The Survivors ( episode ) The " Enterprise " investigates two survivors living on the only undamaged patch of land on a devastated planet . Summary . Teaser . The is en route to a Federation colony , Delta Rana IV , which sent a distress signal indicating they were under attack . When the " Enterprise " crew arrives , they find the entire planet completely devastated , save for a few acres of land and a house . Act One . Still aboard the " Enterprise " , Counselor Troi senses something unusual about the two . Riker heads a landing party to the surface , meeting two elderly botanist s , Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge originally from Earth . They did not know they were the only ones left on the planet , but they haven ' t heard from the colonists . They did observe a large ship in orbit , taking the world apart , but did not visit the surface , so they don ' t know who they are . Riker asks if the landing party can investigate the house to see why they have been spared , but they can ' t find anything . Riker is warned to stop by two colonists right before he steps on a booby trap . After being trapped , the away team runs across the field to help him . While they investigate the house , Data becomes fascinated by a music box on Rishon ' s shelf . At that moment , Troi begins hearing music in her mind , replayed in an endless loop . The music blocks her empath ic abilities , an uncomfortable experience . The two survivors refuse to be beamed up to the " Enterprise " when Riker offers them safety aboard . They insist , saying they have each other . Act Two . In the " Enterprise " observation lounge , the senior staff wonder if the two survivors provided anything to the assailants . Troi , however , hears the music during the conversation and can ' t concentrate , excusing herself . Picard goes to Troi to check on her , learning of the music she is hearing . Despite Worf ' s thorough search of the system for the invading force with nothing found , the " Enterprise " soon is attacked by a large warship , apparently the one responsible for the devastation . Data reveals that there is no record of the ship in the vehicle identification index . The ship flees after the " Enterprise " fires a warning phaser shot . After being unable to catch up with the unidentified ship , Captain Picard returns to the Delta Rana system . Act Three . Upon returning , he visits the two survivors with Worf , offers them a portable replicator , and stays for tea to talk to them . Rishon relates their history , and also the horrors of the colonists ' fate . Picard says he can ' t leave until he finds out what happened , and describes his encounter with the unknown ship to the two survivors who , again , claim not to know why they were spared . Picard says that there must be something different about them from the other colonists , and insists on taking the survivors back to the ship . They again refuse , and Picard and Worf return to the " Enterprise " . Meanwhile , Troi is still haunted by the music , which is becoming louder , soon rendering her hysterical and incapable of doing much of anything beyond tearfully begging Dr . Crusher to make it stop . She suggests moving her to sickbay , which Troi refuses . Dr . Crusher offers to induce delta - wave sleep , but Troi is convinced the music is real and that not even deep sleep will spare her from it . The " Enterprise " goes into red alert as the unidentified ship returns with more firepower . Picard attempts to open a hailing frequency before being attacked again . This time , its attacks are much stronger . The " Enterprise " throws everything she ' s got at it , but the alien ship ' s defenses dissipate the " Enterprise ' s " attack harmlessly . After taking severe damage and incurring casualties , the " Enterprise " escapes the ship ' s firing range . Picard now guesses the survivors are in no danger . Act Four . In Troi ' s quarters , Picard theorizes to Dr . Crusher that Troi ' s music stems from Rishon and Kevin ' s unwillingness to leave , preventing her from seeing the truth of the matter . Back in the Delta Rana system , Picard believes that the unknown ship is no longer in the vicinity , and that it somehow protects Kevin and Rishon , directly or indirectly . He then returns to the planet to talk to the survivors . The survivors appear to be celebrating and are startled by Picard and Worf ' s sudden appearance . Kevin asks Picard and Worf to leave him and his wife alone . Picard tells him that after he leaves , he will never set foot in their home on Rana again , for any reason . He explains to the survivors his recent encounters with the ship , however Kevin refuses to believe him , calling his stories methods of intimidation . Right before leaving , Picard sternly explains that - so long as the two are alive - the " Enterprise " will remain in orbit around Rana IV . Upon beaming back to the " Enterprise " , the unidentified ship reappears , much to the evident dismay of Worf . Commander Riker and Worf begin preparations for a fight , but Picard calmly informs them that the " Enterprise " will take no action . The alien ship veers away from the " Enterprise , " targeting the house of Kevin and Rishon . The house and plot of land are utterly obliterated . The ship itself is then blown apart by a single photon torpedo from the " Enterprise " . Picard orders the Enterprise to stay , and to look out for anything and everything . Act Five . The crew are astounded by this turn of events , and even more puzzled as to why they remain in orbit over a dead planet . After approximately three hours , Geordi La Forge notices a change in sensor readings and informs the captain that the house and land are back . Picard orders Kevin and Rishon to be beamed directly to the bridge , and confronts them over what really happened on the planet . Speaking to Rishon , Picard notes that all of his senses tell him that she exists , but he has realized that she is not real . Rishon then vanishes , leaving only a sad Kevin . Picard tells him he knows he ' s not Human . Kevin then teleports to the turbolift ; Picard orders the crew to keep clear and to track him , as he believes Kevin to be a creature of conscience that has some unfinished business before returning to the surface . Dr . Crusher visits Troi ' s quarters , startled to find Kevin at her bedside : he has removed the music from her mind . The music was his creation ; her empathic powers were also threatening to reveal the truth . Picard enters and demands the truth about what happened to the planet . Kevin makes a startling confession : he is in fact a Douwd , an immortal being with vast powers . He met his Human wife many years before , and decided to live as a Human with her . The alien raiders were the Husnock , who he knew as being of " hideous intelligence , knowing only aggression and destruction " . As a devout pacifist , he was ethically limited to avoid using his vast abilities to harm them . He used his powers to try to trick them instead , which only made them more angry and cruel . Rishon joined the colonists in fighting what Kevin knew to be a hopeless battle against the raiders , and was subsequently killed . Viewing her broken body , he suffered a moment of weakness . Out of regretting his inaction , in a moment of insane rage at the raiders , and grief at his tragic loss , he instantly annihilated the entire Husnock race – all fifty billion – with a single thought . Stunned at his " sin " , Kevin recreated Rishon and their house , and sentenced himself to exile on the ruined Delta Rana IV . He used the fake warship as a ruse to try and keep the " Enterprise " from finding out the truth . Picard confesses that the Federation ( much less Humanity ) is not qualified to judge him , or the issue , and allows him to stay on Rana IV . With Troi returned to full health , the " Enterprise " departs for Starbase 133 . Picard notes in his log that the Douwd is a being of extraordinary power , and isn ' t sure if he should be condemned for his crime or praised for his conscience . What he does know , however , is that " Kevin " should be left alone . Memorable quotes . " " Sir , may I say your attempt to hold the away team at bay , with a non - functioning weapon , was an act of unmitigated gall . " " " " Didn ' t fool you , huh ? " " " " I admire gall . " " " " An entire planet obliterated … except for a few acres of trees and grass and " one " building ? " " " " Number One , I think you had better see who ' s at home . " " ( Worf drinks his tea and makes a face ) . " " Well , what do you think , Mr . Worf ? " " " " Good tea . ( looks around ) Nice house . " " " " If they are the only survivors of a nuclear holocaust , they can ' t be in very good shape . " " " " Your colony was attacked by a warship - " " " " Belonging to the Husnock . A species of hideous intelligence . Knew only aggression … destruction . " " " " I saw her broken body … I went insane . My hatred exploded . And in an instant of grief … I destroyed the Husnock . ' " " " " No , no , no , no , you don ' t understand the scope of my crime ! " " I didn ' t kill just one Husnock , or a hundred , or a thousand . I killed them " all " . " All Husnock " , everywhere . " " " " Are eleven thousand people worth fifty billion ? Is the love of a woman worth the destruction of an entire species ? " " " " We are not qualified to be your judges . We have no law to fit your crime . You ' re free to return to the planet , and to make Rishon live again . " " " " We leave behind a being of extraordinary power … and conscience . I am not certain if he should be praised or condemned , only , that he should be left alone . " " Links and references . References . 2284 ; 2313 ; 2361 ; 2366 ; acre ; Andorian renegades ; Andorian renegade ship ; Andorian s ; antiproton s ; aquarium ; aquatic city ; Atlantic Ocean ; botanist ; city ; collaborator ; Colony Operations ; colony register ; coma ; dance ; Delta Rana IV ; Delta Rana IV colony ; Delta Rana system ; Delta Rana warship ; delta sleep ; distress call ; Douwd ; Earth ; evasive action ; Federation ; fish ; fusion reactor ; gigawatt ; Husnock ; Husnock warship ; immortality ; kilometer ; Lagrange point ; medical tricorder ; megawatt ; Milky Way Galaxy ; moon ; " Much Ado About Nothing " ; music box ; neocortex ; New Martim Vaz ; nuclear holocaust ; number one ; high equatorial orbit ; perfume ; phaser ; philosophy ; photon torpedo ; plant ; positron s ; red alert ; replicator ; ship ; Starbase 133 ; Starfleet admiral ; symbiosis ; Tao - classical music ; tea ; tree ; trespassing ; Triangulum system ; Rishon Uxbridge ; vehicle classification index ; waltz