History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E13TimeSquared

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/two_picards.jpg]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tng_timesquared_hd_284.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Well that doesn't look promising.]]
[floatboxright:
Series: ''Series/{{Star Trek The Next Generation}}''\\
Episode: Season 2, Episode 13\\
Title: "Time Squared"\\
Previous: "The Royale"\\
Next: "The Icarus Factor"\\
Recapper: Vengeance Karl]

->"There is the theory of the Möbius. A twist in the fabric of space where time becomes a loop."

Series:Series/{{Star Trek The Next Generation}}\\

Title: Time Squared\\
Previous: The Royale\\
Next: The Icarus Factor\\

Meanwhile Pulaski has successfully revived Picard Two, but he’s completely out of it and can’t communicate. Pulaski theorizes that as time catches up to the moment he was sent back, he’ll become more aware, until the final moment when he’ll be fully himself again. The fact that he can’t answer any questions frustrates Picard One to the point of obsession, but no matter which way he looks at the problem he can’t figure any of it out on his own. Before long, it’s too late, and the energy vortex appears without warning. It starts pulling the ''Enterprise'' in, and some sort of consciousness inside of it begins scanning them. As Picard tries to figure a way out, the vortex starts singling him out and hitting him with energy beams.

His first instinct is to leave the ship to draw the vortex’s attention away and give everyone else a chance to escape, but then he realizes that’s exactly what Picard Two tried to do. So instead he heads to Sickbay and orders Pulaski to let Picard Two out. Picard Two has become vaguely aware of his surroundings, but can only focus on trying to leave the ''Enterprise''. Picard One follows his double to the Shuttle Bay, trying to get him to think of another option. All Picard Two says is that the other way “would never work” because “going forward would destroy the ''Enterprise''”. Picard One understands what he means, and breaks the time loop by killing his double with a phaser before he can leave the ship again. He then returns to the bridge and orders the ''Enterprise'' to head directly into the vortex. This does the trick, and the vortex disappears, along with the duplicate shuttlecraft and Picard. As the ship get back on its way, Picard retreats to his ready room to ponder what it all means, confiding in Riker, “They say if you travel far enough you will eventually meet yourself… having experienced that, Number One, it’s not something I would care to repeat.”

* CrazyEnoughToWork: The Enterprise is being pulled into an energy vortex that tightens its grip every time they try to boost power to the engines to escape. Picard realises at very end that the only way to escape is to fly at warp speed directly into the maw of the vortex and collide with the energy source in the center.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is one of 24th century Star Trek's first major time travel stories, and the idea that future versions of a person are disoriented upon going to the past until the moment of divergence is never referenced again.

* FutureMeScaresMe / MyFutureSelfAndMe / OtherMeAnnoysMe: Picard's double from six hours in the future disgusts him because the double apparently abandoned ship and left the crew to die, something Picard would gladly rather die than do.

* LethalChef: Riker proves to be one. Only Worf likes the dish.
* NegativeSpaceWedgie: The vortex which the Enterprise crew encounters and must escape.

* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Crew members wonder if them trying to avoid the disaster will actually lead to it to happen.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: This episode was originally set as the first of a two-parter, that would have led into "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E16QWho Q Who]]". In that case, this episode's events would have been the work of Q, and the ''Enterprise'' would have found itself in the Delta Quadrant after flying into the vortex. Alas, as with many ideas of this period, the writer's strike did in the concept.

* CrazyEnoughToWork: The Enterprise is being pulled into an energy vortex that tightens its grip every time they try to boost power to the engines to escape. Picard realises at very end that the only way to escape is to [[spoiler:fly at warp speed directly into the maw of the vortex and collide with the energy source in the center.]]

* FutureMeScaresMe / MyFutureSelfAndMe / OtherMeAnnoysMe: Picard's double from six hours in the future disgusts him because the double apparently abandoned ship and left the crew to die; something Picard would gladly rather die than do.

-->--'''Worf'''

* TemporalSickness: Picard's future double suffers from it bigtime.

* FutureMeScaresMe / OtherMeAnnoysMe: Picard's double from six hours in the future disgusts him because the double apparently abandoned ship and left the crew to die; something Picard would gladly rather die than do.

* MyFutureSelfAndMe: Picard meets himself from six hours into the future, but his future self's mind is so warped from being out of sync that he's barely conscious for much of the episode.

* CrazyEnoughToWork: The Enterprise has to escape an energy vortex that tightens its grip every time they try to boost power to the engines to escape. Picard realises at very end that the only way to escape is to [[spoiler:fly at warp speed directly into the maw of the vortex and collide with the energy source in the center.]]

* CrazyEnoughToWork: The Enterprise has to escape an energy vortex that tightens its grip every time they try to boost power to the engines to escape. [[spoiler:None of the bridge crew realises until the very end that the only way to escape is to fly at warp speed directly into the maw of the vortex and collide with the energy source in the center.]]

* CrazyEnoughToWork: The Enterprise has to escape an energy vortex that tightens its grip every time they try to boost power to the engines to escape. [[spoiler:None of the bridge crew realises that the only way to escape is to fly at warp speed directly into the maw of the vortex and collide with the energy source in the center.]]

-->'''Picard:''' Aside from his appearance, there is nothing about him that I find familiar!

* Railroading: Picard lampshades the possible hopelessness of their situation.

* TakeAThirdOption: What was the other choice? We can't fight, we cant escape, ''we can't go forward...''

* MyFutureSelfAndMe: Picard meets himself from six hours into the future, but his mind is so warped from being out of sync that he's barely conscious for much of the episode.

* TemporalParadox:

Previous: Loud As a Whisper\\
Next: Unnatural Selection\\