History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E11ThePegasus

--->'''Pressman''': [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections I have powerful friends in Starfleet, Captain.]]\\
'''Picard''': You're going to need them, Admiral.

* InsaneAdmiral: Pressman. Couldn't let the final season pass without one more.
--> '''Ron Moore:''' I am proud to say that I've written another InsaneAdmiral. They must put something in the water at Federation Headquarters.

-->'''Picard:''' He's an Admiral, I'm a Captain-- I cannot force you to disobey his orders. Therefore, I will have to remain in the dark on this mission, and I will just have to trust that you will not let Pressman put this ship at unnecessary risk. And if I find that that trust has been misplaced, then I will have to re-evaluate the command structure of this ship.

It's that time of year again, the holiday that brings joy to all the peoples of the ship: "Captain Picard Day." Naturally, he's uncomfortable being seen as a larger-than-life figure by the children - he even gets some ribbing from Riker over it - but he must continue the tradition and select a winner of the various drawings and sculptures of him. Thankfully, the day is interrupted by Vice Admiral Blackwell from Starfleet, who immediately reassigns the ''Enterprise,'' and informs Picard that they'll be taking on a passenger from Starfleet Intelligence. It turns out the passenger is Admiral Erik Pressman, who so happened to have been Commander Riker's captain on his first assignment out of the Academy: USS ''Pegasus''. And as it also turns out, the ''Pegasus'' is the reason they're out here. It turns out the Romulans have found her...

Time for some backstory and exposition. As mentioned, Riker's first assignment was USS ''Pegasus'', where Pressman was its captain. There was a warp core breach and the ship was presumed destroyed; only nine members of the crew escaped. However, a Starfleet Intelligence operative in the Romulan High Command intercepted a transmission indicating that a warbird found a piece of the ''Pegasus'' and was then ordered to find the rest of it. Since the ship was a testbed for new and experimental systems, some of which were used in building the ''Enterprise'', Starfleet cannot allow the ship to fall into their hands. They arrive in the system and are immediately greeted by the Romulan warbird. Picard and the Romulan commander have some banter, both blatantly aware of why they're both in the system but not tipping their hands, but wish each other well in their "research."

Riker and Pressman share a drink in Ten Forward. It's here that we first learn that all is not what it seems. Riker mentions "the experiment," which Pressman hopes is still salvageable. The Admiral proceeds to justify what they were doing, and reminds Riker that he's under orders not to discuss the nature of the mission with anyone, including Captain Picard. Obviously, this makes Riker uneasy. We later see Pressman having some tea with the Captain, who recounts how he selected Riker to be his first officer. Being one of fifty applicants with dry statistics and useless letters of recommendation, what caught Picard's eye about Riker was that he was willing to say "no" to his captain. Pressman interprets this as selecting someone who was disobedient, but it's here that the contrast between the two men is established: Picard wants someone who is willing to challenge him, while Pressman believes a first officer should always stand by his captain. It's also established that the official report about the incident aboard ''Pegasus'' preceding its destruction is a bit vague, containing gaps Pressman does not wish to fill.

The next morning, the ''Enterprise'' returns to the asteroid to find the ''Pegasus''. Deep inside, they find the ship is still intact, appearing embedded in the rock. Pressman overrules Picard's order for an away team and beams just himself and Riker over. In engineering, Pressman finds the experiment, fully intact. Having had time to think, Riker decides who deserves his loyalty and takes a stand against the Admiral. They engage in verbal bitchslaps until the asteroid is rocked by weapons fire. They return to the ''Enterprise'' with the piece of equipment, and learn that the Romulans have "accidentally" sealed them in. The Romulans offer to beam the ''Enterprise'' crew aboard and bring them back to Romulus before returning them to the Federation, an offer that Picard considers through gritted teeth. Considering their options to escape, Riker [[TheReveal reveals]] what the vital experiment was: a prototype for a cloaking device that can pass through solid matter. Pressman responds by threatening Riker's career over revealing classified information. Picard is aghast, as the Federation possessing cloaking devices was banned by a treaty with the Romulans. Nevertheless, it is their best hope of escape.

After installing the device, the ''Enterprise'' passes through the asteroid without incident. Against Pressman's objections, Picard decloaks right in front of the Romulans, and informs them that there will be a full explanation later. He turns to Pressman and places him under arrest for his actions. Riker also asks to be arrested, as he partook in the crime. Picard later visits Riker in the brig, notifying him that he's reclaimed his loyalty, and releases him.

* CallBack: Picard is given permission to exceed the Warp 5 speed limit established [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E8ForceOfNature three episodes ago]].

** Also during "The Next Phase", Geordi mentioned in that same episode that the Klingons had experimented with that same technology. Only to fail as badly as the Romulans, most impressive.
** Picard tells Pressman about how he chose Riker as his First Officer because of [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E1EncounterAtFarpoint how he refused to let Captain [=DeSoto=] beam into a crisis situation at Altair III]].
* FauxAffablyEvil:
** Sirol, the Romulan captain, is [[PunchClockVillain not necessarily evil]], but he's clearly putting on a veneer of affability to avoid discussing the real issue at hand. Picard returns his affectation in kind, though it's obvious that [[OpenSecret each captain knows why the other is there]].
** Pressman may seem like a WellIntentionedExtremist, but upon boarding the ''Pegasus'', he is unmoved by his dead crew, completely ignoring them when Riker mourns. He barks at Riker that they're not there for a funeral, and gleefully begins to recover the device with a huge grin.
* HonorBeforeReason:
** Picard tells Pressman why he recruited Riker as his first officer. He had never met him before the Farpoint mission, but Riker's record included something that caught his eye. Riker refused to let the captain of the ''Hood'' beam down into a hostile situation, refusing to back down even when threatened with a court-martial. Picard was impressed--saying he wanted a first officer more interested in standing up to him instead of being concerned with his record. It's very telling that Pressman balks at Picard's reasoning, preferring UndyingLoyalty from his subordinates.
** Picard orders the ship to de-cloak in front of the Romulans. He knows that certain leaders in Starfleet tried to cover these cloaking experiments up once already, and he doesn't want to give them the chance to do so again.
--->'''Picard:''' They'll know the truth, Admiral, which is what everyone will know very shortly.

* IronicName: The ship would have better been named the ''Icarus'', but that would have been too obvious.

* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Apparently, there were no schematics anywhere else than the ''Pegasus'', since the conspirators couldn't recreate the device elsewhere. Justified since this is a top secret, highly illegal project. Since the treaty outlawed the development of cloaking technology, the schematics alone would have implicated anyone possessing them in the treaty violation, and therefore they would have never been widely circulated.

* {{Retcon}}: The infamous ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' GrandFinale "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E21TheseAreTheVoyages These Are The Voyages]]" would later retcon a fairly substantial subplot into this episode.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: From Pressman's point of view, anyway. He's content to violate a 60-year-old treaty on the grounds that the Federation will benefit. To his disgust, he finds himself alone in this thinking.
* SeriesContinuityError: A minor example--Riker tells Pressman that he's had the beard for "about four years." Actually, it's been five and a half, Billy-boy.

** The above line is a rare moment where Data could arguably be expressing TranquilFury (or as close as possible for Mr. Emotionless), as he's giving Pressman his best imitation of a DeathGlare when he says it. Picard's TranquilFury and DeathGlare are far more explicit.

-->'''Picard:''' He's an Admiral, I'm a Captain-- I cannot force you to disobey his orders. Therefore, I will have to remain in the dark on this mission, and I will just have to trust that you will not let Pressman put this ship at unnecessary risk. And if I find that that trust has been misplaced, then I will have to re-evaluate the command structure of this ship.
** Riker and Pressman then hit each other with these while arguing over the phase-cloak.

** Also during "The Nest Phase", Geordi mentioned in that same episode that the Klingons had experimented with that same technology. Only to fail as badly as the Romulans, most impressive.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Pressman, who believes the Federation is naive for adhering to the Treaty of Algeron.

* {{Retcon}}:
** The infamous ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' GrandFinale "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E21TheseAreTheVoyages These Are The Voyages]]" would later retcon a fairly substantial subplot into this episode.
** A fairly minor one -- the episode retcons the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E1EncounterAtFarpoint pilot]] with regards to how Commander Riker joined the crew of the Enterprise. In the pilot, Picard has no idea who Riker is before he joins the crew (referring to him simply as a "highly-experienced man" that ''he's been told'' will be joining the crew). In this episode, it's implied that Picard hand-picked him.

* NoSuchAgency: It's said in the episode that the phasing cloak was developed by a "secret group in Starfleet security". While not named on-screen in this episode, this group would be revealed in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' as [[NoSuchAgency Section 31]].

* KarmaHoudini: It's unknown whether the other officers who sided with Captain Pressman and Riker on the Pegasus twelve years ago were ever punished for their role in the conspiracy.

* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Apparently, there were no schematics anywhere else than the ''Pegasus'', since the conspirators couldn't recreate the device elsewhere.

** The infamous ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' GrandFinale "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E22TheseAreTheVoyages These Are The Voyages]]" would later retcon a fairly substantial subplot into this episode.

This episode infamously provided the FramingDevice for the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' GrandFinale "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E22TheseAreTheVoyages These are the Voyages...]]".

Riker and Pressman share a drink in Ten Forward. It's here that we first learn that all is not what it seems. Riker makes a mention to "the experiment," which Pressman hopes is still salvageable. The Admiral proceeds to justify what they were doing, and reminds Riker that he's under orders not to discuss the nature of the mission with anyone, including Captain Picard. Obviously, this makes Riker uneasy. We later see Pressman having some tea with the Captain, who recounts how he selected Riker to be his first officer. Being one of fifty applicants with dry statistics and useless letters of recommendation, what caught Picard's eye about Riker was that he was willing to say "no" to his captain. Pressman interprets this as selecting someone who was disobedient, but it's here that the contrast between the two men is established: Picard wants someone who is willing to challenge him, while Pressman believes a first officer should always stand by his captain. It's also established that the official report about the incident aboard ''Pegasus'' preceding its destruction is a bit vague, containing gaps Pressman does not wish to fill.

Meanwhile, the search for ''Pegasus'' is proceeding slowly, until they find the warp core signature coming from inside a large asteroid. After tricking the Romulans into thinking there's nothing interesting inside, they resolve to come back later to investigate further. Pressman brings Riker into the ready room and chews him out for suggesting they destroy the asteroid before they find the ship. Afterwards, Picard summons Riker to his quarters. He reads from the official JAG report about the loss of ''Pegasus''. As it turns out, there was a ''mutiny'' aboard just before they abandoned ship, and the report was deeply classified to the point that Picard needed to call in a few favors to look at it. Riker recounts what happened, saying there was an explosion in engineering and afterwards, most of the crew rebelled against Captain Pressman. Nine of them ran to the escape pod, and after it launched, there was an explosion as the ship appeared to be destroyed. Furious that Riker withheld, and continues to withhold, information from him, Picard lets him go but notes that he's treading on thin ice.

The next morning, the ''Enterprise'' returns to the asteroid to find the ''Pegasus''. Deep inside, they find the ship is still intact, appearing embedded in the rock. Pressman overrules Picard's order for an away team and beams just himself and Riker over. In engineering, Pressman finds the experiment, fully intact. Having had time to think, Riker decides who deserves his loyalty and takes a stand against the Admiral. They engage in verbal bitchslaps until the asteroid is rocked by weapons fire. They return to the ''Enterprise'' with the piece of equipment, and learn that the Romulans have "accidentally" sealed them in. The Romulans offer to beam the ''Enterprise'' crew aboard and bring them back to Romulus before returning them to the Federation, an offer that Picard considers through gritted teeth. Considering their options to escape, Riker [[TheReveal reveals]] what the vital experiment was: it was a prototype for a cloaking device that can pass through solid matter. Pressman responds by threatening Riker's career over revealing classified information. Picard is aghast, as the Federation possessing cloaking devices was banned by a treaty with the Romulans. Nevertheless, it is their best hope of escape.

** Sirol, the Romulan captain, is [[PunchClockVillain not necessarily evil]], but he's clearly putting on a veneer of affability to avoid discussing the real issue at hand. Picard returns his affectation in kind, though it's obvious that [[OpenSecret both captains know why the other is there]].
** Pressman may seem like a WellIntentionedExtremist, but upon boarding the ''Pegasus'', he is unmoved by his dead crew, completely ignoring them when Riker mourns. He barks at Riker they're not there for a funeral, and gleefully begins to recover the device with a huge grin.

* IronicName: The ship would have better be named ''The Icarus'', but that would have been too obvious.

* TheMutiny: Most of the crew of the ''Pegasus'' mutinied against Captain Pressman, who was violating the treaty with the Romulans to develop cloaking technology, though Pressman does have permission of certain higher-ups in Starfleet. Riker acknowledges the ambiguity of the situation during his confrontation with Pressman, though he's now firmly in the camp of the mutineers.

-->'''Picard:''' He's an Admiral, I'm a Captain - I cannot force you to disobey his orders. Therefore, I will have to remain in the dark on this mission; and I will just have to trust that you will not let Pressman put this ship at unnecessary risk. And if I find that that trust has been misplaced, then I will have to re-evaluate the command structure of this ship.

** A fairly minor one -- the episode retcons the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E1EncounterAtFarpoint pilot]] with regards to how Commander Riker joined the crew of the Enterprise. In the pilot, Picard has no idea who Riker is before he joins the crew (referring to him simply as a "highly-experienced man"). In this episode, it's implied that Picard hand-picked him.

* {{Retcon}}: The infamous ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' GrandFinale "[[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS04E22TheseAreTheVoyages These Are The Voyages]]" would later retcon a fairly substantial subplot into this episode.

* BlatantLies:
** Picard and Sirol do this back-and-forth when talking about what's brought them to the asteroid field. Neither of them are fooled.
** Sirol also claims that it was merely an accident that his geological experiments on the asteroid sealed the ''Enterprise'' in.

It's that time of year again, the holiday that brings joy to all the peoples of the ship: "Captain Picard Day." Naturally, he's uncomfortable being seen as a larger-than-life figure by the children - he even gets some ribbing from Riker over it - but he must continue the tradition and select a winner of the various drawings and sculptures of him. Thankfully, the day is interrupted by Vice Admiral Blackwell from Starfleet, who immediately reassigns the ''Enterprise,'' and inform Picard that they'll be taking on a passenger from Starfleet Intelligence. It turns out the passenger is Admiral Erik Pressman, who so happened to have been Commander Riker's captain on his first assignment out of the Academy: USS ''Pegasus''. And as it also turns out, the ''Pegasus'' is the reason they're out here. It turns out the Romulans have found her...

Meanwhile, the search for ''Pegasus'' is proceeding slowly, until they find the warp core signature coming from inside a large asteroid. After tricking the Romulans into thinking there's nothing interesting inside, they resolve to come back later to investigate further. Pressman brings Riker into the ready room and chews him out for suggesting they destroy the asteroid before they find the ship. Afterwards, Picard summons Riker to his quarters. He reads from the official JAG report about the loss of ''Pegasus''. As it turns out, there was a ''mutiny'' aboard just before they abandoned ship, and the report was deeply classified to the point that Picard needed to call in a few favors to look at it. Riker recounts what happened, saying there was an explosion in engineering and afterwards, most of the crew rebelled against Captain Pressman. Nine of them ran to the escape pod, and after it launched, there was an explosion as the ship appeared to be destroyed. Furious that Riker withheld information from him, Picard lets him go but notes that he's treading on thin ice.

The next morning, the ''Enterprise'' returns to the asteroid to find the ''Pegasus''. Deep inside, they find the ship is still intact, appearing embedded in the rock. Pressman overrules Picard's order for an away team and beams just himself and Riker over. In engineering, Pressman finds the experiment, fully intact. Having had time to think, Riker decides who deserves his loyalty and takes a stand against the Admiral. They engage in verbal bitchslaps until the asteroid is rocked by weapons fire. They return to the ''Enterprise'' with the piece of equipment, and learn that the Romulans have "accidentally" sealed them in. The Romulans offer to beam the ''Enterprise'' crew aboard and bring them back to Romulus before returning them to the Federation, an offer that Picard considers through gritted teeth. Considering their options to escape, Riker reveals what the vital experiment was: it was a prototype for a cloaking device that can pass through solid matter. Picard is aghast, as the Federation possessing cloaking devices was banned by a treaty with the Romulans. Nevertheless, it is their best hope of escape.

After installing the device, the ''Enterprise'' passes through the asteroid without incident. To Pressman's shock, Picard decloaks right in front of the Romulans, and informs them that there will be a full explanation later. He turns to Pressman and places him under arrest for his actions. Riker also asks to be arrested, as he partook in the crime. Picard later visits Riker in the brig, notifying him that he's reclaimed his loyalty.

It's that time of year again, the holiday that brings joy to all the peoples of the ship: "Captain Picard Day." Naturally, he's uncomfortable being seen as a larger-than-life figure by the children, but he must continue the tradition and select a winner of the various drawings and sculptures of him. Thankfully, the day is interrupted by Starfleet, who immediately reassign the ''Enterprise'' and inform them they'll be taking on a passenger from Starfleet Intelligence. It turns out the passenger is Admiral Erik Pressman, who so happened to have been Commander Riker's captain on his first assignment out of the Academy: USS ''Pegasus''. And as it also turns out, the ''Pegasus'' is the reason they're out here. It turns out the Romulans have found her...

** Sirol, the Romulan captain, is [[PunchClockVillain not really evil]], but he's clearly putting on a veneer of affability to avoid discussing the real issue at hand. Picard returns his affectation in kind, though it's obvious that [[OpenSecret both captains know why the other is there]].

** Picard tells Pressman why he recruited Riker as his first officer. He had never met him before the Farpoint mission, but Riker's record included something that caught his eye. Riker refused to let the captain of the ''Hood'' beam down into a hostile situation, refusing to back down even when threatened with a court-martial. Picard was impressed--saying he wanted a first officer more interested in standing up to him instead of being concerned with his record.

* NoSuchAgency: It's said in the episode that the phasing cloak was developed by a "secret group in Starfleet security". While not named on-screen in this episode, this group would be revealed in ''Series/DeepSpaceNine'' as [[NoSuchAgency Section 31]].

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Pressman is content to violate a 60-year-old treaty on the grounds that the Federation will benefit.

-->'''Riker:''' I wasn't a hero, and neither were you. What you did was wrong. And I was wrong to support you, but I was too young and too stupid to realize it. You were the captain, I was the ensign. I was just following orders.

** The above line is a rare moment where Data could arguably be expressing TranquilFury (or as close as possible for Mr. Emotionless), as he's seemingly giving Pressman a DeathGlare when he says it. Picard's TranquilFury and DeathGlare are far more explicit.

** Also, by revealing the existence of the cloak to Sirol, Picard converts an internal matter of Starfleet discipline into an international incident that threatens the treaty. The Enterprise should have slipped away unseen, while the law-abiding Federation silently destroyed the cloak later. Fortunately, it seems the Federation does not end up at war with the Romulans, as despite the Romulan's mistrust they are able to discuss things reasonably well... if it were Klingons on the other hand, it'd be a different story.
*** It's important to note that the Romulans already know that ''something'' is up, or else they wouldn't be searching the area and chasing after the Enterprise. If Picard didn't give them something, they would have continued their investigation and possibly attacked on their own schedule, citing the broken treaty as an excuse. By revealing the Federation cloak, Picard can pass it off as yet another InsaneAdmiral acting on his own.

** The above line is a rare moment where Data could arguably be expressing TranquilFury (or as close as possible for Mr. Emotionless), as he's giving Pressman a DeathGlare when he says it.

** The above line is a rare moment where Data could arguably be expressing TranquilFury, as he's giving Pressman a DeathGlare when he says it.

* StatusQuoIsGod: The episode ends with Picard visiting Riker in the brig (at his own insistence, as he was taking responsibility for helping Pressman all those years ago. During their talk, Picard informs him that Pressman and others are to be court-martialed for violating the treaty. While they make a point of saying that Riker will be spared that, Picard suggests that this may damage his career. Come the next episode, it's just business as usual. This is acknowledged by Picard noting in the brig how Riker stepping forward when it truly mattered is what counts.

* TheMutiny: Most of the crew of the ''Pegasus'' mutinied against Captain Pressman, who was violating the treaty with the Romulans to develop clocking technology, though Pressman does have permission of certain higher-ups in Starfleet. Riker acknowledges the ambiguity of the situation during his confrontation with Pressman, though he's now firmly in the camp of the mutineers.

Riker and Pressman share a drink in Ten Forward. It's here that we first learn that all is not what it seems. Riker makes a mention to "the experiment," which Pressman hopes is still salvageable. The Admiral proceeds to justify what they were doing, and reminds Riker that he's under orders not to discuss with anyone the nature of the mission, including Captain Picard. Obviously, this makes Riker uneasy. We later see Pressman having some tea with the Captain, who recounts how he selected Riker to be his first officer. Being one of fifty applicants with dry statistics and useless letters of recommendation, what caught Picard's eye about Riker was that he was willing to say "no" to his captain. Pressman interprets this as selecting someone who was disobedient, but it's here that the contrast between the two men is established: Picard wants someone who is willing to challenge him, while Pressman believes a first officer should always stand by his captain. It's also established that the official report about the incident aboard ''Pegasus'' preceding its destruction is a bit vague, containing gaps Pressman does not wish to fill.