Overview of Season 7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation
All Good Things… (Part II)
The Breen ship takes the last few survivors on board, providing medical aid. Reuniting with the remainder of the crew, the senior staff find that many are becoming suspicious of the Breen, accusing them of staging the incident in order to take out the Federation flagship with no repercussions.
Kelly becomes aware of a plan among the other Starfleet crew to take control of the Breen vessel, bringing it to the attention of Captain Picard. Picard informs the Breen commander, who has the offending officers placed under surveillance while en route back to Earth. While it is clear to much of the senior staff that the Breen had no hand in the destruction of the Enterprise, the increased security leads to increased suspicions among the other crew.
Upon returning to Earth Spacedock, Starfleet is shocked to learn of the destruction of the Enterprise, ordering a full investigation into the events that led to it. Picard also makes Starfleet Command aware of the suspicions of his crew, should an incident arise between the Breen crew and his. The Admiralty makes him aware that much of Starfleet holds the same opinion towards the Breen, as their secretive nature makes it difficult to tell their aims.
Some of the Breen crew are cornered by disgruntled members of the Enterprise crew, culminating in a fist fight, which the Breen win handily. Upon hearing of this, and the reasons why, the Breen announce that they will be withdrawing from the research mission, as it is clear that the Breen and Federation cultures are too different to allow for proper scientific exchange.
Picard tries to convince the Breen commander, to no avail. The commander expresses regret that the mission ended this way, but suggests that perhaps the Federation were expecting the Breen to act like them when on the mission, and that secrecy is inherent to the Breen way of life. Returning to Admiral Nechayev, Picard is informed that he will be provided with a new vessel, and that his crew may stay under his command should they wish, but that the vessel will not be completed for another month and a half.
Conscientious Objection
Picard and the rest of the senior crew are summoned to Starfleet Headquarters, where they will be familiarised with their new vessel’s specifications. There, they find that their new vessel will be Sovereign-class, which has only just entered service, and is one of the most powerful vessels yet. The crew compliment will be reduced, in part due to the almost complete removal of civilians on-board. The senior staff clash as Picard supports the increasing militarisation to combat threats like the Borg, while many of the rest object to Starfleet moving away from its exploratory ideals.
The Departed
Picard takes his time away from active duty to undergo a routine medical check, to avoid having to do so on the new ship. While at Starfleet Medical, he encounters Dr. Beverly Crusher, the Enterprise-D’s original Chief Medical officer. Picard tries to apologise that Dr. Crusher’s husband and daughter have now both died under his command, while the rest of the crew prepare to hold a service in Leslie’s memory.
Guest Star: Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
Shakedown
Picard and the rest of the crew return to Earth Spacedock, where he is to be given command of the new USS Enterprise-E. Their first mission is to be a routine patrol of some of the Federation’s inner systems, so that the ship’s performance can be tested, and so that the crew can acquaint themselves with the new vessel. However, while on patrol, the Enterprise runs across a black market trade in progress. Attempts to catch the dealers are complicated by the crew’s lack of familiarity with the new vessel, and glitches in the new systems.
Phantasms
Data begins to experience strange dreams that often end in either him or another member of the crew coming to harm. When the new warp drive refuses to engage, and Data’s begins to hallucinate elements of his dreams and acting erratically, culminating in him attacking Troi, the crew begins to suspect that these events may be related, and that there may be some meaning to Data’s dreams.
Island of Tears
The Enterprise arrives in orbit of a new colony on a planet with an intelligent, but not sapient native species. The planet is notable for containing large amounts of naturally-occurring dilithium. The large crystal lattices produce an energy field, which is being disturbed by the Federation’s mining efforts. When mutations begin to appear in the natives of the planet, the Enterprise finds a link between the dilithium mining and the mutations.
The Pegasus
The Enterprise is ordered to the Romulan Neutral Zone after picking up Admiral Pressman. There, they are informed that they are to either recover or destroy the USS Pegasus, a ship that was thought missing. Riker reveals to Picard that when he was aboard the Pegasus, he helped Pressman escape from mutineers, but is under orders not to discuss the matter further. Picard finds his trust with Riker at risk when it becomes clear that Pressman is trying to hide something.
Limits
The Enterprise is fitted with a new warp core that will supposedly break the Warp 10 barrier, a “speed limit” on the universe. The experimental drive can supposedly reach warp 10.5, a speed that would allow for the Enterprise to cross the Federation’s entire territory in a matter of days, as opposed to months at its previous maximum warp. The drive, however, malfunctions when it approaches Warp 10, causing temporal bleeding effects, where parts of the ship seem to be operating minutes ahead or behind others.
Fare Thee Well
Ensign Kelly and Transporter Chief O’Brien are offered positions on the Federation administered station Deep Space Nine, as Strategic Operations Officer and Chief of Operations respectively. While O’Brien accepts, as it will allow him to raise his daughter in a single location, Kelly has a harder time coming to a decision. Although it would come with a promotion to Lieutenant (junior grade), he is worried about moving away from the relative luxury of the Enterprise. Eventually, he accepts, hoping that it will help him move on from losing Leslie Crusher.
Inheritance
The Enterprise arrives at the planet Altrea IV to assist with efforts to stop an environmental disaster. While there, Data encounters a scientist that claims to be his “mother”, the former wife of Dr. Noonien Soong, his creator. Data is able to verify her claims, and begins to spend time with her. However, when he helps her in an emergency, he finds that she is an android, but unaware of it.
Force of Nature
The Enterprise is sent to investigate the disappearance of the medical ship USS Fleming. While en-route, they encounter a Ferengi vessel that claims to have been attacked by Federation weapons. However, the Enterprise finds that the real attacker were a brother and sister who have disguised mines as navigational buoys. The pair claim that repeated warp travel is damaging space, and that it will eventually destroy their planet. While the crew of the Enterprise disagree with their methods of stopping warp travel, they do find evidence to back up their claims, threatening the future of travel in the galaxy.
Birthright
Data begins dreaming again after an accident, finding it the result of a previously unknown subroutine in his systems. At the same time, while visiting Deep Space Nine, Worf meets a trader who claims that his father did not die at Khitomer, but was captured and is alive in a Romulan prison camp. When Worf arrives at the camp, he is told that his father was killed at Khitomer, but he is prevented from leaving by the Romulan guards, and must try to escape. Back on Deep Space Nine, the crew catch up with Kelly and O’Brien, learning of how they are getting on with their new positions.
Reunion
Captain Picard is invited to a his Starfleet Academy class reunion. While there, he catches up with Marta and Cortin, learning that while he has had a greatly successful career, neither of them have made the same rise through the ranks that he has. While Cortin is envious of Picard, Marta congratulates him. Picard contemplates his relationship with his two old friends following the events of Tapestry, where he saw how things might have gone differently for them.
Prejudices
While visiting a planet near the Cardassian demilitarised zone, a Cardassian officer winds up dead shortly after a confrontation with Lt. Ro. Ro is the only suspect, and her views of Cardassians do not help with the situation. While she is adamant that she has been framed, the Cardassians demand that she be extradited to face trial on Cardassia, where she will certainly be found guilty.
Interface
La Forge, Data and Henderson test a new interface that would allow La Forge to remotely control a probe, allowing them to observe areas that would be too dangerous for most crewmembers to enter. When the testing is complete, La Forge receives a message that his mother’s ship has gone missing, and his mother is presumed dead. La Forge uses the probe to investigate, but soon finds that it is detrimental to his health.
Homeward
The Enterprise receives a distress call from Worf’s brother Nikolai, who is an observer on a primitive planet that is about to undergo an extinction event. When Nikolai plans to save the people of the village he observes, he clashes with Picard over the Prime Directive, and whether it is right to save the people in the village while dooming the rest of the civilisation.
Lower Decks
During personnel evaluations, four junior officers find that their friendships become strained. The evaluations could result in promotions, but two, Lavelle and Sito, find that they are up for the same job. Further strain becomes apparent when all but Lavelle are to be involved with a mission that Levelle is not informed of, and the others refuse to tell him about. Meanwhile, Sito undergoes evaluation, being tested by Worf and Picard.
Gambit
During an archaeological dig, Picard is seemingly murdered. While most of the crew accept that he was killed in a fight, Riker sets about tracking down who it was that murdered him, stumbling upon a trail that leads him to one of the oldest archaeological sites in the quadrant. Riker is captured by mercenaries, who take him to a man called Baran. Picard is shown to be alive, but is seen to be working with Baran. Picard and Riker work together to take out Baran before he can assemble an ancient Vulcan weapon.
A Piece of Reaction
The Enterprise is sent to evaluate the progress of Sigma Iotia II in adopting a more ethical form of government, instead finding that they are now dressing and acting like the crew of the original USS Enterprise, having reverse engineered technology from the tricorder Dr McCoy accidentally left behind. The crew battles as to whether they should change the Iotians, or if the Federation’s interference has done enough damage that they risk increasing by further interference with their culture.
That Which We Manifest
The Enterprise receives a request for asylum by a member of the Alderan species, Halvera. She claims to be a renegade scientist that chose to go against her “regimen”. She reveals that on her planet, the everybody is given a state mandated “regimen”, which dictates what they are to do in life. An Alderan ship arrives, demanding that the Enterprise hand Halvera over. The Alderan species are still pre-warp, but have begun colonising their system. Refusing to hand Halvera over may constitute a breach of the Prime Directive, but most of the crew is opposed to her being refused asylum
Dark Page
Lwaxana Troi returns to the Enterprise, as she is to act as a teacher to a race of telepathic aliens who wish to learn how to speak. When the Ambassador’s daughter falls into a pond on the holodeck, Lwaxana falls into a coma, and Deanna must travel into her mothers mind to rescue her. However, Lwaxana proves resistant, and is clearly trying to hide something from Deanna.
To Thine Own Self Be True
An old friend of Riker and Troi’s, Derrick, comes aboard the ship to help in the provision of aid to his home planet. His planet is a Federation member, and is undergoing an environmental catastrophe, but refuses to accept aid. As Derrick explains the nuances of his culture, the Enterprise tries desperately to help the planet before it is destroyed.
The Mark
After surveying a seemingly barren planet, members of the away team find themselves marked with a strange tattoo. When one of them dies, and the others begin to experience hallucinations and pains, they believe that they have been “marked for death”, and that they must have encountered something on the planet that they did not detect. Stakes are raised when other members of the crew, that were not part of the away team, find the tattoo on them.
Forgiveness (Part I)
The Enterprise is asked to transport Ambassador Chekov to Starbase 315 where he is to oversee the opening of diplomatic relations between the Federation and the Gorvek, a people that he was prisoner of for thirty years.
When he first arrives on the Enterprise, he soon strikes up a friendship with Worf, with them bonding over their Russian heritage and Worf’s admiration of Chekov. On arrival at Starbase 315, things seem to be going well with the Gorvek, and Chekov bears them no enmity over his imprisonment, as he had broken their laws.
However, as the conference continues, things deteriorate when Chekov makes a series of faux pas. At first, these seem innocuous, but Picard begins to suspect that Chekov may be intentionally sabotaging the conference. Picard goes to confront Chekov, but is unable to find him on the station. He then receives an alert that the Enterprise is leaving the station without permission.
Upon hailing the Enterprise, they find that Chekov has commandeered the ship, and is intending to wage a one-man war on the Gorvek as revenge for his imprisonment and torture. Unbeknownst to him, Worf and Ro remain on board the ship, and set about stopping Chekov before he can devastate the Gorvek capital.
Guest Star: Walter Koenig as Ambassador Pavel Chekov