Type Episode
Date 1992-10-19
Tags alien abduction

Schisms

Star Trek: The Next Generation 6x05

Riker has been waking up exhausted, as though he had only just fallen asleep. As the story progresses, other crew members begin having the same problem. Troi takes Riker, Worf, La Forge, and Kaminer to the holodeck, where the four work together to reconstruct an image from their dreams: a table with a restraint across the torso and a cutting tool on a jointed arm.

Meanwhile, La Forge has come up with a novel way of improving the sensors to speed up charting, by using the warp drive.

It turns out that La Forge's improvement to the sensors has brought them to the attention of beings that live in subspace, who have been abducting them to perform experiments upon them. They attach a tracking device to Riker so that they can find him in subspace after he is abducted, and with it they are able to rescue him and Ensign Sariel Rager.

Notes

The aliens ("Solanagen-based lifeforms", alternatively spelled 'solanogen') from this episode do not appear again in TNG, but do appear in the expanded universe in comics and novels.

The Enterprise crew previously dealt with trouble sleeping in Night Terrors, during which the crew were unable to reach REM sleep. Crusher initially guesses that this is the problem Riker is having.

This episode isn't bad, but the payoff isn't very good. The buildup with Riker's trouble sleeping, the nightmares, and the disappearing crewmen is much more interesting and suspenseful than when they finally reveal that they're being abducted by aliens and send Riker out on the rescue mission.

Character TypeName
Kaminer NoneAngelina Fiordellisi
Shipley NoneScott Trost
William T. Riker MainJonathan Frakes
Data SubBrent Spiner
Deanna Troi SubMarina Sirtis
Geordi La Forge SubLeVar Burton
Sariel Rager SubLanei Chapman
Worf SubMichael Dorn
Beverly Crusher AppearanceGates McFadden
Crewman (McCabe) AppearanceAngelo McCabe
Medical Technician (Nelson) AppearanceJohn Nelson
Mot AppearanceKen Thorley
Name RoleCharacter
Angelina Fiordellisi Actor
Angelo McCabe Actor
Brannon Braga Screenwriter
    Brent Spiner Actor
    Gates McFadden Actor
    Jean Louise Matthias Author
      John Nelson Actor
      Jonathan Frakes Actor
      Ken Thorley Actor
      Lanei Chapman Actor
      LeVar Burton Actor
      Marina Sirtis Actor
      Michael Dorn Actor
      Robert Wiemer Director
        Ron Wilkerson Author
          Scott Trost Actor