Empathological Fallacies (episode)

The hedonistic outlook of a Betazoid delegation infects the crew.
==Summary==
===Act One===
:"Outgoing communication. Provisional Lieutenant junior grade T'Lyn to Captain Sokel of the . Due to the recent unprovoked attacks across the quadrant, the is providing transport to three Betazoid diplomats. These glorified socialites just spent three weeks attending parties on Angel I, and now intend to "keep the good times rolling" as we escort them to Risa. Despite the crew's enthusiasm, I find the Betazoid's exuberance... disruptive. My posting here is usually trying, but never more than now. I feel it necessary to relay the severity of my circumstances."
Captain Carol Freeman, Commander Jack Ransom, and T'Lyn are walking with the three Betazoid diplomats, Dolorex, Katrot, and Cathiw, who are laughing enthusiastically, and drinking. While they are thankful for Freeman's services in escorting them to Risa, they are not shy in telling her that they can sense her discomfort in watching over them. Cathiw also flirts with both Ransom and Freeman, though she favors Freeman since Ransom was not playing hard to get, while Freeman is married. Dolorex calms Cathiw down, wanting to check on their quarters, and as she walks away, Cathiw silently calls her a "sanctimonious buzzkill." Freeman assures them that they've been ordered to ensure they have a good time, and orders T'Lyn to refill their drinks, much to her annoyance. 
Freeman escorts the diplomats to sickbay, where Dr. T'Ana immediately smells the Betazoid women. T'Ana jokingly refers to the Betazoid women as a buffet, as the diplomats laugh off the reference, and explain to Freeman that Caitians used to hunt and eat Betazoids in the ancient past. T'Ana reassures Freeman that Catians only eat synthetic Betazoid meat now, though as they walk by, T'Ana is distracted by them and accidentally burns Chief Engineer Andy Billups in her care. No longer interested in touring the Cerritos, Katrot asks for them to be taken to the bar just as T'Lyn returns with their refills, only to be told that there's no longer a need for them, further annoying her. 
:"The Betazoids attitudes have inspired many in the crew to "get the party started." Such infectious frivolity would never be tolerated on a Vulcan ship. If reinstated, I will suppress my own chaotic tendencies. It is only logical for my punishment to conclude, and that I return to the Sh'vhal."
Finishing her outgoing message to Sokel, T'Lyn tries to send it, only to find her signal being blocked. As she tries to send the message repeatedly, Lieutenant Beckett Mariner enters her quarters and invites her to the party at the bar, where the crew have gathered and have gotten merry. Mariner notices T'Lyn trying to send a message and explains that due to the recent attacks, and the presence of the diplomats on board, a full security blackout is blocking all outgoing communication. Her invite declined, Mariner tells her they'll be at the bar if she changes her mind. After Mariner leaves, T'Lyn tries once more, unsuccessfully, to send the message, further frustrating her. 
In their quarters, Lieutenant Brad Boimler is quizzing himself in an attempt to memorize the names of everyone in the crew, while Sam Rutherford gets himself ready for the party. Noticing Boimler getting stressed and frustrated with himself when he fails his test, he recommends a break and invites him to the party. Boimler declines, saying that as a lieutenant junior grade, he will only go if he can memorize everyone's names. Worried about Boimler, as Rutherford leaves, he calls Lieutenant Shaxs, telling him he has a candidate for "the program."
In her quarters, T'Lyn is resisting the urge to resend her message as she knows it would be illogical to keep trying, and concludes it would be better to go find Mariner and ask when the blackout will be lifted. Entering the bar, she notices the crew behaving incredibly eccentric. Approaching Mariner, who is sitting with D'Vana Tendi, Mariner eagerly expresses joy at her deciding to join them. T'Lyn asks if there is an estimate as to when communications will be restored, causing Tendi to react in joy that T'Lyn is talking with her. Mariner tries to calm Tendi down, but then realizes that everyone around them is acting strange. From T'Lyn's point of view, the crew always acts strange, but when Dr. Migleemo angrily destroys a replicator with his phaser for giving him unsatisfactory soup, she agrees that there are more emotional outbursts from the crew than normal as Ransom tackles Migleemo to the deck to disarm him. Freeman notices it as well, and addresses everyone to calm down, but is unsuccessful. Ensign Barnes attempts to leave to drop the ship out of warp so that they won't get to Risa too fast, but is incapacitated by T'Lyn using a Vulcan nerve pinch. Laying Barnes safely down on the bench seat of the table booth, T'Lyn believes the crew to be affected by something in their vicinity.
===Act Two===
Meanwhile, Shaxs has taken Boimler down to the secondary hull and a much quieter part of the ship for his program, not wanting to be interrupted. Believing that he might enter a security training program with Shaxs, Boimler gets excited, but his excitement is quickly stifled when they enter a room to see Shaxs' security officers in the midst of a session of slam poetry.
In the bar, the crew's behavior is quickly growing even more chaotic, and Freeman is frustrated that no one is listening to her. T'Lyn then theorizes that the crew's behavior is being caused by the Betazoid women, believing that Zanthi fever might be what's affecting the crew. As Zanthi fever can occur in Betazoid women of their age, and as it affects the emotions of people around them, T'Lyn tries to have communications opened to contact for outside assistance, but Freeman says they can't risk that, and that T'Ana will have to handle the situation, though T'Ana herself is behaving in a feral manner. Freeman asks the Betazoid women to join her in sickbay, voicing T'Lyn's concerns to them. Caught off guard by this, Dolorex, Katrot, and Cathiw communicate to each other telepathically, wondering what they could be talking about. Cathiw tells them that their cover could be compromised, but Dolorex calms them down, wanting to see what they have in mind for them in sickbay. Dolorex then complies with Freeman's request. 
In sickbay, T'Ana performs medical scans on all three, and declares Dolorex "pathogen free." Confused by the procedure, Dolorex asks what they're scanning for, and when Freeman mentions Zanthi fever, all three women take offense, saying they're not old enough for that condition. Cathiw and Katrot telepathically theorize that they're just trying to find an excuse to lock them up, Dolorex tells them to remember their training. T'Ana finishes her scans, having found no trace of Zanthi fever. Before the Betazoid women can leave however Freeman physically blocks the exit, believing it to be more than a coincidence that the crew started behaving this way only when they came aboard. Despite Mariner's effort to calm her mother down as the diplomats haven't done anything, Freeman believes the three to somehow be affecting the crew, and says that until they can figure it out, they will be confined to their quarters. At that moment, the Betazoids pull out collapsible stun batons that were disguised as lipstick, and shed their dress skirts, immediately attacking the crew inside sickbay. Taken by surprise, Mariner and T'Ana are quickly subdued, followed shortly afterward by T'Lyn. Dolorex then takes Freeman prisoner. 
Meanwhile, the security officers are in the midst of playing charades. Boimler is far from ecstatic despite performing incredibly well, guessing Kayshon's impersonation of Constable Odo. Shaxs asks what's wrong, and Boimler tells him that he right he'd be participating in training exercises, rather than playing games. Shaxs tells him that training comes in different forms, leading Boimler to wonder if this is a test for him. He then attempts to take down Shaxs, who reluctantly lets Boimler belive that it is indeed a test and tells him he's ready for "the ritual." He holds a box out for Boimler, telling him that two sacred security challenges are within the box and that he must choose one to compete. Boimler excitedly opens the box, only to find a jigsaw puzzle of Malcolm Reed and the , and a deck of tarot cards, to his bewilderment. He asks Shaxs what kind of choice this is, only for Shaxs to excitedly declare that Boimler chose both. 
As the Betazoids take the handcuffed Freeman to the bridge, they warn her not to try anything, as they're actually undercover agents of the BIA. Upon reaching the bridge, Freeman orders the bridge staff to take down the Betazoid women, but the three women successfully thwart the ambush, incapacitating the whole staff. Freeman asks why they're influencing her crew when Betazed is in the Federation, the three tell her that she's trying to frame them for influencing the crew. They go on to say that their own emotions are acting up as well. Freeman is convinced that the three are responsible, seeing no other possibility, but Katrot tells her that they're on a mission to find clues to help explain a series of unprovoked attacks in the quadrant. With their cover blown, Dolorex concludes that they must take the Cerritos to Betazed to sort everything out and plots a course. Realizing the designated course will take them through the Romulan Neutral Zone, Freeman protests, saying the Romulans will destroy them. Dolorex brushes off her concern, and Freeman tells them that her crew will figure them out before they know it.
In sickbay, Mariner, T'Lyn, and T'Ana are tied up with cloth bindings, but T'Ana manages to free them, shredding it with her claws. She then eagerly runs off in her feral state to find the Betazoid women, hoping to eat them despite Mariner's protest that they should stick together. T'Lyn notices that T'Ana's medical tricorder on the deck is still scanning, and she and Mariner realize that the source of the psychic disturbance is actually being caused by T'Lyn.
===Act Three===
Mariner is confused, as Vulcans cannot contract Zanthi fever. T'Lyn notes that they do have conditions with similar effects such as Bendii Syndrome, although that specific disease mostly affects elderly Vulcans, and she is only 62 years old. Mariner suspects however that T'Lyn might be suffering a "quarter-life crisis" that only mimics the symptoms and briefly relates how Boimler grew a moustache when he turned 25, but wanting to figure it out later, she rushes off with T'Lyn in tow to rescue Freeman. 
Five minutes from the Neutral Zone, Freeman notices the three agents getting somewhat annoyed with one another and begs them not to enter the Neutral Zone, saying that if the Romulans capture her, they'll be able to extract valuable information from her. Dolorex asks what she means, and while Freeman tries to feign ignorance, Dolorex apologizes and reads her mind without permission, only for Freeman to think of the instance of Cathiw begrudgingly calling Dolorex a buzzkill. Taking offense, she immediately gets defensive with Cathiw before telepathically telling both Cathiw and Katrot, much to their surprise, that she's only trying to keep them from screwing things up. This starts a telepathic argument between the three, and Freeman eyes the captain's chair while they're preoccupied. She sneaks over and activates the ship's red alert.
Shaxs is in the midst of a tarot reading of Boimler, who is annoyed by the entire process, saying that there doesn't seem to be much to being on the security team. Shaxs tells him that being on security means more than simply "kicking ass", and Boimler tells them that all they seem to do is play games when he wants to see some action. At that moment, the red alert sounds, and the entire security team comes to attention, arming themselves with phasers, as Boimler struggles to understand what's going on. 
As the crew struggles to figure out why they're at red alert, Mariner tells some of the crew that the captain was taken hostage by the Betazoid women. Tendi incorrectly assumes them to be the reason for all the chaotic behavior, and T'Lyn corrects her, saying they believe she's actually the reason. This shocks the crew and when Tendi tearfully refuses to believe this, saying that T'Lyn is her best friend, T'Lyn denies this, saying Tendi is still under the influence of her emotional outbursts. Rutherford angrily tells T'Lyn not to be mean to Tendi, and they begin to chase Mariner and T'Lyn, cornering them both in a uniform closet. 
Smashing the door controls with her elbow, Mariner angrily criticizes T'Lyn for her wording, frustrated that they can no longer help the situation at hand. As Mariner vents her frustrations that she can't roundhouse kick the problem in the face, T'Lyn approaches her and tries telepathically reregulating her emotions, bringing them back into balance and calming Mariner down. T'Lyn then confides in Mariner by saying that the imbalance in the crew is her fault since she is not Vulcan enough. She sits down and says that a true Vulcan would not have allowed their emotions to get the better of them, and Mariner, detecting some sadness in T'Lyn's words, asks her what's going on. T'Lyn then tells her that she's been frustrated that she's not been able to send her message to her former captain and has focused on it all day. She also tells Mariner of the reason she was forced into Starfleet, saying she was banished for being insubordinate, unhinged, and recklessly emotional, and that the only reason she saved her crew during the attack by the Pakleds and Klingons was due to her following her instincts, rather than logic. This led Sokel to believe that she was damaged and illogical, and she now believes he was right. She concludes that something is wrong with her, and the telepathic projection of her emotions has only further proven that. 
Boimler is struggling to keep up with the security team as they make their way to the turbolift, only to find T'Ana ferociously clawing at the door, smelling the Betazoids. Shaxs approaches her, attempting to calm her, but she attacks him instead. He effortlessly catches her as one of the officers notes on a nearby screen that the ship is dangerously close to the Neutral Zone.
Back in the closet, as the crew angrily pounds on the door, Mariner stands up and tells T'Lyn that her former crew was wrong in their assumptions of her. She calls T'Lyn brutally efficient and says that Sokel's actions of kicking her off the Sh'vhal when T'Lyn saved them was not logical. Mariner goes on to say that T'Lyn is not flawed, saying that there's nothing more Vulcan than being affected by Bendii syndrome, an illness that Ambassador Sarek of all Vulcans had been afflicted with. Reassured by her words, T'Lyn begins to calm down, and thanks Mariner for the talk. Mariner then starts feeling normal, and on rechecking the tricorder T'Lyn realizes that the telepathic symptoms were tied to her unresolved conflict and that her area of effect has dissipated. Mariner opens the door, and both Tendi and Rutherford fall into the room, feeling normal. T'Lyn concludes that the crew should be returning to their senses. 
Around the Cerritos, the crew starts returning to normal, and in the turbolift, having successfully calmed T'Ana down with warm milk, Shaxs and the security team enter the bridge to save Freeman. Upon entry, the Betazoid agents attempt to fight them off but are overwhelmed by the security team, who are incredibly relaxed and focused from their program. Successfully subduing the agents, Freeman halts the ship just in time from entering the Neutral Zone, and reverses course. As the Cerritos leaves, a warbird decloaks, and the bridge crew groans in disappointment as they watch the Cerritos leave. The sub-commander quiets them down and noting that this was not a surprise and has a course set for another sector where they can lurk around. 
Arriving at Risa, Boimler apologizes for his behavior towards Shaxs and his team. Shaxs tells Boimler not to be hard on himself and tells him that Rutherford told him of his stress and that they wanted to give him a day off. When Boimler asks why, Shaxs tells him that being a member of security means protecting the crew, whether it's from invaders, or their emotional well-being. Boimler admits that he never saw security having such duties, and Shaxs invites him back to the training room for some puzzle time. Boimler excitedly calls dibs on the Malcolm Reed puzzle, though Shaxs tells him he'll have to beat him to it.
In the transporter room, Dolorex apologizes to Freeman for their behavior, and Freeman brushes it off, apologizing for mistaking Vulcan telepathic projection for Zanthi fever. Katrot brushes it off as being telepaths themselves, they also missed it, and offers future support for T'Lyn should she ever need help in the area of her telepathic projections. Before they leave, as further apology Dolorex shares with Freeman a PADD with the blurry image of a mystery ship that was taken by a Betazoid monitoring station, which they believe to be responsible for the string of attacks, and they beam down to Risa.
In the bar, Mariner brings T'Lyn a glass of room temperature water, and jokes with her not to get emotional over the water. At that moment, Boimler sends a selfie to Mariner, leading her to conclude that the blackout has lifted, and that T'Lyn can finally send her message. T'Lyn declines, saying she's decided to continue her time on the Cerritos to study Mariner's chaotic ways. Mariner says she's happy to have her, and hugs her. Tendi sees this and asks to join in on the hug, only to be declined by T'Lyn.
==Memorable quotes==
"Ugh! I said regurgitated soup, you STUPID ing replicator! This barely even tastes like it's been in my mother's mouth!!!"
:- Migleemo
"Enjoy hell, replicator!"
:- Migleemo
"Captain, I believe it is plausible that the heightened emotional state of the crew is being caused by our guests."
"The Betazoids? No way! They're so nice! Dolorex? She said I'm hot!"
"You frigging are! I got a hot mom!"
:- T'Lyn, Freeman. and Mariner
"Sorry, Captain, but the party's over. You're coming with us."
"I knew it! See? See?! You are up to something! I'M GOOD AT MY JOB!"
:- Dolorex and Freeman
"We'll have to figure it out later. I have to rescue my mommy!"
:- Mariner and T'Lyn
"Hey, don't be mean to Tendi!"
"Get her; make her be my friend!"
:- Rutherford and Tendi
"T'Lyn, I hate to say it, but your previous crew were a bunch of ing idiots. You're one of the most brutally efficient, distant people I have ever met."
"Really?
"What was your captain's name?"
"Sokel."
"Man, *bleep* Captain Sokel! What, you saved their lives, so he kicks you off the ship? Where's the logic in that, huh?!"
"It does seem like a disproportionate response to a minor character flaw."
"There is no character flaw! Can you imagine anything more Vulcan than Bendii syndrome? Hello?! I mean, Spock's dad had it, and he was Vulcan as a motherer!"
"Hmm. I suppose by the transitive property, I too must be Vulcan as a mother*bleep*er."
"*bleep* yeah! Logic, bitch!"
:- Mariner and T'Lyn
"Am I to understand that you mock your friends more than your enemies?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah. It comes from a place of love."
:- T'Lyn and Mariner
==Background information==
===Title===
* Though presented on Paramount+ as "Empathalogical Fallacies", the title card actually read "Empathological Fallacies".
* The title derives from the term "pathological fallacy", the logic error of assuming all members of a particular group share traits present in one or a small number. It may be a commentary on how it is assumed by Star Trek fans or writers that an entire species shares the traits of a single member of a species, e.g. thinking that all Betazoids are like Lwaxana Troi. (See also: ) Further, the title refers to the defining traits of the involved species, Betazoid empaths and logical Vulcans.
=== Cast and characters ===
* Writer Jamie Loftus named the Betazoid passengers after women that featured prominently in her journalistic podcasts: Dolores "Lolita" Haze, Katie Fox of the Fox sisters, and cartoonist Cathy Guisewite.https://twitter.com/jamieloftusHELP/status/1774222467160297483
===Continuity===
* The three Betazoid women are being transported from Angel I, the titular planet from .
* This hybrid episode borrows plot lines from both and .
* This episode is also a continuation of the T'Lyn storyline from .
* Two more recurring characters are identified in this episode: Sleepy Merp and Haubold.
** Ironically, Sleepy Merp is identified during a scene in which Boimler is trying to remember her name.
* The painting of Vulcan's Forge in T’Lyn’s quarters is based upon a screenshot from the 2001 DVD edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition.
* The Romulan border map is very similar to one seen in , except it has Cheron () added to it.
* This episode states that the planet Betazed is accessed via the Romulan Neutral Zone (making it in the Beta Quadrant), whereas canonically Betazed is in the Alpha Quadrant, near the Cardassian border.
==Links and references==
===Starring===
* Tawny Newsome as Beckett Mariner
* Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler
* Noël Wells as D'Vana Tendi
* Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford
* Dawnn Lewis as Carol Freeman
* Jerry O'Connell as Jack Ransom
* Fred Tatasciore as Shaxs
* Gillian Vigman as T'Ana
===Guest cast===
* Gideon Adlon as Haubold
* Rachel Dratch as Dolorex
* Janelle James as Katrot
* Wendie Malick as Cathiw
* Jessica McKenna as Barnes
* Gabrielle Ruiz as
** Castro
** T'Lyn
* Paul Scheer as Andy Billups
* Carl Tart as
** Kayshon
** Cerritos Human ops lt 12
* Paul F. Tompkins as Migleemo
;Characters with unidentified voice performers
* Romulan commander
===Background characters===
* Malcolm Reed 
* Romulan bridge crew
;USS Cerritos
* Big Merp
* 
* Dahae
* Dirk
* 
* Honus 
* Livik
* Lars Lundy
* Jet Manhaver
* Merp 
* Jennifer Sh'reyan
* Sleepy Merp
* Steve Stevens
* 
* Wendy
* Alien waitress
* Antaran ops ens
* Benzite cmd ens
* Haliian ops lt
* Human bar staff 2
* Human cmd ens 1
* Human cmd ens 2
* Human cmd lt jg 2
* Human cmd lt 1
* Human cmd lt 4
* Human cmd lt cmdr 2
* Human cmd lt cmdr 3
* Human ops ens 1
* Human ops ens 3
* Human ops ens 4
* Human ops ens 8
* Human ops lt jg
* Human ops lt jg 1
* Human ops lt 1
* Human ops lt 3
* Human ops lt 4
* Human ops lt 6
* Human ops ofc 6
* Human sci ens 2
* Human sci ens 3
* Human sci ens 5
* Human sci ens 6
* Human sci ens 7
* Human sci lt jg 1
* Human sci lt 1
* Human sci lt 3
* Human sci lt 7
* Human sci lt cmdr 2
* Napean ops lt
;Tarot card images
* Li Nalas
* Benjamin Sisko
===References===
2319; 24-hour clock; age; alcohol; allies; Alterian flaking; Andorian; Angel I; Angel I gal; Antaran; armor; attacks; "Baby Bear"; babysitting; Bajoran; bar; bar staff uniform; bat'leth; Bendii Syndrome; Benzite; best friend; Betazed; Betazed Intelligence (aka BIA); Betazoid (aka "'Zoids"); bird; bitch; brain; bridge; bridge crew; brig; brisket; bucket; buffet; Caitian; ; captain; centuries; ; chaos; charades; character; ; ; chocolate fountain; choice; clay; cloak; closet; cocktail; commander; communications (aka comms); confined to quarters; constable; consuming (aka devouring, eating); crew; "D"; dad; (unnamed); Deep Space 9; diplomat; doctor (aka "doc"); door; dream; drink; drinking; drinking straw; drunks; effect; efficacy; emotion; enemies; ensign; ; exuberance; farm boy; Federation; ; focus exercises; food; ; friend (aka pal); friendship bracelet; ; gains; games; glowing; Goronian measles; green; guest; hair; Haliian; hangover cures; hat (baseball cap); hell; help; hijab; honor; Human; hunting; idiot; intel; invitation; jerk; job; joking; Kaferian apple; kiss; Klingon; Ktarian game; Kzinti; lieutenant; lieutenant commander; lieutenant junior grade; lirpa; logic; love; lurking; married; medical tricorder; Meema; Merp's species; message; Migleemo's species; milk; mind; mind-melding; minutes; mister; mocking; model kit; Mogh; moment; monitoring station; morsel; mother (aka mama, mom, mommy); er; mouth; mustache; name; Napean; nerve pinch; Nova One; ; o'clock; Odo; officer; order; Orion; PADD; Pakled; (ship); party; pathogen; patient; people; phaser (type 2 phaser); piña colada; poem; pottery shop; problem; prophylactics; provisional officer; punishment; puzzle (jigsaw puzzle); quadrant; quarter-life crisis; query; rebirth; red alert; regurgitation; replicator; Risa; Romii; Romulan; Romulan ale; Romulan military; Romulan Neutral Zone; Romulan uniform; Romulus; room; sadness; Sarek; scanning; Sector 87; security team; selfie; ship (aka vessel); ; shredding; ; sickbay; slam poetry; socialite; Sokel; son; soul; soup; Spock; "Stand down"; Starfleet; Starfleet delta; Starfleet uniform (2140s-early 2160s); Starfleet uniform (early 2380s); starship; stuff; stun baton; surgery; synthetic Betazoid; Tamarian; Tamarian language; tarot cards; tattoos; telepathy; test; things; tour; training; transporter; transporter chief; transporter room; Trill; Tsunkatse; turmoil; type 3 phaser (aka big phaser); umbrella; underwear; VCF; VISOR; Vulcan; warrior; water; watermelon; whalebone; woman (aka gal); Worf; ; worlds; yard; years; yelling; Zanthi fever
====Tamarian language references====
eyes; fogged; Karno; Sokath
====Tarot card references====
B'hala; borhya; Cardassian uniform; Celestial Temple; Derna; Emissary; invasion; Orbs
====Meta references====
bleep; intertitle
===External link===
* 
Category:LD episodes
de:Empathische Irrtümer