Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994): Season 6, Episode 20 - The Chase - full transcript

The crew of the Enterprise must race against various rival powers to uncover an archaeological secret that explains the predominance of humanoid life forms in the galaxy.

Captain's log, stardate 46731.5.

We are in the Volterra Nebula,
a stellar nursery.

Our mission
is a routine analysis

of proto-stars
in various stages of development.

Captain, I have completed
the evaluation of the outer shell.

Our survey is complete.

Continue to the next one.
Three-quarters impulse.

- Riker to Capt Picard.
- Go ahead.

May I see you
in the observation lounge, sir?

I'll be right there.

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.



My God!

Then you can identify
that object, Mr. Picard?

- Professor Galen?
- Computer, lights up.

I suppose I should say
Captain Picard.

The Professor contacted me.
He suggested we surprise you.

To clarify, I insisted.

Your first officer
kindly accommodated me.

I trust I'm not being
overly presumptuous,

now that my star pupil
is master of the stars.

No one could be more welcome
on the Enterprise.

I never thought I would see
a Kurlan naiskos.

- Fifth dynasty?
- Is that your conclusion, Mr. Picard?

Forgive me, I should say... Captain?

Please, Mister will do fine.



The overall impression
is certainly fifth dynasty.

- The... surface ornamentation...
- Yes?

Green polychrome over the eyes
and the eyes themselves are closed.

This is third dynasty.

From the workshop
of the master of Tarquin Hill!

Well done!

Will, the master of Tarquin Hill
designed ceramic objects

300 years ahead of their time.

All we know of him is the work.
His name was never discovered.

This object is...
over 12,000 years old.

The planet Kurl? It's a long way
outside Federation territory.

Yes, I thought your study
of Kurlan artefacts was done.

I was in the neighbourhood
last summer. I couldn't resist.

Go ahead.

You mean it's complete?

Well...

The Kurlan civilization believed

that an individual was
a community of individuals.

Inside us are...

..many voices,

each with its own desires,
style and view of the world.

The Kurlan civilization
died out long ago.

It is extraordinarily rare
to find a figurine intact.

- This is an incredible find.
- It's yours, Jean-Luc.

No.

- How can I accept this?
- Graciously, Mr. Picard.

You could accept it graciously!

Thank you.

How long can you stay?
So much to say.

The Professor meets a Vulcan ship
in two days.

- Two days? That's not enough time!
- We may have much more.

- I don't understand.
- I'm on an expedition.

A journey into an unexplored
and historical territory,

and I intend to take you with me.

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 and new civilizations,...

..to boldly go
where no one has gone before.

Captain's log, supplemental.

It's 30 years since I saw
my archaeology professor.

His presence has taken me back
to a time

when I had considered
a different career.

- May I ask you a frank question?
- Please.

Your published writings have been
sporadic for the past decade.

Your appearance at symposia
has been rare,

or scheduled,
then cancelled at the last moment.

Our finest archaeologist

is now shrouded
with a cloak of mystery.

As a result
my reputation has no doubt grown!

I've never heard of anyone
who didn't love a good mystery.

The Satarran of Sothis III
disdained them,

but as a general idea
your statement holds.

So, what have you been doing
for the past decade?

Do you know micropalaeontology?

Yes. It's the study of fossil records
at a microscopic level.

I read your papers on the subject,
but...

that was years ago.

It seemed
as though the work had stopped.

No. The work continued.

I made a discovery
so profound in its implications

that
silence seemed the wisest course.

This work has occupied
my every waking thought,

it's intruded on my dreams,
it's become my life.

When finished
and I announce my findings,

it'll be heard
halfway across the galaxy.

- Tell me.
- I cannot, Mr. Picard.

That information comes with a
price: your agreement to join me

on the final leg of this expedition.

- For how long?
- Three months. Perhaps a year.

If I had complete diplomatic access,
and a starship, it'd be a few weeks.

As it is, we'll only have my shuttle

and whatever arrangement we can
make with transports.

Combined with our talents.

Why do you need my help in this?

I'm not a young man.

There will be hazards along the way.

I don't want my inadequacies

to jeopardise
the completion of this work.

I am deeply honoured
that you should think of me, but...

- I have responsibilities.
- To history!

To Schliemann who discovered Troy

and M'Tell when she first stepped
on Ya'Seem.

How can anything compare?

- May I sleep on it?
- Dream not of today, Mr. Picard.

"Dream not of today..."
The night blessing of the Yash-EI.

As I recall, you missed
that question on your final exam.

I've had a few years to look it up.

The Enterprise is yours
for as long as you're here.

Thank you.

Dream not of today.

Come!

Good morning.

Looks like you've been up
for a while.

Yes.

Let's hear it.

I had a long talk
with Professor Galen last night.

He asked me to leave the Enterprise
and join him in an expedition

which could last nearly a year.

- That must be tempting.
- I couldn't leave.

But the offer raised in me
certain feelings of regret.

That you could have
been an archaeologist?

No, not really.

I'm not sorry for the path I chose.

But... the professor did not
choose this gift at random.

The many voices inside the one.

You see, he knows that the past
is a very insistent voice inside me.

This gift is meant to remind me
of that.

And the exploration of space? Surely
that must count for something?

I wouldn't trade it for anything
and I'd still make the same choice.

I just wish I didn't have to say no
a second time.

Were you two very close?

I had a father, but he was like
a father who understood me.

He had children, but they didn't
follow in his footsteps, so...

I was like the son
who understood him.

And yet you turned your back on him.

In a way, I wish
he'd never come on board the ship.

- Good morning, Mr. Picard.
- Professor.

The Vulcan ship will take us
to DS4.

An Al-Leyan transporter will arrive
three weeks later.

They'll take us to Kea.

We'll use the shuttle to get us
to Indri VIII, our first stop.

Professor...

I'm afraid I won't be going.

The Enterprise isn't something that
I can leave and then come back to.

If I go, I go for good.

And it's not something
I'm prepared to do.

This is no undergraduate project,
but the chance of a lifetime.

Don't make the same mistake twice.

My career in Starfleet
hasn't been a mistake.

What are you doing at
this very moment? A study mission!

You're like some Roman centurion
out patrolling the provinces,

maintaining
a dull and bloated Empire.

We both know that's not true.

I know this. As a scholar,
you're nothing but a dilettante.

Years ago I gave you
the opportunity to become

the foremost archaeologist
of your generation.

Your achievements could have
outstripped even my own, but no,

you decided to reject
a life of profound discovery.

You walked out on me.

I never wanted to become...

Will you come with me?

I can't.

I'll be going.

You're not scheduled to catch
your ship for another two days.

There is nothing for me here.
Goodbye, Captain.

Captain's log, supplemental.

We now are en route to a diplomatic
conference on Atalia VII.

I must admit I've lost my
enthusiasm for those proceedings.

At our present speed, we will arrive
at the Atalia system in 37 hours.

Captain, I'm going
for a walk in the arboretum.

I wouldn't mind some company.

Captain, a distress call
from Dr Galen's shuttle.

On screen.

Enterprise! I'm being boarded...

- Transmission's blocked.
- The shuttle is under attack.

Take us out of warp. On screen.

- A Yridian destroyer.
- Battle stations!

- Aye, sir.
- Galen is still inside.

- His life signs barely register.
- Get him out of there.

The shuttle's enveloped by a
tractor beam. We can't penetrate.

- Hail the Yridians.
- They're not responding.

Return phaser fire.
Disable their offensive systems!

- Worf!
- I don't understand, Commander.

Our phaser blast
could not have destroyed it.

Transport Professor Galen
directly to sickbay.

Aye, sir.

He took a disruptor hit point blank.
There is nothing I can do.

Jean-Luc...

I was too harsh.

Three Yridians
boarded Galen's shuttle.

- What did they want?
- I'm not sure.

They tried downloading
from his computer.

When he was attacked, Dr Galen
protected certain files.

We partly reconstructed his computer,
so we have some of those files.

We found 19 different blocks
of numbers like this one.

- What do they mean?
- They could mean anything.

Unless we narrow the search,

it is impossible for the computer
to identify the pattern.

We tried every decryption key
on record in case he was using code.

Still can't make heads or tails
of 'em.

- Did the Yridians get the numbers?
- Some of them.

- It's impossible to know how many.
- They knew a lot about his work.

- Perhaps what these numbers are.
- The information died with them.

Not necessarily. Yridians
are information dealers.

They may have been delivering
to someone else.

Did they send a signal?

No, sir. We detected
no transmissions.

And there were
no other ships in the vicinity.

Did the shuttle's logs
show Galen's itinerary?

Yes. The logs indicate he visited
an unexplored star system, Ruah IV.

- How far from here?
- Four days at warp six, sir.

The conference can wait.
Set a course for the Ruah System.

- Standard orbit, Ensign.
- Ruah IV is a Class-M planet.

67 percent of its surface
is covered with water.

Its land mass
contains multiple animal species,

including proto-hominids.

Scan for monuments that might
indicate a previous civilization.

There is nothing to indicate
any former culture, sir.

Then why was
our foremost archaeologist here?

He left the Enterprise
in a Vulcan ship for Deep Space 4,

and then,
an Al-Leyan transport to Kea.

And then the shuttle to Indri VIII.
What do we know about Indri VIII?

The Indri system was identified
by Federation vessels

nearly 60 years ago.
The eighth planet is L-Class,

covered with deciduous vegetation,
unexplored,

with no evidence
of any civilizations.

The planet possesses no animal life.

Number One,
we will proceed to Indri VIII.

With all due respect,
we've already run into a dead end.

Indri VIII doesn't seem promising.

- And we're late for the conference.
- I'm aware of that.

Galen visited here, then was on
his way to Indri VIII when he died.

There's a connection.
I'm going to find it.

Aye, sir.

Lay a course for Indri VIII,
warp seven.

Come!

How's it going?

I thought if I stared at these
number blocks long enough,

then I would begin to see
some kind of pattern.

So far...

..nothing.

I meant, how's it going with you?

If I had gone with him...

Captain, you can't start thinking
like that.

You didn't abandon him.

You chose
not to abandon a life-long career.

It was the right decision,
and not responsible for his death.

I realize that.

I know how much
the professor meant to you

and how much you want to find out
what happened.

But staring at these numbers
isn't going to bring him back.

The conference has been
scheduled for six months.

Starfleet is relying
on your mediation...

Counsellor, this is not simply
some wild-goose chase

to purge myself
of guilt and remorse.

I will not let Galen's death
be in vain.

If that means inconveniencing a few
squabbling delegates for a few days,

then so be it!
I will take full responsibility.

Captain.

Entering the Indri system, sir.

Capt Picard,
approaching Indri VIII.

On my way.

Sensors are picking up severe
atmospheric fluctuations.

Assume a high orbit.

On screen, Mr. Worf.

A plasma reaction is consuming
the lower atmosphere.

- Can we stop it?
- No, sir. The reaction is global.

All life on the planet
is being destroyed, sir.

Why would anyone destroy all life

on an uninhabited, neutral planet
with no strategic importance?

All the life...?

Perhaps the number blocks
relate to organic matter!

If we narrow the search
to the biological database,

it'll increase the chances
of finding a match.

I'll be in the lab.

Pattern match found.

Specify.

The numbers represent

fragments
of deoxyribonucleic-acid strands.

DNA fragments?

Each a different life form
from 19 different worlds!

These planets are scattered.

No wonder it took Galen
so long to collect them. But why?

Wait a minute...

These fragments seem to have
similar protein configurations.

- They're chemically compatible.
- Not possible.

Different species. There
should be no compatibility.

I know, but the base-pair
combinations are uniform.

If I'm right...

Computer, connect the DNA according
to protein-link compatibility.

What is it?

I have no idea.

This is not part of a natural design,
Captain.

It's an algorithm,
at the molecular level.

An algorithm?

These DNA fragments are part
of a computer program?

I know how it sounds,
but this can't be random.

This is from a program.

This fragment's been in every
DNA strand on Earth since life began.

The others are just as old.

Someone wrote this
over four billion years ago.

So, four billion years ago,

someone scattered
this genetic material

into the primordial soup of
at least 19 planets in the galaxy?

Genetic information was incorporated
into early life forms

and passed down for generations.

- Why would anyone do this?
- What is this program designed for?

We couldn't know till we ran it.

We tried all DNA
in the Federation computer

but we can't find
compatible configurations.

So it's from outside the Federation.

Data, how many on board
are non-Federation?

17, sir.

This is a long shot,

but we should check these 17 people
for this protein configuration.

I'll collect DNA samples now.

I've been thinking. Someone else
must know about this program.

I bet one fragment was on Indri
VIII. That's why it was destroyed.

To stop us finding
that piece of the puzzle.

It's four billion years old.

A computer program
from a highly advanced civilization,

hidden in the very fabric
of life itself.

Whatever information
this program contains

could be the most profound
discovery of our time.

Or the most dangerous.

And the Professor knew that.

They all came up negative.

I have scoured every page
of the Professor's writings

for a clue as to where to go next.
So far, nothing.

We've been at this too long.

Why don't we get some sleep
and start again tomorrow morning?

"I was in the neighbourhood."

When I asked the professor why
he went all the way to Kurl, he said,

"I was in the neighbourhood."

- Doing what?
- Collecting DNA samples.

Only one Kurlan planet is capable
of supporting life. Loren III.

No. No Loren III sample from
the data downloaded from the shuttle.

If he had one, it must have been
taken by the Yridians.

Mr. Data, set a course for Loren III.
Maximum warp.

Aye, sir.

- We are entering the Loren system.
- Orbit the third planet.

Our competition may be
there before us.

- Battle stations, Mr. Worf.
- Aye.

- We are now in orbit.
- On screen.

You're right. We've got company.
Cardassians.

- They're hailing us.
- On screen.

I am Gul Ocett. Identify yourself
and state your business here.

I am Capt Jean-Luc Picard of
the Federation Starship Enterprise

and I see no reason
why I should answer to you.

- Cardassians have no claims here.
- I suppose not.

But my, admittedly hasty, estimate
shows one Federation starship

and two Cardassian war vessels.

- Perhaps I have miscounted.
- Not at all.

We are on a scientific mission. You
have no reason to interfere with us.

And you have nothing to lose
by delaying for a few days.

I invite you to withdraw.

Captain, Klingon attack cruiser
decloaking. They are hailing us.

This is the Klingon vessel
Maht-H'a. What are you doing here?

Captain's log, supplemental.

We have two competitors as we try
to complete the Professor's puzzle.

I have asked the Cardassian and
Klingon captains to meet with me.

We all know why we're here. If we
can admit that, we can move forward.

We're scouting the planet
for possible colonization.

A ridiculous story!

- Why are you here, then?
- Scientific research.

Look, if we try to deceive
one another, we shall get nowhere.

I think we all know
about Professor Galen's research.

And about the computer program
composed of DNA fragments.

I will take your silence
as confirmation.

None of us has the DNA fragments
necessary to complete the program.

You were the first
to arrive in this system.

Do you have a sample
from the planet below?

Yes. And I will fire on anyone
who attempts to obtain another one.

As if we fear Cardassian threats!

I believe one of you
has a fragment from Indri VIII.

Yes. And there will be
no other samples from Indri VIII.

What does that mean?

He destroyed the biosphere
after he got a sample.

Typical Klingon thinking. Take what
you want and destroy the rest.

We're all missing some fragments,
not necessarily the same ones.

Unless we combine them,
we will never learn the secret.

There is no secret! It's an ancient
weapon design of incredible power.

The Klingon Empire will not let it
fall into an enemy's hands.

- Or even a friend's.
- A weapon?

The Yridians claim the program leads
to an unlimited power source.

Until we assemble it,
we will never know its purpose.

He's right!

It could be a recipe for biscuits.

Biscuits! If that is what you
believe, go back to Cardassia.

- I will send you my mother's recipe.
- How dare you!

Enough! Without cooperation,
we will get nowhere.

What do you propose?

If you bring your samples on board,
I will combine them with ours.

We will all observe the results,
giving no one the advantage.

And if we refuse?

Then this endeavour dies here,
in this room.

Captain.

Excellent!

- Still one missing piece.
- We gave ours up for nothing!

You are very short-sighted,
Nu'Daq. We are closer than we were.

We may be very much closer indeed.

We have no idea where to look
for the missing DNA fragment.

This is a jigsaw puzzle
scattered across the galaxy.

Shouldn't we assume the designers
want us to find it?

Why else put the pieces
in our DNA?

Wouldn't that suggest they'd make it
easy for us to find the pieces,

that there's a pattern
to their distribution?

The computer might find that pattern.

Doctor, program the computer
to analyze what we have,

correcting for changes
in star configurations.

- Extrapolate for the missing piece.
- That will take hours. Excuse me.

- Stay on board while we wait.
- I intend to.

- Good evening, Commander Data!
- Captain.

- Any word on the missing fragment?
- The computer is working on it.

It will let me know shortly.

Commander, your reputation
for physical strength

is known
even in the Klingon Empire.

Do you know the B'aht Qul challenge?

I am familiar with the B'aht Qul.

My spinal support is a poly-alloy
designed to withstand extreme stress.

My skull is composed of cortonide
and uranium.

I understand
your intellectual prowess

is equally impressive.

If I were to learn the result of
the computer search before the rest,

the Klingon Empire would have
a strategic advantage.

A being of your abilities
would go far in the Empire.

- You are attempting to bribe me.
- Not at all.

You suggested a plan to your
advantage, one I could execute.

You then implied a reward.

Commander... never mind.

What the hell...?

Computer, run a diagnostic
on the primary defensive systems.

- La Forge to Capt Picard.
- What is it?

I've found something
I think you should see.

The analysis is complete.

The computer found this geometric
pattern based on the fragments.

Computer, highlight the section
of the missing pattern.

The missing DNA fragment should be
in this system.

The star is in the Rahm-lzad system.

Direct hit on our port nacelle.

They are powering up
for another volley.

Make it look good.
Release the dampers.

Aye, sir.

They are firing.

Report, Number One.

We used the inertial dampers
to simulate complete shield failure.

Good thing you discovered Gul Ocett
tampering with your defences.

Maht-H'a, status.

Minor damage to starboard nacelle.
We will be operational in one hour.

What?! You incompetent top'a!
You were supposed to be prepared.

The Cardassians have set a course
for Rahm-lzad.

They'll soon realize Rahm-lzad
is the wrong planet.

Captain,
you're very welcome to join us.

I... will go with you.

Set in a course for the
Vilmoran system, warp nine. Engage!

I am scanning all seven planets.
None supports life.

- How can that be?
- Correction.

One shows evidence
of an ancient ocean, now dry.

- It once supported life.
- Yes. And it still may.

In a limited fashion,
not detectable by sensors.

Lay on a course, Ensign.
Riker to transporter room one.

We've located a planet
that may still support life.

- Any sign of the Cardassians?
- Not yet.

Acknowledged.

I detect vegetative life,

a primitive lichen
in a fossilized sea bed.

Transporter room one, stand by.

Over there!

We have company.
I'm ready to pull you out.

Wait for my order.

You dishonourable top'a!

Perhaps we could exchange insults
some other time.

- It was quite a chase, wasn't it?
- How...?

We intercepted communiqu?s
between the Yridians and Cardassia.

We were watching
when Professor Galen was attacked.

And you have been shadowing us
ever since.

And now the reward.
Step clear, please.

I shall destroy the entire rock face
and every trace of DNA with it.

You'll go to Romulus empty-handed.
Your superiors will be pleased.

Perhaps we could compromise?
You give us the gene code...

The sea bed may be only
partially fossilized.

It could
still contain organic material.

Which would still contain the DNA.

- I will not be eliminated now.
- You can be, by a disruptor.

What about my offer?

How can I be sure
you won't kill me?

- I've given you my word.
- Etched in stone. No deals!

There will be no deals
as long as I am alive.

Do not press me, Klingon. I don't
care whether you live or die.

If you fire, others will die.

The program has been activated.
It's reconfiguring the tricorder.

We will die together, brother.

It's modifying the diode emitter
to project something.

You're wondering who we are,
why we have done this,

how it is come
that I stand before you,

the image of a being
from so long ago.

Life evolved on my planet

before all others
in this part of the galaxy.

We left our world,
explored the stars

and found none like ourselves.

Our civilization thrived for ages,

but what is the life of one race

compared to the vast stretches
of cosmic time?

We knew that one day
we would be gone,

that nothing of us would survive.

So, we left you.

Our scientists seeded the
primordial oceans of many worlds

where life was in its infancy.

The seed codes directed
your evolution

toward a physical form
resembling ours.

This body you see before you

which is, of course,
shaped as yours is shaped,

for you are the end result.

The seed codes also contain
this message,

which we scattered
on many different worlds.

It was our hope that you would
have to come together

in fellowship and companionship
to hear this message.

And if you can see and hear me,
our hope has been fulfilled.

You are a monument,

not to our greatness,
but to our existence.

That was our wish...

that you, too, would know life

and would keep alive our memory.

There is something of us
in each of you

and so, something of you
in each other. Remember us.

That's all?! If she were not dead,
I would kill her!

The very notion that a Cardassian

could have anything in common
with a Klingon turns my stomach.

- Picard to Enterprise.
- Standing by.

Captain's log, stardate 46735.2.

Use of high warp has over-extended
the propulsion systems.

We are finishing repairs before
returning to Federation territory.

It's sad Professor Galen
didn't see the end of his study.

No one would have appreciated it
more.

If it hadn't been for you, his dream
would never have been realized.

You left him a wonderful legacy.

A more fitting message if it had not
fallen on such deaf ears.

You never know!

Well, I have to get this day
started.

- Both of us!
- See you this afternoon.

Riker to Capt Picard.

- Transmission from the Romulans.
- Put it through.

Acknowledged.

Captain, my ships are leaving orbit
for Romulan space.

Until our next encounter.

Until then.

It would seem that we are not
completely dissimilar after all.

In our hopes, or in our fears...

- Yes.
- Well, then.

Perhaps...

one day.

One day.

(ENGLISH)

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.