Booby Trap
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 30 October 1989
- ON
- First-run syndication
- STARDATE
- 43205.6
- DIRECTED BY
- Gabrielle Beaumont
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 154
WRITTEN BYTeleplay by Ron Roman and Michael Piller & Richard Danus; story by Michael Wagner & Ron Roman
Exploring an ancient wreck in an asteroid field, the Enterprise falls into the same trap that doomed it, and La Forge seeks help from an unexpected source.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
After a disastrous holodeck date with crewmember Christy Henshaw, La Forge joins an investigation of an ancient Promellian battle cruiser drifting in an asteroid field. The away team finds a final message from its captain, Galek Dar, explaining that his ship was caught in a Menthar booby trap. Soon the Enterprise is caught too: the asteroids drain its power and bombard the ship with radiation. Searching for a way out, La Forge loads the original engine designs of Dr Leah Brahms into the holodeck and creates a simulation of her to work alongside him. The two develop an easy rapport, and La Forge is clearly smitten. The computer proposes letting it handle the escape, but La Forge and Picard decide to trust human judgement and a short, precise burst of power. Picard takes the helm himself and flies the Enterprise out by hand. Once clear, the crew destroys the derelict so it cannot claim more victims.
- 01The first Star Trek episode directed by a woman. Gabrielle Beaumont became a regular TNG director and also worked on DS9 and Voyager.
- 02In early drafts, Brahms was a Daystrom, a descendant of the original series character Richard Daystrom.
- 03Introduces the Utopia Planitia shipyards on Mars as the place where the Enterprise-D was built.