The Royale (episode)

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

"The Royale"
TNG, Episode 2x12 Production number: 40272-138 First aired: 27 March 1989
←	37th of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	37th of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	143rd of 726 released in all	→
Written By Keith Mills Directed By Cliff Bole
42625.4 (2365)
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The Enterprise investigates the wreckage of a 21st century Earth spaceship orbiting a distant planet and the appearance of a casino with inhabitants based on a paperback novel.

Contents 1 Summary 1.1 Log Entries 2 Memorable quotes 3 Background Information 3.1 Video and DVD releases 4 Links and References 4.1 Special Guest Appearance By 4.2 Guest Stars 4.3 Special Appearance By 4.4 Co-Stars 4.5 Uncredited Co-Stars 4.6 References

[edit] Summary

This episode begins with an old puzzle. Captain Picard shows Commander Riker how Fermat's last theorem has gone unsolved for 800 years. Soon, the Enterprise encounters another mystery: a piece of space debris, part of a large cluster in orbit, in a sector far beyond the reaches of Earth. When beamed aboard, a marking is clearly visible: NASA.

Investigation begins with the planet's surface: large concentrations of ammonia and other gases, and winds over 200 mph. When they beam down to an anomalous spot, however, it is quiet; the storm rages above them, and in the black, there is nothing but a revolving door.

On the other side of the door is a lavish hotel and casino, right out of Earth's mid-20th century. Despite the presence of the hotel staff and many gamblers, the tricorder reads no life signs, and comm badges have lost their signal. When they attempt to leave, the door revolves them back into the casino. Only after much investigation is contact returned, and they understand what is going on here.

They discover a hotel room upstairs with a novel, Hotel Royale, a dead body, and a diary. The last entry reveals aliens building this place for the lone survivor of a disaster they caused, based only on this second-rate fictional tome.

Conjecturing the book's ending, they attempt to fit in. Rich investors are said to buy the place and walk out, so Data starts gambling at the craps table. Within hours, they are able to get enough money to buy it, and just as the story says, walk out.

[edit] Log Entries

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2365

[edit] Memorable quotes

"What planet is this?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"This planet. What do you call it?"
"Earth. What do you call it?"
"We call it Theta VIII."
"How charming."

- Riker, Clerk, and Worf

"How did you get here?"
"Vegas? Drove my car."
"Can you take me there?"

- Data and "Texas"

"Perhaps those turbolifts can take us there."
(He stands in front of the door expecting it to open automatically like the Enterprise turbolifts)
"Seems to be malfunctioning..."

- Worf, about the hotel lift.

"Looks like the poor devil died in his sleep."
"What a terrible way to die."

- Riker and Worf

"When the train comes in everybody rides!"

- Riker

"Revolving door? Number One, proceed with caution."

- Picard

[edit] Background Information

• Fermat's last theorem is mentioned as being unproved for 800 years. In 1995 (several years after this episode was written), however, a proof was discovered by Andrew Wiles. It was later corrected for in a comment made by Jadzia Dax talking to Tobin (embodied in Chief O'Brien during Jadzia's zhian'tara) in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Facets" by making the comment that many others have tried more original approaches to Fermat's Last Theorem since Wiles' original proof in the 1990s. Cliff Bole also directed "Facets".
• The idea of an advanced alien race recreating a suitable environment from a wayward astronaut's cultural artifacts in which to live out his final days was first detailed by notable science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey. A somewhat similar concept is also explored in the Voyager episode "Displaced".

• The 52-star flag seen in "The Royale" is unusual in that the field of stars rests on a red stripe instead of a white stripe. The 15-star "Star-Spangled Banner" flown over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 was the last such flag, and since then, all flags (then returning to 13 instead of 15 stripes) have had the familiar arrangement of the field being to the left of the first seven stripes and resting on the 8th, a white.
• The presence of 52 stars on the flag, according to on screen dialog, means that it was created some time between the years 2033 and 2079. It is unknown when the USA added its 51^st and 52^nd states, or what states those might be (one likely candidate is Puerto Rico, which is already a US territory, another is the District of Columbia whose admission as a state has been a subject of debate for some time), although this had to have occurred before 2033.
• The mission patch on the dead astronaut's uniform is an anachronistic blooper -- it is an Apollo 17 (1972) patch, clearly bearing the names of that mission's astronauts (Cernan, Evans, and Schmitt).
• The debris of the Charybdis beamed aboard the Enterprise features the NASA "worm" logo. NASA retired this logo in 1992 (just a few years after this episode was filmed), replacing it with the traditional "meatball" logo.
• This episode contains one of the most severe (in scientific terms) factual errors in the Star Trek series. Two minutes into the episode, La Forge claims that the surface temperature of a planet is "minus 291 degrees Celsius"; however, this is colder than absolute zero (–273 °C), and is thus scientifically impossible. The apparent cause of this error is that the original script gave the temperature in Fahrenheit; the unit was changed to Celsius before filming, but the number was not adjusted.

[edit] Video and DVD releases

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 19, 12 August 1991.
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 2.4, 24 May 1999.
• As part of the TNG Season 2 DVD collection.

[edit] Links and References

[edit] Special Guest Appearance By

• Diana Muldaur as Katherine Pulaski

[edit] Guest Stars

• Sam Anderson as The Assistant Manager
• Jill Jacobson as Vanessa
• Leo Garcia as The Bellboy

[edit] Special Appearance By

• Noble Willingham as Texas

[edit] Co-Stars

• Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien
• Gregory Beecroft as Mickey D

[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars

• Laura Walsh as a Cocktail waitress
• Unknown actor as Ziggy

[edit] References

7 billion years ago; 2033; 2037; 2044; 2082; American flag; ammonia; blackjack; Cadillac; carbon; casino; casino chips; Celsius; Cernan; Charybdis; croupier; cryogenics; class K; Colonel; cowboy hat; craps; Decatur; dice; DNA; door; Earth; Evans; Fermat, Pierre de; Fermat's last theorem; gambling; Hotel Royale; hurricane; hydrogen-carbon helix; hydrogen; Jacob; Klingon; Klingon cruiser; Las Vegas; Lubbock; Math; Matthews, Todd; meters per second; methane; NASA; NCC-7100; Nevada; neon; nitrogen; phaser; poker; revolver; Stephen G. Richey; Rita; Royale; Schmitt; slot machine; Sol system; telephone; Tennessee; Texas; Theta VIII; Theta 116 system; tornado; turkey; United Federation of Planets; United States Air Force; United States of America; United States dollar

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2

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