Episode 220: "Cost of Living" 

After destroying a deadly asteroid in the Pelloris Field, the U.S.S. Enterprise heads toward the Moselina system unaware that a cloud of strange particles have attached themselves to the ship's hull. As they travel, Deanna Troi's mother Lwaxana transports aboard with an unusual announcement — she is planning to get married on the Enterprise to a man that she has never met. Troi finds the news disturbing, but Lwaxana laughs at her "motherly" concern.
Troi has been counseling Worf and his son Alexander, who have been clashing over the boy's responsibilities. Soon, Lwaxana meets Alexander and takes a liking to him. She persuades him to skip his appointment with Troi and accompany her to the holodeck instead. There, she takes him for a visit to a colony of artists, poets and free thinkers, and to a mudbath. Troi and Worf, meanwhile, begin a search for the missing boy that leads them to the holodeck.

An angry Troi asks her mother to stop interfering with Alexander's upbringing. The subject changes to Lwaxana's upcoming wedding, and Troi is shocked to learn that her independent-thinking mother plans to forgo the Betazed custom of getting married in the nude and wear a wedding dress provided by her bridegroom instead. Meanwhile, minor malfunctions begin to occur aboard the ship, and Geordi and Data discover that mechanical parts of the ship are being transformed into a gelatinous substance. As they report their findings to Picard, Riker and Worf, red alert sounds as more crucial systems begin to fail.

Later, Lwaxana's intended, Minister Campio, transports aboard along with his pompous Protocol Master. Lwaxana is a bit taken aback by just how stuffy her husband-to-be is, since the compatibility profile that matched them did not alert her to how major their differences are. She becomes bored with the complicated wedding plans and heads back to the holodeck with Alexander, much to everyone's dismay. Back in engineering, Geordi discovers the strange particles that have attached themselves to the ship and realizes they are at the root of the mechanical problem.

Malfunctions interrupt Lwaxana and Alexander's holodeck visit, and she calmly leads the boy out of danger. Meanwhile, Geordi and Data tell Picard that the particles that are destroying the ship are parasites that turned to the Enterprise after the asteroid they fed on was destroyed. They must return to the Pelloris Field in order to get rid of the particles, but time is running out. The parasites quickly overtake the life support systems, and the entire crew, with the exception of Data, loses consciousness as the oxygen runs out. Racing against the clock, Data reaches the Pelloris Field and beams the particles toward a new asteroid. With everything back to normal, Lwaxana's nuptials begin. They come to an abrupt halt, however, when she walks down the aisle naked according to her traditions, sending her stuffy bridegroom and his Protocol Master scurrying for home. Troi is pleased that her mother stuck to her guns, and later brings Worf to join Lwaxana and Alexander for a last trip to the mudbath.

Production: 220
Season: 5 Episode: 20
Air Date: 04.20.1992
Stardate: 45733.6
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
Tony Jay as Campio
David Oliver as Young Man
Majel Barrett as Lwaxana Troi
Albie Selznick as Juggler
Patrick Cronin as Erko
Tracey D'arcy as Young Woman
George Edie as Poet
Christopher Halste as First Learner
Brian Bonsall as Alexander
Carel Struycken as Mr. Homn
Memorable Quotes:


Lieutenant Worf: [in a mud bath with Deanna, Lwaxana, and Alexander] You're just supposed to sit?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Counselor Troi: [to Alexander] One day, you are going to be glad your father cared enough about you to insist on rules. It may be hard to imagine right now, but eventually, most children come to appreciate their parents.
[Worf and Alexander leave]
Commander William T. Riker: [over a communicator] Riker to Counselor Troi, your mother's just come aboard.
Counselor Troi: [to herself, leaning back in her chair] On the other hand...

 

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STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                              
                       "Cost of Living" 
                          #40275-220 
                              
                          Written by 
                      Peter Allan Fields 
                              
                          Directed by 
                          Rick Kolbe 
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 1992 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
                      FEBRUARY 3, 1992
          STAR TREK: "Cost of Living" - 2/3/92 - CAST 
                STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                       "Cost of Living" 
                             CAST                               
                              
                PICARD             LWAXANA TROI
                RIKER              ALEXANDER
                DATA               CAMPIO
                BEVERLY            ERKO
                TROI               JUGGLER
                GEORDI             YOUNG MAN
                WORF               YOUNG WOMAN
                                   POET
                TRANSPORTER 
                  OPERATOR         Non-Speaking
                                     MR. HOHM
                                     FIRE ARTIST
                                     LEARNERS
                Non-Speaking         TATTOED FEMALE DANCER
                  SUPERNUMERARIES    
          STAR TREK: "Cost of Living" - 2/3/91 - SETS 
                STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                       "Cost of Living" 
                        
                             SETS 
            INTERIORS                  EXTERIORS
          
            USS ENTERPRISE             USS ENTERPRISE
              MAIN BRIDGE
              OBSERVATION LOUNGE       SHIRALEAN VI
              VARIOUS CORRIDORS        GLADE/MUDBATH
              TRANSPORTER ROOM
              ENGINEERING
              JEFFERIES TUBE
              TURBOLIFT
              TEN FORWARD
              TROI'S OFFICE
              TROI'S QUARTERS
              LWAXANA'S QUARTERS
              WORF'S QUARTERS
              HOLODECK ENTRANCE
     STAR TREK: "Cost of Living" - 2/3/92 - PRONUNCIATION 
                STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                       "Cost of Living" 
                        
                      PRONUNCIATION GUIDE 
                 KOSTOLAIN       COST-uh-lane
                 NITRIUM         NYE-tree-um
                 PELLORIS        pel-ORE-us
                 PETROKIAN       peh-TRO-kee-'n
                 SHIRALEA        SHEER-ah-lee


 

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