Conspiracy (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

"Conspiracy"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Dexter Remmick's host body and queen parasite are destroyed by Picard and Riker.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 25
Directed by	Cliff Bole
Teleplay by	Tracy Tormé
Story by	Robert Sabaroff
Featured music	Dennis McCarthy
Production code	125
Original air date	May 9, 1988 (1988-05-09)
Guest stars
Henry Darrow – Adm. Savar Ward Costello – Adm. Gregory Quinn Robert Schenkkan – Cdr. Dexter Remmick Ray Reinhardt – Adm. Aaron Jonathan Farwell – Capt. Walker Keel Michael Berryman – Capt. Rixx Ursaline Bryant – Capt. Tryla Scott
Episode chronology
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List of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes

"Conspiracy" is the 25th episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation

Overview

The strange behavior of high-ranking officers leads Picard to uncover an alien conspiracy within Starfleet preparing an invasion.

Plot

While the Enterprise is en route to Pacifica, Captain Walker Keel of the USS Horatio covertly contacts Captain Picard over a secure channel, and requests a face-to-face meeting on Dytallix B in the nearby Mira system. Arrived there, the Enterprise discovers the Horatio and two other Federation ships, but they remain silent to their hails. Picard beams to the planet's surface and is met by Keel and the captains of the other ships. Keel warns of strange orders and events from Starfleet Headquarters, and expresses concern of a conspiracy within its ranks. Picard refuses to accept the charge without proof, and as he leaves, Keel warns him to remain cautious. The Enterprise and the other ships depart the planet and resume their original orders. Picard has Lt. Commander Data review Starfleet's records for the last six months to find any anomalies, but does not reveal any other details of the meeting. As they near Pacifica, the crew discovers a debris field that came from the destruction of the Horatio, an act of sabotage. Data completes his study and does find several abnormal directives from the senior levels of Starfleet. Picard informs his senior staff of Captain Keel's conspiracy theory, and orders the Enterprise to Earth to investigate themselves.

Picard and Commander Riker are greeted by three senior officers; Admirals Savar, Arron, and Quinn, along with Quinn's assistant Lt. Commander Remmick. Though they are surprised by the Enterprise's presence, they invite Picard and Riker to dinner. Quinn expresses his condolences that he will not be able to join them for dinner but requests to beam aboard the Enterprise for a tour. Upon Quinn's arrival Picard discusses matters with his old friend Quinn regarding their last meeting (from "Coming of Age"), and comes to believe that Quinn is an impostor – warning Riker of this. Picard then beams down to earth to join Admirals Savar and Arron for dinner. Meanwhile, Riker visits Quinn's quarters on the Enterprise where Quinn shows him an alien bug-like creature which Quinn calls "a superior form of life". Riker attempts to leave but Quinn, with superhuman strength, throws Riker across the room. Other Enterprise crew arrive to subdue Quinn, who is able to withstand an inordinate amount of firepower before he collapses. Dr. Crusher finds a small protrusion on the back of Quinn's neck, leading her to discover that a similar bug-like parasite has latched itself onto Quinn's brain and is controlling him. Dr. Crusher warns Picard of this incident and the resilience of those affected by the parasite, informing him that they possess incredible strength and to set his phaser "to kill" since stun does little to affect them. Picard remarks that "one doesn't not beam down to Star Fleet armed", informing Crusher that he is vulnerable in the situation.

Picard, while dining with the other Admirals, finds it strange for them to toast to the fallen Horatio and attribute its destruction to the incompetence of its captain. The main course of the dinner is served – a bowl of living larva. Picard, realizing something is wrong, attempts to escape to find Riker blocking his way. The other admirals observe the protrusion on the back of Riker's neck and allow him to sit to dine, believing him to have a parasite as well. Picard learns that the parasites are seeking to control Starfleet, using humans as their physical power. Riker, who has tricked the parasites through the prosthetic protrusion, catches the admirals off guard, using a phaser set on full power to kill the infected Starfleet officers. One by one Picard and Riker kill the infected, as parasites leave the dead hosts and flee. One of the parasites scurries under a closed door, with Picard and Riker in hot pursuit of it. Inside the room, they find Remmick ingesting the parasite to join several others inside him. Picard and Riker fire upon Remmick, destroying his body but freeing a giant parasite; the two continue to fire until it is destroyed.

Dr. Crusher reports that the other parasites, including that in Quinn, have shriveled up, unable to survive without the mother creature that was inside Remmick. As they help to settle matters with Starfleet headquarters, they find that before Remmick was killed, he had sent a signal to a distant quadrant of the galaxy, possibly as a homing beacon to guide an unknown entity to Earth.

Notes

• "Conspiracy" is one of only two episodes in the show's history to be broadcast with a warning about its content.

• Parasitic mind controlling creatures with prominent Antlion inspired jaws are a recurring theme in Star Trek.

• The creatures of this episode bear some visual and behavioural similarity to the Ceti Eels in The Wrath of Khan, and Centaurian Slugs in the recent reboot. These creatures were to feature as a recurring enemy of the Federation, a role later filled by the Borg.

• The parasites reappear in the relaunch novels of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where they are revealed to be mutated Trill symbiotes with a vendetta against the unmutated Trill.

• Unlike past and future deaths in the franchise, the death of Remmick is shown in detail with gore/splatter effects, as parts of his body explode due to phaser fire or get ripped apart while the parasite breaks out of his torso, similar to the Alien – movies. Due to the graphic depiction of Remmick's death, stations broadcasting the episode also broadcast a program advisory warning viewers of the graphic content.

References

• Star Trek The Next Generation DVD set, volume 1, disc 7, selection 1.

External links

• Conspiracy at the Internet Movie Database
• "Conspiracy" at TV.com
• Conspiracy at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Conspiracy at StarTrek.com
• Conspiracy rewatch by Keith R.A. DeCandido