| The Next Generation | |
| 115 | |
| Power Play | |
| 45571.2 | |
The Enterprise is playing ski-patrol again. They have received a distress call from an unexplored moon. The strange thing is that the distress call is coded in a way that hasn't been used in nearly 200 years! There is a record of a ship named Essex disappearing in this sector, and it was of the correct type. As there are massive electrical storms on the moon and the scanners aren't working, Picard says to tell Starfleet that they have solved a mystery and move on. "No" cries Troi, "There is definitely someone down there!". Bollocks. We are supposed to believe yet again, that her empathic powers will let her detect a single life-sign, on a shielded planet, from orbit, when normally she can only manage "I sense tension". Ha!
Since it is too dangerous to beam down, Troi, Data and Riker take a shuttle instead. I hope Riker has big lips because thanks to his piloting they are definitely going down on the planet - and hard! Luckily they all survived the impact with only Riker's broken arm to show for it. Unluckily every piece of equipment on the shuttle was destroyed in the impact, with nothing left to show for it. Yeah right.
Troi is now certain that there are life-signs. "They're here!" she croons as a mystic storm descends upon them. O'Brien beams down in the nick of time with a pattern enhancer to rescue the away team. Actually he doesn't. He beams down just late enough for strange energy aliens to enter himself, Data and Troi. They weren't interested in Riker, and who can blame them?
They don't seem to be any the worse for wear after their experiences, but you have to wonder about Data's loyalties when he takes over the bridge yet again! I feel like a rather famous bowl of petunias: "Oh no, not again!". Clearly the energy aliens have possessed the crew and for what reason we know not! The possessed are finally cornered in 10-Forward and easily defeat Worf and his security detachment in a phaser fight.
Riker finally has a sensible plan: blast in with stun charges, phaser them all and sort out the good from the bad later. Of course they don't go for this option. Instead they want to hit them with a plasma blast, just to hurt them a little, and then capture the aliens. Why not just beam them into space and chalk it up to experience?
Troi claims that she is actually the disembodied spirit of the captain of the Essex. Strike 1. She goes on to say that they didn't really want to hurt anybody, but were forced to action because they needed help. Strike 2, one more and they will be breathing vacuum. She caps off her story by saying that all they want is their mortal remains beamed on board so they can be returned to Earth for a proper burial. Strike 3, and if it wasn't for the fact that they had managed to take full control of the transporters from the pub, they would all be dead. In an amazing turnaround, Picard doesn't actually believe them!
Geordi thinks that if they could construct a GhostBusters Psychic Trap™ they could capture the aliens. Picard offers a swap of himself for the wounded and so gets himself captured. Data finally gets sick of all the waiting and offers Picard the choice of which prisoner will die, and says that if he doesn't choose, they will both be shot. Just in the nick of time Geordi's plasma blast hits them and the aliens leave their hosts. Nope, missed it by that much. Nick should really learn to schedule better!
The Enterprise finally moves to the south polar region and they are given co-ordinates to beam from. Since the scanners don't work, neither will the transporters and so their dastardly plan looks foiled. O'Brien says that he can do it, but he will need direct access to a cargo bay. So off to Cargo Bay 4 they all trot, hand in hand with their hostages. There is one difference between this bay and the others, it can be vented to space...
What gets predictably beamed up is the storm. It isn't a storm at all, it is the souls of a long forgotten prison planet. Now they can possess the ship and roam the galaxy again. Nice try, but a cry of "Hit it Ray" echoes through the bay and a small box opens on the floor. Geordi managed to make a GhostBusters Psychic Trap™ and the lost souls are all caught in it! Since Picard is prepared to die to destroy the foe, the aliens give up their hosts and get beamed back down. Now bring him his brown trousers...
