Bringing that “eerie ambience” of the teleplay to life became Nimoy’s main goal, especially in his favorite moments: the frozen-time reaction and reveal shots aboard the runabout, inspired by old German impressionistic films like The Hands of Dr. Mugabi. Though the scenes of live “frozen” actors are tricky—and an occasional minor twitch can be seen here and there—watch how Nimoy avoided much of that problem with a constantly moving camera, establishing the frozen” person and then moving on to provide the actor some relief.
For the first time we get a look at a Warbird’s engineering room and the aft compartment of the runabout vessel created for DS9—which, oddly enough, was built on TNG’s budget to help out its sister show. Designer Richard James and set decorator Jim Mees lamented that seven weeks went into the creation of the cockpit over on DS9, but he had only nine days to design and build the living quarters—and his crews worked round-the-clock at that.
On the trivial side: a clue to the rules of Parrises Squares (“11001001”/116, “Future Imperfect”/182, “Silicon Avatar”/204, “The First Duty”/219, “Second Chances”/250) is that an “old” player like Riker could “fall and break his neck”; the Ktarians (“The Game”/ 206, “Birthright, Part I”/242, “Liaisons”/254, Generations) appear to be respectable after all; we see Troi “plexing” when stressed (“Realm of Fear”/228); and the sickbay phaser bin (“Starship Mine”/244) is still accessible to anyone. Actor Bofshever also played Minister Toran in DS9’s “The Storyteller” and an Excelsior engineer in ST VI; Spot is mentioned (see note, “Birthright, Part I”/ 242), as is Worf’s “calisthenics” program (“Where Silence Has Lease”/128, “The Emissary”/146, “New Ground”/210). Two of the conference speakers’ names, Wagner and Vassbinder, come from a onetime date and a high-school teacher of Braga’s. And in what seem to be bloopers, the power-transfer beam (“The Next Phase”/224) emanates from the port side of the dorsal rather than the main deflector, possibly due to the needs of FX work, and we discover the bridge restroom is a Jefferies tube access point: the officers using the tunnels enter the bridge from that door in the aft starboard alcove.
DESCENT
* * *
Production No.: 252 Aired: Week of April 21, 1993
Stardate: 46982.1 Code: de
Directed by Alexander Singer
Teleplay by Ronald D. Moore
Story by Jeri Taylor
GUEST CAST
Isaac Newton: John Neville
Albert Einstein: Jim Norton
Vice-Admiral Alynna Nechayev: Natalija Nogulich
Crosis: Brian J. Cousins
Professor Stephen Hawking: Himself
Bosus (1st Borg): Richard Gilbert-Hill
Tayar (2nd Borg): Stephen James Carver
* * *
Data plays poker with Isaac Newton and other great scientists.
Answering an outpost’s distress call, the Enterprise finds an unknown alien craft in orbit, a litter of dead bodies in the nonstrategic station—and, finally, the Borg.
But these Borg are different: the plot strategy, seek vengeance rather than assimilation, have individual names—and look for Data, who kills a Borg in rage when he is charged. The other Borg and their ship retreat, leaving the android and his stunned friends to realize they have witnessed Data’s first emotion.
As Data excuses himself from duty in a fruitless try at re-creating the moment, Admiral Nechayev arrives with a task force and gives Picard a dressing-down for his release a year earlier of “Hugh,” and his giving up a chance to eliminate the Borg.
After re-creating the Borgs’ transwarp travel vortex, the starship is boarded by two lone Borg who are easily stopped. The one captured taunts Data, urging him to act on the dark feelings that he is experiencing.
The two escape in a shuttlecraft and are traced to a sensor-shielded planet. Dr. Crusher is left in command when all but a skeleton crew leave the Enterprise to conduct a massive ground search. After tracking for hours, Picard’s team is surprised by a mass of Borg—and shocked to see Data and his evil “brother” Lore, who proclaim they will destroy the Federation with their new army of followers.
Inspired by the film Heart of Darkness, this segment, which won much media attention for British physicist Stephen Hawking’s cameo, takes its name from what Ron Moore called “Data’s descent into darkness.” Following up on the unknown fate of Hugh Borg a year ago (“I, Borg”/223), the story, which followed several failed cliffhanger ideas—including an early take on Data’s dreams (“Birthright Part I”/242) turning into nightmares—finally came together after the staff decided on a “mad Lore” premise, his first appearance in over two years (“Brothers”/177), Jeri Taylor, the only free hand at the time, was glad to get back into the story credits and said Moore’s idea to use the Borg as a catalyst made a fine excuse for ending her ban on using the aliens. “I knew we couldn’t simply do a Borg story just to do it and use them as villains, because after Hugh that was impossible,” she said. “This was the exact right story.” Still, at the time it left unrevealed the scope of the Borg change, reflecting Piller’s view that the entire species not change too radically for now.
Hawking, a longtime Trek fan, planted the idea for his scene after visiting Paramount to shoot a promotional piece for the film of his best-seller A Short History of Time. While on a tour of the TNG sets, he asked to be taken from his wheelchair—a rare request—for a sit in the captain’s chair and, as relayed through Leonard Nimoy, wondered if there was any way he could appear on the show! Writer Naren Shankar recalled that the search was on for a “profound” scene for him when Piller suggested the innocent premise of a poker game; Newton, of course, completely misses the reference to Mercury since he lived well before its discovery.
Actor Neville had starred in the movie Baron Munchausen and Jim Norton had played a holodeck Einstein once before (“Nth Degree”/193), while Cousins had earlier been seen as a Romulan (“The Next Phase”/224). Nogulich’s Nechayev (“Chain of Command, Part I”/236, “Journey’s End”/272, “Preemptive Strike”/276) and Data’s cat Spot—were both TNG veterans; the unspecified Admiral Brooks Nechayev refers to had also been mentioned by Beverly (“Suspicions”/248). “Bosus” and “Tayar” are the two speaking Borg during the outpost melee; the “uncredited stunt roles of the dead” include Christine Bauer as Corelki, the guard in Riker’s away team; Kenny Lesko as the Picard team’s security guard handling a phaser rifle, only its second TNG appearance (“The Mind’s Eye”/198, later in “Lower Decks”/267); and stunt coordinator Dennis Madalone, who took falls as both Data’s Borg victim and the one beaming in with Crosis. And for true trivia fans: Longtime extra Guy Vardaman, who had been with the series since mid-first season in a variety of tasks on either side of the camera, finally picked up a character name: Lieutenant (j.g.) Wallace—a year later to gain a first name (“Eye of the Beholder”/270) and a place on the “new” bridge plaque (“All Good Things …”/277-78). This name and co-crewman Towles were named after TNG and DS9’s two script typists, Daryl Towles and Jana Wallace (who’d been an extra in “Chain of Command, Part I”/236).
Starship naming history is also made here: The Crazy Horse is the first for a Native American, while the Excelsior-class Gorkon paid homage to the slain Klingon chancellor of ST VI, replacing the “Valiant” in early drafts when Rick Berman asked for a first-ever alien namesake. The Agamemnon was named for British Admiral Nelson’s ship, while the venerable shuttlepod El-Baz (from “Time Squared”/139, last seen in “Transfigurations”/173) reappears here. Even more trivia: Crosis’ eyepiece is the same as the upper medallion on Worf’s baldric, which has the pattern motion stilled to avoid distractions in close-ups; and again this season (after “Starship Mine”/244), the Darwin Station matte painting (“Unnatural Selection”/133) was used, here as the Ohniaka III outpost.
We learn that instant death in Klingons can be caused by shattering the cranial exoskeleton at the “tricipital” lobe; in Bajorans (as in the first uniformed Baj
oran aboard since Ensign Ro was last seen), puncturing the heart’s “lower ventricle” will do the same.
Moore praised Singer’s handling of the action scenes as TNG’s best ever, and their finished look was a milestone: After an earlier warm-up (“Birthright, Part I”/242), a proud FX supervisor David Stipes said the Ohniaka III station’s terse hand-to-hand phaser battle he pieced together with film editor Steve Tucker used no live FX. For that, all the flames and sparks were added by computer in post-production—somewhat of a gamble, but a time-saver with no rigging explosives and touch-up of damaged set pieces needed. The “transwarp conduit”—a term Moore said had no relation to the once-mentioned technology of ST III—was yet another vortex effect, this time created live with lots of smoke and animated frame-by-frame with a sizzling effect by pushing increasing amounts of black confetti across an intensely backlit silhouette—a “lot of work,” Stipes said, which characterized the extra time and budget bestowed on the cliffhanger.
The finale’s “swarm” of renegade Borg actually numbered just eleven—limited by the available wardrobe—but were multiplied thanks to four different FX split-screen overlays. Their new ship, built by Greg Jein, was designed by Dan Curry to reflect a typical Borg geometric outlook while being radically asymmetrical and includes recessed windows revealing layered girders and other structures. The “Borg Hall” exterior was a computer-retouched version of Brandeis Bardin Institute in Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles—the same structure used not only for Camp Khitomer’s meeting hall in ST VI but as one destroyed (in miniature) by Stipes when handling effects for the film Lawnmower Man. The location shoot involved a very long day for the “hall” and planetside, all filmed by Jonathan West under a coral/amber filter for the bright atmospheric effect. Curry added another subtle alien touch: twin moons in the sky.
PRODUCTION STAFF CREDITS—SEASON 6
* * *
(In usual roll order; numbers in parenthesis refer to studio’s episode numbers)
Casting: (*) Junie Lowery-Johnson, C.S.A.; ****Ron Surma
Music by: ***Jay Chattaway (228, 230, 232, 234, 236-37, 239, 242-44, 249, 252); (*) Dennis McCarthy (227, 229, 231, 233, 235, 238, 241, 245, 248, 250, 251); Don Davis (240)
Main Title Theme: (*) Jerry Goldsmith, (*) Alexander Courage
Director of Photography: ***Marvin Rush (227-228); Jonathan West (229-252)
Production Designer: **Richard D. James
Editor: Tom Benko, A.C.E. (229, 232); **J. P. Farrell (227, 230, 233, 236, 239, 242, 245, 248, 251); **Robert Lederman (228); David Ramirez (235, 238, 241, 244, 247, 250); ****Steve Tucker (231, 234, 237, 240, 243, 246, 249, 252)
Unit Production Manager: Brad Yacobian (+/***)
First Asst. Director: Jerry Fleck (all odd-numbered episodes, 227-251); Adele G. Simmons (+/*) (all even-numbered episodes, 228-252)
Second Asst. Director: Arlene Fukai
Costume Designer: ***Robert Blackman (EMMY NOMINEE: “Time’s Arrow, Part II” [227])
Set Decorator: **Jim Mees
Visual Effects: Dan Curry (+/*)
Visual Effects Supervisor: Ronald B. Moore (+/***) (all odd-numbered episodes, 227-251); David Stipes (all even-numbered episodes, 228-252)
Post Production Supervisor: Wendy Rosenfeld (+/***) (Last name “Knoller” after 251)
Supervising Editor: John P. Farrell (+/***)
Senior Illustrator/Technical Consultant: (***) Rick Sternbach (+/*)
Scenic Artist Supervisor/Technical Consultant: (***) Michael Okuda (+/*)
Make-up Designed and Supervised By: (*) Michael Westmore
Visual Effects Coordinator: Phil Barberio (all odd-numbered episodes, 227-251); David Takemura (+/****) (all even-numbered episodes, 228-252)
Set Designer: ***Gary Speckman
Art Director: Andy Neskoromny (+/****)
Original Set Design: (*) Herman Zimmerman
Original Starfleet Uniforms: (*) William Ware Theiss
Script Supervisor: (*) Cosmo Genovese
Special Effects: (*) Dick Brownfield
Property Master: (*) Joe Longo (227); (*) Alan Sims (228-252)
Construction Coordinator: (*) Al Smutko
Scenic Artist: Jim Magdaleno (all odd-numbered episodes, 227-251); Alan Kobayashi (all even-numbered episodes, 228-252)
Hair Designer: Joy Zapata
Make-up Artists: **Gerald Quist, ***June Abston-Haymore
Hairstylist: Patti Miller (228-35, 238, 240-42, 247-52); Candace Neal (227); Josee Normand (236, 237, 239, 241, 243-252)
Wardrobe Supervisor: ****Carol Kunz (+/**)
Sound Mixer: *Alan Bernard, C.A.S. (EMMY NOMINEE, with crew, sound mixing: “A Fistful of Datas” [234])
Camera Operator: *****Joe Chess, S.O.C. (227-230)
Chief Lighting Technician: William Peets (227, 228); R. D. Knox (229-252)
1st Company Grip: ***Bob Sordal (227-228); Steve Gausche (229-252)
Key Costumers: **Amanda Chamberlin (227); **Kimberley Thompson (all odd-numbered episodes, 227-251); ***** Jerry Bono (228); *****Mary Ellen Boché (odd-numbered episodes, 229-251); David Powell (all even-numbered episodes, 228-252); Matt Hoffman (all even-numbered episodes, 230-252)
Music Editor: *Gerry Sackman
Supervising Sound Editor: (*) Bill Wistrom (227-237); Mace Matiosian (+/*) (238-252)
Sound Effects Editors: James Wolvington (+/*) (227)
Sound Editors: Miguel Rivera; Masanobu Tomita; Guy Tsujimoto; *****Dan Yale (227-243); *Wilson Dyer (244-247); Ruth Adelman (248-252)
Post Production Sound: (*) Modern Sound
Production Coordinator: (*) Diane Overdiek
Post Production Coordinator: Dawn Hernandez
Visual Effects Associate: Edward L. Williams
Production Associate: Kim Fitzgerald (+/****)
Science Consultant: Naren Shankar
Casting Executive: (*) Helen Mossler
Pre-Production Associate: Lolita Fatjo (+/**)
Monitors by: (**) Sony Corp. of America (246)
Stunt Coordinator: (***) Dennis Madalone (229, 231-236, 241-243, 247-252)
Lenses and Panaflex Cameras by: (**) Panavision
Special Visual Effects: (*) lndustrial Light and Magic (ILM) a division of Lucasfilm Ltd.
Motion Control Photography: (*) Image “G”
Video Optical Effects: Digital Magic
Special Video Compositing: (*) CIS Hollywood
Editing Facilities: (*) Unitel Video
* * *
The number of * denotes a returning company or staffer’s initial season of credit in that position; () denotes they are an original credited or co-credited person in that position; a (+) following indicates prior TNG work in another position
SEVENTH SEASON
When it was announced that Season 7 would be TNG’s last, to make way for the long-requested feature film and the successor series Star Trek: Voyager, the idea that the beloved show was ending amid high ratings and critical acclaim still hit fans hard and left many in denial, often anger.
Signs of Star Trek’s success were certainly everywhere, capped by the post-season breakthrough of an Emmy nomination for best dramatic series alongside the likes of NYPD Blue, Picket Fences, and Northern Exposure. For his part, Berman was proud that the show had come out on top despite having “three strikes against it”: being science fiction, syndicated, and a sequel. “And we overcame all of those things,” he said, “and we’ve given rebirth to Star Trek, a show that was very important to people, and 176 episodes later it’s been embraced and welcomed by a lot more people and given them pleasure. That’s a good feeling.”
The depth of that popularity was evident all around. Sparked in part by the success of the New York Times Syndicate’s column by Ian Spelling, TV Guide began a science-fiction media column after offering a slew of high-selling Trek-related covers through the 1993-94 season. The eleventh-month Smithsonian Trek exhibit, described as the most popular in the history of the museum, had two thousand to three thou
sand visitors a day and racked up record-breaking sales in the gift shop before moving on to New York City’s Hayden Planetarium. A touring exhibit called “Federation Science” was also making headlines as it left its native Oregon and inspired thoughts of similar events, including attractions at Paramount-owned theme parks. Finally, there was the June 13 Wall Street Journal cover story detailing the philosophical split in the effort to translate the Bible into Klingonese that grew out of the prior summer’s Klingon language camp—though the TNG writing staff had long since moved away from using the “official” Marc Okrand linguistics created for the Trek feature films.
And what about ratings? Boosted by its own publicity campaign with local tie-ins and a gala studio preview for licensees, the finale “All Good Things …” drew a 15.4 rating and 26 share in the 36 metered Nielsen ratings markets to become the all-time first-run syndication and TNG leader, topping the pilot’s 17.7 rating from 1987 and coming in first in 21 of 31 markets. According to Paramount Research figures it even beat network prime-time offerings in 13 of the 19 markets where it ran from New York City and Los Angeles to Miami, Boston, St. Louis, Denver, Charlotte, and San Antonio. Meanwhile, the studio reported that TNG’s other “bottom line” showed sales of Trek-related merchandise topping $650 million overall as of spring 1994—including major lines of action figures and props from Playmates Toys and the ever-popular publishing line from Pocket Books, now closing in on 140 authorized titles and over $55 million in sales with some 70 on the best-seller lists.
But the question remained for fans, critics—and even cast members: How could such a popular entity leave the air at the height of its success? Some, like AP writer Scott Williams, wondered aloud that it all came back to the same old thing: money. “Paramount was looking at a ‘mature asset’ that could only get costlier,” he wrote a week before the finale aired. “At the same time, its revenues would remain relatively flat…. Folding the TNG tent lets Paramount close its books on one set of syndication deals and open them, more profitably, on another.”
The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion: Revised Edition Page 45