History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E12Aquiel

* NotHelpingYourCase: Aquiel is already under suspicion of murdering Rocha when she tries to secretly erase a poor performance report he was about to sent to Starfleet. She's trying to protect her career, but it just makes it look even more like she had a motive to murder him.

Worf discovers traces of Klingon DNA on the station. Picard questions the local Klingon Governor Torak and presses him into helping the investigation by threatening to go over his head. Torvak visits the ship, bringing with him a very much alive Aquiel, whom he says was found fleeing the station in Klingon space. Aquiel has little memory of what happened, saying that it feels like her memories of the event have been sucked out of her. Geordi quickly ingratiates himself to her and takes her side, trying to help clear her name. Aquiel displays mutual attraction to Geordi.

* WholePlotReference: Two: To ''Film/{{Laura}}'', and to ''Film/TheThing1982'', complete with a shape shifting creature masquerading as a dog.

* RecycledINSPACE: The premise of the episode is based on ''Film/{{Laura}}''. Once Aquiel turns up alive, the plot follows ''Film/BasicInstinct'' with her as the suspected murderer seducing the investigator. The climax turns the plot into ''Film/TheThing1982'' where Aquiel isn't the murderer, it's really an alien shapeshifter that consumes other creatures and mimics them.

Things look bad for Aquiel, however. Her descriptions of Rocha was a combative officer don't jibe with his flawless personnel records. Meanwhile, she is the one with a reputation for being difficult. A missing phaser from the station is found on her shuttlecraft, set to Kill. Further, she's caught deleting a negative assessment of her written by Rocha. Geordi is alarmed that she has both motive and opportunity for murder. Riker advises Geordi to take a step back, but he insists on continuing to help her. The couple's relationship progresses into some necking. Meanwhile, Morag arrives and denies knowing anything of a murder, claiming he beamed aboard after everyone was gone. He is forced to admit, however, that he stole some Starfleet logs while he was there.

[[caption-width-right:350:Wow, this is a romance that is sure to last one full episode and not end halfway through it!]]

The ''Enterprise'' visits the isolated Relay Station 47 and discovers that the two lieutenants stationed there, Aquiel Uhnari and Keith Rocha, are both missing. Only a dog and a pool of genetic material remains, suggesting that there has been a murder. The crew begin their investigation by analyzing the genetic material and going over the crew logs.

Geordi begins watching the personal messages of Aquiel, an attractive young Haliian. Aquiel's communications to her sister describe going stir crazy in her post, having repeated nightmares, the unwelcome visits by the local Klingon Commander Morag, and squabbling with her new crewmate Rocha. As Geordi befriends the woman's dog and hangs out in her quarters, he starts developing a crush on her. Her last communication is alarming, with her reacting to a loud bang and calling out to Rocha.

Worf discovers traces of Klingon DNA on the station. Picard questions the local Klingon governor Torak and presses him into helping the investigation by threatening to go to Gowron. Torvak visits the ship, bringing with him a very much alive Aquiel, whom he says was found fleeing the station in Klingon space. Aquiel has little memory of what happened, saying that it feels like her memories of the event have been sucked out of her. Geordi quickly ingratiates himself to her and takes her side, trying to help clear her name. Aquiel displays mutual attraction to Geordi.

Things look bad for Aquiel, however. Her statements that Rocha was a combative officer don't jibe with his flawless personnel reports. Meanwhile, she has a reputation for being difficult. A missing phaser from the station is found on her shuttlecraft, set to kill. Further, she deletes a negative assessment of her from Rocha to Starfleet. Geordi is alarmed that she has both motive and opportunity, but still tries to help her against Riker's advice. They share a kiss. Meanwhile, Morag arrives and denies knowing anything of a murder, claiming he beamed aboard after everyone was gone. He is forced to admit, however, that he stole some Starfleet logs while he was there.

In Sick Bay, Crusher notes the genetic material is suddenly becoming active. It reaches out to touch her hand, then generates a perfect copy of her hand. She determines that the material is not Rocha's remains but part of a "coalescent organism" that takes the form of creatures it feeds on. The crew determine that Rocha must have already been a coalescent organism when he arrived on the station, explaining his change in personality. He tried to feed on Aquiel, which explains why her memories were "sucked out" of her. The question is who the coalescent organism is now: Aquiel or Morag?

* ReassignedToAntarctica: Aquiel was transferred to a one-year tour on Relay Station 47 on the Klingon border because her previous commanding officer didn't like her attitude.

* RedHerring: Basically every guest character rotates through the 'suspect' position--first Keith Rocha, when they think the residue is Aquiel's remains. Then a Klingon officer is suspected of the murder, due to his DNA being found on the station. Then Aquiel is revealed to be alive, and everyone thinks she murdered Rocha to keep him from reporting her bad behavior.

* NotHelpingYourCase: Everything Aquiel does makes her seem more suspicious. Her personnel records describe her as belligerent and insubordinate, she started hating Keith Rocha as soon as he was assigned to the relay station,[[note]]granted, he had already been replaced by the coalescent at that point[[/note]] erased some of his personal logs because he planned to formally reprimand her, fled after the incident when he died, and tried to flee the ''Enterprise'' when she realized suspicion was falling on her.

* ContinuityNod: Picard recalls being the Arbiter of Succession for Mowrog.

* PosthumousCharacter: Rocha. Aquiel describes him as an unprofessional jerk, but his files indicate that he was a model officer.

** Picard secures the cooperation of the Klingon governor by name-dropping Chancellor Gowron.