Tin Man (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
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| Star Trek: TNG episode | |
| "Tin Man" | |
 Gomtuu |
|
| Episode no. | 68 |
|---|---|
| Prod. code | 168 |
| Airdate | May 6, 1990 |
| Writer(s) | Dennis Putman Bailey David Bischoff |
| Director | Robert Sheerer |
| Guest star(s) | Michael Cavanaugh Peter Vogt Colm Meaney Harry Groener |
| Year | 2366 |
| Stardate | 43779.3 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | "Captain's Holiday" |
| Next | "Hollow Pursuits" |
"Tin Man" is the title of an episode from the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The story originated as a spec script submitted by Dennis Russell Bailey (under the name Dennis Putman Bailey), David Bischoff and Lisa Putman White. "Tin Man" was based on a 1970s short story "Tin Woodman" (published in Amazing Stories, December 1976 issue) and later novel (The Tin Woodman ISBN 0-385-12785-5) cowritten by Bailey and Bischoff. The short story had been nominated for a Nebula award in 1977.[1]
[edit] Plot
The USS Hood intercepts the Enterprise, bringing new orders and a passenger. Picard is ordered to bring Federation emissary Tam Elbrun to a distant star system outside of Federation territory. Tam is a Betazoid with a history of mental instability, who is a former patient of Deanna Troi, and specializes in first contact situations with new alien life. However he's mistrusted by some in Starfleet, including William Riker, due to an earlier first contact situation he was involved with aboard the USS Adelphi, in which a misunderstanding led to the deaths of 47 Starfleet personnel, including the ships captain and two of Riker's friends from his class at Starfleet Academy.
Tam was born with telepathic abilities, whereas the Betazed norm is to acquire them in adolescence. He is extremely sensitive to the thoughts of others and has difficulty filtering them out. The cumulative stress requires him to seek periodic treatment. He establishes a friendship with Data because he cannot receive the android's thoughts, which provides Tam with some respite.
Tam's mission is to establish communication with Tin Man, an alien life form that appears to be an organic spaceship. Tin Man is orbiting a star that is about to go supernova, and the Enterprise must convince the alien to leave before the star explodes, and before the Romulans, who claim the system as theirs and are sending two ships of their own to investigate, can perform research on it.
Enroute to the star system Ensign Crusher reports an unusual echo from something following them at warp speed. Data speculates that it could be a cloaked Romulan ship, however since a Romulan Warbird has a top speed which is less than the Enterprise's the echo could be the result of the Romulans overtaxing their systems and not having enough power to fully cloak.
Arriving at the star system, the crew get their first look at Tin Man. Suddenly Worf reports that the echo they've been tracking has changed. It is a Romulan ship and its attacking. The Warbird fires on the Enterprise inflicting heavy damage to her shields before they overtake and race ahead to get to Tin Man first.
Picard decides not pursue until the shields are reparied, a decision which angers Tam. Riker points out the Enterprise was supposedly faster than the Romulans so how did they get here so quickly? Data scans the Warbird and reports that the Romulans have suffered irreparable engine damage and won't be able to get home. Tam reports that this was intentional so they could get to Tin Man first, and that there is a second Warbird about a day behind them. When Picard asks how he knows this Tam responds that he scanned the mind of the Romulan commander during the attack.
While waiting for repairs to be completed the crew monitor the Romulans attempts to communicate with Tin Man, which are unsuccessful. Suddenly Worf reports that the Romulans are arming their weapons. Picard orders a Red Alert and prepares for battle. However Tam announces that they aren't the target, its Tin Man. The Romulans were ordered to establish communications with Tin Man, and if they were unable to destroy it. Picard tries to hail the Romulans but Tam says that won't work. Instead he sends a telepathic warning to Tin Man, and the organic ship produces an energy wave which destroys the Warbird and cripples the Enterprise.
With the star beginning to implode and more Romulans on the way, Picard requests that Tam convince Tin Man to move into Federation space. Having already been in contact from several light years away but not informing the crew, Tam tells Picard what he has learned about the entity to this point. Tin Man, who calls itself Gomtuu, is millennia old, and has come to the star system to die in the supernova. In the past the sentient ship had a crew, which were lost in a radiation accident; Gomtuu, grief-stricken over the loss and aimlessly wandering the galaxy ever since, no longer wishes to live. Tam learns that once there were millions of the ships, and that Gomtuu may have traveled from outside the Milky Way galaxy.
Tam requests that he be beamed aboard Gomtuu so he can better establish contact, but Picard is not certain of this course of action. But, when a second Romulan vessel arrives, Picard decides to send Tam accompanied by Data on an away mission to Gomtuu.
Once aboard, Tam is initially overloaded with information as the ship attempts to relay its life experiences in the space of several seconds. But this soon passes and Tam develops a strong sense of identification with the alien. Tam informs Data that he will stay with Gomtuu, as he only has to deal with the thoughts of one other being and feels that piloting the ship is where he truly belongs.
Suddenly, the organic vessel breaks out of its orbit and sends the Enterprise and the Romulan warbird spinning through space just before the star explodes. Data is returned to the bridge, where he explains that Tam has decided to remain with Gomtuu.
Later, Data discusses Tam's plight with Deanna Troi, and shows an understanding of the emotional attributes of loneliness, and the respective joy that was brought to both Gomtuu and Tam when in each other's company. He realizes that the Enterprise is where he belongs.
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Tin Man article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
- Tin Man (Star Trek: The Next Generation) at StarTrek.com
