“The Child” is episode one of season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is exchanging a shuttle with the Repulse and Riker, sporting a new beard, contacts the Repulse after the shuttle has left and tells their captain that the transfer is complete and they are getting underway. The other ship’s captain wishes them luck on their mission and Riker heads to Captain Picard’s ready room.
In the ready room, Geordi is briefing the captain on an enclosure he has designed when Riker enters. He tells the captain that Dr Pulaski has been shown to her quarters. The captain shows Riker a module Geordi, now chief engineer, has made in order to keep the samples alive. The containers keep the samples alive; the enclosure keeps the crew of the Enterprise alive. Geordi now needs to replicate the module 512 times which means the warp drive is going to be offline for a couple of hours as the replicators will be using the power. Riker returns to the bridge and orders that the course be set for ‘aucdet IX.
A light follows the ship and enters it. Data detects an unusual energy transference and contacts Geordi in engineering. Geordi finds nothing. The light is now in the saucer section and it ends up in Counselor Troi’s quarters. She jolts awake when she feels something.
The Enterprise is doping an emergency run to collect specimens to help with an unclassified plasma plague and transfer them to a science station in the hopes of creating an antidote. Picard enters the bridge and tells Data he wants him to go meet Dr Pulaski and help her go through the specimens. The captain asks where their new doctor is and has she reported in. Not yet. Picard is surprised. Pulaski is not in sick bay either. Instead, she’s in Ten Forward. Riker and Picard are surprised. Riker offers to go but the captain says he will. After Picard has left, Worf, sporting a new sash, comments that it’s not the best way to meet a new captain.
Wesley joins the captain in the turbolift; it seems he will be leaving the Enterprise soon. He has mixed feelings. Picard says that leaving any ship is hard, as it was for Wesley’s mother when she left to become head of Starfleet Medical. Wesley says the Enterprise is not just any ship. The captain agrees.
Ten Forward is a new social area. Essentially, the ship’s new doctor found the bar before she founds the captain. There’s a new crewperson in the bar as well, Guinan. Pulaski (played by Diana Muldaur, who had a couple of parts in TOS), is with Troi. Picard starts remonstrating with her when she interrupts and tells him he needs to listen to Troi.
Data, Worf and Riker meet the three of them in the conference room. Troi is pregnant. This came as a shock to her. The doctor has done two examinations. The baby, which apparently was conceived less than half a day ago, appears to be over weeks old. Betazoid’s normal gestation is 10 months, yet this baby looks like it will be term in 36 hours. Troi explains she felt a presence in her room. The baby is just like Troi as well, half Betazoid, half human. Which is improbable. The staff are discussing what to do with the baby – Worf considers it a threat – when Troi says that she’s keeping it.
The ship arrives at ‘aucdet IX and Picard speaks to Lt. Cmdr. Hester Dealt. He wants to inspect the containment before the specimens are transferred, and will provide a detailed manifest. Dealt spends over 14 hours inspecting the containment vessel and Data is heading to sickbay to go through the manifest with Pulaski when he bumps into Troi. She’s ready to give birth. Data contacts Worf and asks for a security team. Data offers to help Troi; she says he will do nicely even though Pulaski, already not making the best impression, said that Troi needed the comfort of a human touch, not the cold hand of technology. Data has lots of questions and Troi has what is probably the least painful childbirth ever. She’s naming the boy Ian Andrew.
Pulaski briefs the captain on the bridge. She says birth was effortless and you couldn’t tell that Troi had even given birth now. As if it never happened. Except for the baby. Picard decides it’s time he went to pay Troi his respects and Pulaski accompanies him. The baby is no longer a baby; he’s about four years old physically. Ian tells them not to worry; everything is okay.
Ian continues to experience extremely rapid growth. Data is with Pulaski when she mispronounces his name. He corrects her. What’s the difference? One is Data’s name. The other is not. Pulaski scans him checking for bruised feelings.
They have extremely deadly stuff onboard and a breach in containment would be bad. You can guess what’s going to happen. Guinan has a chat with Wesley. Colm Meaney makes his third appearance, this time in the position he will keep, that of transporter chief, though he hasn’t been named yet. Nor does he have any lines.