The U.S.S. Enterprise
welcomes two Iyaaran ambassadors, Loquel and Byleth, who
are visiting the ship as part of a "cultural exchange"
that will also send Picard to their planet. Before
Picard departs, he assigns Troi to act as Loquel's
liaison and asks Riker to do the same for Byleth. But
Byleth has other ideas, and instead demands that Worf
serve as his shipboard guide. Soon afterward, Picard
departs for the Iyaaran homeworld with Voval, the
Iyaaran shuttle pilot, who is gruff and uncommunicative.
Their awkward silence is disrupted by a malfunction
aboard their ship. Crashing on an unknown planet, Voval
receives a concussion, but Picard is seemingly unhurt.
He decides to seek help outside, but falls to the ground
trying to traverse the planet's stormy surface. While he
lies unconscious, someone silently drags him away.
Picard awakens on the distant planet in a small,
dimly-lit cargo cabin. He is approached by a solemn,
attractive human woman who informs him that Voval did
not survive the crash. Picard learns that the woman's
name is Anna and that she is the sole survivor of a
Terellian cargo freighter crash that occurred seven
years before. After Anna tells him that he has three
broken ribs, he sends her to retrieve the shuttlecraft's
com panel to send a distress signal, but she
accidentally destroys the transmitter module while
removing it. Picard is then shocked when Anna suddenly
kisses him and tells him she loves him.
Back on the
Enterprise, Worf has had about all he can take of his
abrasive, demanding guest. Riker decides that the
tension might be eased by a "friendly" game of poker.
The game is anything but "friendly," and Worf realizes
that Byleth is stealing chips. Before long, Worf loses
control and, despite Riker's insistence that he calm
down, attacks his guest. But instead of getting angry,
Byleth is pleased. He expresses admiration for Worf's
display of anger and politely excuses himself to
document the experience, leaving everyone confused.
Meanwhile, Picard
becomes enraged at Anna when he realizes that his ribs
are not really broken, and the woman, who continues to
beg for his love, is actually holding him captive. He
angrily alerts Anna to his discovery, at which point she
becomes distraught over failing to gain his affection
and rushes out the door, breaking off her necklace.
Picard runs out to find her, only to encounter Voval,
who is very much alive.
Voval explains that he
only appeared to be dead because, when Lyaarans are
injured, their metabolic rates slow down in order to
promote healing. He and Picard set off in search of
Anna, eventually separating. Picard finds her at the
edge of a cliff, threatening to commit suicide if he
does not tell her he loves her. When he notices that
Anna is again wearing her necklace and that Voval has
again disappeared, Picard senses that something strange
is going on and tells Anna to go ahead and jump. At that
moment, she transforms herself back into Voval, who
explains that he is not really a pilot, but an Iyaaran
ambassador. He staged the crash in order to study the
emotion of love, non-existent on the Iyaaran homeworld,
by using Picard as a subject. Similarly, Loquel and
Byleth were sent to experience pleasure and antagonism.
Picard is taken aback at first, but upon returning to
the Enterprise, joins Worf and Troi in deeming the
experience a worthwhile one. |
 |
Production: 254
Season: 7 Episode: 2
Air Date: 09.27.1993
Stardate: Unknown |
 |
|
 |
Patrick Stewart as
Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes as William Riker
Brent Spiner as Data
LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn as Worf
Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi |
 |
|
 |
|
|
Barbara Williams as Anna
Eric Pierpoint as Voval
Paul Eiding as Loquel
Michael Harris as Byleth |
 |
|
 |
| David Gerrold, a writer from
the original series, was a consultant and uncredited
story editor on the first two seasons. He left in a
dispute after a script of his containing two implied gay
characters and an allegorical reference to AIDS was
pulled from production in the 11th hour. The story,
entitled "Blood and Fire", was resurrected in 2004 as a
non-Star Trek novel by Gerrold. |
|
Click this link to view the
complete script in a TXT format
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Liaisons"
(fka "The Journey")
#40277-254
Story by
Roger Eschbacher & Jaq Greenspan
Teleplay by
Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci & Lisa Rich
Directed by
Cliff Bole
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 1993 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
JULY 6, 1993
STAR TREK: "Liaisons" - 07/06/93 - CAST
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Liaisons"
CAST
PICARD BYLETH
RIKER LOQUEL
DATA PILOT
BEVERLY ANNA
TROI BOY
WORF
GEORDI
Non-Speaking
N.D. SUPERNUMERARIES
N.D. ENGINEERS
STAR TREK: "Liaisons" - 07/06/93 - SETS
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Liaisons"
SETS
INTERIORS EXTERIORS
USS ENTERPRISE USS ENTERPRISE
WORF'S QUARTERS
SHUTTLEBAY PLANET'S SURFACE
TEN FORWARD
CORRIDOR ALIEN SHUTTLECRAFT
ENGINEERING
OBSERVATION LOUNGE
RIKER'S QUARTERS
ALIEN SHUTTLECRAFT
CARGO FREIGHTER
STAR TREK: "Liaisons" - 07/06/93 - PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"Liaisons"
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
BUSSARD buh-SARD
BYLETH BYE-leth
IYAARANS ee-YAR-uns
IYAR ee-YAR
KTARIAN kit-AR-ee-un
PAPALLA puh-PALL-uh
TARVOKIAN tar-VOKE-ee-un
TERELLIAN teh-RELL-ee-un
VOVAL voh-VALL
ANNA AH-nah
Click this link to view the
complete script in a TXT format |
