History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E9AMatterOfTime

Rasmussen immediately begins treating the ship like a museum, leering at everything with comments about how certain aspects of the ship look in "history books." The crew, of course, are in disbelief as to why this guy chose now, of all times, to show up on the ''Enterprise'', but Rasmussen invokes the [[PrimeDirective Temporal Prime Directive]] every time they inquire about the future (this happens multiple times). A scan of the timeship's hull reveals "some kind of plasticized tritanium mesh," a material not on record and impossible to scan through, which is evidently enough to convince Picard of his credentials. Rasmussen asks the crew to complete some questionnaires he's prepared for them, and Data then shows him to his quarters, where Rasmussen treats him like an indentured servant. (Geez, at least Dr. Pulaski actually had a proper dialogue with him!)

While Riker and Picard are on the bridge discussing what in the blue hell the professor's questions are about, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions devastate Penthara IV. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Seems their phaser idea didn't work like they'd hoped,]] and instead they dramatically increased seismic activity. La Forge and Data figure they can ionize the upper atmosphere with a modified phaser blast, but, as Data relays to Picard, they have to do this maneuver precisely or risk burning off the entire atmosphere from the planet.

Picard, with little alternative, decides to consult a source he's never really had before - one Berlinghoff Rasmussen. He explains the plan, and points out that Rasmussen knows the outcome of this plan. The bookish Picard points out that asking for a time-traveller's perspective - namely, whether this plan succeeds or not - is not something he would normally do, since Picard is pretty by-the-book. However, he now has "twenty million reasons to do so." This turns into a heated debate, in which Rasmussen hesitates to offer any information and even tries to invoke HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct. Picard finds himself flummoxed that Rasmussen, faced with the chance to do the right thing and possibly save ''twenty million people,'' callously refuses to budge on his beliefs, simply because the entire sector, Rasmussen's past, could completely change.

While rushing to aid a planet threatened by an asteroid, the Enterprise is visited by Rasmussen, who claims to be a 26th century historian. Picard is forced to make a decision that could destroy the planet but is perplexed by Rasmussen's unwillingness to help.

* CallBack: Picard invokes Khan Singh in his argument with Rasmussen.

** Eh, Braxton probably got sent in to pick it up.

[floatboxright:Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration\\
Episode: Season 5, Episode 9\\
Title: A Matter of Time\\
Previous: Unification Part 2\\
Next: New Ground\\
Recapper: {{Premonition45}}]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TheOneWith The One Where]] ''Series/MaxHeadroom'' trolls Picard.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:]]

* {{Hypocrite}}: Rasmussen spends much of the episode stubbornly insisting that the crew having knowledge of the future could have serious repercussions on the timeline. This from the same guy who's stealing Enterprise tools and planning to be the one to "invent" them. (Besides that, who knows what knowledge he would have gotten from those "questionnaires" he made the crew take?)

-->'''Data:''' I assume your handprint will open this door whether you are conscious or not.

* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: Discussed. Picard mentions that if he were to act in saving the colony, any one of the children saved could become the next Hitler as much as they could become the next Creator/CarlSagan.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Rasmussen spends much of the episode stubbornly insisting that knowledge of the future could have serious repercussions on the future. This from the same guy who's stealing Enterprise tools and planning to be the one to "invent" them. (Besides that, who knows what knowledge he would have gotten from those "questionnaires" he made the crew take?)

* InsufferableGenius: Professor Rasmussen to the crew.

* YouCannotFightFate: Discussed at length.

* NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont: Rasmussen tries to shoot Data with a stolen phaser, but it doesn't work. Data calmly explains because the ''Enterprise'' computer realized it'd been stolen, it got deactived.

* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: Discussed. Picard mentions that if he were to act in saving the colony, any one of the children saved could become the next Hitler as much as they could because the next Creator/CarlSagan.

* NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont: [[spoiler:Rasmussen tries to shoot Data with a stolen phaser, but it doesn't work. Data calmly explains because the ''Enterprise'' computer realized it'd been stolen, it got deactived.]]
* TimelineAlteringMacGuffin: Rasmussen's true goal. He hopes to take the stolen goods, including Data, back to the 22nd century, where he'd "invent" them and profit from it.

* [[spoiler:ConMan: Rasmussen isn't actually a 26th century historian, he's a 22nd century inventor with a stolen 26th century timeship.]]

* [[spoiler:TimelineAlteringMacGuffin: Rasmussen's true goal. He hopes to take the stolen goods, including Data, back to the 22nd century, where he'd "invent" them and profit from it.]]