Silicon Avatar
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 14 October 1991
- ON
- First-run syndication
- STARDATE
- 45122.3
- DIRECTED BY
- Cliff Bole
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 204
WRITTEN BYTeleplay by Jeri Taylor; story by Lawrence V. Conley
The Crystalline Entity returns, and a scientist who has spent years tracking it joins the hunt, bringing with her a deep distrust of Data.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
While Riker and Data help settle a new colony on Melona IV, the Crystalline Entity, the creature that destroyed Data's home colony of Omicron Theta, appears and strips the land of life. The colonists shelter in caves, but two are killed, among them Carmen Davila, a woman Riker had grown close to. Starfleet sends Dr Kila Marr, an expert on the Entity, to help track it down. She deeply distrusts Data, whose brother Lore once helped the creature, and her teenage son Raymond died at Omicron Theta. Working beside Data, Marr learns that he holds the colonists' memories, including Raymond's, and is moved when Data reads her son's journal in his voice. The Enterprise finds the Entity and starts using graviton pulses to communicate with it. Just as it seems to respond, Marr secretly changes the pulse into a continuous beam, shattering the Entity. Data tells her that her son would not have approved.
- 01A sequel to “Datalore”, which introduced both the Crystalline Entity and the story of Omicron Theta.
- 02The story was inspired by Moby Dick, with the Entity as the whale and Kila Marr as Captain Ahab.
- 03Lawrence V. Conley's original pitch had the boy's memories taking over Data. Michael Piller turned that down, and the Entity was added.