“Encounter at Farpoint: Part 1” is the first of the two-part premier of season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
It opens with a starship, the NCC-1701 D, then the captain’s log. Deneb 4 is their destination, beyond which is the great, unexplored mass of the galaxy. Their orders are to examine Farpoint, and a starbase built by the inhabitants. The captain, Picard, is going to get acquainted with his new command, the Galaxy class USS Enterprise. Currently, his crew is short several key positions, notably the first officer. Commander William Riker is waiting for them at Farpoint.
Captain Picard speaks to one of his bridge crew, Data – an android – about the difficulty of their mission. Which he explains as building relations whilst snooping around. This necessitates explaining to Data what the word ‘snoop’ means – it’s one he hasn’t been programmed with.
A woman on the bridge, Lt. Commander Deanna Troi, tells the captain she’s sensing a powerful mind as the red alert goes off. A mesh appears in space; it’s either solid or an incredibly powerful forcefield. Troi states that hitting it would be bad, in either case. Her initial job seems to be stating the obvious.
A man in archaic costume appears on the bridge in a flash of light, and starts speaking just as archaically, demanding that they return to their own solar system. Picard wants to know who the individual is. He states that they call themselves Q. Q presented himself as a fellow ship captain so he would be better understood. Then freezes a crewman who drew a weapon. Causing Troi to exclaim that the crewman has been frozen.
Q next changes into the uniform of what appears to be a general in the US Army. He calls humanity a dangerous, savage, child race. Picard states that the uniform is 400 years out of date. Q doesn’t think there is any indication that humans will ever change, now presenting himself as a drug-controlled soldier. To Picard’s comments about prosecuting and judging, Q responds that this is an excellent idea, and next time they will proceed as the captain has suggested. Then disappears.
Picard asks Data about detaching the saucer section at high warp velocity. Not recommended at any warp velocity. Possible, but dangerous. Communications on the ship are not being done electronically, and the Enterprise leaves, followed by something that the mesh collapses into. Troi states that Q is either very advanced or very different. Q is also catching up with them. Picard assigns Lt. Worf – a Klingon on the bridge in a Starfleet uniform – to command the saucer section. Picard, Data, Lt. Yar and Troi leave for the battle bridge.
Picard, in his log, explains what he is doing. The battle bridge contains the stardrive and the main armament. The saucer section will contain the families. He contacts Worf and tells Yar that he needs photon torpedoes firing to blind the thing following at the moment of separation. Once the saucer separates and leaves, Picard tells Troi to broadcast that they surrender.
Captain Picard, Data, Troi and Yar are then transported from the battle bridge to somewhere else. Which Data says is historically intriguing, and very, very accurate. Mid-21st century, according to the captain, the post-atomic horror. Troi warns him it isn’t an illusion or a dream, then the judge arrives. Which is Q.
Yar takes down a soldier who is trying to get them to stand; said solider is then killed by another. According to Q, in his role as judge, the prisoners are not to be harmed until they are found guilty. They are answering for the crimes of their species. Despite Q’s claims of impartiality, this is coming across very much as a kangaroo court. Although Captain Picard does propose an alternative.
As well as Riker, several other members of the crew are at Farpoint; Dr. Beverly Crusher, her son Wesley and Lt. Geordi La Forge. Farpoint shows some weirdness as they are there, and this is related to how Q is going to judge them. Once Riker arrives on board, the captain essentially tests him for a bit.
Colm Meaney is notable as appearing as the Battle Bridge Conn, not yet in the role of Miles O’Brien he would be known for. There’s also a cameo by DeForest Kelly, as a very old admiral who considers androids to be almost as bad as Vulcans.
The story continues in “Encounter at Farpoint: Part 2”.