'Power Play' (Story Code 215) by Rene Balcer, Herbert J. Wright and Brannon Braga Story by Paul Ruben and Maurice Hurley

Answering a subspace distress call from a Starfleet vessel, the U.S.S. Enterprise arrives at an uninhabited moon. Even though the message is from the U.S.S. Essex, which disappeared in the vicinity two centuries ago, Counselor Troi insists that she senses life on the moon below. A violent storm prevents the use of the ship’s transporter, and so Troi, Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander Data take a shuttlecraft to the surface to investigate; however, the vessel crashes, breaking Riker’s arm and cutting off all communication with the Enterprise. Chief O'Brien volunteers to use a pattern enhancer to beam down and rescue the away team, but when he materialises a strange cloud suddenly envelops the quartet, and strikes them with beams of light. Returning to the Enterprise, they pass an examination by Doctor Crusher, who also repairs Riker’s arm. Data, Troi and O'Brien insist on conducting a systematic survey of a polar region of the moon, but when Riker refuses the apparently pointless act, the trio attempts to seize control of the Bridge. Riker is able to transfer control to Engineering, but Data, Troi and O'Brien escape and head for the Ten-Forward bar, where they take everyone hostage, including O'Brien's wife, Keiko, and their baby. Lieutenant Worf and a security team try to stop the three rogue officers, but are swiftly overpowered. Data, Troi and O'Brien then force Captain Picard to change the direction of the ship; meanwhile, Doctor Crusher uses a brain scan to determine that her crewmates have each been possessed by a second entity, surmising that Riker was unaffected due to his broken arm. But then Troi stuns everyone by identifying herself as Captain Bryce Shumar of the Starship Essex…

Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Thomas Riker), LeVar Burton (Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Security Chief Lieutenant Worf), Gates McFadden (Doctor Beverly Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Councelor Deanna Troi), Brent Spiner (Lieutenant Commander Data), Rosalind Chao (Keiko Ishikawa O'Brien), Colm Meaney (Transporter Chief Miles O’Brien), Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro Laren), Ryan Reid (Transporter Technician), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

Directed by David Livingston
Co-Produced by Joe Menosky, Ronald D. Moore and Peter Lauritson
Produced by David Livingston
Executive Producer Michael Piller, Rick Berman and Gene Roddenberry

TX:
24th February, 1992

Notes:
*Featuring Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Thomas Riker, Chief Engineer Lieutenant Geordi La Forge, Security Chief Lieutenant Worf, Doctor Beverly Crusher, Councelor Deanna Troi, Lieutenant Commander Data, Transporter Chief Miles O’Brien, Ensign Ro Laren and Keiko Ishikawa O'Brien

*Working title: ‘Terror in Ten-Forward’