Bloodlines (episode)

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This article is written
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This article is written
from the Real World
point of view
"Bloodlines"
TNG, Episode 7x22
Production number: 40277-274
First aired: 30 April 1994
← 173rd of 176 produced in TNG →
← 173rd of 176 released in TNG →
  {{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered  
← 320th of 726 released in all →
Written By
Nicholas Sagan

Directed By
Jonathan West
47829.1 (2370)
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DaiMon Bok threatens the life of a son Picard never knew he had.

Contents

[edit] Summary

The USS Enterprise-D encounters an unmanned probe, unarmed, which hails Captain Jean-Luc Picard by name. The probe projects a holographic image of a Ferengi named Bok, who says that he wants revenge on Picard; since Picard murdered his son, he will murder Picard's son, Jason Vigo.

The captain is stunned. He manages to put a tractor beam on the probe, and has Commander Data start searching for Jason, starting with Miranda Vigo. He also has Commander William Riker find out why Bok is wearing a DaiMon's uniform. Riker soon reports the Ferengi government is busy debating, and that Data found Jason. He is now 23, and he and his mother settled on Camor V. Riker does not ask, but Picard answers the question: yes, he was involved with his mother in a short, but very romantic relationship. She never said anything about being pregnant.

Once in orbit of the Camor system, Data can find no more information; their records are scattered at best. He scans for Human lifesigns on the southern continent, and finds eight Humans, including a male below the surface between 20 and 30 years old. When Commander Worf detects seismic activity, Picard has him beam the boy out of there. When he meets Captain Picard, he doesn't know who he is, and doesn't recognize him. After confirming he is in fact Jason Vigo, Picard slowly explains the situation, and Jason submits to a genetic test. Indeed, Captain Picard is his father.

Picard tries to talk to him like a father, but Jason does not seem interested in having one. He considers Picard to be annoying, and is somewhat resentful. He doesn't want to get to know his father.

Data, meanwhile, has been analyzing the probe. It has encrypted systems, making them unable to determine where it came from. Fortunately, with the help of Geordi La Forge, they have determined several environmental conditions its hull has been exposed to. This still leaves a wide range of trajectories, but they continue to work on it.

A transmission from DaiMon Birta on the Ferengi homeworld soon arrives, and Birta explains that Bok was relieved of command for being too unstable, and was sent to prison, from which he bought his way out two years ago. The last they knew, he was somewhere in the Dorias Cluster, an area of more than twenty star systems. Fortunately, given the conditions the probe suffered, La Forge and Data manage to plot its trajectory to the Xendi Kabu system. Picard sets a course immediately.

While en route, he talks with Doctor Beverly Crusher about the walls Jason is putting up. He doesn't want to force anything on him. She does believe it's possible, but he can't just leave Jason alone. At the same time, Counselor Deanna Troi talks to Jason, but it is clear he is more interested in her than the subject of his father. It is a very short discussion but Jason would rather flirt with her than just talk to her.

When the Enterprise drops out of warp, Picard is awakened by Bok's voice. He suddenly opens his eyes to find Bok standing in front of him. After repeating his threat, Picard calls security, but Bok is gone a split second later.

La Forge and Worf don't find anything at first. They can tell it's not a hologram because there was no generator, and he probably wasn't being mind controlled again. Soon after, Data informs Picard of Jason's criminal record: dozens of minor crimes related to his rock climbing activities.

In Ten Forward, Jason asks the guards to back off, and hides a sudden tremor. Picard soon arrives, and tries to get Jason interested with rock climbing, but Jason pushes him away. He says he will leave after Bok has been caught, and he sees no point in them getting acquainted.

"Captain's Log, stardate 47829.1. We've been in the Xendi Kabu system for over three hours and still no sign of Bok."

That's when Worf detects another probe. Soon, it explodes, causing no damage since the shields are up. As part of the explosion, there is a particular series of flashes, which Data sees is a message in B'Zal, a Ferengi code. It says "My revenge is at hand."

Picard returns to his ready room, quite agitated, and soon Bok appears. Picard tries to negotiate with him, saying he didn't know he was in Ferengi space. But Bok simply wants payment for his son's life; his feelings about the matter are none of his concern.

Just then, Jason has a seizure without warning. Security calls it in to Dr. Crusher, who examines him, and finds it is Forrester-Trent Syndrome, a rare neurological condition. The best she can do is halt the degeneration. She also plans to run a microcellular scan in case it was caused by a random mutation.

After he left, Picard admits he was right; he convinced himself that Jason didn't want to reach out to him. But he wishes he was part of his life, and Jason might not have a criminal record if he were there. Dr. Crusher simply advises him the best tool of a parent is patience, and that he should use the time he has well.

Picard returns to his ready room to find Data and La Forge scanning it. They have found that a chair Bok sat in on his last visit now resonates with a particular subspace signature. They believe it is from a subspace transporter, a technology considered too unreliable and energy-intensive by the Federation. Data believes that they can trace the transporter signal if Bok uses it again, but Picard is more interested in Bok's ability to kidnap Jason. La Forge hypothesizes that they could hold Jason here by tying the transporters to the subspace field coils, and he tells them to make it so.

Once they are gone he decides to check up on Jason. He finds him in the holodeck, rock-climbing. After telling security to wait outside, he climbs up onto the same ledge Jason is on. On the rocks, they start having a better conversation. He asks what happened to her, and he told him all about orphans left there from the Cardassian war, and how she taught them all. She was attacked by two men in the street one day, for the food she was carrying, and since she wouldn't give it up, they killed her. He is obviously shaken up by the story. Picard asks how he can be a father to him, since he and his own father were estranged. Jason still doesn't want to be his son, and tries to push him away with his bad behavior. It doesn't work. Eventually, Jason seems to be willing to accept him. That's when Dr. Crusher calls him to sickbay with some news about Jason.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, a signal has been detected; Bok is using his transporter again. He locks on to Jason, and La Forge puts up a fight with Enterprise's transporter, but before the captain can rescue Jason, Bok reestablishes his lock, and Jason disappears. Bok then beams another probe to their location, and sends the message that he has Jason. Fortunately, Data traces the location of his ship, 300 billion kilometers away. It would take twenty minutes at warp to reach them.

Picard asks Data if the modified transporter could create the same effect of Bok's transporters. He says yes, but it would be inadvisable to use that method of travel. That's good enough for Picard. He has La Forge transport him over there.

As Jason is negotiating for his life, Picard appears. He has the other Ferengi put down their weapons, and tells Bok it's not his son. He knows Bok resequenced Jason's DNA, but it gave him a neurological disorder. When one of the other Ferengi complains about not getting the ransom, Picard says there never was one; it was only for revenge. Since the Enterprise is on its way, their only hope is to give Bok (who is not a DaiMon) over to them. They agree as they turn on Bok and release Jason.

"Captain's Log, stardate 47831.8. At the request of Jason Vigo, the Enterprise has returned to Camor V."

Jason has decided he will return to Camor V to straighten out his life. As a farewell present, he receives a Gorlan prayer stick from Picard and suggests that Picard look him up any time he was in the area.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"Like it or not, I'm your father. I don't know what that means, I know that means something, has some connection. But one thing is clear: you'll never look at your hairline again in the same way."

- Picard, to Jason

[edit] Background Information

[edit] Video and DVD releases

[edit] Links and References

[edit] Guest Stars

[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars

[edit] Uncredited Stunt Doubles

[edit] References

archaeology; B'Zal; bioscan; Bok's Marauder; Camor V, Dorias Cluster; Gorlan prayer stick; Miranda Vigo; Xendi Kabu system


Previous episode:
"Firstborn" 		Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 7 		Next episode:
"Emergence"
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