Third Season - Episode 050

THE ENSIGNS OF COMMAND

Stardate: 43133.4
Rating: 7 Humour: - Action: - Tension: + Romance: -

Alternate Titles: German: "DIE MACHT DER PARAGRAPHEN"

Written By: Snodgrass, Melinda
Director: Bole, Cliff
Executive: Berman, Rick
Roddenberry, Gene
Line-Producer: Livingston, David
Co-Producer: Beimler, Hans
Manning, Richard

Cast

Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Patrick Stewart
Cmd. William T. Riker: Jonathan Frakes
Lt.Cmd. Geordi LaForge: LeVar Burton
Lt. Worf: Michael Dorn
Doctor Beverly Crusher: Cheryl Gates McFadden
Counselor Deanna Troi: Marina Sirtis
Lt.Cmd. Data: Brent Spiner
Wesley Crusher: Wil Wheaton
O'Brien: Colm Meaney
Ardrian Mackenzie: Eileen Seeley
Haritath: Mark L. Taylor
Noe: Richard Allen
Sheliak: Mart McChesney
Goshven: Grainger Hines

Plot

The Enterprise receives a message from the Sheliak, a race the Federation had not heard from in over 100 years. The Sheliak insist that a world in the Tau Cygna Five system is theirs and demand the immediate removal of humans from that system. The Enterprise does not believe that humans are on that planet due to the fact that the planet has extremely high radiation levels but travels there anyway only to discover a thriving civi- lization that refuses to evacuate the planet. Data has to convince the people of the planet to leave or be destroyed by the Sheliak, but the leader don't want to move, and dosn't belive a threat exists. At the same time the crew of the Enterprise discovers that the 3 days thay've been give by the Sheliak far to little time, as the transporters are not working in the radiation. Picard sets out to gain time to get a colony-transport through to the colony.

Quotes

Picard: "How many are they ?"
Data: "15253, sir.."
Picard: "15000....."
Riker: "Three days, no transporters..."

Riker: "Gentlemen, we're giving you an assigment, the one thing we don't wanna hear, is that it's imposible.."
Picard: "I need the transporters to function, dispite the hyper-ionic radiation"
LaForge: "Yeah, but that's imp..... Yes sir.."

Troi: "Captain, when the treaty was first negotiated, starfleet sended 372 legal experts.. What do we have ??"
Picard: "Thee an me.."

Sheliak: "The law is paramount."

Data: "Aaah."
Riker: "Aaah is right Data.."

Riker: "I take it the Sheliak just hung up on us again."

Picard: "Now.. How are we progressing mr. LaForge ??"
LaForge: "About what you'll expect.."
Picard: "Splendid, Splendid, Carry on..." [Leaves]
Wesley: "He wants the imposible.."
LaForge: "That's the sure definition of captain.."

Worf: "This is hopeless. Fighting would be preferable."

[Data has told about the soon comming attack]
Gosheven: "Here we will stand."
Data: "Then here you will die."

[Having discovered that nobody wants to move]
Data: "My arguments seams to have little effect"
Ardiran: [Kisses Data] "You looked like you needed it"

[Having stunned 4 in a blink]
Data: "That was the stun setting. This is not."
[Blows up the water pipes]
Data: "This is a thing. And things can be replaced. Lives cannot."

Riker: "I think you enjoyed that, Captain."
Picard: "You're *damned* right!"

LaForge: "Captain, we can do it, we can modify the transporters.."
Picard: "Exelent.."
LaForge: "It'll take 15 years and a research team of 100, b.."
Picard: "Mr. LaForge, I think we'll porspone.."

[Having kissed Ardrian goodbye]
Data: "You looked like you needed it"

Revised: 25041997