Man Of The People (episode)

As an ambassador mediates peace talks to end a fierce civil war, Deanna Troi begins to act erratically after spending some time with him.
== Summary ==
=== Teaser ===
:"Captain's log, Stardate 46071.6. We have been called to the aid of a transport ship which has been attacked near Rekag-Seronia. Hostilities between the two factions on that planet have intensified recently, threatening an important Federation shipping route."
As the approaches the transport ship, two Rekag battle cruisers turn tail, unwilling to face the far superior firepower of the Enterprise. Talmadge, the captain of the Dorian contacts the Enterprise with relief, explaining that he is carrying a mediator to Seronia. He asks Captain Picard's permission to transfer him and his companion to the Enterprise. Picard agrees and orders Counselor Troi to see to their needs in the transporter room.
In the transporter room, Troi meets Ambassador Ves Alkar and an elderly woman, Sev Maylor – his mother. The old woman immediately reacts to Troi with hostility and jealousy, accusing her of being attracted to Alkar. He explains that she hasn't been feeling well and asks that she be taken to their quarters. Troi stands there, looking shocked, especially after Maylor warns her not to pursue him, intones that she will not have it, and she will stop Troi.
=== Act One ===
In the captain's ready room, Alkar is discussing the situation with Picard and Vice Admiral Simons over a subspace link. Alkar is worried that his arrival at Seronia aboard the Enterprise, the armed flagship of Starfleet, would cause bad feelings and asks to be transferred to an unarmed Federation transport ship instead. Picard interjects and explains to the admiral that putting Alkar on another unarmed transport ship would invite another attack. Alkar counters that he believes the attack was nothing more than an isolated incident. Admiral Simons explains the situation between the Rekags and the Seronians have threatened Federation ships for months and supports the ambassador in his peace mission, but notes that safety is an issue; not just to him but to the crew of any ship he's escorted on. Due to the magnitude of those concerns, he agrees with Picard and wants the ambassador transported to Seronia via the Enterprise. Alkar concedes that he has no choice, but the admiral assures him that once they get there, he can negotiate however he sees fit and that he will be in good hands with Picard. Picard then contacts Riker and tell him to set a course for Serova.
Next morning, Alkar joins Troi at Worf's mok'bara exercise class. Troi chats pleasantly with him after the class. Alkar explains that Lumerians like him are only empathic with other members of their species, so he cannot tell what Troi is feeling. Troi says that she is curious about him, and explains that the calmness, serenity, and tranquility she is reading from him seems to embody the qualities he hopes to draw out from others in negotiations that he conducts. Alkar explains how useful it could be to have an insight into others' feelings, and invites Troi to come with him to Seronia, to which she gladly agrees, as long as Captain Picard approves.
Back at his quarters, they have another disturbing encounter with Alkar's mother – she is annoyed that he is late and asks Troi if she has mated with Alkar yet. Alkar guides the woman back into his room, and Troi leaves, looking concerned.
She is still thinking about the woman later, when Riker visits her office to discuss the crew evaluation reports. She talks it over with Riker, explaining that she sensed out of proportion evil and malevolent feelings from the old woman. Riker puts her mind at rest, suggesting that this might just be due to old age and senility. Troi, feeling a little better, starts the evaluation with Riker, noting that when they are done, she will treat herself to two chocolate sundaes. They are then interrupted by a message from Lieutenant Worf – there is an emergency in Alkar's quarters. Dr. Crusher administers 40 ccs of inaprovaline, but the old lady dies anyway. Alkar is upset, and when Troi offers to help, he asks her to help him to perform a Lumerian funeral rite for his mother.
The meditation involves two crystal-encrusted rocks which Alkar keeps in a special box in his room. After reciting ritual words, Alkar taps on Troi's rock with his. A blue glow is transferred from Alkar's rock to Troi's, and she looks shocked as this happens. Alkar smiles and simply says "Thank you."
=== Act Two ===
In her quarters, Troi appears to be uncomfortable in her clothes, shifting them about as if she were too hot. She asks the computer to run through her appointments for the morning, then gets annoyed and tells it to cancel them all.
Dr. Crusher has been unable to determine the cause of death of the old woman, but Alkar has refused permission for her to perform an autopsy, citing his people's customs. Crusher asks Picard to speak to him, but he decides that since her death poses no threat to the ship, the customs of Alkar's people must be respected.
Troi has changed her clothes and is running through Worf's calming mok'bara exercises, but then she begins touching herself in a sensual manner and goes to Alkar's quarters. There, she attempts to seduce him, but he refuses her advances, saying that their relationship can't be like that. She storms out angrily. In the turbolift, an attractive young ensign enters. Troi looks at him suggestively.
Later, Riker calls on Troi in her quarters. She is wearing a suggestive evening gown, and as Riker comes in, the young man from the turbolift jumps to attention nervously as he sees Riker. He leaves, and Troi asks Riker if he's bothered by the young man's presence. Troi keeps insisting that Riker must be upset, as she knows him so well, while Riker tries to concentrate on the evaluation reports. Realizing that she's not in the mood to work, Riker leaves, concerned about Troi's unusual behavior.
=== Act Three ===
:"Captain's log, Stardate 46073.6. We have arrived without incident at Rekag-Seronia where two members of Ambassador Alkar's delegation have been waiting. They have joined us to report on the situation in the capital city."
There have been several violent incidents, with Rekag sympathizers from outlying districts attacking several Seronian towns, despite the fact that a cease fire had been negotiated. Unfortunately, the cease fire was broken before it went into effect as a Rekag shuttle strayed into Seronian space and was destroyed by fighter craft and the Rekags retaliated back. Now, neither side is willing even to sit down with the other unless it's on neutral territory. While sitting in the observation lounge with Alkar and his two delegates, Jarth and Liva, Picard suggests a meeting at the city of Darthen, which has been neutral throughout the conflict, and contains both Rekag and Seronian loyalists in its population. Alkar accepts this suggestion and asks to set up such a meeting.
Counselor Troi is at work. A female crew member, Ensign , is having problems with her superior officer, Lieutenant Pinder, being overcritical with her work. Rather than being sympathetic, Troi takes the lieutenant's side and tells her client that she's being pathetic and if she doesn't shape up, she should consider leaving the Enterprise altogether for an easier assignment. Janeway is taken aback by this and leaves, looking upset, while Troi appears to be unaware of the effect her outburst has had.
Dr. Crusher enlists Geordi La Forge's help to look up Sev Maylor's biofilter record from the transporter, since she cannot do an autopsy. Crusher is surprised to find that the comparison between this and her medical readings shows massive physiological deterioration of Maylor's body in just the three days since she transported aboard. Crusher laments to La Forge that the best way to get the information she needs would be to perform an autopsy on Maylor's body.
In Ten Forward, Riker comes to tell Alkar that the warring sides have agreed to a meeting. Troi shows up in a very suggestive dress, much to the shock of Riker and Data. Troi confronts Liva in a jealous fashion, similar to the way Maylor had attacked her before and then confronts Jarth, saying he envious of Alkar and only pretends to support him, but secretly wants him to fail. Riker steps in to smooth over the situation by pretending Troi and him are needed on the bridge and escorting her out of Ten Forward. He takes her back to her quarters, but when he too refuses her attempts at seduction, he gets four deep scratches across the back of his neck with Troi's nails for his trouble. Shocked and horrified, Riker leaves.
=== Act Four ===
Troi stands in the darkness in her quarters. Alkar comes to talk with her, explaining that he cannot take her to the surface now, but rather needs her on the ship. When Troi turns, her appearance has altered; she now looks noticeably middle-aged. Troi is jealous and emotional about the fact that Alkar is going to the surface with Liva now. As he leaves, she is literally screaming up the corridor after him, but he ignores her please and she returns to her quarters and screams.
In sickbay, Riker is getting his scratches fixed up as he tells Crusher about Troi's wild behavior, her suggestive dress and hair. Riker tells Crusher that he's closest to Troi that he has ever been to anyone but that last night she was someone that he hadn't seen before. After fixing Riker's scratches, Crusher curiously asked him if he knows what caused Troi to behave like that but he doesn’t have an answer, even though he thought about it. Deciding to ask Troi herself, Crusher asks the computer to locate her as it tells her that she was in deck six corridor B. Crusher and Riker then leave sickbay to go see Troi immediately. 
Meanwhile, in Transporter Room two, Picard is taking leave of the ambassador when Troi enters, having aged even more in the short time since Alkar left her, with a knife in her hand. Once again, Troi begs Alkar to be allowed to go with him. Picard is so shocked by Troi's wasted appearance that he fails to notice the knife she is holding. Alkar calmly tries to reason with her, but Troi lunges with the knife. However, Picard grabs Troi as she inflicts a minor stab wound to his shoulder then wrestles with him. The transporter operator Chief disarms Troi of her knife, then helps Jarth drag her off Picard, who calls for security to the transporter room while Daniels and Jarth escort Troi from the room.
At this point, Crusher and Riker rush in with some security guards. While Crusher checks on Picard, Riker and the guards grab Troi from Daniels and Jarth. After Picard tells Crusher that his wound isn't serious, he asks what happened to Troi. Seeing her condition and appearance, Crusher looks at Troi then notices that all her systems in her body have elevated readings through her tricorder. Crusher tells Riker and the guards to take Troi to sickbay, then tells Picard that he should also report there as well and leaves. Before he follows, Picard tells Daniels to beam Alkar, Liva and Jarth to the surface.
While Nurse Ogawa is sedating Troi in sickbay, Crusher checks on Picard, who just got his stab wound fixed up, as he tells her that his shoulder feels stiff but it will be find. After putting Troi to sleep, Nurse Ogawa notices that she is showing elevated neurotransmitter levels similar to those seen in Maylor's body. Now that there appears to be a threat to the Enterprise crew, Crusher requests Picard's permission to perform an autopsy. Picard attempts to contact Alkar on the planet, but he is unavailable, so Picard grants Crusher permission to proceed.
:"Medical log, Stardate 46075.1. I have performed an autopsy on Alkar's mother, but instead of answering our questions, the results have created an even deeper mystery."
Crusher is confused to find that, despite Maylor's appearance of great age, the organs in her body, her heart, lungs, and skeletal structure were those of a 30-year-old. Also, a DNA comparison between Maylor and Alkar shows that they were not, in fact, related. Crusher reports these strange findings to Picard saying that she needs answers from Alkar urgently if she is to save Troi's life.
Picard beams down to the surface with Lieutenant Worf. Alkar readily admits that the lady he was with was not his mother, but when Picard further notes that she was not 93 either, Alkar accuses him of performing an autopsy against his wishes. Picard says he had good reason, and presses Alkar for answers to help Troi's condition. Alkar's aide interrupts them to explain that the talks are at a crisis point. Alkar seems unconcerned, and explains to Picard that now, the point at which expectations are lowest, is the point at which his influence can do the most good.
Alkar explains to Picard that he has found a way to channel his darker thoughts into others, leaving him better able to perform mediations; Maylor, his current "receptacle", died far earlier than he expected, "forcing" him to make use of Troi. He admits that he has not tried this process on a non-Lumerian before, which may explain why Troi has aged much faster than he expected. Alkar tries to make Picard see "the big picture", arguing that subjecting himself to his own darker thoughts could hamper his abilities as a negotiator, and he has always used those abilities to help others, reminding Picard that he does not profit in any way from his success. But Picard is disgusted with his attitude, calling him a coward because he is unwilling to face his own unpleasant emotions, and worse, an evil man for exploiting the innocent and justifying it as a courageous act. He is determined to hold Alkar accountable for his actions.
Alkar explains that he has no intention of releasing Troi, now or ever, and gets his security guards to disarm Worf, forcing Picard and Worf to beam back aboard the Enterprise while he returns to the negotiations.
=== Act Five ===
Picard asks Worf to work with La Forge on breaking through their shields to beam Alkar back to the Enterprise and goes to see Dr. Crusher and Troi in sickbay.
Crusher suggests a way to reduce and reverse the stress on Troi's system, but it will only work if the link to Alkar is broken. When Picard explains Alkar's intention to use Troi as his receptacle until she dies, Crusher realizes the best way to make Alkar sever the link is to convince him that she really is dead. Crusher explains to a shocked Riker that she will be able to revive Troi with dylamadon as long as her body is dead for no longer than thirty minutes. Picard is also worried about the safety of Alkar's next likely victim, Liva, his female aide. 
Back on the surface, the peace negotiations have been successfully concluded. Alkar suddenly stumbles, feeling a moment of weakness. Picard communicates, telling Alkar that Troi is dying, and he must transport to the Enterprise, whether he wants to or not. La Forge has managed to breach the Seronian's security force fields. Alkar grudgingly agrees.
Alkar and Liva enter sickbay to hear Crusher pronouncing Troi dead. Alkar sends Liva to his quarters while attempting to justify his actions to the Enterprise crew, saying that Troi's death served a purpose in bringing peace to Rekag-Seronia. Picard promises that Alkar will answer for what he did, but Alkar reminds the captain that the Federation Council has granted him safe passage back to his homeworld and expects Picard to honor it.
After he leaves, Crusher gets immediately to work but with under four minutes to work with. Picard signals to the transporter room to be ready to beam Alkar's aide out of his quarters at his signal. Worf is to be stationed outside his quarters to prevent Alkar getting close to her again.
In his quarters, Alkar seems nervous. He is telling Liva how much Troi helped him, and how affected he has been by her loss. Then he asks Liva to share the funeral meditation with him.
In sickbay, Crusher is preparing her attempt to revive Troi. She gets Troi's heart beating again and begins the treatment to neutralize the excess neurotransmitters. Eventually, Ogawa reads levels going toward normal, and Troi's eyes flutter open just as Alkar is completing the ceremony – he clutches his head in pain and collapses on the floor. As Liva starts to bend over him, he clutches desperately at her. She breaks away, and Picard beams her out as Alkar – who is aging rapidly – lurches after her. Alkar opens his door to find Worf, Kellogg and Garvey blocking his way, which they gain entrance shortly. 
As Troi's age begins to reverse, Alkar continues to age rapidly. With his last breath, he raises a finger at Worf before collapsing near the feet of Worf and Garvey and dies. Worf communicates with the captain to announce the ambassador is dead.
In sickbay, Troi looks young again and has woken up. After waking up, Troi is relieved to see Riker standing over her, grasping her hand.
Later, Riker explains to Troi that Alkar was at a susceptible point in his ceremony, so that rather than just sever the link, Troi's revival at that point caused all the negative energy to flow back from Troi into Alkar, causing his death. Riker explains that Alkar was like a man with no immune system – he wasn't able to handle the overload. Liva has not been affected by him. Troi thanks Riker for looking after her, and they share a friendly kiss. Riker says he will always look after her – even when she is old and grey.
=== Log entries ===
* Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2369
* Medical log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
==Memorable quotes==
"Sir, the Rekag ships are turning and heading out of sensor range."
"They don't want to take on the Enterprise."
: - Data and Riker
"You see, I discovered long ago I had the ability to channel my darker thoughts, my unwanted emotions, to others, leaving me unencumbered."
"Is this what you've done to Counselor Troi?"
"I hadn't planned it. I'd expected Maylor to live through the negotiation. Her death could not have been more untimely."
"So then you deliberately used Deanna."
"She's an empath. I was reasonably certain I could establish a link with her. Frankly, I was amazed when I saw how quickly she'd aged. Usually my receptacles survive for years."
"Receptacles?!"
"Come now, Captain. Surely you can see there's a broader canvas here. If I came to these peace talks hindered by unwanted emotions, the Rekags and Seronians would be condemned to go on fighting."
: - Alkar and Picard
"If Alkar is flooding her with this psychic waste, that would explain the high level of neurotransmitters. All these negative emotions pouring into her have caused an abnormal chemical response in her brain."
"Isn't there something you can do to counteract it?"
"Enzymatic decontaminants will be able to reduce the level of the neurotransmitters, but I can't make any headway unless Alkar stops what he's doing."
"He has no intention of stopping. He feels perfectly justified in using her until she dies."
"Then Deanna has to die. In order to save Deanna, Alkar has to break his link with her. And the only way he can do that is if she's no longer an adequate receptacle. When Maylor died, Alkar turned immediately to Deanna."
"If Deanna dies, and he breaks the link with her, then he will choose someone else, possibly someone from his own delegation."
: - Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard, about Deanna Troi's condition
"It's a tragic loss, but her death had a purpose."
"I intend to make certain that you answer for what you have done."
"Your own Federation Council has granted me safe and timely passage back to my planet. I expect you to honor that, Captain."
: - Alkar and Picard
"You cannot explain away a wantonly immoral act because you think that it is connected to some higher purpose!"
: - Picard, after Alkar explains he used Troi as a receptacle for his negative thoughts so he could conduct successful negotiations
"Captain, I get no payment. I have no power base, no agenda. I'm willing to risk my life simply to help others."
"Do you think that makes you appear courageous? Because you're mistaken! You're a coward, Alkar. You exploit the innocent because you're unwilling to shoulder the burdens of… unpleasant emotions. Well, this time you will be held accountable. I'm taking you back to the Enterprise to release Counselor Troi."
"I have no intention of releasing her, now or ever!"
: - Ves Alkar and Picard
"Worf to Captain Picard. Ambassador Alkar is dead."
: - Worf
"Beverly thinks Alkar must have been at a susceptible point in the meditation ceremony. He was vulnerable."
"Then the flow of negative emotions and feelings were reversed back to him somehow."
"That's our guess. Like a man with no immune system, he wasn't able to handle the overload."
"And Liva?"
"She seems to be fine. He wasn't able to establish a link on her."
: - Riker and Troi, after Troi recovers from her ordeal with Alkar
"Looking back on the past few days, it's as though I'm looking at a holodeck projection of someone else."
"That's how it seemed to all of us."
"Thanks for sticking by me."
"I always will... even when you're old and gray."
: - Troi and Riker, after Troi recovers from her ordeal with Alkar
== Background information ==
=== Production history ===
* Final draft script: 
* Premiere airdate: 
* First UK airdate: 
=== Story and script ===
* was initially intended to be filmed in this episode slot but was pushed back due to the schedule of guest star James Doohan. Consequently, this episode was written in a rush. ()
* The premise for the episode is based upon by . Both Dorian Gray and Ves Alkar maintain a youthful appearance by having something else (in Gray's case, a portrait of himself) bear the burden of their transgressions. The transport at the beginning of the show is named Dorian in reference to the novel. (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, pp. 257-258)
* Due to the time crunch, the writing staff 'gangbanged' the script, with each writing an act and Frank Abatemarco tying the acts together. (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, pp. 258)
* It was up to science advisor Naren Shankar to suggest how Troi could be freed from the telepathic link. He recalled, "It was a difficult script and there are things in this that changed a number of times. My original idea was that this psychic link had set up some kind of conduit between the two of them, and my idea was to have them do something that wasn't mental, but something that was physical like his basically charging her up. If this was a one-way pathway from this guy to Troi, the idea would be to put so much energy into Troi that she could force it backwards in the direction of the power transfer and overwhelm the guy and get rid of all that energy in her body." According to Shankar, the idea of killing Troi was suggested by Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga. He called it "a nice touch". (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, pp. 258)
=== Production ===
* Of her performance in this episode, Marina Sirtis recalled, "I played it like these were underlying parts of Troi that she controlled or managed to suppress. And just looking in the mirror was all I needed to change. When I look in the mirror and see Troi, it's a very soft and gentle look. In the scene in Ten Forward where my hair was up, I saw in the mirror. I saw Mrs. Robinson and that's what I played. Basically, a lot of the performance is governed by the way that one looks. Some actors say they put the shoes for the characters on first and figure out the walk. I look in the mirror and play whatever I see in the mirror – especially when it's a make-up thing like in 'Man of the People,' where the old person was a witch and that's who was in the mirror, so I played a witch." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, pp. 258)
*This is one of the few episodes where the vertical blinds in Doctor Crusher's office in sickbay are opened and a corridor can be seen behind the window. In , a starfield can be seen out the window.
*The uniforms of the security guards on Rekag-Seronia were originally the Talarians, reused from .
*This was the first Trek episode to have Jonathan West as director of photography, after Marvin V. Rush moved over to . Unlike the change to Rush from Edward R. Brown in Season 3 though, this did not result in a large change to the show's visual style, with only a few subtle differences being introduced by West.
* Among the items from this episode which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, was the evening dress of Marina Sirtis, which had been briefly featured in the fifth season episode . 
* This is the first episode to feature the newly sounded red alert lights, which is longer between each time it sounds.
* Vice Admiral Simons is wearing the season 3 to 5 flag officer uniform again, when in the previous episode "Realm Of Fear" the new flag officer uniform (post Season 6) was introduced and worn by Vice Admiral Hayes (except she has no combadge).
=== Continuity ===
* There is an ensign named "Janeway" in this episode. This surname went on to become the name of the main character from (Captain Kathryn Janeway).
=== Reception ===
* Many members of the production staff felt that this episode suffered from the rushed script. Jeri Taylor commented, "[Frank Abatemarco] was a seasoned veteran, but it wasn't a fair introduction for him. It remained for his later work for everybody to realize that perhaps this wasn't for him." () In contrast, René Echevarria maintained, "It was a surprisingly good draft considering five different people wrote it. Some shows always do that." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 258)
* Brannon Braga had more fundamental problems with the show. He commented, "I would have done it differently. I would have made it darker and much more a story about Troi's dark descent from the psychological point of view. A scene we all wanted to see was Troi giving therapy to a young ensign – but make it twice as long and twice as dark as the one that was filmed, and make it much more of a thing. This was a case where Frank Abatemarco saw a different show. He was focusing in on the show as a Prime Directive issue and looking at the character of the guy who was using Troi as a receptacle. To me, that was the utterly incorrect instinct. After six years, who cares about Prime Directive issues? It's a Star Trek cliché. It should have been all about Troi and he would have been the catalyst in two brief scenes. The first three acts were still fun. It was enjoyable to see Troi acting strange and dressing in skimpy outfits. There was some argument in the structuring sessions. Ultimately, Frank was the writer and he was given the opportunity to do it the way he wanted to do it, and it suffered because he was new to the show." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 258)
* Director Winrich Kolbe remarked, "I am very happy with it. There are obviously some problems with the script, but what intrigues me is that I took a script that had problems and came out with a damn good show. Marina was really terrific. She knew it was her show and was prepared for it. I think the only thing that I occasionally did was push her a little bit harder to be a vamp." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 258)
* Indeed, Michael Piller and Ron Moore, among others, credited Sirtis' "sexy but scary" performance for lifting the episode. ()
=== Video and DVD releases ===
*UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 65, 
*As part of the TNG Season 6 DVD collection
== Links and references ==
=== Starring ===
* Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
* Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker
=== Also starring ===
* LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
* Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
* Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
* Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
* Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
=== Guest stars ===
* Chip Lucia as Ves Alkar
* Patti Yasutake as Alyssa Ogawa
* George D. Wallace as Simons
* Lucy Boryer as 
* Susan French as Sev Maylor
* Rick Scarry as Jarth
* Stephanie Erb as Liva
=== Co-stars ===
* J.P. Hubbell as Ensign
* Majel Barrett as Computer Voice
=== Uncredited co-stars ===
* David Keith Anderson as Armstrong
* Joe Baumann as Garvey
* Terrence Beasor as Talmadge (voice)
* Steven Boz as operations division ensign
* Michael Braveheart as Martinez
* Ericka Bryce as operations ensign
* Cameron as Kellogg
* David Paul Christian as Ten Forward waiter
* Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
* John Copage as science division officer
* Tony Cruz as 
* Debra Dilley as operations division ensign
* Gunnel Eriksson as science division officer
* Jack Gilroy as operations lieutenant j.g.
* Eben Ham as operations division ensign
* Linda Harcharic as command division ensign
* Grace Harrell as operations division officer
* Christie Haydon as command division ensign
* Clay Hodges as Rekag-Seronian sentry
* Kerry Hoyt as operations division ensign
* D. Kai as sciences officer
* Mark Lentry as science division lieutenant
* Michael Moorehead as science division ensign
* S. Reed as Burton
* John Rice as science division officer
* Joycelyn Robinson as Gates
* Nanci Rogers as sciences officer
* Richard Sarstedt as command division ensign
* Noriko Suzuki as operations division ensign
* Talbot as Ten Forward waitress
* Curt Truman as command division officer
* Dru Wagner as 
* Unknown performers as
** (voice)
** Female science division officer
** Rekag-Seronian sentry
** Seven Rekag-Seronians
** Ten Forward waiter
=== Stunt doubles ===
* Christine Anne Baur as stunt double for Marina Sirtis
* John Nowak as stunt double for Patrick Stewart
=== Stand-ins ===
* David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
* Debbie David – stand-in for Brent Spiner
* Michael Echols – stand-in for Michael Dorn
* Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
* Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
* Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
* Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
=== References ===
2276; 2339; ability; autopsy; biofilter; biofilter log; blood pressure; canvas; capital city; cc; ceasefire; cerebral cortex; chief; conference table; cordrazine; cortical stimulator; counselor's office; crew evaluation report; Darthen; district; DNA; Dorian; dylamadon; emotion; empathy; Federation; Federation Council; flagship; ; funeral meditation; Galaxy class decks; hair; heart; holodeck projection; ice cream sundae; immune system; imzadi; inaprovaline; King John; kiss; leader; lightheaded; Lumerian; Lumerian homeworld; lung; mediator; melorazine; molecular biology; mok'bara; morality; neural energy; neurotransmitter; painting; Pinder; pizza parlor; pulse; receptacle; red alert; Rekags; Rekag battle cruiser; Rekag-Seronia; Rekag-Seronia dispute; Rekag shuttle; seating arrangement; security force field; senile; sensor pallet; sensor range; Seronians; Seronian fighter craft; skeletal structure; specifications; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; stasis field; subspace emitter; sympathizer; thought; transport ship; Transporter Rooms 2, 3, and 7; tricorder; turbolift; year
==== Unused production materials ====
Bironi; Bironi warship
=== External links ===
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
de:Der unmoralische Friedensvermittler
es:Man of the People
fr:Man of the People (épisode)
ja:生命リンクテレパシー（エピソード）
nl:Man of the People
pl:Man of the People
Category:TNG episodes