Captain's log, star date 41263.1.
We have rendezvoused with the USS Fearless.
A Starfleet propulsion expert and his assistant
are beaming over to conduct tests on the Enterprise's engines.
They have made similar adjustments on two other Starfleet vessels.
I don't understand your concern.
They're not authorized to make alterations.
They will run tests on different ways of entering warp speed,
and different formulas. Where's the harm?
It's the specs Kosinski sent us. They're gibberish.
- Gibberish? - Mr. Data, would you explain?
We put Mr. Kosinski's specs into the computer and ran a test.
There was no improvement in performance.
So explain why the same tests on the USS Ajax and the Fearless
resulted in an increase in propulsion.
Our engines are new, sir. Top condition.
The tests on older ships may have fixed some inefficiency.
Bridge from transporter.
Two from USS Fearless are ready to beam over.
Stand by. Mr. Riker's on his way.
Aye, sir.
You're concerned about these tests...
Yes, sir.
If I may, I'll ask Counsellor Troi to look these visitors over.
Very good.
Welcome aboard, Mr. Kosinski. I'm Cmdr William Riker.
- Where is the Captain, please? - He's engaged in other duties.
His engines should be the Captain's concern.
They are, which is why the First Officer
is responsible for an engine's performance.
Guided, of course, by a Chief Engineer, Lt. Cmdr Argyle.
Nice to meet you. I appreciated receiving your specs.
To which you have many questions?
Aye, I have.
You, sir, are...?
Mr. Kosinski's assistant. My actual name is unpronounceable by humans.
You're from Tau Alpha C. That's very distant.
All approved and described in the Starfleet communications.
I will set up in the engine room.
Our Chief Engineer will show you the way.
No need. I know my way around starships.
One thing Kosinski's not hiding is bad disposition!
Agreed. Also, he's arrogant, overbearing, self-important,
and very sure of himself and his ability.
- And his assistant? - He's the puzzle.
With most life forms, I can usually feel something.
I may not be able to understand it, but I feel something,
if only a presence.
With him, nothing. Empty space.
It's as though he isn't even here.
Something about this concerns me. I can point to no reason yet.
Stay concerned, please.
The safety of the Enterprise may be entrusted to these two.
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds,...
..to seek out new life and new civilizations,...
..to boldly go where no one has gone before.
I shall begin my first test in precisely 15 minutes.
- Why is this child here? - He's doing a school project.
There are some questions. First...
To save myself time, let me ask those questions for you.
You received the information from Starfleet,
fed it into your computer as precisely as humanly possible.
You did a controlled test.
Then, to your astonishment, nothing happened.
So, you said, "What's going on? This doesn't work!"
"Kosinski's a fraud!"
I have had this conversation
on other vessels.
They didn't understand it. Why should you?
You're saying it's unexplainable?
I'm saying I'm not a teacher. Nor do I wish to be one.
I have neither the inclination nor the time.
You have all the time you need.
I don't think you understand. It has been approved by Starfleet.
It hasn't been approved by the Chief Engineer or me.
- I didn't know that was necessary. - Now, you do.
Perhaps I should speak to Capt Picard.
If you like. It won't change anything.
- How basic shall I be? - I'll leave that to you.
Would you get on the auxiliary panel?
To save time, my assistant is going to lay in my base formulas
more rapidly than any human being could, even myself.
Here, then, in the simplest possible terms, is what I do.
This warp-drive system has been tuned only in the grossest sense,
at least according to my standards.
What I do is specific. Thank you.
Well, sufficient to say for now that these symbols...
Something troubles you with the way this is configured?
How about it now?
Yes...
But shouldn't these be connected?
Here...
..and here.
Now will it do what Kosinski says it will?
It has a chance.
It might work better... this way.
Yes.
View this screen as we consider this.
Now, is this merely mechanics, or is it nature we're dealing with?
What else than nature are the elementals of space and time?
You are trained in the system. You go in a straight line.
Competent. Perhaps innovative, in a minimalist way.
But what I do is not the end of the process, it is the beginning.
So, do I go back to the Fearless,
which I left with a more efficient warp-drive system than I found?
Or do you cast off your ignorance and let me continue?
Could this damage our system?
- It's meaningless. - Should we let him try?
"Let him try"? Don't talk about me as if I'm not standing right here!
- We might as well let him try. - You are too generous.
Boy! Don't play with that!
Engineering is ready to proceed.
Engineering, this is the bridge. It's your call.
Do this one just like the last time. Nothing changes.
Commander, I'll make my preliminary adjustments at warp 1.5,
and complete them as we achieve warp four.
Engineering to bridge. Did you copy that?
Affirmative, Number One. Are you ready?
We are.
La Forge, set in warp 1.5.
Warp 1.5, sir.
Engage.
Alright, here we go.
What are you doing?
Captain, we're passing warp ten!
- What is our velocity? - It's off the scale, sir.
Reverse engines.
Captain, no one has ever reversed engines at this velocity.
No one has gone this fast. Reverse engines.
- All stop. - Reading all stop, sir.
Position?
Calculating it. Data, what do you read over there?
Malfunction... I trust.
Position, Mr. La Forge?
We've not only left our own galaxy, but passed through two others,
ending up on the far side of Triangulum.
The galaxy known as M33.
That's not possible. Data, what distance have we travelled?
2,700,000 light years, sir.
- I can't accept that! - You must, sir.
Our comparisons show it to be accurate.
And I calculate that at maximum warp it would take over...
..300 years to get home!
Captain's log, star date 41263.2.
This will be a rather unusual log entry,
assuming Starfleet ever receives it.
As I've already informed my crew,
a surge of power during a warp-speed experiment
has sent our starship hurtling out of our galaxy and past another,
taking us over 2, 700,000 light years in a few minutes.
Message on this has been transmitted to Starfleet, sir.
Which they should receive in 51 years, ten months, nine weeks...
- Mr. Data! - Sir?
- Capt Picard, I presume. - We don't know what happened.
The truth is, I made a wonderful, incredible mistake.
Just explain what brought us here.
As the power grew, I applied the energy asymptomatically.
I anticipated some tilling.
That was my error, using the Bessel functions at the beginning.
- What is he saying, Number One? - It sounds like nonsense.
But considering...
Considering where we are,...
..we must assume it isn't.
Can I do something to help?
I can call my mother. She's a doctor.
There's nothing she can do. I need to rest. I've been away too long.
Is what happened to you part of what happened to the ship?
Please believe me. I mean no harm to this vessel or those in it.
Is Mr. Kosinski like he sounds? A joke?
No, it's too cruel.
He has sensed some small part of this.
That space and time and thought
aren't the separate things they appear to be?
I thought the formula you were using said something like that.
Don't ever say that again!
Not at your age, in a world that's not ready for such...
..such dangerous nonsense.
I suspected that this rate of speed was possible,
but at this level... No, never.
We're going to need new definitions, new parameters.
Perhaps you could call it the Kosinski Scale.
Why not? Yes, of course!
Since I'm the one who's made the warp barrier meaningless.
Captain, this must be a special thrill for you.
- Thrill? - As an explorer.
In three centuries, we've charted just 11 percent of our galaxy.
And then, we accomplished this.
Yes, but isn't the real point, can you do it again?
Can you get us home?
Well, of course I can. I'll just do what I did before.
Coming, Riker?
Cmdr Riker will join you in a moment.
Comment is invited. Counsellor?
He's convinced he's right. I have no doubt of that.
Can you allow a man who's made one mistake
into a position where he may make another?
Captain, if this guy can't get us back, who will?
Captain, why not avail ourselves of this opportunity for study?
There's a giant protostar in the process of forming.
No other vessel has been out this far.
Spoken like a true Starfleet graduate.
- It is tempting, Number One? - Aye, sir, it is.
But, as they say, you're the Captain.
If Kosinski can get us home,
Starfleet can use his technique to bring back a pure science vessel.
Do even more.
Tell Kosinski to get us out of here.
Aye, sir.
Do you realize how many great advancements of mankind
have been tied to speed?
This is a moment in history, right here, right now,
and your names will be forever linked with mine.
Excuse me, Cmdr Riker.
I don't think he did this. It was...
- Not now. - Standing by.
But, sir, I was watching his assistant...
I'm sure this is fascinating, Wesley, but not right now!
Aye, sir.
- Come on. - He's too tired.
- Why don't you do it by yourself? - Yes, why not?
- No! I will help. - As you wish.
I've laid in the reciprocal course back, Captain.
Tell the Captain I am ready, First Officer.
Ready for you to engage, Captain.
- As before, begin at warp 1.5. - Warp 1.5, sir.
This isn't working.
- All stop. - Answering all stop, Captain.
According to the instruments, our speed never exceeded warp 1.5.
All stopped, sir.
Yes.
But where is this place?
Where none have gone before.
Captain's log, star date 41263.3.
Instead of returning to our own galaxy,
the Enterprise has gone forward to a place in the universe
which is uncharted and unknown.
Our position puts us at over a billion light years from our galaxy.
Data, you have the helm. I'll be in Engineering.
- What is it? - A Klingon targ!
My pet!
From home!
But, when I was a child...
You're saying it's a kitty-cat?
Yes, I suppose you could call it that.
You darling! What are you doing here?
Now, run. This place isn't safe at all.
Tasha, what's wrong?
- You look scared to death! - I was...
This is crazy. I was at the colony where I grew up,
being chased by a rape gang!
Are you alright?
Well, you're safe now.
Captain! We need your help!
- What's wrong? - Don't you see what's following us?
Ensign, what are you doing?
You look tense, Jean-Luc. Come and have a cup of tea.
Maman... ?
I make it good and strong, the way you like it.
We'll have a nice long talk.
- This can't be! You've been... - Dead?
But I'm always with you. You know that.
Yes,... I felt that.
But why now, suddenly?
You mean out here?
At what you say is the end of the universe?
Or did you see this as the beginning of it?
We believe it the outer rim.
Maman, do you understand these things?
Can you tell me where my ship is? What is this place?
Captain? You were reported headed for...
Just a moment, Number One!
Can I help you, sir?
No.
No, let's help all of us.
General quarters. Red alert.
What is it? Why are we at general quarters?
It was the quickest way to get everyone's attention.
This is the Captain. This is not a drill.
It seems that in this place,
the world of the physical universe
and the world of ideas is somehow intermixed.
What we think
also becomes a reality.
We must, therefore, I repeat, must begin controlling our thoughts.
We will give you more on this as our understanding increases.
The Enterprise will stay at full alert until the crisis is over.
- What did you do? - It was his assistant.
Kosinski wasn't controlling the experiments.
It was me!
The equations he punched in were nonsense. As we thought.
I honestly thought... it was me. I thought somehow...
..somehow I was operating on his level.
It was also my fault. I should have realized it wasn't Kosinski.
How could you? How could any of us?
Wesley did.
If you knew, why didn't you say?
He tried, twice. I didn't listen.
- He's unconscious. Why? - I'm not certain yet.
- He phased, sir. - What does that mean?
Parts of him disappeared then came back.
Nobody paid attention to him the first time.
This time, he was fighting it.
- He's dying. - He mustn't!
He's the only one who can get us back.
Realistically, that doesn't seem possible.
Captain's log, supplemental. Our position is unknown.
Our only chance of returning to the known universe is a dying alien,
who is generally humanoid, but with a physiology
which would create medical problems in caring for him.
- Cause? - I don't know.
My equipment doesn't register his life signs.
I would guess exhaustion, fatigue.
- Will he be alright? - Why is the boy here?
Mom, he's my friend.
You may want him here, sir.
He seems to have developed an attachment to the boy.
My name is Wesley.
He knows! We all know.
- Will he live? - I'm not sure.
- Wake him. - I'd rather let him come round.
We don't have that luxury!
He could die, and with him any chance we have.
Doctor... Wes... We all have other friends on this ship.
If we stay here, we may lose the ability
to distinguish between thought and reality.
Regardless of the risk, wake him, now!
Recognize me? I'm the Captain and I need answers.
I will do my best... to provide...
Who are you, or what?
I am... a Traveller.
Traveller? What is your destination?
- Destination? - Yes.
- What place are you trying to reach? - Place? No.
There's no specific place I wish to go.
What is the purpose of your journey?
Curiosity.
- That's not an answer. - I have certain abilities.
They give me a knowledge of propulsion.
I have been trading this for passage on Starfleet vessels.
- Letting Kosinski take the credit? - It seemed the sensible way.
- Until now. - Captain...
I seek only transportation in order to see and experience your reality.
I am no threat to you, your ship or your crew.
He isn't, Captain! I know he isn't!
Our reality? And in order to satisfy this curiosity,
you have brought my ship and my crew into grave risk!
- I have made some mistakes. - Some mistakes!
What mistakes could possibly explain these explosions of velocity?
I don't know if I can put this in terms you'll understand.
I believe there may be a warp speed that can get us beyond galaxy M33.
But there is no velocity of any magnitude
that can possibly bring us... wherever this is.
Are our navigational sensors right?
Are we millions of light years from where we were?
- Well, yes. - Well, what got us here?
Thought.
- Thought? - You do understand?
Thought is the basis of all reality.
The energy of thought, to put it in your terms, is very powerful.
That's not an explanation.
I have the ability to act like a lens, which focuses thought.
That's just nonsense. You're asking us to believe in magic!
Well, yes, this could seem like magic to you.
No.
No, it actually makes sense to me.
Only the power of thought could explain what has been happening.
Thought is the essence of where you are now.
You do understand the danger?
Chaos! What we think is what happens.
It pains me I was so careless, Captain.
My intent was only to observe, not to cause this.
You should not be here until your far distant future.
Certainly not until you've learned control.
You are from a different time?
Not exactly from another time. I...
Although as you understand the concept,
yes, perhaps that term fits as well as any.
- You have this ability to travel? - Yes.
- Others of your kind have it? - Oh, yes.
Then why is there no record of someone like you having visited us?
What wonderful arrogance!
It's because we have not visited you before.
Why not?
Well, because, up until now, if you'll forgive this,
you've been... uninteresting.
It's only now that your life form merits serious attention.
I'm... sorry...
- What's happening? - He's unconscious again.
Revive him.
Whatever you need from him, get it soon!
Sir, our first leap out of our galaxy was, as he said, a mistake.
- Unless he was distracted. - and it weakened him,
resulting in the incredible leap out here.
Theory!
Have you any facts that fit this? Can you get us back?
Captain, not so fast.
We have an opportunity for scientific discovery.
And we report our observations how? To whom?
Can you get us back?
I will try.
Take him down to Engineering. I'll be on the bridge.
No!
- He's very weak. - The Captain's right. We must hurry.
First, I request a moment with the Captain. Alone.
Strange how he seems to care for you.
He will forget me in time, which is as it should be.
- It's Wesley I want to speak about. - The boy?
It's best you do not repeat this, especially not to the mother.
Whatever happens, it is imperative that it proceed naturally.
I must get my ship back.
- Do we have time for this? - Oh, yes!
He and a few like him are why I travel.
You have it in your power to encourage him without interfering.
- Encourage him in what? - How shall I explain?
Are you familiar with the intricacies of what is called "music"?
Somewhat.
Such musical geniuses I saw in your ship's libraries.
One called Mozart, who as a small child, wrote astonishing symphonies.
A genius who made music not only to be heard, but seen and felt
beyond the understanding, the ability of others.
Wesley is such a person.
Not with music, but with the equally lovely intricacies
of time, energy, propulsion.
And the instruments of this vessel, which allow all that to be played.
You're right, I must hurry now.
But you're right. He is just a boy.
He should be encouraged, but told none of this.
We're going home. Take him to Engineering.
- Yes, sir. - I'll be on the bridge.
- Put it out! - How?
Think! Put the flame out in your thoughts.
Get to your station.
- Concentrate on your assignment! - Yes, sir!
Captain's log. Any time entry is meaningless.
We have to repeat the same warp experiment
but with one variation.
A principal part of this formula
will be the thoughts of everyone on the Enterprise.
We have no idea how this works.
We understand only that the Traveller
makes use of this somehow.
It is important that those aboard avoid random thoughts
that might change the reality of what we're attempting to do.
Do you have further advice?
When you begin the attempt, there will be stress.
It's only natural the crew's concentration will shift.
Plus some genuine fear, Captain.
You can't notice what's happening without that.
All decks, all stations.
This is the Captain speaking. I must have your full attention.
In a few moments, as we attempt to warp home,
it is absolutely vital that you centre your thoughts
on your duty or on the welfare of the one called the Traveller.
Think of giving him some of your strength. This is an order.
You must try to do this.
Now, attempt to concentrate completely
on your duty of the moment.
Or on the Traveller, on his wellbeing.
Think of him as someone you care deeply for.
All decks, all stations... battle stations!
I need Kosinski back on the main computer.
You need me?
Yes.
Helm, set in warp 1.5, retroactive course.
Warp 1.5. Retroactive 261, mark 31, sir.
Bridge to Engineering. Stand by.
I feel an abundance of wellbeing on the ship.
It feels like...
..quite wonderful.
Engineering to bridge. We're ready.
On my order, Mr. Data, Mr. La Forge.
Engage.
It's not happening. It's not enough.
Warp 1.5, sir, which is what my instruments read all along.
Our position is exactly what it was before this sleigh ride began, sir.
- Cease red alert. - Sleigh ride?
Whatever you want to call it. I don't have a proper name for it.
- The Traveller's gone, sir. - Gone?
He's phased completely out of existence.
At least, out of our existence.
Attention, all decks.
With your support, the Traveller has returned us to our own galaxy.
However, he has now left us.
Wherever he has gone, we wish him well.
Have the boy sent to the bridge.
Wesley Crusher, report to the bridge, on the double.
Our next assignment is on this heading?
Yes, sir.
Mr. Data, Mr. La Forge, increase to warp five, same heading.
- Warp five, sir. - Same heading, sir.
Wesley, come on the bridge.
Move!
Cmdr Riker told me how supportive you were. Well done.
At ease. Er...
- Sit here. - Captain, it's not allowed.
- Your orders. - That's true.
Well, I can't waive them again...
Only commissioned officers...
- It's alright. I understand. - Please don't interrupt me.
I'm sorry, sir.
Any commission rank? Even ensign?
That would give him authorized access to the bridge.
Well, then, I'll have to make him an acting ensign.
Captain's log, star date 41263.4.
For outstanding performance in the best Starfleet tradition,
Wesley is made Acting Ensign
with the duties and privileges of that rank.
And whether that rank becomes permanent depends on you.
At the earliest opportunity,
your application for Starfleet Academy will be tendered.
Until then, you will learn this ship. Every operation and function.
Commander, a duty schedule for Mr. Crusher, heavy on study.
Aye, sir.
Meanwhile, sit here and learn something.
- Sir, shall I send for Dr. Crusher? - Why? Is someone ill?
Or would you rather tell her, Wes?
Sir, I'd like to sit here for a while. I'll tell her later.