1x12 The Big Goodbye - Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode Guide

Star Trek: The Next Generation

- Episode 01x12

Episode: 01x12
Title: The Big Goodbye
Type: Regular Episode
Production Code: 113
First Aired: Jan. 11, 1988

Season 1 » Episode #12 - The Big Goodbye

Star Trek: The Next Generation - 01x12 The Big Goodbye

Summary: Stardate: 41997.7 Capt. Picard is tasked with making a very important “first contact” meeting with a xenophobic alien race. After tirelessly working on his opening speech (in their alien language), he decides to take some time off in the Holodeck. However, when the alien’s probe the Enterprise, it causes the Holodeck to malfunction, leaving those inside in great danger. The crew must rescue Picard and the others from the Holodeck, while at the same time trying to delay the alien race’s demand to begin their exchange.

Who appeared in this episode?

Guest Stars:

Captain Jean-Luc Picard	played by Patrick Stewart
Lieutenant Geordi La Forge	played by LeVar Burton
Lieutenant Tasha Yar	played by Denise Crosby
Doctor Beverly Crusher	played by Gates McFadden
Counselor Deanna Troi	played by Marina Sirtis
Lt. Commander Data	played by Brent Spiner
Wesley Crusher	played by Wil Wheaton
Argyle	played by Biff Yeager

Episode Quotes

	Season 1 / Episode 12: - The Big Goodbye Lt. Commander Data: [after discovering the disassembled Lore] Could this be another me? Or possibly my brother?
	Season 1 / Episode 12: - The Big Goodbye Lt. Commander Data: You consider it important to please humans? Lore: It's not important? Lt. Commander Data: There are many things of importance - some more than others.

[More Quotes]

MISTAKES/GOOFS

DATE: La Forge reports a "bogey"; survival of 20th-century military slang over three centuries is extremely unlikely.
CHAR: While Lore is masquerading as Data. He answers Number One's question, calling him "Riker". Data always formally addresses him as "Commander". And Lore should have already observed this, besides never using contractions in speech.
CONT: SPOILER: During the fight between Data and Lore in the cargo bay, just after Lore shoots Dr. Crusher, Data grabs Lore's arm and the phaser is thrown into the air in the direction of the transporter pad. Look closely at the phaser. You can clearly see the Phaser break into 2 pieces and bounce off the transporter pad. Then in a subsequent shot, the phaser magically appears intact on the pad. Then in another shot the phaser disappears again. Then finally when Lore is thrown onto the Pad, the phaser is back and fully intact.
PLOT: SPOILER: In the final scenes, the Enterprise has its shields up for protection against the Crystalline Entity. During the battle in the cargo bay, Wesley eventually manages to beam Lore away, supposedly into space; yet we don't see him - or anyone else - drop the shields first. Besides, should they have been taken down unnoticed, even for a short moment, then the Entity would have been able to enter the ship and kill everyone on board, especially since Lore has prepared it shortly before to do just that.
CONT: Data states that he was found on the surface of Omicron Theta "26 years ago". The first season of this show takes place in the year 2364, which would imply that Data was found in the year 2338. Yet in the pilot episode "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987) {Encounter at Farpoint (#1.1)}, Data tells Commander Riker that he graduated from Starfleet Academy "Class of '78", which would imply 2278--a full 60 years before Data was found. Since the 2364 date was not established until the Season One finale "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987) {The Neutral Zone (#1.25)}, it is feasible that such an error could not have been predicted at the time.