The Next Phase 

A transporter malfunction, combined with a Romulan ship under stress and a damaged cloaking device, creates the illusion that Ensign Ro and Geordi are dead, but Geordi doesn't believe it to be so, and he acts accordingly.

Director:

David Carson

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (created by), Ronald D. Moore

Stars:

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Patrick Stewart	...	Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes	...	Cmdr. William Riker
LeVar Burton	...	Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lt. Worf
Gates McFadden	...	Dr. Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Cmdr. Data
Michelle Forbes	...	Ensign Ro Laren
Thomas Kopache	...	Mirok
Susanna Thompson	...	Varel
Shelby Leverington	...	Chief Brossmer
Brian Cousins	...	Parem
Kenneth Meseroll	...	Ensign McDowell

Storyline

After successfully responding to a Romulan vessel's engine failure distress call, Riker's Enterprise rescue team loses all traces of Geordi and Ensign Ro Laren while they beam back aboard; Data ponders on an appropriate memorial service given their different cultural traditions. The two find they are transported aboard but immaterial, unnoticed by other Enterprise crew. Ro thinks they're dead, Geordi gradually works out, like Data aboard, they must be affected by a Klingon-type cloaking technology aboard the Romulan ship interfering with another damaged system. Ro discovers there's a Romulan beamed up with them, who is ready to protect the secret by killing them.

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Plot Keywords:

shot in the leg | ship to ship communication | romulan starship | ro laren character | extinguishing a fire | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Romulan science vessel was a modification of the scout ship model first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Defector (1990). It was later modified again to portray a Nasari vessel in Star Trek: Voyager: Favorite Son (1997). In an interview production artist Rick Sternbach expressed disappointment that "chop jobs" like this were sometimes performed on shooting models, effectively destroying the original design.

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Goofs

When Brossmer reports to Data about the new chronoton fields on Deck 17, as he was following Ro and the Romulan, the doors are showing they are on Deck 8.

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Quotes

Ensign Ro Laren: [still phased, to Riker] Now I s'ppose I'll never know what you were gonna say about me.
[shoots him in the head with a phased disruptor]

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Connections

Featured in re:View: More Rich and Mike's Top Ten TNG Episodes (2020)

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Soundtracks

Down by the Riverside
[Played by the band at the wake]

User Reviews

Geordi and Ro, we hardly knew ye

While aiding a Romulan in distress and then transporting back to the Enterprise LeVar Burton and Michelle Forbes are left in some kind of nether world suspension where they can see and hear all, but no one can see them.

No good deed goes unpunished either as the Romulans put a booby trap that will blow up the Enterprise if it goes to warp, but only Geordi and Ro know of it.

This is similar to an episode on Star Trek prime story where Captain Kirk is living at accelerated speed and has to find a way of communicating with his crew just as Ro and Geordi are trying to do.

Crew reactions to their 'passing' vary. And Riker has a most appropriate farewell planned for them.

Worth seeing for the farewell alone.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1992 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

46 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1