989 – Best of Both Worlds Part 2 | Snore Trek TNG

Notable Language:

• Saucer Section
• Eyebrow-Based Satellite Dish (EBSD)
• Multi-Modal

Notable Culture:

• Dua Lipa
• Wolf 359 Podcast
• “No Day But Today”

Notable Talking Points:

• The Opposite of Earl Gray
• A Little Bit of a Sparkle Makeup
• A really heroic moment for everybody

Episode 989 – Best of Both Worlds Part 2 | Snore Trek TNG

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary, it’s time for the podcaster that…he says I’ll dance to Cher or Dua anytime, anytime you like, even though that’s a different song.  But, you know, really…you say, I don’t have a…I don’t know if I could have a preference ‘cause I prefer both.  It’s time, ladies and gentlemen, friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcaster who gets confused, patrons.  Thanks for the support.

 

INTRO:    [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing?  Trouble getting to sleep?  Trouble staying asleep?  Well, welcome.  This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.  We do it with a bedtime story.  Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press play.  I’ll do the rest.  What I’m going to attempt to do is send my…did I get mixed up again?  You up all night tossing, turning, mind…whatever’s keep…what I’m gonna attempt to do, is whatever’s keeping you awake, I’m here to take your mind off of that whether it’s thoughts, it might be the podcaster’s repeating stuff ‘cause I got mixed up, but it could be thoughts on…repetitive thoughts on your mind, holy moly.  So, or thoughts about the past, present or future.

 

Could be changes in your routine, feelings or emotions, physical sensations, could be something else.  Whatever it is that’s keeping you awake or…awake, or whatever the situation is, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff.  The way I’m going to attempt to do that is to send my voice across the deep, dark night.  I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones.  So, my tones are not conducive to much else other than…not even…you say well, the…he’s got the kind of voice you could…you can’t forget about it, but you don’t really listen to it.  So, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents.  I’m gonna go off-topic, I’m gonna get mixed up, all to keep you company, as I said, while you fall asleep.  Now if you’re new, I’m glad you’re here.

 

If you’re a regular listener, wow, thanks for being a regular listener of the show.  I really hope it helps you on a regular basis and I appreciate you being here.  Now, if you’re new, a couple…there’s a lot of things that are different about this podcast; one is it takes a couple listens to get used to in a way where you say oh, I don’t have to get used to it.  I just…it’s kinda like trying something on like a new fabric.  They say oh boy, have you tried that new fabric everybody’s talking about?  You say, I haven’t heard any…about any new fabrics.  I don’t actually…of all the new things in our world, all the tech disruptions…sometimes people have new names for a fabric.  But you say well, isn’t this like that other fabric?  So, but you say well, have you tried it on, though?  What, the laser stretch?  I thought that was just lycra and cotton.

 

You say well, no, it’s laser stretch.  It’s a new one.  It’s stretched…pre-stretched by…is it…wait a second, it’s pre-stretched by lasers, though?  I’ll try it on.  I don’t know.  I tried it on, though; the first time I felt a little lasery.  Like, is there…was there leftover laser…a remnant of lasers?  That was another book, a piece of speculative science-fiction I was gonna write, A Remnant of Lasers: My Tale Being…whatever, a Space…What a Space Ranger Does When They’re No Longer a Space Ranger.  Oh, so, sorry, I got mixed up.  Actually, this could be applicable to this episode we’re gonna be talking about this week from TNG, ‘cause there’s a laser…My Life as a Laser Pointer Connector…Collector.  Connector, yeah.  Oh boy, I have the top dating site of laser pointers and people that are interested in laser pointers.

 

But please, laser pointers, don’t point them at anything that is sensitive to laser pointers.  You know, point them in your house, point them in your classrooms, point them in your…don’t…but don’t…laser pointers; use them with respect and respect them.  That’s My Life as a…you say Scoots, I heard you were a dating expert.  Oh yeah, for laser pointers dating one another.  I’m sorry, Scooter, what did you say?  Yeah, no, that’s what…someone…if laser pointers become sentient, I’m gonna corner that market.  Maybe not though, ‘cause somebody…say well, we adjust…we had buple and we just adjusted it to lasiter.  Like, you could…if you combined laser and later, and we combined that and we put Scooter’s dating…laser dating website…I said well, what about super colliders and…I was the first person to introduce particle colliders and super colliders together.

 

Right, and that was the other universe we used to all live in, Scoots, and after those two connected and they gave birth, that was the end of that timeline.  Oh yeah, I forgot about that.  They said there’s a reason it’s called a super collider and another one is called a particle accelerator; they weren’t supposed to…and I said oh, they just wanted to meet one another ‘cause they had some things in common, but they weren’t the same.  Sorry about that, whatever timeline I used to live in.  Great to be in this one, by the way.  Okay, so, sorry.  If you’re new, I was gonna say something I…oh, this podcast can take some getting used to and it’s not for everybody.  So, when you…so, most regular listeners say hey, give it a few tries because it’s different.  You might not like it at first.  You may never like it.

 

But just see how it goes because it’s so different.  Also on the so-different thing is this is a podcast — clearly you’ve already figured that out — that you don’t really listen to; you just kinda barely listen.  You kick back, you just kinda pay attention, and you let me drone in the background.  But you can listen, and this isn’t a show that really puts you to sleep; I’m here to keep you company while you fall asleep.  So, I’m gonna be here for over an hour, and you could queue up episode after episode.  If you can’t sleep, I’m here for you.  I’ll be here, right here talking to you, or in a little while I’ll be talking to you about Star Trek: TNG.  So, those are two things.  Other things that throw new listeners off are the structure of the show or the content of the show or me.  So, I’m different.  It may work for you, it may not.

 

Just see how it goes.  I know you’re skeptical.  I know you tried other things to fall asleep.  The goal of the show is to make you feel less alone and to just barely entertain you, maybe barely make you smile while you get some rest.  Structure of the show; show starts off with a greeting.  Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you feel welcome and seen.  Then there’s support for you, the listener, then there’s support for our show so it can stay free.  That’s the first, I don’t know, six, eight minutes or something.  Then there’s the intro which is a show within a show.  It’s kinda like our wind-down show.  3% of listeners skip it.  A few thousand people pay to get story-only episodes on Patreon, but most listeners really enjoy it because it’s part of their bedtime routine.

 

It’s part of their bedtime routine, so some people play it as they’re getting ready for bed, some listeners are in bed, and some people are doing something else relaxing.  Or they’re just sitting on the couch or doing…taking…doing some skincare, doing some doodling, foam rolling, lying on the floor instead of lying on…in the bed.  Maybe you’re paging through a magazine.  I mean, talk about something that not a ton of people do anymore.  You say oh, I’m just paging through it.  So, the intro kinda serves the purpose to give us some distance from the day and the night, from your day life and ease you into bedtime, and kinda give you a overview of what the show…what to expect.  My sense of humor-like…I’d say well, it’s not funny.  It’s kinda like something funny that’s…yeah.

 

I mean, I don’t know; he was talking about something five or six minutes ago.  He doesn’t even remember what it was but he says well, that was barely entertaining.  That’s what the show really is.  So, that’s the intro.  Then there’s business between the intro and the episode.  That’s how…kinda podcast structure works and again, how we’re able to be here free versus be part of a service.  Then tonight we’ll be talking about Star Trek: The Next Generation, but you don’t need to have [00:10:00] seen the episodes at all.  I’ll fill you in.  It’ll be like a bedtime story and…or like, you know, anytime someone’s recounted the plot of an entire movie or TV show in longer…you say oh my gosh, I saw the show; I gotta tell you about it.  So, there’s a character, right?  They have…they wear sneakers everywhere.

 

So, they have sneakers…they have their work sneakers, then they have their dating sneakers, then they have…they even wear sneakers to bed but…they’re slippers, but they have them designed like sneakers.  Then when they go to the UK, they call them trainers.  Then you’re like okay, that’s…oh wow, that sounds…oh no, no, no, that’s just the main character.  So, then they meet someone, a barefoot runner.  Okay.  Then that goes on and on and on, what can feel like hours, right?  But because of the social compact, you’re supposed to…unfortunately…you’re a good person; I know you.  You listen to the show.  So you say wow, a barefoot runner and a sneaker-lover.  What’s…do they…what’s the plot?  Oh, so…well, no, no, so, then it goes back to when they were kids and they lived two towns away from one another.

 

But both their parents worked at a shoe box factory.  Then you could say okay, wow, oof.  Wow, what is this on…you know what?  Maybe you shouldn’t tell me any more.  Maybe I should…no, I gotta tell you.  I can’t believe it.  I mean, you could watch it, but I just…I gotta tell somebody about this.  Okay, but…okay.  So, you make that noise, right?  So, this podcast, you don’t get…you could do that if you want to.  You say uh-huh, Scoot…uh-huh.  Oh, Scoots, tell me more about Star Trek.  But there’s no…you don’t have to pretend to listen to me.  You could literally be drooling or snoring or you could just be relaxed there, snuggled in and just kinda barely paying attention.  So, the show’s here to keep you company while you drift off.  I make the show because you deserve a good night’s sleep.

 

I really, truly believe that, and that our world and your world will be a better place if you get the rest you need.  I also make the show ‘cause I’ve been there.  I know how it feels tossing, turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, so I’m happy to help.  So, give this show a few tries.  See how it goes.  I really appreciate you coming by and checking it out.  I really work hard, I yearn and I strive, and I really hope I can help you fall asleep.  Thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to be here for you twice a week.  Thanks.

 

Alright everybody, Scoots here.  It’s time for another…it’s time to return…it’s time for me to dispatch a subspace message to you from the voice of the…what’s that thing called?  The particle…the food-maker…oh, boy.  Hey, make me some food; the same voice that…their version of the voice assistant is also the voice that says previously, as we concluded last season.  What does that exactly say?  Let me see here.  Last time on Star Trek: The Next Generation.  We see a recap; the Borg, Admiral Hanson, Picard.  Engage the Borg.  Fluctuating phasers, shields, all that stuff.  Coming with every starship to assist, but we’re six days away.  Riker saying well, you can’t play it safe, you can’t make big decisions.  Borg show up on the ship.  Worf does this great jump, runs into it.  Picard goes with Borg peacefully.

 

Plan…brainstorming session, deflector dish.  Maybe we can do it.  Enterprise pursuing.  Then the away team on the Borg ship looking around.  Shelby to Enterprise; we found the communicator and uniform.  Then, oh no, Commander Picard standing with a laser pointer.  Jean-Luc; whoa, boy.  Unable to retrieve him.  Altered by the Borg?  No, he is a Borg.  Beverly says he’s alive; we could restore him.  Riker says this is our only chance.  Then the music will be…would begin because Picard says I’m Locutus of Borg.  I’m a very big deal.  Riker says Worf, fire.  Mr. Worf, that is, Scoots.  Oh, sorry.  Fire.  Now, the conclusion.  Again, we start up again with Locutus of Borg.  Let’s see what we got; Picard, laser pointer, Seder Sam, Riker…six seconds, looks.  We’ll read through some of my poetic writing first.

 

Riker, enormous execs, unchanged, undamaged, cool hand, failure.  Coolant failure.  More looks, cease fire.  Your FaceTime was on there the whole time.  It’s hapless and hopeless, Number One.  Big music open.  So, yeah, Locutus is checking them out.  They’re running out of everything, energy is discharging; six seconds.  We get Wesley, Troi, Riker, Shelby.  Firing the deflector plan, and it does not work.  Undamaged, Worf says.  Impossible, Shelby says.  I just read her lips, actually.  Warning; reactor problems.  Geordi can’t maintain.  Thermal limits reached.  More looks; Troi…Riker’s eyes down, turns, cease fire.  Geordi’s shutting down warp.  Couldn’t have adapted that quickly.  Riker knows something.  That’s when Picard says yeah, we know everything.

 

I’m Locutus but I was Picard, so we know all of it now, all possible courses of actions.  Data, Crusher, Shelby reaction looks.  Resistance is futile, Number One.  Troi reacts to that.  Riker reacts, and we go to the open.  Then we come back.  First long, slow Enterprise meeting.  Riker stands.  His hands are like a praying mantis.  Wolf 359; if you haven’t listened to Wolf 359, check out that podcast and then check out the other podcasts that team and the people involved have been working on.  Klingons will…even the Klingons, maybe even the Vulcans are gonna help.  Not the Vulcans, but that other group that…the Borg will be ready.  40k run, freshmen to win.  The academy marathon…we’ve abandoned all hope of recovering him.  He checks his phone, asks for Picard.

 

Admiral Hanson’s like every boss in the world; he’s talking and not listening and using his phone.  But as for Picard, Riker looks down, ugh.  Captain, it’s your ship now.  Thoughtful Riker.  Overhead shot with laser pointer of Locutus lying down.  Never seen another Borg in this position before.  The Borg are already upgrading.  They say, we’re going Locutus 2.0 now.  Forget the beta, man.  We’re gonna get you up into…they put on a extra attachment.  They put some LEDs in there.  But Picard is still there because we see…or maybe not; maybe this is just a mechanical…biomechanical reaction, but we see a…one lone tear run down his eyes.  Then we have Worf and Riker.  Worf’s arms are crossed.  Borg have neither courage nor honor.  Sage advice.  Shield work, darn tootin’, have failed.

 

Could use Worf’s help.  Riker and Shelby…anything else?  Riker is pleased at the end.  Wolf 359; we’ve engaged the Borg.  Oh boy, we got a bad signal.  This is like…and then they go out.  That’s the end of that sequence.  So, let’s see, First Officer’s Log 44001.4; Borg on their way to Earth or Terra.  We got…unable to pursue…we’re gonna pursue once we get things fixed.  [00:20:00] They’re on the call with the…Hanson.  Eight to twelve hours before we get this thing running.  Oh, we’ll miss you at the party.  Don’t worry, we’ll be there.  A little late, Riker says, but we’ll be there.  Well, you bought us some time.  We got forty warships or starships at Wolf 359 and that’s just starters.  Klingons are coming, maybe even the Romulans.  We might tell them.  Shelby says, the Borg are gonna be ready.

 

That’s when he goes…even the…he’s like, talks about Riker being the fastest freshman…Danula Two.  Only freshman to ever win the 40k academy marathon or whatever.  I wanted to know that young fellow and I do, I did.  Drive, determination, and courage.  Jean-Luc Picard.  No way he would assist the Borg, so that’s not Picard over there.  Of course, Shelby says, I’m not…I was just…he’s like, this is the way I’m coping with it.  You cope in your own way.  Then Beverly says that’s it, then?  What?  Hanson says we got work to do.  Someone actually hands him his phone, so, in some sense they’re saying this is more important than the Enterprise.  So, I guess I’m not…I guess I was blaming him but I didn’t see that…this…that first time.  Worf doesn’t like it.  Riker doesn’t like it.  Riker, you’re com…field-commissioned commander, captain.

 

Congrats.  Enterprise is your ship.  I wish it was different.  Shelby reacts.  There’s actually air conditioning blowing her hair or something.  To us all.  Riker looks down, thinks a minute, then we get a outside shot; Borg ship.  Locutus’ upgrade…they do some of the Locutus-level work.  They put on something; it’s even got magnetic coils on there, a blender…then they put…do some…they say hey, these LEDs will help.  But that’s when his lone tear…actually, they use the LED for something else.  We see some kind of organics out of focus, organic-mechanical stuff.  But he’s got humanity.  Then onto the turbo pulse lift or whatever.  Worf and Riker talking.  What are our advantages?  Neutralize force fields.  We gotta let them know we can adapt, too.  We’re no longer against the Borg; we got the life experience of Picard, too.

 

How the heck…double heck do we learn…?  Borg neither have honor nor courage.  That is our greatest advantage.  I hope it’s enough.  Then they get off.  Shelby’s working on the warp core or something with Geordi.  They’re getting the shields…then the sensors are off.  No, they’re working, Geordi; aft shields aren’t working.  Darn it all.  Auxiliary…they say Worf, we got…we need you…your help down here, too.  Riker says, we gotta get moving, Geordi.  He goes, I’ll have Shelby fill you in.  We got a couple hours.  Shelby says we got the navigational thing.  Shelbourne and Barclay are working on something.  Proceeding, but it’s slow work.  We just gotta figure this out.  Two or three hours.  He says, good.  Then there’s a long pause and she goes, anything else?  He goes, you’ve done a good job.

 

She goes well, I didn’t get Picard.  He goes well, you stopped them.  You gave us our chance even though it didn’t work out.  He goes, we don’t have to like each other, but you keep me on my toes.  She goes, like a First Officer?  That’s when he laughs.  He goes, you are ambitious.  Get right to the point.  She goes, there’s no reason for me to expect it, but you do need me and I got the expertise.  He goes, you have a lot to learn.  She goes, yeah.  He goes…that’s when he grins.  As much as I…when I was a young punk.  He goes yeah, you remind me of what a pain I was to Commander…Captain Picard.  Then they got a call…Face…Starfleet’s engaged the Borg; Wolf 359.  Riker heads off.  On the bridge they say hey, get Hanson on subspace.  Hanson comes in; he has a terrible signal.  He goes, it’s not going good.

 

We’re trying to withdraw and regroup.  Oh, sorry, we’re…lost the signal.  Data goes, I don’t know.  Riker glares.  Slow zoom on his face, and then they go to commercial.  Captain’s Log; Riker…so, I exclamation point that.  We’re at Wolf 359.  Riker talks to Worf and Data.  Not the time for change.  Data’s surprised.  I said wait a second, does Data have the ability to be surprised?  I guess so, because he’s surprised when Riker makes his announcement about Shelby.  Shares a look with Worf.  Heavy gravitar beam.  Premise; nanotech, but that’s gonna take two or three weeks.  Riker, transcribe lead?  Grips back of chair, then into the commander’s quart…or captain’s quarters, or captain’s office.  Ready Room?  I don’t know what you call it.  Talks to the empty chair.  Guinan shows up.

 

This is one of the great scenes which makes me really…titillated me.  I say, I gotta learn more about…I gotta go to these Guinan stories next.  She totally blows by Riker.  She talks…he goes well, I’m thinking.  She goes okay, great, let’s talk, then.  She sits down.  She says, do you know about Captain Picard and I?  No.  Well, we’re beyond friends and family, but there can only be one captain.  Look back away…something…must let him go.  Only way.  Something him that is your new chin.  He sits; Crusher calls.  On my way.  Riker takes over, then we get to the fleet.  They’re toast.  There’s a zoom-in, big music.  Everybody’s stunned.  Kyushu, Tolstoy, Melbourne.  Riker looks down.  Wow.  So, that’s that sequence.  44002.3, Commander…Captain’s Log; repairs are complete.  We’re on our way.

 

Communications are cut off.  Borg interference, probably.  Riker says Worf, you get my respect for your service, but I need you at Tactical.  Data, you’re not ambitious.  Nevertheless, I want you to know I considered you for First Officer.  Thank you.  But not a time for change or rearrange.  I need all of you where you are, where Commander Picard relied on you.  So, I’ve been…reluctantly conclude that Shelby, expert on the Borg, ideal for First Officer.  Worf and Data…even Data’s eyebrows go up.  I guess the latest…the Borg clearly made it through.  That’s when he’s gripping the chair.  What about that heavy graviton beam?  Geordi says, not strong enough.  Then the nanobots…too long…good ideas, but they’re gonna take too long.  They say, haven’t you read any of those books?  But that’ll take too long; two to three weeks.

 

By the way, if you could get nanobots working in two to three weeks, you should do it anyway.  We got the new phaser adapters.  Maybe we could slow them down, maybe.  Riker says I’m sure Commander Picard would say something inspirational right now, but that’s not me.  I wish he was here, ‘cause I could use it.  Difficult…he’s really gripping that chair.  I don’t know if he…that’s when his back was bothering him.  He goes, I can’t replicate Picard but whatever the outcome, I’m sure our efforts will be efforts.  He has faith in us.  We’re gonna live up to his faith in us.  Dismissed.  Everyone slowly exits, then he goes into the Ready Room or whatever, the…Picard’s office.  Some stuff’s in there; it looks like it was cleaned out.  He says, what would you do?  Oh yeah, there’s the nautilus shell, some other shell.  Guinan comes in.

 

She says hey, what’s up?  [00:30:00] Talking to Picard’s chair, eh?  Can I speak to you?  Well, not a good time.  She goes, great.  She walks over to Picard’s chair and sits down.  She says what about me?  I’m running the show now.  She goes, I’m used to having the captain’s ear.  So he says, what’s up?  She goes, a lot of people are thinking…you gotta get some hope in here because everybody’s thinking that’s not gonna be…no hope doesn’t work.  He goes well, I’m not sure about that, though.  She goes well, you’re gonna have to find something because it’s not what’s best…no matter what happens, we have to live today.  Just like they sing, no day like today or whatever.  I’ll do the best I can.  She goes, you’re not gonna like it either, because you gotta let go of Picard.  He goes, maybe you haven’t heard; I did yesterday.

 

She goes, you know what I mean.  In your heart.  She goes, you gotta run this.  He’s still here with us in this room, so stop drinking Earl Grey.  That would be one thing.  Might be easier if it was something else.  Then she says, we’re closer than friends or family, so, this isn’t something I’m just saying lightly.  It’s not easy for me, but I’ll let him go.  So, you gotta do it, too.  There can only be one captain.  He says, it’s not so simple.  He wrote the book on this ship.  She goes, exactly.  Come on, throw that book away.  That’s the only way you’re gonna figure all this out, Riker.  Come on, I’m giving you the tools you need to be successful, here.  That’s your chair.  So he goes, throw the chair at them; great idea.  At the Borg ship or at each Borg?  She goes okay, think about it.  I’ll be back.  Riker watches her go, looks back at the chair.

 

Then he slowly walks over — and this chair will become a powerful thing in this episode or this office — turns around, and he says give me a break…I don’t know whatever the opposite of Earl Grey is.  Then Wesley Crusher says we’re almost at Wolf.  Pulls his shirt down, gets up, goes to the bridge.  Slow down, bring us…bring everything up.  Get everything on-screen.  Let’s get ready.  Sensors have several vessels but hm, no subspace fields, no power readings.  No life signs, Data says.  They all look up at the screen.  Really good effects.  Worf glares.  Everybody…then Riker stands, pulls his shirt down.  We zoom on him as he looks at what was left of the fleet.  Now there’s nothing.  Shelby stands.  Really, again, great effects.  She lists some of the ships that are gone.  Riker looks down, and I think that’s our next break.

 

He looks back up, and we get another amazing effect of the Enterprise going through the field.  Let’s see, then back to my notes here.  We get sensors, there’s eddy currents; let’s follow those.  Let’s go with Shelby’s original plan…Picard…that’s a bad idea, everybody says.  He goes, I’m counting on it.  Special mission for Data and Worf.  Something…Borg ship, Locutus takes a call for Riker.  Riker’s on the battle bridge, I guess, which is different, I think.  I said wait a second, who’s in the sauce…this is where I was having trouble, but…never lie, don’t you trust me, discuss your terms…no terms.  Riker goes, mute the call.  He goes, let’s second-plan.  We’re about to intervene; Riker One.  Or something.  That’s the plan; separation.  Locutus watches.  Riker-Alpha.  Riker-Beta.

 

Anti-matter spread, shuttle, Locutus…oh, they put on some arm bands, Riker and Data.  I mean, Data and Worf.  Luche arm bands?  Shuttle launch; oh.  Fireworks…out your angles.  There’s the arm bands again; Data and Worf.  Borg exposed or engrossed.  Then Data and Worf dance with some Borg.  One dance, two dance, three dance, four dance.  Then we have Worf v Locutus, a little dance-off.  Data uses something…sleep…a sleep device on…they take Picard on the shuttle.  We have him.  Beam out of the shuttle, then the shuttle goes bye-bye.  Success, then there’s a zoom on Riker who grins.  So, let’s see, we still have the special effects shot.  Worf says…that’s when Worf does…let’s go with these eddy currents.  Two hundred bearing to eleven.  Could be the Borg ship.  Let’s follow.

 

Shelby, let’s do your saucer plan.  She goes, but Picard rejected that plan.  Or, Picard knew about it.  I’m aware of that.  I’m counting on it.  Then she goes Crusher, Caritano, Gleason to the battle bridge.  Data, Worf, I have a special mission for you.  So, I guess not; maybe Shelby’s on the battle bridge.  Then we see the Borg ship.  We see everybody walking.  We got Locutus…he’s the only one with the laser pointer, though.  He goes to their screen which is different.  He sees Riker on a different bridge…I assume some sort of battle bridge.  He goes yo, this is Riker; go ahead.  This is Locutus.  We gotta end this.  Sure; surrender.  Locutus over.  Riker says well, what are your terms of surrender?  They go, no, no, no; you’re trying to trick us.  Nice try.

 

That’s when Riker says if Picard really knows me, you know I don’t trick people, so, he inherently trusts me.  He goes oh yeah, we inherently trust you.  Forgot.  Thank you for putting us under.  Trust me now; discuss terms.  Discussion’s irrelevant.  No terms.  Escort us to Sector One and then we’ll take over.  That’s when Riker says, mute it.  Gleason, pinpoint it.  Oh, so, this is the battle bridge; I could put you in thirty minutes…thirty meters.  Alright, O’Brien, can you beam him?  No, but we expected that, so go as…proceed as planned.  Then they turn their arm bands on.  Riker goes, un-mute him.  Preparation irrelevant.  Get ready.  Join Locutus as Picard has.  You’re just playing delay, Number One.  Not gonna work.  We will proceed to Earth and don’t mess with us.  We’re not in the mood.

 

Riker says, take your best shot, ‘cause we’re about to intervene.  It’s already been broughten.  Then he goes, hang up on him.  Then he goes Riker One, Shelby, report.  They separate.  Make it so.  So, the main bridge is the saucer…or well, Shelby’s on the main bridge and I’m not sure…I guess the main bridge is on the saucer section?  Geordi says latch is clear.  I don’t know if this is the first time, but I remember the first time I saw those things separate and I was like holy moly, that’s cool.  I had no idea.  Then they say, total action time.  This was when Locutus is watching and saying okay, let’s watch this thing.  Tractor beam…evasive maneuvers.  Riker-Alpha.  Riker-Alpha confirmed.  They get out of the way of the beam and then they say okay, evasive pattern; Riker-Beka…Beta.

 

Okay, let’s go to Phase Two, so then, that’s the anti-matter spread, is a confusion thing.  Riker watches.  So, this is what enables the shuttle to sneak in.  It’s just like fireworks.  [00:40:00] Then the shuttle gets over there.  They penetrate the field.  They park it in…oh no, they use the shuttle transporter to get over there.  I said, that was one of the things…I said, how are they gonna get outta there?  Like, a short transporter, which works.  They transport into the Borg ship.  They show up, they get ready.  First, you know, Borg aren’t expecting them, so they walked around for a bit.  Then they just start dancing with Borg as soon as they can.  They’re all…Borg are all watching.  They see Locutus is in the middle, so they do have to be careful.  There’s other Borg just walking around doing their jobs.

 

I mean, doing their job, I guess, ‘cause they’re all one.  There’s one of the persons next to Locutus…great shot by Worf to go past Locutus, take out his handlers or whatever.  Then Worf dances with Locutus.  Somebody rolls up behind Data, but he does a quick move.  They haven’t adjusted.  Then they take…they rescue Commander Picard.  They say, okay…they get on the shuttle.  They say okay, get the shuttle out of the Borg parking.  Then they get off the shuttle because obviously the Borg are gonna see the shuttle and know something’s up, which is true.  Once they’re out of the Borg field…get them outta there, O’Brien.  A little rescue.  This is like a episode of The Mandalorian.  They get back.  They have Picard.  Picard’s sleeping.  Riker grins, says oh yeah, Borg.

 

Okay, then we have the two ships facing off with one another.  We worried.  Course towards Earth.  Per cut…Picard in Med Bay.  We don’t have more time.  Both ways, if I were lucky.  She tries to raise him without losing power.  Beverly Crusher, doctor.  Yes.  He has this moving…he has this eye contraption above his eyebrow, like a eyebrow-based satellite dish, mini-satellite dish.  Something…incorrect, Number One.  Only I mean your…you understand us.  No harm, no humor.  His suit looks cool.  Close-up.  Data…multimodal.  I said, that’s what my underwear is made out of, modal.  I said, that’s pretty funny.  I think it’s even multimodal.  But complex signals, interactive…or interacute cutting the link.  We must know how…know what he knows.  Separate man from machine.

 

Data, perhaps Picard looks at…re-rents…rolls up on Worf.  Lore…way…Worf says, specs.  Data, Riker, Crusher.  Beverly puts him to sleep.  To the lab.  Shelby to Riker; 001 Saturn.  They go by Saturn and there’s big music for the break.  So, let’s see, we got the show off with both parts of the ship and the Borg ship.  Impulse drive’s toast on the saucer section.  We can’t move.  We got subspace fluctuations.  They’re getting ready to move.  Stand by.  We have…saucer section’s a sitting duck.  Riker says, draw their fire.  Says, can you…saucer section’s hard to say.  Then the Borg ship heads back towards Earth.  They have to rendezvous and then follow.  We see Picard with Riker, Beverly Crusher, and somebody else we don’t see yet; I think Data or Worf.  Wow, it’s Worf.  Structural changes…we don’t have time.

 

We gotta find out a way to win.  We gotta use him to find out about the Borg.  Everything we need to know; their vulnerabilities.  So, she wakes him up first.  He is has a nice, sparkly pillow.  His laser pointer’s still working.  She says Jean-Luc, can you hear me?  The Borg have a little bit of a sparkle makeup on.  We see his suit is some rubber.  It looks good.  A little bit of a Batman-type of look to it.  I’m onboard the Enterprise.  That’s right.  He sits up, then we see his abs.  A futile maneuver.  Incorrect strategy, Number One.  Crew and ship for one person?  Not a good idea.  Picard wouldn’t have approved.  You underestimate us.  We don’t care about this.  Then he raises his arm.  He looks over at Worf.  No need for apprehension, though.  Like, I’ll…he says I tend no harm.  No harm.

 

I will continue aboard this ship to speak for the Borg.  Let’s just act like everything’s normal.  They’ll continue without further diversion to Sector 001.  That’ll be it.  So, pretty much a waste of your time.  Riker and Beverly share a look.  Data’s tap, tap, tapping away.  Multimodal reflection sorting…I detected subspace signals between Locutus and the Borg ship.  Controlling him?  Not a matter of control.  It’s like a interactive subspace domain, like a transporter beam.  I’d hypothesize this is a collective unconscious of the Borg.  Can we block him?  I don’t know, Data says.  There’s some sort of circuit they’ve taken from…to separate comrades from the consciousness.  Then after that, when you cut the link, that’s when they go big Borg in the sky, the big cube in the sky.

 

They say, we gotta know…we know…Beverly says, I could do some micro-work on him, but these Borg implants are functioning.  I don’t know if I can separate the man from the machine.  Data says well, maybe I could hack in there.  I can access the machine part with my brain.  They say wait a second, then we see Riker’s…or Picard’s reading his readouts at the Med Bay.  He says Worf, Klingon species, warrior race.  Check out my blender.  It’s built into my arm.  He goes, Klingon will never yield.  He goes, we’re just trying to…Borg’s just trying to raise the quality of life for everyone.  Worf says, it’s my…you know, so this is this idea of…Worf says I like my species the way we are.  We don’t need to be assimilated.  Then he rolls up on Data; primitive artificial organism.  You will be obsolete soon.  That’s when they put him to sleep.

 

They use Data’s little distraction.  They say, take him to the lab.  Shelby to Riker; the Borg are in 001, going past Saturn.  We gotta hurry.  So, then we see a brief thing…oh wait, this is the next break.  Bridge; Shelby thinking, Riker…twenty-seven minutes.  Need forty-two.  Data, neural net transport buffer…Troi is there as well.  Picard’s…okay, I can look into this in three stages.  Oh, Picard’s shirt is off.  He’s just in…it’s just interesting as we get…reveal what he’s wearing.  They said, take his shirt off; he doesn’t need fake abs.  He has real abs.  Three stages…I don’t know…oh, this is one of the things I love, is this dialogue when you ask someone for an answer.  I don’t know if there’s many other shows that have the courage to have authority figures on a regular basis say in a genuine way that leads to the solution I don’t know.

 

Picard does this a lot and Data says it in a very honest way, but it’s still part of the story.  So, I don’t know, I love these choices.  I don’t know.  I’ve never done this before.  I mean, think about…I don’t know.  That’s just one of my…I just said I don’t know, but I’ve never done this before is not only the right thing for the character to say; it’s a…that’s real courage when you say I don’t know, I’ve never done this before.  [00:50:00] It’s good teamwork in this situation where a lot of times you’d be like okay, well, I suppose I’m supposed to know, so I’ll just say I know even though I don’t.  I don’t know, what a great example.  Level One?  No.  Then we see the Mars defense grid or something.  The Borg take them out.  Enterprise…something.  Two new connections or second-level?  No.  Find a level.  Picard nods.

 

Something…I have access.  Pressing…processing, processing, processing.  Zoom on Data’s brain.  Root around…Picard tries to…he goes, I’m getting outta here.  Data holds…Data says, let me take this blender off you.  It just seems unnecessary.  So, Data uses his super-strength, removes the blender attachment.  It’s him, it’s Picard.  He lifts Data’s arm.  Data calls; he says, I made first contact.  Bridge…Borg…somebody’s worried.  Borg is worried?  I don’t know.  Inter-parlay, planet command…Riker interrupts; make every effort…visitor conflict, magnify.  Red Alert, status, tractor beam.  Unable to penetrate defenses.  Power shields failed…pulling us in.  Complete something…current portable power.  It’s over…collision course.

 

Oh, this is…Riker has a plan, a backup plan, to warp them out in warp power which no one likes.  Then Picard says to sleep, sleep, sleep.  Then they go back and forth, and Data says I have a supposition to sleep.  What?  Smiles…minimal power…Shelby away team, Mr. Worf.  I wrote more on this ‘cause I watched it twice.  Like, he wanted…they wanted Data to do an episode of Sleep With Me for all the Borg.  I-tear in outer hall.  Something…Mr. Worf; twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five hull…oh, those are all…the hull’s penetrated.  Riker; full stop.  Spin…what the double hockey sticks?  What if I put all of them to sleep?  Status; minimal.  Confirm.  Delighted…Mr. Worf on ship.  Self…oh yeah, then they go bye-bye.  Okay, let’s see how it plays out, here.  Okay, so we have Shelby and Riker.  Borg…the Jupiter Outpost 92.

 

Nothing from Jupiter, but they’re probably not gonna work against the Borg.  They’re twenty-seven minutes away from Earth.  We’re forty minutes away.  Forty-two minutes, Wesley says.  Riker to Data; what’s your status?  He goes okay, we got the initial connection to the neural net.  Mr. O’Brien’s gonna process some of it through the transport pattern buffer.  Data starts to go on and on and on, but he goes proceed, Data.  Just get to work.  So, then they bring Picard up.  Same kinda thing; this reveal.  I remember when Lall was revealed.  Lowered down…neural link will be established.  Troi is there.  Beverly Crusher’s there.  Keep an eye on him.  Keep an eye on him, observe him at each stage.  O’Brien’s on the positronic matrix and hopefully we’ll be able to tell if we’re actually reaching Picard.

 

That’s when O’Brien says well, when should I shut it down?  Data says, I don’t know.  Never done this before.  Never hacked into Captain Picard after takeover by the Borg.  They say okay, everything’s stable.  Positronic activity’s unchanged.  Data goes to the first level.  Nothing.  No access to the consciousness.  Beverly doesn’t sense any…or, I mean, Troi doesn’t sense anything either.  Then we see the Mars defense grid.  They’re nothing.  The Borg is like, that’s a joke.  That was where those hot-rodders Wesley hung out with…and so, they go bye-bye.  Then they say okay, that’s…past Mars.  Next stop Earth for the Borg.  Okay, we’re twenty-three minutes away.  Fourteen seconds, Wesley says.  They go around Saturn.  Second neural connection established.  Still can’t get anything on here.  No access.  Final link.

 

Picard starts moving.  Data says oh, boy.  Data even moved in the same way at first.  Premodal stuff.  Hypothalamus is active.  His heart’s beating.  Micron matrix accelerating.  Data says connection complete.  Got access to the Borg signals.  Processing one, processing two, processing three.  Then Troi says, I sense something.  Data keeps processing.  We get a zoom on his brain.  I think that’s probably the next act break, right?  Fascinating, no?  Borg group consciousness is divided into simple sub-commands.  This is a little bit of explanation.  They got defense, communication, navigation, and they’re all controlled by a root command you just implant.  Then Picard just looks at him, looks back.  That’s when he tries to use his thing…he tries to get out at first.  Data puts a stop to that with his super-strength.

 

He says, let’s just take this off of you, man.  Can’t be pleasant to have a magnetic blender attachment on there.  So, they do that.  Data stares at…he says, what in the hey double-hey?  They say okay, there’s pre-frontal…we got pre-frontal cortex stuff happening.  I think the Borg are trying to cut him off.  Picard even holds onto his blender arm for a little while.  Then Data goes no, that’s not what’s happening.  I can’t figure it out.  Troi goes, it’s not the Borg; it’s Picard trying to come through.  That’s when he holds Data’s arm up as a connection.  Looks into…that’s when Troi says Data’s made first contact.  Can you communicate with him?  Not yet; not through a neural pathway.  Can’t get around the Borg implants.  Picard’s initiated contact.  They say, but Borg have stopped moving.  What should we do?

 

We’re two minutes away.  Riker says, they’re worried because now we’re accessing Picard.  They go, we got two minutes, Data.  Data goes okay, they’re not gonna terminate the subspace links.  Beverly says that’s their Achilles heel; they can’t do it.  They’re all interdependent.  Once he’s locked in, you can’t cut him off.  He’s a part of them now.  They say yeah, he’s a single mind.  Then they say what if we implant a command in their collective unconscious?  Data says it’s conceivable, but I’d have to alter a pathway from the…I’d have to hack it.  Riker goes, get to work.  Okay.  Don’t over-explain it.  What command?  He goes, something simple and straightforward.  Turn off weapons, stop moving…then they have visual contact with the Borg and Earth.  Their power is building up.  Borg are getting ready to do everything.

 

Riker’s like, get ready.  They say the Borg are ready, too.  Data’s trying to hack in, but everything’s failing.  Can’t get in…can’t hack into defense.  That’s protected.  I got a tractor beam, I gotta rotate our shield…then they’re trying to figure everything out.  Data’s unable to get into defense systems.  Power…see if you can power them down, Shelby says.  Data says, okay.  Power command, and then that’s…everything’s happening.  The Enterprise is falling apart.  They’re pulling us in.  Riker says okay, let’s get ready for the last barrage of weapons.  That does not work.  Data can’t hack the power.  Everything’s…all the critical commands are protected.  Then Riker says it’s over, then.  Warp into that ship.  Wesley looks at him like he’s gonna throw up and then he says yes, sir.

 

It’s a really heroic moment for everybody and a really great thing of storytelling.  [01:00:00] Then Riker says…or Picard says, sleep.  They say, he must be tired.  He says sleep again.  They say it’s Picard, not Locutus.  Sleep, Data, he says.  They say, he must be exhausted.  That’s when Data says what if this is a idea?  I don’t think he’s talking about…expressing fatigue, but a course of action.  Picard looks at him.  That’s when, again, they go after the ship.  Cutting beam…Crusher, get ready.  Then Data says hold on, I’m gonna try something here.  They go, stand by.  He goes, I’m gonna try to hack into the regenerative sub-command path.  It’s low-priority, maybe easier to hack.  They say okay, well, the ship’s falling apart, so what should we do?  They go, this is your last chance, Data.  He goes, hold on.

 

They go well, the ship’s falling apart, so we gotta do something, please.  We have to hang on for a few seconds.  Then the weapons shut down and everybody says, what?  Worf, Wesley, Riker…Riker does a full spin.  The camera spins around him.  They’re all looking around the ship like something happened nearby.  Data says, I put them to sleep.  Made them think it’s time to regenerate.  Riker says holy moly, to sleep.  Data says, yeah.  They go, what’s the power?  They say, minimal power.  Okay, electromagnetic field still working.  No, nonexistent.  Shelby, go over there and confirm they’re asleep.  She’s happy.  She says, delighted.  She goes Worf, let’s go.  So, they go over and they look around.  I don’t know what…they just see everybody not doing anything.

 

I guess they’re…I mean, that’s normal Borg…but I think she does have a way to determine that yeah, they’re in a regenerative mode.  He goes, it’s true; they’re all in regeneration mode, dormant.  But we don’t know…Riker says well, we don’t know how long, right?  Worf says yeah, tricorders are fluctuating.  They go, but yeah, we could be seeing that they’re gonna go bye-bye because they’re malfunctioning.  Should we disarm that?  They go well, we don’t know what’s gonna happen if the ship goes to Picard.  Data says, we should try to learn about the Borg.  Riker thinks about it.  He goes no, separate yourself from Commander Picard.  Away team, come back.  We gotta let the Borg go away and see what happens to Picard.  So, they get outta there and the Borg ship goes bye-bye.  Picard has to take a breath.

 

He actually does…he leans up against something but he’s like, he lost his breath.  We get Riker, Troi…and they go, he’s stable.  They let him out.  He’s just in this strange thing, like a Borg bikini.  They go, how are you feeling?  He goes, almost human.  Well, just a bit of a headache.  They say, we’ll get you to sick bay and we’ll remove all this stuff.  Riker goes, how much do you remember?  Picard pauses; you get a great look.  He goes, everything, including some great strategy by a kid named Riker, a former First Officer of mine.  Riker’s pleased.  Then we see the Enterprise over Earth and the moon, which is cool, and very pretty shots.  Then back to normal; Picard’s in his red office with Riker.  Five to six weeks of repairs.  Shelby comes in.  She says, request permission to disembark, sir, to Riker.  He goes, Picard’s in command now.

 

He goes, permission granted.  You’re gonna be a fine per…member of the task force.  She goes, I’ll get the fleet back together.  Riker, I’m sure you’ll be on whatever ship you want.  He goes, everyone’s so concerned about my next job.  With all due respect, my career plans are my business.  He goes, it’s nice to know I’ll have some options, though.  She says, I hope I could work with you again.  Riker smiles.  She smiles.  She says, captain.  She heads off.  Riker says okay, and then they go, head for Station McKinley.  Make it so, Number One.  Then we have this last moment; brilliant.  Picard goes to pick up his Earl Grey, pauses.  He’s looking far off, puts his tea back down so slowly.  I mean, this is great…a great performance.  Barely any movement; just enough that he can tell it all.  He almost moves his mouth and then he walks to the window to look out in space.  We see the reflection of Earth as he stands at his window.  You say wow, what a set of episodes.  So good.  So, goodnight.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

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