Original air date: May 3, 1994
The USS Enterprise-D encounters an unmanned probe, unarmed, which hails Captain Jean-Luc Picard by name. The probe projects a holographic image of Bok, the Ferengi who tried to kill Picard six years ago. The former Ferengi DaiMon still wants revenge for the murder of his son, so he tells the captain he will murder Picard's son, Jason Vigo, to settle the score. This is a big shocker for Picard, especially because he didn't realize he even had a son.
Picard needs to find this Jason Vigo before Bok does, and he has a suspicion that an old fling named Miranda Vigo is involved. He tracks her to Camor V and learns that she does have a son, Jason, who is exactly as old as the time Picard spent with his mother. The ship rushes to Camor and transports Jason aboard while he's rock climbing. Jason is nonplussed to find himself on a starship. He doesn't recognize Picard and says his mother never told him who his father was before she died. Crusher confirms via a DNA test that Jason is Picard's son, so Jason will have to stay on the Enterprise until Picard can deal with Bok.
The crew set about trying to track Bok down. Meanwhile, Picard tries to connect with his long-lost son, but Jason is stand-offish. Unimpressed by Picard's collection of artifacts, he notes that they'd all be worthless on Camor. When he arrives in his quarters, Troi shows up and offers to talk, but he prefers to flirt with her instead, so she leaves. Picard seeks Crusher's advice, and she tells him not to give up. That night, Picard is awakened by Bok appearing in his quarters to taunt him, but the moment Picard turns away to summon security, the Ferengi has disappeared.
Geordi investigates Bok's mysterious appearance, and Picard has guards attached to Jason at all times in case Bok returns. Data also provides the results of a background check on Jason, revealing that the man has a laundry list of minor crimes on his record. In Ten Foward, Jason chafes at his new guards' attention and hides a sudden tremor in his hand from them. When Picard arrives, he invites Jason to go rock climbing in the holodeck, but Jason flatly tells him that he's not interested in bonding with him.
Picard returns to his quarters and is greeted by Bok, who taunts him again. Picard tries to reason with Bok, explaining the circumstances of Bok's son's death, but Bok insists on being repaid for his son's death by the death of Jason. When he disappears, security announces that Jason has collapsed. In sick bay, Crusher discovers that Jason has recently developed a degenerative neurological disease, so she puts him on a treatment plan. Meanwhile, Geordi and Crusher scan the chair Bok was sitting in and discover that he's using a subspace transporter to beam through the ship's shields.
Picard finds Jason climbing in the holodeck and climbs up to speak with him. Jason finally opens up about his rough upbringing, and Picard shares his history with his own distant father. Jason admits to his criminal past, trying to scare Picard away, but Picard accepts him, and they seem to finally share some kind of moment. Suddenly, Crusher announces that she's discovered something about Jason that Picard needs to hear.
As Picard heads to sick bay, Bok tries transporting Jason away. The crew is prepared for this and already has a lock on him. The two ships' transporters fight for control, but Bok wins and transports Jason away. He hails the Enterprise from his hidden ship to taunt Picard once more. Data traces the location of the ship, so Picard transports inside with a phaser. In a Mexican Standoff with the crew, Picard explains that he's discovered that Jason is not really his son. Bok resequenced his DNA to make it appear so, but Jason unexpectedly developed a neurological disorder in response, which revealed the tampering. The crew is dismayed to discover that Bok is no longer a DaiMon and never intended to ransom Jason for profit. They turn on Bok and release Jason.
Jason asks to be returned to Camor, saying that he's got a life to return to, even if it needs a lot of fixing. As a memento, Picard gives Jason one of the artifacts that they had discussed earlier, and Jason suggests that Picard come visit if he's ever in the neighborhood again. Jason transports away, leaving Picard alone with a slightly melancholy expression.
Tropes featured:
- Bittersweet Ending: Bok is arrested (again), but Picard and Jason are disappointed to learn they are in fact not related.
- Call-Back: The return of Daimon Bok (from first-season episode "The Battle") swearing vengeance against Picard for killing his son.
- Continuity Nod: Picard mentions to Jason that he has some experience with rock climbing.
- Contrived Coincidence: It sure was convenient for Bok that Picard's former dalliance conceived a son at about the same time as her brief affair with Picard, never told her son who his father was, and died before she could tell him the truth.
- Establishing Character Moment: Jason is introduced beaming onto the transporter pad while comically trying to climb rocks that are no longer there. He then rather dopily comes to grips with what's happened. Jason is not exactly the son you'd expect from a guy like Picard.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: It's actually quite unusual for Bok to care so much for his lost son that he's willing to forego profit to get revenge. His pragmatic fellow Ferengi just don't understand it.
- Foreshadowing: Jason hides a tremor in his hand a few scenes before it becomes plot relevant.
- LEGO Genetics: Bok tampered with Jason's DNA so that a paternity test would state Picard was his father.
- The Lost Lenore: Jason's mother, the one Picard had a fling with 24 years ago, has long since passed away.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Picard is forced to track down Jason and protect him, which means he's got a pretty big reveal for the young lad.
- Mexican Standoff: Picard trains his phaser on Bok while Bok's men aim at Picard and Bok threatens Jason with a knife.
- Parental Abandonment: Jason's mother was killed by some men who were trying to steal some food she was carrying when he was young.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Once again, Bok is undone by the fact that his quest for revenge serves no purpose, so his fellow Ferengi turn on him.
- Revenge by Proxy: Bok still seeks revenge against Picard, only this time he goes about it by trying to kill Jason.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Bok purchased his freedom from prison. It makes perfect sense that Ferengi society allows you to simply buy your way out of any law.
- Spotting the Thread: The neurological disorder Jason starts exhibiting symptoms of is hereditary, and neither Picard nor Jason's mother suffered from it. This causes Dr. Crusher to examine Jason's genetic code more closely and discover Bok's tampering.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: Bok is dressed like a Ferengi ship captain, even though he no longer holds that title.Tol: Is this true, Daimon?Picard: He's not a Daimon! He was stripped of rank!
- Villain Teleportation: Bok gains access to a subspace transporter, which allows him to beam to the Enterprise from several light-years away compared to a standard transporter and is practically immune from being blocked by shields. It's much riskier and uses a lot more energy than a normal transporter though, which is why the Federation abandoned the idea as impractical.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- Subspace transporter technology is never mentioned again in the series proper. The fact that it's "dangerous" is apparently justification for it never being used.
- Jason joins a long list of one-shot characters who develop a close relationship with a crew member, promise to keep in touch, and are never mentioned again.
