Episode 254: "Liaisons" 

The U.S.S. Enterprise welcomes two Iyaaran ambassadors, Loquel and Byleth, who are visiting the ship as part of a "cultural exchange" that will also send Picard to their planet. Before Picard departs, he assigns Troi to act as Loquel's liaison and asks Riker to do the same for Byleth. But Byleth has other ideas, and instead demands that Worf serve as his shipboard guide. Soon afterward, Picard departs for the Iyaaran homeworld with Voval, the Iyaaran shuttle pilot, who is gruff and uncommunicative. Their awkward silence is disrupted by a malfunction aboard their ship. Crashing on an unknown planet, Voval receives a concussion, but Picard is seemingly unhurt. He decides to seek help outside, but falls to the ground trying to traverse the planet's stormy surface. While he lies unconscious, someone silently drags him away.
Picard awakens on the distant planet in a small, dimly-lit cargo cabin. He is approached by a solemn, attractive human woman who informs him that Voval did not survive the crash. Picard learns that the woman's name is Anna and that she is the sole survivor of a Terellian cargo freighter crash that occurred seven years before. After Anna tells him that he has three broken ribs, he sends her to retrieve the shuttlecraft's com panel to send a distress signal, but she accidentally destroys the transmitter module while removing it. Picard is then shocked when Anna suddenly kisses him and tells him she loves him.

Back on the Enterprise, Worf has had about all he can take of his abrasive, demanding guest. Riker decides that the tension might be eased by a "friendly" game of poker. The game is anything but "friendly," and Worf realizes that Byleth is stealing chips. Before long, Worf loses control and, despite Riker's insistence that he calm down, attacks his guest. But instead of getting angry, Byleth is pleased. He expresses admiration for Worf's display of anger and politely excuses himself to document the experience, leaving everyone confused.

Meanwhile, Picard becomes enraged at Anna when he realizes that his ribs are not really broken, and the woman, who continues to beg for his love, is actually holding him captive. He angrily alerts Anna to his discovery, at which point she becomes distraught over failing to gain his affection and rushes out the door, breaking off her necklace. Picard runs out to find her, only to encounter Voval, who is very much alive.

Voval explains that he only appeared to be dead because, when Lyaarans are injured, their metabolic rates slow down in order to promote healing. He and Picard set off in search of Anna, eventually separating. Picard finds her at the edge of a cliff, threatening to commit suicide if he does not tell her he loves her. When he notices that Anna is again wearing her necklace and that Voval has again disappeared, Picard senses that something strange is going on and tells Anna to go ahead and jump. At that moment, she transforms herself back into Voval, who explains that he is not really a pilot, but an Iyaaran ambassador. He staged the crash in order to study the emotion of love, non-existent on the Iyaaran homeworld, by using Picard as a subject. Similarly, Loquel and Byleth were sent to experience pleasure and antagonism. Picard is taken aback at first, but upon returning to the Enterprise, joins Worf and Troi in deeming the experience a worthwhile one.

Production: 254
Season: 7 Episode: 2
Air Date: 09.27.1993
Stardate: Unknown
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
Barbara Williams as Anna
Eric Pierpoint as Voval
Paul Eiding as Loquel
Michael Harris as Byleth
David Gerrold, a writer from the original series, was a consultant and uncredited story editor on the first two seasons. He left in a dispute after a script of his containing two implied gay characters and an allegorical reference to AIDS was pulled from production in the 11th hour. The story, entitled "Blood and Fire", was resurrected in 2004 as a non-Star Trek novel by Gerrold.

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

                STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                              
                          "Liaisons" 
                      (fka "The Journey") 
                          #40277-254 
                              
                           Story by 
               Roger Eschbacher & Jaq Greenspan 
                              
                          Teleplay by 
               Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci & Lisa Rich 
                              
                          Directed by 
                          Cliff Bole 
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 1993 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
                         JULY 6, 1993
            STAR TREK: "Liaisons" - 07/06/93 - CAST 
                STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                          "Liaisons" 
                             CAST                               
                              
                PICARD             BYLETH
                RIKER              LOQUEL
                DATA               PILOT
                BEVERLY            ANNA
                TROI               BOY
                WORF               
                GEORDI    
         
                Non-Speaking  
                  N.D. SUPERNUMERARIES
                  N.D. ENGINEERS     
            STAR TREK: "Liaisons" - 07/06/93 - SETS 
                STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                          "Liaisons" 
                       
                             SETS 
            INTERIORS                  EXTERIORS
          
            USS ENTERPRISE             USS ENTERPRISE
              WORF'S QUARTERS
              SHUTTLEBAY               PLANET'S SURFACE
              TEN FORWARD
              CORRIDOR                 ALIEN SHUTTLECRAFT
              ENGINEERING
              OBSERVATION LOUNGE
              RIKER'S QUARTERS
          
            ALIEN SHUTTLECRAFT
          
            CARGO FREIGHTER
    STAR TREK: "Liaisons" - 07/06/93 - PRONUNCIATION GUIDE 
                STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION 
                          "Liaisons" 
                            
                      PRONUNCIATION GUIDE 
                 BUSSARD         buh-SARD
                 BYLETH          BYE-leth
                 IYAARANS        ee-YAR-uns
                 IYAR            ee-YAR
                 KTARIAN         kit-AR-ee-un
                 PAPALLA         puh-PALL-uh
                 TARVOKIAN       tar-VOKE-ee-un
                 TERELLIAN       teh-RELL-ee-un
                 VOVAL           voh-VALL
                 ANNA            AH-nah

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