History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E24TheMindsEye

[floatboxright:Series: Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration\\
Episode: Season 4, Episode 24\\
Title: The Mind's Eye\\
Previous: The Host\\
Next: In Theory\\
Recapper: Tropers/{{Premonition45}}]

* DirtyCoward: When Kell is exposed, he plays the asylum card to avoid the wrath of his fellow Klingons. Picard tells him to screw himself.

* ShootYourMate: Geordi has to shoot a holographic Chief O'Brien in his programming as an assassin. His brief hesitation leads to more brainwashing.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Technically an Armor-Piercing ''Answer'': Geordi's response to Troi's question about the Romulan ship comes out almost automatically, as if he didn't even have to think about it. And it's at complete odds with his implanted memories, and is the first step toward unraveling what was done to him.

A shuttlecraft flies in space as we hear Geordi give a personal log entry. He's traveling to Risa to attend a cybernetics symposium and for shore leave. Although enjoying a drink, Geordi has become bored, so he asks the computer for a guessing game. While playing, he notices a Romulan warbird has decloaked ahead, so Geordi stops the game and tries to send a distress signal, but nothing works, as the shuttlecraft is locked in a tractor beam and he's immediately transported off.

* RecycledInSpace: ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'' [-IN SPACE-]!

Aboard the warbird, Geordi is dragged into a room and strapped into a chair, where Romulan Subcommander Taibak "warmly" greets Geordi. After an impersonator is sent to Risa in Geordi's place, Taibak has Geordi's VISOR removed, and connects a device directly to Geordi's neural implants. This device sends various images, primarily horrifying, directly to Geordi's visual cortex, making him unable to ignore them. A shadowy figure [[ForeShadowing with a familiar voice]] asks if there'll be any trace of their conditioning. Taibak assures her that because of Geordi's preexisting implants, any conditioning would be impossible to detect. He changes to another disturbing image, as we zoom in to see Geordi screaming in agony.

We cut to Ten Forward, or rather, a holographic recreation where Geordi, Taibak and his Romulan subordinates are sitting. Taibak orders Geordi to shoot and kill the holographic Chief O'Brien with a phaser, but while walking over, Geordi stops. After a little coercion, Geordi shoots and kills "O'Brien". Taibak tells his officers that Geordi needs another conditioning session.

In Ten Forward, we see Geordi in a setup similar to the Romulan holorecreation. However, this time, Geordi simply spills his drink on O'Brien. This seems to be the test that his conditioning is still in effect.

* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: Geordi has to shoot a holographic Chief O'Brien in his programming as an assassin.

* RecycledInSpace: ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'' [-IN SPACE-]!

* EyeScream : Literally, although a novel version in that instead of doing anything to Geordi's (non-functioning) eyes, the probe goes [[NightmareFuel ''directly to his visual cortex'']].

* TheLudovicoTechnique: Geordi is brainwashed by being shown horrifying images sent directly to his visual cortex via his VISOR's neural implants.

--> '''Vagh:''' You speak the lies of a ''[=taHqeq=]''!

* KarmaHoudini: Subcommander Taibak never gets any comeuppance for torturing and brainwashing Geordi and almost sparking a war between the Federation and the Klingons.

* TheMole / TheQuisling: Ambassador Kell.

* ColdBloodedTorture: Of the [[Literature/AClockworkOrange Clockwork Orange]] variety, where Geordi is desensitized by being forced to see horrific images.

We return to the ''Enterprise'', where Ambassador Kell speaks with Worf. Kell tells Worf that he did the Klingon Empire a favor in killing Duras, though Worf retorts that [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge he had his own reasons]] for doing so.

We cut to Ten Forward, or rather, a holographic recreation where Geordi, Taibak and his Romulan subordinates are sitting. Taibak orders Geordi to shoot and kill the holographic Chief O'Brien with a phaser, but while walking over, Geordi stops. But after a little coercion, Geordi shoots and kills "O'Brien". Taibak tells his officers that Geordi needs another conditioning session.

Geordi and Data join Picard in another meeting with Governor Vagh, concluding that the weapon is a Romulan decoy: a physically perfect duplicate, but being charged with Romulan energy sources, traces were left behind. Vagh is skeptical, since Krios holds no strategic value to the Romulans. Vagh still wants his own people to verify the findings. While in the office, La Forge's VISOR receives another distinctive E-band transmission.

On the bridge, Data and Riker detect another E-band emission, much larger than the previous ones. Acting under mind control again, Geordi beams down a crate of weapons from a cargo bay to the surface, deleting the transporter logs afterwards. Just as the ''Enterprise'' is about to leave. Vagh sends a transmission, telling Picard that they have intercepted the crate, and that they are not to not leave orbit until further notice, as a Vor'cha cruiser and 2 Birds-of-Prey decloak and intercept them.

Data finds that the memory chips in the computer were erased to hide the offender's identity and the power was routed through the replicator pathways to attempt to conceal its origin. Ambassador Kell offers to speak to Vagh, urging him to come to the ''Enterprise'' to witness the investigation. Before leaving, however, Geordi meets with him in his quarters, where it's revealed that [[TheMole Kell has been conspiring with the Romulans]], being the one who was transmitting the E-band emissions. Kell tells Geordi that when Vagh arrives, Geordi is to assassinate him, claiming he is acting on behalf of the Federation in support of the rebels.

The next morning, Vagh arrives to see the investigation, only at Kell's insistence. Kell suggests visiting Cargo Bay 4. Picard agrees. Following a mounting trail of evidence, Data finds that the E-band transmissions would be compatible with LaForge's VISOR. He then goes to the shuttlebay and determines that the memory chips in La Forge's shuttlecraft have been replicated by Romulans, and that the hull has been subjected to stresses consistent with a tractor beam. He then calls Worf, ordering him to take Geordi into custody immediately.

* CantUnseeIt

We return to the ''Enterprise'', where Ambassador Kell.

We cut to Ten Forward, or rather, a holographic recreation where Geordi, Taibak and his Romulan comrades. Taibak orders Geordi to shoot the holographic Chief O'Brien with a phaser, but while walking over, Geordi stops. But after a little coercion, Geordi and shoot and kills "O'Brien". Taibak tells his officers that Geordi needs another conditioning session.

On Krios, Picard vehemently denies the Federation's involvement until Vagh presents a confiscated phaser rifle taken from a rebel stronghold. It seems to be Federation-made.

In Ten Forward, we see Geordi in a setup similar to the Romulan holorecreation. However, this time, Geordi simply spills his drink on O'Brien. This seems to be a test that his conditioning is still in effect.

Later that night, Geordi has difficulty sleeping, so he goes to sickbay.

On the bridge, Data and Riker detect another E-band emission, much larger than the previous ones. Under mind control, Geordi beams down a crate of weapons to the surface, deleting the transporter logs afterwards. Just as the ''Enterprise'' is about to leave. Vagh sends a transmission, telling Picard that they have intercepted the crate, and that they are not to not leave orbit until further notice, as a Vor'cha cruiser and 2 Birds-of-Prey decloak and intercept them.

* ManchurianAgent

Series: Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration\\

Recapper: Tropers/{{Premonition45}}

!!Tropes featured in "The Mind's Eye"

A shuttlecraft flies in space as we hear Geordi give a personal log entry. He's traveling to Risa to attend a cybernetics symposium and for shore leave. Although enjoying a drink, Geordi has become bored, so he asks the computer for a guessing game. while playing, he notices a Romulan warbird has decloaked ahead, so Geordi tries to send a distress signal, but nothing works, as the shuttlecraft is locked in a tractor beam and he's immediately transported off.

Meanwhile, the ''Enterprise'' is en route to the Klingon colony of Krios, which is in the midst of an insurrection. The Klingon governor, Vagh, has accused the Federation of arming the rebels, and Klingon ambassador Kell.