tlynch@heights.CIT.CORNELL.EDU (Tim Lynch NN TESTER) (05/29/90)
WARNING: The following post contains spoiler information regarding this week's TNG episode, "Menage a Troi". Those who are squeamish at the sight of spoilers probably should go away now. The Enterprise is orbiting Betazed, throwing a final party to celebrate the successful completion of a trade agreement. Attending are many aliens, inclu- ding Lwaxana Troi and, unfortunately, the Ferengi DaiMon Tog and his entourage. Tog approaches Lwaxana for two reasons: he thinks her telepathy could prove very useful in his business dealings, and he's very attracted to her. She re- coils in horror, and tells him to go away. Lwaxana's been trying to encourage Deanna to settle down and have a family, but she thinks her family is her friends on the Enterprise. But, be that as it may, she and Riker both take some shore leave on Betazed, as the Enterprise warps out to examine a nearby nebula. This study, by the way, will be Wesley's last mission on board the Enterprise: when they return to Betazed, he's going to hop a shuttle to take his oral exams for entrance to the Academy. As you might expect, Tog shows up and kidnaps Lwaxana, who "accidentally" joined Deanna and Will on the picnic. He takes Deanna and Riker as well. Most of what follows can be summed up quickly. Lwaxana lures Tog into a state of relaxation by...er...stroking his ears, among other things. Riker uses one of the other crewmembers's annoyance at losing to Riker in 3-D chess to con his way out of the cell, and rigs the warp engines to modulate the subspace static into a pattern the Enterprise will recognize. By this time, the Ferengi CMO has caught on to what Lwaxana is doing, and is brutally examining her with their mind-probe. The Enterprise, having returned to Betazed after their study (and, by the way, the nebula was giving off interference, cutting their commu- nications off) and discovered what happened, catch on to Riker's subspace sta- tic, but as a result of staying behind to help, Wesley misses the shuttle--and thus, his chance at the Academy this year. They eventually find the Creighton (the Ferengi ship), but things have changed by the time they arrive. Lwaxana has made a deal for Deanna and Will's safety; if Tog lets them go, she'll remain behind willingly. Deanna and Will return, and Picard, by pretending to be a jealous lover of Lwaxana's, scares Tog into giving Lwaxana back. All is well. Finally, saying that "although the Academy must wait for you, I can no longer in good conscience make you wait for the Academy", Picard gives Wesley a field promotion to full Ensign, complete with all its rights and responsibilities (like a nice red uniform). Tim Lynch (Cornell's first Astronomy B.A.) BITNET: H52Y@CRNLVAX5 INTERNET: H52Y@VAX5.CIT.CORNELL.EDU UUCP: ...!rochester!cornell!vax5.cit.cornell.edu!h52y 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited by Jim Griffith - the official scapegoat of rec.arts.startrek.info E-mail submissions to trek-info@scam.berkeley.edu or ...!ucbvax!scam!trek-info