History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E7Unification1

* CareerNotTaken: The Romulan leader trying to set up an invasion of Vulcan comments that she likes writing and she doesn't get to do enough of it in her current position. Data suggests that maybe she'd be happier in another position.

* WellDoneDadGuy: Sarek, suffering from the late stages of his illness, reflects on Spock's childhood and the conflict between father and son. And [[TearJerker displaying an affection]] for his son's stubborn yet honorable behavior that Sarek dare not reveal in Vulcan society.

* TheStakeout: To figure out what's going on at the supply depot, the ''Enterprise'' shuts down power to look like part of the DerelictGraveyard and waits to see who shows up. This leads to a firefight against unidentified smugglers.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Dokachin corrects Riker on how his name is pronounced--[[AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle it's not "Do-KAY-chin," it's "DOK-a-chin."]]

* NotSoDifferent: Picard tells Data how Spock and Sarek had more in common than either of them would admit.

* KidnappedByAnAlly: How Picard and Data first meet Pardek--they can't be seen meeting publicly, so just before they approach him he has them arrested and taken to a cave.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Chancellor Gowron's UngratefulBastard tendencies begin to rear their head in this episode, something that would later endanger the entire Alpha Quadrant on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.

Meanwhile, Riker and Geordi examine wreckage from a crashed Ferengi vessel that crashed in the Hanolin asteroid belt. The material dentarium is detected in the debris, confirming that their origin is Vulcan. Picard goes to the planet and enters Sarek's room. Sarek is in bed and restless--shouting and crying. Picard asks him about Spock, and he suddenly calms and becomes lucid. He recognizes Picard, who asks if he would know why Spock would be on Romulus. Sarek says possibly to meet with Pardek, a Romulan Senator whom Spock met at [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry the Khitomer Conference]]. Picard asks if Spock may have defected, but Sarek responds, "Never!" Sarek soon becomes confused again, and in his ramblings admits that he's always felt proud of his son's unyielding spirit. Picard reminds Sarek that they have a part of each other, and he knows Sarek loves Spock despite all the pain he's caused. Sarek struggles to give Picard a message to take to his son: "Live long and prosper."

* DontCallMeSir: Picard tells Data not to call him "Captain" while they're on Romulus.

* ProductionForeshadowing: Besides Spock's presence, this episode makes several references to ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'', which was filmed earlier, but still a month away in release.
** In fact, the whole concept of this two-parter came because of the studio's request that the series should advertise the movie.

Data shows Picard a Barolian visual identification of Pardek taken at trade negotiation four years ago. Picard compares the image to the one with Spock in it on Romulus and finds that the man with Spock is indeed Pardek, who is known as a radical within the Romulan Senate and an advocate for peace. Finally, the ''Enterprise'' is hailed from Qo'noS. It is B'iJik, the Junior Adjutant to the Diplomatic Delegation. He advises Picard that Gowron is too busy to meet with him. Picard is incensed. He diplomatically threatens Gowron through B'iJik, implying that if Gowron doesn't grant his request, he will request a ship from one of Gowron's rival factions, and playing to Gowron's vanity as well. B'iJik promises to give the message to Gowron.

* ProductionForeshadowing: Besides Spock's presence, this episode makes several references to ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'', which was still a month away.

We open with a title card [[InMemoriam honoring]] the late Franchise/StarTrek creator Creator/GeneRoddenberry, who had passed away 11 days earlier, simply reading "Gene Roddenberry 1921-1991".

After the tribute, we see the ''Enterprise''[='=]s terraforming mission has been cancelled, and it has been called to Starbase 234 by Fleet Admiral Brackett, who is unwilling to discuss her reasons over subspace communications. Meeting with Captain Picard, she advises him that one of the Federation's most prestigious and celebrated Ambassadors suddenly disappeared without trace, and that intelligence suggests that he is currently on the planet Romulus. The trip was unauthorized, and there are serious worries that he has defected. She shows Picard an image taken on Romulus that clearly shows the face of the missing ambassador — Spock.

The ''Enterprise'' travels to Vulcan, where Picard must give the unfortunate news to Spock's father, retired ambassador Sarek, that his son may have betrayed the Federation. Sarek is extremely ill, suffering from the effects of Bendii Syndrome. Perrin tells Picard that Spock couldn't have been abducted, as he tidied up his affairs before his disappearance, and then relates that there has been a rift in the relationship between Sarek and Spock over the Federation–Cardassian War. Sarek is now wasting away in bed and wants nothing more than to heal the rift between himself and his son.

Meanwhile, Riker and Geordi examine wreckage from a crashed Ferengi vessel that crashed in the Hanolin asteroid belt. The material dentarium is detected in the debris, confirming that their origin is Vulcan. Picard goes to the planet and enters Sarek's room. Sarek is in bed and restless – shouting and crying. Picard asks him about Spock, and he suddenly calms and becomes lucid. He recognizes Picard, who asks if he would know why Spock would be on Romulus. Sarek says possibly to meet with Pardek, a Romulan Senator whom Spock met at [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry the Khitomer Conference]]. Picard asks if Spock may have defected, but Sarek responds, "Never!" Sarek soon becomes confused again, and in his ramblings admits that he's always felt proud of his son's unyielding spirit. Picard reminds Sarek that they have a part of each other, and he knows Sarek loves Spock despite all the pain he's caused. Sarek struggles to give Picard a message to take to his son: "Live long and prosper."

Picard decides that he must travel to Romulus to find Spock. But to travel through the Neutral Zone, they'll need a cloaked vessel. So he decides to try to contact Klingon chancellor Gowron. As his Arbiter of Succession, he should be willing, but after three days of hailing, there's no response. Worf explains, that the messages may be ignored because "Gowron has been rewriting Klingon history", claiming that it was his genius that ended the civil war, without a word about the help of the Federation. Picard suggests that Lieutenant Worf try to contact K'Tal of the Klingon High Council instead.

Data shows Picard a Barolian visual identification of Pardek taken at trade negotiation four years ago. Picard compares the image to the one with Spock in it on Romulus and finds that the man with Spock is indeed Pardek. Data tells Picard that Pardek is known as an advocate for peace and that he lives in the Krocton Segment on Romulus. Finally, the ''Enterprise'' is hailed from Qo'noS. It is B'iJik, the Junior Adjutant to the Diplomatic Delegation. He advises Picard that Gowron is too busy to meet with him. Picard is incensed. He diplomatically threatens Gowron through B'iJik, implying that if Gowron doesn't grant his request, he will request a ship from one of Gowron's rival factions, and playing to Gowron's vanity as well. B'iJik promises to give the message to Gowron.

Doctor Crusher is examining Data's head in preparation for the prosthetic ears he will be wearing for his mission to Romulus. She tells Data and Picard that they still need to meet with Mr. Mot to be fitted for their hairpieces. La Forge has determined that the debris found on the Ferengi vessel is part of the deflector array from the Vulcan ship ''T[='=]Pau''. This ship was decommissioned and sent to Qualor II as scrap. Riker suggests that they take the ''Enterprise'' to Qualor II and continue their investigation, and Picard agrees. Worf informs Picard that a Klingon ship has just decloaked off the port bow, compliments of Gowron. Picard and Data go aboard the Klingon vessel and proceed toward Romulus while the ''Enterprise'' goes the other direction toward Qualor II.

Riker takes the ''Enterprise'' to the Zakdorn Surplus Depot Z-15, a Federation [[DerelictGraveyard scrap yard]] for decommissioned ships. They contact the quartermaster of the depot, Klim Dokachin, who is less than helpful. Riker invites him on board and has Troi try to persuade him to assist them in finding out the whereabouts of the remainder of the ''T[='=]Pau''. He agrees and the ''Enterprise'' goes to the coordinates of the ''T[='=]Pau'', but the ship is gone. Dokachin says that the deflector array was sent to the USS ''Tripoli'', a holding vessel on the outer rim of the shipyard. They go to that location and find it, too, is missing. The quartermaster informs them that there is a transport of deuterium parts to the ''Tripoli'' scheduled in two hours. Riker orders the ship to be moved away and powered down with the exception of sensors and life support. They lie in wait to see what will happen when the transport is initiated.

Aboard the Klingon ship, Picard and Data are in their assigned quarters. There is one bunk, made of metal, with no bedding. Picard lies down to sleep, and Data... stands nearby, calculating how he should behave when undercover as a Romulan, making Picard nervous and unable to sleep. Their interplay and dialog is very humorous, with Data staring at Picard as he lies on the bunk making the Captain feel uncomfortable. Just as Picard gets up, they are called to the bridge, where Captain K'Vada hands him a PADD containing a subspace message he monitored that he believes Picard will find interesting. Picard reads, and sadly tells Data the news it contains… Sarek is dead.

On the ''Enterprise'', a ship is approaching at warp speed. It stops at the coordinates 12 Delta 4 — the previous position of the ''Tripoli''. The small combat vessel is heavily armed and receives the scheduled transport. Riker powers up all systems and hails the ship, ordering them to identify themselves. The ship turns to intercept and fires phasers at the ''Enterprise''. Riker orders Worf to return fire, targeting only the weapon systems and using only a .75 power burst just to "get their attention." The ship is hit and, due to all the armament on board, explodes.

Data and Picard are in costume and prosthetic makeup looking just like Romulans. Data observes that Picard has been pensive since learning of Sarek's death. Picard attempts to explain to Data the effect that Sarek's death has had on him and also what effect it will have on Spock. They beam down to Romulus after K'Vada tells them that he won't rescue them if anything goes wrong. On Romulus, Senator Pardek arrives at the proconsul's office and is asked if he knows of Jean-Luc Picard. He says he does not and is told that Picard is on his way to Romulus. They decide to alert security to be watchful for him.

Picard and Data are on the street where the images of Pardek and Spock were standing. They locate the office of a legal intercessor (lawyer) who is likely related to Pardek. They decide to get some food and wait for him to arrive. At a nearby restaurant, they notice two Romulans in military uniform just before Pardek comes down the street. They turn toward Pardek and the uniformed Romulans stop them and escort them out. Data and Picard are taken to an underground chamber. Pardek walks in behind them and says, "Welcome to Romulus, Captain Picard." The military men were his assistants in disguise. Picard explains that he is on an urgent mission from the Federation. He is looking for Ambassador Spock. "Indeed," says a voice from deeper within the cavern. "You have found him, Captain Picard." It is Spock.

!!Tropes found in "Unification: Part 1"

* ActingUnnatural: Picard and Data in disguise as Romulans. The owner of the diner immediately pegs them as outsiders--however, she assumes that they're members of the StateSec (later named the Tal Shiar in "Face of the Enemy"). rather than foreign agents and says their soup is on the house, "courtesy of a ''loyal'' establishment."

* KidnappedByAnAlly: How Picard and Data first meet Pardek.

* MadeOfExplodium: The smugglers' ship is loaded with so much ordnance that one phaser hit is enough to set it all off. BOOM!

* YouOweMe: Picard tries to ask for Gowron's help in acquiring a cloaked ship, figuring that Gowron will be happy to repay his Arbiter of Succession. [[UngratefulBastard Yeah, right.]]
** Invoked when Picard gets the ship by pointing out if the Federation can't get any help from Gowron, they could always approach some other Klingon faction, and then ''they'' would [[ShameIfSomethingHappened have the Federation's gratitude...]]

Riker takes the ''Enterprise'' to the Zakdorn Surplus Depot Z-15, a Federation [[DerelictGraveyard scrap yard]] for decommissioned ships. They contact the quartermaster of the depot, Klim Dokachin, who is less than helpful. Riker invites him on board and has Troi try to persuade him to assist them in finding out the whereabouts of the remainder of the ''T[='=]Pau''. He agrees and the ''Enterprise'' goes to the coordinates of the ''T[='=]Pau''. The ship is gone. Dokachin says that the deflector array was sent to the USS ''Tripoli'', a holding vessel on the outer rim of the shipyard. They go to that location and find it, too, is missing. The quartermaster informs them that there is a transport of deuterium parts to the ''Tripoli'' scheduled in two hours. Riker orders the ship to be moved away and powered down with the exception of sensors and life support. They lie in wait to see what will happen when the transport is initiated.

Aboard the Klingon ship, Picard and Data and in their assigned quarters. There is one bunk, made of metal, with no bedding. Picard lies down to sleep and Data stands nearby calculating how he should behave when undercover as a Romulan. He makes Picard nervous and unable to sleep. Their interplay and dialog is very humorous, with Data staring at Picard as he lies on the bunk making the Captain feel uncomfortable. Just as Picard gets up, they are called to the bridge, where Captain K'Vada hands him a PADD containing a subspace message he monitored that he believes Picard will find interesting. Picard reads, and sadly tells Data the news it contains… Sarek is dead.

On the ''Enterprise'', a ship is approaching at warp speed. It stops at the coordinates 12 Delta 4 — the previous position of the ''Tripoli''. The small combat vessel is heavily armed and receives the scheduled transport. Riker powers up all systems and hails the ship, ordering them to identify themselves. The ship turns to intercept and fires phasers at the ''Enterprise''. Riker orders Worf to return fire targeting only the weapon systems and using only a .75 power burst just to "get their attention." The ship is hit and, due to all the armament on board, explodes.

Doctor Crusher is examines Data's head in preparation for the prosthetic ears he will be wearing for his mission to Romulus. She tells Data and Picard that they still need to meet with Mr. Mot to be fitted for their hairpieces. La Forge has determined that the debris found on the Ferengi vessel is part of the deflector array from the Vulcan ship ''T[='=]Pau''. This ship was decommissioned and sent to Qualor II as scrap. Riker suggests that they take the ''Enterprise'' to Qualor II and continue their investigation, and Picard agrees. Worf informs Picard that a Klingon ship has just decloaked off the port bow, compliments of Gowron. Picard and Data go aboard the Klingon vessel and proceed toward Romulus while the ''Enterprise'' goes the other direction toward Qualor II.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Sarek, suffering from the late stages of his illness, reflects on Spock's childhood and the conflict between father and son. And [[TearJerker displaying an affection]] for his son's stubborn yet honorable behavior that Sarek dare not reveal in Vulcan society.

* YouOweMe: Picard tries to ask for Gowron's help in acquiring a cloaked ship, figuring that Gowron will be happy to repay his Arbiter of Succession. [[UngratefulBastard Yeah, right.]]

We open with a title card [[InMemoriam honoring]] the late Franchise/StarTrek creator Creator/GeneRoddenberry, simply reading "Gene Roddenberry 1921-1991".

We open with a title card [[InMemoriam honoring]] the late Franchise/StarTrek creator Gene Roddenberry, simply reading "Gene Roddenberry 1921-1991".

[[caption-width-right:350:When in Romulus, do as the Romulans do.]]

To be continued...

* ShowSomeLeg: Riker figures that having [[MsFanservice Troi]] around will make Dokachin more inclined to help. [[GenreSavvy Dokachin realizes what's happening]], [[FavorsForTheSexy but agrees that Riker's plan has worked]].

* WrittenByTheWinners: Gowron has been rewriting the events of the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E26S5E1Redemption Klingon Civil War]] to make it seem like [[ItsAllAboutMe he won on his own]], without Starfleet's help.