Allegiance (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
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| Star Trek: TNG episode | |
| "Allegiance" | |
 Aliens captured in "Allegiance". |
|
| Episode no. | 66 |
|---|---|
| Prod. code | 166 |
| Airdate | April 8, 1990 |
| Writer(s) | Richard Manning Hans Beimler |
| Director | Winrich Kolbe |
| Guest star(s) | Stephen Markle Reiner Schöne Joycelyn O'Brien Jerry Rector Jeff Rector |
| Year | 2366 |
| Stardate | 43714.1 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | "Sins of the Father" |
| Next | "Captain's Holiday" |
"Allegiance" is the title of an episode from the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Having completed their current assignment ahead schedule the crew is taking enjoying some down-time. Captain Picard is in his quarters, resting. No sooner does he fall asleep than a strange rectangular device appears, hovers over the sleeping form on the Captain, scans him and disappears - taking Picard with it. The Captain awakens in a cell of some kind, with other two captives. The other prisoners are Haro, a female Starfleet cadet from Bolarus IX and Kovar Tholl, who identifies himself as a philosopher from Mizar Two. Both are just as bewildered by their capture as Captain Picard is and have no explanation as to what happened.
Meanwhile, on the Enterprise a duplicate Picard has replaced the Captain in his bed, and soon sets to work fulfilling Picard's role. No one seems to suspect the swap as the doppleganger Picard orders the ship to go to a nearby pulsar at a very slow speed.
The real Picard, meanwhile, is trying to figure out how to get out of the cell when a fourth captive suddenly pops in from nowhere. His name is Esoqq, and he is a rather aggressive native of Chalnoth. Picard convinces Esoqq that they are all in the same predicament, but Esoqq and Tholl don't get along very well.. particularly when Esoqq suggests Tholl might make a good meal.
On the Enterprise, the alternate Picard is acting stranger and stranger, and asks Troi to keep an eye on the crew. He also starts to make romantic advances to Doctor Crusher, inviting her to have dinner in his quarters. When Picard starts singing a drinking song along with some of the crew in Ten Forward, the command staff starts to get suspicious, but the fake Picard comes up normal on all scans.
Working together, the captives manage to override the lock on the cell door, but succumb to stunning beams that prevent their further progress. Frustrated, the captives begin to accuse one another of secretly being one of their captors.
The Enterprise finally nears the pulsar, and the impostor Picard orders the ship to move close to the phenomenon - so close that the ship would be endangered. When Commander Riker countermands that dangerous order, the fake Captain Picard relieves Riker of duty and orders Worf to confine Riker to his quarters. However, Worf refuses to follow the order. Riker then orders Ensign Wesley Crusher to move the Enterprise away from the pulsar.
Picard and Haro manage to turn off the cell's stun beam, and together the captives open the door, which exasperatingly leads only to a blank wall. At this point, Picard pieces together some discrepancies, due to Cadet Haro's knowledge of classified Starfleet secrets (which a cadet wouldn't know). Picard realizes that Haro is an impostor and accuses her.
"Haro" suddenly vanishes, and three aliens appear. The aliens explain that they were doing a study in the concept of authority, and were using doubles of the captives as part of the experiment: "Haro" was the example of a junior officer who follows orders without question. Esoqq, a violent anarchist, rejects authority of any kind. Tholl (whose species had been conquered several times over the centuries) is the collaborator who goes along with whoever is in charge. Picard, meanwhile, is the example of a leader who is accustomed to *giving* orders.
One of the aliens returns Picard to the Enterprise, but Picard turns the table and is able to get the crew to take both him and the duplicate Picard (who is in fact another studying alien) captive. The aliens don't like being cooped up, and after Picard is able to explain how unpleasant it is to be captured, he releases them and orders them off his ship.
[edit] Recurring Trek Theme
The premise of powerful aliens capturing members of the crew for experimentation appears several times in Star Trek beginning with the original pilot "The Cage".
[edit] Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- A similar concept was used in an episode of The Twilight Zone and the movie Cube.
- The old drinking song sung by Picard's Doppelganger is "Heart of Oak".
[edit] Awards
- "Allegiance" was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Series.
