Pen Pals ( episode ) Data makes contact with a young girl from a pre - warp civilization on a planet facing imminent annihilation . The " Enterprise " must wrestle with the moral dilemma of violating the Prime Directive or standing by while Data ' s friend dies . Summary . Teaser . The is studying a series of planet ary breakups in the Selcundi Drema sector . Planet after planet has been reduced to rubble , apparently as a result of natural geologic cataclysms . Captain Picard prepares to ride an Arabian horse on the holodeck , with Troi watching . Just as he is about to climb onto the horse , Riker calls him to the bridge to view geological calamities on a once thriving planet in the first system they entered . Now , there is nothing . Act One . Riker calls a meeting of the senior staff in the observation lounge to discuss leadership of the team that will investigate the planet , suggesting that Wesley Crusher lead the team . After some debate about whether or not he is up to the task , Picard consents and allows Wesley the command . Crusher chooses members of his science team , including Prixus for mineralogy and metallurgy , Alans for volcanology , Hildebrant for geomechanics , and Davies for geochemistry . He is initially apprehensive about commanding officers older than he is , but a meeting with Riker and Counselor Troi in a corridor reassures him of his ability to lead the team . Meanwhile , on the bridge , Data is undergoing a personal project to increase the frequency range of the sensor s . It should identify natural and artificial signals . Continuing his analysis in his quarters , low level RF signals were detected - - artificial signals . A girl ' s voice asks " is anybody out there ? " . Data responds , " yes . " Act Two . Wesley meets the team as a whole for the first time . He reviews results from two team members , and asks for another test . Davies questions Crusher ' s decision to run a further but time - intensive ico - spectrogram because he has more experience in the matter , and Crusher relents . Meanwhile , Data has been speaking with Sarjenka , a member of a pre - warp species inhabiting Drema IV via a radio transmission . After eight weeks of communication , Data has understood that her planet is suffering the same symptoms as the other destroyed planets , and asks Picard ' s advise for other options . He orders Data to terminate contact because it is in violation of the Prime Directive and to call a staff meeting . Act Three . Crusher asks Riker for advice in Ten Forward on the situation . He points out that no one questions Capt . Picard when he makes a decision and thus Wes should think similarly , so Crusher tells Davies to run the Ico - scans , to which Davies affably complies . After sensor scans , Crusher and his team discover that the planet has become unstable because unusually high levels of dilithium in the crust have formed a matrix , which creates a piezoelectric effect that is tearing the planet apart . The team credit Crusher ' s thoroughness to the discovery , as the problem wouldn ' t have been found otherwise . A meeting of the senior staff is held in Picard ' s quarters , and the members lay out their positions on Data ' s friend . Picard and Worf ' s argument is straightforward ; helping the Dreman s would violate the Prime Directive , and therefore they should be left to their fate . La Forge and Pulaski on the other hand are aghast at the prospect of sitting by and allowing an entire sentient race to die out . Riker and Troi offer yet another argument ; that the destruction of Drema IV and the other planets could be part of a larger " cosmic plan , " which the crew of the " Enterprise " have no right to interfere with . Picard announces that they will obey the Prime Directive and leave the system . Picard orders Data to cut the transmission with Sarjenka , but Data plays a transmission from her , where she pleads them to help her planet . Upon hearing this , Picard decides that since it is a direct plea for help , the Prime Directive no longer applies . The crew cannot simply turn their backs on the inhabitants now . Act Four . The " Enterprise " arrives at Drema IV to analyze the planet ' s activity . In a briefing with Crusher ' s team , Picard learns what they know , but the team needs more time to determine if the activity can be reversed . The team leaves and comes back with a plan : use modified class - 1 probe s with torpedo casings as resonators to destroy the dilithium matrix lattice and restore geological stability to the planet . Riker and Worf supervise the effort . Data is allowed to contact Sajenka again . However , communications are now impossible . He beams down to Sarjenka ' s house on Drema IV to meet her and warn her family to travel to a safe region on her planet , but finds that they ' ve already left . Sarjenka then returns home to retrieve the transmitter she had been using . Data , not able to leave her on the planet because of what is happening to it , has her beamed back to the " Enterprise " by Chief O ' Brien . Act Five . Data goes to find Riker on the bridge , and takes the frightened Sarjenka . Picard is obviously not pleased to find this out , and has Troi attempt to bring her to sickbay . The child insists on staying with Data , however , and Picard relents . Data goes to his station to join in with the procedure to tame the planet , and they are successful . Picard orders Dr . Pulaski to erase Sarjenka ' s memory of her " Enterprise " experiences in order to limit violations of the Prime Directive . While in sickbay , she picks up a stone on Dr . Pulaski ' s desk – an Elanin singer stone – which sings a different song for anyone who touches it ( except Data , for whom it does not sing at all ) . After Sarjenka ' s memory is modified , Data returns her to her home planet , safe and sound , but leaves with her the Elanin singer stone as a token of her experience on the " Enterprise " while she sleeps in her bed . Later Data apologizes to Picard in his ready room for putting him in a difficult position , but the captain is grateful to his officer for the reminder that some obligations transcend duty . Although Sarjenka won ' t recall him , Data is content that he ' ll remember her , and Picard comments that learning about friendship and remembrance has brought Data another step closer to understanding Humanity . Memorable quotes . " " The game isn ' t big enough unless it scares you a little . " " " " Is anybody out there ? " " " " Yes . " " " " An excellent steed , sir . " " " " What a perfectly vicious little circle . " " " " In your position it ' s important to ask yourself one question : ' What would Picard do ? " " " " There are no options . The Prime Directive is not a matter of . . . " degrees " , it is an absolute . " " " " I have a problem with that kind of rigidity . It seems callous , and even a little cowardly . " " " " Doctor , I ' m sure that is not what the lieutenant meant but in a situation like this , we have to be cautious . What we do today , may profoundly affect the future . If we could see every possible outcome . . . " " " " . . . we ' d be gods , which we are not . If there is a cosmic plan , is it not the height of hubris to think we can or should interfere ? " " " " So what are you saying ? That the Dremans are fated to die ? " " " " I think that ' s an option that we should be considering . " " " " Consider it considered and rejected ! " " " " If there is a cosmic plan , are we not part of it ? Our presence at this place at this moment in time could be part of that fate . " " " " Your whisper from the dark has now become a plea , we cannot turn our backs . " " " " O ' Brien , take a nap . You didn ' t see any of this . You ' re not involved . " " " " Right , sir . I ' ll just be standing over here dozing off . " " " " Oh , there ' s gonna be hell to pay . " " " " I just woke up , sir . " " " " Where are we going ? " " " ( Data slowly points his finger up . ) " " " I will require my hands . Thank you . " " Links and references . References . 2215 ; adolescence ; adulthood ; Andorian ; animal trainer ; anthropomorphism ; aquarium ; Arab ; Arabian horse ; " As You Like It " ; asteroid belt ; Bedouin ; Benev Selec ; Betazoid ; Betazoid cat ; bridle path ; British pound ; cerebral cortex ; class - 1 probe ; command chair ; cosmic plan ; cosmic ray ; crust ; dilithium ; dilithium crystal ; distress call ; doll ; Drema V ; Dreman ; Earl Grey tea ; Earth ; earthquake ; ecosystem ; Elanin singer stone ; English ; engram ; generator strata ; geochemistry ; geology ; geomechanics ; God ; holo - programs ; holodeck 3 ; horse ; horse trainer ; hubris ; ico - spectrogram ; ignorance ; illium - 629 ; Klingon ; magnetic field ; mechanical energy ; medical ethics ; memory wipe ; metallurgy ; milk ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mineralogy ; mount ; nap ; nebular cloud ; neuron ; number one ; ore ; organic molecule ; penny ; piezoelectric effect ; planetary geosciences division ; planetary mineral survey ; Prime Directive ; radio frequency ; resonator ; resonator field ; Sarjenka ' s family ( Sarjenka ' s father ) ; Sark ; science laboratory ; Selcundi Drema sector ; Selcundi Drema system ; sophistry ; Starfleet Academy ; subspace communications ; tack ; tectonic stress ; tent ; three - dimensional chess ; torpedo ; traker ; tremor ; Troi , Lwaxana ; ultraviolet radiation ; universal translator ; volcano ; volcanology ; Zabathu Unused production references . Euripides ; Mann , Thomas