Great Starship Robbery
From Hidden Frontier
| Star Trek: Hidden Frontier episode | |
| "Great Starship Robbery" | |
| |
| Episode no. | 2.04 |
|---|---|
| Season | Season 2 |
| Release Date | 2002 |
| Writer(s) | Glenn Harrison |
| Story Elements by | Glenn Harrison and John Whiting |
| Director | Jennifer Cole |
| Year | 2378 |
| Stardate | 55409.2 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | |
| Next
"Encke" | |
Contents |
Episode Summary
Synopsis
While transporting the Excelsior's new Security Chief, Lieutenant Luko, back to Deep Space 12, Lefler and her team are abducted by Orion Syndicate pirates who want her help in siphoning off a dangerous explosive byproduct of warp engines from a derelict Starfleet vessel.
Distress Call
"Chief Engineer's log, Stardate 55409.2: Lieutenant Witczak and I are returning from an away mission on Malaina IV, where we have been assisting in construction of a new colony. Joining us for the return journey is Excelsior's new Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Luko."
Onboard the runabout, Witczak reports that they are six hours away from their rendezvous from the Excelsior. Luko then tells Lefler and Witczak of the circuitious route he took to get to Malaina IV so that he could join them on the return trip to Excelsior, boring Witczak in the process. Both he and Lefler then describe their varying levels of fatigue - Luko from his trip, Lefler from her work on Malaina IV. They eventually begin flirting with each other about a possible dinner date. All the while, Witczak shows visible, if silent, concern about Lefler and another man. Lefler, apparently picking up on this, postpones the date for another time.
Suddenly, Witczak reports that they're receiving a distress call from a vessel 0.26 light-years distant. Their main drive's baffle plate has ruptured, most of their systems are offline and they're losing life support. Lefler orders Witczak to contact them and to plot an intercept course at best possible speed. Luko reports that there are no other ships in the area - Lefler orders him to advise DS12 of the situation and to request additional assistance.
As they approach the vessel, Witczak reports that the Excelsior is en route to their position and will rendezvous with them in 90 minutes. Lefler takes the runabout out of warp and brings her alongside. Luko reports that there's a lot of radiation interfering with their sensors. There are 12 lifesigns. He's able to locate a clear area that Lefler suggests using as an evacuation station. The ship is not responding to hails. Suddenly, Witczak comes out of the cargo hold brandishing rescue gear and a phaser rifle. Luko reminds him that they're facing "a ruptured baffle plate, not a Klingon boarding party." After disposing of the rifle, Witczak and Lefler beam aboard.
Lefler wonders where everyone on the ship is. Witczak reports that he's not able to locate the crew with his tricorder - it appears to be jammed. Lefler attempts to user her combadge to contact the scout and is also unable to break through the interference. Suddenly the lights come on and an Andorian and some of the ship's crew appear - the Andorian, Sha'kev, tells her that she can't be permitted to find their transporter room.
Crew Rotation and "Phase Two"
"Captain's Log, Stardate 55409.4: Excelsior has recently undergone a crew rotation. While I've gained more experienced officers, several of the senior staff have received new assignments."
In Ten Forward, Ro asks Rawlins if he's nervous about his first shift at Ops. Rawlins is glad for the change from serving as Communications Officer. Ro expresses his relief that Rawlins hasn't been reassigned to be Flight Control Officer in place of Ensign McFarland, noting Rawlins' unforgettable stint in the Academy's flight simulators. Rawlins asks about their new Security Chief. Ro says he doesn't know anything. He then expresses his envy of Wesley Crusher and his assignment to the Quantum Slipstream project. Rawlins dismisses the project, calling it "just another Transwarp drive". He bets Ro a week on Risa that the project is unsuccessful - Ro takes him up on the wager, suggesting that with the information brought back by the recently-returned USS Voyager, they'd have a functional drive within a year. Captain Knapp interrupts their conversation, taking the Excelsior to yellow alert and calling all senior staff to the briefing room.
Onboard Sha'kev's vessel, Sha'kev notes that he'd gone through a lot of effort to "secure their services." He orders Vorina to execute "Phase Two" of their plan, noting that another Starfleet vessel was probably on the way - he doesn't want to leave anything behind indicating their presence. He then orders that Lefler and Witczak be taken to a cargo hold - if they present resistance, his crew is to be "imaginative" in dealing with it. Vorina then calls him from the runabout. Luko has a phaser wound. She's secured the vessel, but that a message was sent to Deep Space 12 - the Excelsior is on her way, due in about an hour. Sha'kev orders her to erase the runabout's logs. Vorina tells him that Biggs had been killed, as he'd apparently missed a "clean shot" while dealing with Luko.
Later, Vorina returns to Sha'kev's vessel. She presents a "gift" to him - a copy of the sensor data that had been intended to be found by the Excelsior by Luko. Sha'kev orders his helmsman, Esquibel, to plot a course for the Tzelhania system and to "not spare the engines" - wanting to be halfway there before anyone figures out Lefler and company are missing. The helmsman responds that anything faster than Warp 7 would attract attention - the journey will take five hours. Sha'kev orders it done and for their ion trail to be masked to throw the Excelsior off their trail. Sha'kev's ship leaps into warp.
Clues and Casualties
Back on Excelsior, Rawlins reports that he's detected the runabout on sensors, but there is no sign of a vessel in distress. The runabout isn't responding to hails. Ro reports no debris, no escape pods and no life-signs aboard. Knapp orders the runabout brought into the main shuttlebay and for Ro to conduct a complete forensic analysis with a member of the Engineering staff, to be completed in one hour. Meanwhile, on Sha'kev's ship, Lefler demands a medkit to tend to Luko's injuries. Finally, Mason enters the cargo hold and gives her a medkit, provided that she be quiet. Lefler scans Luko with the tricorder and expresses confidence that she can "patch him up". She then tends to his injuries.
Ro reports to Knapp in his ready room. He notes that the runabout's logs had been wiped, but that Thalek and the Engineering staff were attempting to reconstructing them. Some of the rescue gear was noted missing and there appeared to be signs of a firefight (a disruptor burn). There was a corpse aboard (that of Biggs) which Doctor Anderson was attempting to identify through DNA analysis. Ro also noted that with a 90-minute lead, Lefler and her team could be anywhere. Knapp says he'll contact Starfleet to begin a search and rescue operation.
Luko has recovered somewhat from his wounds. DiFalco enters the cargo bay and taunts Lefler and her team about Starfleet not being there when they need them. DiFalco doesn't take kindly to Luko's retort and assaults him. When Lefler helps Luko off the floor, he says he's wearing a virillium patch. Sha'kev then enters, hoping that Luko had recovered from his previous experience, noting that the Orion Syndicate did not see the need to provide a medic for their particular mission. Witczak asks him what they're there for. Sha'kev notes that the Syndicate doesn't have much experience with starships. Vorina then sets up a portable terminal. Sha'kev continues, noting that a Klingon battlecruiser had interrupted a "delicate transaction" of theirs in the last month, but that the interruption had provided them with a "new toy". Esquibel then reports from the bridge that they're being brought alongside something. Vorina brings the external sensors online on the terminal she brought in - it shows an image of the adrift USS Maverick.
Witczak recognizes the vessel and says that she disappeared with all hands three years ago, during the Dominion War. Sha'kev continues the story. The Maverick patrolled the area of space they were in. Her logs showed a small fleet of Dominion ships entering the region - she changed course to intercept. They encountered both Dominion and Son'a vessels. Lefler notes that the Son'a were the only source of ketracel-white in the Alpha Quadrant during the War. Sha'kev continues the tale. The Maverick was quickly disabled and the crew quickly captured. The Son'a apparently tortured the crew and left the crew adrift.
Sha'kev then gets to the heart of the matter - the Maverick has something "more valuable than latinum" but that Starfleet regards "merely as a waste product." Lefler's expertise is required to recover it - the "most dangerous substance known in three quadrants" - trilithium. Witczak suggests that the Syndicate would never deal in trilithium, as it is banned in both the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Sha'kev disagrees, suggesting that governments were willing to overlook such things to achieve certain aims. He also notes that the trilithium is useless until it is processed from resin. His ship is registered as a hazardous cargo carrier - any trilithium found on board would seem completely legitimate. Lefler objects, stating that she'd rather "kiss a rutting Targ" than help Sha'kev salvage a single molecule of trilithium. As an inducement to change her mind, Sha'kev then shoots Witczak in the chest with a disruptor. After expressing his unrequited love for her, Witczak dies in her arms.
The "White Knight" and The Maverick
On the bridge of the Excelsior, Shelby reports a subspace pulse in Sector 228. Knapp orders it routed to his ready room. On his computer screen, Esquibel, who calls himself "White Knight", tells Knapp that his crew is in grave danger, with their coordinates encoded in the transmission. He also tells Knapp that the Maverick has been found and that there is little time left to save either the ship or his people. Knapp orders the Excelsior to Sector 228 at maximum warp.
On Sha'kev's ship, Sha'kev attempts to get Lefler to think pragmatically about the situation. He then warns Luko not to try and hide a tricorder in his uniform tunic. He makes a deal with her - collect the trilithium and then she and Luko will be set free. Vorina takes Lefler to the transporter room. Then, DiFalco has Scobie hold Luko down for yet another assault. Lefler beams over to the Maverick and begins the trilithium extraction - Sha'kev gives her 51 minutes to complete the extraction, lest Luko be killed.
Meanwhile, the Excelsior enters Sector 228. Shelby reads two vessels dead ahead. Knapp takes the ship to red alert. When he orders phasers readied, Ro suggests against this, as the two ships are located in a dense pocket of metreon gas. While the Excelsior could withstand an explosion of the gas, the other two vessels would likely be destroyed. Knapp notes the advice and orders the weapons to power down. Shelby prepares an away team to board Sha'kev's ship.
Lefler completes the extraction of trilithium from the Maverick 's warp core. The container is beamed aboard Sha'kev's ship. When Lefler complains about his breaking their deal, Sha'kev notes the Excelsior's arrival has caused him to accelerate their plans. He beams over Luko and a "parting gift" - a fusion bomb. He regrets their "working relationship" ending so soon and suggests their paths may cross again - if she survives the next five minutes. Sha'kev's ship peels away from the Maverick. Knapp orders a pursuit at best-possible speed.
Ro reports two life-signs and a transporter inhibitor onboard the Maverick. Rawlins reports the fusion bomb has two minutes before detonation. Knapp orders the pursuit broken off and the life-signs beamed immediately to sickbay. Meanwhile, Lefler works on the transporter inhibitor, finally taking it offline, permitting Chief Teb to beam her and Luko aboard with only seconds to spare. The Excelsior warps away just before the Maverick explodes. Nurse Hanley reports that Lefler is fine but that Luko requires immediate surgery.
Epitaph as Epilogue
On Ba'ku, Lefler reads The Hobbit next to Witczak's grave. Shelby beams down - she noticed that Lefler had been down there for a while and wondered if she wanted some company - and some coffee. Lefler explained that Witczak had tried to get her to read the book several times and thought he might appreciate her effort. She noted that she had yet to thank Captain Knapp for the "beautiful" eulogy at his funeral. She then said that Witczak was a great engineer and a really good friend. She regretted never taking him up on one of his offers for a date and felt that she must have hurt him for continually turning him down. Shelby noted that we all have regrets and that the road not taken is often appealing in hindsight. She often regretted breaking things off with "Mac". Lefler reminded her that they're still writing to each other constantly over subspace, to which Shelby responded with Lefler's Law #103 - "a couple of light-years can't keep good friends apart." They hug each other in mutual support. Lefler then beams out and Shelby begins reading the novel, keeping watch over the gravesite.
Background Information
- There are nods to several Star Trek incarnations in the episode:
- the original Star Trek series (TOS) - the presence of a green Orion woman (Vorina) and an Andorian (Sha'kev)
- Star Trek: Insurrection - the "long stretch" reference regarding the Son'a (which was changed from a cannibalism reference) and the fact that the Son'a were producers of ketracel-white (which was also mentioned in DS9)
- the Star Trek: New Frontier novels - references to the USS Excalibur, Captain MacKenzie Calhoun and his previous relationship with Commander Shelby
Memorable Quotes
- Ro: (on becoming Ops Officer) "60 minutes to go, Brad. Are you getting nervous yet?"
- Rawlins: "Not in the slightest. It'll be a nice change, from 'Hailing frequenices open, Captain' all the time!"
- Lefler: "So how are you feeling?"
- Luko: "Like I just went ten rounds with a Hirogen."
- Sha'kev: "When the Son'a send you down for a 'long stretch', they're not talking about twenty years in a penal colony."
- Sha'kev: (to Lefler) "...and who knows...maybe our paths will cross anon. If you survive the next five minutes, anything's possible."
Production Information
- This episode was preceeded by a banner: In Memory of Debra Stoner Whiting. This was the first such banner ever shown in an HF episode (the other is in HF 3.08 - "Voyage of the Defiant", dedicated to the crew of the space shuttle Columbia). It is in memory of John Whiting's third wife.
- This episode marks the first appearence for regular villaness, Vorina, and her henchman, DiFalco.
- It also features the last appearance of Matt Kruer as Lieutenant Toby Witczak, who finally confesses to Lefler just how much he cares about her. Kruer was intending to leave HF and it was decided to write him out in this fashion, as opposed to killing a "redshirt" in the episode. Witczak was originally supposed to be stabbed instead of shot, but this was changed owing to safety concerns regarding the use of a "live" blade.
- Earlier versions of the script called for the runabout to be a Danube-class vessel, such as that seen in DS9. It was later changed to the scout vessel seen in Star Trek: Insurrection that is shown in the episode.
- In addition to Knapp's log entry regarding crew rotations, versions of the script had called for a brief scene showing Knapp wishing Martinez well before leaving the Excelsior on a shuttle. As Anthony Diaz was unavailable, this scene was never filmed.
- Lefler's line about a "rutting Targ" needed to be re-dubbed owing to the original mix sounding like Joanne Busch had said "rotting Targ."
- When Ro scans the Maverick for life-signs, he reports "two humans", but only Lefler is human; Luko is Bre'elian. This was owing to a last minute change of characters, which introduced Luko as the new Chief of Security. Previous versions of the script made it clear that the character of Wesley Crusher was to be recurring, but with the actor being permanently unavailable and Anthony Diaz also becoming unavailable, the show needed a new character to round out the lead cast, and the script was hastily re-written to accommodate the need.
- One of the three on-screen appearances by Ensign Jenna McFarland in this episode, when she declares that the ship is "clear to jump to warp", is repurposed from HF 1.06 - "Echoes". Her other appearances are also repurposed, as Adrianne Lange was not available for filming this episode.
- The scene that has DiFalco assaulting Lt. Luko actually is two people. Jonathan Connor was to tape the immediately previous scene in a later shoot, but due to an emergency situation out of state, only the shots of him uppercutting Luko were taped as part of the previous weekend's shoot. Even though Dave Mason and Jonathan Connor are vastly different heights and body types, the only evidence of this is the Klingon disruptor that Jonathan had on his waistband as he shot the "uppercut" scene, and the sudden disappearance of the "bubble blower" blaster from Dave's hand as he strikes Luko across the jaw.
Cast
Regular Cast
| Actor | Role |
| David W. Dial | Captain Ian Quincy Knapp |
| Risha Denney | Commander Elizabeth Shelby |
| Barbara Clifford | Counselor Myra Elbrey |
| John Whiting | Doctor Henglaar |
| Joanne Busch | Lieutenant Commander Robin Lefler |
| Terence Schoshinski | Lieutenant Luko |
| Arthur Bosserman | Ensign Ro Nevin |
| Tristan Clark | Ensign Brad Rawlins |
| Adrianne Lange | Ensign Jenna McFarland |
Guest Stars
| Actor | Role |
| Dan Crout | Sha'kev |
| Matt Kruer | Lieutenant Toby Witczak |
| Suzy Kaplan | Vorina |
| Chris Esquibel | Esquibel / "White Knight" |
| Dave Mason | DiFalco |
| Jonathan Foertsch | Mason |
| Jennifer Cole | Biggs |
| Ariel Vitali and Barbara Clifford | Scobie |
| John Whiting | Baggins |
| Angela Hahn | Transporter Chief Teb (uncredited) |
| Betty Bainton | Nurse Amelia Hanley (uncredited) |
