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The Price (TNG episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Price" aired as episode #56 in the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation
.
near a resource-poor planet.
, overwhelmed by her duties as ship's counselor, reluctantly agrees to attend the delegations' reception. She meets Devinoni Ral, secretly a fellow empath and negotiator for one of the groups. Ral and Troi fall into an instant, passionate affair.
Meanwhile, talks over the rights to the wormhole are coming to a boiling point. Resolved to achieve success and take over the rights, the Ferengi incapacitate the Federation
representative, Mendoza. Captain Jean-Luc Picard
selects First Officer William Riker
to represent the Federation's interests.
Riker recommends that the U.S.S. Enterprise
conduct an expedition into it before committing the Federation to a binding contract. Picard agrees and orders La Forge and Data to take a shuttlecraft into the wormhole. In an effort to prevent being outdone, the Ferengi send in a shuttle of their own.
Soon after, Geordi and Data determine that the wormhole is neither stable nor valuable, as they had been led to believe. They attempt to inform the Ferengi pilots of the truth, but the Ferengi ignore them. Back on the U.S.S. Enterprise, negotiations for the wormhole continue, as well as the sparks between Deanna and Devinoni. Even though she has fallen for Devinoni, Troi starts to have some second thoughts about him when he tells her in intimate confidence that he is part Betazoid and discovers he has been using his empathic abilities to manipulate the opposing delegates in the negotiations.
Devinoni deftly narrows the competition down to the Federation and his own Chrysalians. Just before Riker can obtain the wormhole rights, the Ferengi threaten to destroy the wormhole, claiming that an "informed source" has told them that the Federation has made a covert pact
with the Barzan premier
.
Ral takes advantage of the tension and the Barzan leader's wishes for peace to win the claim to the wormhole for his group. When Troi realizes that Devinoni staged the entire altercation to sabotage the Federation, her sense of duty forces her to betray his trust and speak out publicly. But before the Barzan premier has a chance to cancel the bargain with Devinoni and the Chrysalians, the Enterprise shuttle emerges from the wormhole and hails the ship, announcing that it is worthless. Ral then says goodbye to Troi and returns to face his employers.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
.
Overview
Several groups, including the Federation, bid for rights to manage the entrance to a wormholeWormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
near a resource-poor planet.
Plot
The crew plays host to a group of visiting interplanetary dignitaries who are negotiating for the rights to a stable wormhole discovered by the Barzan, which could provide a valuable and efficient "bypass" through known space. Deanna TroiDeanna Troi
Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...
, overwhelmed by her duties as ship's counselor, reluctantly agrees to attend the delegations' reception. She meets Devinoni Ral, secretly a fellow empath and negotiator for one of the groups. Ral and Troi fall into an instant, passionate affair.
Meanwhile, talks over the rights to the wormhole are coming to a boiling point. Resolved to achieve success and take over the rights, the Ferengi incapacitate the Federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
representative, Mendoza. Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
selects First Officer William Riker
William Riker
William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
to represent the Federation's interests.
Riker recommends that the U.S.S. Enterprise
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
conduct an expedition into it before committing the Federation to a binding contract. Picard agrees and orders La Forge and Data to take a shuttlecraft into the wormhole. In an effort to prevent being outdone, the Ferengi send in a shuttle of their own.
Soon after, Geordi and Data determine that the wormhole is neither stable nor valuable, as they had been led to believe. They attempt to inform the Ferengi pilots of the truth, but the Ferengi ignore them. Back on the U.S.S. Enterprise, negotiations for the wormhole continue, as well as the sparks between Deanna and Devinoni. Even though she has fallen for Devinoni, Troi starts to have some second thoughts about him when he tells her in intimate confidence that he is part Betazoid and discovers he has been using his empathic abilities to manipulate the opposing delegates in the negotiations.
Devinoni deftly narrows the competition down to the Federation and his own Chrysalians. Just before Riker can obtain the wormhole rights, the Ferengi threaten to destroy the wormhole, claiming that an "informed source" has told them that the Federation has made a covert pact
Pact
A pact is a formal agreement.Pact, The Pact or PACT may also refer to:-PACT as an acronym:* Protein ACTivator of the interferon-induced protein kinase, a protein that activates protein kinase R...
with the Barzan premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
.
Ral takes advantage of the tension and the Barzan leader's wishes for peace to win the claim to the wormhole for his group. When Troi realizes that Devinoni staged the entire altercation to sabotage the Federation, her sense of duty forces her to betray his trust and speak out publicly. But before the Barzan premier has a chance to cancel the bargain with Devinoni and the Chrysalians, the Enterprise shuttle emerges from the wormhole and hails the ship, announcing that it is worthless. Ral then says goodbye to Troi and returns to face his employers.
See also
- False Profits, the Star Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
sequel, revealing the fate of the two FerengiFerengiThe Ferengi are a fictitious extraterrestrial race from the Star Trek universe. They first appeared in "The Last Outpost", the fifth episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, during which they made first contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2364 on the planet Delphi Ardu,...
left in the Delta Quadrant.