“Descent, Part II” is episode one of the seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In the season six finale, “Descent”, Captain Picard, Troi and Geordi were captured by the Borg, Lore and Data. Lore is now gloating and Troi says she can sense Data’s feelings. Data says his brother made it possible. No, Lore states he hasn’t given the emotion chip from “Brothers”; he wouldn’t want to give it up. But it gave him a strong sense of family. Lore has found his true calling. The captain wants to learn more. He also wants Data to speak for himself, but Lore says he will speak and Data that he is loyal to his brother.
Lore says he helped the Borg, that they caused to be individuals thanks to the events of “I Borg”. When Hugh was returned to his ship, he transferred his sense of individuality to them. It nearly destroyed them. They had no idea how to function as individuals or even navigate their own vessel. Lore gave them purpose and the Borg gave him his. Data says the Borg aspire to the perfection he and his brother represent. Fully artificial lifeforms. Lore states that biological life is obsolete.
On the Enterprise, Dr Crusher, currently in command, speaks to her new tactical officer, Taitt. Who is a science officer and has only been aboard six weeks and is already running tactical. Riker contacts them from the surface. He can’t contact the captain’s team. Nor can the Enterprise. The Borg ship is closing in and the doctor orders away teams be transported from the surface. Riker says he and Worf will stay; the doctor is to get as many people as she can then head for the transwarp conduit and report back to the Federation. Dr Crusher waits until the last second before raising shields. They head off, leaving 47 people behind. The Borg do not follow. On the surface, Riker orders everyone left to avoid the Borg until Starfleet can get there.
The captain is still trying to get through to Data, with no luck. Troi can only sense anger and hatred and Data says those are the only ones. Geordi tells him that there are more emotions than the negative ones; Data states that Troi said there are no negative or positive emotions. It’s what you do with them that matters. He is not a puppet any more. He wants Geordi’s VISOR, then leaves and locks them in.
The doctor, at the entrance to the transwarp conduit, orders an emergency buoy sent through. It can transmit just as easily as the ship. They are heading back to the planet to get the rest of the crew. On the surface, Riker and Worf detect what might be a trail left by humans and follow.
Data takes Geordi’s VISOR to Lore and asks Lore why he wants it. Lore thinks it will look good on him. But really, Geordi’s implants will make him an ideal test subject for his experiment. The Borg experimented on suffered extensive brain damage and using humans will prevent any more Borg deaths.
In their cell, Geordi tells the other two that he could see a carrier wave radiating from Lore with his VISOR. Lore is transmitting part of his emotional program to Data. But he would have needed to deactivate Data’s ethical program first. If the program is rebooted, even though Data will still only be receiving the negative emotions, he might listen to them. Then Data comes to take Geordi away.
Worf and Riker find the structure the others are in, but are then surrounded by Borg. They are taken away, but to caves. Where Hugh is. Hugh says the crew of the Enterprise have caused enough damage. He blames them for giving him a sense of individuality which they must have known would be passed on to the others. Riker says they knew it was possible. According to Hugh, this made it possible for Lore to dominate them. The Borg couldn’t function with individuality. Some fought, some shut down, many starved. Lore came along and they were willing to listen to any voice that promised change. Becoming fully artificial was compelling. But Lore had no idea how to keep his promise. Hugh has two Borg that Lore experimented on.
The captain, Troi and Geordi need to find some way of restoring Data’s ethics and getting him to listen. Riker and Worf want to find some way of rescuing them. Dr Crusher is heading back to help. And the Borg have been dominated by a charismatic leader who is promising them a great future. He even has some lovely red, white and black emblems for his cause, just to make it really clear.