VERSIONE ITALIANA

PPR 252
SEQ 152
SAT 21.06.1993
I1 26.08.1997
COD de
VHS 76
STO Jeri Taylor
TPY Ronald D. Moore
REG Alexander Singer
MUS Jay Chattaway
GUS Lore Brent Spiner
Prof. Stephen William Hawking Prof. Stephen William Hawking
Albert Einstein Jim Norton
Sir Isaac Newton John Neville
Vice Amm. Alynna Nechayev Natalija Nogulich
Crosis Brian J. Cousins
Bosus Hill Richard Gilbert
Tayar Stephen James Carver
IT Il ritorno dei Borg - Prima Parte
DE Angriff der Borg I

riassunto
Data Stellare 46982.1: In risposta ad una chiamata di soccorso, l'Enterprise si reca presso un avamposto su Ohniaka III. L'away team, inviato sul posto, non può fare altro che prendere atto del fatto che il personale è stato sterminato, ma la squadra viene subito attaccata dai Borg, che presentano caratteristiche di individualità assolutamente inconsuete.


Note
Il Professor Stephen William Hawking è uno dei fisici teorici più brillanti del XX secolo. Hawking ha sviluppato la teoria quantistica della gravità in cui ha unito le due maggiori teorie della fisica, la meccanica quantistica e la relatività. Hawking ha anche formulato l'ipotesi dell'esistenza di wormhole e fluttuazioni quantiche che potrebbero unire differenti universi. Hawking ha anche scritto l'introduzione del libro di Krauss The Physics of Star Trek (La Fisica di Star Trek, Longanesi)
Stephen Hawking si trovava presso gli studi della Paramount per la pubblicazione su video del libro A Brief History of Time e gli è stata fatta compiere una visita al set di The Next Generation. Quando è arrivato al set del ponte di comando, Hawking ha chiesto espressamente di essere messo a sedere sulla poltrona del capitano e questo è stato un evento davvero eccezionale in quanto non ha mai chiesto di essere tolto dalla propria sedia. Da ciò è nata l'idea dell'apparizione in questo episodio. Passando davanti al set della sezione tecnica, Stephen Hawking si è fermato vicino al motore warp, ha sorriso e ha detto "I'm working on that."
Le esterne del palazzo Borg sono state girate al Brandes Institute, lo stesso posto utilizzato per girare le esterne di Khitomer in Star Trek VI. In questo caso, sono state apportate delle modifiche con il computer in postproduzione.
La matte della stazione scientifica è quella utilizzata anche per Unnatural Selection.
Le scene della battaglia sono state girate senza esplosioni dal vivo; le esplosioni sono state aggiunte in postproduzione, risparmiando molto tempo ed evitando di danneggiare gli equipaggiamenti.


Citazioni
Albert Einstein (a Stephen Hawking): The uncertainty principle will not help you now, Stephen: all the quantum fluctuations in the universe will not change the cards in your hand. I call, you're bluffing. And you will loose.

Riker: Data, are you all right?
Data: Yes, sir.
Riker: What happened?
Data: I got angry.

Troi: Data, feeling aren't positive or negative, they simply exist. It's what we do with those feelings that becomes good or bad.

Riker: Sending Hugh back to the Borg was a very risky, a very dangerous choice, but it was the moral thing to do.

PPR 253
SEQ 153
SAT 20.09.1993
COD d2
VHS 77
STO René Echevarria
REG Alexander Singer
MUS Jay Chattaway
GUS Lore Brent Spiner
Hugh Jonathan Del Arco
Guardiamarina Taitt Alex Datcher
Ten. Barnaby James Horan
Crosis Brian J. Cousins
Salazar Benito Martinez
Goval Michael Riley Burke
IT Il ritorno dei Borg - Seconda Parte
DE Angriff der Borg II

riassunto
Data Stellare 47025.4: Picard, Troi e Geordi vengono fatti prigionieri dai Borg e rischiano la vita nei mortali esperimenti a cui vengono sottoposti da Data e Lore. Mentre Riker e Worf seguono le tracce del capitano e del suo gruppo, vengono anch'essi trovati dai Borg, ma i Borg che li hanno catturati non hanno nessuna intenzione di portarli da Lore, perché anche loro stanno cercando di combattere l'androide. Lasciata al comando dell'Enterprise, la dottoressa Crusher sta coordinando le ricerche per ritrovare gli ufficiali scomparsi quando all'improvviso compare una nave Borg. Decidendo di disubbidire agli ordini che le impongono di lasciare immediatamente la zona in caso di pericolo, Beverly continua fino all'ultimo istante l'evacuazione delle squadre sul pianeta, ma l'attacco improvviso della nave aliena la costringe a provare una manovra disperata nel tentativo di salvare l'Enterprise.


Citazioni
Data (a Picard): I'm not your puppet anymore.

Lore: I love you, brother.

ENGLISH VERSION

“Descent”
ST: TNG Episode No.’s: 152 and 153
ST: TNG Production No.’s: 252 and 253
Original Air Date (USA): 06/21/1993 and 09/20/1993
Stardate: 46982.1 through 47025.4

The starship Enterprise is on Red Alert, responding to a distress call from the Ohniaka Three outpost. When the Enterprise arrives at the planet, an unknown alien vessel is found in orbit around the planet. Efforts to communicate with the alien vessel are unsuccessful, so Commander Riker leads an Away Team to the surface, only to find dead bodies in the science station. While searching the outpost for clues as to what happened, Data opens a door to encounter ... the Borg.

Several more of the Borg charge in, attacking the Away Team. Meanwhile, in orbit the strange vessel suddenly fires it’s weapons on the Enterprise. The Away Team notices something different about these Borg which are attacking them... the Borg are not performing as the calm, mindless beings they encountered in previous battles with them, but are instead quick, vicious and most importantly... ready to kill instead of assimilate... they are behaving like individuals. The Borg seem to focus on Data, surprisingly identifying him by name then quickly rush him after him. The emotionless android becomes enraged, slamming a Borg against the wall, breaking his neck. At that moment, the rest of the Borg disappear, and the alien vessel in orbit moves away, travelling into a blinding flash of light, then vanishing. Riker and Worf stare at Data in amazement, who realizes the impossible thing which just took place- he experienced the emotion of anger.

Back onboard the Enterprise, Data attempts to recreate his fight with the Borg, but is unable to experience anger again. He is called back to duty as the Enterprise goes to Red Alert... a distress call has been recieved from the MS One colony... the Borg are attacking. Curious, Picard finds it interesting that in both attacks, the Enterprise happened to be the nearest ship to respond. They encounter the strange alien vessel again, which escapes into the same flash of light. However, this time the Enterprise is pulled along into the strange subspace distortion with the alien vessel.

Emerging into normal space, the alien ship opens fire on the Enterprise. Two Borg transport onto the Enterprise Bridge. Worf quickly kills one attacker and is able to wound the other. The battle with the alien ship abruptly ends, and the Enterprise crew realize the Borg ship has once again vanished into the mysterious subspace distortion. Picard places the surviving Borg attacker in the Brig, where he is amazed when the survivor tells Picard he is named Crosis... this Borg is an individual and not linked to the Borg Collective consciousness. He explains to Picard that his name was given to him by an entity called the One. Data is left alone in the brig with Crosis, who informs the android that he is perfect candidate for assimilation. While discussing this with Data, Crosis secretly touches a control pad on his artificial arm, causing Data's head to tilt very subtly in response. Crosis reminds Data of the pleasure he felt when he killed the Borg on Ohniaka Three, and convinces Data that it is worth anything to him to feel an emotion again... even if it means killing his best friend Geordi LaForge. On the bridge, sensors detect an unauthorized shuttle departure. The crew watch in disbelief as the exiting shuttlecraft leaves the Enterprise, and emits a tachyon pulse that causes the subspace distortion to appear. The shuttlecraft then vanishes into the subspace distortion. The crew are shocked to learn the identity of the shuttlecraft passengers: Crosis and Data.

Geordi is able to identify that the subspace distortion is a type of conduit, much like a wormhole, which the Borg use to travel great distances in a short period of time. He is successful in duplicating the tachyon pulse which opens the subspace conduit, and the Enterprise travels through one of them, arriving sixty-five light years from their previous position. The warp signature of the shuttlecraft is traced to a nearby, unexplored planet. Commander Riker leads a heavily-armed Away Team to the planet, and shortly after arrival on the surface, they find the shuttlecraft abandoned.

Captain Picard initiates a massive search of the planet for Data, utilizing all available personnel, including himself. Dr. Crusher is left as the senior officer in command of the Enterprise. Picard’s Away Team search for hours, and eventually discover a large building. They enter it into an empty room that appears to be some kind of meeting hall. Realizing it is some sort of trap, the room is suddenly filled with Borg, trapping the Away Team before they can escape. The security guard tries to fire his phaser, but the surrounding Borg kill him. The Borg close in on Picard, Geordi, and Troi, who prepare to face their certain death, when a voice commands the Borg to cease. The three officers turn to see where the voice came from and are stunned to see... Data.

Data has joined his evil brother Lore, the being Crosis earlier referred to as the One, who has assumed leadership of the Borg. This rouge group of Borg includes Hugh, the young Borg who was rescued by the crew of the Enterprise (Ref.: “I, Borg” ST: TNG Episode 123). Lore was found by the Borg, and took charge of them after Hugh's experience of individuality was uploaded into the Borg Collective, which nearly destroyed his group by disrupting their portion of the Borg Collective consciousness. Lore informs the Away Team that he provided the Borg with much needed leadership, while the Borg regard Lore and Data as superior entities because they are completely artificial life forms. Picard attempts to communicate with Data to find out why he has joined with Lore, but Data barely acknowledges him and instead imprisons him in a cell with the rest of the Away Team.

Later, Lore reveals to Data his plan to conduct dangerous experiments on Geordi, involving utilizing a humanoid brain to construct a positronic, artificial brain. He tells Data that these experiments are possibly deadly to Geordi, but Data does not seem to care. Meanwhile, the captured Away Team discuss what is going on quietly in their cell, where Geordi theorizes that Lore is somehow controlling Data by transmitting the negative part of his emotional program to Data’s positronic matrix. He also believes Data's ethical program has been disabled, allowing Lore to control him. Geordi believes that if he can generate a kedion pulse, that Data’s ethical program might be reactivated.

The second Away Team, led by Commander Riker, is captured by a group of Borg, and they are surprised to see that Hugh is among them.

Hugh is bitter and angry at the Away Team, and tells them how he blames the Enterprise crew for destroying the Borg. However, he does not support Lore or his plans. Hugh still has feelings of friendship for Geordi, who befriended him on the Enterprise (Ref.: “I, Borg” ST: TNG Episode 123). Riker informs Hugh that he thinks Geordi has been captured, and convinces Hugh to lead them into the Borg compound. Inside, Data begins subjecting Geordi to the deadly neurological experiments.

During this time, Picard and Troi are able to steal part of a transceiver. When a groggy Geordi returns to their cell, he is able to modify it and emits a kedion pulse, restoring Data's ethics program. Data informs Lore that he is unsure about hurting his friends, and Lore responds by cutting back the flow of emotions to Data's brain. Like an addict, Data begs Lore for more, and Lore responds by flooding him with negative emotions. As Data walks away, Lore tells Crosis that he no longer trusts his brother.

Lore calls all the Borg into the large meeting hall of the building and announces ominously that Picard is about to take part in a very important "ceremony". This ceremony is for Data to prove his loyalty by killing Captain Picard. Data refuses to kill him, and Lore tells Data that this is unfortunate, for he must die as well. But at the moment Lore is about to murder his brother, Hugh steps forward from the crowd of Borg and knocks Lore's weapon away. Commander Riker and Worf arrive, and begin firing phasers at the Borg. Lore tries to escape to the lab, but Data follows him. The two android brothers fight and Data is forced to shoot Lore, and then permanently deactivate his brother. Data reunites with his friends and they prepare to leave, and is happy to see that Hugh has been chosen as leader of this Borg group. The Away Team bids Hugh good luck as they beam back to the Enterprise.