History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E8ForceOfNature

* StatusQuoIsGod: The idea that warp engines could be dangerous to the fabric of universe is not mentioned again in ''The Next Generation'' or other ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series. The warp 5 speed limit is referred to a couple of times in the following episodes, but after that it disappears too with no explanation. Most fans just {{Handwave}} it away with the assumption that someone simply invented a safe warp drive and everyone converted to it.

* SiblingYinYang: [[RedOniBlueOni Serova is passionate, stubborn, and antagonistic while Rabal is calm, reasonable, and diplomatic.]]

* FantasticRacism: Worf shows this towards the Romulans -- again. Declaring when discussing the new Warp-5 restrictions that the Klingon Empire will (of course!) accept the Warp-5 limit restriction but that the Romulans never will, as if its an obvious truth.

The ''Enterprise'' is searching for the missing ship the ''Fleming'' in the Hekaras Corridor, a region of space known for its unusually dense tetryon fields. The fields will make it difficult for the ship's scanners to locate the missing ship. Only one ship has passed through this area recently, a Ferengi trader, and the crew wonder if the Ferengi attacked the ''Fleming'' for its valuable medical cargo. Meanwhile, Geordi is busy trying to max out efficiency of the ship's warp engines, while Data is pondering how to train his cat, Spot.

The ship locates the Ferengi trading vessel, seemingly disabled, but when the ''Enterprise'' moves to investigate, it attacks. The ''Enterprise'' fires back and neutralizes the threat. They establish a comm link through the interference, and the captain, [=Daimon=] Prak of the ship accuses the Federation of being the aggressor and instigating an act of war. Picard convinces [=Daimon=] Prak to transport over and talk things, out. Prak relates how his ship encountered what appeared to be a Federation signal buoy that was actually a disguised mine, which disabled his ship with a veteron pulse. He also admits to passing by the ''Fleming'' several days ago. Picard agrees to help Prak fix his ship in exchange for the data on the ''Fleming's'' heading.

As the Heskarans help make the repairs, Rabal apologizes for his sister's zealousness but assures the crew that her findings made a believer out of him. But when Data gives his review of her report, he states that her findings are compelling but still unproven and suggests more research is needed. Serova feels that any more delays are unacceptable. Before they can argue further, Picard learns that they have located the ''Fleming'', which is adrift after being caught in another Heskaran mine.

As the ship moves to help the ''Fleming'', Serova takes her ship out into space and initiates a warp core breach. The ship explodes, and the intense warp field causes the subspace rift she's warned everyone about. That could have massive ramifications for the galaxy, but first, they need to rescue the ''Fleming'' from the rift. La Forge figures out a {{technobabble}} solution to alter the warp drives and plunge into the rift. But the ''Fleming'' has ignorantly engaged their warp drive, causing the rift to grow and trapping both ships inside. The ''Enterprise'' evacuates the ''Fleming'', but its hull is barely holding together. La Forge and Data come up with solutions of "surfing" the distortion waves of the ship to guide them out. The ship manages to safely emerges from the rift just before its hull can be ripped to shreds.

* TheExtremistWasRight: Discussed; while Serova's theories are proven to be entirely correct, Data points out that her behavior in the course of trying to prove said theories was, if anything, counter-productive.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Serova is pushy and uncompromising, and gets pissy anytime someone questions her theory. [[TheExtremistWasRight She turns out to be right.]]

* StartXToStopX: Serova tries to prevent a coming disaster by revealing it in a way that can't be ignored. However, in doing so, she actually ''causes'' the disaster to happen. (Although it should be noted that she did intentionally create the rift some distance away from the planet, thus giving them time to mitigate the effects.[[note]] Near the end, Riker comments that "We're lucky the rift took place as far away from the planet as it did. It gives us some time to consider our options." Yeah, that wasn't luck, Will; it was planning.[[/note]] Had she simply allowed regular warp traffic down the Corridor to continue eroding subspace, for all anyone knows a rift might have formed right next to the planet, rendering it uninhabitable before they had a chance to do anything about it.)
* StatusQuoIsGod and WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The idea that warp engines could be dangerous to the fabric of universe is not mentioned again in ''The Next Generation'' or other ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series. The warp 5 speed limit is referred to a couple of times in the following episodes, but after that it disappears too with no explanation. Most fans just {{Handwave}} it away with the assumption that someone simply invented a safe warp drive and everyone converted to it.
** WordOfGod has stated that Voyager's unique warp engine design is that safe version; by the time the Sovereign-class ships were launched, warp nacelles were further refined to avoid the affect without the need for changing configuration like Voyager's.
** What makes it even worse is that, as worded in the episode itself, the Warp 5 speed limit applies only to the corridor itself, not the galaxy at large—subsequent misunderstanding of this in future episodes is what led to the sense the status quo was being enforced, when there wasn't even really any violated.
** The warp five limit is frequently referred to in extended universe novels that take place between this episode and ''First Contact''... and just as frequently noted that the Federation is the only spacefaring society that actually holds to it. The episode wound up being a far more accurate metaphor for real life ecological protectionism than it intended, as it's only a single "country" (the Federation) being scolded for something everyone is doing, and it's only that same country that does anything about it, while the rest feel free to pollute to their heart's content.

The ''Enterprise'' is flying through the Hekaras Corridor searching for a missing medical transport when she's disabled by a verteron mine disguised as a signal buoy. She's then boarded by two Hekaran scientists who claim that warp drive damages subspace in that region of space, risking the formation of a [[NegativeSpaceWedgie subspace rift]]. The crew is skeptical until one of the scientists creates a warp core breach on her ship, destroying it (with her on it) and creating the rift.

The ''Enterprise'' must find a way to rescue the imperiled transport without making a bad situation even worse.

** What makes it even worse is that, as worded in the episode itself, the Warp 5 speed limit applies only to the corridor itself, not the galaxy at large—subsequent misunderstanding of this in future episodes is what led to the sense the status quo was being enforced, when there wasn't even really violated.

* StartXToStopX: Serova tries to prevent a coming disaster by revealing it in a way that can't be ignored. However, in doing so, she actually ''causes'' the disaster to happen. (Although it should be noted that she did intentionally create the rift some distance away from the planet, thus giving them time to mitigate the effects.[[note]] Near the end, Riker comments that "We're lucky the rift took place as far away from the planet as it did. It gives us some time to consider our options." Yeah, that wasn't luck, Will; it was planning.[[/note]] Had she simply allowed continued warp traffic down the Corridor to continue eroding subspace, for all anyone knows a rift might have formed right next to the planet, rendering it uninhabitable before they had a chance to do anything about it.)

* StartXToStopX: Serova tries to prevent a coming disaster by revealing it in a way that can't be ignored. However, in doing so, she actually ''causes'' the disaster to happen.