tlynch@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) (01/10/91)
WARNING: The following post contains spoiler information regarding this week's TNG episode, "Data's Day", and should thus be avoided by all those parties of the Nth part not wishing to be privy to said spoiler information (referred to herein as...oh, the hell with it :-) ) Data begins his "typical day" (one which he is recording commentary on through- out for Bruce Maddox) with a conversation with Keiko Ishikawa, fiancee to one Miles Edward O'Brien (and the wedding's today!). As Data is one of Keiko's longtime friends (he introduced the two of them, in fact, and is also serving as the father of the bride for the wedding), she asks him to tell O'Brien of her decision to call off the wedding. O'Brien, to no one's surprise but Data's, is not pleased. Later, Data welcomes aboard T'Pel, a Vulcan Ambassador who immediately closets herself away with Picard alone. Stranger yet, a chance comment from Worf reminds Data that he must dance at the wedding. So, he turns to Bev for dance lessons--but before they begin, he is called to the bridge and asked by Picard and T'Pel to examine Romulan deployments along the Neutral Zone, as the Enter- prise heads for the Zone. When his analysis reveals that little has changed in Romulan policy, T'Pel insists that the "mission" still must go on as scheduled. Later, in his quarters, Data talks to O'Brien, who apologizes for blowing up in 10-Forward earlier and asks Data to help Keiko "see reason". Data accepts, but finds that Keiko isn't particularly receptive--and Deanna's advice is to simply leave it alone. After talking to Deanna, Data is called to T'Pel, who asks for security information about the Enterprise. When he informs her that his safeguards are such that he would have to inform Picard, she says that she was merely examining his security safeguards and withdraws the request. Later still, Data takes dance lessons. He masters tap easily, but has problems with the more traditional dancing Bev leads him to after he finally mentions that it's for the wedding. Afterwards, the Enterprise reaches the Zone border, and after receiving a message from a nearby Warbird, head into the Zone. There, they speak with Admiral Mendak, who welcomes T'Pel's mission--but when T'Pel beams over, an apparent transporter malfunction kills her. Mendak, upon hearing of this, considers it a Federation plot "worthy of a Romulan", and suggests that the Enterprise leave before there is a second "accident". However, nothing is visibly wrong with the transporter, and Data's later investigations (on Picard's orders) lead him to check the genetic code of the traces on the pad with T'Pel's trace pattern. He and Bev find that the material from the pad was NOT from T'Pel. What apparently happened is that a Romulan transporter beam took T'Pel off the pad and substituted what they found in her place--and when Picard hears of it, he orders the Enterprise back to the Zone to find the D'Vorus. They quickly catch up to the D'Vorus, but Mendak insists that no one is being held captive. Before long, a second Warbird shows up--but Picard still demands the return of T'Pel, who then comes into view and introduces herself as Sub- Commander Selak, a Romulan spy. Mendak informs Picard that _now_, he must leave...which Picard does. Later, Data apologizes to Keiko, but Keiko just tells him to hurry up and get dressed for the wedding, which confuses Data to no end. The wedding and dancing go smoothly, and Data ends the day resolving "to continue learning, changing, growing, and trying to become more than what I am". NEXT WEEK: A rerun of "Legacy". Well, at least this means I can watch "The Wonder Years" instead... Tim Lynch (Cornell's first Astronomy B.A.; one of many Caltech grad students) BITNET: tlynch@citjuliet INTERNET: tlynch@juliet.caltech.edu UUCP: ...!ucbvax!tlynch%juliet.caltech.edu@hamlet.caltech.edu Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side? R.I.P. Jim Henson, 1936-1990; we shall never see your like again. -- Copyright 1991, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...