Final Mission

TNG Season 4 Episode 9
Air Date: November 19th, 1990

There is an opening at Starfleet Academy and Wesley Crusher is told he has the spot. He and Captain Picard are being shuttled to Pentarus V where Wesley will meet another ship to Earth and Captain Picard is to mediate a mining dispute. Instead of taking a Federation shuttle, they go in one of the Pentarus V mining shuttles captained by Dirgo.

On the way, Dirgo's shuttle malfunctions and they crash land on one of the moons in the Pentarus system. The moon is a desert planet and they don't have any water. They make their way to the nearby mountains hoping to find water which they do, but it is protected by a force field. When they try to use phasers to take down the force field it somehow attacks back and destroys one of the phasers. In the attack, the cave they are in partially collapses and Captain Picard gets hurt and is dying.

Dirgo things they can outsmart the counter attack and it gets him killed, but Wesley figures out how to get around the force field and is able to get him and Captain Picard water.

The Enterprise hears about the shuttle going missing but they were responding to a distress call where a garbage scow is falling into a planets atmosphere releasing deadly radiation. They have to tow the scow through an asteroid field and send it into the sun before they can start a search. After, they are able to find Captain Picard and Wesley.

This is Wesley Crushers last episode as a regular on Star Trek. He shows up a few more times in future seasons as a guest.

Quotes

"Mr. Dirgo, I would appreciate it if you didn't bury me before I'm gone." - Captain Picard

"If there is one thing that I've learned from you, it's that you don't quit. And I'm not gonna quit now. I've seen you think yourself out of worse situations than this, and I'm gonna think us out of this. You're not gonna die. I'm not gonna let you die. I'll get to the water. And I'll keep you alive, until they find us. I promise." - Ensign Crusher

"Sir, you don't know this. No one knows this. Because I've never told anyone. All of the things that I've worked for school, my science projects, getting into the Academy. I've done it all because I want you to be proud of me." - Ensign Crusher
"Wesley, you remember. I was always proud of you." - Captain Picard

"Mr. Crusher." - Captain Picard
"Yes, sir?" - Ensign Crusher
"What are you doing in such a filthy uniform?" - Captain Picard
"You don't look so shipshape yourself, sir." - Ensign Crusher