A Matter of Perspective

TNG Season 3 Episode 14
Air Date: February 12th, 1990

Plot

The Enterprise is returning to Tanuga IV to pick up Riker and La Forge from a research station. When Riker beams back the station explodes killing the lead scientist Dr. Nel Apgar, Shortly after, a investigator from Tanuga IV beams up and asks that Riker is extradited to be tried for murder claiming he shot a phaser as he beamed out causing the explosion. Tanuga's legal policy is guilty until proven innocent.

In order to determine if Picard will grant the extradition, he recreates the research lab on the holodeck and they perform a recreation of what happened based on eye witness accounts. Riker's version of the story says that Dr. Apgar was aggressive towards him and angry that he was even there while Dr. Apgar's wife Manua, was making advances on him.

Manua version of the story was very different showing Riker as being the aggressive one and even going as far to say that Riker tried to rape her. Dr. Apgar's assistant's version was more a mix of the two but still very damning for Riker.

In the end La Forge realizes that Dr. Apgar was able to create the Krieger waves that he researching and tried to use them to kill Riker during transport. Only the beam reflected and destroyed the station instead of killing Riker.

Quotes

"We can't both be telling the truth." - Riker
"It is the truth as each of you remembers it." - Troi
"But her version puts a noose around my neck." - Riker