“First Contact”
Riker, cosmetically altered, observes Malcor III, a planet which is about to develop warp drive. He is injured and taken to a hospital where his alien physiology is discovered. To prevent further confusion, Picard and Troi beam down and establish a proper first contact. While Chancellor Durken and Science Minister Mirasta Yale welcome the aliens, security officer Krola veils Riker’s whereabouts and interrogates him with harmful drugs. When his methods fail, Krola stages his on death and makes Riker appear to be the assassin. Fortunately, the truth is revealed, but Durken, angry about the observation of his planet, states that his people are not yet ready to meet aliens. Mirasta Yale, on the other hand, leaves the planet on board the Enterprise. summary by Ex-Astris-Scientia
Heh! A slightly different take on government conspiracy, huh? Nice. Very nice, indeed. Of course the conservative Krola is as pathetic as can be. Of course. It’s the enlightened Star Trek, right? They couldn’t have made things in grey now, could they?
Me thinks, the episode could have been one of the greatest if it wasn’t for that contrast. How about making things just a little less obvious once in a while? Nah, that’s breaking the genre rules. Star Trek is, and has always been a fairlytale. I’m forgetting it sometimes.