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Star Trek: The Next Generation
S6.E26
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  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Descent

  • Episode aired Jun 21, 1993
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 46m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
Brian Cousins in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
After an encounter with the Borg, Data feels his first emotion when he gets angry with the Borg. Data then tries to find ways to recreate the situation in order to feel emotions again, whils... Read allAfter an encounter with the Borg, Data feels his first emotion when he gets angry with the Borg. Data then tries to find ways to recreate the situation in order to feel emotions again, whilst the Enterprise investigates the Borg activity, and are bewildered as to why they feel em... Read allAfter an encounter with the Borg, Data feels his first emotion when he gets angry with the Borg. Data then tries to find ways to recreate the situation in order to feel emotions again, whilst the Enterprise investigates the Borg activity, and are bewildered as to why they feel emotions too.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Alexander Singer
    • Writers
      • Gene Roddenberry
      • Ronald D. Moore(teleplay by)
      • Jeri Taylor(story by)
    • Stars
      • John Neville
      • Jim Norton
      • Natalija Nogulich
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Alexander Singer
    • Writers
      • Gene Roddenberry
      • Ronald D. Moore(teleplay by)
      • Jeri Taylor(story by)
    • Stars
      • John Neville
      • Jim Norton
      • Natalija Nogulich
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 14User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info

    • Photos13

    Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Richard Gilbert-Hill in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Gates McFadden in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Marina Sirtis in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    LeVar Burton and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Stephen Hawking in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Neville
    John Neville
    • Isaac Newton
    Jim Norton
    Jim Norton
    • Albert Einstein
    Natalija Nogulich
    Natalija Nogulich
    • Adm. Alynna Nechayev
    Brian Cousins
    Brian Cousins
    • Crosis
    • (as Brian J. Cousins)
    Stephen Hawking
    Stephen Hawking
    • Stephen Hawking
    • (as Professor Stephen Hawking)
    Patrick Stewart
    Patrick Stewart
    • Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
    Jonathan Frakes
    Jonathan Frakes
    • Cmdr. William Riker
    LeVar Burton
    LeVar Burton
    • Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
    Michael Dorn
    Michael Dorn
    • Lt. Worf
    Gates McFadden
    Gates McFadden
    • Dr. Beverly Crusher
    Marina Sirtis
    Marina Sirtis
    • Counselor Deanna Troi
    Brent Spiner
    Brent Spiner
    • Lt. Cmdr. Data…
    Richard Gilbert-Hill
    Richard Gilbert-Hill
    • Bosus
    Stephen James Carver
    • Tayar
    Joyce Agu
    Joyce Agu
    • Ensign Gates
    • (uncredited)
    David Keith Anderson
    • Deceased Ohniaka III Science Division Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Majel Barrett
    Majel Barrett
    • Enterprise Computer
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Christine Anne Baur
    • Ensign Corelki
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alexander Singer
    • Writers
      • Gene Roddenberry
      • Ronald D. Moore(teleplay by)
      • Jeri Taylor(story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In his foreword to The Physics of Star Trek, Hawking jokingly wrote that after "winning" the holodeck card game, he called Paramount Pictures to try and cash in his chips (Federation Credits), but they didn't know the exchange rate."
    • Goofs
      Either the brig continues to be remodeled, or there is a continuity problem with respect to the controls for the force field that closes off the prisoner's cell. In this episode, a crewman sits at a control console & activated/deactivates the force field. In I Borg (1992), a crewman tapped a panel on the wall to operate it, and in an even earlier episode Picard himself was able to turn it on/off with a simple voice command to the computer.
    • Quotes

      [about the Borg encountered on Ohniaka III]

      Commander William T. Riker: They were fast, aggressive, almost vicious. It was more like fighting Klingons than...

      [realizes]

      Commander William T. Riker: ... Borg.

      [to Worf]

      Commander William T. Riker: No offense.

      Lieutenant Worf: None taken.

    • Connections
      Edited from Star Trek: The Next Generation: Time Squared (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
      Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

    User reviews14

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    The poker game
    This particular TNG story has the famous poker game. That old earth card game certainly flourished in the future with the Enterprise brass enjoying it for all it's worth.

    But Brent Spiner has got himself a holodeck program with 3 of the greatest earth minds ever, Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and the real Stephen Hawking. No bluffing in that game.

    The bulk of the episode consists of Data dealing with a flash of a human emotion, specifically anger in an encounter with the Borg. Not just any Borg, defectors from the collective who have their own mission.

    But it's the poker game you will remember.
    helpful•8
    4
    • bkoganbing
    • Nov 18, 2019

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 21, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Brandeis-Bardin Institute, Brandeis-Bardin Campus, 1101 Peppertree Lane, Brandeis, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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