The Naked Now

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Star Trek: TNG episode
"The Naked Now"
Episode no.	2
Prod. code	103
Airdate	October 5, 1987
Writer(s)	J. Michael Bingham John D.F. Black
Director	Paul Lynch
Guest star(s)	Brooke Bundy, Benjamin W.S. Lum, Michael Rider, David Renan, Skip Stellrecht
Year	2363
Stardate	41209.2
Episode chronology
Previous	"Encounter at Farpoint"
Next	"Code of Honor"

"The Naked Now" is an episode from Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was the second episode broadcast of the series, and was first aired on October 5, 1987.

This episode is a sequel to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Naked Time". The author of that episode, John D.F. Black, took a story credit on the episode, which was otherwise written by D. C. Fontana (using the pseudonym J. Michael Bingham). It was directed by Paul Lynch.

Overview: A bizarre virus causes impaired judgment in the crew of the Enterprise.

[edit] Plot

On stardate 41209.2, the USS Enterprise responds to the SS Tsiolkovsky, which has been monitoring the collapse of a supergiant star. The final message from the ship is outrageous laughter that is abruptly cut off by an explosion—later identified as a hatch being opened to vacuum. An away team beams over to find the crew frozen to death and in various stages of undress—what Data describes as evidence of a "wild party". Geordi finds a fully clothed female frozen in a shower, whose body falls, and he instinctively catches her.

Suspicious of contamination, Dr. Crusher orders the away team to undergo full examinations. Everyone checks out except for Geordi, who is sweating profusely and complaining that the room is too hot. Crusher confines him to sickbay, but he manages to slip out and enters the lab of Wesley Crusher, who is working on a portable tractor beam device. Wesley shows him a digital sampler device containing recordings of Captain Picard barking various orders, saying he uses it to pretend he's on the bridge. Amused, Geordi places an encouraging hand on Wesley's shoulder, but suddenly he complains that the room is too hot and leaves once again.

Eventually, Lt. Tasha Yar finds Geordi on an observation deck staring off into space. After he grabs her arms and begs for her to help rid his mind of the "wild thoughts", Geordi is returned to sickbay where Crusher remains at a loss to explain his condition. Her only conclusion is that he is showing signs of intoxication. Later, it is that discovered a similar medical condition was mentioned in the logs of the old USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Kirk where the crew suffered impaired judgment and wild behavior after investigating a planet in the midst of a gravitational breakup. It was theorized the gravity distortions created polywater, a complex water molecule that caused a chemical imbalance in the minds of the crew. Luckily, the report contains the complete medical data for a cure.

Later, a clearly-affected Lt. Yar is walking through a corridor, her usually straightforward stride replaced by a sexy saunter. Other personnel run through the hallways laughing and acting childish. Tasha grabs a crewman as he passes and plants a passionate kiss upon him. It is obvious that the boisterous behavior is spreading rapidly through the ship. In engineering, Wesley uses his recordings of Picard to lure Chief Engineer MacDougal and her attendant, Mr. Shimoda, away from their stations. When MacDougal reports "as ordered" to Picard, Picard hears his own words coming over the main intercom, stating he has given full control of the ship to "Acting Captain Wesley Crusher".

More odd reports come in and Picard realizes the crew are losing their minds. He orders Data to find Yar and restore order immediately. Shimoda returns to engineering and finds that Wesley has activated a force field with his tractor-beam device that blocks the doorway. Shimoda, acting loopy himself, hails "Captain Wes", and Wesley deactivates the field to let him in. Elsewhere, Data arrives at Yar's quarters, where she has changed to a revealing gown and throws her arms around him. She pulls the bewildered android into her bedroom telling him she wants "gentleness and love."

At engineering, Commander Riker and MacDougal work to bypass Wesley's force-field device, but suddenly, counselor Troi arrives and distracts Riker with passionate advances. He carries her to sickbay where Dr. Crusher tests the old Enterprise serum on Geordi, but is shocked when it doesn't work. Dismayed over the serum's failure, Riker puts a confiding hand on her shoulder while she ponders why the polywater agent is no longer affected by the old antidote formula. She discovers physical contact is what spreads the virus, then is horrified when she realizes Riker has just infected her.

From the bridge, Picard tries to reason with Wesley, explaining the urgency of regaining control; but Wesley ignores him, telling him everything is safe in his hands. Data finally returns to the bridge, looking disheveled and sounding incoherent from his encounter with Yar. His biomechanical functions have likewise been impaired from exposure to the polywater agent.

In space, the star explodes, and a large chunk of stellar matter is headed directly at the Enterprise. With moments until impact, MacDougal finally deactivates the force field and rushes in to regain control. She is furious when she finds Shimoda has removed and scattered all the isolinear chips from the computer bank. Replacing them correctly could take hours, and without the computer, the Enterprise is dead in space. Wesley suggests that Data could replace them faster than anyone, so Data is rushed to engineering to reinsert the chips. He does so at lightning speed; however, there are too many to deal with and time is running out.

In sickbay, Picard arrives as Crusher has prepared a more potent antidote and injects Geordi, who pops to attention. Crusher then injects herself and then the Captain and they rush off with hypos to inject the others. Picard enters engineering, where Data is still "shuffling" the chips. Picard injects him with the cure and he continues his work even faster, but it is clear that he will not have the chips replaced in time.

Wesley clears his mind long enough to modify the ship's tractor beam and uses it to push the Enterprise away from the Tsiolkovsky. This adds a few more seconds to the time to impact; just enough time for Data to finish replacing the chips, and restore engine control. Seconds after the stellar debris collides with Tsiolkovsky and destroys her, Riker gives the order to "engage engines" and Enterprise warps out of harm's way. The Enterprise returns to normal functions, along with everyone aboard. Later however, Data is approached by an embarrassed Lt. Yar, who quickly informs him "it never happened."