The Neutral Zone
Data and Worf investigate an old spaceship from 20th century Earth while Captain Picard attends a meeting on Starbase 718. Data and Worf find three humans in suspended animation on the spaceship. They bring them back to the Enterprise where Dr. Crusher examines them and then revives them. She cures them of medical problems before reviving them.
Captain Picard returns from Starbase 718 with a mission for the Enterprise. They immediately take off for the Neutral Zone. Picard hears about the frozen people and asks Commander Riker to take charge of the matter. He doesn't want to have any contact with the 20th Century sleepers.
Clare Raymond, Ralph Offenhouse, and L. Q. "Sonny" Clemonds start to learn by about the world in which they have woken up. They each seem to react differently. Offenhouse has lots of demands and uses the ship's communication system to reach Captain Picard, who really doesn't want to talk to him. He's got other problems, namely investigating what happened to some starbases near the Neutral Zone.
Captain Picard meets with the 20th century sleepers. Offenhouse wants answers and wants to talk to his lawyer. Picard provides some answers but they aren't really what he wants to hear. Picard heads back to the bridge as the Enterprise reaches one of the federation's starbases along the Neutral Zone. The base is gone, without a trace. The same is true of the next starbase they visit.
Clare Raymond talks to Counselor Troi who helps her to track down some of her descendants. Sonny Clemonds talks to Data who has one of the replicators make him a guitar. Ralph Offenhouse gets tired of waiting around and makes his way to the bridge. He gets there just as the Enterprise encounters a large Romulan warship.
Picard talks to the Romulans and learns that some of their bases along the Neutral Zone were also attacked and wiped out. They agree to work together with the Federation on this and only this matter.
The episode ends with Captain Picard making arrangements to get the three 20th century sleepers off the Enterprise within a few days.
Thoughts
Who was the aggressor that destroyed bases on both sides of the Neutral Zone? My guess is that would be the Borg but I don’t recall if that mystery is ever resolved. This episode was originally intended to be the first part of a three-part story, according to Memory Alpha. The Borg were intended to be introduced as the aggressors who destroyed both Romulan and Federation starbases. A writers' strike interfered with the planned three-part story.
It is mentioned at one point during the episode that it has been over 53 years since the last contact between the Federation and the Romulan Empire.
One aspect of this story that struck me as a bit odd is that (according to Dr. Crusher) Clare, Ralph, and Sonny all died before they were placed in stasis or suspended animation. If they were dead then I don't see how they could be revived.
I don't recall watching this episode before. It wasn’t exactly what I expected. It felt like it was setting things up. I knew that it had the first appearance of the Romulans in TNG but I thought that they would play a bigger role than they did. If anything they seemed like they were part of the B plot.
I enjoyed this episode. I can see why it is important. It’s a good one but I wouldn’t call it great.
Notes
Mark Alaimo played the part of Tebok, the Romulan captain. He is best known for playing Cardassians on Star Trek shows, most notably Gul Dukat in Deep Space Nine.
Leon Rippy played the part of Sonny Clemonds. I don't recall seeing him before but he was part of the regular cast two shows that I watched: Deadwood and The Visitor. It has been at least a decade, probably more since I watched either of those shows. He was also in a few movies I have seen including The Color Purple (1985), Raw Deal (1986), The Thirteenth Floor (1999).
Peter Mark Richman played the part of Ralph Offenhouse. This is the only episode of any Star Trek show in which he appeared but he made guest appearances in a number shows I have watched including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959), The Outer Limits (1963), The Invaders, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, and The Incredible Hulk.
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