The Chase

TNG Season 6 Episode 20
Air Date: April 26th, 1993

Captain Picard's old archaeologically professor Richard Galen shows up and wants Picard to join him on his research. The decision is hard for Picard but he does reject the offer. But shortly after Galen's shuttle is attacked. The Enterprise arrives and is able to save the shuttle but Professor Galen does die. Captain Picard decides it is imperative that they investigate his death by completing his research.

They find that Professor Galen was collecting genetic samples from different planets that all have common DNA segments which should not be possible. They also discover that the DNA contains an actual computer program that was written millions of years ago. The Klingons, Cardassians and eventually Romulans get involved in trying to get all the DNA pieces needed. When they finally do, the program alters the tricorder to project a hologram of a species that existed millions of years ago.

This species says that they seeded the galaxy with variants of their DNA which eventually became all the alpha/beta quadrant races.

Salome Jens plays the hologram and other then the lack of hair, she almost look identical to the changelings from the gamma quadrant. She also plays a changeling in later seasons of DS9 which I thought was interesting. I wonder if maybe it was the changelings millions of years ago that seeded the galaxy.

Quotes

"Dream not of today, Mr. Picard." - Professor Galen

"It's four billion years old, a computer program from a highly advanced civilization; and it's hidden in the very fabric of life itself. Whatever information this program contains could be the most profound discovery of our time, or the most dangerous. And the Professor knew that." - Captain Picard

"I had a father. But he was like a father who understood me. And he had his own children, but they didn't follow in his footsteps, so I was like the son who understood him." - Captain Picard

"You're wondering who we are; why we have done this; how it has come that I stand before you - the image of a being from so long ago. Life evolved in my planet before all others in this part of the galaxy. We left our world, explored the stars and found none like ourselves. Our civilization thrived for ages. But what is the life of one race, compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time? We knew that one day we would be gone, that nothing of us would survive. So, we left you. Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds, where life was in its infancy. The seed codes directed your evolution toward a physical form resembling ours: this body you see before you, which is of course shaped as yours is shaped. For you are the end result. The seed codes also contain this message, which we scattered in fragments on many different worlds. It was our hope that you would have to come together in fellowship and companionship to hear this message. And if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfilled. You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish, that you, too, would know life and would keep alive our memory. There is something of us in each of you, and so, something of you in each other. Remember us." - Humanoid Progenitor

"The very notion that a Cardassian could have anything in common with a Klingon, it turns my stomach." - Gul Ocett