Episode 184: "The Loss" 

When starship sensors detect a strange pattern of images in the U.S.S. Enterprise's path, the crew stops to investigate. Unable to pinpoint the source, they attempt to resume their course, to the shocking realization that they are being pulled by an unknown force — a force they are unable to break away from. Worried, Picard calls an emergency staff meeting and asks Troi if she senses a life form. The counselor suddenly realizes that she is unable to sense anything from the force or from anyone else in the room. Her empathetic powers have failed.
After examining Troi, Dr. Crusher tries to prepare her for the fact that her powers may be lost for good. Troi grows impatient, telling her she only wants to get back to work. Later, Deanna begins to panic when she attempts to counsel a patient without her empathetic abilities. When Beverly is unable to offer any immediate hope, Troi lashes out at her. Meanwhile, Data and Geordi discover that the force that is pulling the U.S.S. Enterprise is a cluster of two-dimensional lifeforms.

Unconfident in her ability to perform her job without her powers, Troi resigns, much to Riker and Picard's dismay. Later, Guinan spots her in Ten Forward, and tells Troi how her experiences as a bartender make her the ideal candidate to take over the counselor's job. Deanna immediately sees that Guinan is joking, and suddenly realizes that while she may be without her Betazoid powers, her human instincts are still intact. Back on the Bridge, Data and Riker discover that the creatures are heading toward a cosmic string — a force similar to a black hole — and the ship, caught in their gravitational wake, is headed for certain disaster.

A desperate Picard asks Troi to use her human abilities to psychoanalyze the creatures. As she struggles to make do with her instincts, she realizes that since most life forms have an instinctive will to survive, making the creatures aware of the danger might make them change their course. Data constructs a replica of the string directly in front of the creatures as a sort of warning device, but instead of turning back, they increase their speed toward it. At that moment, Troi realizes the creatures must want to head for the string.

Data reconstructs the replica behind the creatures, and, confused, they stop momentarily, allowing the U.S.S. Enterprise to escape. They quickly resume their course and disappear inside the string. Troi's powers come rushing back to her, and she is overcome with the creatures' happiness and the realization that the string is their home. She concludes that the strength of their longing temporarily short-circuited her powers, and with renewed confidence in her human abilities, Troi happily resumes her post as ship's counselor.

Production: 184
Season: 4 Episode: 10
Air Date: 12.31.1990
Stardate: 44356.9
Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes as William Riker
Brent Spiner as Data
LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn as Worf
Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi
Mary Kohnert as Ensign Tess Allenby
Kim Braden as Janet Brooks
Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
Gene Roddenberry Trivia:

During WWII he had a friend named Kim Noonien Singh; after the war Kim disappeared, and Gene used his name for some characters in the Star Trek series (Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and Noonien Soong from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)) in hopes that Kim might recognize his name and contact him.

Some of his ashes sent up in a rocket, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Might have died in a house fire when still a toddler along with Bob, Doris, and their mother, but a milkman came along and woke them in time.

In 1943 while a US Army Air Corps pilot, his plane crashed on takeoff due to a mechanical failure, killing two crew members.

On 19 June 1947 he was deadheading (traveling while not on duty) on a Pan Am plane when it crashed in the Syrian desert, killing 7 of 9 crew and 7 of 26 passengers on board. He rescued the Maharani of Pheleton from the wreck. Rescue came in hours, but too late to save most of the luggage, and the victims' possessions, from local tribesmen and villagers.

During the war he wrote a song lyric "I Wanna Go Home", which became popular.

His first TV script sale, in 1953, was the episode ``Defense Plant Gambling'' for the show "Mr. District Attorney" (1954). It was broadcast 2 March 1954. In the science-fiction field, his first was "The Secret Weapon of 117", broadcast 6 March 1956 on the anthology series "Chevron Hall of Stars".

He had many lovers and was sometimes overt about it. He and Majel Barrett had been lovers for years when he decided it was time to marry her and asked her to join him -- although he happened to be visiting Japan at the time. Gene did not adhere to any particular religion and since they were in Japan they chose to have a Shinto-Buddhist wedding on 6 August 1969. They regarded this as their real wedding, but his divorce was not yet final and they made it legal with a civil ceremony on 29 December 1969.

His old pseudonym Robert Wesley was used in the "Star Trek" (1966) episode "The Ultimate Computer" as the name of a character, played by Barry Russo.

Served on the Los Angeles Police Force from 1949 - 1956, badge number 6089. This information from "Star Trek Creator" by David Alexander.

Died within 48 hours of screening Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), the last Trek that revolved around his original characters.

Shared the same birthday as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987) star Jonathan Frakes.

He has a building named in his honor on the Paramount Studio lot.

Father of actress Dawn Roddenberry.

Father, with Majel Barrett, of Rod Roddenberry.

While meeting with George Takei about a role on "Star Trek" (1966), Gene accidentally pronounced George's last name 'Ta-kei', which is similar to the word expensive in Japanese "takai" . He remembered the pronouncation by rhyming it with "OK".

Died on 24 October 1991, exactly ten years after Marina Sirtis's father.

During his years in the LAPD, he was the spokesman of LAPD Chief W.H. Parker.

Was a close friend of Jack Webb.

 

Click this link to view the complete script in a TXT format

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

"The Loss"
#40274-184

Story by
Hilary J. Bader

Teleplay by
Hilary J. Bader
and
Alan J. Adler & Vanessa Greene

Directed by
Chip Chalmers

THE WRITING CREDITS MAY NOT BE FINAL AND SHOULD NOT BE USED
FOR PUBLICITY OR ADVERTISING PURPOSES WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING
WITH THE TELEVISION LEGAL DEPARTMENT.

Copyright 1990 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights
Reserved. This script is not for publication or
reproduction. No one is authorized to dispose of same. If
lost or destroyed, please notify the Script Department.

FINAL DRAFT

OCTOBER 1, 1990

STAR TREK: "The Loss" - REV. 10/8/90 - CAST

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"The Loss"

CAST

PICARD                               ENSIGN JANET BROOKS
RIKER                                  ENSIGN TESS ALLENBY
DATA
BEVERLY
TROI
GEORDI
WORF
GUINAN
COMPUTER VOICE

Non-Speaking
MEDICAL PERSONNEL
ENGINEERING PERSONNEL
SUPERNUMERARIES

Click this link to view the complete script in a TXT format