Where Silence Has Lease

TNG Season 2 Episode 2
Air Date: November 28th, 1988

Plot

The Enterprise discovers a hole is space time, where it appears nothing exists. After sending a few probes into the hole with no results, the hole moves and envelops the Enterprise. Once in the hole they take some scans and then decide to leave. Only they can't. Then a Romulan warbird shows up and the Enterprise destroys it. Then the USS Yamato appears but odd illusions happen on board. At this point it becomes obvious that an intellgence is involved.

The intelligence, known as Nagilum appears and says he is studying them. He then kills the helmsman and says he will kill 1/3 of all on board. Picard decides that it is better to destroy the entire ship then let Nagilum kill a random third. Nagilum decides it isn't worth it and lets the Enterprise go.

Commentary

This episode played as a mystery keeping you guessing what it could be that is happening in this hole. It treated the Enterprise as a lab experiment with the people as the rats. To a powerful intelligent being, we might appear as simple as rats do to us.

Quotes

"Captain, the most elementary and valuable statement in science, the beginning of wisdom, is, I do not know. I do not know what that is, sir." - Data

"Why do I get the feeling that this was not the time to join this ship?" - Pulaski

"Like the rat said, keep the cheese, I just want out of the trap."" - La Forge
"Ten seconds to auto-destruct." - Computer
"Captain..." - Riker
"Abort auto-destruct sequence." - Picard
"Riker, William T., do you concur?" - Computer
"Yes, absolutely, I do indeed concur wholeheartedly!" - Riker
"Auto-destruct canceled." - Computer
"A simple yes would have sufficed, Number One." - Picard
"I didn't want there to be any chance of misunderstanding." - Riker