TNG · SEASON 33×25

Transfigurations

NOMADIC PICK · FOR COMPLETISTSA quiet episode before the big finale.
FIRST SHOWN (US)
4 June 1990
ON
First-run syndication
STARDATE
43957.2
DIRECTED BY
Tom Benko
PRODUCTION NO.
173

WRITTEN BYWritten by René Echevarria

IN BRIEF

SPOILER-FREE

The Enterprise rescues the badly injured survivor of a crashed escape pod. He has no memory of who he is, and something strange is happening inside his body.

SYNOPSIS

SPOILERS
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSISHIDE SYNOPSIS

The Enterprise finds a crashed escape pod and rescues its only occupant, a man close to death. He heals astonishingly fast but has no memory, and the crew call him John Doe. His cells are changing in ways she cannot explain, he suffers bouts of pain and begins giving off bursts of energy, and he finds he can use it to heal others, including O'Brien's injured shoulder. A ship arrives from Zalkon, and its commander, Sunad, demands John's return, calling him a criminal. John tries to escape in a shuttle, accidentally kills Worf in the struggle, then brings him back to life. Sunad uses a device that leaves the Enterprise crew unable to breathe, and John heals them all. His memory returns: his people are evolving into beings of energy, and their government kills those who begin to change. John completes his transformation, offers Sunad the same future, which he refuses, and departs as pure energy.

DID YOU KNOW?

  1. 01The name Sunad is story editor Richard Danus's surname spelled backwards.
  2. 02The glow was largely done in camera: Mark LaMura wore a fluorescent orange suit, filmed on special film stock, so little post-production work was needed.
  3. 03The episode introduces O'Brien's fondness for holodeck kayaking, a running joke later revisited on Deep Space Nine.
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