Evolution (TNG episode)

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Star Trek: TNG episode
"Evolution"
The Enterprise investigates a solar event in “Evolution”.
Episode no.	49
Prod. code	150
Airdate	September 25, 1989
Writer(s)	Michael Piller Michael Wagner
Director	Winrich Kolbe
Guest star(s)	Ken Jenkins Scott Grimes Ron Glass Mary McCusker Randal Patrick
Year	2366
Stardate	43125.8
Episode chronology
Previous	"Shades of Gray"
Next	"The Ensigns of Command"

"Evolution" is the first episode of the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. While studying a binary star that is about to explode, the Enterprise-D computer starts malfunctioning, jeopardizing the study and the ship.

1 Plot
2 Background
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The problems are caused by one of Wesley Crusher's school projects gone awry: nanites that have evolved a rudimentary intelligence. Despite the interference of a civilian scientist (Ken Jenkins) intent on studying the star system – even at the cost of destroying the nanites – the crew manages to resettle the nanites, restore the ship's computers and study the stellar explosion.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Background

"Evolution" was the first episode written by Michael Piller, who became the head of the writing staff four episodes later. Piller went on to co-create and executive produce both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.

As the first episode of the third season, "Evolution" also re-introduced Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, who had been replaced for the second season by Diana Muldaur as Katherine Pulaski. This episode also marks the franchise's first reference to baseball since "Justice".

Geordi La Forge becomes a lieutenant commander and Worf a full lieutenant.

This episode marked the first appearance of the redesigned two-piece starfleet uniforms which would be used for the rest of the series.

[edit] Trivia

Guinan demonstrates her love for namedropping when Wesley laments on his out of control nanite experiment. When he says "It was only a science project", Guinan responds that she remembers another young man named Frankenstein who had a similar problem. Taken in context, this is similar to Spock in Star Trek VI attributing a famous Sherlock Holmes quote to an ancestor of his. But given her straightfaced delivery, it is unknown whether Guinan was joking, or it was the intention to indicate that in the Star Trek universe, Frankenstein is based on a true story.