From: wherndon@smiley.mitre.org (William Herndon)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: TNG: The Final Year. Episodes I'd (seriously!) like to see.
Date: 15 Apr 92 18:20:24 GMT
Article-I.D.: linus.1992Apr15.182024.11134
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA

In article <Picard21.700331711@land.of.lost> rccarm00@mik.uky.edu (ron c carman) writes:
>In <1992Mar10.173541.2732@doug.cae.wisc.edu> guy@dpls.dacc.wisc.edu (Laura Guy) writes:
>
>>Episodes i'd like to see so much i could almost write 'em:
>>(caveat:  some of these ideas may not be so "original", they are based, 
>>partially on other shows ive seen over the years, all the way from 
>>"family ties" to "east enders", but, its not an originality test, is it?)

    In that vein, I guess I'll throw out my ultimate fantasy episode to
    be used as the finale of the sixth season.  Please keep in mind that
    what follows is a without questions a product of my propensity for
    *action* episodes.  ( Something similar to this is what I would have
    loved to see as the final mission of James T. Kirk. )

    For your consideration:

    After a lengthy mission the Enterprise is returning to Earth for
    an overhaul and to provide the crew with long-needed shoreleave.
    Everyone is looking forward to a rest.  ( As a subplot, I'd propose
    having Data plan a visit to the Daystrom (sp?) institute to explore
    the consequences of his dawning emotional awareness, something that
    would need to have been going on all season. )

    However, as the Enterprise enters the Sol system, a general distress
    call is received from Starfleet command.  The message places all
    Federation starships on the hightest military readyness in prepara-
    tion for defense of sectors lining the Romulan neutral zone.

    ( You guessed it! ) THE ROMULANS ARE COMING!  Yes, after 50+ years
    of silence, and 4 years of skirmishes during the 2nd through 5th 
    seasons of TNG, the Romulans are boiling over the border destroying
    everything that gets in the path of their fleet.  ( Perhaps a great
    battle scene showing a hapless Klingon squadron being overwhelmed by,
    and fighting to the death against, a vastly superior Romulan force.)
    But something is strange about he reports coming in from the battle
    area.  Not only does the number of Romulan Warbirds engaging in 
    battle seem suprisingly small, but they are not moving into Federation 
    territory in a well-planned methodical manner, as one would expect of
    Romulans.  Quite the contrary, their strike is cutting deep into the 
    heart of Federation territory and appears almost reckless.  In fact,
    the attack gives the appearance of being planned by a human rather 
    than a Romulan.
    
    It has been nearly two years since the Romulans sufferred the humil-
    iating defeat near Garlornden Kor (sp?), when they were forced to des-
    troy their Vulcan bound invasion fleet.  But things have been calm since
    then.  The Federation has relaxed their guard, and Starfleet is still 
    watching the Romulan Empire but not so closely anymore. 

    But commander Sela (sp?) has not forgotten the defeat.  Nor has she
    forgotten about glacial pace of the Romulan plan to eventually subdue
    the Federation, and now her warbird is at the head of a 30 ship fleet
    heading deep into Federation space, bound for Earth.  The time for 
    the attack that she has been planning for over a year has come.  The
    Federation defenses are at their most lax, and the commanders that 
    would support her are edgy to engage in battle.

    Sela has one primary goal in mind:  Reach the Earth, expending as many
    of her warbirds as she has to get there, reduce Starfleet command
    in San Francisco to a molten slag heap, and before the remainder of
    her fleet is destroyed relay the scenes of the battle back to the 
    Empire.  In doing this, she will avenge herself on the race that has
    humiliated her more than once in her life.  She will destroy Starfleet
    command and throw the Federation defenses into disarray.  And finally,
    she will provide the inspiration that the opportunity that will allow
    the Romulan Empire to conquor the Federation once and for all.

    Back in the Federation, Starfleet is in a panic.  They know the 
    Romulans are coming and where they are headed, but they are unprepared
    because the Romulans are moving at high warp and are ignoring many 
    obvious targets.  Only 23 starships are available for the defense of 
    the system.  It probably won't be enough, but there is an alternative...

    Commander Shelby of Starfleet tactical has made it known that one of
    the weapons that had been developed to defend the Federation against
    the Borg is ready to be used in the defense of Earth.  It is a battle
    platform that can attack multiple targets using weapons that project
    localized gravitational anamolies ( mini-black holes ).  It is a dan-
    gerous weapon though.  The anamolies are slow moving and targets must
    be saturated in order to be destroyed.  Because of the need for 
    saturation, the weapon is fairly indescriminant.  Both friend and foe
    could be destroyed in a pitched battle, and there is one other hitch.
    ( Can you see where I'm going already? )  Because of the enormous
    demands of the weapons computers and the need for high-speed operator
    intervention, no human ( or humans ) can operate the platform, and yet
    an operator is needed.  In fact, there is only one entity that can
    operate this weapon, the only Sung type andriod in existance, Lt.
    Commander Data.

    So now Picard has a difficult decision.  Does he order Data to assume 
    command of the new weapon and defend the Sol system, a battle in which
    it is likely that Data will be destroyed, and just as emotional aware-
    ness is dawning for the only Sung type andriod?  Or instead does he com-
    mit the available ships to the battle, hoping that what probably amounts
    to suicide for over 25000 Starfleet officers and crew will be enough to
    save the Starfleet and the Federation.  Do the Klingons come to the 
    rescue...  
    
    ( I know there are flaws, but what does it sound good? )

   
        	        	       	       	       	       	       	       
                                                               - Max

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