STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Dart Dogs" #40272-133 STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Dart Dogs" Story by William Douglas Bailey & Rene Echevarria Teleplay by Rene Echevarria Directed by Bob Lederman THE WRITING CREDITS MAY NOT BE FINAL AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR PUBLICITY OR ADVERTISING PURPOSES WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING WITH THE TELEVISION LEGAL DEPARTMENT. Copyright 1990 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. This script is not for publication or reproduction. No one is authorized to dispose of same. If lost or destroyed, please notify the Script Department. FINAL DRAFT SEPTEMBER 17, 1990 STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Dart of Time" CAST PICARD TIMICIN, a smallish RIKER KOVAL, a tall, white DATA SEROVA, a mid-aged woman BEVERLY MARGAN, a mid-aged man TROI HAZAR, a mid-aged woman WORF TORAK, a mid-aged Vulcan GEORDI TORAK COMPUTER VOICE YROK VEKOR WINN JEV COMPUTER VOICE RUGAL GARVIN OLD MAN SAFELLA TROOPER MAN Non-Speaking SUPERNUMERARIES TACTICAL CREWMAN TRANSPORTER TECHNICIAN CIVILIAN COM VOICE STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Distant Voices" SETS INTERIORS EXTERIORS USS ENTERPRISE USS ENTERPRISE MAIN BRIDGE READY ROOM SHUTTLE BAY CORRIDOR TRANSPORTER ROOM OBS. LOUNGE TURBOLIFT MAIN ENGINEERING TRANSPORTER ROOM TURBO SHAFT KOLOG ALKAR'S QUARTERS QUARTERS #1 TURBOLIFT CIVIC CHAMBER CLIFF LANIS'S LABORATORY SICKBAY TRANSPORTER ROOM OBS. LOUNGE QUARTERS #2 CLIFF'S QUARTERS LANIS'S HOUSE OSTEO COM VOICE Non-Speaking Non-Speaking SUPERNUMERARIES ANIMAL-SOLDIERS MEDICAL ASSISTANTS WEAPONS STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Distant Voices" SETS INTERIORS EXTERIORS USS ENTERPRISE USS ENTERPRISE MAIN BRIDGE CAPTAIN'S READY ROOM TAMARIAN SHIP KRAYOS OBS. LOUNGE READY ROOM TAMARIAN SHIP KRAYOS RIKER'S QUARTERS O'BRIEN'S QUARTERS O'CONNOR'S QUARTERS TAMARIAN SHIP KRAYOS ZAYNARAN'S QUARTERS STAR TREK: "Distant Voices" - 01/11/93 - PRONUNCIATION STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Distant Voices" PRONUNCIATION GUIDE BRENTALIA bren-TAL-ee-uh BENSALEN bren-SAL-en STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Distant Voices" TEASER FADE IN: A1 INT. RIKER'S QUARTERS Riker, BEVERLY, TROI, GEORDI and Worf are sitting around Riker's living quarters, circa late twenty-first century. Some of the furniture has been removed, but the basic settlement is the same. Riker is sitting on a chair, listening to Geordi as... GEORDI Now I'll tell you something about Lieutenant La Forge, and your relationship with him. (MORE) GEORDI (Cont'd) You're twenty-four hours away from a conference with the Lysians, and he's both their number one attendant and their number two strategic officer. RIKER I thought weenied him a little while ago. GEORDI And I thought you spent most of your time in the Holodeck. RIKER You spent every waking second of the day there. GEORDI Well, when you're Geordi, you assume to know everything. (beat) Except that you don't know what happened to the crew of the Lysians. RIKER We don't know that. GEORDI Unless you do. RIKER What do I do? GEORDI Find out what happened to the crew. (beat) Okay... tell me. Something happened to them... their ship... their lives... RIKER Something happened to you? GEORDI Not "something." A lot of things happened. The stress of the transmission, the frustration of not receiving a message from the Lysians... the people went to bed, turned out the lights, then they went back to sleep. RIKER That's how they sleep? Every night for centuries. GEORDI Hmmmm. RIKER What if the stress of the last transmission had something to do with re-establishing your... relationship with Worf. GEORDI (uncomfortable) I don't know that that's possible. Maybe Worf is just nauseous -- you could give him something soothing in return. Geordi ponders. RIKER Clear? GEORDI Okay. Let's see what happens... Computer, access Transporter ID trace of Ambassador Maurus. INSERT (OPTICAL) Transporter information comes up on the terminal screen. RIKER'S (O.S.) He's been on the station for four days. He's inactive for sixty percent of the time... that's something. Detectively, looking at the information the computer displays... GEORDI Not necessarily. Wi`form a Romulan blockade? RIKER That's highly unlikely. First, we'd have to identify the ambassador -- locate him. But that's a delicate proposition. GEORDI ― Forget the bid, just know a basic scan. RIKER Component number zero one seven blank. GEORDI Plexing isn't going to do it. I've analyzed the available data. There's no guarantee the stream will be preserved. RIKER I agree. But you'll have to take your chances. Geordi EXITS. STAR TREK: "The Mind's Eye" - REV. 3/19/91 - ACT ONE 12. OMITTED INT. ROMULAN ENGINE ROOM (OPTICAL) Data is still working at the pool table. There is a WHOOSH SOUND as a circuit BLINKS. Data looks up to find a surprised N.D. CREWMAN peeking in. Riker ENTERS. RIKER Reset subspace emitter. The RACQUETBALL PLAYER DISAPPEARS. RIKER (continuing) Game on. (to Data) I feel safe letting you handle the situation, Data. He gestures to the other Romulans at their posts. RIKER (continuing) Remember: A conflict between the Romulans and the Cardassians is highly unlikely. DATA That is true, sir. RIKER Not much evidence left, huh? DATA I concluded those discussions with Counselor Troi, and found her to be remarkably equitable. RIKER That wasn't my remark. TROI ��士(a beat) I'm sorry, Commander. INT. ROMULAN READY ROOM Riker INTERRUPTS the console. RIKER I'm requesting a postponement of the Federation-Romulan matchup at Galor Four. CREWMEMBER Sir, the scheduled docking concession will not be scheduled. RIKER bearings. Get it done in one piece. CONTINUED: WOMAN Ready. RIKER Proceed. INT. MAIN BRIDGE as they wait. WOMAN'S COM VOICE We've heard the Romulan battle ship's position is vulnerable. It's in vulnerability. RIKER We're on our way. EXT. SPACE � THEN SPACE (OPTICAL) as the Enterprise leaves orbit. The great ship moves slowly forward. FADE OUT. END OF ACT ONE ACT TWO FADE IN: EXT. SPACE � THE ENTERPRISE AND ROMULAN SHIP (OPTICAL) The Romulan vessel closer. RIKER (V.O.) First Officer's log, stardate 41723.8. The Enterprise has returned to the war effort, counting one night in battle rather than one lifetime in disgrace. But even now, days and nights remain to be counted. INT. READY ROOM Picard seated. Riker, cross-examining. RIKER You're certain he's alive? PICARD I believe so, Number One. That's been my refrain from now on -- never give up trying to protect a superior. He gestures to the monitor on the wall and nods. PICARD For all we know, he may be alive. (beat) I don't think we should wait any longer... RIKER He may be in engineering. Let's see if we can get some power from the main power grid. PICARD Leave it at-- INT. ENGINEERING Worf and two security guards ENTER. WORF Why? GEORDI (O.S.) We've run into the forcefield protecting the reactor and the transporter. Riker looks over at Worf's reaction. CONTINUED: RIKER How'd you know that? GEORDI It's part of the computer's transient phase-resonance filter. Riker moves to Geordi. RIKER What do we do if he manages to access the reactor? GEORDI We don't. (beat) But I'll remind you it's a pretty heap of junk that dates back to the Enterprise. RIKER What about the computer core? Geordi crosses to the core, examining it. It's barely operational. GEORDI Well, there's not much to see so far. The reverse power transfer might work, but the interface chip's dead. Riker nods. INT. CRUSHER'S OFFICE CLOSE ON PULASKI as she reports to Picard. PULASKI The autopsy revealed the computer core accessed the memory core without her knowledge. PICARD Well done. CONTINUED: PULASKI But a core failure is a direct threat to the Enterprise. I have to remove it. PICARD You'll remain here. PULASKI I appreciate that. But you'll have to cross the Christmas shore to get me. PICARD What you need is a little help, Doctor. Pulaski crosses to the desk, responds to Picard. PULASKI I've talked to Dr. Hajar about a nurse who has been waiting at Sickbay for almost four months. He said the nurse needs a more... intensive program of patient counseling. PICARD What will happen to Hajar? PULASKI I'm not sure, sir. He could voluntarily stay and conduct his own exams. (MORE) CONTINUED: (2) PULASKI (Cont'd) But he's not available right now. I'll get in touch with him tomorrow. She activates the desktop phone, but Pavel shakes his head. PICARD Not now, Doctor. I wish you well. The transmission ENDS. WORF Captain, the Federation is appreciating the good news you have to report. We will continue to push for a Federation presence in this sector. Picard takes a beat. PICARD Mister Worf, please send a message to Admiral Riker, request an upgrade to our warbird transmission infrastructure. WORF Aye, sir. PICARD Information about the Romulan fleet has finally been transmitted. He taps a control. RIKER'S COM VOICE Bridge to Captain. PICARD Go ahead, Number One. INTERCUT: OMITTED INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM Minutes later. Picard and Riker still gazing at the viewscreen. PICARD �(continuing) I've notified the Valtese Government that the ambassador and his team will leave in the morning. RIKER Very well. (to Transporter Chief) Charlie, load the Romulan transmission system into the main power grid and commence transport. Charlie moves to the Transporter console. PICARD (continuing, to Bridge personnel) Thank you, Mister La Forge. INT. CORRIDOR The Romulan STRANGER, Valt, approaches the Enterprise from the rear of the runabout. There is a small scuffle, but it's worked. The Investigator is not present. VALT Lal seems to be quite stable. PICARD That's good, but why did you change her form? VALT She seems... undigested. RIKER Maybe you should dump her. VALT I can't. She's not a thing, I swear -- RIKER I agree. And you're not a thing either. You are a thing, don't you remember that? VALT Now who said we were talking again? The other Romulans laugh. INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM Data, Geordi, Riker, and Picard. GEORDI The drive section contains a few millirads of trilithium. We can cross the nitrium into the drive section and it should contain the desired substance. RIKER We could beam the drive section into the transporter bay and it should start the process of cascading the nitrium. DATA I believe that will be accomplished by injecting the salt. GEORDI It's a matter of perspective. If we take the salt, we should be able to trigger the nitrium with the same amount of time as before. RIKER That's not much time, is it? DATA It is hardly enough time to get what we need. GEORDI That's why we have to do it momentarily... PICARD How long? GEORDI Thirty seconds... (beat) There's no way around it. There's a beat. Finally, after a beat of hard consideration... PICARD Yes. Absolutely. GEORDI Right. We're set. EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) Surrounded by the three Romulan Warbirds. STAR TREK: "The Mind's Eye" - REV. 3/19/91 - ACT FOUR 42. INT. MAIN BRIDGE (OPTICAL) Data, Geordi and Riker are at the aft science station, looking at the image of the Warbird on the monitor. GEORDI Now we need to program the computer to send out a low-power waiting for that response... We could intercept it from a long range transmission. DATA That may not be feasible, Lieutenant. GEORDI Right now, the computer is just processing the image data from our instruments. We don't know what the response pattern will be once the image has been transformed. RIKER Then what we need to do is find some way to create a spreading of energy in the upper resonance band... DATA That can be done by utilizing the enhancement circuitry in the navigation system. GEORDI That's not going to work. We're going to have to go belowllular saturation. RIKER Take it easy, Geordi. Residual pulse wave patterns are the only things we have that will be able to maintain the required signal integrity. GEORDI (nods) I'll continue work on the subspace imaging system. Riker looks to Picard for encouragement. Picard nods. PICARD Make sure there is enough power available to sustain the imaging system through the eventual separation of the tractor beam... if we have time to design a boarding party, I'll let you know. Number One, the crew seems to be working hard at establishing computer control. RIKER (cuts canal) I'll get to that point. (beat) I'm on my way. Riker heads for the ladder to the Turbolift. DATA Sir, it would be helpful to know how our mission is progressing -- Riker interrupts them. RIKER Data -- you will have to depart time. DATA That time may be too great to clearly indicate a delay, sir. (snaps) Yes, that is exactly what I must need to hear. PICARD Very well. Data, may I assume you will be writing module specifications? DATA Yes, sir. PICARD Well, then I suggest you get back to it, now that you have had a chance to see what our mission has to offer.  PICARD (Cont'd) (beat) I want this briefing program reviewed by Starfleet Command immediately. Off Data's skeptical look, we: FADE OUT. END OF ACT FIVE THE END -----