History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E20TheArsenalOfFreedom

* AbsenteeActor: No Wesley in this one.

** PlayedWith at the end when Geordi tries to return command to Picard, but he refuses until Geordi puts the ''Enterprise'' back together. It is clearly implied to mean, "You did great Geordi, and in recognition, you can be in command for a bit longer."
--->'''Picard:''' Mr. La Forge, when I left this ship, it was in one piece. I would appreciate your returning it to me in the same condition.

* ForgottenPhlebotinum: While it clearly had some bugs in its software that needed patching, the Echo Papa 607 would have certainly come in handy when the Borg, and later the Dominion, threatened the Federation with extinction. And Picard ''did'' technically agree to buy it...

--->'''Picard:''' Lieutenant, when I left this ship, it was in one piece. I would appreciate your returning it in the same condition.

Trapped on the surface of an abandoned planet, an away team becomes unwitting participants in the demonstration of an advanced weapons system.

!!Tropes featured:
* AIIsACrapShoot: When you build an efficient, adaptive, evolving AI for a weapons system you're just asking for trouble.
* BluffTheImpostor: The holographic Captain Paul Rice unquestioningly accepts Riker's answer to which ship he's serving on, [[ShirleyTemple "The Lollipop, it's a good ship."]], which tips Riker off.

* GoneHorriblyRight / HoistByHisOwnPetard: The weapons system was ''too'' effective for its makers.
* {{Jerkass}}: Chief Engineer Logan is more concerned with trying to pull rank on Geordi than the fact that they are under attack and out-of-contact with the away team.
* MildlyMilitary: What kind of naval officer like Picard is doing without ''some'' basic training in first aid?
** It was supposed to be an indication that Starfleet so relies on its medical technology that most of its officers are helpless without it, but came across as rather far-fetched.
* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: For the final drone. It was touted as being the ultimate version and practically unstoppable, but never got to strut its stuff before Picard shut down the system.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: When Riker and Tasha are wondering how to safely get down the hole to reach Picard and Crusher when they can't climb:

** {{Justified}} in that Data is sturdy enough to withstand a fall that could kill a human, as he then demonstrates.
* StockFootage: The saucer separation sequence is reused from "Encounter at Farpoint", but with a stationary background. The writers had intended to reuse it many more times, but saucer separation turned out to slow down the pace of a story too much.
* TakeAThirdOption: Find a way to overpower the increasingly advanced weapons and escape, or be destroyed? Picard finally declares his wish to buy the weapons, bringing the demonstration, which was after all, a ''sales pitch'', to an abrupt end.
** Also, according to Riker, when he was at Starfleet Academy Captain Rice took an exam that offered three choices. He rejected all of them and offered his own, ''fourth'', option. Now the same test is given with four choices.

* TooDumbToLive: It turns out Echo Papa 607 didn't turn on it's creators, some idiot just put it in demo mode with active weapons.
* YouAreInCommandNow: Geordi, although Logan disagrees.

** PlayedWith at the end when Geordi tries to return command to Picard, but he refuses until Geordi puts the ''Enterprise'' back together. It is clearly implied to mean "You did great Geordi, and in recognition, you can be in command for a bit longer."

** PlayedWith at the end when Geordi tries to return command to Picard, but he refuses until Geordi puts the ''Enterprise'' back together. It is clearly implied to mean "You did great Geordi, and in recognition, you can be command for a bit longer."

** PlayedWith at the end when Geordi tries to return command to Picard, but he refuses until Geordi puts the ''Enterprise'' back together.

--> '''Tsu:''' Sensors locked.
--> '''Worf:''' Weapons locked.

** Geordi then puts Logan in command of the saucer just before separation.

* AIIsACrapShoot

* TakeAThirdOption: Find a way to overpower the increasingly advanced weapons and escape, or be destroyed? Picard finally declares his wish to buy the weapons, bringing the demonstration, which was after all, a ''sales pitch'', to an abrupt end. Also, according to Riker, Captain Rice took a ''fourth'' option on a test with three choices.

* YouAreInCommandNow: Geordi, although Logan disagrees.

Tropes:

* YouAreInCommandNow: Geordi, although Argyle disagrees.

* TakeAThirdOption: Find a way to overpower the increasingly advanced weapons and escape, or be destroyed? Picard finally declares his wish to buy the weapons, bringing the demonstration, which was after all, a ''sales pitch'', to an abrupt end.

* BluffTheImposter: The holographic Captain Paul Rice unquestioningly accepts Riker's answer to which ship he's serving on, [[ShirleyTemple "The Lollipop, it's a good ship."]], which tips Riker off.

* StockFootage: The saucer separation sequence is reused from "Encounter at Farpoint", but with a stationary background. The writers had intended to reuse it many more times, but saucer separation turned out to slow down the pace of a story too much.

* MildlyMilitary: What kind of naval officer like Picard is doing without ''some'' basic training in first aid?

Trapped on the surface of an abandoned planet, an away team becomes unwitting participants in the demonstration of an advanced weapons system.