<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>A Matter of Time</TITLE>
</HEAD>

<BODY BGCOLOR=#000000">
<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="595" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="3" BORDER="0">
<TR>
<TD ROWSPAN="2" WIDTH="150" VALIGN=MIDDLE ALIGN=CENTER><IMG SRC="STTNG Pictures/Next-Gen-Logo.gif" WIDTH="175" HEIGHT="117" BORDER="0" ALT="Star Trek The Next Generation Logo"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="245" VALIGN=CENTER ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#99CCFF" SIZE="3" FACE="Arial, Helvetica, Comic Sans"><B>'A Matter of Time'</B><BR><BR><FONT SIZE="3">(Story Code 209)<BR>by Rick Berman</TD>
<TD ROWSPAN="2" WIDTH="200" VALIGN=CENTER ALIGN=CENTER><IMG SRC="STTNG Pictures/STTNG S5 Cast.jpg" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="150" ALT="Star Trek The Next Generation Cast"></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#99CCFF" SIZE="2" FACE="Arial, Helvetica, Comic Sans">
When a massive asteroid strikes an unpopulated continent on Penthara IV it causes a huge dust cloud that envelops the planet; concerned that this could cause a nuclear winter like that on Earth in the late Twenty-First Century, the crew of the <I>U.S.S. Enterprise</I> head for the planet in the hope of finding a way to counteract the cloud's effects. However, while en route, a man materialises on the Bridge and introduces himself as Professor Berlinghoff Rasmussen, an eccentric historian from the late Twenty-Sixth Century Earth; he informs Captain Picard that he has travelled from the future so that he can study the <I>Enterprise</I>. The crew are both suspicious and intrigued by the man's claims, but Picard is worried that by questioning him, they may change the future. Arriving at Penthara IV, Lieutenant LaForge and Lieutenant Commander Data set to work on saving the planet; meanwhile, Rasmussen gives the crew questionnaires to complete, and studies various items of ship's equipment, regarding them as relics of a bygone age. The crew politely assist the historian with his research, but quickly lose patience with his constant queries; meanwhile, Counselor Troi suspects that the man may not be telling the truth. LaForge and Data attempt to trigger a greenhouse effect by drilling down to pockets of carbon dioxide in the crust of the planet, but the plan backfires, and the planet is rocket by earthquakes and eruptions. Learning that LaForge's alternative solution could either save the planet or destroy every living thing on it, Picard is forced to ask Rasmussen for advice, but the historian refuses to help on the grounds that the captain is trying to manipulate the future. Picard must make the difficult decision alone - but the wrong choice could doom the entire planet...

<BR><BR>
Patrick Stewart (<B>Captain Jean-Luc Picard</B>), Jonathan Frakes (<B>Commander William Thomas Riker</B>), LeVar Burton (<B>Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge</B>), Michael Dorn (<B>Security Chief Lieutenant Worf</B>), Gates McFadden (<B>Doctor Beverly Crusher</B>), Marina Sirtis (<B>Councelor Deanna Troi</B>), Brent Spiner (<B>Lieutenant Commander Data</B>), Stefan Gierasch (<B>Doctor Hal Moseley</B>), Matt Frewer (<B>Berlingoff Rasmussen</B>), Sheila Franklin (<B>Ensign Felton</B>), Shay Garner (<B>Female Scientist</B>)

<BR><BR><B>Directed by Paul Lynch
<BR>Co-Produced by Joe Menosky, Ronald D. Moore and Peter Lauritson
<BR>Produced by David Livingston
<BR>Executive Producer Michael Piller, Rick Berman and Gene Roddenberry 
</B>

<BR><BR><B>TX:</B>
<FONT COLOR="#99CCFF" SIZE="2" FACE="Arial, Helvetica, Comic Sans">
<BR>18th November, 1991

<BR><BR><B>Notes:</B>
<BR>*Featuring Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Thomas Riker, Chief Engineer Lieutenant Geordi La Forge, Security Chief Lieutenant Worf, Doctor Beverly Crusher, Councelor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Commander Data

<BR><BR><BR>
</BODY>
</HTML>