Journey ' s End ( episode ) As a result of a long - disputed treaty with the Cardassians , the Federation has agreed to return several planets to Cardassian control . One such planet , Dorvan V , is inhabited by the descendants of Native Americans . They do not wish to leave their new home , which they had spent many years searching for . Summary . Teaser . Wesley Crusher has returned from Starfleet Academy for a vacation . His mother shows him some quarters for his own , joking that they are as far as possible to hers , so that they don ’ t have to see each other . Geordi La Forge and Data show up to welcome Wesley , happy to see him . However , Wesley is not his usual jovial self . His mother notices and says they should let him settle in . When they leave , it ' s clear something is bothering him . Act One . Jean - Luc Picard is in the observation lounge preparing some special refreshments to receive Admiral Nechayev of Starfleet , including Earl Grey tea , watercress sandwich es and Bularian canapé s . He tells Riker that he wants to make the Admiral feel welcome to the " Enterprise " , in order to relieve the tension there has been between them in the past . When the Admiral arrives , she immediately dismisses Riker , and starts talking straight about her point . Only after she realizes the special refreshments that Picard prepared for her , fitting her tastes , does she accept to sit and talk . Necheyev explains that the Federation has completed 3 - year long negotiations on the Cardassian border , and shows Picard the new trace of the border . He notices how some Federation colonies become placed in Cardassian territory and vice - versa . The Admiral says these colonies will have to be relocated . Specifically , she tasks Picard to evacuate a colony of American Indian s who settled on Dorvan V twenty years ago . Picard reminds her that these people were already forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands centuries ago . Then they left Earth 200 years ago in order to preserve their cultural identity , and it was not until twenty years ago when they finally found a planet to settle . Admiral says she is aware and raised objections unsuccessfully . She says those people were originally warned about their settlement and agreed to the risk . Ultimately , it is a reasonable price to pay for peace . Meanwhile , in engineering , La Forge calls the attention of Wesley , who was just walking by , to tell him about his new work involving plasmadyne relay s . Initially uninterested , Welsey responds arrogantly , questioning whether the converter interface would hold up , and says that his work is obsolete . La Forge is confused and displeased by Wesley ’ s reaction , saying he does not understand what happened to him . Reminding him about acting like an officer , he gets a snappy response , and dismisses him , saying he does not need his help with that attitude . Act Two . Picard and Deanna Troi are on Dorvan V , conducting the initial meeting with the Tribal Council . Picard tells the Native American leaders that there is very little he can do to change the situation , as the decision was made at the very highest level of Starfleet . Anthwara , the leader of the tribe on Dorvan V , resists Picard ' s attempt to convince them to relocate . Troi offers the suggestion of other available planet s to colonize with similar environmental conditions , as well as their help in getting settled immediately . Anthwara responds saying that the environmental conditions themselves are not the basis of their location , but , rather , that the mountain s the river s and the sky welcomed them . Another member in the council , Wakasa , is obviously skeptical and says that Picard is " laughing " at Anthwara even though his face shows no sign of jest . Before any more misunderstandings occur , Troi suggests to adjourn the meeting and Picard invites the group to the " Enterprise " for a reception later that night . Meanwhile , in Wesley ’ s quarters , Dr . Crusher tries to talk to Wesley about his mood . She says that since he arrived he has been moody , sullen and rude , and that she does not understand what is happening to him . She tells him that the incident in engineering is inexcusable and that a fourth - year Starfleet cadet should have a certain level of maturity . Then Wesley loses his temper and shouts that he is sick of following rules and regulations , and sick of living up to everyone else ’ s expectations and abruptly leaves . Later that night , the Native American leaders attend the reception in Ten Forward . Anthwara and Picard talk about the tense situation concerning the people on Dorvan V . Anthwara talks about his ancestors and says that their spirits still guide him and his people , including his grandfather , Katowa , who was the first person to lead the tribe to Dorvan V over two hundred years ago . Anthwara says that there was opposition to the move , but when his grandfather made the decision , it was final . Anthwara changes the subject and asks Picard about his family , which Picard knows a great deal about . Picard then starts telling Anthwara about his family history . Shortly after , Wesley comes in and apologizes to his mother for being late and sits down . One of the Native Americans , Lakanta , approaches him . He tells Wesley that he knew that he would come to Dorvan V two years ago when he saw Wesley in a vision he had in the Habak , a colony meditation chamber for vision quest s . Wesley says he doesn ' t understand , but Lakanta interjects that Wesley that he has come to them in order to find the answers he seeks . Act Three . After the party , Beverly asks Picard for help with Wesley . She says his grades are dropping and that he is defensive with everyone . If he continues on that path , he will end up being dropped out of his Starfleet class , according to Admiral Brand . Picard thinks , though , that Wesley is not willing to get help from them , and that pushing him would only make him move further away . The next morning , Wesley is on the planet ' s surface to find Lakanta . He questions him about what he should do , but Lakanta just says he doesn ' t know . He then asks about the Habak . Lakanta asks Wesley what he thinks is sacred . Wesley responds that he " respects " a lot of things , but he ' s not sure he really thinks of anything as " sacred . " Lakanta explains that everything is sacred to them – the plants , the mountains , even the dirt beneath their feet . And here Wesley is also a sacred person , regardless of whether Wesley believes it . Lakanta says that Wesley needs to respect himself as sacred . Wesley , surprised by this remark , says that maybe he should try using the Habak . In the meantime , negotiations continue about the inhabitants on the planet . Picard is still bound by his orders and the treaty . Anthwara ignores this and simply states he knows Picard won ' t take them from the planet . Not believing in coincidences , he says that they didn ' t know initially why Picard specifically was sent to the planet until last night when Picard was telling him about his family ' s history . Anthwara says he has found the answer and asks if Picard knows about the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 , when the native tribes revolted against the Spanish when they tried to gain control of the land . Troi knew the incident , but Picard wasn ' t familiar . Ten years later , the Spanish came back , and brutally displaced the natives . He says one of the soldiers was Javier Maribona Picard , one of Picard ' s ancestors . Picard wasn ' t aware of the incident or the soldier , but doesn ' t think it has any bearing on the present situation . He believes Picard is there to erase the stain of blood worn by Picard ' s family for 23 generations . With this revelation , he leaves . After the meeting , Picard and Troi go outside and find Worf and his team unexpectedly observing a team of Cardassians in the village . Act Four . Picard moves forward and talks to Gul Evek , who says that the evacuation should be underway by now . Taking him aside , Picard does not understand why Cardassians are on the planet six weeks early and asks Gul Evek what they are doing there . He replies that they are doing a survey of the buildings left over . Picard warns them that any harm done to the colonists while they are still under the jurisdiction of the Federation means that Picard would have to respond accordingly . Picard then returns to the ship and asks Admiral Nechayev to request an emergency session of the Federation Council to reopen the issue of relocation for the tribe . She replies that she had already asked two days prior , but that Starfleet declined the request . Picard then asks Worf to make preparations to remove the inhabitants of Dorvan V . He reflects with Riker on the possibility of a dark chapter in his family history he may be about to repeat . Meanwhile , Wesley , somewhere in a building , goes with Lakanta to the Habak . Lakanta says strangers are not allowed there , but Wesley is not a stranger because Lakanta saw him in his original vision quest . Wesley asks him what he should do . Lakanta tells Wesley to start a fire for his journey because while Lakanta can " open the door , only he [ Wesley ] can go through it " . After some time while Lakanta guides Wesley on a spirit quest , Wesley finds that Lakanta has suddenly disappeared , and slowly he realizes he is seeing the spirit of his late father , Jack Crusher , on the other side of the fire . His father congratulates Wesley on his travels and for having come this far since he died , but he also tells Wesley that he should not follow his path , the path of a Starfleet officer , any longer . Wesley needed to begin a new path that was genuinely his own . The vision at first startles Wesley , but he soon thereafter gains clarity from it . As Wesley leaves the Habak , he encounters Worf planning the forced , but covert , relocation of the planet ' s inhabitants . Compelled to stop them , he announces to the colonists Worf ' s plans , resulting in them demanding Starfleet ' s departure . Act Five . In the observation lounge , Picard strongly reprimands Wesley for his behavior , which jeopardized the away team ' s safety . Wesley responds by calmly denouncing the relocation on moral grounds , saying that the people are not just some random group of colonist s and that their culture predates the Federation . Picard understands but demands that Wesley keep his opinions to himself and follow orders so long as he is in a Starfleet uniform . Wesley promptly announces his resignation from the Academy and leaves his combadge on the table . Beverly doesn ' t understand why Wesley is leaving the Academy and confronts him , saying she can ' t stop him but he must explain himself . Wesley finally tells her about his vision of his father . He explains that he has known for a long time that he wasn ' t meant to be a Starfleet officer and that he wanted to please her , Captain Picard , and everyone else who hoped for him to become a Starfleet officer . He wasn ' t able to admit it to himself until now . Beverly drives home the point that she would be proud of Wesley no matter what he does because she loves him regardless of what he does . Beverly then reveals to Wesley that the Traveler had told Captain Picard long ago that Wesley was a special , like Mozart , and that he was destined for things quite different from the rest of the crew . She resigns herself to the fact that this might be the first step in that direction . In the meantime , Gul Evek is on the " Enterprise " discussing the situation on the planet with Picard when some Cardassians are taken hostage by the colonists . Worf reports to Picard , and he immediately asks Gul Evek to beam them up . Evek refuses and has his ship , the " Vetar " , to be ready to beam more troops to the surface . Picard tells him he must respond to those actions , and pleads with him to stop the escalation of violence now . On the planet ' s surface , a fight breaks out and a phaser is fired at a Cardassian . As Wesley watches , he tries to stop it and suddenly , all movement stops . A phaser beam is fired halfway through the air but hasn ' t reached its intended target yet . Wesley ' s guide , Lakanta , reveals himself as the Traveler , with whom Wesley had last had contact with years ago . Wesley , it turns out , can travel to a different plane in time and existence . The Traveler tells Wesley that he has evolved to a new level , ready to take the first step on a journey that few Humans will ever experience . The Traveler will be Wesley ' s guide if he wishes . Wesley asks about the colonists , but the Traveler says they have to find their own journeys and that he must trust that they will do that . They step back into regular time , and the phaser strikes the Cardassian as the fight continues . Back on the " Enterprise " bridge , Picard pleads with Evek not to force a battle and states that they have taken so long to reach an agreement that they should try to avoid conflict whenever possible . Gul Evek considers the options and reluctantly orders the " Vetar " crew to lock onto and beam his people back aboard , avoiding a direct fight . He then tells Picard that he lost two of three sons during the war and that he does not wish to lose the last one . The colonists , still insistent on staying on the planet , decide to forgo Federation citizenship and remain on the planet under the Cardassians ' control . Picard confirms with them that they understand that this means they will not be eligible for assistance from the Federation or Starfleet in case of problems , which they accept . Gul Evek then indicates that , while he can ' t guarantee every Cardassian encounter will respect it , most should be willing to leave the colony in peace so long as they do not interfere in their affairs . Picard says he will send a report to Starfleet , and that he hopes they will accept the deal as it would have the support of Admiral Nachayev . After Evek leaves , Anthwara tells Picard he has indeed wiped clean the stain of his ancestor ' s actions . Wesley prepares to leave his mother and Picard in the transporter room . He ' ll explore the universe with the Traveler and says his studies will begin with the people on Dorvan V , because the Traveler says they " are aware of many things " of which he can learn a lot . His mother reminds him to " dress warmly on those other planes of existence " and they both smile . Wesley thanks Picard and beams off of the " Enterprise " - D for the last time , and Picard comforts his mother as they walk out of the transporter room . Memorable quotes . " " There has been a certain amount of tension between us in the past . " " " " " Tension " is hardly the word I ' d use . " " " " Gul Evek , those people are Federation citizens , and I am sworn to protect them . If your troops attack that village , my security forces will respond . " " " " I hope you realize the consequences of Federation officers firing on Cardassian troops ! " " " " Oh , yes I do . That is why we must stop this now , before it ' s too late . " " " " I don ' t know what ' s gotten into you , Wes . " " " " Look , do you want my help or not ? ! " " " " With this kind of an attitude , absolutely not . You ' re dismissed . " " " " Now , you be sure to dress warmly on those other planes of existence . " " " " Have faith in their abilities to solve their problems on their own . " " " " Evek , the last war caused massive destruction and cost millions of lives . Don ' t send our two peoples down that same path again , not like this . Now the future lies in your hands right now ! Give us one last chance for peace . " " " " So if you ' re sacred . . . then you have to treat yourself with respect . . . to do otherwise is to desecrate something holy . " " " " Starfleet isn ' t for me . " " " " Earl Grey tea , watercress sandwiches , and Bularian canapés . . . are you up for promotion ? " " " " Maybe I am sick of following rules and regulations ! Maybe I ' m sick of living up to everyone else ' s expectations ! Did you ever think of that ? ! " " " " That is why you have come to us . To erase a stain of blood worn by your family for . . . twenty - three generations . " " " " There comes a time in a young man ' s life when he doesn ' t want to stay with his poor senile mother , I understand . " " " " You set out on a journey that wasn ' t your own . Now , it ' s time to find a path that is truly yours . Don ' t follow me any further . " " " " Do you know what they ' re trying to do ? They ' re preparing to beam you away and take you to their ship ! You ' re not gonna let them do that , are you ? " " " " Inexcusable ! You defied the orders of the ranking officer on the scene ! You put the lives of the entire away team in jeopardy , and you ' ve made an already tense situation worse ! ! Your actions reflect very badly on this ship and on that uniform . Now I want an explanation , Mr . Crusher , and I want it now ! " " " " What you are doing down there is wrong . These people are not some random group of colonists . They are a unique culture with a history that predates the Federation and Starfleet . " " " " That does not alter the fact that my orders are to . . . " " " " I know Admiral Necheyev gave you an order , and she was given an order from the Federation council , but it ' s still wrong . " " " " That decision is not yours to make , Cadet ! I don ' t know what has gotten into you lately ; and frankly , right now , I don ' t care . But I will tell you this : while you wear that uniform , you will obey every order you are given , and you will conform to Starfleet regulations and rules of conduct . Is that clear ? ! " " " " Yes sir , it is ; but I won ' t be wearing this uniform any longer . I ' m resigning from the Academy . " " " " By giving up your status as Federation citizens , any future request you or your people make to Starfleet will go unanswered . You will be on your own , and under Cardassian jurisdiction . " " " " I understand , captain . And we are prepared to take that risk . " " " " I cannot speak for every Cardassian you may encounter , but if you leave us alone , I suspect that we will do the same . " " " " I was right , captain . You did not take us from our land . . . and you have wiped clean a very old stain of blood . " " " " Well , good luck , Mister . . . good luck , Wesley . " " " " Thank you . . . for a lot of things . " " Links and references . References . 1680 ; bear ; bonsai ; Brand ; Bularian canapé ; Cardassian ; Cardassian border ; Cardassian government ; Charlemagne ; Cochrane ( unit ) ; confinement beam trace ; converter interface ; coyote ; Demilitarized Zone ; Dorvan V ; Dorvan sector ; Earl Grey tea ; Earth ; Evek ' s sons ; Federation ; Federation Council ; Federation - Cardassian Treaty ; Ferengi ; fish ; Fleet Admiral ; Glinn ; graduation ; Gul ; Habak ; Indian ; Indian Council ; Indian representative ; joke ; Katowa ; Klingon ; Mansara ; ; microfusion interrelay ; Mintakan tapestry ; mountain ; ; New Mexico ; North American Indian s ; Number one ; painting ; parrot ; ; plasmadyne relay ; Pueblo ; Pueblo Revolt ; red alert ; river ; secondary phase inverter ; senility ; Spanish ; squad ; Starbase 310 ; Starbase 310 planet ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet General Orders and Regulations ; subprocessor matrix ; tailhead ; Tau Ceti ; Tribal Council ; tribe ; vacation ; Vassbinder ; " Vetar " ; vision quest ; Vulcan ; warp field ; warp propulsion inter - relay ; warship ; watercress sandwich ; Western Europe ; Wrightwell