“The Royale” is episode twelve of season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is in orbit of the eighth planet of a previously unmapped system, after a passing Klingon cruiser reported pieces of a strange vessel in the upper atmosphere of the planet. Geordi is telling Commander Riker what the planet is like. Pretty unpleasant. There’s debris in an elliptical orbit. Riker heads to see the captain in his ready room – Captain Picard is looking at Fermat’s Last Theorem, which he says is unsolved (it was actually solved a few years after the episode). Riker mentions the debris and suggests they beam a section aboard for analysis. The captain joins Riker in the transporter room. O’Brien has locked onto something with markings. It’s a curved piece of metal. On one side is a U.S. flag and ‘NASA’.
Captain Picard, Riker, Data and Troi are discussing this. Data says the fragment dates from the mid-21st century. Yes, it may seem to be impossible for a ship of that time to have travelled this far, but tests and markings are consistent. Troi asks what destroyed the ship. It was seemingly hit by a weapon from their time. Wesley contacts the captain from the bridge. They’ve detected a large structure on the planet, a building on a plane of frozen methane surrounded by breathable air. Riker suggests beaming down and Picard agrees.
Riker, Worf and Data beam down into the breathable zone. In front of them is a revolving door. Riker contacts the Enterprise and tells them about the door. They enter and, inside, they appear to be in a casino and hotel. The Enterprise has lost signal and transporter lock and Riker can’t contact them either. Data says they should immediately beam out but, as they are in no danger, Riker thinks they should have a look around. A bellboy tells them to go to the front desk and the man there was expecting them. A trio of foreign gentlemen. Welcome to the Hotel Royale. The bellboy asks the assistant manager if Rita has called. He warns the bellboy to keep clear of her because of Mickey D. He hands the away team room keys and some complimentary casino chips. As to what he calls the planet, he calls it ‘Earth.’
According to Data, none of those present are emitting lifesigns. They exist, but are neither man nor machine. On the Enterprise, Wesley and Geordi are attempting to get through the interference that is blocking their signal. The captain asks if the interference is the sign of intelligence. Impossible to tell. Picard comments to Troi that Riker should have beamed out immediately once contact was lost. Troi can feel Riker’s emotions; she says he feels amused. Data is playing blackjack when Worf and Riker come over. They are going to leave. However, when they walk out the revolving doors, they come straight back in. Welcome to the Hotel California; you can check out but you can never leave. There’s no other way out than the front door and their phasors don’t even scratch the structure.
The away team find human remains in one of the rooms. Long-dead human remains, from whoever was in the NASA craft. As well as a book – Hotel Royale. It seems they are stuck inside a fictional hotel. And, from all accounts, not a very good piece of fiction either. A holodeck malfunction episode, but without the holodeck.