- The Enterprise makes a confrontational first contact with the piratical Ferengi race as their two ships are ensnared by a presumed dead planet ready to judge them.
- The Enterprise pursues a Ferengi star ship. They have stolen a T9 energy converter from a federation star base. This is the Federations long awaited opportunity to make contact with the Ferengi. The Federation till knows very little about the Ferengi civilization. The Enterprise intercept the star ship while it passes through an uncharted solar system. It seems that the Ferengi ship has suddenly lost power due to an engine malfunction. The Ferengi fires on the Enterprise. The Ferengi have an impressive design but are matched technologically with the Federation. But suddenly, the Enterprise also loses power, shields, and weapons.
Ferengi are known to be traders and frauds. Picard uses the last stores of energy to break away from the Ferengi, but the Ferengi have the Enterprise in a strong force field and the Enterprise is not able to dislodge the hold. Deanna points out that while Picard has focused on the Ferengi, they have forgotten about the planet below. Suddenly the Enterprise's data banks are accessed, and all data downloaded at very high speeds. Picard asks Data for a full report on the planet. Faced with no other options that surrendering the ship, Picard asks for terms from the Ferengi.
Diamon Tarr (Mike Gomez) of the Ferengi responds and says that Ferengi would die before surrendering the ship to the Enterprise. Picard is stumped since he did not ask for a Ferengi surrender. Diamon offers to return the T9 device and sacrifice the life of their 2nd officer, as per their code. Picard realizes that the Ferengi ship is in the same condition as the Enterprise. Some external entity is responsible for this.
Data reveals that the dead planet was an outpost of the Tkon galactic empire (with a population of trillions), which has been extinct for 600K yrs. The empire was technology very advanced and capable of moving entire stars. Their sun went supernova and destroyed the empire. The outpost was a distant one, and survived the destruction of the empire. A probe reveals that both ships are being drained of energy by the planet.
The Ferengi have also reached the same conclusion and have withdrawn their offer to surrender. Picard proposes a joint exploration of the planet with the Ferengi. Diamon does not trust humans but agrees that their joint survival is at stake and allows for the temporary alliance. All of Picard's officers advise that Diamon is hiding something.
Riker, Yar, Data, Worf and Geordi beam down, but they all get scattered due to the energy field around the planet. The Ferengi also beam down and stun Riker, Data and Geordi, who had managed to find each other. Worf and Yar arrive to rescue them, but phasers don't work as their energy is absorbed by crystalline outgrowths on the planet surface. Geordi deduces that the entire planet is a energy accumulator. A Holo-Portal appears and petitions the humans and Ferengi to join the Tkon empire. Data tells the portal the Tkon have been extinct for 600K years, but the portal considers this sacrilege. The Portal is reading from history records that are several generations older to when the empire went extinct. The Portal doesn't know that the Tkon empire is extinct. The Ferengi meanwhile sense an opportunity, and petition to join the Tkon in exchange for release of their ship and destruction of the Enterprise. Riker submits the humans for judgment to the Portal. He responds calmly to all accusations made by the Ferengi.
The portal was testing the 2 civilizations and finds that Riker is wise and calm. He releases the Enterprise and restores power to the ship. Riker convinces the portal of releasing the Ferengi ship as well. He argues that Ferengi are what the humans were several hundred years ago, and they may yet mature. Portal warns that Ferengi may destroy the humans, but Riker says their values ask them to accept this as a possibility. Portal is pleased and agrees. Portal assimilates back with the planet.
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