star trek next generation liaisons

Liaisons (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4 Reception
• 3.5 Continuity
• 3.6 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Co-star
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stunt doubles
• 4.7 Stand-ins
• 4.8.1 Other references
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

In his quarters , Worf is looking at himself in a mirror . He is in his Starfleet dress uniform trying to get his Klingon baldric placed just right when the door chime sounds off and he asks whoever is standing outside to enter. Commander Riker walks in, wearing his dress uniform as well and hurriedly telling Worf that a group of visiting dignitaries are due to come aboard at any minute. Riker says that if he did not know any better, he would say Worf is procrastinating. Worf states that Klingons do not procrastinate; this issue is merely a tactical delay. Riker straightens out his baldric and Worf mentions that he does not enjoy wearing dress uniforms, finding them to be too much like dresses. Riker finds Worf's comment to be an example of an " incredibly outmoded and sexist attitude, " and that he is surprised by him. " Besides, you look good in a dress, " Riker jokingly tells Worf, as they walk out of his quarters.

The crew of the USS Enterprise -D is welcoming aboard two Iyaaran ambassadors , Loquel and Byleth , who are visiting the ship as part of a cultural exchange that will also send Captain Jean-Luc Picard to their homeworld , Iyar . Before Picard departs, he assigns Counselor Deanna Troi to act as Loquel's liaison and asks Commander Riker to do the same for Byleth. However, Byleth immediately demands that Lieutenant Worf serve as his shipboard guide. Worf reluctantly accepts, and Picard wishes Riker luck with the ambassadors as he departs for Iyar with Voval , the Iyaaran shuttle pilot .

Act One [ ]

In Ten Forward , a reception with buffet is held. Loquel and Troi get along while she introduces him to desserts, while Byleth continues to be rude to Worf, and demands he bring him more food despite Doctor Crusher 's explanation of the protocol. Worf continues to play along and goes to get him food, running into Data , who asks him how his diplomatic assignment is progressing. While angrily cutting into a roast , Worf tells him it is merely fine. Data responds that he has found in times of diplomatic tension that it is helpful to find elements of commonality. Worf explains that Ambassador Byleth is demanding, temperamental, and rude. Data notes that Worf shares all of those qualities in abundance and suggests that he focus on he and Byleth's similarities before giving him a pat on the back and leaving.

Soon afterward, aboard the Iyaaran shuttle , Picard finds Voval gruff and uncommunicative. Their awkward silence is disrupted by a sudden malfunction. Crashing on an unidentified class M planet , Voval receives a concussion . Picard is unhurt and decides to seek help outside the shuttle when he detects a structure and some energy readings outside. While Picard walks around the surface, he is struck by one of the planet's stormy electrical discharges and falls to the ground. As he lies unconscious, someone silently drags him away.

Act Two [ ]

On the Enterprise , Troi and Worf continue to deal with their guests' quirks. Worf shows Byleth to engineering, and, in the middle of explanations, Byleth rudely asks Worf a question that only an engineer would be able to answer. He sees Geordi La Forge and asks if he is smarter than Worf, and then demands to see the Bussard collectors . Worf keeps his composure and leads him away. Meanwhile, Loquel has become fascinated by the existence of desserts , as his people only eat for sustenance. He is equally intrigued by children , as Iyaarans are born fully grown after emerging from a natal pod , particularly after seeing a young boy on the Enterprise named Eric . He and Troi partake in many desserts, much to Troi's eventual dismay.

Picard awakens in the small, dimly-lit cabin of a crashed Terellian cargo freighter . A device is attached to his waist area which he tries to remove but cannot, receiving a slight shock in the process and he finds it hurts to sit up. He is approached by a solemn, attractive Human woman who informs him that Voval did not survive the crash.

Act Three [ ]

Picard learns that the woman's name is Anna and that she is the sole survivor of the freighter's crash that occurred seven years before . Anna tells Picard that he has three broken ribs , which the device is restraining. He sends her to retrieve the shuttlecraft's comm panel in order to send a distress signal.

Meanwhile, Worf is struggling to maintain his composure due to the abrasive, demanding personality of Byleth. Riker says Worf can't transfer responsibility to someone else. Loquel has been pleasant, but Troi admits he is testing her limits as well, as he is continually becoming obsessed with desserts. Riker decides that the tension might be eased by a "friendly" game of poker .

Finally Picard decides to get up and walk around. He is surprised to find the door locked from outside. Anna then returns with a non-functional panel, which she accidentally destroyed when removing it with a phaser . She seems distraught that she did that, and explains that she had to give up hope in order to not be crazy, but Picard insists they will be rescued.

Act Four [ ]

Picard finds a power cell while Anna is out collecting food. She brings back coltayin roots she intends to cook, and again tells Picard to rest when she finds him up. He tells her he plans to use the remaining charge to power the shuttle's systems. She again tells him she loves him, but he frankly tells her this is only because she hasn't seen anyone in seven years. She is disappointed, but Picard encourages her that they will be rescued.

" Thank you, Lieutenant Worf. I think I understand now. That was a very effective demonstration. " "What?!"

On the Enterprise , the poker game is anything but "friendly" when Worf realizes that Byleth is stealing his chips. Upon the accusation, Byleth verbally and physically provokes Worf, who eventually loses control and, despite Riker's demand to calm down, attacks his guest. But instead of getting angry, Byleth is pleased. He expresses admiration for Worf's display of anger and politely excuses himself to go and document the experience, leaving everyone confused (except Loquel, who is still gleefully enjoying his dessert and offering some to Troi).

Back on the planet, Picard removes the "medical device" and realizes that it was causing the pain; his ribs are not really broken. While begging for his love, Anna has actually been holding him captive. He angrily alerts Anna to his discovery, at which point she becomes distraught over failing to gain his affection. Picard is then shocked when Anna pins him down, forcibly kisses him, tells him she loves him, and demands that the Captain love her back. Picard frees himself from her advance and rejects her a final time, and Anna rushes out the door, breaking off her necklace and locking him inside the freighter. Picard finds a crowbar to try to force open the door when he hears someone on the other side, who turns out to be the very much alive Voval.

Act Five [ ]

Voval explains that he only appeared to be dead because, when Iyaarans are injured, their metabolic rates slow down in order to promote healing . He and Picard set off in search of Anna, eventually separating. Picard finds Anna standing at the edge of a cliff, threatening to commit suicide if he does not tell her he loves her. When he notices that Anna is again wearing her necklace and that Voval has again disappeared, Picard senses that something strange is going on and tells Anna to go ahead and jump. Picard begins to note the many coincidences that have happened since the Iyaaran shuttle crashed on the planet, such as her wearing the necklace at that moment, Anna disappearing and Voval appearing right after her, and Voval's insistence that they find her before she jumps.

At that moment, Anna transforms into Voval, who explains that he is not really a pilot, but an Iyaaran ambassador. He tells Picard that the Iyaarans discovered the freighter years before, along with logs indicating how a Human woman was marooned on the planet, and seven years later fell in love with a man who had also crashed . Voval brought Picard to the same planet in order to study the emotion of love by reenacting the scenario with Picard as a subject. Similarly, Loquel and Byleth were sent to experience pleasure and antagonism , as described in the woman's logs, concepts unknown to the Iyaarans. Picard comments that Humans would not have taken such a direct approach in their research, and he informs the ambassador that he has technically committed a crime . Voval is confused at that, but Picard is more interested in escape than prosecution and, after Voval confirms his assumption that the shuttle is actually operational, they return to the Enterprise .

Upon their arrival, Byleth along with a sore Worf, recount to Riker their experience of eleven consecutive hours of Worf's antagonistic holodeck program , while Loquel offers Troi a sample of bio-enzymatic supplements that the Iyaarans eat for food, apologizing that it has less flavor than chocolate, but which Troi reassures him will come as a welcome relief after the constant barrage of desserts they have been eating over the past few days. Voval and Picard part on friendly terms with Picard acknowledging the desire to obtain knowledge, and commenting that it's refreshing to encounter a people who are prepared to take an experience to its furthest extreme. He and Voval then say their goodbyes.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Besides, you look good in a dress. "

" Good luck. "

" Klingons do not procrastinate. "

" I want this one. "

" Are you smarter than this one? "

" I am going to kill him with my bare hands! I will take him by the throat and rip out his esophagus! "

" He has an obsession with food, especially chocolate. " " Then you must be in heaven. " " To be honest, he's testing even my limits. "

" You see? You see? They are insane! "

" You are an insulting, pompous fool! And if you were not an ambassador, I would disembowel you right here! "

" Very good. Thank you, Lieutenant Worf. I think I understand now. That was a very effective demonstration. " "What?!"

" Tell me about your love… or I'll jump! " " Go ahead. Why don't you do it? It's a… long way down. Must be two hundred meters, you'd die instantly if that's what you want but I don't think that it really is. "

" Voval, what is going on?! "

" I have heard that in moments of diplomatic tension, it is often helpful to find elements of commonality. " " Ambassador Byleth is demanding, temperamental, and rude! " " You share all of those qualities in abundance. Perhaps you should try to build on your similarities. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Final draft script: 6 July 1993 [1]
• Premiere airdate: 27 September 1993
• First UK airdate: 17 January 1996

Story and script [ ]

• The working title of the episode was "The Journey". ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library )
• The original story by Roger Eschbacher & Jaq Greenspon was a homage to Stephen King 's novel Misery , in which a mentally disturbed fan holds a novelist captive. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 317) René Echevarria recalled, " It was actually pitched very slyly by the writers, who pitched it as a kind of a take on on Star Trek -obsessed fans and that's what made me smile and at least pass it on. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 290)
• Jeri Taylor was impressed by the pitch, believing it could be developed into a two person drama with Patrick Stewart similar to " Chain Of Command, Part II ". ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 290)
• The first draft script was prepared by writing interns Jeanne Carrigan Fauci & Lisa Rich . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 262))
• Brannon Braga was assigned to give an uncredited rewrite to the script, which he completed in eight days. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 262)) He remembered, " I was not a fan of this story. Lisa and Jeanne's first draft had some very nice things in it, but the relationship wasn't working between Picard and the woman. The woman was a Starfleet woman who was very together and they had a very normal relationship and really did kind of start to be interested in each other. When it turns out that she's actually an alien trying to figure out what love's all about, I had asked the question, 'Well, she did such a good job emulating the human female falling in love, why would they need to learn anything?' What I did was make it a darker story and made the relationship much more sinister and disturbing. " Braga likened his version to the film Fatal Attraction . ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 290)
• Fauci and Rich's first draft included a subplot where Deanna Troi earned the rank of Commander . Taylor noted that the two stories did not fit well together. " We felt that there needed to be something that was more organically linked to the Picard story, and that's when Brannon came up with having the other diplomats from the same race of people. " The original subplot was later used in " Thine Own Self ". ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 290; Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 262))
• In a cut scene, Byleth awoke Worf at 0500 for a tour of the arboretum . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 262)) This scene was included as a deleted scene in the Blu-ray release.
• Eric was named after a nephew of Brannon Braga. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 262))

Production [ ]

Stunt Coordinator Dennis Madalone and stunt double Chuck Borden training stunt moves

• Chocolate-covered raisins were originally bought for Loquel 's poker-game snack, but this was changed at the last minute when it was discovered that Paul Eiding was allergic to chocolate. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 262))

Reception [ ]

• Jeri Taylor enjoyed Brannon Braga's subplot on the Enterprise . " I thought he did an absolutely marvelous job of drawing some very droll, delightful characters who were experiencing our way of life for the first time. "
• Braga was ambivalent about the instalment. He commented, " Was I happy with the script? Yeah. Was I happy with the episode? I don't know. I had a lot of fun writing it, and a lot of it was cut for time, mostly the more fun moments. Whether or not they actually ended up being funny is another story. It's a matter of opinion. At the end, I give Picard a speech about people who take things to extremes to experience them, and that's what these people do. I thought that was very interesting. In order to understand the culture, you must immerse yourself in that culture. It's still a little scattered, though. In the end, even though it seems redolent of Misery and Fatal Attraction , the Star Trek twist was, it wasn't at all. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 290)
• Director Cliff Bole was disappointed with the episode, citing the constant rewrites as the cause. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 262))

Continuity [ ]

• This is the first episode in which Worf, Troi, and Beverly Crusher are seen in their dress uniforms .
• This is one of only three TNG episodes to not feature the Enterprise -D bridge, the others being " Family " and " Dark Page ".
• This is one of only five TNG episodes that doesn't have a stardate although Picard does confirm it is seven years from the stardate Anna tells him that denotes the date of her crash. The others are " Symbiosis ", " First Contact ", " Tapestry ", and " Sub Rosa ".

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 77, 7 March 1994
• As part of the TNG Season 7 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William T. Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest stars [ ]

• Barbara Williams as Anna
• Eric Pierpoint as Voval
• Paul Eiding as Loquel
• Michael Harris as Byleth

Co-star [ ]

• Rickey D'Shon Collins as Boy

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• David Keith Anderson as Armstrong
• Arratia as Alfonse Pacelli
• Lena Banks as operations division ensign
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Debbie David as Russell
• Cameron as Kellogg
• David Paul Christian as Ten Forward waiter
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
• Elliot Durant III as operations division ensign
• Gunnel Eriksson as science division officer
• Linda Harcharic as command division ensign
• Kerry Hoyt as operations division ensign
• Gary Hunter as science division officer
• Lorine Mendell as Diana Giddings
• Keith Rayve as civilian
• S. Reed as Burton
• Talbot as Ten Forward waitress
• John Tampoya as operations division ensign
• Christina Wegler Miles as command division ensign
• Female civilian
• Female science division officer
• Male civilian
• Male command officer
• Operations division lieutenant jg
• Ten Forward waiter

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Chuck Borden as stunt double for Michael Harris
• Rusty McClennon as stunt double for Michael Dorn
• John Nowak as stunt double for Patrick Stewart

Stand-ins [ ]

• David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Debbie David – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Michael Echols – stand-in for Michael Dorn
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart

References [ ]

2363 ; accusation ; ambassador ; Anna ; Anna's logs ; Anna's lover ; antagonism ; antimatter replenishment rate ; antimatter storage facility ; astrophysics lab ; atmosphere ; battle exercise ; BCD ; BCD-31775 ; Betazed ; bio-enzymatic supplement ; biological research ; boiling ; broth ; buffet ; Bussard collector ; cell casing ; cheating ; class M ; coltayin root ; concussion ; containment pod ; corrosion ; crime ; crystal ; dessert ; diplomat ; disembowel ; dress ; Earth ; energy disruption field ; energy relay ; enzyme ; esophagus ; ETA ; Federation ; fracture ; Galaxy class decks ; head of security ; holodeck ; holographic projection device (aka Anna's necklace ); Human intimacy ; inertial damper ; insanity ; instrument array ; itinerary ; Iyar ; Iyar sector ; Iyaaran ; Iyaaran shuttle ; kiss ; Klingon ; Klingon Empire ; knitting (medicine) ; Ktarian chocolate puff ; liaison officer ; life support ; love ; mass flow rate ; metabolic rate ; meter ; microfusion flare ; natal pod ; necklace ; obsession ; operational center ; papalla juice ; peach cobbler ; phaser ; plasma storm ; pleasure ; poker ; post-cellular compounding ; precipice ; premier ; procrastination ; protein ; protocol ; reception ; recreation ; residential deck ; restrictor device ; restriction field ; rib ; sexist ; small talk ; Starfleet ; stealing ; stellar cartography ; suicide ; Tarvokian powder cake ; Terellian ; Terellian cargo freighter (aka Terellian freighter ); Terellian freighter-crash planet ; Terellian freighter-crash planet sun ; Terellian freighter-crash planet system ; Terellian spice ; title ; throat ; transmitter module ; tricorder ; whipped cream

Other references [ ]

• Spacecraft Systems Status : Bussard collector ; captain's yacht ; class M ; gross vehicle mass ; impulse engine ; main shuttlebay Mars ; navigational deflector ; observation lounge ; phaser bank ; service docking port ; shuttlebay 2 ; shuttlebay 3 ; torpedo launcher ; umbilical connect port ; Utopia Planitia ; warp nacelle

External links [ ]

• " Liaisons " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Liaisons " at Wikipedia
• "Liaisons" at StarTrek.com
• " Liaisons " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Liaisons" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• " Liaisons " at the Internet Movie Database

Liaisons (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

2nd episode of the 7th season of star trek: the next generation / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

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" Liaisons " is the 154th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation , and the second episode of the seventh season .

The episode first aired on September 27, 1993 and was directed by Cliff Bole . [1] The teleplay was written by Jeanne Carrigan Fauci and Lisa Rich based on a story written by Roger Eschbacher and Jaq Greenspon. [2]

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D . In this episode, the Enterprise-D crew takes on ambassadors as part of a cultural exchange, with Picard departing to spend time with the aliens. [3] When Picard's shuttlecraft crash lands on a forbidding planet, and the crew struggles to understand their guests, the stage is set for mystery. [4]

Star Trek: The Next Generation

• Sci-Fi & Fantasy
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Picking up decades after Gene Roddenberry's original Star Trek series, The Next Generation follows the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they explore new worlds.

While the crew plays host to ambassadors from an alien race, Picard is stranded on a barren planet with a woman who falls desperately in love with him.

S7E2 45 min

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast & Crew

Barbara Williams

Eric Pierpoint

Paul Eiding

Ambassador Loquel

Michael Harris

Ambassador Byleth

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Recap / Star Trek The Next Generation S 7 E 2 Liaisons

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Original air date: September 27, 1993

The Enterprise is preparing to initiate the first cultural exchange between the Iyaaran people and the Federation... a situation that Proud Warrior Race Guy Worf doesn't like a bit. He's fussing with his dress uniform (which he thinks actually looks like a dress), when Riker arrives to urge him along, joke that he looks good in a dress , and head out.

The three Iyaaran ambassadors arrive in their shuttle: Loquel , Byleth and Voval. Voval will be taking Picard back to Iyaar, Loquel will be studying diplomacy and human interactions with Troi, and Byleth chooses Worf to be his liaison . This latter shows an extreme chip on his shoulder and is extremely rude, demanding Worf show him to his quarters immediately.

In Ten Forward, Loquel examines the reception buffet with Troi. Iyaarans eat only for sustenance, so she introduces him to Food Porn , including chocolate. He absolutely cannot get enough of the stuff and is seen eating some for the rest of the episode .

Byleth continues to needle Worf, who fumes privately but restrains himself from disemboweling the man. Riker suggests a friendly poker game to smooth things over, but Byleth blatantly cheats, and Worf calls him out on it. After some fighting words, Worf finally breaks down and starts brawling with the Iyaaran. Worf pummels Byleth until Riker's finally seen enough, but the Iyaaran just stands up , thanks Worf for the fascinating experience, and runs off to write about it, leaving the Starfleet officers confused.

Meanwhile, the Iyaaran shuttle gets disabled in a Negative Space Wedgie , so they land on a nearby planet. Voval is injured, so Picard ventures out into the perpetual lightning storms to search for help. Picard gets struck by an errant bolt, however, and collapses unconscious.

He wakes up in the cargo bay of a derelict ship, being tended by a woman named Anna. She says that Voval has died, and Picard has broken three of his ribs, so she's put a Restraining Bolt on him until he heals. Anna is reticent at first, since she's been alone for seven years , but she quickly warms up to Picard and tries to help him with his escape plan. She insists on keeping him inside the ship and doing all the legwork herself, but she keeps screwing things up. After only about a day, she bluntly tells Picard that she loves him, which obviously creeps the captain out. As time goes on, Picard becomes increasingly suspicious of Anna. He eventually removes the Restraining Bolt , discovering that he's not injured after all. Anna has been keeping him here on purpose, insisting insanely that he return her love. When he confronts her, she runs off.

Picard is trapped in the ship, but Voval suddenly arrives alive, saying that he's been in a regenerative slumber. They leave together to search for Anna. After splitting up, Picard finds her standing at a dangerous precipice, Driven to Suicide because he won't love her. Picard notices a necklace around her neck that had been discarded in the ship. He accuses Voval and Anna of working together and attempts to call her bluff, telling her to kill herself if she desires. But Anna does something he doesn't expect: she shapeshifts back into Voval!

It turns out that the Iyaarans want to experience human emotions after finding the logs of a stranded man and woman who fell in love in the derelict ship. Loquel's and Byleth's tasks were to research pleasure and antagonism, while Voval's task was to experience love itself. Picard is, at first, furious at having been fooled , telling Voval that in his society, what he's done could be considered a crime. Voval doesn't understand the concept of a crime but seems apologetic. Together, they take the not-so-damaged shuttle back to the Enterprise.

• "Ass" in Ambassador : Byleth acts very disrespectful towards Worf, who tries his best to be calm and polite to him. Apparently, the fight they engage in was interesting enough for him to record it.
• Big Eater : Loquel starts overconsuming sweets as soon as he's introduced to them. Even Troi has her fill of chocolate before he's through.
• Bizarre Alien Reproduction : The Iyaarans are born fully adult, so they don't understand what children are.
• Blood Knight : Byleth enjoys anger so much that he and Worf engage in an 11-hour marathon of holodeck combat, which even Worf describes as "excruciating."
• Blue-and-Orange Morality : In spite of being humanoid, the Iyaarans understand almost nothing about basic emotions and interactions with other species. They don't understand concepts like pleasure and anger and don't see anything wrong in abducting Picard under false pretenses.
• Florence Nightingale Effect : Attempted to be Invoked and discussed with Anna/Voval and Picard. Voval, disguised as Anna, tried to get Picard to love her as she helped to nurse him back to help with Voval explaining their first encounter with Human society came from a log describing this actually happening.
• Forceful Kiss : Anna does this several times to Picard.
• Homage : Picard's storyline is a clear homage to Misery , where a woman tends to an injured man, but it becomes more and more clear that he's her prisoner.
• I Found You Like This : Picard wakes up in the hold of Anna's ship after the lightning strike.
• Innocently Insensitive : Played for laughs during the banquet as Worf speaks with Data about his frustrations. Data: How is your diplomatic assignment progressing? Worf: ( through gritted teeth ) Fine . Data: I have heard that in moments of diplomatic tension, it is often helpful to find elements of commonality. Worf: Ambassador Byleth is demanding, temperamental and rude. Data: You share all of those qualities in abundance. Perhaps you should try to build on your similarities. ( Data pats Worf's shoulder and walks elsewhere, and Worf looks at his knife in irritation. )
• Nondescript, Nasty, Nutritious : Iyaarans only eat for sustenance and have no concept of flavor, so their only food is nutritional wafers that are distastefully bland. When Loquel experiences conventional food he takes to it very well.
• No Social Skills : The Iyaaran ambassadors are foreign to certain customs on the Enterprise.
• Offscreen Teleportation : Picard and Voval split up to look for Anna. Picard finds Anna, who turns out to be Voval in disguise.
• Pass the Popcorn : When Worf and Byleth come to blows, Loquel happily watches while munching on his snacks.
• Please, Don't Leave Me : Because Anna had spent seven years on the planet, she asks Picard to not leave her.
• Restraining Bolt : Anna puts a medical device over Picard's ribs so that they can heal, but it conveniently keeps him relatively immobile as well. It shocks him whenever he touches it, discouraging him from removing it.
• Spotting the Thread : Picard starts seeing one inconsistency after another in Anna's story, gradually unraveling her plan.
• Spurned into Suicide : Anna threatens to commit suicide because Picard didn't love her.
• Tranquil Fury : When Picard learns that he's been deliberately kidnapped and manipulated, his expression never changes as he calmly informs Voval that he's committed what Starfleet would consider a crime.
• What Happened to the Mouse? : Voval never reveals what happened to the man and woman who were stranded on the derelict ship. Did they ever get rescued?
• What Is This Thing You Call "Love"? : Iyaarans don't have many of the concepts other species do so they set out to explore the ones they learned about from a recovered ship log. Voval explores love and attempts to replicate a Florence Nightingale Effect with Picard while disguised as a woman named Anna. Because he only goes on what the log says he tries to force the scenario so Picard will love his Anna persona which naturally puts the captain off as it becomes increasingly apparent he's being held captive by an obsessively infatuated woman.
• Yandere : Anna for Picard. She clings to him because she's been alone for so long. Subverted as she's really Voval in disguise who's trying to learn about love.
• Star Trek The Next Generation S 6 E 24 S 7 E 1 Descent
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek The Next Generation S 7 E 3 Interface

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Published Nov 14, 2016

Catching Up with TNG Guest Star Barbara Williams

Anna did everything possible to make Captain Picard fall in love with her in the seventh-season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “ Liaisons ,” but it didn’t quite work, in large part because Anna wasn’t real. Rather, she was Voval (Eric Pierpoint), an Iyaaran ambassador trying to understand the emotion of love. The Canadian actress Barbara Williams played Anna, and memorably so. At the time – 1993 – Williams was best known for her roles in Thief of Hearts, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling and Spenser for Hire: Ceremony (with Avery Brooks). Post- Trek credits include Inventing the Abbotts, The Outer Limits, Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way, Bones, Flash Forward and White House Down . Also an author, songwriter and activist, she penned the acclaimed memoir, The Hope in Leaving , published in March. StarTrek.com recently caught up with Williams for an interview, and here's what she had to say:

How did you land your role as Anna in “Liaisons”? Take us through the audition process and then the experience of shooting the episode…

I think I had auditioned for something on Star Trek previously, which I didn’t get. But the producers liked me and brought me in for "Liaisons."  I was playing a male alien who transforms himself into a female human to try to understand intimacy. So, they made me ultra-feminine. Lots of hair, and padded bra.

How did you enjoy working with Patrick Stewart?

Patrick was just lovely to work with. We both have stage backgrounds and there was a Shakespearean quality to the episode. So, we indulged our theatre chops to the max. I was just about to get married at the time and he was a fan of my husband’s, so I invited him to my wedding. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Williams’ husband, politician and activist Tom Hayden, passed away last month).

And that kiss?

A kiss is just a kiss, especially on screen. It’s all about lighting.

Your performance was, in a way, half of a whole, as Eric Pierpoint played Voval. Did you see the performances as symbiotic? And how much of a chance, if any, did you have to discuss it, even work with Pierpoint?

I guess the people making casting decisions thought we were believable as the same alien. I don’t remember discussing it. I rarely saw him because we weren’t on the set at the same time.

What's the line in the “Liaisons” script that you got that you just couldn't wait to get on the stage to play? And why were you so excited to play it?

Anna/Voval did everything she could, with her limited understanding of human intimacy, to win Captain Picard’s affection. She stages an accident. She disables him with a device. She nurses and coddles him, but he doesn’t respond to her in the way she thinks he should. Finally, she throws him to the ground, quite forcefully, and says “Why don’t you love me?” That was so much fun. We did it several times because we kept breaking up.

If you could play any character from Trek other than the one you played, who would you want to play -- and why?

I wish they would have made my character permanent. I loved representing human femininity.

Star Trek is celebrating its 50th anniversary year. What does it mean to you to be a part of the franchise on this huge occasion?

It’s an honor just to be a small part of the franchise.

What are you up to these days in terms of work?

I wrote a memoir that came out in April entitled The Hope in Leaving . It received wonderful reviews and I am currently adapting it into a film and writing the next one.

How cathartic was it for you to write The Hope in Leaving ?

A teacher of mine pushed me to go to my deepest voice with my writing. When I expressed trepidation, he encouraged me with this quote from the Thomas Gospels: “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” So, I plumbed the depths of some very personal and painful events in my life and, in bringing them forth, I released the pain. In touring (to promote the book), it’s been very gratifying to hear from so many people who derived comfort in reading about experiences they had in common with me and from others who were fascinated by the world I come from. Apart from being very personal, my book articulates the struggles of itinerant workers at the time I was growing up and still continues today.

Trek fans, of course, know you from your Trek episode, but if people run into you on the street, what of your other acting performances are they most eager to talk about with you?

It depends where I am. In Canada, I have done a number of films and worked extensively on stage, so I am recognized for those performances. I am still recognized for Thief of Hearts , my first film in Hollywood. I had a small role in White House Down that brought a lot of attention.

Last question. You mentioned that you're writing the next book. What period(s) of your life will that cover?

The Hope in Leaving ends when I am leaving the West Coast of Canada, on the heels of a life-changing tragedy, heading into the unknown with, literally, an empty suitcase. My next book is called Handsome Jack and focuses on my working-class dad’s exploits when he came to visit me in Hollywood.

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A cultural exchange teams Worf with an obnoxious ambassador and strands Picard with a woman who seems to be obsessed with him.

Eric Pierpoint

Paul Eiding

Barbara Williams

Michael Harris

Rickey D'Shon Collins

Cast appearances.

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

LeVar Burton

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Marina Sirtis

Brent Spiner

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• Sep 25, 1993

Summary "Space... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds... To seek out new life; new civilisations... To boldly go where no one has gone before!" Monologue of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the opening credits Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fic ... Read More

Directed By : Cliff Bole

Written By : Gene Roddenberry, Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci, Lisa Rich, Roger Eschbacher, Jaq Greenspon, René Echevarria, Naren Shankar

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Star Trek The Next Generation: Liaisons

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Gates McFadden didn't think Star Trek: The Next Generation would last long

B efore Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, there were plenty of doubts about how long the series would last. The fans who declared they would not watch any other captain or crew on the bridge of the Enterprise besides Captain Kirk and his team probably had a lot to do with that assumption. And when the first season began, things were a little rocky, and it looked like all signs were pointing toward a quick cancellation.

While there were a few episodes that stood out like The Big Goodbye and Heart of Glory , there were many more that are considered cringeworthy even to this day. In fact, one of them, Code of Honor , has been denounced by Jonathan Frakes and others with the suggestion that it should be pulled from viewing. Others like Angel One and Skin of Evil are, for the most post, skippable even though the latter is the one where Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) dies. So it's fair to say that it's no wonder there were questions as to whether The Next Generation would be renewed for a second season.

Even Gates McFadden , who portrayed Dr. Beverly Crusher in season one and again in seasons three-seven, admitted in an interview for Star Trek All Good Things: A Next Generation Companion, that if she'd been asked years ago if the show would go for a year, she would have said it probably wouldn't. In fact, she said she thought "The Next Generation would be a short-term job."

The Next Generation picked up steam in season two, though, even if it was without McFadden, with som strong episodes like The Measure of a Man , Pen Pals , Q Who , and The Emissary really upping the strength of the season and making another season renewal easier. Fortunately for all of us fans, those who thought The Next Generation would make it beyond the first season were wrong, and the characters from the series are still going strong thirty-seven years later.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Gates McFadden didn't think Star Trek: The Next Generation would last long .

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Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before. Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

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• Trivia Almost everyone in the cast became life-long friends. At LeVar Burton 's 1992 wedding, Brent Spiner served as best man, and Sir Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , and Michael Dorn all served as ushers. Man of the People (1992) (#6.3) aired on that day.
• Goofs It is claimed that Data can't use contractions (Can't, Isn't, Don't, etc) yet there are several instances throughout the series where he does. One of the first such examples is heard in Encounter at Farpoint (1987) , where Data uses the word "Can't" while the Enterprise is being chased by Q's "ship".

[repeated line]

Capt. Picard : Engage!

• Crazy credits The model of the Enterprise used in the opening credits is so detailed, a tiny figure can be seen walking past a window just before the vessel jumps to warp speed.
• Alternate versions The first and last episodes were originally broadcast as two-hour TV movies, and were later re-edited into two one-hour episodes each. Both edits involved removing some scenes from each episode.
• Connections Edited into Reading Rainbow: The Bionic Bunny Show (1988)

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