picard triumphantly.
"I do so only because it pleases it me, Picard" admits a deeply wounded Q who gets his butt kicked off the bridge.

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The space creatures are extremely grateful and wave goodbye to the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D and their crew. You've got to admit, Troi and Riker communicating telepathically is a bit weird but this is vintage Star Trek TNG. Its hilarious seeing Counsellor "Commander" Deana Troi in her cheerleader's costume but doesn't she look great?

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Star Trek's TNG pilot has its moments with Deanna changing many times later on in the series and the Crusher boy taking a dip into a stream on the Holodeck and surviving. It must be strangely satisfying for "Wesley Haters" seeing him looking like a drowned rat.... To be fair the geekster has his moments.




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Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy cameo appearance from Star Trek TOS was kept a really big secret during the shoot as a special treat for trek fans. His characters name isn't even mentioned in the script or dialogue! Good ol' Bones, The Admiral makes a special trip out to the middle of the sticks aboard the U.S.S. Hood but for a very good reason. He chats briefly with Data giving fans a nostalgic "McCoy flashback" with our good ol' Enterprise Chief Medical Officer, putting the brand new USS Enterprise-D through her paces obviously for personal reasons. Admiral "Bones" gives the Enterprise his best and official send off expediting the starship into the great unexplored mass of the galaxy.




"Well it's a new ship - but she's got the right name. Now you remember that, you hear?"

Live Long and Prosper, Trekkies, Niners and Trekkers.

Star Trek Wallpapers

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Image Owner/Creator: Tobias Richter

I enjoy looking at Tobias Richter's Star Trek wallpapers from "Light Works." The galaxies greatest starships have been transformed into hyper comic 3d visuals bursting with creative imagination. I just wish I could be there! These Star Trek starships are an amazing feat of engineering in high resolution wallpapers. You've done Scotty proud, Tobias. Sciencefictionstuff put me wise to these stunning Federation battle cruisers seeking out new life forms and commanding a peaceful military presence along the Federation Neutral Zone. Federation Officers do look mighty fine in their Starfleet uniforms aboard their spaceships, but the word peace just doesn't sit well with the Klingons and Romulans..... or does it?
Thanks Tobias!




Scotty: "Captain, we're doing it. We're pulling away!"
Captain Kirk:" What happened?"
Scotty: "It's no good, sir. Only a few systems responding. Captain, we pulled away a little, we gained ... maybe an hour ... but we blew almost every system in the ship doing it. There's nothing left to try again. I guess you'll have to fire me, sir."
Captain Kirk: "Scotty, You're fired. 400 people ..."
Dr McCoy: "Jim ..."
Captain Kirk: "They'll die because I couldn't see a warning sign. I had to follow orders, always orders."




U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701 and U.S.S. Reliant NCC-1864. Image Owner/Creator: Tobias Richter

Khan: "Aah, Kirk my old friend... Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold, in space..."




U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-E. Image Owner/Creator: Tobias Richter

Captain Picard: "No! No! I will not sacrifice the Enterprise. We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!"




U.S.S. Reliant NCC 1864. Image Owner/Creator: Tobias Richter

Khan: "I'll chase him around the Antares maelstrom and round Nibia and round Perdition's Flame before I give him up!"




U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-A and Klingon Bird of Prey.
Image Owner/Creator: Tobias Richter

Klingon Kruge:"We may have dealt him a more serious blow than I thought."

Klingon Torg: "How can you tell that?"

Klingon Kruge: "I trust my instincts."

Klingon Kruge: "Admiral Kirk. This is your opponent speaking. Do not lecture me about treaty violations. The Federation, in creating an ultimate weapon, has become a gang of Intergalactic criminals. It is not I who will surrender, it is you. On the planet below, I have three prisoners from the team who developed your doomsday weapon. If you do not surrender immediately, I will execute them, one at a time, as enemies of galactic peace."



U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D. Image Owner/Creator: Tobias Richter

Captain Jean Luc Picard: "Oh, fascinating. Twenty particles of space dust per cubic meter, 52 ultraviolet radiation spikes, and a class-2 comet. Well, this is certainly worthy of our attention.

"The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth... whether its the scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based."



U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656. Image Owner/Creator: Tobias Richter

Captain Kathryn Janeway: Oh, you're wrong Tuvoc. It's much more than that. This ship has been our home. It's kept us together. It's been part of our family. As illogical as this might sound, I feel as close to Voyager as I do to any other member of my crew. It's carried us, Tuvok - even nurtured us. And right now, it needs one of us.

Tuvoc: I respect your decision.


Live Long and Prosper! Trekkies.