A Matter of Time ( episode ) A time traveler claiming to be from the 26th century arrives to witness an attempt to save a doomed planet . Summary . Teaser . The is trying to fix extreme weather problems resulting from an asteroid collision on the planet Penthara IV , a colony with a population of some twenty million persons . On their way to Penthara IV , Worf notices a space - time distortion , followed by the appearance of a small vessel . Captain Picard tries to hail the ship , to which the occupant replies that Picard should move over . Picard takes a stand saying that the " Enterprise " will not go anywhere until it explains itself . As soon as Picard physically " moves over , " a man named Berlinghoff Rasmussen appears aboard the " Enterprise " claiming to be a historian from the future ( specifically , the 26th century ) , specializing in 24th century interstellar issues . Act One . Rasmussen tries to convince the crew that he is actually from the future . In order to prove it , the crew tries asking him questions that only a man from the future would know the answers to . Doctor Crusher wants to know if they cured the Telurian plague by Rasmussen ' s time , but Picard says they shouldn ' t ask questions like that , despite the temptation . After the meeting is over , Deanna Troi says Rasmussen is holding something back , but is unsure that it has to do with his wanting to keep information from his century from the crew of the " Enterprise " . Rasmussen tries to study Data in a turbolift while he escorts him to his newly assigned quarters . Data tries to ask about whether or not he lives to see the 26th century , but Rasmussen avoids his questions and tells him that it would be better if Data kept those assumptions to himself . Data complies , apologizes , and leaves Rasmussen alone . After Data leaves , Rasmussen looks around his quarters with a sinister expression on his face . Act Two . The " Enterprise " arrives at Penthara IV . Meanwhile , in Ten Forward , Riker , Worf , and Crusher are talking about Rasmussen ' s presence while sitting at a table . His presence on board is quite disruptive since he refuses to reveal anything about the future , but he nevertheless drops many hints that something important is about to happen . Rasmussen arrives in Ten Forward and Dr . Crusher invites him to the group ' s table . He asks them to each take a questionnaire . Then they talk about how they view the world and what they each think the most important inventions / advancements in the past 200 years were . Beverly says the way surgery was changed , Riker says warp coil s , and Worf says phasers . Rasmussen says that it ' s typical that they would provide such different answers since Beverly is a doctor , Riker is a commander in Starfleet , and Worf is from a warrior background . Later , Rasmussen visits Geordi La Forge and Data in Engineering . La Forge conjectures that Rasmussen is there to witness the mission at Penthara IV after he comments on how little is known of Data ' s part in the mission in the 26th century . La Forge figures out the parameters of how much CO2 to inject into the air at Penthara IV and tells Picard he is ready to transport to the planet ' s surface . When La Forge leaves , Rasmussen steals a PADD left on the table . He then goes to the bridge to witness the event . La Forge and Data with Dr . Moseley are coordinating the start of the procedure and monitoring . After several phaser drills , CO2 emissions finally start and monitoring stations see the temperature holding and even increasing . Rasmussen continues to make small comments about Picard ' s crew , and it ' s to the point of annoyance . Act Three . Troi and Crusher are in sickbay discussing if Rasmussen is really just after historical facts or more . Rasmussen comes into sickbay and Troi tries to excuse herself but he manages to talk about how she doesn ' t trust him , but she does finally leave . Rasmussen makes a pass at Beverly by telling her she has been the only person to make him think about not returning to where he is from . Beverly deters him by saying she could very well be his great - great - great - great - grandmother . Rasmussen leaves sickbay with a neural stimulator . Meanwhile , the initial attempt to release carbon dioxide from inside the planet into the atmosphere was briefly successful , but unanticipated volcanic activity released more particulates into the atmosphere , making the problem worse . Rasmussen goes to Data ' s quarters and finds him listening to 4 pieces of music loudly and Rasmussen is confused as to how he can listen to all that simultaneously . Data replies that he is capable of distinguishing over 150 simultaneous compositions from each other . Then La Forge sends a transmission to Data from the surface of the planet , and while they are discussing if Data made any errors , Rasmussen pockets a tricorder from Data ' s room . Data then notifies Picard in his ready room that they have already done everything they can , and if they try again and err , they would completely burn off the planet ' s atmosphere . Act Four . On the planet , Doctor Moseley and La Forge are trying to work out new parameters to stop the planet from freezing over or burning up the atmosphere . Rasmussen is called by Picard into his ready room because he faces a dilemma of how to help the Pentharians . The " Enterprise " can initiate a chain reaction in the atmosphere that should fix the problem , but if calculations are ever so slightly off , life on the planet will be wiped out . Picard forcefully asks for Rasmussen ' s help : can he tell what happened to Penthara IV ? While Picard concedes that there might be some sort of Temporal Prime Directive in the future that precludes Rasmussen from aiding him , he argues that this is certainly a situation where the directive could be violated . Picard also theorizes that since Rasmussen ' s past is Picard ' s own future , choosing to try is the right thing to do . Rasmussen refuses to help and Picard ultimately chooses not to play it safe and decides to try and save the planet . Act Five . The " Enterprise " prepares to discharge an immense amount of energy from the deflector dish using an auto - phaser interlock . La Forge and Data ' s plan is that the phaser energy will ionize the particles in Penthara IV ' s atmosphere , eliminating the electrostatic energy and returning the planet ' s ecosystem back to normal . The plan is set in motion and everything goes well , with the " Enterprise " sending the resulting energy that shoots out from the planet into open space . Dr . Moseley and La Forge report that the particulate levels are where they are supposed to be and that Penthara ' s sun is shining through . Meanwhile , a number of small objects have been found missing and Picard suspects Rasmussen . He nods to Worf right after Rasmussen makes a hasty departure from the bridge after Penthara IV has been saved . Later , Rasmussen is confronted by Picard , Riker , Crusher , Worf , Data , and Garvey in one of the " Enterprise " s shuttlebay s shortly before he heads back into the future . Rasmussen asks to let Data inspect his time - travel pod for the missing items , Picard reasoning that Data is the only person who can be definitely trusted not to divulge about anything he witnessed inside the pod . Once inside , Rasmussen attempts to abduct Data and reveals that he is indeed from 200 years outside the " Enterprise " s timeframe , but in the opposite direction – he is actually from New Jersey on Earth in the 22nd century . He stole the time - travel pod from the original time traveler from the future , and he plans to return to his own time with the high - tech objects he has stolen , now including Data , and " invent " them . However , his attempt is foiled , as the stolen phaser he planned to use to knock out Data has been deactivated remotely via a signal they transmitted into the pod when the door was open . Inside , Data postulates that the handprint lock will probably work whether Rasmussen is " conscious or not . " They step back out into the shuttlebay and once Worf retrieves the stolen items Picard orders him to arrest Rasmussen , despite his pleas to be let go . The pod vanishes , stranding him in the future . Worf leads Rasmussen to the brig , with Picard welcoming him to the 24th century and remarking there are " many legitimate historians that would be interested in talking to a Human from your era . " Memorable quotes . " " They want you to move over , sir . " " " " Reply that the " Enterprise " isn ' t going anywhere , Lieutenant . " " " " Not the " Enterprise " . . . " you " . " " " " Five . . . six . . . seven meters ! Ha , I was right ! " " " " If I hand my assignment in on time , can I get a glimpse into next week ' s poker game ? " " " " Everyone dies , Captain ! It ' s just a question of when ! " " " " Every choice we make allows us to manipulate the future . Do I ask Adrienne or Suzanne to the spring dance ? Do I take my holiday on Corsica or Risa ? A person ' s life , their future , hinges on each of a thousand choices . Living is making choices ! Now you ask me to believe that if I make a choice other than the one that appears in your history books , then your past will be irrevocably altered . Well , you know , Professor , perhaps I don ' t give a damn about your past , because your past is my future . And as far as I ' m concerned , it hasn ' t been written yet ! " " " " You know , Homer was blind . Milton , Bach , Monet , Wonder . " " " " Who said these moments were any less exciting when you know the outcome , hmm ? " " " " I know of no one who said that , Professor . " " " " I hate questionnaires . " " " " You don ' t like me very much , do you ? " " " " I don ' t " dislike " you , Professor . " " " " We came here to help these people . " " " " And look what we ' ve done . " " " " To try or not to try . To take a risk or play it safe . Your arguments have reminded me how precious the right to choose is . And because I ' ve never been one to play it safe , I choose to try . " " " " I assume your handprint will open this door whether you are conscious or not . " " " " I ' m sure there are more than a few legitimate historians at Starfleet who would be eager to meet a Human from your era . Oh , Professor ! Welcome to the 24th century . " " " " Yes , Professor , I know . What if one of those lives I save down there is a child who grows up to be the next Adolf Hitler or Khan Singh ? Every first year philosophy student has been asked that question since the earliest wormholes were discovered . . . " " Links and references . References . Adrienne ; apple ; atmosphere ; automobile ; auto - phaser interlock ; ; ; berylite scan ; bioscan ; ; carbon dioxide ; Celsius ; colony ; Corsica ; crystal ; " d ' k tahg " ; deflector dish ; deflector beam ; deflector shield ; Earth ; earthquake ; ecosystem ; electrostatic energy ; empath ; ; ; EPS tap ; exothermal inversion ; fly ; ' ; great - great - great - great - grandmother ; greenhouse effect ; Gutenberg Bible ; handprint ; historian ; ; Homer ; Jupiter symphony ; Klingon ; " La donna è mobile " ; lightning rod ; ; Livingston ; mantle ; medical scan ; Milky Way Galaxy ; ; Model A ; Model T ; ; ; " Much Ado About Nothing " ; museum ; neural stimulator ; New Jersey ; New Seattle ; Number one ; nuclear winter ; ; PADD ; Penthara IV ; Pentharan ; phaser ; phaser drill ; philosophy ; ' ; plasma ; plasticized tritanium mesh ; poker ; predestination paradox ; Prime Directive ; prosthesis ; quarantine field ; questionnaire ; Rasmussen ' s colleague ; Redstone missile ; Richter scale ; " Rigoletto " ; Risa ; river ; sector ; sensor ; shield invertor ; ; ; space - time distortion ; spring dance ; Starbase 214 ; Starfleet ; surgical gloves ; surgical mask ; Suzanne ; " Symphony Number Nine " ; synchronous orbit ; Telurian plague ; temporal logic ; temporal distortion ; terawatt ; theft ; " Third Brandenburg Concerto " ; time - pod ; tricorder ; turbolift ; type C asteroid ; ; VISOR ; volcano ; warp coil ; wormhole ;