Captain's log, star date 45349.1.
The Enterprise is on its way to Penthara IV.
A type-C asteroid has struck an unpopulated continent.
The resulting dust cloud could create a phenomenon
like the nuclear winters of 21st-century Earth.
Cmdr La Forge has begun work
on a plan that would counteract the devastation.
I'm afraid the numbers indicate climatic changes.
What drop can we expect?
The Pentharans predict ten to 12 degrees Celsius within ten days.
Their ecosystem will be shot to hell.
I doubt they're prepared to cope with the cold.
- Cmdr Riker. - Yes, sir?
- Join me on the bridge, please. - Right away.
Are you certain?
There was a space-time distortion. Something is there.
- We passed within 300 kilometers. - Too close to be a coincidence.
Mr. La Forge, would a delay of one hour affect your plans?
Not unless another asteroid hits Penthara, sir.
The odds of that occurring are extremely unlikely.
Thank you, Mr. Data.
Let's look at Mr. Worf's distortion.
- Aye, sir. - Mr. Worf's what?
Sensors detected a temporal distortion almost in our course.
There's a small object that wasn't there before.
It's 50 kilometers ahead, sir.
- Full stop. - Aye, sir.
On screen.
Dimensions, Worf?
Approximately five metres long, sir.
Life signs?
No signs of any kind. Our sensors do not penetrate the hull.
Try hailing it.
- That's odd. - What's odd?
We've received a response, but...
Yes, Mr. Worf?
They want you to move over, sir.
Reply that the Enterprise isn't going anywhere.
Not the Enterprise, Captain. You.
What are you trying to tell me?
Excuse me, but you were standing right where I needed to be.
Who are you?
Rasmussen's the name, sir. Professor Berlinghoff Rasmussen.
This is wonderful! Actually, quite a bit larger than I thought.
Really?
Where I come from, every historian knows the bridge of old 1701-D!
Where exactly do you come from?
Why, Earth.
Late 26th-century Earth, to be exact.
I've travelled back nearly 300 years just to find you.
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.
Exactly what kind of historian are you?
My focus is on the 22nd through the 24th centuries.
Early interstellar history.
It was always believed this was on your desk, not here.
Fascinating!
Don't move it on my account!
You can't expect me to believe that the layout of my ready room
can be of interest to future historians.
No less so than your legendary modesty, Captain.
If I could describe to you what a thrill it is to be here!
This is the original.
You flatter me, Professor.
But I can't help but wonder
what could possibly have caused you to select me as a subject for study.
Even in this decade, there are far wiser humans in and out of Starfleet.
I'd love to tell you, I would.
But imagine what a young Caesar might have done differently
had someone given him a hint of what lay ahead,
or if Lincoln had been coerced into changing his theatre plans!
I wish I could be more specific on why you were selected,
but I'm afraid the exchange of information will have to flow
in one direction only.
Five, six, seven metres.
I was right.
- Why now? - Right.
If you've come to study us and the Captain, why today?
Why not a year ago or a year from now?
I picked the right day. Just wait. You'll see.
Do you always sit there, on that side of the table?
Usually. Why?
It's not important.
At what point does time travel become a tool for historians?
Now, now, Commander, you know better than that.
I've studied a great deal about your century.
You are all aware of the dangers of altering the past.
That's what I'd be doing if it were to divulge information like that.
- Telurian plague. - I beg your pardon?
The Telurian plague, was it cured?
Did they find the cure by your century?
Surely I can ask that.
It's difficult, but we must keep to ourselves questions about the future.
Go on, Professor.
I'll prepare questionnaires. Complete them when you can.
If you're concerned about a breach of security,
I'm sure your captain can make a determination.
And thank you in advance for curbing your curiosity.
If I hand it in on time, can I get a glimpse of next week's poker game?
Mr. Data, escort the Professor to his quarters.
This way, sir.
What did he mean, he picked the right day?
- You know everything I do. - Deanna?
It's hard to tell, but he is holding something back.
Of course he is. All the things he could tell us.
It might be that. I don't know.
What if he's an impostor? We've seen enough of them.
He is human. Medical scans prove that.
He's human, alright.
There was a temporal distortion, Mr. Worf?
Yes, sir.
No one can deny that his ship is unlike anything we've ever seen.
The hull is made of a plasticized tritanium mesh.
We've nothing like it on record.
Mr. Worf, I do appreciate your caution.
I share it.
Bring his vessel into the shuttle bay. Place it under guard.
Yes, sir.
I realize that this visit is going to be difficult for some of us,
but his credentials seem to be in order,
so we should extend to him every courtesy.
Including questionnaires?
Including questionnaires, Mr. Worf.
This is really a thrill,
like running across a Red stone missile or a Gutenberg Bible.
To think, the Model T of androids.
If you mean the first production-model automobile
of the 20th century, the Model A would be a more apt analogy,
since I am Dr Soong's revised prototype.
I stand corrected.
Is there a problem?
I suppose it'll have to do, for now.
I'll get you a list of the things I'll be needing, OK?
Would I be correct in assuming
that you know whether or not I am still alive in the 26th century?
Since you seem to know so much about the ship, I assumed...
It'd be best if you kept your assumptions to yourself, wouldn't it?
Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.
Captain's log, star date 45350.3.
We have arrived at Penthara IV and can see for ourselves
the atmospheric devastation caused by the asteroid's impact.
We've located underground pockets of carbon dioxide
here, here and here.
Our drilling phasers can release enough of the gas
to form an envelope to temporarily hold in the heat of the sun.
We've spent years trying to avoid anything
that would lead to a greenhouse effect,
and now we're about to create one on purpose!
Less than 20 percent of normal sunlight is getting through.
If we can hold enough heat in, that should give the planet time to mend.
- Excuse me, Dr Moseley? - What now?
New Seattle reports a cloud depth of 12 kilometers.
Two tropical rivers are freezing.
Let's start, before there's nothing left to mend.
Look who's here.
I hate questionnaires.
Professor! Come and join us.
Hope I'm not intruding.
Not at all. You're the topic of conversation at every table here.
As I promised, here are your assignments.
I'm sure they're painless.
Please try and complete them by tomorrow.
- Tomorrow? - No problem, Professor.
- You're all very calm. - Any reason we shouldn't be?
History always records what people were doing
when important events took place.
But it rarely remembers their activities
a week before, a day or even an hour.
Are you suggesting an important event is imminent?
I didn't say that.
Go on doing what you're doing and pretend I'm not here.
Why is there no record of other historians
travelling back to witness events?
We're obviously very careful.
In fact, a colleague and I recently paid a call on a 22nd-century vessel.
They hadn't perfected quarantine fields. You saw surgical masks?
Isn't it fascinating how everyone has different interests
when it comes to history? Different perspectives on progress.
- Would you tell me what that is? - Just checking the time.
Is something important supposed to be happening?
No, it's nothing. What about you? What do you see
as the most important example of progress in the last 200 years?
I suppose the warp coil. Before there was warp drive,
humans were confined to one sector of the galaxy.
Spoken like the consummate explorer!
What is going on? Are you expecting someone?
- Phasers. - I beg your pardon?
There were no phasers in the 22nd century.
See? Our Klingon friend is a perfect example of what I was telling you.
He views history through the eyes of a hunter. A warrior.
His passion lies in the perfection of the tools of violence.
How delightfully primitive!
When we input this data,
the computer should tell us how many holes to punch.
- How is tectonic stability? - Couldn't be better.
Scans were all clear. There hasn't been a quiver in a century.
Just the two I'm looking for. I brought you the forms.
Shouldn't take more than a few hours.
We're busy. Tomorrow would be better.
Data, we've got 23,000 thermal simulations.
- Could you check for anomalies? - Certainly.
Is that as fast as he can go?
Not fast enough for you?
There's little known about Data's efficiency.
Almost nothing about his part in this mission.
It's a topic of great conjecture.
209 anomalies, all within acceptable parameters.
Thanks, Data.
You're here to witness this mission. That's it, isn't it?
It'd be best if you thought of me as a fly on the wall
and went about your business.
I will have your answered questions soon.
Data at Penthara IV!
If you'll excuse me.
Your prosthesis, what do you call it again?
- A visor. - Visor. Right. A visor.
I have a picture of you wearing that. How do you like it?
It allows me to see. I like it just fine.
You know, Homer was blind.
Milton, Bach, Monet, Wonder.
- A fly on the wall, huh? - Fly on the wall.
The computer has configured the drilling patterns.
Captain, I'm ready to transport down.
I'll notify Dr Moseley. Good luck, Geordi.
Gentlemen.
Who said these moments are less exciting when you know the outcome?
I know of no one who said that.
Enterprise will monitor the CO2 concentrations at six altitudes.
If all goes well, it should take only 20 bore sites.
Let's hope all goes well.
La Forge to Cmdr Riker. How are you doing?
The monitoring stations are on line. We're ready when you are.
Excellent. All we need now is an open channel to Data.
Open a channel, Mr. Worf, and prepare to fire.
The computer has locked in the phaser-depth calculations.
- Mr. Data? - Ready, sir.
Fire.
Target one is emitting 2,000 cubic metres per second.
Target two, 1,600.
Surface wind patterns are stable.
Anything at altitude, Data?
CO2 concentrations remain unchanged at upper elevations.
Have I missed much?
Target 14 complete, sir.
Data?
- What have you got? - No change, sir.
How are the surface winds, Geordi?
Holding steady, sir.
The computer has stopped drilling.
You should be getting something now, Data.
Elevated CO2 levels at 20 kilometers, sir.
Now you're talking. We've got new temperatures.
All stations report no further temperature drops.
Correction, two equatorial stations report slight increases.
Thank you, all. You've given us what we need. Time.
We're glad to be of help.
We will continue to monitor your progress. Picard out.
"You've given us what we need. Time."
- Return to synchronous orbit. - Aye, sir.
Very clever, Picard. Well done!
We always knew how you did it, but to experience the moment,
to witness the nuances, it's indescribable.
He's after more than a history lesson.
- What are you getting from him? - I don't know.
It's like he's trying to confuse us, misdirect us somehow.
There you are!
Well, that certainly was exciting, wasn't it?
Is everything alright? Are you well?
Yes. Couldn't be better.
I thought we might chat about your questionnaire.
Buck up, Crewman! You're a credit to that uniform!
I've got things to do.
No, please, Counsellor. I'd appreciate your remaining.
Doctor, in response to question six, you spoke of a neural stimulator.
May I see one?
I don't see why not. Give me a minute.
- You don't like me very much. - I don't dislike you, Professor.
Keep your eyes wide, soldier.
You'll tell your grandchildren you were at Penthara IV.
But you don't trust me.
- You should. - Should l?
"Picard's empath won't trust you," they said.
- Picard's empath? - We're not that unalike, you and l.
You possess a sense that is foreign to the others.
My knowledge of the future is similar.
Some of my best friends are empaths. They trust me.
Why should you care if I trust you or not?
We're birds of a feather. We're colleagues.
We could learn a lot from each other.
You're right. I don't trust you.
- I knew you'd say that. - I'm sure you did.
Well, I'm glad you two are finally getting along.
I really have to be going.
Thank you.
Why not try a berylite scan?
I'd be interested to see what his micro-levels are.
So, what else can I show you?
You're a very curious woman.
No, I don't mean curious like that.
I mean, you're curious about things,
about berylite levels, about the future.
Well, curiosity is why all of us are out here, isn't it?
I understand. But you're different, you're more vibrant.
- More... - More vibrant.
That's nice. I like that.
Whenever I travel back,
I meet very interesting people, men and women.
But I've never met anyone who gave me thoughts about not going home.
You're not supposed to be influencing the past, remember?
And I am beginning to feel just a little bit influenced.
Anyway, I could be your great-great-great-great-grandmother.
What kind of questions did he ask?
He only asked about previous starships,
what was innovative about the last Enterprise.
He wanted to see if we had a grasp of the fundamentals.
His questions to me were on Dr Soong's...
I am detecting a massive earthquake. Two earthquakes.
Location?
Both are beneath the southern drill sites.
Is La Forge there?
- Yes, sir. - Find him.
We've got volcanic activity. Pretty severe.
Magnify.
La Forge here. Moseley and I are on our way to his lab.
Are you alright?
We're OK, but those were pretty big.
If this was Earth, I'd say 8.5 on the Richter scale.
We're starting to see some volcanic plumes.
Two more eruptions.
We probably overestimated geologic stability around the CO2 pockets.
- We're in the lab, sir. - On screen.
We're fairly quake-proof. It's the volcanic dust I'm worried about.
What about the dust?
The ash from the volcanoes will compound the existing problem.
Soon, no sunlight will get through.
No amount of CO2 will help us then.
Captain, take a look at this.
These are the coordinates of the eruptions.
And these are the coordinates of the phaser-drilling sites.
The mantle is collapsing where the pressure was released.
We have some ideas,
but it will take time to sort them out.
- Sort them out, Geordi. - Aye, sir.
We came here to help these people.
And look what we've done.
What in God's name is that?
- Music, Professor. - Music?
Yes, sir. Mozart's Jupiter Symphony in C major,
Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.3,
Beethoven's 9th Symphony, second movement, molto vivace,
and La donna é mobile from Verdi's Rigoletto.
Could you thin it out a bit?
Computer, eliminate program one.
Computer, eliminate program two.
Computer, eliminate program three.
Computer, half-volume.
How the...?
How can you listen to four pieces of music at the same time?
I can distinguish over 150 simultaneous compositions.
In order to analyze the aesthetics, I try to keep it to ten or less.
Only four today?
I am assisting Cmdr La Forge with a complex calculation.
It demands a great deal of concentration.
I came to thank you for answering my questions.
I should have asked you to limit yourself to 50,000 words.
You did ask me to be thorough.
I know it's hard to believe,
but few records of Dr Soong's work survived to the 26th century.
So it would be invaluable to myself, and other historians,
if you could provide us with some schematics.
Certainly. Once my work here is completed.
As long as it's before 0900 tomorrow. That's when I head back.
- Bridge to Data. - Yes, Worf?
Cmdr La Forge is hailing you from the surface.
Patch him through, please.
Have you rerun the phase-reversal figures?
There were no errors.
The variance must be no more than .06 terawatts.
I see no other choice. We'll continue to run the numbers
but I doubt we'll find anything different.
Tell the Captain the good news and the bad news.
La Forge out.
Which do you suppose he's gonna want to hear first?
- The good news. - The motion of the dust
has created electrostatic energy in the upper atmosphere.
With a modified phaser blast,
we can create a shock front to ionize the particles.
That would be like a spark in a gas-filled room.
With one exception.
The particles would turn into high-energy plasma
which our shields could absorb and redirect into space.
Turn the ship into a lightning rod?
- Precisely, sir. - The bad news?
If our phaser discharge is off by just .06 terawatts,
it would cause a cascading exothermal inversion.
Meaning?
We would completely burn off the atmosphere.
Captain's log, supplemental.
While Dr Moseley takes La Forge's plan to the colony,
I am weighing the consequences of a more philosophical issue.
Come.
You know why I've asked you here.
Yeah, I have a fairly good idea.
I'm faced with a dilemma. A planet beneath us is slowly turning to ice.
Unless we do something about it, in a matter of weeks,
thousands, maybe tens of thousands, will die.
That'd be a shame.
Yes, it would. It would be quite a shame.
So, what's your dilemma?
Cmdr La Forge has a possible solution.
The margins of error are extremely critical,
but if successful, there'll be no more threat.
And if it's not successful?
Every living thing will perish.
So, do nothing, and thousands will die.
Do something and millions could die. That's a tough choice.
Not if you were to help me.
You're not suggesting I tell you the outcome?
Oh, no. I am not.
Everything I have ever believed in tells me I cannot ask you that.
But, at the same time, there are 20 million lives down there.
And you know what happened to them. What will happen to them.
So, it seems you have another dilemma.
One that questions your convictions.
I've never been afraid of re-evaluating my convictions.
Now, I have 20 million reasons to do so.
And why did you ask to see me?
Because your presence gives me a potential access
to a kind of information that I've never had before.
And if I am to re-examine my beliefs,
then I must take advantage of every possible asset.
It would be irresponsible not to ask you here.
However you come to terms with your beliefs,
I'm quite comfortable with mine.
How can you be? How can you be comfortable watching people die?
Let me put it to you this way.
If I were to tell you that none of them died,
you'd conclude that you tried and succeeded.
So you'd confidently try again. No harm in that.
But what if I were to tell you they all died?
You'd decide not to make the same mistake twice.
What if one of the people grew up...
I know! What if one of those lives I saved as a child
grows up to be the next Adolf Hitler or Khan Singh?
Every philosophy student has been asked that
since wormholes were discovered.
But this is not a class in temporal logic!
It's not theoretical or hypothetical. It's real!
- Surely you see that? - All too well.
But you must see that if I were to influence you,
everything in this sector, in this quadrant, could change.
History, my history, would unfold in a way other than it already has.
What possible incentive could anyone offer me to allow that to happen?
I have two choices.
Either way, one version of history or another will wend its way forward.
The history you know or another. Who is to say which is better?
What I do know is that here, today,
one way, millions of lives could be saved.
Isn't that incentive enough?
Everyone dies, Captain. It's just a question of when.
All those people died years before I was born.
All of you up here as well.
I can't get quite as worked up as you over the fate of some colonists
who, for me, have been dead a very, very long time.
You know of the Prime Directive,
which tells us we have no right to interfere
in the natural evolution of alien worlds.
I have sworn to uphold it.
But, nevertheless, I have disregarded that directive,
on more than one occasion,
because I thought it was the right thing to do!
Now, if you are holding on
to some temporal equivalent of that directive,
then isn't it possible that you have an occasion here
to make an exception, to help me choose,
because it's the right thing to do?
It's not just a choice. You're trying to manipulate the future.
Every choice we make allows us to manipulate the future.
Do I invite Adrienne or Suzanne to the spring dance?
Do I holiday on Corsica or Risa?
A person's life, their future,
hinges on each of a thousand choices.
Living is making choices!
You ask me to believe that if I make a choice
other than the one in your history books,
then your past will be irrevocably altered.
Well, you know, Professor, perhaps I don't give a damn about your past
because your past is my future
and as far as I'm concerned, it hasn't been written yet!
The electrostatic conditions are about as good as they'll get.
If we're going to try this, now's the time.
Please don't ask me, Captain.
I can't help you.
I'm sorry.
How long to program the phasers?
We've just got to tie in to Geordi's sensors.
So you made your choice, without my help.
On the contrary, you were quite helpful.
How's that?
By refusing to help, you left me with the choice I had to begin with.
To try or not to try, to take a risk or to play it safe.
Your arguments have reminded me how precious the right to choose is.
And because I've never been one to play it safe,...
..l choose to try.
- Program the firing sequence. - Aye, sir.
Captain's log, star date 45351.9.
Dr Moseley has met with the colony leaders
who are all willing to take the risk.
Warp power has been rerouted from the deflector dish.
Keep the phasers on active surge control. We get one shot at this.
- Well, this is it! - Is the sequence locked in?
Yes, sir. After an 8.3-second burst,
we will discharge all EPS taps through the phasers.
Time to return, Mr. La Forge. Mr. O'Brien, stand by.
I can be more help here.
We'll have to compensate for density variations.
Dr Moseley's computers can accomplish that task,
but Geordi would be better able to anticipate variances.
You know there's no guarantee this will work. If it fails...
There's no guarantee it will fail, Captain.
I'd like your permission to remain here.
- Permission granted. - La Forge remained below.
- Good luck, Commander. - Thank you.
The deflector dish has been reconfigured, sir.
Proceed, Mr. Data.
Stand by for auto-phaser interlock.
Activating deflector beam.
EPS taps on line. Phasers firing.
Activating shield inverters now.
Mr. La Forge?
La Forge here. Still breathing, Captain.
We've got particulate levels right where they should be
and the sun is shining!
See? I told you there was nothing to worry about.
Report back when you're ready.
Doctor, we'll analyze the remaining volcanic disturbances,
but the best advice would be to let them cool down on their own.
I'm getting in the habit of thanking you, Picard.
Well, I'd love to see more, but it's nearly time to go.
I am tickled pink to have had the opportunity of witnessing this.
And you did it all without any help.
Well, must run. Got some packing to do.
You know you're taller in person, Commander.
Look at this! Who would have expected a teary farewell?
We have to look inside your vessel.
Curious till the end, Captain?
You can't be serious. We've been through this.
Some objects have gone missing.
If they're in your possession, we would like them returned.
I'm not here in search of relics! I'm sure they'll turn up.
If you will not open the vessel, I will,
with explosives if necessary.
I doubt you have the means.
If we don't get in there, I guarantee you don't either.
Considering the sensitive nature of my equipment,
you'll understand if I request that only Mr. Data be allowed to see it.
Why Data?
Because if I order Data never to divulge what he sees, he won't,
except anything that might belong to us.
Understood, sir.
Back in a minute.
None of these items belong to you.
Nor does this.
This phaser is set at the highest stun setting.
If I'm correct, that is sufficient to immobilize even you.
Why have you stolen these objects? For a museum?
Far too valuable for that.
In the century I come from, they haven't been invented.
But this vessel, the temporal distortion on your arrival.
This is a time pod and it is from the 26th century.
At least, that's what the poor fella said.
He travelled back to the 22nd century, that's my time,
and had the misfortune to meet me.
His clothes fit quite well.
It took me weeks to figure out how to work this thing.
You are not an historian?
More of an inventor. Until recently, a dismally unsuccessful one.
What are your intentions?
Thanks to your captain, it seems they have changed slightly.
I was quite content to return with these trinkets.
I'd invent about one a year.
But now, look what fortune has graced me with!
You will take longer to figure out than a tricorder,
but it should be well worth it.
If the auto-timer is programmed the way I think it is,
in about two minutes,
we should be on our way back to a place called New Jersey.
I'm afraid you won't be awake for the ride.
I assume your hand print will open this door
whether you are conscious or not.
That weapon was working yesterday.
You were right to suspect him.
But he is not from the future. He is from the past.
Trying to make my history unfold in a way other than it already has?
This was all a misunderstanding.
Let me back in. We'll forget the whole thing.
What possible incentive could I have to allow that?
You will find all the missing items in the vessel.
- Doctor. - Very nice performance.
Not all of it. Some of it was real.
Captain.
He claims to be a 22nd-century inventor, Captain.
If you were more inventive and fewer things had disappeared,
we wouldn't have suspected.
The stumbling block was your ship. Our sensors couldn't penetrate it.
Once the door was open, the computer was able to detect and deactivate
everything you'd stolen, including this.
I'd love to hear more, but I must get back in that pod.
Take him to a detention cell, Mr. Worf.
Notify Starfleet that we will drop him off at Star base 214.
You can't do this. I've got to get back. I don't belong here!
No!
I'm sure there are more than a few legitimate historians at Starfleet
who will be eager to meet a human from your era.
Professor?
Welcome to the 24th century.

---

---