STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Cause and Effect" #40275-218 Written by Brannon Braga Directed by Jonathan Frakes THE WRITING CREDITS MAY NOT BE FINAL AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR PUBLICITY OR ADVERTISING PURPOSES WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING WITH THE TELEVISION LEGAL DEPARTMENT. Copyright 1992 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. This script is not for publication or reproduction. No one is authorized to dispose of same. If lost or destroyed, please notify the Script Department. FINAL DRAFT JANUARY 2, 1992 STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - 1/2/92 - CAST STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Cause and Effect" CAST PICARD CAPTAIN BATESON RIKER DATA BEVERLY TROI GEORDI WORF Non-Speaking ENSIGN RO FIRST OFFICER, USS BOZEMAN NURSE OGAWA Non-Speaking SUPERNUMERARIES STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - SETS STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Cause and Effect" SETS INTERIORS EXTERIORS USS ENTERPRISE USS ENTERPRISE MAIN BRIDGE OBSERVATION LOUNGE USS BOZEMAN SICKBAY ENGINEERING RIKER'S QUARTERS BEVERLY'S QUARTERS CAPTAIN'S READY ROOM USS BOZEMAN BRIDGE (SEEN ON VIEWSCREEN) STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - 1/2/92 - PRONUNCIATION STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Cause and Effect" PRONUNCIATION GUIDE CAUSALITY kaw-ZAL-i-tee DEJA-VU day-zha-VOO DEKYON DECK-ee-on TEMPORAL TEM-po-ral STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - TEASER 1. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "Cause and Effect" TEASER FADE IN: 1 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) The ship's starboard nacelle is DAMAGED, sending out stray jets of plasma... 2 INT. BRIDGE SHAKING VIOLENTLY. PICARD, RIKER, DATA, WORF, GEORDI, and RO working frantically. BEVERLY and TROI standing by. The ship is at RED ALERT -- bridge dark, except for emergency lights. Quick action -- RIKER Damage report! Beverly works a nearby console. BEVERLY Casualty reports coming in from all over the ship... DATA (off console) The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma. GEORDI Initiating emergency core shutdown. Geordi quickly works his console. RO Inertial dampers failing... we're losing attitude control... RIKER (to comm) This is the bridge. All hands to emergency escape pods. 3 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) The starboard nacelle FLARES, throwing the ship into a SPINNING MOTION, out of control... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - TEASER 2. 4 INT. BRIDGE (OPTICAL) Round and round. People can barely stand up. On the VIEWSCREEN, the stars are WHIPPING past, dizzying... DATA (off console) The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment. GEORDI We've gotta eject the engine core! DATA The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent... Tension -- no choice. PICARD (to com) All hands abandon ship. Repeat, all hands abandon -- Too late: 5 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) as it EXPLODES in a blast of fire and debris. Completely destroyed. FADE OUT. END OF TEASER STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT ONE 3. ACT ONE FADE IN: (NOTE: Episode credits fall over opening scenes.) 6 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) at impulse in a starry region of space. PICARD (V.O.) Captain's log, stardate 45652.1. The Enterprise has entered an area of space known as the Typhon Expanse. We are the first Starfleet vessel to chart this unexplored region. 7 INT. RIKER'S QUARTERS - POKER TABLE Poker game in progress, five card stud. Riker, Data, Worf, Beverly. Data SHUFFLES the cards with android speed and dexterity. RIKER (with humor) Sometimes I wonder if he's stacking the deck. DATA I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized. WORF I hope so. A look between Worf and Data. Data proceeds to deal one card face-down to each person... then one card face-up in the order of Riker, Worf, Beverly, and himself. Data calls the cards like a true dealer, mimicking the terms he has heard in his years of poker... (NOTE: Because the cards will play an important role in ensuing Acts, they are specified here.) DATA An eight. An Ace. A Queen. The dealer receives a four. Everyone studies their cards. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT ONE 4. 7 CONTINUED: WORF No bet. Data deals the next round of cards face-up. Beverly is dealt another Queen. DATA A ten. A seven -- no help there. A pair of "ladies" for the Doctor. The dealer receives a nine. (to Beverly) Doctor, may I remind you that since you show the highest hand, you control the next bet. Beverly throws in a chip. BEVERLY I'll bet ten. Everyone sees the bet. Data deals... DATA Jack. Four. Deuce. Six. BEVERLY (bets) Twenty. Data matches the bet. RIKER And I'll raise you fifty. Reactions. Worf is uncomfortable with the large bet. WORF Fifty. BEVERLY I'm in. DATA I will also see the bet. Worf grumbles, matches the bet. DATA (dealing) Seven... and a possible straight for Commander Riker. Jack -- still no help for the Klingon. Worf bristles at the remark, unhappy with his cards. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT ONE 4A. 7 CONTINUED: (2) DATA (continuing) Eight. Nine for the dealer. Beverly glances at Riker's cards... hesitant... tosses in a few more chips. BEVERLY Twenty. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT ONE 5. 7 CONTINUED: (3) DATA (folds) "Too rich for my blood." RIKER I'll see your twenty -- and raise you a hundred. Riker throws in chips. Worf reacts to the bet, disgruntled. WORF Fold. Beverly studies Riker -- has a feeling here and goes for broke... matches his bet... BEVERLY And two hundred more. Riker matches. RIKER Two. And another three hundred. A beat. Worf studies Riker. WORF He does not have the straight. Beverly and Riker match poker faces. BEVERLY We'll find out, won't we? She matches his bet. BEVERLY Let's see what you've got. The moment of truth. Riker turns over his cards, defeated. RIKER Take it. Reactions as Beverly collects her winnings. Riker's ego has been bruised. He kicks off a playful exchange... RIKER (to Beverly) How'd you know I was bluffing? BEVERLY I just had a feeling. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT ONE 6. 7 CONTINUED: (4) RIKER I guess it's better to be lucky than good. BEVERLY Or maybe it's the way your left eyebrow raises slightly when you bluff. Riker blanches -- is she kidding? Beverly smiles. BEVERLY Just teasing, Commander. NURSE OGAWA'S COM VOICE Ogawa to Doctor Crusher. BEVERLY Go ahead. NURSE OGAWA'S COM VOICE Commander La Forge needs you in sickbay. BEVERLY On my way. Beverly stands to go... 8 INT. SICKBAY Geordi is sitting on an examination table, while Beverly scans him with a medical tricorder. She centers around his ears and head... GEORDI At first I thought the catwalk was spinning. Turns out it was me. (beat) I'm lucky Ensign Fletcher was there to grab me -- it's a long way down to the bottom of the warp core. Geordi reacts to a sudden pain -- headache. Beverly completes her exam. BEVERLY You have all the symptoms of an inner-ear infection. That would explain your dizziness... and the headache. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT ONE 7. 8 CONTINUED: She reaches for a nearby hypospray. BEVERLY But I don't see any physical evidence. (beat) My guess is... you've been working too hard. Geordi nods, admitting the fact. GEORDI I have been putting in extra hours on the Typhon Expanse survey. Beverly prepares the hypospray... BEVERLY I'll give you twenty cc's of vertazine -- it'll clear up your dizziness. But finding time to relax is up to you... Beverly stops in mid-sentence, caught by a sudden awareness -- the feeling that she's done this before... the examination... the conversation... GEORDI (off her look) What is it? BEVERLY Geordi... have you ever had these symptoms before? GEORDI (thinks) Never. BEVERLY You're sure? GEORDI Positive. Why? BEVERLY It's funny... I get the feeling that we've discussed these complaints. (beat) I remember giving you a hypospray for dizziness. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - 1/2/92 - ACT ONE 8. 8 CONTINUED: (2) GEORDI I've never had these symptoms before today. You must be remembering some other patient. BEVERLY No. I'm sure it was you. Beverly shrugs off the feeling. She administers the hypospray. BEVERLY Try to get some rest. And stay away from high places for a few days, just in case. Geordi stands, appreciative. GEORDI Thanks, Doc. BEVERLY Goodnight. Geordi EXITS. Off Beverly's face, as she returns to her work... 9 INT. BEVERLY'S QUARTERS Later. Beverly is dressed in her nightclothes, ready for bed. She passes by a table topped with several exotic PLANTS, picks up a cutting tool and starts to snip away the dead leaves. As she does so, she quietly sings a little song, letting herself unwind. After a peaceful beat, she puts down the tool, and heads for bed... 10 ANGLE ON BED Beverly sits down, reaches for a GLASS of water off the night stand and takes a sip. She turns off the lamp and the room darkens. She crawls under the covers, lays her head on the pillow. A quiet moment passes as Beverly drifts off to sleep... Then, slowly in the darkness, a barely perceptible VOICE can be heard. A distant and echoey whisper. Beverly opens her eyes. Listens. Gradually, a dozen VOICES fade in -- disembodied murmurs. Creepy. She sits up, glances around the dark and empty room... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT ONE 9. 10 CONTINUED: More voices, louder now, all meshing together. Beverly tries to make out what they are saying -- but they are unclear. Alarmed, Beverly turns on the light, accidentally knocking over the glass -- the glass BREAKS on the table, startling her. The voices stop. Beverly catches her breath, shaken... 11 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) at impulse. 12 INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE Picard, Riker, Data, Geordi, Troi, and Beverly. Geordi is standing next to a WALL MONITOR, which displays a MAP of the TYPHON EXPANSE. They are wrapping up a discussion about their mission. GEORDI The Typhon Expanse is huge. If we want to chart the most remote star system, we'll have to launch a probe within the next few hours. RIKER Fine. (consults PADD) What about the luminosity studies? GEORDI They may pose a problem... PICARD How so? GEORDI The flux spectrometers are still down for realignment. RIKER I thought they were supposed to be back on-line yesterday. GEORDI They were, until the stellar dynamics lab decided they needed to install new modules. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT ONE 9A. 12 CONTINUED: DATA I recommend we use the gravitron polarimeter instead. It will perform a similar function. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT ONE 10. 12 CONTINUED: (2) PICARD Make it so. Beverly cuts in, awkward... BEVERLY Captain... There's something I'd like to report. PICARD Yes, Doctor? BEVERLY I heard... voices in my room last night. I was alone... so at first I thought I was imagining things. But this morning, ten other people reported hearing them at the same time I did. TROI What were the voices saying? BEVERLY I couldn't make them out... Reactions to the curious news. RIKER Data, did the sensors pick up anything unusual last night? DATA No anomalous readings were reported. RIKER When we're through here, double-check the sensor logs. DATA Aye sir. PICARD Counselor? TROI I sensed nothing out of the ordinary last night. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT ONE 11. 12 CONTINUED: (3) GEORDI Maybe it's a problem with the com system. WORF'S COM VOICE Bridge to Captain Picard. PICARD Go ahead. WORF'S COM VOICE We are getting unusual readings -- twenty thousand kilometers off the port bow. A concerned glance, then they rise and head for the door... 13 INT. BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS Picard and the others ENTER the bridge, take stations. Riker stands near Data, at ops. PICARD Report. RO Sensors didn't detect the phenomenon until we were almost on top of it, sir. WORF (off console) It is a highly localized distortion in the space-time continuum. Reactions -- they don't like the sound of it. RIKER On screen. 14 INTERCUT: VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) The area of space just ahead is MURKY and DISTORTED. Reactions to the sight. PICARD Back us off, Ensign. Nice and slow. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT ONE 12. 14 CONTINUED: RO Aye sir. (beat) Captain -- maneuvering thrusters are not responding. On the screen, the distortion RIPPLES slightly. DATA (off console) The distortion field is fluctuating. Suddenly, the bridge lights FLICKER and GO OUT. The EMERGENCY LIGHTS come on -- and some of the consoles LOSE POWER. GEORDI All main systems just went down. Power levels dropping rapidly... RIKER Red Alert. The ship goes to RED ALERT. DATA There is an energy build-up in the distortion field. (beat) Something is emerging... Suddenly, Troi is overwhelmed by a distinct and horrible feeling. TROI (certain) Captain -- we have to get out of here now. Picard looks at her, and then -- 15 ON VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) A STARSHIP EMERGES from the murk -- HEADED DIRECTLY FOR US. (Note: It's clearly an older style starship.) The following action happens quickly -- RIKER Shields up! Evasive maneuvers! WORF Shields inoperative! STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT ONE 13. 15 CONTINUED: RO The helm's not responding! DATA The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds... PICARD Hail them. WORF No response. On the viewscreen, the ship comes closer... closer... PICARD Suggestions? RIKER Decompress the main shuttlebay -- the explosive reaction might kick us out of the way. Picard reacts -- sounds dangerous. Data cuts in, his hands flying across the controls... DATA Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory. PICARD Mister Worf -- make it so. WORF (working) Engaging tractor beam... 16 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) The Enterprise sends out a TRACTOR BEAM -- but it's too late. The other ship COLLIDES with our starboard nacelle, knocking us aside. The Enterprise's starboard nacelle is DAMAGED, sending out stray jets of plasma... 17 INT. BRIDGE SHAKING VIOLENTLY. The crew working frantically. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT ONE 14. 17 CONTINUED: RIKER Damage report! Beverly works a nearby console. BEVERLY Casualty reports coming in from all over the ship... DATA The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma. GEORDI Initiating emergency core shutdown. Geordi works quickly. RO Inertial dampers failing. We're losing attitude control... RIKER (to comm) This is the bridge. All hands to emergency escape pods. 18 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) The starboard nacelle FLARES, throwing the ship into a SPINNING MOTION, out of control... 19 INT. BRIDGE (OPTICAL) Round and round. People can barely stand up. On the viewscreen, the stars are WHIPPING past, dizzying... DATA (off console) The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment. GEORDI We gotta eject the engine core! DATA The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent... Tension -- no choice. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - 1/2/92 - ACT ONE 15. 19 CONTINUED: PICARD (to com) All hands abandon ship. Repeat, all hands abandon -- 20 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) as it EXPLODES in a blast of fire and debris. Completely destroyed. FADE OUT. END OF ACT ONE STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - 1/2/92 - ACT TWO 16. ACT TWO FADE IN: 21 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) at impulse in a starry region of space. PICARD (V.O.) Captain's log, stardate 45652.1. The Enterprise has entered an area of space known as the Typhon Expanse. We are the first Starfleet vessel to chart this unexplored region. 22 INT. RIKER'S QUARTERS - POKER TABLE (As seen in Act One.) Poker game in progress. Riker, Data, Worf, Beverly. Data SHUFFLES the cards with android speed and dexterity. RIKER (with humor) Sometimes I wonder if he's stacking the deck. DATA I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized. WORF I hope so. A look between Worf and Data. Data proceeds to deal one card face-down... then one card face-up to Riker, Geordi, Beverly, and himself. DATA An eight. An Ace. A Queen. The dealer receives a four. They study their cards. WORF No bet. Data deals the next round. Beverly gets another Queen. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - 1/2/92 - ACT TWO 17. 22 CONTINUED: DATA A ten. A seven -- no help there. A pair of "ladies" for the Doctor. The dealer receives a nine. (to Beverly) Doctor, may I remind you that since you show the highest hand, you control the next bet. Beverly glances at Riker's cards... and is suddenly struck with a vivid sense of deja-vu. The clarity of feeling is almost uncomfortable. WORF (off her look) Is there something wrong, Doctor? Beverly snaps out of it. BEVERLY No... I bet ten. Everyone sees her bet. DATA (dealing) Jack. Four. Deuce. Six. BEVERLY (bets) Twenty. RIKER And I'll raise you fifty. Everyone matches bets. As Data deals... 23 CLOSE ON RIKER as he has a flash of deja-vu. He eyes Beverly -- knows where this game is going... RIKER (to Beverly, certain) You're going to call my bluff, aren't you? Beverly stares back at him, surprised. It's like a game of dueling premonitions. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT TWO 18. 23 CONTINUED: RIKER (folds) I think I'll quit while I'm ahead. Beverly is astonished -- how could he have known? BEVERLY How did you know I was going to call your bluff? RIKER I just had a feeling. BEVERLY Me too... NURSE OGAWA'S COM VOICE Ogawa to Doctor Crusher. BEVERLY Go ahead. NURSE OGAWA'S COM VOICE Commander La Forge needs you in sickbay. BEVERLY On my way. Beverly stands to go... 24 INT. SICKBAY (OPTICAL) Geordi sits on an examination table, while Beverly scans him with a medical tricorder. She centers around his ears and head... GEORDI At first I thought the catwalk was spinning. Turns out it was me. (beat) I'm lucky Ensign Fletcher was there to grab me -- it's a long way down to the bottom of the warp core. Geordi reacts to a sudden pain -- headache. Beverly completes her exam. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - 1/2/92 - ACT TWO 19. 24 CONTINUED: BEVERLY You have all the symptoms of an inner-ear infection. That would explain your dizziness... and the headache. She reaches for a nearby hypospray. BEVERLY But I don't see any physical... She stops in mid-sentence, caught by a strange and sudden awareness. The same feeling she had in the poker game -- she's been here before. GEORDI (off her look) What is it? BEVERLY Geordi... have you ever had these symptoms before? GEORDI (thinks) Now that you mention it... I think I did. BEVERLY Do you recall when? GEORDI No, I don't. They both try to remember... BEVERLY (certain) We've had this discussion. I remember giving you this examination... (beat) Let's check the medical logs. They move to a nearby console. Beverly hits a few commands -- information comes up on the screen. They study it... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT TWO 20. 24 CONTINUED: (2) BEVERLY (off console) You've been treated several times for headaches related to your VISOR... but I see no mention of dizziness. A beat as they consider. GEORDI (lightly) Must be deja-vu. Beverly looks troubled. BEVERLY Both of us -- about the same thing? As they exchange a mystified look... 25 INT. BEVERLY'S QUARTERS Later. Beverly is dressed in her nightclothes. She passes by the table topped with exotic plants, picks up a cutting tool, starts to trim the plants. She begins to sing a little song, and stops -- a feeling of deja-vu overwhelming her. She sets down the tool... determined to break the feeling and do things differently. She moves toward her bed... 26 ANGLE ON BED Beverly sits down, picks up the glass of water and takes a sip. She stares at the glass, deja-vu nagging at her -- is something going to happen to the glass? She sets down the glass, turns off the lamp, crawls under the covers... tries to sleep... Slowly, a barely perceptible VOICE can be heard... a distant and echoey murmur. Beverly opens her eyes. Listens. Gradually, a dozen VOICES fade in -- disembodied murmurs in the darkness. She sits up, glances around the dark and empty room... More voices, louder now, all meshing together. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT TWO 21. 26 CONTINUED: Beverly turns on the light, accidentally knocking over the glass -- the glass BREAKS on the table, startling her. The voices stop. Beverly catches her breath, shaken, then gets out of bed. She picks up a nearby communicator, taps it. BEVERLY Crusher to Captain Picard. A beat. PICARD'S COM VOICE Yes, Doctor? BEVERLY Jean-Luc... do you have a minute? 27 INT. READY ROOM Beverly, tired after a long night, sits with Picard in the dimly lit, comforting room. She has been recounting recent events. Picard hands her a cup of steaming liquid. PICARD (re: cup) My Aunt Adele cured a lot of sleepless nights with this steamed milk. BEVERLY Thank you. Beverly takes a sip, lets it warm her. BEVERLY Mmm... nutmeg. PICARD Every time I get insomnia, I try to perfect the recipe. Beverly smiles... then collects her thoughts, getting back to the subject at hand. BEVERLY It was the eeriest feeling. When the glass broke, it triggered the same sensation even more intensely -- that I had done it all before. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT TWO 22. 27 CONTINUED: Picard thinks, reaches for a table and picks up a leather-bound BOOK. PICARD Earlier, when I was reading this book... I had the distinct feeling I'd read certain paragraphs before. (beat) I just assumed I'd read the book years ago and forgotten. BEVERLY I've been having this feeling for hours. (beat) And then those voices... An uneasy beat. PICARD Do you feel like we've had this conversation before? BEVERLY No. None of this seems familiar. Picard considers. PICARD This could be nothing more than a restless night. But let's be sure... Call Geordi and Data. I want you to run a shipwide diagnostic, concentrating on the time and place you heard the voices. (beat) We'll discuss the results tomorrow at oh seven hundred hours. Beverly nods, feeling a little better. She takes a sip of the milk. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT TWO 23. 27 CONTINUED: (2) BEVERLY Thank you, Jean-Luc. (re: the milk) For everything. PICARD Thank Aunt Adele. They share a gentle smile... 28 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) at impulse in the Typhon Expanse. 29 INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE Picard, Riker, Data, Geordi, Troi, Beverly. Mid-conversation... DATA The internal scans were negative. There was no evidence of auditory anomalies anywhere on the ship. GEORDI As far as the sensors are concerned, nothing unusual happened last night. Beverly isn't satisfied. BEVERLY Before I came up here, ten other people reported hearing voices at the same time I did. Reactions to the curious news. WORF'S COM VOICE Bridge to Captain Picard. PICARD Go ahead. WORF'S COM VOICE We are getting unusual readings -- twenty thousand kilometers off the port bow. PUSH IN on Beverly as she reacts to the news, suddenly very worried... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT TWO 24. INT. BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS Picard and the others ENTER the bridge, take stations. Riker stands near Data at ops. PICARD Report. RO Sensors didn't detect the phenomenon until we were almost on top of it, sir. WORF (off console) It is a highly localized distortion in the space-time continuum. Reactions -- they don't like the sound of it. RIKER On screen. 31 INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) The area of space just ahead is MURKY and DISTORTED. PICARD Back us off, Ensign. Nice and slow. RO Aye sir. (beat) Captain -- maneuvering thrusters are not responding. On the screen, the temporal distortion RIPPLES slightly. DATA The distortion field is fluctuating. Suddenly, the bridge lights GO OUT. The EMERGENCY LIGHTS come on -- and a few consoles LOSE POWER. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT TWO 25. 31 CONTINUED: Beverly watches with intense discomfort -- a remote part of her knows what's coming, but there's nothing she can do to stop it... GEORDI All main systems just went down. Power levels dropping rapidly... RIKER Red Alert. Ship to RED ALERT. DATA There is an energy build-up in the distortion field. (beat) Something is emerging... Suddenly, Troi is overwhelmed by a distinct and horrible feeling. TROI (certain) Captain -- we have to get out of here now. Picard looks at her, and then -- On the viewscreen, a STARSHIP EMERGES from the murk -- HEADING DIRECTLY FOR US. The following action happens quickly -- RIKER Shields up! Evasive maneuvers! WORF Shields inoperative! RO The helm's not responding! DATA The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds... PICARD Hail them. WORF No response. On the viewscreen, the ship comes closer... closer... PICARD Suggestions? STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT TWO 26. 31 CONTINUED: (2) RIKER Decompress the main shuttlebay -- the explosive reaction might kick us out of the way. Data cuts in, his hands flying across the controls... DATA Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory. PICARD Mister Worf -- make it so. WORF Engaging tractor beam... Worf hits a command. A tense beat. The other ship looming on the viewscreen... WHAM! The Enterprise JOLTS as we collide with the other ship. The crew is tossed about. RIKER Damage report! Beverly works a nearby console. BEVERLY Casualty reports coming in from all over the ship... DATA The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma. GEORDI Initiating emergency core shutdown. Geordi works. RO Inertial dampers failing. We're losing attitude control... RIKER (to com) This is the bridge. All hands to emergency escape pods. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT TWO 27. 31 CONTINUED: (3) The ship ROCKS, tossing people about. Stars on the viewscreen start WHIPPING past, dizzying... DATA The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment. GEORDI We've gotta eject the engine core! DATA The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent... Tension -- no choice. PICARD (to comm) All hands abandon ship. Repeat, all hands abandon -- Without warning, VIOLENT ROARING NOISE and A BLAST OF FIRE erupt across the scene as the ship EXPLODES -- FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT THREE 28. ACT THREE FADE IN: 32 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) at impulse in a starry region of space. PICARD (V.O.) Captain's log, stardate 45652.1. The Enterprise has entered an area of space known as the Typhon Expanse. We are the first Starfleet vessel to chart this unexplored region. 33 INT. RIKER'S QUARTERS - POKER TABLE (As seen in Acts One and Two.) Poker game in progress. Riker, Data, Worf, Beverly. Data SHUFFLES the cards with android speed and dexterity. RIKER (with humor) Sometimes I wonder if he's stacking the deck. DATA I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized. WORF I hope so. A look between Worf and Data. Data deals one card face-down to each person. They glance at their cards. Worf looks agitated -- he keeps glancing around the room, bothered by a nagging feeling... RIKER (off his look) Something wrong, Worf? Worf considers. WORF I am experiencing nIb'poH. (beat) The feeling I have done this before. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT THREE 28A. 33 CONTINUED: RIKER (with humor) Yeah -- last Tuesday night. WORF That is not what I mean. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT THREE 29. 33 CONTINUED: (2) BEVERLY (off his remark) I've been feeling the same way... Beverly looks disturbed by her feelings. Data and Riker exchange a look -- both unfazed. They don't know what to make of it. Beverly looks intently at the deck of cards... BEVERLY Data.... keep dealing. Data deals the next cards face-up, calling them... DATA An eight. An Ace... BEVERLY (cutting in) A Queen. I'm going to get a Queen. Data turns over the next card -- it's a Queen. Reactions. Beverly points to Data. BEVERLY And you're going to get a four... They all look at Beverly, puzzled. BEVERLY Deal the cards. DATA But nobody has bet. BEVERLY Forget the bet. Deal. Data deals -- the next card is indeed a four. Beverly calls the cards a split second before they are dealt -- the cards are all exactly as she calls them... BEVERLY Ten... Seven... Queen... Worf cuts in, picking up the card calling... WORF Nine... Jack... Four... Every card matches what Worf predicts. Riker takes over, a wave of deja-vu overcoming him... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT THREE 29A. 33 CONTINUED: (3) RIKER Deuce... Six... Riker hits them all. Data stops dealing, puzzled. An eerie beat as they absorb the moment. DATA This is highly improbable. RIKER How did we know... BEVERLY Wait. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT THREE 30. 33 CONTINUED: (4) Beverly has another flash of deja-vu -- she acts on it. BEVERLY (taps communicator) Crusher to sickbay. NURSE OGAWA'S COM VOICE Sickbay here. BEVERLY Is Commander La Forge there? 34 INT. SICKBAY Nurse Ogawa working at a station, alone. NURSE OGAWA No, Doctor, he's not. The sickbay doors slide open and Geordi ENTERS. Ogawa reacts. NURSE OGAWA Wait a minute -- he just came in. 35 INT. RIKER'S QUARTERS Reactions. Off Beverly's troubled expression... 36 INT. SICKBAY Picard ENTERS, having been called. He crosses to Beverly and Geordi... Geordi has his chin in a headrest, his VISOR connected to a diagnostic INSTRUMENT. Beverly is projecting light into his VISOR, analyzing the results. It's the 24th-century visit to the eye doctor. PICARD (to Beverly) You wanted to see me, Doctor? BEVERLY Yes... Beverly finishes with the instrument. Geordi starts to adjust his VISOR. Beverly turns to Picard. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/16/92 - ACT THREE 31. 36 CONTINUED: BEVERLY Captain... have you been getting the feeling that you've experienced certain things before? A sense of... repetition? Picard looks surprised by the question. PICARD Yes... recently. While I was reading. Why do you ask? Beverly and Geordi exchange an anxious glance. BEVERLY There have been similar incidents reported all over the ship. Feelings of deja-vu. (beat) And now this... She indicates Geordi. BEVERLY I had a premonition Geordi was going to come in to sickbay. A few seconds later, he did -- with the symptoms of an ear infection. (beat) I was going to run all the standard tests... but somehow I knew they were going to be negative. So I ran an optical diagnostic... which traced the problem to Geordi's VISOR... Beverly refers to some TECH data on the instrument. BEVERLY His dizziness is being caused by a phase-shift in his visual receptors. It's causing him to see images that aren't there... Geordi looks around the room. GEORDI They're like... blurry afterimages. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT THREE 32. 36 CONTINUED: (2) BEVERLY I ran a scan to see if I could detect what he was seeing. I picked up miniscule distortions in the surrounding dekyon field. (beat) Somehow, his VISOR seems to be translating those distortions into visual impulses. GEORDI It could be a malfunction in the ship's warp field generator. I'll check it out. PICARD While you're at it, run a localized subspace scan to look for anything unusual. GEORDI Aye, sir. PICARD Keep me advised. Geordi nods, turns to exit. Picard and Beverly exchange a concerned look... 37 INT. BEVERLY'S QUARTERS Later. Beverly is still dressed in her uniform, too edgy to get ready for bed. She stops at a table filled with exotic plants, reaches for a cutting tool and... stops. She has a flash of deja-vu -- and moves away from the table to disrupt the feeling. She crosses to her bed... 38 ANGLE ON BED Beverly sits down, picks up the glass of water from the night stand and takes a sip. She stares at the glass with dread certainty -- the glass is going to break. She stands, crosses the room, sets the glass on a counter as if to say: this time, it will not break. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/9/92 - ACT THREE 33. 38 CONTINUED: She returns to bed, turns off the lamp and lays down... but she's too anxious to rest. Softly in the darkness, a barely perceptible VOICE is heard... Beverly sits up. Gradually, a dozen VOICES -- disembodied murmurs. Beverly turns on the lamp and listens -- but the voices are unintelligible. Suddenly, she gets an idea -- stands and grabs a tricorder, hits a button and aims the tricorder into the air, recording the voices... The voices fade away. Beverly takes a breath, shaken. BEVERLY (taps communicator) Crusher to Commander La Forge. GEORDI'S COM VOICE La Forge here. BEVERLY I just heard what sounded like... voices in my room. But there's no one here. A beat. GEORDI'S COM VOICE Sensors just picked up something strange, too. We're checking it out... BEVERLY I'm on my way down. Tricorder in hand, Beverly crosses to the dresser -- grabs her smock and accidentally knocks over the glass. It BREAKS on the counter. Beverly stares at the glass, astonished... 39 INT. ENGINEERING Beverly watches as Geordi and Data analyze a console. They are listening to the RECORDING Beverly made -- a cacophony of VOICES which is muddled by static and noise. The sound stops. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/15/92 - ACT THREE 34. 39 CONTINUED: GEORDI (off console) Looks like you managed to record six point two seconds worth. (beat) Let's see if we can filter the signal and clear it up a little. Geordi and Data work the console. BEVERLY So I wasn't just hearing things? DATA The sound itself appears to have been real. However the acoustic energy does not correspond to any ship's system, nor to any voice communications sent at the time you heard it. BEVERLY Then where did the sound come from? GEORDI You heard the voices at the same time our localized subspace scan picked up a another dekyon field distortion. The two may be related. Geordi completes his work at the console. GEORDI Let's take another listen... Geordi taps a command. They listen as the six seconds plays out: The same VOICES that Beverly heard, a distant and eerie murmuring that's hard to make out. After six seconds, the recording stops. Beverly is chilled to hear them again. DATA Computer -- perform a narrow bandwidth analysis. Eliminate all nonvocal waveform components. The VOICES play again, this time louder and more distinct -- a warbled thousand-voice chorus. After six seconds, it stops. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/6/92 - ACT THREE 35-36. 39 CONTINUED: (2) BEVERLY Can we isolate the voices... find out what they're saying? DATA I will attempt to distinguish the individual voices. (beat) Computer -- continuous playback. The six seconds PLAYS continuously, with Data listening intently. A few moments pass by... then Data cocks his head in reaction to what he hears. DATA (over the noise) There seem to be approximately one thousand human voices overlapping. (beat) The voices are those of the Enterprise crew. (beat) Our voices. Beverly and Geordi react. As they listen to the cacophony... FADE OUT. END OF ACT THREE STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FOUR 37. ACT FOUR FADE IN: 40 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) at impulse. 41 INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE (OPTICAL) Beverly and Geordi, addressing Picard, Riker, Data, Worf and Troi. BEVERLY (to all) I'm sorry to call you here so early. But we couldn't wait until oh seven hundred hours. (beat) We think we may have an explanation for the odd occurrences around here... Beverly looks to Geordi, who takes the floor. He moves toward the wall monitor... GEORDI This is going to sound pretty wild... (beat) Somehow, we've entered what seems to be a temporal causality loop. Geordi taps a command on a nearby console, and a CAUSALITY LOOP DIAGRAM appears on the wall monitor. It's a series of loops, one laying atop the other in quick succession to form a continuous spiral. GEORDI (re: diagram) We think we're stuck in a particular fragment of time. And we've been experiencing that same fragment over and over again. Reactions -- it's a bizarre, startling premise. TROI (tentative) Is this what's causing our deja-vu? STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FOUR 38. 41 CONTINUED: BEVERLY Yes, but it's more than that. In deja-vu, you only think you're repeating events. We actually are. GEORDI Our theory is this -- every time the loop begins again, everything resets itself, and starts all over. We don't remember anything that happened before... so each time through the loop, we think it's the first. RIKER You mean, maybe we've come into this room, sat at this table and had this conversation a dozen times already? GEORDI A dozen... a hundred... It's impossible to tell. Maybe we've been trapped here for hours... days... maybe years. A mind-boggling beat. This is a strange and disturbing situation. BEVERLY If what we're saying is true -- those voices I heard might've been "echoes" from previous loops. GEORDI The same thing with the phase-shift in my VISOR -- afterimages in time. They consider. PICARD If you are correct... how did it happen? How did we get here? DATA I have a hypothesis which may explain that, Captain. (beat) I have analyzed the recording Doctor Crusher made. (MORE) STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/22/92 - ACT FOUR 39. 41 CONTINUED: (2) DATA (cont'd) Most of it is quite ordinary. One hundred twenty-five discussions about ship operations, two hundred fifty-seven conversations of a personal nature, five couples engaged in romantic encounters... PICARD Your point, Mister Data? DATA There is evidence of some sort of disaster involving the Enterprise -- severe enough that the captain would order all hands to abandon ship. I have isolated three segments of the recording which are crucial. Data taps a command on the table console, and the VOICES PLAY. The recording is fuzzy, broken up by static, but recognizable as three separate pieces of dialogue from the end of Act One. They listen with fascination... WORF (V.O.) ... a highly localized distortion... Beat. DATA (V.O.) ... collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds... Beat. PICARD (V.O.) ... hands abandon ship. Repeat, all hands abandon... The recording stops. A grim beat as they digest what they've heard. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FOUR 40. 41 CONTINUED: (3) TROI The phrase "collision course" suggests we collided with something. GEORDI (nods) Worf refers to a "distortion." If this were a temporal distortion, and if we were close enough to it... it's possible that a large enough explosion might've ruptured the space-time continuum. (beat) We collided... exploded... and got stuck in this repeating loop of time. They consider. PICARD If you're right about this... perhaps we could escape the loop by avoiding the collision... GEORDI That's our guess. WORF Maybe we should reverse course. RIKER For all we know, reversing course might be what leads us into the crash. Picard thinks a moment, then shakes his head. PICARD We can't afford to start second-guessing ourselves. We'll stay on our present course until we have reason to change it. (beat) In the meantime, let's do everything we can to avoid a collision. Nods all around. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FOUR 41. 41 CONTINUED: (4) GEORDI Captain... We may not find out how to avoid this accident until it's too late. And if the loop begins again -- we'll forget everything we've learned this time around. PICARD What do you suggest? GEORDI If we do find a way to avoid the collision... we should try to send that information into the next loop. An intriguing notion. RIKER Is that possible? DATA We have seen that echoes, or afterimages, from previous loops appear as distortions in the dekyon field. We may be able to send a deliberate echo into the next loop. TROI Like a message in a bottle... GEORDI Exactly. We could enhance a dekyon emission to create a specific pattern... and send ourselves a message. Not a long one -- probably only a few characters... maybe one word... RIKER How do we know we'll pick up that word the next time through? DATA If the dekyon emission is modulated correctly, it would set up a resonance in my positronic subprocessors. I would receive the information -- on what you would call a subconscious level. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FOUR 42. 41 CONTINUED: (5) GEORDI That's the catch. We're not sure how the information will be perceived by Data... it might be almost like a posthypnotic suggestion. They weigh the proposal. PICARD Even with all these uncertainties, we've got to try. (to Geordi and Data) Take whatever steps are necessary to send a message. (beat) Dismissed. As they rise to go... 42 INT. ENGINEERING (OPTICAL) Data seated at a console with a panel on his head exposed. Geordi makes a few adjustments to Data's circuitry. He then attaches a small EMITTER DEVICE to Data's uniform. Beverly looks on as Geordi makes the meticulous adjustments... GEORDI It's possible we've tried this a thousand times and it's never worked. It's a frightening thought. BEVERLY Do you have the feeling you've done it before? GEORDI (thinks) No, I don't. BEVERLY Neither do I. Maybe that's a good sign. Geordi nods, hopeful. He completes his adjustments to the emitter. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FOUR 43. 42 CONTINUED: GEORDI (re: device) Let's test the emitter. Data hits a few buttons on the emitter device. DATA Particle accelerators to full power. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FOUR 44. 42 CONTINUED: (2) Data's exposed panel starts to blink rapidly -- while a nearby console lights up with a GRAPHIC showing dekyon emission levels. Geordi studies the console. GEORDI Dekyon field active... particle flux nominal... (beat) We're in business. As Geordi puts the final touches on Data's emitter... BEVERLY All we need now is a message. Suddenly, the ship goes to RED ALERT. RIKER'S COM VOICE Senior staff report to the bridge. BEVERLY On our way. As they head for the door... 43 INT. BRIDGE (OPTICAL) Red Alert. Tension. Picard, Troi, Ro -- Riker standing near ops. N.D.s as needed. The viewscreen shows the TEMPORAL DISTORTION, as seen in previous Acts. Data, Geordi, Beverly ENTER and take stations. Data still wears the emitter device on his uniform. Picard and Riker exchange a glance. Their first major decision here -- how should they handle it? How do they avoid repeating the same mistakes? RIKER How do you think we might've handled this before? Picard thinks, but doesn't have an answer. He goes with his best instincts. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FOUR 45. 43 CONTINUED: PICARD Back us off, Ensign. Nice and slow. RO Aye sir. (beat) Captain -- maneuvering thrusters are not responding. On the screen, the distortion RIPPLES slightly. DATA (off console) The distortion field is fluctuating. Suddenly, the bridge lights FLICKER and GO OUT. The EMERGENCY LIGHTS come on -- a few consoles LOSE POWER. Picard and Riker look frustrated and vulnerable -- fate seems to be dragging them right back into danger... GEORDI All main systems just went down. Power levels dropping rapidly... DATA There is an energy build-up in the distortion field. (beat) Something is emerging... Suddenly, Troi is overwhelmed by a distinct and horrible feeling. TROI (certain) Captain -- we have to get out of here now. Picard looks at her, and then -- On the screen, a STARSHIP EMERGES from the murk -- HEADED DIRECTLY FOR US. Reactions. RIKER Shields up! Evasive maneuvers! WORF Shields inoperative! STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/7/92 - ACT FOUR 46. 43 CONTINUED: (2) RO The helm's not responding! DATA The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds... PICARD Hail them. WORF No response. On the viewscreen, the ship comes closer... closer... PICARD Suggestions? RIKER Decompress the main shuttlebay -- the explosive reaction might kick us out of the way. Data cuts in, his hands flying across the controls... DATA Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory. PICARD Mister Worf -- make it so. WORF Engaging tractor beam... 44 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) The Enterprise sends out a TRACTOR BEAM -- but it's too late. The other ship COLLIDES with our starboard nacelle, jolting us aside. The Enterprise's starboard nacelle is DAMAGED, sending out stray jets of plasma... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FOUR 47. 45 INT. BRIDGE - CLOSE ON DATA as he has a realization about their situation -- he begins to make speedy mental calculations... 45A THE SCENE SHAKING VIOLENTLY. RIKER Damage report! Beverly works a nearby console. BEVERLY Casualty reports coming in from all over the ship... DATA The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma. GEORDI Initiating emergency core shutdown. Geordi works quickly. RO Inertial dampers failing. We're losing attitude control... RIKER (to com) This is the bridge. All hands to emergency escape pods. 46 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) The starboard nacelle FLARES, throwing the ship into a SPINNING MOTION, out of control... 47 INT. BRIDGE (OPTICAL) Round and round. Stars WHIPPING past on the viewscreen... DATA The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FOUR 47A. 47 CONTINUED: GEORDI We gotta eject the engine core! DATA The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FOUR 48. 48 CLOSE ON DATA as he makes a conclusion about their situation. He glances up at Riker, who is standing beside him -- no time to discuss it. He quickly and intently inputs a few discrete commands into the emitter device strapped to his uniform... PICARD (o.s.) (to com) All hands abandon ship. Repeat, all hands abandon -- 49 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) as it EXPLODES in a blast of fire and debris. Completely destroyed. FADE OUT. END OF ACT FOUR STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/8/92 - ACT FIVE 49. ACT FIVE FADE IN: 50 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) At impulse in a starry region of space. PICARD (V.O.) Captain's log, stardate 45652.1. The Enterprise has entered an area of space known as the Typhon Expanse. We are the first Starfleet vessel to chart this unexplored region. 51 INT. RIKER'S QUARTERS - POKER TABLE (As seen in Acts One, Two, Three.) Poker game in progress. Riker, Data, Worf, Beverly. Data SHUFFLES the deck of cards with android speed and dexterity. RIKER Sometimes I wonder if he's stacking the deck. DATA I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized. WORF I hope so. A look between Worf and Data, then Data deals one card face-down to each person. They glance at their cards. Worf looks agitated -- he keeps glancing around the room... RIKER Something wrong, Worf? WORF I am experiencing nIb'poH. (beat) The feeling I have done this before. RIKER (with humor) Yeah -- last Tuesday night. WORF That is not what I mean. BEVERLY (off his remark) I've been feeling the same way... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FIVE 50. 51 CONTINUED: Beverly stares at the deck of cards, entranced and utterly sure of her feelings... BEVERLY Wait. She points to each person, predicting their cards. BEVERLY An eight... an Ace... a Queen... a four... (beat) Deal the cards, Data. Data deals the cards face-up -- every card is a three. Beverly can hardly believe her predictions are wrong. BEVERLY I was positive I knew what cards were going to be dealt... Worf looks surprised, as well. WORF I was also sure. RIKER Finish the deal, Data. Data quickly lays out the cards, one by one. They watch with fascination as everyone is dealt three-of-a-kind. Reactions -- this is getting creepy. BEVERLY We all got three's... then three-of-a-kind? Curious, they turn over their last cards. As they marvel at the incident... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/16/92 - ACT FIVE 51. 51 CONTINUED: (2) NURSE OGAWA'S COM VOICE Ogawa to Doctor Crusher. BEVERLY Go ahead. NURSE OGAWA'S COM VOICE Commander La Forge needs you in sickbay. BEVERLY On my way. They exchange an uneasy look as Beverly stands and EXITS... 51A INT. SICKBAY (OPTICAL) Geordi sits on an examination table, while Beverly scans him with a medical tricorder. She centers around his ears and head... GEORDI At first I thought the catwalk was spinning. Turns out it was me. (beat) I'm lucky Ensign Fletcher was there to grab me -- it's a long way down to the bottom of the warp core. Geordi reacts to a sudden pain -- headache. Beverly completes her exam. BEVERLY You have all the symptoms of an inner-ear infection. That would explain your dizziness... and the headache. She reaches for a nearby hypospray. BEVERLY But I don't see any physical... She stops in mid-sentence, caught by a strange and sudden awareness. The same feeling she had in the poker game -- she's been here before. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/16/92 - ACT FIVE 51A. 51A CONTINUED: GEORDI (off her look) What is it? BEVERLY Geordi... have you ever had these symptoms before? GEORDI (thinks) Now that you mention it... I think I did. BEVERLY Do you recall when? GEORDI No, I don't. They both try to remember... BEVERLY (certain) We've had this discussion. I remember giving you this examination... (beat) Let's check the medical logs. They move to a nearby console. Beverly hits a few commands -- information comes up on the screen. They study it... BEVERLY (off console) You've been treated several times for headaches related to your VISOR... but I see no mention of dizziness. A beat as they consider. GEORDI (lightly) Must be deja-vu. Beverly looks troubled. BEVERLY Both of us -- about the same thing? STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/17/92 - ACT FIVE 51B. 51A CONTINUED: (2) They exchange a mystified look. Beverly gets an idea -- she moves to a nearby diagnostic instrument (as seen in Act Three). BEVERLY Let's run an optical diagnostic. GEORDI For an ear infection? BEVERLY I've got a hunch... Geordi moves to the instrument, sits down and puts his chin in a headrest. Beverly connects his VISOR to the diagnostic instrument... works the controls. BEVERLY Hold still... this pulse may be a little bright... Beverly taps a command -- and a LIGHT is projected into Geordi's VISOR. Beverly analyzes the results. BEVERLY (off instrument) That's odd... (beat) Have you made any changes to your VISOR lately? GEORDI No. Why? BEVERLY I'm detecting a slight phase-shift in your visual receptors... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/16/92 - ACT FIVE 51C. 52 INT. READY ROOM Picard relaxing in a chair, reading a leather-bound book (the same book seen in Act Two). A quiet moment as he reads... then pauses. A feeling of Deja-vu washes over him -- has he read this book before? He glances at the book title, flips through the pages a few times. Strange... BEVERLY'S COM VOICE Crusher to Captain Picard. PICARD Yes, Doctor? BEVERLY'S COM VOICE Can you come to sickbay immediately? It's urgent. PICARD On my way. Picard sets down the book, eyes it warily... 53 INT. SICKBAY Picard listening to Beverly and Geordi, near the optical diagnostic instrument (as seen in Act Three). Mid-conversation... BEVERLY (re: Geordi) His dizziness is being caused by a phase-shift in his visual receptors. It's causing him to see images that aren't there... Geordi looks around the room. GEORDI They're like... blurry afterimages. BEVERLY I ran a scan to see if I could detect what he was seeing. (MORE) STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FIVE 52. 53 CONTINUED: BEVERLY (cont'd) I picked up miniscule distortions in the surrounding dekyon field. (beat) Somehow, his VISOR seems to be translating those distortions into visual impulses. GEORDI It could be a malfunction in the ship's warp field generator. I'll check it out. PICARD While you're at it, run a localized subspace scan to look for anything unusual. GEORDI Aye, sir. PICARD Keep me advised. As Geordi EXITS... 54 INT. ENGINEERING Later. Geordi and Data working at the consoles, analyzing the ship's sensors. GEORDI Lateral sensors on-line -- subspace scanners active... (beat) Data, will you run a level two diagnostic on the warp subsystems? DATA Certainly. Data works the console at android SPEED... 55 CLOSE ON CONSOLE MONITOR (OPTICAL) Numbers begin to appear on the screen: STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FIVE 53. 55 CONTINUED: 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3... All the numbers are three's. The console starts to BEEP in quick successions of three -- beep-beep-beep... beep-beep-beep... 56 RESUME (OPTICAL) Geordi looks at the monitor. GEORDI All three's... that can't be right. They watch the monitor, bewildered. DATA I have encountered the numeral "three" an inordinate number of times over the last two hours. Suddenly, another nearby console sounds a warning ALARM. Geordi runs to check it. GEORDI We've got a dekyon field fluctuation on deck nine, section twenty-eight... BEVERLY'S COM VOICE Crusher to Commander La Forge. GEORDI La Forge here. BEVERLY'S COM VOICE I just heard what sounded like... voices in my room. But there's no one here. Geordi keeps working. GEORDI Sensors just picked up something strange, too. We're checking it out... BEVERLY'S COM VOICE I'm on my way down. The CRASH of breaking glass is heard on Beverly's end of the com. Geordi and Data exchange a look. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/22/92 - ACT FIVE 54. 56 CONTINUED: GEORDI Are you alright, Doctor? BEVERLY'S COM VOICE I'm fine. As they resume their work... 57 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) at impulse. 58 INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE (OPTICAL) Picard, Riker, Data, Worf, Geordi, Beverly and Troi. They are listening to the recording of the VOICES -- the segments that Data isolated in Act Four. The wall monitor shows the causality loop diagram. The mood is tense -- they are in the middle of discussing their causality loop... WORF (V.O.) ... a highly localized distortion... Beat. DATA (V.O.) ... collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds... Beat. PICARD (V.O.) ... hands abandon ship. Repeat, all hands abandon... The recording stops. A grim beat as they digest what they've heard. TROI The phrase "collision course" suggests we collided with something. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FIVE 54A. 58 CONTINUED: GEORDI (nods) Worf refers to a "distortion." If this were a temporal distortion, and if we were close enough to it... it's possible that a large enough explosion might've ruptured the space-time continuum. (beat) We collided... exploded... and got stuck in this repeating loop of time. They consider. PICARD If you're right about this... Perhaps we could escape the loop by avoiding the collision. GEORDI That's our guess. WORF Maybe we should reverse course. RIKER For all we know, reversing course might be what leads us into the crash. Picard thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. PICARD We can't afford to start second-guessing ourselves. We'll stay on our present course until we have reason to change it. (beat) In the meantime, let's do everything we can to avoid a collision. Nods all around. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/16/92 - ACT FIVE 55. 58 CONTINUED: (2) GEORDI Captain... We've been seeing the number three all over the ship. On consoles... in a poker game... DATA In total, we have encountered two thousand eighty-five conspicuous examples of the number "three." GEORDI All these "threes" can't be coming up by accident. RIKER Maybe somebody's trying to tell us something. GEORDI We came to the same conclusion... so we ran a shipwide diagnostic -- the only unusual thing we found was a dekyon field modulation in Data's positronic subprocessors. BEVERLY What could be causing it? GEORDI I don't know. But if I wanted to send information from one loop to the next... I might have used a method like a dekyon emission. A beat as they consider. TROI You think we sent ourselves a message? GEORDI It would make sense. Maybe we were trying to tell ourselves something... A beat. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/13/92 - ACT FIVE 56. 58 CONTINUED: (2) PICARD If that were true... what could "three" indicate? They contemplate the riddle -- three... three... three... RIKER Maybe we should run a level three diagnostic on all key systems. GEORDI Good idea. And I'll have the computer run a pattern-matching algorithm based on the number three. RO'S COM VOICE Bridge to Captain Picard. PICARD Go ahead. RO'S COM VOICE We are getting unusual readings -- twenty thousand kilometers off the port bow. Reactions. PICARD Red Alert. The ship goes to RED ALERT. They rise and head for the door... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FIVE 57. 59 INT. BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS Picard and the others ENTER and take stations. Riker stands near Data, at ops. PICARD Report. RO Sensors didn't detect the phenomenon until we were almost on top of it, sir. WORF (off console) It is a highly localized distortion in the space-time continuum. RIKER On screen. 60 INTERCUT: VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) The area of space just ahead is MURKY and DISTORTED. Picard and Riker exchange a glance. RIKER How do you think we might've handled this before? Picard thinks, but doesn't have an answer. He goes with his best instincts. PICARD Back us off, Ensign. Nice and slow. RO Aye sir. (beat) Captain -- maneuvering thrusters are not responding. On the viewscreen: the distortion RIPPLES slightly. DATA (off console) The distortion field is fluctuating. Suddenly, the bridge lights FLICKER and GO OUT. The EMERGENCY LIGHTS come on -- and some of the consoles LOSE POWER. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FIVE 58. 60 CONTINUED: GEORDI All main systems just went down. Power levels dropping rapidly... DATA There is an energy build-up in the distortion field. (beat) Something is emerging... Suddenly, Troi is overwhelmed by a distinct and horrible feeling. TROI (certain) Captain -- we have to get out of here now. Picard looks at her, and then -- On the screen, a STARSHIP EMERGES from the murk -- HEADED DIRECTLY FOR US. Reactions to the sight -- RIKER Shields up! Evasive maneuvers! WORF Shields inoperative! RO The helm's not responding! DATA The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds... PICARD Hail them. WORF No response. On the viewscreen, the ship comes closer... closer... PICARD Suggestions? RIKER Decompress the main shuttlebay -- the explosive reaction might kick us out of the way. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/14/92 - ACT FIVE 58A. 60 CONTINUED: (2) Data cuts in, his hands flying across the controls... DATA Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/15/92 - ACT FIVE 59. 60 CONTINUED: (3) PICARD Mister Worf -- make it so. WORF Engaging tractor beam... 61 ON DATA as he works the console... and stops, having a powerful revelation. He turns and looks at Riker, who is standing beside him... 62 CLOSE ON RIKER PUSHING toward him slightly -- HOLD CLOSE ON the three pips of his uniform. 63 RESUME Data realizes what he must do. He rapidly works the console... DATA The tractor beam will not be successful. I am decompressing the main shuttlebay... As he works at hyper-speed... 64 OMITTED 65 CLOSE ON SAUCER SECTION (OPTICAL) We see the huge main shuttlebay DOORS OPEN a crack -- light spills out from the inside, and a gust of VAPOR jets out, becoming a gale force as the doors open further... 66 WIDER ANGLE (OPTICAL) as the Enterprise takes a gentle NOSE DIVE, tumbling downward and out of the way. The other ship just misses us. As this happens, the Enterprise leaves behind several ghostly AFTERIMAGES of itself -- Enterprises from previous loops. Each afterimage plays out the same fate, as they all hit the other ship and EXPLODE... STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/15/92 - ACT FIVE 60. 66 CONTINUED: The genuine Enterprise and the other ship escape unharmed... 67 INT. BRIDGE The TREMBLING subsides. bridge lights COME ON. WORF We are clear of the distortion, Captain. A sigh of relief. They get their bearings. Picard turns to Data. PICARD Data -- what happened? DATA At the last moment, I speculated that "three" might refer to the number of rank insignia on Commander Riker's uniform. (beat) This indicated to me that his suggestion was the correct course of action. Reactions to the explanation. GEORDI (to Data) You must've picked up a message we sent from the last loop... and stacked the deck in the poker game without realizing it. DATA That is possible, Commander. I may also have been inadvertently responsible for the unexplained appearances of the number "three." A beat as this sinks in. PICARD Mister Worf, end Red Alert. See if you can access a Federation time-base beacon. Find out how long we've been in this causality loop. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/23/92 - ACT FIVE 61. 67 CONTINUED: WORF Aye, sir. Worf works -- the ship goes out of Red Alert. WORF (off console) Time-base confirms that our chronometers are off by seventeen point four days. Reactions to the news. PICARD Reset them, Mister Data. DATA Aye, sir. Worf reacts to his console. WORF Captain -- we are being hailed by the other vessel. (off console) The computer identifies it as the U.S.S. Bozeman. A Federation starship, Soyuz class. GEORDI (reacts) Soyuz Class... they haven't been in service for over eighty years. Picard and Riker exchange a concerned look. Picard takes a breath, preparing for the encounter. PICARD Open a channel. 68 INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) CAPTAIN BATESON and his FIRST OFFICER appear. (Their uniforms and surroundings are reminiscent of the original series.) They study our bridge, confused by what they see. BATESON This is Captain Morgan Bateson of the Federation Starship Bozeman. Can we render assistance? STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/23/92 - ACT FIVE 62. 68 CONTINUED: PICARD Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We were just going to ask you the same thing. Bateson exchanges a confused glance with his First Officer. BATESON Captain Picard... your ship is unfamiliar to us. An awkward beat. PICARD Have you any idea what just happened? BATESON Our sensors detected a temporal distortion. Then your ship appeared... we nearly hit you. PICARD The Enterprise has been caught in temporal causality loop. And I suspect something similar happened to you. BATESON You must be mistaken. We only left starbase three weeks ago. Picard isn't sure how to put this... PICARD Captain Bateson... do you know what year it is? BATESON Of course I do -- it's twenty-two seventy-eight. Reactions around the bridge. PICARD Captain... perhaps you should beam aboard our ship. (beat) There's something we need to discuss. STAR TREK: "Cause and Effect" - REV. 1/8/92 - ACT FIVE 63. 68 CONTINUED: (2) Bateson nods, growing very concerned. OFF Picard's grim expression, as he anticipates the problems that lie ahead for these ancient prisoners of time... 68A EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) facing the Bozeman... FADE OUT. END OF ACT FIVE THE END