Summary[]
The Enterprise is scanned by an alien ship. The scan selectively wipes out personal memories from the crew's minds and all personnel data from the computer. The crew can't remember their names and their functions, so the most noticeably decorated Worf assumes command, while Data decides he's the bartender in Ten Forward just because he is standing there.
Unaware of the fact that they are at odds in real life, Ro and Riker engage in a brief affair. After Geordi's repairs the ship's computer comes up with the crew's names. All of them, including First Officer Kieran MacDuff, assume their normal posts again. Their mission, according to the computer, is to destroy the Lysian Central Command. When it is discovered that none of the Lysian weapons are a match for the Enterprise, Picard becomes suspicious.
McDuff tries to seize command, and when he is stunned by a phaser blast it is discovered that he is actually a Satarran spy. He has used the Enterprise in an effort to defeat the Lysians, who are at war with the Satarrans.
Errors and Explanations[]
The Nitpicker's Guide
Next Generation Trekkers
Volume 2[]
Plot Oversights[]
- 'MacDuff' not using his memory eraser on the Lysians. They may possess a natural immunity.
- 'MacDuff' not making himself captain. He needed Picard to lead the mission in order to act as a scapegoat. Alternatively, MacDuff might fear he lacks sufficient knowledge and experience to act convincingly as the captain, especially during combat engagements. Suspicions as to his true identity might arise or doubts concerning his mental state.
- 'MacDuff' not bringing more of his people onboard. There was only room for one person in his ship, and he needs the exsisting crew's knowledge of the various systems.
Equipment Oddities[]
- La Forge being able to operate the computer, despite claims that there is no working interface. He may have been able to restore the interface system.
Nit Central[]
- Spockania on Monday, December 04, 2000 - 9:25 am: Here's an odd nit... for some reason MacDuff and Riker decided, once they discovered their ranks, that they were in the wrong seats for some reason. In the beginning of the episode, when the crew lose their memories, Riker is still sitting to Picard's right and we are suddenly introduced to MacDuff on the captain's left. At the end of the episode MacDuff is on the captain's right and Riker on his left. Now it is true that normally we see the #2 officer to the captain's right, but... how would they know that with their memories gone? Seniram Natural instinct? Strgzr 47 on Thursday, March 22, 2001 - 12:13 pm: It kinda makes sense for the XO to be on the Captain's right hand.
- JAM on Tuesday, July 03, 2001 - 12:11 am: I don't know if this is mentioned in the nitpickers guides, but Mac Duff has crew quarters and everything made for him? It seems a little odd that the beam would have time to allocate him a nice room. LUIGI NOVI on Tuesday, July 03, 2001 - 4:12 am: The Satarrans could've beamed manufactured belongings into an empty crew quarters at the moment they wiped the crew's memories. (Not that this makes the plot any more plausible as a whole, but that seems to be the least of its holes.) Seniram Either that or he allocated himself a ready furnished set of quarters while using the beam on the crew's memories.
- Troi beats Data at chess? Given that current computer chess programs can beat you in no time flat, and Data is way more sophisticated, is this even remotely believable? She was able to outwit Data by using an unexpected move.
- The crew manifest seen in this episode when the crew rediscover their identities gives Worf’s Academy entrance date as 2357. Since Worf was six at the Khitomer Massacre, as mentioned in Heart of Glory and The Bonding, and the Massacre was twenty years prior to Sins of the Father, and that episode was set in 2366, then Worf was born in 2340, and was therefore, seventeen years old upon entering the Academy. (All of these dates are corroborated by The Star Trek Chronology and The Star Trek Encyclopedia.) Obviously, the guy who wrote the manifest info assumed that all people enter the Academy at 17 or 18, but why would a Klingon, Worf, wait that long? Apparently, he forgot to take into account the fact that Klingons grow very fast, as evidenced by Alexander, who is chronologically 2 by this episode, yet physically 10 by Earth standards, and he’s one quarter human! Alex goes on to look physically 16-18 by the time of Sons and Daughters (DS9), when he is chronologically 8. This means Worf could’ve entered the Academy when he was as young as 8 or 9, since the speed at which a Trek alien can learn and assimilate information (i.e.: progress through school) is generally commensurate with their growth rate, as evidenced by both Alexander, who was in a grade level appropriate for an Earth child of his apparent age, not his chronological age, and serving in the Klingon military at age 8, rather than in third grade, and Kes, from Voyager, who, at age 2 and 3, was learning how to be a nurse, not sleeping in crib wearing a diaper. So why did Worf wait so long? What was he doing for those 8 or 9 years? Don't forget Worf was raised by humans from the chronological age of 6, and would have needed to graduate from high school first.
- When MacDuff’s true identity and agenda is revealed, Riker uses a phaser on him. Since when does Riker carry one on the bridge? Sure is a good thing he had one this time! Perhaps he decided to carry one due to the new orders, in case the enemy tried to seize the bridge.
- Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Thursday, July 26, 2001 - 4:37 am: Shouldn't the Holodeck safeties have kept the woman from hurting herself? According to the later episode Descent it requires 2 Officers to override the safeties. (Then again, maybe that rule was created after this episode?) Duke of Earl Grey on Thursday, July 26, 2001 - 4:50 pm: The same could be said about O'Brien's frequent shoulder displacements. Holodeck safeties protect people from the objects it creates (bullets, Borg, etc.), but that doesn't mean people can't get hurt in the holodeck. I don't remember the nature of the young lady's holodeck accident, and therefore can't comment upon that, but if the accident was caused by something she did, maybe the holodeck couldn't adapt to protect her. When O'Brien gets hurt, he apparently pops his own shoulder out of joint. What if he paddled at the wrong angle, or something? Could the holodeck do anything for him? I think not. Lolar Windrunner on Thursday, July 26, 2001 - 5:41 pm: Agreed. Holodeck safeties protect you from the effects of bullets and cars (leading to potentially cartoon like effects.) But it cannot protect you from your own overexertions. So a mounted knight couldn't kill you but falling off your horse could bruise and batter you. I'm not quite sure how the deck would react if you did pull a coyote and walked off the edge of a cliff but it might depend on the program. I.e you bounce or just go splat but with some minor bruising instead of becoming jello.
- There is no verbal interface for the computer, then a few minutes later, with no mention that it has been fixed, Riker, Ro and La Forge get on a turbolift. With no verbal interface how are they going to get it to work? There may be a non verbal interface for emergencies.
- Satarrans must have exceptional medical and computer knowledge to come up with a device capable of affecting all those different brains the same and also reprogramming Data and the Ship's computers. With medical knowledge like that why not just develop a poison and dump it on the Lysian Homeworld? They may not have the means to deploy it without putting themselves at risk.
- Actually, by involving the Federation in their war, the Sataarans probably nullified the Prime Directive. So the Federation could send a fleet of ships to the Sataaran command post and demand that they surrender to the Lysians. nblackestnight on Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 4:02 pm: I didn't think of that! The Satarrans attacked a Federation ship and crew, essentially forced them to destroy a Lysian battleship, and almost killed more than 15,000 additional Lysians. I would think SF has every right to intervene in this war.