Voyage into the Nebula
11/26/97  Tags: ,

The Enterprise searches a nebula for a Romulan Warbird, and finds a Wormhole. Takes place after First Contact.

Assimilation
11/26/97  Tags: ,

Captain Picard has decided to get married, but his fiancee has other plans. A story about the Borg, Captain Picard and suicide.

Glitch
07/08/04  Tags: , ,

Wesley starts at Starfleet Academy, and forms a mini romance with another cadet. Their relationship sets off a chain of events and eventually our favorite immortal comes to intervene.

Ode to Spot…..or Maybe Not
07/12/04  Tags: ,

a very strange tale (tail?:) told from the point of view of Data’s cat, Spot!

Thank Q
11/26/97  Tags: , ,

This story is set between the first two seasons, and concerns Q bringing Tasha back to life, among other things.

The Return of Mudd
11/26/97  Tags: ,

One of Captain James T. Kirk’s most devious oponents was Harcord Fenton Mudd (nicknamed Harry). Harry Mudd captured the USS Enterprise twice. Now Kirk has finally caught Mudd and is sending him to Earth to face trial. On the way Harry is attack by a Romulan Warbird and presumed dead. Now a century later Captain Jean-Luc Picard is called to investigate a traitor selling Federation Secrets to the Dominion. Soon Picard and the crew of the Enterprise will face Harry Mudd. They will also come up against a deadly Jem’Hadar warship.

Star Trek: Full Circle, Part 3
07/17/04  Tags: ,

The war with the Dominion is entering its final phases and the Federation faces up to some difficult choices. With the aid of an old colleague, Admiral Picard plans to lead a daring mission to the Founders homeworld.

Star Trek: Full Circle, Part 2
07/17/04  Tags: ,

The war with the Dominion is entering its final phases and the Federation faces up to some difficult choices. With the aid of an old colleague, Admiral Picard plans to lead a daring mission to the Founders homeworld.

Star Trek: Full Circle, Part 1
07/17/04  Tags: ,

The war with the Dominion is entering its final phases and the Federation faces up to some difficult choices. With the aid of an old colleague, Admiral Picard plans to lead a daring mission to the Founders homeworld.

Future’s Children, Chapter 4
03/19/05  Tags: ,

A strange ion storm precedes the arrival of a new guest aboard the Enterprise. Her presence does not go unnoticed, and begins an even bigger adventure.

Future’s Children, Chapter 3
03/19/05  Tags: ,

A strange ion storm precedes the arrival of a new guest aboard the Enterprise. Her presence does not go unnoticed, and begins an even bigger adventure.

Future’s Children, Chapter 2
03/19/05  Tags: ,

A strange ion storm precedes the arrival of a new guest aboard the Enterprise. Her presence does not go unnoticed, and begins an even bigger adventure.

Future’s Children
03/19/05  Tags: ,

A strange ion storm precedes the arrival of a new guest aboard the Enterprise. Her presence does not go unnoticed, and begins an even bigger adventure.

The Adventure of the Anonymous Agent Provocateur
07/12/04  Tags: ,

While investigating a case of possbile espionage, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson encounter a stranger named Jean-Luc Picard and a mysterious ingenue named Guinan.

I, Q.
07/12/04  Tags: , , , , , , ,

Q gives Barclay an offer he can’t refuse.

The Chains of Command
01/19/00  Tags: , , ,

A crossover story concerning the aged Kirk and McCoy on there way to the signing of the Romulan Peace Treaty. They are on board the Enterprise-D and eventually come across Spock aboard a Romulan ship trying to alter the Treaty.

Castles in the Sand
01/19/00  Tags: , ,

Two weeks prior to the launching of the Enterprise-E, the senior staff gathers for a brief shore leave at the Picard homestead in France.

Tasha and Deanna
06/09/97  Tags: , ,

At the end of a double shift Tasha returns to her quarters to relax when Deanna drops by for an unexpected visit.

Resistance
06/09/97  Tags: ,

After a brief lay over at starbase 141 for minor repairs and crew rotations the Enterprise moves out on patrol. After receiving a distress call from Hugh Borg they investigate only to encounter a Borg ship. With little time to call for reinforcements from the Federation the crew must do the unthinkable. They turn to the Romulans for help.

Union of Treks V: Interdimensions
01/18/05  Tags: ,

The Enterprise stops by Deep Space Nine as the story continues.

Union of Treks IV: The Search for Kirk… and then Some!
01/18/05  Tags: ,

Following up on the events of Union of Treks III.

Union of Treks III: Degenerations
01/18/05  Tags: ,

The story continues 18 months later…

Union of Treks II: The Motionless Sequel!
01/18/05  Tags: ,

Picking up where Union of Treks left off…

Union of Treks
11/30/04  Tags: ,

This is actually more a parody combining TOS and TNG, the sort of Trek story MAD Magazine may have come up with.

Data’s Dream
03/19/05  Tags:

Data finds himself trapped in a dream! Having no choice, he ‘rides’ the dream to the end and discovers that it is a warning! Could Q be involved…or perhaps a power yet greater than Q????

Q-Logy
03/19/05  Tags: , , , ,

There has been a major disruption in the Q Continuum that the Continuum cannot keep hidden any longer, and the effects of this major disruption begins to affect space and eventually the fabric of all time itself. It is up to William Riker to come up with the solution that will save the day, but is he up to the task? The fate of all existence hinges on the actions of a few.

Homecoming
07/12/04  Tags:

Set around the middle of Season Six, “Homecoming” follows Picard as he comes to terms with old memories during a period of shore leave (sorry, no spoilers, you’ll have to read it).

The Brigade of the Doomed, Part 3
11/26/97  Tags: , ,

The Garthusians return stronger and more determined than before. Meanwhile the Enterprise is trying to uncover a mystery of their own. Conclusion of the series.

The Brigade of the Doomed, Part 2
09/12/97  Tags: , ,

The Enterprise is severely crippled and is stuck in the Star Wars universe! Now, while struggling to repair the ship, the Enterprise crew faces power-hungry Imperials who want the Enterprise for the Empire. In its heavily damaged state, can Picard and crew fight off the Imperials and find a way home?

The Brigade of the Doomed
06/24/97  Tags: ,

Set in the year 2367, shortly after the phenomenal episode Best of Both Worlds. The Starship Enterprise is exploring a region of space called The Seraris Regions, where they encounter an amazing foe intent on destroying them and the Federation.

Data Murders Wesley Crusher

“Wesley Crusher – on behalf of Starfleet, I want to thank you for your service as a boy genius on board the Enterprise,” Admiral MacIntyre gushed as thousands chanted Wesley’s name. “As a token of our appreciation, we hereby grant you this completely believable promotion to acting captain of the Enterprise.” “Aw, gosh, you mean […]

Lt. Marissa Flores’ Personal Log B2
01/11/12  Tags: , ,

Lieutenant’s Personal Log, Star Date 2431.15   I’ve been here for a little over a month now on the Enterprise, and needless to say, it has been quite a journey.  Things I had anticipated, or hoped for, have not gone according to plan.  Apparently, things on a major starship are just as they are on […]

Lt. Marissa Flores’ Personal Log A1
01/01/12  Tags: , , , ,

Lieutenant’s log, Stardate 2398.75   It was my first official day upon the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D.  Needless to say, there is no doubt why this starship is the most coveted ship to be on.  Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a natural born leader, and he has a staff that is loyal to the end.  You learn […]

The runaway to change it all
01/30/12  Tags:

The population of Tullan had grown. Some were kidnapped and some were lost, but each had a story. It started with the eldest of the colony. He was not kidnapped, nor was he lost or taken. He was offered immortality, in exchange for kidnapping, stealing and taking others from their families, homes and universes. These […]

Skids
07/09/12  Tags: , , , , , , ,

A young terran boy must deal with the difficulty of entering Star Fleet.

Star Trek TNG: Universal Schisms Part 4- New Beginnings
10/02/12  Tags: , , , ,

The Enterprise damaged, the fleet on the verge of destruction, the Borg beginning to dominate. Captain Mark Smith and the Crew of the Enterprise-D begin to see only 1 way out of the dire straits. Kill the queen, rescue Picard and destroy the Borg. But with the Enterprise all but destroyed, will they be able to achieve what the Alpha Quadrant fully believes to be an impossible cause

Star Trek TNG: Universal Schisms Part 3- Apocalypse Now
09/25/12  Tags: , , , , , ,

With Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Galaxy in the hands of the Borg, and Starfleet preparing to fight a hopeless battle against the Borg, Captain Mark Smith must choose between duty and righteousness. Duty would mean the loss of Captain Picard. Righteousness could mean the end of the Enterprise. Time is running out for the misplaced Captain to restore the timeline to any semblance of normality without getting himself erased from time.

Star Trek TNG: Universal Schisms Part 2- Losses
09/21/12  Tags: , , , ,

With his ship, the USS Lexington, destroyed, and members of his crew captured by the Borg, Captain Mark Smith becomes part of the Enterprise-D crew. Together, Captain Smith and Captain Picard hatch a desperate plan to deceive the Borg and marshal Starfleet… with disastrous consequences for the Enterprise and the Federation

Star Trek TNG: Universal Schisms Part 1 – Sacrifice
09/16/12  Tags: , , , ,

A Borg invasion around Stardate 77372.14 leads to the birth of a new crew of legends, commanding the newest Federation Flagship, the USS Lexington. Captain Mark Alexander Smith leads his crew in covert recon of a large Borg vessel headed for Earth. When the Borg discover and destroy his ship, Captain Smith awakes 40 years previously on the USS Enterprise (D), where an new Borg invasion is also happening. Captain Smith must work with Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to avert a temporal disaster,
NOTE: This is part 1(hopefully of about 4 or 5)
All comments to be sent to the following email address- copey040894@hotmail.co.uk

A Near, Perfect Transcendence
11/11/14  Tags:

Set during the Dominion War, Dr. Beverly Crusher faces a harrowing life or death situation for a victim of the conflict, one that brings her face-to-face with the darkest and most daunting aspect of her past and places her on the very crux of her relationship with her son Wesley, himself on the brink of immortality.

A Matter of Perspective

Set during the height of the Dominion War, this story focuses on an adventure of the crew of the Enterprise-E, who discover a site of unspeakable atrocity on the planet Thantos III – a Romulan massacre of Jem Hadar soldiers, one that causes Lieutenant Commander Data to question the very nature of warfare. Together with the Federation Scoutship Andromeda, Data, along with Commander Riker, Dr. Beverly Crusher and Nurse Alyssa Ogawa are sent to uncover the unanswered questions about the site, as a Romulan contingent, upset over the allegations made against them, convene in orbit around the planet, threatening the already tenuous alliance between Star Fleet and the Star Empire. As the crew of the Enterprise away team begin to unravel the mystery of Thantos III, they uncover a plot far more sinister than they first realize, forcing them to come face to face with the war’s most unspeakable evil…

The Case of the Tarnished Scepter

Taking place a few months after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, B-4’s desire to familiarize himself with his late predecessor Data’s preoocupation with humanity prompts Geordi to reminisce about one of he and Data’s favorite “original” Sherlock Holmes adventures together – the Case of the Tarnished Scepter – a Holmesian Holodeck mystery whose recollection also compels Geordi to finally come to terms with his best friend’s fate on board the Reman Warbird Scimitar…

Captain’s Prerogative
11/29/12  Tags: , , , ,

author’s note: This novel takes place after the TNG movie “Generations” with the exception of the following prologue introducing a new character, which takes place during Captain Kirk’s time. Prologue Somewhere deep inside the need stirred again, rousing him to awareness, compelling him to try once more.  The force of his mind dove into the […]

Close Encounters
02/17/14  Tags: ,

[contact-form to=’jburhans@griffon-ltd.com’ subject=’Close Encounters’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form] FOREWORD All three books present in this novel deal with the theme of the Federation’s Prime Directive. For those of you not terribly familiar with the Star Trek universe (all rights owned by Paramount) or its Prime Directive, allow me […]

Star Trek- Icarus

Star Trek: Icarus -1- The distraught young woman clad in a drab grey jumpsuit stepped out of the tiny automated shuttlecraft, hair in disarray from the penant-fluttering breeze, an old and durably utilitarian khaki duffel bag slung over her shoulder, and stopped and stared; she was wholly unprepared for the chaos of San Francisco’s South […]

Star Trek- Enigma
04/12/13  Tags:

Chapter 1 Cast: Geordi La Forge Jean-Luc Picard Beverly Crusher Worf Data Will Riker Deanna Troi Though serene and full of stars, an indistinct blemish passed through the region of space like a shadow of fear. In its wake, following at a cautious distance, were three Romulan warships. ‘Sir, we are nearing the Federation’s border,’ […]

Faith (a television screenplay for ST:TNG)
04/26/13  Tags: , , , , ,

Author’s preface: This episode occurs about two years after the episode “Pen Pals” and is a sequel to it. Thus, it fits in about the fourth season. That’s all you need to know to enjoy the story. FAITH PART 1 by John Comeaux Scene: CAPTAIN’S READY ROOM Picard is looking at his incoming mail on […]

Date with Nurse’s Assistant
06/20/13  Tags:

I’m sitting at a table near the bar. The ship’s lounge is packed with all manner of life: two Klingon’s – always in their battle-dress uniforms- sit sulking at a table, a tall bottle between them; a table just beyond them is a gang of Starfleet cadets, probably sharing training camp ‘horror stories.’ At another […]

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 22: Family Resemblances/Resolving the Past

The group is on a roller-coaster of raw emotions and tragedies, but the nightmare is coming to an end. *Story is completed*

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 21: A Helping Hand

Beverly asks for Will’s help, and Bridget gives birth to her son.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 20: Bath Time

Will witnesses Gracie’s first bath, and Beverly’s grandmother goes into labor.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 19: A Sight to Behold/Interruptions

Will and Deanna share a moment of happiness with Gracie, and Bridget has her own scare.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 18: A Second Chance to Right A Wrong

Deanna no longer can resist her maternal instincts, and agrees to have Beverly’s great-great-great-great-great-grandmother help her.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 17: Resisting another Tide

Deanna continues resisting her captors, and soon they find help in one of the doctors.

Trapped in the Past: Area 15–Chapter 16: Resisting the Grain

Will and Deanna resist against their captors. Meanwhile, an ally waits in the shadows of a two-way mirror.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 15: Back To The Past We Go

Q decides that he wants to revoke his agreement and hurls Will, Deanna and Doctor Crusher back into the past.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 14: Q the annoying and Stinging insults

Q appears in a teasing mode, and Deanna goes into Mama bear mode.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 13: A Friend in Wallens

Will and Deanna have a moment with Laura, then they have a scare.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 12: Hidden Surprise

Will is able to see again and learns of a surprise that seemed to be hidden.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 11: Breaking and Entering/Early Arrival

The soldiers from Area 51 come aboard, and Will and Deanna get an early arrival of their daughter Laura.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 10: Semi-Normal Routine/Temporal Distortions

Will and Deanna fall into a semi-normal routine, then later someone ambushes them in their quarters.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 9: Surgery and Complications

Doctor Crusher does her best to save Deanna, and Q gives her a little hand. Will and Deanna are once again reunited with Laura, but in a different way.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 8: Confusion and Temporal Distortions

Will and Deanna get to spend a few precious minutes with Laura, and something goes terribly wrong, resulting in Deanna needing surgery.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 7: Doubts

Will and Deanna are reunited with Laura, and Will is reunited with four other children from different time periods in his past.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter6: Support Beams and Miracles

Will and Deanna witness the birth of their daughter Laura, but the end result is heartbreaking.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 5: More Mysteries

Will and Deanna encounter an alien ship from the Beta Tli System, and later, the doctors grow tired of listening to Doctor Crusher’s orders.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 4: A LIttle Freedom

Will and Deanna get a little freedom from their room in a common area, and later they get a little scare.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51–Chapter 3: Impossible Escape

Will and Deanna are reunited with Doctor Crusher, who is taking the role of one of her ancestors.

Trapped In the Past: Area 51–Chapter 2: Isolation

Will and Deanna get a rude awakening when they find out just how archaic 21st Century technology is, to them at least.

Trapped in the Past: Area 51

When Q transports Commander Riker, Troi and Doctor Crusher to the past, they are arrested at Area 51. Can they figure a way out? Or will they be kept prisoners in the past for good?

Below the Bridge
06/08/14  Tags:

    Below the Bridge     Will Ricker entered his quarters with a relieved sigh. Yet another twenty two hour day was over. There was truly nothing as labor intensive as getting a newly constructed starship ready for its first mission. Space trials had uncovered the usual stable of problems but nothing insurmountable. Overall […]

Picard, the Next Generation

Transfer   Captain Hanlon called me to her office. Not a big deal, even during duty hours, we were real friends and although I was only the Quartermaster, she relied on my advice a lot. “Mr. Picard reporting, sir.” I saluted smartly as I walked in. She smirked and said “siddown” off-handedly as she finished […]

Fatin’s Faith and Her Penchant for Problematic Positronics
05/31/15  Tags:

Fatin’s Faith and Her Penchant for Problematic Positronics After the great battle in which Data sacrificed his life to save the entire crew of the Enterprise, a salvage operation was conducted by a team of unrelated scavengers from a nearby star system, who collected various pieces of the items left after the battle, most of […]

I Am Hugh
04/25/16  Tags: , , ,

The tale of Hugh Borg between the episodes “I, Borg” and “Descent Part 1&2” in Star Trek The Next Generation. Hugh, having been severed from the Borg Collective, attempts to discover his own individuality and help his fellow Borg acclimate as well, until Lore appears and takes advantage.

Data goes to Destination Star Trek

Data goes to Destination Star Trek   The Enterprise was ordered back to Earth for a routine refit and maintenance check. Data was to go down to Earth by shuttlecraft as the transporters were been tested. Data was to pick up some new crew members joining the Enterprise. As Data was leaving, he notified the […]

Data’s Soul

Data’s Soul A green light that gave way to an intense white light, the sound of a count down fades into silence. Thoughts of friends and sheared adventures transform into feelings of love and bliss. Data felt himself slip into a deep sleep like state, not the grate void he was expecting but a warm […]

Out of the Bag
05/18/20  Tags: ,

Join the crew of the USS-Enterprise as they discover an ancient enemy has infiltrated and seduced the people of Earth! When a deadly, unknown life-form is found on a derelict Starship the crew must fight to save themselves and the Federation itself from its malevolent clutches. This story is an episode-length parody script, where your favorite TNG characters are inflated to absurd proportions. If you want to hear Riker’s rules on getting double-teamed, Out of the Bag is your bag!

Hell on Warp Drive
11/13/20  Tags: ,

Star-date 2386 Miles O’Brien departed from his Starfleet Academy office and headed towards Academy Transporter Room 1. His years in Starfleet had opened the door to a career on Earth to better facilitate family life. The stability of work here had given his children many opportunities he couldn’t have given them in transient life on […]

Data’s Journey
12/26/20  Tags: , ,

A summary and the first two chapters of my book are included below.  The third chapter on contains NSFW content. You can download the entire book or read it on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/27787240/ A free pdf adult fanfiction book about Data from Star Trek the Next Generation.  I wrote it because I recently saw the character […]

Q de Gras Introduction, Table of Contents & Bonus Features

This part of Q de Gras is nothing more than the introduction, the table of contents (sans page numbers) and some interesting notes.

Q de Gras (Chapter 12: Right On, Q! and Epilogue)

In Chapter 12, Q (and in John de Lancie’s character) learns that he’s not so tough, after all. U learns to be contentment, and Bo and U express their farewells.

Q de Gras (Chapter 11: Cue the Liar! Cue the Misanthrope!)

In Chapter 11 we finally meet the Caliphlox on their own homeworld. U is transformed into an ambassador for the Caliphlox and helps Bo to finalize his subroutine for the Universal Translator.

Q de Gras (Chapter 10: It’s a Bee-U-tiful Life!)

In Chapter 10, we see the culmination of the effects on young Jeremy McKee of the “Vibronics Technique” or “Vibroniques,” as it has become known.

Q de Gras (Chapter 9: Me and U and a Dog Named Boo)

In Chapter 9, Jeremy has his “Vibrations Technique” procedure, or “Vibroniques” in Sick Bay the morning after his big performance.

Q de Gras (Chapter 8: U Phonics)

In chapter 8, Jer, beginning to show signs of his illness but still strong, crosses a big item off his bucket list: He gives a magical performance in Ten-Forward. The show is broadcast all over the ship. In addition to Jer’s magic, Bo and members of the Enterprise crew perform several musical numbers culminating with a parody tribute from the crew for U.

Q de Gras (Chapter 7: U Reka)

Picard has felt uneasy, so he and Riker talk about it. Meanwhile, U, Geordi, the Chief and others work on trying to communicate with the sentient species infecting Jeremy’s body. They are finally successful with U’s help, so Picard, his staff together with Dr. Pulaski, U, Geordi and his staff meet in the Lounge to discuss the how’s and when’s of implementing the procedure which they call the “Vibrations Technique” or “Vibroniques,” for short.

Q de Gras (Chapter 6: U Remind Me of a Man)

After discussions with Riker then Picard, U begins planning a show in Ten-Forward for Jer to demonstrate his prestidigital prowess. He also begins working with Geordi and Chief O’Brien in Engineering to help find a way to communicate with Jer’s protozoan infection in hopes of persuading them to depart Jer’s body and inhabit another animal from their home planet that Picard had held in stasis.

Q de Gras (Chapter 5: U Turn)

Q de Gras
In Ten-Forward, Jer and U share some important things with each other. U shares some details about what he was that ultimately caused him to be incarcerated. Jer discussed his illness and that, while he does want to be cured, his deepest desire is to be with his parents again; both of them were among the 12 killed on the Enterprise’s previous mission. After their discussion, U and Jer begin to assemble Jer’s bucket list, and Guinan, having watched U and Jer interacting, learns that U may not be so bad after all.

Q de Gras is comprised of 12 chapters, but the chapters are divided into 4 groups of chapters, called “acts.” Act 1, chapters 1-4, was called “Q d’État.” Act II, comprised of chapters 5-8, is called “U Phemisms.”

Q de Gras (Chapter 4: Jer an’ Me)

While we learn more about Jeremy–he prefers “Jer,” he is an artist and a skilled magician–we also see U and Bo becoming friends. We learn that U is more strongly tied to his Q powers and his prison than he had known, and we see Jer and Bo meet during one of Worf’s Mok’ Bara classes.

Q de Gras (Chapter 3: Getting to Know U)

In Q de Gras chapter 3, Guinan meets U and she is instantly suspicious, but as U is currently without his Q powers, she calms down but remains cautious. U asks Picard to put him to work, so Picard finally suggests that he work with Lt. Costello to help him decipher the enigmatic language of the Calliphlox. Lt. Costello is a pianist and a linguist. His name, Abbot Costello, was adopted from the aliens from the movie “Arrival,” as they also had some language deciphering to do. His character was inspired by the musicians who worked as breakers of the Japanese codes just prior to the US entry into WWII. As his name evokes the comedy of a famous duo, I have given Lt. Costello something of a comedic touch, but it was inspired more by Victor Borge than by Abbot and Costello.

Q de Gras (Chapter 2: Back on Trek)

In Chapter 2, Picard and the Crew of the Enterprise debate the idea of inviting this new Q entity aboard. Additionally, we learn that there is one more person aboard the Enterprise who is infected with the same sentient illness that killed 12 members of the crew only weeks before.

Q de Gras (Prologue and Chapter 1: “Suspended on a Mission”)

A member of the Q Continuum discovers nobility and humility
and puts those qualities to work for the crew of the Enterprise.

“Not all the Q are alike. Some are almost respectable.”
–Guinan, “Q Who”

While the crew of the Enterprise D recovers from a mission in which a sentient protozoan life-form from planet Telokotis Minor killed twelve members, the Enterprise is contacted by a member of the notorious Q Continuum, a member who is unknown to them until then. The Continuum has this Q incarcerated, and he retains his Q powers only so long as he remains in their custody. (This Q eventually changes his name to U to avoid confusion.) But if he can convince someone from outside the Continuum that he is unjustly imprisoned and can persuade that person to formally recommend a reprieve, that person will have the power, under the Q system of jurisprudence, to make U free with his powers intact. He asks Captain Picard to take the time to get to know him. If Picard decides the punishment is unjust and grants U a pardon, U will regain his freedom with his powers and with no threat of reprisal from the Continuum against Picard. Despite warnings from his nemesis, Q (made so infamously popular by John de Lancie), Picard accedes to U’s request. Picard brings U aboard the Enterprise, rendering U powerless for the time being, but he remains helpful.

While en route to their new assignment—a month-long journey—U helps the Enterprise crew learn to communicate with the Calliphlox, a new Federation ally. The Calliphlox have a form of communication so unique that it necessitates the creation of a subroutine for the universal translator (UT). U also befriends a young man—Jeremy McKee—whose parents were two of the 12 crew members killed on the previous mission. U learns that Jeremy has the same illness that claimed his parents’ lives. Unless he can help the Enterprise crew to succeed where they had recently failed—in curing this illness— young Jeremy is certain to be the thirteenth victim.