Where Silence Has Lease 

The Enterprise encounters a mysterious void in space and when they move in closer to investigate further, it envelops them and they can't get out.

Director:

Winrich Kolbe

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (created by), Jack B. Sowards

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. Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lt. Worf
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Cmdr. Data
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher
Diana Muldaur	...	Doctor Pulaski
Earl Boen	...	Nagilum (voice)
Charles Douglass	...	Haskell
Colm Meaney	...	Transporter Chief

Storyline

While en route to the Mogana quadrant, the Enterprise comes comes across a unique phenomena for the first time. It appears as a black void, with no matter or energy readings of any kind. As the Enterprise approaches the entity, it envelops the ship completely. They find however that they are unable to leave and when a Romulan vessel suddenly appears, Picard and the crew realize that something is amiss. Unable to move or leave and facing a lifetime as a prisoner of Nagilum, who wishes to experiment on them, Captain Picard decides there can be only one solution to set them free.

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Plot Keywords:

mace the weapon | battle axe | metal pipe as weapon | metal pipe | holoprogram | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Picard says the Enterprise is trapped in the void like a fly in amber in a log entry; Q said something similar in Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hide And Q (1987).

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Goofs

Data notes that there is no record of any Federation vessel encountering anything remotely like the hole in space. This is not necessarily true. In Star Trek: The Original Series: The Immunity Syndrome, Kirk's crew encountered a similar void while investigating a dead star system. Their properties were different, but were aesthetically very similar.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Counselor Deanna Troi: You're worried.
Capt. Picard: With reason.
Counselor Deanna Troi: About Worf or Commander Riker?
Capt. Picard: Both. I think it is perhaps best to be ignorant of certain elements of Klingon psyche.

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Connections

References Space Battleship Yamato (1974)

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Soundtracks

Star Trek: The Next Generation End Credits
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User Reviews

Was This More Dumb Luck or a Truly Clever Play?

The whole setup for this episode is quite good. We have a mysterious void in space where the Enterprise finds itself buried. Since there is nothing on the sensors, there is no escaping it. Add to this, the illusions of a Romulan battle cruiser that actually fires on the ship and a federation starship which has no crew. It is obvious something is toying with the crew. Soon a sort of cat-like face appears on the screen. It is the chosen representation of an alien force that sees the Enterprise as a mere curiosity. It has no respect or concern for the crew. It even kills a bridge officer to watch him die. It is hard to enjoy an episode when the forces working against the crew are so unfathomable that there is no strategy to counteract them. The best Picard can do is to destroy the ship. He and Riker initiate the destruct sequence. The crew gets twenty minutes to get its affairs in order. The entity continues to toy with them. I guess saying enough is enough is the last resort for Picard. Still, the universe is so complex and the villains are around every corner (are there corners?). This episode is clever and dramatic and does keep our attention. Perhaps that's all we can ask for.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 1988 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1