Unnatural Selection

TNG Season 2 Episode 7
Air Date: January 30th, 1989

Plot

The Enterprise answers a distress call of the USS Lantree, a Miranda class starship. When they arrive they find no lifesigns on board. They use the Lantree's access code to take over the ship remotely and activate the view screen. They find the crew dead on the bridge all died of old age. Riker comments that the Captain was his age so early to mid thirties.

They read the logs and find that the Lantree had just made a stop at the Darwin Genetic Research Station and the only health issue they had was one officer had the Thelusian Flu. The Darwin Genetic Research Station was experimenting with genetically engineered people and it turned out their immune system attacked viruses before it entered the body. That attack is what caused the rapid aging to occur.

Dr. Pulaski ends up getting infected and they find the cure is to use the transporter and a recent DNA sample to revert Dr. Pulaski back to her original age.

Commentary

The USS Lantree is the same class of ship as the one Khan stole in Star Trek II. It shows that ships can have a lifespan of hundreds of years, or that they keep building older designs (probably less likely).

From the beginning of the series you can tell that there is some kind of a rift between Dr. Pulaski and Captain Picard. This episode it hits it's peak with every conversation between the two being almost yelling matches. But half way through, they both have a revelation and kind of see the other sides viewpoints. We even learn that Dr. Pulaski has an admiration of Picard which might be part of what caused the rift.

Quotes

"And, Doctor, God knows I'm not one to discourage input, but I would appreciate it if you'd let me finish my sentences once in a while." - Picard

"Chief Medical Officer's log, this will be my final report to the Enterprise. Just as changes in evolution are known to be caused by changes in the environment, we now know the process also works in reverse. An attempt to control human evolution has resulted in a new species. It's lethal to its predecessors. The children will be condemned to live out their lives in isolation. The quarantine of the Darwin Station must be maintained forever" - Dr. Pulaski

"Captain, if this hadn't worked, if" - Dr. Pulaski
"If this hadn't worked, it would have been necessary to beam your energy into empty space." - Picard
"And spread my atoms across the galaxy!" - Dr. Pulaski
"Yes. I'm sorry, it" - Picard
"No, no, don't be sorry. Every time I get into the damn thing, I'm convinced that's what's going to happen." - Dr. Pulaski