Where Silence Has Lease ( episode ) When an alien traps the " Enterprise " and threatens to kill half the crew purely out of curiosity , Captain Picard is faced with a grim decision . Summary . Teaser . The is on a charting mission in the Morgana Quadrant . Commander Riker is taking part in one of Worf ' s calisthenics holodeck programs . They are both attacked by a different monster but eventually both monsters are defeated . After defeating his monster Worf , energized by Klingon bloodlust , nearly attacks Riker until Riker orders him " at ease ! " When the program ends , Riker asks Worf if all his workout programs are like this . However , Worf admits that others are more intense but " too personal " to share . Act One . On the bridge , Data detects an unusual reading from his station , an area of total blackness , seemingly devoid of space , matter and energy . It is like a " hole in space . " Captain Picard orders a probe to be launched into it . However , as soon as it enters the void it disappears . This alarms Worf and he recommends raising shields , for the void reminds him of a Klingon legend about a space creature that devours " entire vessels " . He soon realizes that he is being foolish , and Picard orders another probe to be launched . This second probe also vanishes , more quickly than the last . Ensign Crusher tells Picard that he can determine the boundaries of the anomaly based on where the two probes disappears and suggests that he can bring the ship closer . Picard agrees and orders Crusher to bring the ship in closer using thrusters only . Suddenly , the blackness expands and envelopes the " Enterprise " . Act Two . Data tries to scan the surrounding area , but there is absolutely nothing to see . Picard decides to proceed with the mission and orders Crusher to set a course out of the void , back the way they came . However , no matter how fast or how far they go , they cannot leave . They drop a beacon in order to help them get a fix on their position . They set off on a course away from the beacon , yet soon enough they are approaching it again . They are going in circles . Picard orders full stop . Suddenly , they detect a decloaking Romulan Warbird approaching them . It fires on them . The " Enterprise " returns fire and destroys the ship with only a single torpedo . Picard thinks that the battle was too easy and Data can detect no debris from the Romulan ship . Another ship appears on sensor s . This time it is the , their sister ship . They hail the vessel but there is no response . Sensor s also detect no life sign s . Riker recommends sending an away team over . Picard agrees , but only to have a minimal away team go over . Riker chooses Worf and they leave the bridge for the transporter room . Act Three . Armed with phaser s and equipped with tricorders , Riker orders Miles O ' Brien to beam them over to the bridge . On board , they find out they are not on the bridge , instead in corridor s and furthermore , hear screams with no one to be found . They find that the ship makes no structural sense . When they do reach the bridge , there appear to be several of them . When one walks through a door , they wind up not where they expected . This situation infuriates Worf and he begins to lose his temper . However , Riker calms him down . Meanwhile , relief conn officer Ensign Haskell on the " Enterprise " detects a gap , through which stars can be seen . It appears to be a way to escape , but Picard will not leave without the away team . The starfix suddenly disappears . Suddenly , the " Yamato " too begins to vanish . Picard orders O ' Brien to beam the away team back immediately . O ' Brien succeeds , in the nick of time . Riker comes to the bridge , very agitated . He has had enough and suggests that they " " put all this technology to work , and get the hell out of here ! " " Act Four . Another starfix soon appears . A pleased Picard orders Ensign Haskell to set a course towards it , but as soon as this is done , it quickly closes again . Another starfix appears , but once again vanishes when a course is set towards it . Yet another starfix appears , but Picard ignores it , having enough of it . Haskell observes that it seems closer than the others , yet Picard still holds position . Dr . Pulaski thinks that the crew is being treated like " rats in a maze " . Counselor Troi says that she can sense a vast intelligence at work . Picard has had enough of responding to stimuli and decides to do nothing from now on . Suddenly , a disjointed face appears on the screen . It introduces itself as Nagilum . It inquires about Pulaski ' s " construction " and how it differs from most of the other people on the bridge . Pulaski explains that she and Troi are female and that the others are male . Picard says that these differences are necessary for the propagation of the species . Nagilum asks for a demonstration of this but Pulaski refuses this request . Nagilum then inquires about Human s ' " limited existence " , in which " " you exist , then you cease to exist . Your minds call it . . . death . " " Suddenly , Haskell begins to shake violently . He grabs his face in a vain effort to control himself , but falls from his station screaming . He collapses on the floor , in a fetal - position , with his hands clasped over his mouth and dies with his eyes still open . Pulaski rushes to help him , but there is nothing that can be done . Nagilum watches his victim die , fascinated . " " How interesting " " , he mutters . Pulaski confirms with her tricorder that Haskell is dead , and an angry Picard declares , " " We cannot allow you to do that ! We will fight you ! " " Nagilum replies that in order to completely understand death , he is going to have kill about a third of the ship ' s crew , possibly up to a half ; he then absentmindedly muses on how he will need to observe " every kind of dying " as Picard and the rest of the bridge are rendered speechless , visibly blanching at the thought of such unspeakable suffering being inflicted so wantonly on the crewmembers of the " Enterprise " . . . Act Five . Picard calls a staff meeting in the observation lounge and opts to initiate the ship ' s auto - destruct sequence rather than allow the entity to perform any more experiments on them and slaughter more of the crew . In engineering , Picard and Riker set the sequence for twenty minutes , an interval Riker thinks is a nice , round number for the " Enterprise " s complement to prepare for their deaths . Picard , while preparing himself in his quarters for the destruction of the ship , as well as his death , is visited by Data and Troi to discuss death and the implications of death . After a short discussion , Picard realizes that both are merely Nagilum in disguise , and that they are trying to trick him into aborting the self - destruct . Picard verifies Data ' s location , which is on the bridge . " " It ' s not going to work , Nagilum , " " he says . The two impostors vanish and suddenly the ship is back in normal space . Picard goes to the bridge to make sure that they are free . With only a few seconds left to spare , he orders the computer to stop the countdown . When asked if he concurs , Riker replies , " " Yes ! Absolutely ! I do indeed concur ! Wholeheartedly ! " " The sequence stops and Picard jokingly informs Riker that a simple " yes " would have sufficed . Riker remarks that he didn ' t want there to be any chance of a misunderstanding by the ship ' s computer . Picard goes to his ready room and hopes that Nagilum got what he wanted . Suddenly , Nagilum appears on Picard ' s desktop monitor , and informs Picard that he got much more than he needed . Nagilum reports his conclusions to Picard . He says that Humans " " seem to find no tranquility in anything . You struggle against the inevitable . You thrive on conflict . You are rash , quick to judge , slow to change . It ' s amazing you ' ve survived . As a species , we have no common ground . You are too aggressive . Too hostile . Too militant " " . Picard does not argue with him , but points out that they do indeed have one trait in common , curiosity . Nagilum , with a Human - like chuckle , agrees . Picard also says that they may meet again , but that next time , it will be out among the stars . Nagilum fades off screen . Picard then returns to the bridge , and orders Crusher to put them back on their original course . Riker tells him to steer clear of " any holes " . Memorable quotes . " " I think it is perhaps best to be ignorant of certain elements of Klingon psyche . " " " " Like the rat said : you can keep the cheese - - I just want to get out of the trap . " " " I have a question , sir . " " " " Yes Data , what is it ? " " " " What is death ? " " " " Oh , is that all ? Oh , Data , you ' re asking probably the most difficult of all questions . Some see it as a changing into an indestructible form , forever unchanging ; they believe that the purpose of the entire universe is to maintain that form in an earth - like garden which will give delight and pleasure through all eternity . On the other hand , there are those who hold to the idea of our blinking into nothingness . That all of our experiences and hopes and dreams , merely a delusion . " " " " Which do you believe , sir ? " " " " Considering the marvelous complexity of the universe , its clockwork perfection , its balances of this against that , matter , energy , gravitation , time , dimension , I believe that our existence must be more than either of these philosophies . That what we are goes beyond Euclidean or other " practical " measuring systems , and that our existence is part of a reality beyond what we understand now as reality . " " " " . . . Ten seconds to auto - destruct . . . " " " " Captain . . . " " " " Abort auto - destruct sequence . " " " " Riker , William T . , do you concur ? " " " " Yes ! Absolutely ! I do indeed concur whole - heartedly ! " " " " Auto - destruct canceled . " " " " A simple ' yes ' would have sufficed , Number One . " " " " I didn ' t want there to be any chance of a misunderstanding . " " " " A ship has one bridge ! ONE BRIDGE ! ! ONE RIKER ! ! ONE BRIDGE ! ! ! " " " " Why do I get the feeling that this was not the time to join this ship ? " " " " Captain , the most elementary and valuable statement in science , the beginning of wisdom , is ' I do not know . " ' " " " Sensors show nothing out there , absolutely nothing . " " " " Sure is a damned ugly nothin ' . " " " " Speaks right up for something your sensors say isn ' t there , Data . " " " " Ensign , put us back on course . Warp three . " " " " Yes , sir . Warp three . " " " " And , ensign ? If you encounter any holes . . . steer clear . " "