The Arsenal of Freedom

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Star Trek: TNG episode
"The Arsenal of Freedom"
The Enterprise battles with a Minoan weapons platform, in "The Arsenal of Freedom".
Episode no.	21
Prod. code	121
Airdate	April 11, 1988
Writer(s)	Richard Manning Hans Beimler
Director	Les Landau
Guest star(s)	Vincent Schiavelli, Marco Rodríguez, Vyto Rugins, Julia Nickson, George De La Pena
Year	2364
Stardate	41798.2
Episode chronology
Previous	"Heart of Glory"
Next	"Symbiosis"

"The Arsenal of Freedom" is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, first broadcast April 11, 1988. It is episode #21, production #121, teleplay written by Richard Manning and Hans Beimler, based on a story by Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin, and directed by Les Landau.

Overview: The demonstration of an advanced planetary defense system turns deadly.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

On stardate 41798.2, the USS Enterprise searches the Lorenze Cluster for the USS Drake which has mysteriously vanished during a survey of the planet Minos. Reports indicate the planet is uninhabited but once had an advanced civilization known as the Minoans who were arms merchants during Ersalrope Wars, manufacturing highly advanced weaponry for both sides of the war.

Entering orbit, the Enterprise gets a hail from the planet. A cheerful man with a rolling voice appears on the screen announcing greetings from Minos, "The Arsenal of Freedom..." Captain Picard tries to respond, but the figure talks over him - an obvious pre-recorded message. Commander Riker heads up the away team and beams down with Lt. Commander Data and Lieutenant Tasha Yar.

The three arrive in an area overgrown by ferns, filled with the sounds of birds and insects. Suddenly, Riker hears a voice behind him say "hello". Turning, he sees Captain Paul Rice, commander of the Drake, appear from nowhere. Riker asks what happened to the Drake and her crew but Rice eludes questions. Sensor scans indicate that the only life signs are the away team's and Rice is obviously a projection. Riker becomes suspicious and when Rice asks who had sent there here, Riker replies; "Your mother. She's worried about you."

Rice then asks about the Enterprise, wondering what kind of defensive systems she has. Riker plays along, saying his ship is called the Lollipop (assuring Rice that "it's a good ship"). Rice then asks about the capabilities of the Lollipop since he hasn't never heard of it. Riker makes up some confusing numbers and dodges other questions, then tells Rice he's noticed he hasn't addressed him by his first name yet. Rice hesitates looking for a good response, but Riker knows he is unable to answer the question because he isn't real.

The image of Rice fades to reveal some kind of robotic sentry that fires a beam that encases Riker in a bubble of energy. Tasha fires her phaser at the sentry and destroys it, then informs Picard of the situation. He orders the transporter room to beam them up immediately, but they are unable to get a lock. Data reports Riker is in some sort of stasis, and theorizes that the purpose for the containment is storage, guessing, sooner or later, something will come along to collect him. Picard tells them he is beaming down. He orders Dr. Crusher to accompany him, and gives La Forge the bridge.

Picard and Crusher beam down to check on Riker. Picard says he had heard of a similar intelligence-gathering system used during the Ersalrope Wars which projects an image of someone of trust to obtain tactical information. If that didn't work, the device would immobilize the subject so they could be brought in for interrogation. Worf calls down to warn them of another energy reading at their location. Before they can react, another sentry appears and fires at them. This drone seems to react better to their counterattack than the last one did. The team runs in all directions to take cover. Picard and Dr. Crusher head to a clearing, where suddenly, the ground seems to swallow them up. Picard tries to grab Beverly, but they both fall through to a chamber below. Picard lands in a safer position atop of a pile of sand, but Beverly is half buried under rubble. Picard clears it away before she suffocates.

Meanwhile, the sentry chases Data and Yar. When the drone is in range, they both fire at since it can't dodge two blasts at one time and it explodes. The pair head back toward the Captain and Doctor finding they have vanished. Yar tries to call the Enterprise, but the communicators are rendered useless. Underground, Picard tends to Beverly's injuries. She has a broken arm and multiple lacerations. Picard tries his communicator but it is also inoperative. Back on the surface, Data manages to free Riker from the stasis field with a carefully set blast from his phaser. Riker is alive, but disoriented.

Back on the Enterprise, Worf detects a small object nearing the ship. A small probe, not unlike the ones on the planet, appears and fires a ray. The Enterprise shakes violently. Before Worf gets a lock on the object it suddenly it disappears. Confused, Worf scans again, finding it has moved astern. It fires again, wrenching the ship, then it makes another disappearing act.

Suddenly, Chief Engineer Logan enters the bridge. He demands to know why they haven't left orbit yet, stating he should take command since he outranks La Forge, but Geordi explains Picard has given him command of the ship. Logan argues that Picard didn't know the ship would be attacked. Worf tracks the probe coming around for another pass, saying it is using a kind of cloaking device. La Forge tells Logan to get back to engineering and pump all the power into the shields. Logan reluctantly obeys.

Back on the planet, the team searches for Picard and Dr. Crusher. Suddenly, Data detects a third sentry is headed their way, but this time it's protected by a shield. He believes these products are able to upgrade themselves. When the drone appears, they ambush it from all sides. The shield doesn't hold up against three phaser blasts, and it explodes. Yar wonders how many more will show up, where Data estimates a 12 minute period in between the arrival of a new drone.

Down in the cavern, Picard tends to Beverly but she has lost the medical kit. He has to make due with what roots and leaves he can find to craft makeshift bandages. Losing blood, Beverly drifts in and out of consciousness. He orders her to keep talking to stay awake because he needs her help, but she is going into shock.

The battle above the planet is still waging as the probe keeps up its unrelenting attack. Shields are collapsing, and the situation is desperate. Geordi calls Logan to the bridge and orders the ship to leave orbit of the planet. Geordi tells Logan to take command of the saucer section. He'll split the ship and head back with the battle section to rescue the others. Geordi takes Worf, and two crew to the battle bridge as the Enterprise separates.

Back in the cavern, Picard notices a flicker of light behind some heavy overgrowth and clears it away. He is amazed to find what looks like a computer terminal. Above him, Data discovers they are standing upon an artificial structure. He finds an air vent leading underground. Below, Picard looks over the ancient computer system. He presses some buttons and is startled when a hologram of the salesman appears before him. The salesman goes over the details of the system, explaining they have devised the perfect killing system of intelligent weapons. Picard realizes the Minoans were poor fools. The first time they activated this defense system, something must have gone wrong and they were destroyed by their own creation. Picard interrupts the sales pitch, and tells the salesman to stop the drones. But the salesman insists on completing the demonstration.

Riker calls down the air shaft. Picard runs to the hole and warns them the defense system is about to attack again. Data indicates he can survive the drop and leaps down to land safely. Riker and Yar run to find cover. Picard shows Data the computer terminal showing a drone has been launched and heading for their location. They have to find a way to shut it down. Data begins to tamper with the programming schematics and Picard asks Data if it's possible to change the target parameters. He tells Data to set it to attack the power systems of the machinery that built it, but Data warns the explosion would destroy the entire system, and them along with it.

Beverly speaks up, saying; "Just shut it off!" Picard turns to the salesman and tells him to shut it down, but the salesman indicates they haven't seen half of what this baby can do. Picard demands he shut it off, now! The salesman asks; "Does that mean you are going to buy it?" Picard shouts; "Yes! You've made the sale!" The salesman smiles saying, "You won't be sorry". He vanishes and the system powers down.

Picard calls to the Enterprise, but the ship is busy at the moment. The Battle Section is still engaged with the drone. It takes pot shots at them and pulls its disappearing trick, making it impossible to track. Geordi is frustrated, but gets an idea. He takes the Battle Section into a risky nosedive into the atmosphere. The cloaked probe gives chase, but as it does so, the friction of the atmosphere makes a visible disturbance. Worf targets the fireball and annihilates the drone. The Enterprise heads out of the atmosphere, beaming up the stranded away team at the same time. The attack is over, and the Enterprise heads back to rendezvous with the saucer section.

[edit] Trivia

This is one of only three episodes of the television series where the Enterprise separated the saucer section, and consequently one of the few episodes showing the battle bridge.
At this stage in the series, character issues were still being sorted out, and this is probably the episode that convinced the writers that Geordi ought to be chief engineer. Logan, a much less interesting character, is not seen in any further episodes.
The title "The Arsenal of Freedom" is an ironic comment on a planet dedicated to making weapons systems to the highest bidder. The title is also a spoof on FDR speech referring to USA as "The Arsenal of Democracy" during World War II.
Due to a mixing up of the episodes Tasha Yar dies on Stardate 41601.3, which is before this episode, but she is alive in this episode.
Tasha states at the show's opening that in the three scenarios (war, disease, and natural disaster; she does not acknowledge Geordi's flippant remark about dissatisfied customers) there would be survivors. This is a fallacy. The tenets of mutual assured destruction and biological warfare show a statistical probability of the destruction of all life, or at least of all human life.
In an attempt to keep Dr. Crusher awake, Picard asks her about how she knew the medicinal value of the roots that poultice her wounds, whereupon she reveals that she and her grandmother were members of the colony of Arvada III, which suffered an unspecified disaster. Picard makes the further comment that there are many things he doesn't know about her, whereupon she replies, "Quite a few." The implication in this scene, expounded on in further episodes, is that she has a provocative history beyond her officially known one, but it is never explained exactly what this is.