star trek worf prune juice

The Untold Truth Of Star Trek's Worf

"Star Trek" has a rich tradition of turning enemies into allies. The former Borg drone Seven of Nine becomes a valued crewmember on "Star Trek: Voyager," even as the Borg Collective attempts to conquer Starfleet. The Ferengi  are considered an enemy of Starfleet, until the bartender Quark makes them more than just a caricature of greed on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." 

And then there's Lieutenant Commander Worf, who does more to improve the image of the Klingons, the go-to villains of the original "Star Trek" series, than any other character. Portrayed by Michael Dorn, Worf is the first Klingon to become a Starfleet officer after generations of Klingon-human hostility. While this promotes Starfleet's policy of inclusivity, being a Klingon among humans is not easy, and Worf regularly functions as an outsider. Still, his presence often reveals the beauty and value of Klingon culture. Ultimately, he becomes a key character and a beloved fixture of the "Star Trek" universe. We're here to examine how Worf evolved on screen and off, from his favorite beverage to his surprising origins.

Worf wasn't supposed to be a regular Star Trek cast member

Considering how popular Worf is with fans, it's surprising to learn that the producers of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" did not initially want him as a regular cast member. As Larry Nemecek's "Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion" notes , Worf was originally imagined as a recurring character in seven of the first 13 episodes. Supervising producer Robert Justman also originally saw Worf as a "Klingon Marine" serving on the Enterprise as a symbol of better Federation-Klingon relations.

However, Dorn's performance as Worf was so magnetic that the showrunners felt the character had the potential to be part of the main cast. Over the years, Worf grew in importance and popularity, eventually becoming a central character who's done much to make Klingons actual protagonists in the "Star Trek" universe.

Today, Worf holds the record for appearing in more "Star Trek" franchise episodes than any other character, having appeared as a regular character in 11 seasons of both "Next Generation" and "DS9." In the "DS9" Season 5 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations," Worf is even digitally inserted into scenes from the classic "Star Trek" Season 2 episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles."

Worf's grandfather once defended Captain James T. Kirk

In "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" (1991), Colonel Worf, Lieutenant Commander Worf's grandfather, is a Klingon attorney and diplomat who takes it upon himself to defend both Captain James T. Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy when they're accused of murdering Chancellor Gorkon. Although the trial is basically for show, with the majority of Klingons hoping for a double execution, Worf offers a strong defense and manages to get their sentence commuted to a life term of hard labor on Rura Penthe. This gives our heroes enough time to save both Kirk and McCoy and prove their innocence by unmasking Gorkon's true assassins. Colonel Worf himself helps reveal one of the assassins at a peace conference held at Camp Khitomer, thus vindicating his clients.

Michael Dorn plays Colonel Worf in the movie, and the filmmakers confirm in "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages" that this Worf is indeed Lieutenant Commander Worf's grandfather. Aside from creating a strong link between the old and new "Star Trek" generations, this appearance reveals that Worf's family has always been full of honorable people willing to fight for justice.

Worf is a child of two worlds

Worf's backstory is eventually revealed in multiple "Next Generation" and "DS9" storylines. In time, we learn that Worf's birth parents were killed by Romulans while he lived on the Khitomer colony. A distress call led the USS Intrepid to Khitomer, where chief petty officer Sergey Rozhenko found a young Worf in the rubble. He took him home to be raised by his wife Helena alongside their son Nikolai on the farming colony of Gault.

Being the only Klingon in a largely human society proved difficult for Worf, but the Rozhenkos made a point of making sure Worf still practiced Klingon culture. He only ate Klingon food (motivating Helena to learn how to make Rokeg blood pie) and immersed himself in Klingon history, art, and philosophy. He also returned to the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS at 15 and vowed to become a Klingon warrior. Sadly, his remaining kin rejected him due to his human upbringing.

Despite this, Worf maintains great respect for the humans who raised him and makes sure to adapt aspects of their ideals into his personal code. This is what leads him to enlist in Starfleet, making him the first Klingon to serve as an officer aboard a Federation vessel.

Worf considers Earth his home

Worf may have a great love of Klingon culture, but when it comes to what planet he considers home, his heart lies with humanity. In the "Next Generation" Season 4 episode "Family," Worf's adoptive human parents, the Rozhenkos, come to visit him on the Enterprise. In the process, they manage to embarrass Worf multiple times and become worried about their son's recent discommendation from the Klingon Empire.

Shortly after, the ship's bartender, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) , approaches the Rozhenkos. She tells them that when Worf looks out the ship's windows toward the star he calls home, he doesn't look toward the Klingon Empire — he looks to Earth, and his adoptive parents. Later, in the "DS9" series finale episode "What You Leave Behind," Worf reveals he has a great love for the Rozhenkos' home of Minsk and suggests repeatedly to his crewmate Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) that he settle down there.

Worf killed a childhood playmate by accident

Other Klingons may come across as overly aggressive warriors with plenty of swagger, but Worf always presents himself with a very controlled and reserved demeanor. In the "DS9" Season 5 episode "Let He Who is Without Sin ... " he discloses the tragic reason for this to his lover, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax.

According to Worf, he was a very forceful child who didn't hesitate to get into fights with kids he deemed disrespectful. He also loved participating in sports, and led his school's soccer team to the championships when he was only 13. Unfortunately, as he attempted to score, he smashed into another player, Mikel, and accidentally broke the boy's neck with his hard Klingon skull.

The experience scarred Worf, who realized he needed to practice greater self-restraint among human beings. As a result, he developed a more serious personality and honed his fighting abilities — not just so he could become a more efficient warrior, but also so he would know how to not accidentally hurt his friends.

Worf killed the Klingon chancellor on purpose

To say Worf's relationship with other Klingons is complicated would be an understatement. As the only Klingon to be raised by humans and serve in Starfleet (at least until  half-Klingon B'elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) becomes the USS Voyager's engineer), Worf is regarded as an outcast among his people. 

The Klingon government treats him with particular harshness. At one point, Worf's father is accused of treason, only for Worf to discover he's been framed by the rival Klingon House of Duras, to cover up their own sins. Realizing exposure of the truth could be devastating for Klingons and lead to in-fighting, Worf offers to take the blame for treason in the "Next Generation" Season 3 episode, "Sins of the Father." This ruins his family name, but lets him secretly spare the Klingon Empire from civil war.

Later, Worf helps Gowron, a new Klingon chancellor, rise to power. Gowron restores Worf's family honor in the "Next Generation" Season 4 episode "Redemption," but in the "DS9" Season 7 episode "Tacking into the Wind," Worf realizes Gowron is a dishonorable ruler who puts Klingons in needless danger during wartime. The two fight, and Worf kills Gowron, then passes on the role of chancellor to the Klingon general Martok. Thus, despite his outsider status, Worf's effect on Klingon politics is considerable.

Worf gets beaten up ... a lot

Even among Klingon warriors, Worf stands out as a formidable fighter. He's taken on Borg drones in hand-to-hand combat — and won. He's earned the title "Champion Standing" at a Klingon bat'leth tournament. He even teaches regular martial arts classes to Starfleet officers, including some advanced courses.

So it might come as a surprise for fans to learn that this  unbelievably tough Klingon tends to get beaten up ... a lot. In multiple "Next Generation" episodes, Worf is thrown around the bridge of the Enterprise or shot at by some new alien threat. At one point, in the Season 4 episode "Clues," he even gets his wrist broken by a possessed Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), who takes him out in under two seconds.

Worf is so frequently beaten up, in fact, that fans coined a phrase to describe the trope: " The Worf Effect ." This term refers to the storytelling practice of indicating how dangerous an unknown character is by having them beat up an established tough guy. Sadly, since the Enterprise regularly encounters unknown forms of life, writers used this trope to excess. Fortunately, by the time Worf transfers to Deep Space Nine, he starts winning most of his battles.

Worf's ideas get shot down ... a lot

"Star Trek" supposedly depicts a society that has moved past outdated prejudice. Here, people no longer discriminate against others based on race, gender, or species, and everyone's ideas are valued.

Well ... unless you happen to be Worf. Then your requests and recommendations keep being denied, no matter how politely and respectfully you ask. One enterprising "Star Trek" fan even combined the many instances of Worf's ideas being shot down, and ended up with a nearly 15-minute-long video . Over and over again, the poor Klingon is invalidated by his captain, first officer, and fellow Klingons.

To be fair, Worf does occasionally offer suggestions that his crewmates accept as sound advice. However, his tendency to be denied suggests that the "Worf Effect" which causes him to get beaten up all the time also sees him function as a constant counterpoint to his superiors.

Amusingly, Michael Dorn viewed the YouTube video in question, and found it hilarious. He even joked that he accepted the chance to reprise the character on "DS9" so he could make Worf more than " just the guy who got his ideas shot down all the time. " Happily, Worf's ideas are better accepted on "DS9," showing the Klingon does get some respect ... eventually.

Worf is unlucky in love

Klingons might be scary, but there's something about Worf that makes him irresistible to women. Both Counselor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) fall for Worf and have relationships with him. 

This is risky, as Worf's girlfriends tend to receive gruesome deaths. In the "Next Generation" Season 2 episode "The Emissary," Worf renews a relationship with the half-Klingon ambassador K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson). After she discovers a conspiracy against Worf, however, she gets murdered and dies in Worf's arms in Season 4's "Reunion."

K'Ehleyr's death weighs heavily on Worf, but he gets a chance to move on when he marries Jadzia Dax in Season 6 of "DS9." However, when  Terry Farrell was denied the chance to be a recurring character and decided not to renew her contract for Season 7 , the producers opted to have Jadzia murdered by Gul Dukat in the Season 6 finale "Tears of the Prophets," leaving Worf a widower.

At least Troi is alive, right? Well ... not quite. In the "Next Generation" series finale "All Good Things," we visit an alternate future where Troi is dead — possibly due to a love triangle between Troi, Worf, and Riker. Worf and Troi eventually break up in the mainstream timeline, which may allow Troi to survive. He may be a devoted partner, but relationships with Worf tends to be hazardous to one's health.

Worf's many promotions

While some Starfleet officers have to wait a long time to be promoted ( we're looking at you, Ensign Harry Kim ), Worf is one crew member whose worth is constantly being recognized, resulting in multiple promotions.

Worf starts out as a lieutenant, junior grade in the early seasons of "Next Generation," and serves as a relief officer. He then takes over as acting security chief after the death of Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) in the "Next Generation" Season 1 episode "Skin of Evil," and later becomes both chief tactical officer and security chief, which leads him to be promoted to full lieutenant.

In the movie "Star Trek: Generations" (1994), Worf gets promoted to lieutenant commander. He later accepts reassignment as the strategic operations officer of Deep Space Nine in the "DS9" Season 4 episode "The Way of the Warrior." During his time on Deep Space Nine, he disobeys orders to save his wife Jadzia in the "DS9" Season 6 episode "Change of Heart," marring his service record and making his commanding officer Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) predict he'll never receive a command of his own.

However, in Una McCormack's novel "Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope," it's revealed that Worf does get promoted to captain of the Enterprise-E after Jean-Luc Picard gets his promotion to admiral. He may suffer a lot, but no one can say Worf isn't respected by his peers.

Worf is really bad at being a single dad

As if losing K'Ehleyr wasn't bad enough, Worf also discovers that his lover had a secret child with him — and that he's now responsible for young Alexander Rozhenko (Jon Steuer). To make matters more difficult, K'Ehleyr never taught Alexander about Klingon culture and the boy has no interest in being a warrior. Worf struggles to accept Alexander for who he is, and initially tries to force his son to change.

At one point, Worf sends Alexander to live with his adoptive parents, the Rozhenkos. They send him back, stating they are too old to handle raising another Klingon. Such actions have even prompted Michael Dorn himself to call Worf a "terrible father" in "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages," and declare that "he hasn't got a clue."

Like a lot of children on TV shows, Alexander ages at a strange rate, forcing Worf to deal with him as a child, a teenager, and a young adult within a few short years. When he shows up as a young man on "DS9" played by Marc Worden, he finally chooses to become a warrior, but his early lack of training makes him clumsy among other Klingons, much to his father's embarrassment.

Worf loses his brother in a heartbreaking way

If there's one word that should be synonymous with Worf, it's "loss." Not only does this Klingon lose multiple lovers, he also loses family members — even when they don't actually die.

In the "Next Generation" Season 3 episode "Sins of the Father," Worf learns his younger brother Kurn  ("Candyman" acting legend Tony Todd) escaped death at the Khitomer massacre that killed their entire family. Now a Klingon commander, Kurn reunites with Worf, and is convinced to keep his identity a secret after Worf allows himself to be discommended from the Klingon Empire to save Kurn's life. Later, Kurn helps Worf restore their family honor, but when Worf refuses to invade the Cardassian Union with the Klingons, his family's lands and titles are stripped and Kurn is disgraced.

Depressed, Kurn attempts to kill himself. In the "DS9" Season 4 episode "Sons of Mogh," Worf elects to have his brother's memory wiped and his appearance altered so he can start a new life as "Rodek." In the process, Worf loses his brother and is even forced to tell him, "I have no family."

Worf considers prune juice a 'warrior's drink'

Klingons make a big deal about drinking plenty of "bloodwine" during ceremonies and celebrations. Worf himself has been known to partake in bloodwine, liking his to be very young and very sweet. However, bloodwine occupies a distant second place when compared to Worf's drink of choice: prune juice.

Introduced to the beverage by the Enterprise's bartender Guinan in the "Next Generation" Season 3 episode "Yesterday's Enterprise," Worf immediately proclaims prune juice to be "a warrior's drink," and begins consuming it in large quantities. He continues ordering prune juice during his tenure on Deep Space Nine, causing the Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman) to break out in hysterical laughter until he realizes Worf is serious. As he learns, prune juice is very popular among Klingons in general.

Indeed, according to Keith R. A. DeCandido's "Next Generation" novel "Q&A," prune juice becomes the largest export from Earth to the Klingon Empire by 2380. As Klingons and humans have different biological systems, it's possible that Klingons experience an intoxicating effect from prune juice that humans can't enjoy — although it's also possible they simply appreciate not needing to worry about irregularity on the battlefield.

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The Way of the Prune Juice (it requires a strong stomach)

Discussion in ' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ' started by Qonundrum , Mar 31, 2021 .

Qonundrum Vice Admiral Admiral

This story just gets better and better with age. I got so swept up in it that I said "sod it" with taking notes, but prior to that I made some anyway. The opening credits spoil the big plot point of Michael Dorn as Worf staying, as opposed to a guest star status to keep people guessing for that premiere. Not a big thing, but I'm trying to remember if season 4 was being given hype by his full-time inclusion. Either way, it doesn't spoil too much. They already did the "Worf's loyalties" shtick in TNG "Redemption", but it's re-use is given a more exciting and well thought-out, action-backed theme than soap opera complete with "symphony of flatulent frogs". The pre-opening credits scenes start the episode with a confident new tone, complete with weapons designed to get Changelings to show themselves. No worries, they're promptly ditched post-opening credits and there are two scenes where having them might have been a decent payoff for their introduction. But I don't make television and they had to pad out scenes with blood tests or otherwise staining all that furniture with blood drips and those still worked, so it's not that bad. But it would have been a time saver for the crew in-universe... Also, in the pre-credits bit, Odo slinks along and neither Kira nor Sisko sees the blob squishing along the floor despite being there in plain sight, before turning into an owl - who didn't give a hoot when killing Bashir before the simulation ended. Not sure which double-act fares better in this story: Odo/Garak or Dax/Kira. Both have great moments. Maybe Odo/Garak get the nod because Odo describes his thoughtfulness of social customs in a way that's truly alien yet oddly relatable, and because Dax convincing Kira to get jiggy with a holographic image just seems a tad creepy. Brownie points for the Garak/Dukat and Garak/Quark scenes. Heck, seeing a 2 hour event of Garak just sitting there making conversation with that cloying root beer would actually remain compelling, don't ask how. Not sure how war stories get banter, but Worf sneering over how they lost the cloak when Dukat, laden with hubris, opines they should use it led to a chuckle that flows with the story wonderfully. Seriously, the script writing for this premiere is magnificent. The prune juice twist between Worf/Quark (who we needed more interaction with) was a lovely slice of continuity as well as another well-placed comedic moment (that also works with the story's flow for its sake, yet it was nice to see old characters reunite to help bridge the gap and it's largely excellent. Though the brief moment with Worf/O'Brien about being assimilated felt borderline forced, but it's not anywhere as grating as when VOY's "Scoprion" wallows and even 4th walls it by having Chakotay and Janeway go on about the greats of the past with Picard. Loved the darts playing between them and Bashir - double acts are one thing but they missed out in not making a triple act, which would be hard to do, much less sustain. Also, quantum torpedoes get a mention long before 1996's STFC had. Woot! Still, Kira reports Starfleet is coming with... six... ships and yet the Klingons have a rather larger backup fleet approaching, which leads to the next and most important point: Whenever you're asked "Kirk or Picard?" Just say "Sisko" and be done with it because this story is one of many that exemplifies the fact that Sisko is the best. 10/10, with utter and effortless ease. Any plot hole or nitpick just dissolves quickly as the setup and follow-through for this story is just spectacular, steeped in witty and urbane dialogue, slathered in a verve and confidence that was quick to prove to those on the fence like me that 90s Trek had life to it. I missed a lot of DS9 early on, but gave season 4 a chance and I'm so glad I had at the time...  

Oddish Admiral Admiral

Qonundrum said: ↑ Whenever you're asked "Kirk or Picard?" Just say "Sisko" and be done with it because this story is one of many that exemplifies the fact that Sisko is the best. Click to expand...

Swedish Borg Commodore Captain

"Prune Juice" a warrior's drink... As Worf said the first time he drank one. Well, you'd better drink it AFTER the battle is over than before, if you see what I mean.  

kkt Commodore Commodore

It cracks me up that the context sensitive ads that come up on this page are for prune juice.  

I think that at some point in DS9's run, the writers wanted to "Klingonize" Worf... he stopped drinking prune juice and switched to blood wine.  

Oddish said: ↑ I think that at some point in DS9's run, the writers wanted to "Klingonize" Worf... he stopped drinking prune juice and switched to blood wine. Click to expand...

JirinPanthosa Admiral Admiral

When Worf was introduced to prune juice in TNG it never seemed like it was the only thing he ever drank. I thought it was weird when DS9 decided that was the case.  

It would be interesting to know what all Worf drank. Maybe prune juice in the morning and on duty, just to "keep things moving" (when you approach age 50, you gain an appreciation for that). And blood wine after hours when he's chilling with his pals (can't say "mates", since in Klingon culture that means something completely different).  

Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

I just think it's interesting that the lousier something tastes, the more of a "warrior's drink" it's supposed to be. I mean, prune juice tastes like ass and everyone knows it, but somehow that means it's for warriors? What, people can't fight and also enjoy a drink that tastes GOOD? "Man, I've been on the battlefield all day and I'm hella exhausted. So why don't I drink something that tastes like diseased battery acid? Much better than a nice cold beer, isn't it?"  

JirinPanthosa said: ↑ When Worf was introduced to prune juice in TNG it never seemed like it was the only thing he ever drank. I thought it was weird when DS9 decided that was the case. Click to expand...

Mr. Laser Beam said: ↑ I just think it's interesting that the lousier something tastes, the more of a "warrior's drink" it's supposed to be. I mean, prune juice tastes like ass and everyone knows it, but somehow that means it's for warriors? What, people can't fight and also enjoy a drink that tastes GOOD? "Man, I've been on the battlefield all day and I'm hella exhausted. So why don't I drink something that tastes like diseased battery acid? Much better than a nice cold beer, isn't it?" Click to expand...

I'm curious if there's a list of Starfleet personnel and their "signature" foods or beverages. Troi and chocolate, Picard and Earl Gray, Janeway and coffee, etc.  

Oddish said: ↑ I'm curious if there's a list of Starfleet personnel and their "signature" foods or beverages. Troi and chocolate, Picard and Earl Gray, Janeway and coffee, etc. Click to expand...

Kira and raktijino.  

Quark and tube grubs (live ones).  

Kirk and what looks like sticks of aquarelle paint.  

Seriously, what the hell is that?  

Oddish said: ↑ Sisko is definitely the most well rounded Trek captain, the most multifaceted, and the most human. He's a very solid choice for that question. Click to expand...

Swedish Borg said: ↑ Seriously, what the hell is that? Click to expand...

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Yesterday's Enterprise (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story development
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4.2 Costumes
• 3.6 Continuity
• 3.7 Reception
• 3.8 Awards and honors
• 3.9 Apocrypha
• 3.10 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest Stars
• 4.4 And Special Guest Star
• 4.5 Uncredited Co-Stars
• 4.6 Stunt doubles
• 4.7 Stand-ins
• 4.8.1 Library computer references
• 4.8.2 Unreferenced material
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

Worf is sitting alone in Ten Forward when Guinan comes over to his table and hands him a glass and asks him to try the drink. Worf tries it and is extremely surprised to find that he loves the drink. Guinan tells Worf it's an Earth drink, prune juice , which Worf refers to as "a warrior's drink" after taking a sip. Guinan notes that Worf always drinks alone and suggests that he seek out some companionship. However, Worf says he would need a Klingon woman for companionship as he considers Earth females to be too fragile. He then laughs loudly when Guinan tells him there are women aboard who might find him tame, a thought he considers impossible. When Guinan playfully calls him a coward for saying he'll never know when she says he should find out, Worf says he was merely concerned for the safety of his fellow crewmates. Just then, a strange phenomenon appears outside Ten Forward's windows and Worf is called to the bridge . Guinan stands up and looks toward the phenomenon and simply utters " No ."

The timeline changes

Arriving on the bridge, Worf is told that the USS Enterprise -D has encountered what appears to be a strange temporal rift in space. Investigating, the crew are unable to confirm exactly what and precisely where the phenomenon is.

Worf reports a change in sensor readings. Captain Picard turns his back on Worf and asks Data for more information, who begins to check the sensors. As a starship emerges from the rift, the bridge of the Enterprise changes. It now appears much darker and the crew's uniforms have more of a militaristic flair to them. No one present seems aware of the changes. Picard turns to the tactical station and asks if the ship that emerged is an enemy vessel. However Worf is gone, and Natasha Yar stands in his place. Troi has also disappeared.

Down in a much more brightly lit Ten Forward, as Guinan clears a table, everyone is in uniform and all are armed. She straightens up and senses something isn't right, that everything has changed.

As the starship clears the rift, Yar confirms it as a Federation starship and tries to access the ship's registry. Commander Riker notes the crew must have had a rough ride. Yar reads the ship's registry as NCC-1701-C, which causes Picard and Riker to turn toward her in astonishment as Yar finishes reading the name of the ship… USS Enterprise -C .

Act One [ ]

Two Enterprise s meet

On the altered bridge of the Enterprise , Data reports that the sensors confirm that the other ship's hull and engine components are of the Enterprise -C's time period. When Wesley Crusher mentions that the Enterprise -C was destroyed with all hands more than twenty years previous, Data corrects him, saying that the ship was presumed destroyed near Narendra III , a Klingon outpost. Captain Picard wonders if the ship was adrift for all the years it's been missing or perhaps traveled through time . Data says that if time travel does turn out to be the proper theory then the phenomenon they have encountered is a temporal rift, such as a Kerr loop in space which is most certainly unstable and capable of collapsing at any time. Yar then reports that she is able to scan the interior of the ship and she reports heavy damage but she does detect sporadic life signs . Riker calls sickbay to prepare emergency teams and orders the transporter rooms to standby, but Picard belays Riker's orders, reminding him that if the other ship has indeed traveled through time then they could be dealing with variables that might alter the flow of their history. At that moment, Yar tells Picard that the Enterprise -C is sending out an audio distress call , and Picard orders it put on speakers.

Riker mentions that there was no record of Romulans ever attacking the Enterprise -C and then Yar reports the voice message has terminated and they are now receiving only an automated signal from the vessel. Picard then orders a channel opened and tells the Enterprise -C that he is " Captain Picard of the Federation… of a Federation starship " and tells Garrett to stand by for emergency teams. He then tells Riker to assess the situation and attend to their wounded and above all, avoid all discussions of where and when they are. Riker says he will and takes Yar with him for the away team . Just then, Crusher tells Picard that Starfleet monitor stations are detecting Klingon ships in the area and on their way, and Picard orders Wesley Crusher to put the ship on battle alert , condition yellow .

Meanwhile, the Enterprise -C is in bad shape. The away team beams aboard the bridge and Dr. Crusher reports the rest of the bridge crew are dead and that the captain is seriously injured. Finding the captain nearly unconscious in her command chair , Crusher and Riker tell Garrett they are from a Federation ship and that they are here to assist. When Dr. Crusher tells Riker she must take Garrett back to Enterprise , Garrett demands an explanation, but Riker simply tells her they are from a Federation ship that answered their distress signal and that they will answer all questions, but for now they must get her to sickbay . With that, Garrett relents and allows Crusher to transport themselves back directly to sickbay.

At the same time, chief engineer Geordi La Forge tells Riker the ship is in pretty bad shape. Riker tells him if they can't stabilize life support they will have to evacuate the ship; La Forge says he can do it, but he'll have to go to engineering , so he calls a damage control party to engineering. Then Yar and Riker notice some rustling underneath some debris. They pull the debris off and discover another survivor, Lt. Richard Castillo , the ship's helmsman .

Picard arrives back on the bridge in time for a report from the away team. Riker reports back that they've stabilized life support and that La Forge is working on repairing the main power couplings . He also tells Picard that there are 125 survivors aboard the Enterprise -C. When Picard asks for recommendations, Riker says that he'd hate to have to lose the ship, as Starfleet could certainly use another vessel, even if it is old. While Picard agrees, he also cautions Riker that they can't stay in the area too long. Picard allows Riker nine hours to get the Enterprise -C underway to Starbase 105 . If they are unable to do so, then the survivors will be evacuated and the ship will be destroyed.

At that moment, Guinan enters the bridge. Seemingly disoriented, she walks up to Picard. When Picard notices her, she says she needs to speak to Picard, claiming: " This is not the way it's supposed to be. "

Act Two [ ]

In the observation lounge , Picard questions Guinan's perceptions. She tells him that things don't feel "right" to her, such as the bridge, the crew's uniforms , their attitudes. Picard counters that the bridge is just as it has always been, and asks what else has changed. Families, Guinan says. There should be children on the Enterprise . Astounded, Picard reminds her that the Federation is at war . Guinan responds that it is not, or at least is not supposed to be. She tells Picard that Enterprise isn't a ship of war, but of peace. And the only way to restore things is to send the displaced Enterprise -C back to its own time.

Picard arrives in sickbay to meet Captain Garrett, who has just undergone surgery. Garrett asks where they came from, but Picard deflects her question with wanting to know how her ship ended up here. Garrett tells Picard that they were responding to a distress signal from the Klingon outpost on Narendra III and asks if Picard heard it, but he says they didn't. Garrett comments she's never seen a sickbay like the one she's in, not even on a starbase, nor has she ever seen their uniforms before. She asks what ship she's on. Crusher urges Garrett to be still and relax, but she insists on finding out what ship she is on. Picard tells her that she is aboard the Enterprise 1701-D, a revelation that stuns Garrett. Picard tells her they have traveled twenty-two years into the future . Garrett wants to know if the crew has been informed and Picard says they haven't. Garrett says she should inform them and Picard hesitantly offers to do so. When Garrett inquires as to why, Picard explains his concern that if they return with future knowledge, it could upset the timeline even more than their current position has done. Garrett says that they barely escaped with their lives. Picard tells Garrett that history never recorded their last stand against the Romulans. Garrett says they responded to a distress call from Narendra III and engaged the Romulan forces attacking the outpost, but that there were four Romulan warbirds against the lone Enterprise . Picard tells her that the outpost was destroyed, and laments that if a Federation starship could have rescued a Klingon outpost, it just might have averted twenty years of war.

Back aboard the Enterprise -C, Castillo struggles with the news that he is twenty-two years out of time, as Lt. Yar works to bring the weapons systems up to spec, and attempts to rationalize the situation. Castillo wonders about his family and laments that they're probably dead, but Tasha tells him that that's not necessarily true. She then tells Castillo that he might not like the future as the war has been very long. She tells him that the Federation has lost more than half of Starfleet to the Klingons. Castillo remarks that negotiations for a peace treaty were well underway when the Enterprise left on her mission. Yar says there have been a lot of changes. Castillo suggests she fill him in on them.

Picard and Data confer

Back on the Enterprise -D, Data tells Picard that the anomaly is likely symmetrical. Picard asks Data about what would happen if the Enterprise -C were to return through the rift. Data tells him that she would emerge in the midst of battle, at almost the exact instant she left. Picard asks if there's any chance of the ship surviving and Data says there isn't. Picard realizes then that sending the Enterprise -C and her crew back would be a death sentence.

Act Three [ ]

Having returned to the Enterprise , Yar tells Castillo that it was the first Galaxy -class battleship built by the Federation and that Enterprise can transport as many as six thousand troops at once. Yar says she was lucky to get the Enterprise and Castillo says he was too, referring of course, to the Enterprise -C. They arrive at sickbay and brief Captain Garrett on the Enterprise -C's current tactical state. When Garrett tells Castillo to concentrate on the ship's weapon systems, Yar tells her that there are Klingon battleships in the area. With that news, Garrett sits up, asks Castillo why she wasn't informed, and then tells an intervening Beverly Crusher that she must resume her duties; when Crusher protests that Garrett needs another 24 hours of rest, Garrett tells Crusher that twenty-four hours might as well be twenty-four years.

Guinan once again comes to Picard in the conference lounge, now transformed into a strategic operations center. Picard asks if she has any more information, but Guinan doesn't. Without more information, without proof, Picard can't let them return. Guinan states he must. With barely restrained anger and slamming his fist on the table, Picard tells her the Enterprise -C crew would die moments after returning. Guinan tells Picard that she wishes she had more information but she doesn't. She only has a very strong feeling that this is wrong. Picard then asks who decides which timeline is the right one? Guinan says she does. That isn't good enough for Picard. He will not allow one hundred and twenty-five people to sacrifice their lives on her "feeling." Forty billion people have already been lost in this war, Guinan snaps back, a war that isn't and shouldn't be happening. She repeats that the only way to save those billions is to sacrifice that small group of people. But there is no guarantee of success, and everything Picard is tells him that the idea is wrong, dangerous, and futile. Guinan tells Picard that in all the years he's known her, she's never forced herself on anyone, or to take a stand based on whimsical triviality. Guinan tells Picard that she's told him what he must do and Picard only has his trust in her to base his decision on.

Guinan then returns to Ten Forward, where she runs into Yar and Castillo, discussing improvements to the deflector system, how her Enterprise could now probably last twice as long in a firefight than the Enterprise -C. Guinan feels extreme uneasiness at Yar's very presence as she moves towards the bar . There is a brief, awkward conversation between the two in regards to Yar ordering their food rations for the meal. Yar tells Castillo that is the first time she's ever seen Guinan like that. While Guinan goes to prepare their food, Yar and Castillo's conversation continues, with Castillo's head spinning a little due to the tactics that Tasha explained, which were more than what he learned at the Academy . Yar tells him he'll need it. Then the conversation heads toward more personal territory. Tasha asks what she should call him, now that they've decided they're probably past referring to each other by rank. Yar tells Castillo to call her Tasha and Castillo says everyone except his mother, who calls him Richard, calls him Castillo. But when Yar tries calling him Castillo, he decides he'd rather she call him Richard. Just then, their conversation is interrupted by a call from Picard, ordering all senior officers to his ready room . Heading out, Yar and Guinan share another uncomfortable glance.

Picard briefs the senior officers on his decision. Crusher is astounded that Picard is going to send them back based solely on Guinan's intuition. Riker says there's no way the Enterprise -C can save Narendra III. Yar then tells Picard that Captain Garrett reported four Romulan warbirds, leaving the Enterprise -C severely outmanned and outgunned. La Forge then presents the possibility of re-arming the Enterprise -C with modern weapons, but Picard vetoes it, saying if they do that they'll alter the past. Riker asks if that isn't what they're talking about but Picard says they're talking about restoring the past. La Forge wonders how Guinan would know history has been altered if she's been altered along with everyone else. Data suspects that possibly her species has a perception which goes beyond linear time.

Picard's senior officers are skeptical of his decision to return the Enterprise -C to the past

Picard says there's much about her people they don't understand but fundamentally she is correct as a ship from the past has traveled through time and there is no way for them to know what effect that might have on the present and that they may never know but Picard has decided the consequences are too great to ignore. When Picard dismisses them, Riker begins to offer his opinion, although Picard anticipates him, telling Riker that he's not seeking their consent and that this was merely a briefing. Riker respectfully tells Picard he's asking 125 people to die a meaningless death. Data disagrees that it would absolutely be meaningless, pointing out that since the Klingons regard honor above all else, that if the crew of Enterprise -C died fighting for the survival of a Klingon outpost, it would be considered a meaningful act of honor by the Klingon Empire . Picard notes that their deaths might prevent the entire war, noting if Enterprise -C returns to the battle and its mission is a success, it will irrevocably change history, creating a new future for all of them. Having considered all the alternatives, Picard decides to go with Guinan's recommendation and this time, rather emphatically dismisses everyone.

" If I interpret your facial expressions correctly, you are preoccupied with something… unpleasant. "

Preoccupied by a comment made by La Forge and Crusher about whether they'll even be alive in an alternate timeline as they depart the ready room, Yar joins Data in the bridge's fore turbolift . Yar comments that she's worried about what will happen to Castillo; Data points out that if history is restored, they will have no memory of these events, which disturbs Yar even more.

As the crew of the Enterprise -C continue repairs, Garrett and Picard discuss possibilities for the ship either staying or returning, and the probability of Guinan's accuracy. Garrett gently asks if Picard trusts Guinan's judgement. Picard answers that he learned long ago to trust his old friend's wisdom. He offers to arrange for Guinan and Captain Garrett to speak in person, an offer she declines. Garrett knows there is no chance for survival, and suggests the Enterprise -D return with them, and Picard says he can't. Garrett accepts this, saying Picard doesn't belong in her time any more than she belongs in Picard's. She then tells Picard how many of the Enterprise -C's crew want to return, some for not wanting to be without their loved ones and some because they don't like the idea of sneaking out in the middle of a fight. But Garrett has told her crew that the Federation needs another ship against the Klingons and they need to get used to the idea. Picard then tells her if she goes back it could be much more helpful. He then lowers his voice and reveals a disturbing fact to Garrett: the war is going very badly for the Federation, much worse than is generally known. According to Picard, Starfleet Command believes that defeat is inevitable and within six months, they may have no choice but to surrender. Garrett asks if this was caused by their presence. Picard says that one starship can make no impact in the present… but twenty-two years ago, one ship could have stopped the war before it even started.

Garrett tells Castillo to inform the crew they will return to their own time. She promises Picard that the Romulans will get a good fight, and that history will remember their actions. Picard tells Garrett he knows they will. As Picard beams back to the Enterprise -D, Yar and Castillo say their goodbyes but they are interrupted by an attack from a Klingon Bird-of-Prey , on a scouting mission. Yar mans the tactical station quickly and prepares to fight the Klingons. Garrett contacts the Enterprise -D and asks if Picard made it safely back and Riker acknowledges that he did. Despite fire from the Enterprise -D, the Bird-of-Prey scores some crucial hits on the Enterprise -C, causing a panel near Garrett to explode in sparks, sending her to the ground. As the Bird-of-Prey disappears under cloak , Picard hails Garrett and asks for a damage report but there is no response. After a second hail, Yar contacts Picard and reports that Captain Garrett is dead (having been killed by a piece of shrapnel embedding itself in her head).

Act Four [ ]

In the Strategic Operations Center, Castillo enters and tells Picard he is prepared to lead the Enterprise back himself. Riker, though, is skeptical, as Castillo is the last surviving senior officer, having limited support from ops , no tactical, and reduced staff in engineering. Castillo interrupts Riker and tells Picard he has good people who wish to do their jobs. Riker believes history didn't mean for the Enterprise -C to enter this battle without Captain Garrett and while Castillo can't speak to that extent, he knows he can get the job done. Just then, Data contacts Picard and informs him that likely due to the battle with the Klingons, the temporal rift is destabilizing. Tasha says they can't remain there as their coordinates have likely been transmitted to the Klingon Command . Castillo says then that he intends to return unless Picard orders him otherwise. He then tells Picard that he can have his ship ready in a few hours, that they sustained only moderate damage. With that information, Picard gives his assent and tells Castillo that they will provide cover.

A farewell kiss

Yar takes Castillo to the transporter room where they bid each other farewell again and then after joking about how they seem to have all the time one can afford to have, share a tender kiss, and then Castillo beams back to the Enterprise -C. From there, Yar goes to Ten Forward to confront Guinan about her fate in the other timeline. Guinan says she doesn't have alternate biographies of the crew, but Yar says there's something to the way Guinan looks at her recently and that they've known each other too long for these secrets. Guinan finally reveals that she feels like they weren't meant to know each other at all. Guinan then tells Yar that she's supposed to be dead and while she doesn't know how she died, she does know it was an empty death, that Yar was killed without reason or purpose.

Yar meets Picard in his ready room and asks for a transfer to the Enterprise -C, which is in need of a tactical officer . Picard asks why and she says they need one, but Picard says they need her here. Yar then tells him she's not supposed to be there and that she's supposed to be dead. Picard allows Tasha to sit and is also disturbed that Guinan felt it necessary to give Yar that information, but Yar responds that she wanted to know. Picard tells Yar she doesn't belong on Enterprise -C. Tasha agrees, she says that Captain Garrett belongs there but she's dead. She then says there may be some logic in her request, which Picard angrily disagrees with, saying that, after he calms his voice, " There's no logic in this at all! Whether they succeed or not, the Enterprise -C will be destroyed. " Yar says that with someone skilled at tactical they might be able to make the difference in the conflict. It may only be seconds or minutes, but that could be the time it takes to change history. Yar says she didn't like the thought of dying for no real reason and that, knowing the risks that come with being a Starfleet officer, if she is to die being one, she wants that death to count for something.

Picard considers for a moment, and then simply and quietly, grants Yar permission to go. She stands, thanks Picard, and leaves the Enterprise -D for the last time.

Aboard the Enterprise -C, Castillo is making final preparations for departure, placing crewmembers at ops and conn , just as Tasha reports for duty at tactical. Incredulous, Castillo wants to know what she's doing and she tells Castillo about how Captain Picard approved her transfer request. Castillo tells Yar they're going back through the rift, into battle and not coming back. Yar says that's why she came. Quietly, Castillo then tells her he doesn't want her aboard, but Yar dares him to find someone in his crew better suited than her to do the job. Castillo knows she is right and welcomes Yar aboard the Enterprise -C. Starting to step away from her, he orders her to take her station. Yar does so as Castillo moves over and sits in the captain's chair…

Yar's history-changing moment

Act Five [ ]

Wesley reports three K'Vort -class battle cruisers are en route to intercept the two Enterprise s. Picard notes how the Klingons don't even bother to cloak themselves. Riker is surprised at their audacity, after the pasting they apparently gave the Klingons during a recent battle at Archer IV .

Picard nods, and then addresses the crew through the ship's intercom :

The battle is joined

The battle begins as the Klingon ships focus all of their firepower on the Enterprise -D, whose shields hold. Riker, manning the tactical station, reports photon torpedoes ready and Picard orders them fired using dispersal pattern Sierra. Data reports one enemy ship was hit with moderate shield damage. Another volley from the Klingons causes minor damage to the Enterprise 's secondary hull . As Picard orders a course change, Wesley reports one of the enemy ships is breaking off to attack the Enterprise -C. Picard tells Wesley to keep them within two hundred kilometers of the Enterprise -C, and Wesley turns course to intercept that Klingon ship, with Riker returning fire after the Klingons attack the Enterprise -C. La Forge reports from engineering that a starboard power coupling is down and antimatter containment fields suffered damage. Wesley reports the Klingon warships are flanking the ship in an attempt to draw them away from the Enterprise -C. Picard then orders continuous fire of all phaser banks.

The Enterprise fires its forward phasers…

… with deadly results

As the Enterprise begins to fire continuous phaser blasts against the Klingons, a focused attack breaks through the shields of one of the ships, destroying it in seconds; however, the remaining ships knock out the main sensor array and cause critical damage to the warp core . The shields collapse, and the containment field is failing. As La Forge works to shut down the warp core, plasma coolant leaks out of the core manifold and the warp core builds to overload, with La Forge unable to stop it; there are two minutes until a warp core breach .

Data reports on Picard's request that Enterprise -C is now fifty-two seconds from the rift.

The death of Will Riker

With his ship facing destruction, Picard orders all remaining power to defensive systems. Data reports power couplings have been severed in the main phaser banks and he cannot bypass. The Enterprise is hit again and Riker is killed when part of the tactical console explodes. The Klingons signal, demanding that the Enterprise surrender to them.

" That will be the day… "

" That will be the day " Picard sneers and leaps over the tactical rail, trying to fire the phasers himself. After several tries, the phasers fire on one of the Klingon ships, who respond by continuously firing on the Enterprise . Picard continues trying to fire as the bridge becomes engulfed in flames.

The Klingon ships relentlessly batter away at the Enterprise -D. As the ship is mere seconds away from being destroyed, the Enterprise -C makes it back through the rift.

The timeline is restored and Picard is standing on the bridge just as he was before the divergence, asking for a report. Worf reports that his sensor readings fluctuated and what appeared to be a ship has now vanished. Data reports the anomaly is closing in on itself. Picard then orders a class 1 probe left behind to monitor the rift's final closure. He then orders Wesley to set course for Archer IV . Just then, Guinan calls up and asks if everything is all right. Picard and Riker are surprised to hear her on the intercom. He then tells Guinan everything is fine and asks if there's anything wrong. In Ten Forward, Guinan says no, that nothing's wrong and she's sorry to have bothered them. She then smiles, and goes to a table and sits opposite from La Forge and asks…

Memorable quotes [ ]

" A warrior's drink! "

" Are you saying it is and yet it isn't there? "

" NCC-1701… C. USS… Enterprise. "

" Families. There should be children on this ship. " " What? Children on the Enterprise ? Guinan, we're at war! " " No we're not! At least we're not… supposed to be. This is not a ship of war. This is a ship of peace. "

" Is there any possibility she could survive? " " None, sir. " " Then sending them back… would be a death sentence. "

" Who is to say that this history is any less proper than the other? " " I suppose I am. " " Not good enough, damn it! Not good enough! I will not ask them to die! " " Forty billion people have already died! This war's not supposed to be happening! You've got to send those people back to correct this! " " And what is to guarantee that if they go back they will succeed? Every instinct is telling me this is wrong, it is dangerous, it is futile! " " We've known each other a long time. You have never known me to impose myself on anyone or take a stance based on trivial or whimsical perceptions. This timeline must not be allowed to continue. Now, I've told you what you must do. You have only your trust in me to help you decide to do it. "

" To be honest with you, Picard, a significant number of my crew members have expressed a desire to return even knowing the odds. Some because they can't bear to live without their loved ones, some because they don't like the idea of slipping out in the middle of a fight ."

" The war is going very badly for the Federation, far worse than is generally known. Starfleet Command believes that defeat is inevitable. Within six months, we may have no choice but to surrender. " " Are you saying all this may be a result of our arrival here? " " One more ship will make no difference in the here and now, but twenty-two years ago, one ship could have stopped this war before it started. "

" Mr. Castillo. " " Yes, Captain? " " Inform the crew we're going back. " " Yes, Captain. " " The Romulans will get a good fight. We'll make it one for the history books. " " I know you will, Captain. "

" But there's something more when you look at me, isn't there? I can see it in your eyes, Guinan. We've known each other too long. " " We weren't meant to know each other at all. At least, that's what I sense when I look at you. Tasha, you're not supposed to be here. "

" […] at least with someone at tactical, they will have a chance to defend themselves well. It may be a matter of seconds or minutes, but those could be the minutes that change history. Guinan says I died a senseless death in the other timeline. I didn't like the sound of that, Captain. I've always known the risks that come with a Starfleet uniform. If I'm to die in one, I'd like my death to count for something. "

" Attention all hands. As you know, we could outrun the Klingon vessels. But we must protect the Enterprise -C until she enters the temporal rift. And we must succeed! Let's make sure that history never forgets… the name… Enterprise . Picard out. "

" Federation ship Enterprise , surrender and prepare to be boarded. " " That will be the day. "

" Geordi, tell me about… Tasha Yar. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Writer's third draft spec script by Trent Christopher Ganino (to be named either "Yesterday's Enterprise" or " NCC-1701-C "): 15 April 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 18)
• Spec script received and logged in: 2 May 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 19 & 26)
• Spec script read by Co-Producer Richard Manning : 24 May 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 19)
• Script submission analysis by Andrew Davis : 21 August 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 26)
• Spec script recommended in memo from Michael Piller : 18 September 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 33)
• Piller requests deal memo to purchase story from "Yesterday's Enterprise" spec script: 26 September 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 34)
• One-page pitch memo from Michael Piller (referring to story as "Old Enterprise"): 3 October 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 35; [1] )
• Plot details suggested in one-page memo from David Livingston (referring to story as "Old Enterprise"): 9 October 1989 [2]
• First draft story outline by Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell : 10 October 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 39 & 45)
• Treatment distributed to TNG writing staff: 13 October 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 45)
• Second draft story outline by Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell: 29 October 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 47 & 53)
• Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell receive payment, in checks, for their story: 2 November 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 59)
• Third draft story outline by Ronald D. Moore : 9 November 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 54-55)
• Start of work on first draft script, by TNG writing staff, with each participant assigned a separate act: 23 November 1989 – 26 November 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 65)
• Beat sheet, by Ron Moore, and combining of acts of first draft script: 27 November 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 61 & 65)
• Partial first draft script, enabling preproduction to start: 30 November 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 65)
• Memo of script notes from Eric A. Stillwell, and "Technical Commentary" memo from Michael Okuda and Rick Sternbach : 1 December 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 66)
• Completion of first draft script, and preproduction meeting: 4 December 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 71)
• Piller recommends this episode, amongst others, in a memo to John Wentworth, president of Paramount's Network Television Publicity department: 7 December 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 91)
• Final draft script: 8 December 1989 [3]
• Principal photography: 11 December 1989 to 19 December 1989 (7 days) ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 71, 73, 77)
• Notice of Tentative Writing Credits memo from Eric A. Stillwell to Helen Phillips in Paramount's Business Affairs department: 21 December 1989 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 79)
• Notice of Tentative Writing Credits officially issued by Paramount: 3 January 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 80)
• Writers Guild of America objects to Trent Christopher Ganino and Eric A. Stillwell receiving "Story by" credit: 8 January 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 80)
• Stillwell calls WGA about repercussions: 9 January 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 81)
• Numerous phone calls, including between Piller and Business Affairs, as well as between Stillwell and WGA: 10 January 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 81)
• Paramount arranges for Stillwell and Ganino to receive "From a Story by" credit, but refuses to issue them a revised contract: 11 January 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 81)
• Stillwell receives phone call from Business Affairs about Paramount's decision: 12 January 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 81)
• Premiere airdate: 19 February 1990
• Piller recommends this episode but favors " The Offspring " in a memo to Rick Berman and Gene Roddenberry : 18 April 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 91-92)
• This episode is mentioned approvingly by David Livingston in one-page memo to Berman: 23 April 1990 [4]
• Replying to Piller in a memo of his own, Rick Berman favors this episode over "The Offspring": 8 May 1990 ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , p. 92)
• First UK airdate: 29 January 1992

Story development [ ]

• The original idea for "Yesterday's Enterprise" was generated by Trent Christopher Ganino and submitted to Paramount on 15 April 1989 , as a spec script submitted through the open submissions policy introduced by Michael Piller in that year. The document was logged in on 2 May 1989 , and was read by Richard Manning on 24 May 1989. ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 18 & 19) This original version featured the appearance of an Enterprise from the past in the TNG time period, and Picard having to face the resultant dilemma of whether to return the ship and its crew to their indigenous time period. In this version, the ship did not cause any changes in the future. Picard was forced to decide whether or not to reveal the crew's fate before sending them back. At this point, the captain of the past Enterprise was Richard Garrett, whose last name derived from a pizzeria in Ganino's hometown, San Jose. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (3rd ed., p. 116); The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 26-27)
• At the same time, following a conversation with Denise Crosby at a convention, Eric Stillwell developed a story (along with Ganino) that would allow Tasha Yar to return to the series after a two-year absence. In this pitch, drawing from classic Star Trek episodes " The City on the Edge of Forever ", " The Savage Curtain " and " Mirror, Mirror " – among others – a Vulcan science team would inadvertently cause the death of Surak , the founder of Vulcan philosophy , when a trip through the Guardian of Forever into Vulcan 's ancient past goes wrong. As a result, the Vulcan people would never become the logical race that is known in the Star Trek universe. Instead, a Vulcan race more akin to the Romulan Star Empire would be engaged in war against the other powers of the galaxy , including the remnants of the Federation. As part of this alteration, Tasha Yar would be present among the crew of the Enterprise -D. Ultimately, Ambassador Sarek , who was on board the Enterprise to greet the returning science team, would sacrifice himself by returning to the past and taking the place of Surak, thus restoring the correct timeline. ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 23, 29-32) Stillwell commented, " We thought it would be really cool that someone from the future would replace someone in the past, and I always thought it was funny that their names were so similar anyway. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (3rd ed., p. 117)) Although not used here, a similar theme went on to feature in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine third season episodes " Past Tense, Part I " and " Past Tense, Part II ", wherein Benjamin Sisko replaces historical figure Gabriel Bell .
• When Stillwell pitched this idea to Michael Piller, Piller suggested combining it with Ganino's "Yesterday's Enterprise " story – which had also developed a Tasha Yar element by this point, largely on the suggestion of Piller, who had also wanted to find a way of bringing the character back – with Ganino and Stillwell retaining joint story credit. The Vulcans were replaced by the Klingons, and the Sarek/Surak plotline replaced with the idea that Yar would fill an absence on board Enterprise -C after the death of a female Captain Garrett. The finished storyline treatment was largely as broadcast, with the exception of Guinan's presence in the episode (in the completed pitch, an alien probe provided the crucial information about the timeline alteration). Some other minor plot points were lost between story and teleplay, including a Yar/Data subplot that was dropped, as Piller felt it was not the right arc for Yar's character. ( The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 34-46)
• Production on the episode was originally scheduled for January 1990 following the Christmas hiatus; however, with the introduction of Guinan into the episode, the filming schedule needed to be moved up in order to accommodate both Crosby and Whoopi Goldberg . As a result, the pitched storyline needed to be turned into a teleplay over the Thanksgiving weekend of 1989, prior to filming commencing on December 11. Four members of the writing staff – Ira Steven Behr , Ronald D. Moore , Hans Beimler and Richard Manning – divided the episode amongst themselves in order to get it completed on time. In particular, Moore was responsible for the Yar-Castillo romance. Behr noted that although the writers were unhappy about the timescale pressure and having to work over a holiday, they enjoyed the chance to write an episode far darker than had been done in the past, with a great deal more tension – something many of the staff had felt was lacking in the series. Michael Piller added a final polish to the script, but agreed to be omitted from the credit to meet Writer's Guild rules which allowed only four names. (" Flashback: Yesterday's Enterprise ", Star Trek Magazine issue 122 ; The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise , pp. 53-54, 65)
• Given the unusually rushed nature of the script, the writing staff were skeptical that the episode would work. Stillwell recalled, " Most of the writers were not very happy with the script. They thought it was going to be horrible, because they don't like having to write [something] and make it work in three days. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., pp. 116-117); Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission hardcover ed., p. 116)
• Eric Stillwell later released a book detailing the creation and production of the episode – The Making of Yesterday's Enterprise .

Production [ ]

Denise Crosby and Whoopi Goldberg between takes

• Ron Moore noted, " We brought Denise back to kill off Tasha Yar a second time. It was a great opportunity to send the character off in a big heroic sacrifice because nobody was really happy with the way she left the series in the first season . Nobody on the show really liked it, the fans didn't like it, I'm not sure even she really liked it. So 'Yesterday's Enterprise' was a chance to kill her right. " ( Chronicles from the Final Frontier , TNG Season 4 DVD special features)
• Time and budgetary constraints put an end to the much more gruesome climactic battle sequence that was originally envisaged in the script. The only death to survive to the broadcast episode is Riker's – others that were written but unfilmed included the decapitation of Wesley Crusher and the electrocution of Data . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 117))
• The transition effect seen as the timeline changed in the beginning of the episode was unscripted and only added in post-production. Originally, the change was accomplished merely by a cut, but it was felt that this was too confusing. However, due to the late nature of the change, the post-production staff neglected to add a corresponding transition effect as the timeline was reset at the end of the episode. ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 192)
• According to art department illustrator Rick Sternbach , the fatal shrapnel embedded into Captain Garrett's head was a wing from a VF-1 Valkyrie model kit from the Japanese animated series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross . [5] This was not the first time this particular model kit provided services for a Star Trek production; The same kit, in two different scales, provided parts for the production of both (the desktop model as well as the full-fledged filming model) studio models of the Constellation -class .
• Both Christopher McDonald and Tricia O'Neil were Star Trek fans before appearing in this episode. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 117))
• This was the second episode directed by David Carson . The first was " The Enemy ". Carson would later direct Star Trek Generations , which, coincidentally also introduced a past starship Enterprise (in that case the USS Enterprise -B ), featured the Enterprise -D battling and destroying a Klingon Bird-of-Prey , but suffering a coolant leak and a warp core breach in the process, and also featured the death of James T. Kirk .
• This is the last episode of the series to feature all nine of its original regular cast members. Denise Crosby and Wil Wheaton both appeared in subsequent Star Trek episodes and films, but never the same ones.
• Denise Crosby cited this as her favorite TNG episode, commenting, " It was a fantastic script and it really took me by surprise and I didn't see it coming! " ( SFX , issue 136, p. 028)
• The shooting script indicated that the voice heard over the com demanding the crew's surrender could be "possibly Worf" however in the episode the demand ended up being made by an unknown Klingon.
• This episode is the only on-screen depiction of an encounter between two different starships named Enterprise while both are active. Star Trek: Picard " The Bounty " would later show the USS Enterprise NX-01 and USS Enterprise -A on display together at the Fleet Museum , and " Võx " would show a restored USS Enterprise -D flying past the former, while all three would been seen docked together as museum ships in " The Last Generation ".

Alterations [ ]

• The sets and atmosphere of the Enterprise -D were given significant alterations to reflect the more warlike nature of the starship:

The alternate bridge

• The mid-level, covering the command deck and the ramp access to Tactical, was raised up to the same level as the "horseshoe" console – access to Conn and Ops was by a series of steps directly in front of the command position.
• The chairs at the command deck were removed, and replaced with a single command chair for Picard (to give his alter ego a sense of authority) and is mounted on a larger strut. As a result, Will Riker joined Tasha Yar at Tactical. The command deck would be raised again, albeit with all three command chairs intact (and not quite to the level of the horseshoe), for Star Trek Generations .
• The equipment lockers at either side of the set were replaced with additional displays, with two freestanding consoles located at the forward edges of the raised mid-level. Two similar consoles (as well as side stations) were introduced for Generations as well.
• A mesh grille was added to the underside of the tactical console.
• The set's ambient lighting was significantly reduced; the overhead lighting changed from a bright white to a dull blue.
• Ten Forward's back wall, usually adorned by a stylized sculpture, was replaced by a functional gray bulkhead, with the Enterprise registry details prominently displayed. Here, the ambient lighting was reversed from the change made to the bridge, being made significantly brighter.
• Picard's ready room received similar lighting treatment to the bridge. In addition, the accoutrements that were normally present – the Enterprise painting, the couch, the works of Shakespeare , the NCC-7100 model, and Livingston – were all removed, and replaced with status displays and tactical maps.
• The conference room set was cut in two to serve as two apparently different rooms – where Guinan confronts Picard for a second time, and where Castillo meets Picard, Riker, and Yar at the top of Act Four. Smaller versions of the conference room table were created, the Enterprise models removed, and a large tactical display added – in the first instance, at the "front" end of the set; in the second, along the back wall opposite the conference room windows.
• Main Engineering was also significantly darkened for its brief appearance towards the end of the episode, the lighting dominated by the warp core.
• The ambient noise aboard the ship was increased; consoles and displays were made much more audible, the usually unheard engines were made into a dull roar, intraship communications were general announcements, rather than direct hails person-to-person, and the door "swoosh" was made more audible and more reminiscent of the sound effect used in Star Trek: The Original Series .
• The darker atmosphere and metallic phaser belts are reminiscent of " Mirror, Mirror ".
• In contrast to captain's logs and stardates , the alternate timeline Picard records a military log using "combat dates." However, an okudagram on Picard's desk, seen shortly before Yar enters to ask for a transfer to the Enterprise -C, shows "Captain's log: Captain J-L Picard." No text of the log is visible, however, instead, simply several long strings of numbers are displayed.
• Red and yellow alert were not used, instead "battle alert" was used, followed by a "condition" which was either yellow or red.
• As opposed to the leisurely state of the Enterprise 's corridors in the normal timeline, those in the alternate timeline were consistently crowded and full of jostling personnel, many running from place to place.

Costumes [ ]

• The standard Starfleet uniform was also made more functional and military in design: the officers' uniform was changed to a band collar, instead of the usual wishbone collar of the ordinary design, and a black "cuff" was added to the end of the sleeves. The junior officers' uniform was largely unchanged. All personnel wore a stylized Sam Browne belt , with the Starfleet delta at the clasp, designed to carry a type 2 phaser prominently on the left hip. The officers' version omitted the double strap across the right shoulder and around the left flank.
• The uniforms used by the crew of the Enterprise -C were those employed by the original series movies , sans the collared undershirts and the Starfleet insignia belts. This version of the uniform would be reused with Jack R. Crusher in " Family ". The insignia pins now doubled as combadges , and the type 2 phaser from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was used as the standard sidearm.
• One of the silver belt harnesses was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [6]
• Composer Dennis McCarthy cited the score for this episode as his favorite score. Much of the score was performed by a contemporary orchestra with electronics sparingly used to speak for the time vortex. ("Dennis McCarthy – Music for the Stars", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 14 , p. 6)

Continuity [ ]

LeVar Burton wears the incorrect uniform costume in the closing scene

• "Yesterday's Enterprise" marks the return of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar to TNG after Yar's death in " Skin Of Evil " (Crosby's last episode filmed was " Symbiosis ", which aired before "Skin Of Evil"). The events of the episode allowed her to return as Sela , in the " Redemption " and " Redemption II " episodes (as well as later in " Unification II ").
• Tricia O'Neil returned to TNG as the Klingon Kurak in " Suspicions ". She also guest-starred in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Cardassian Obsidian Order operative Korinas in " Defiant ". That episode was also written by Ronald D. Moore.
• Picard addresses Riker as "commander" in the alternate timeline, instead of the usual "Number One", revealing Picard and Riker to be on less friendly terms with one another than in the main timeline. Ronald D. Moore remarked, " This was just another nuance we threw in to show the differences between "our" reality and the darker alternate reality. " ( AOL chat , 1997 ) Elsewhere, Moore commented, " [I]t was a lot of fun to… see Picard biting Riker's head off. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 192)
• Yar tells Castillo that she has been serving on the Enterprise for four years, implying that in the alternate universe the Enterprise -D has been in service longer than its counterpart by at least a year. She also tells him that the Enterprise was the first Galaxy -class warship.
• Castillo mentions that Federation had been negotiating a peace treaty with the Klingon Empire at the time of the Narendra III attack, though Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country later established that a peace treaty had been established over fifty years earlier .
• When Yar is telling Castillo the specifications of the Galaxy -class starships, the loudspeaker in the background is calling for a "Lieutenant Barrett". This is a reference to Majel Barrett , voice of the computer and the actress who portrayed Lwaxana Troi . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 117)) Also, in the scene where Picard and Garrett meet in sickbay, a call for Dr. Selar can be heard.
• The beginning of the episode, during the normal timeline, saw the introduction of Worf to prune juice , which became his drink of choice. The German synchronization mistakenly translated it to Johannisbeersaft – currant juice. Later on in the series and on Deep Space Nine the correct word Pflaumensaft is used.
• This episode is one of only a very few where Guinan is seen on the bridge.
• At the end of the episode when Geordi La Forge is talking to Guinan, La Forge is still in the alternate uniform.
• The Enterprise -C personnel wear a late variant of the Starfleet uniforms introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with the belt and the undershirt removed and the Starfleet Insignia badge modified into a combadge .
• A computer display in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II " established that the planet Archer IV referenced in this episode was named for Jonathan Archer . Archer and his crew surveyed this planet in ENT : " Strange New World ".

Reception [ ]

• The original airing of "Yesterday's Enterprise" earned ratings of 13.1 million viewers – the third highest of the series. ( "Flashback: Yesterday's Enterprise ", Star Trek Magazine issue 122 )
• Rick Berman cites this episode along with " The Measure Of A Man " as one of his favorites. ( TNG Season 3 DVD )
• Michael Piller remarked, " That was a classic episode. I never met Denise Crosby in person, but I am sure an admirer. She did a great job for us. That's just about as neat a show as we could do. It was as entertaining and unique a time travel show as you'll ever see. I don't know that there was a better episode third season . Hell, Picard sends 500 [sic] people back to their death on the word of the bartender. Come on, that's hard. I was very happy with it and, frankly, I give the credit to the director and the cast and the people who post-produced it. The script was not one of the best scripts we wrote that season. Conceptually, it was marvelous, coming out of the heads of some people here… There are little holes in the episode that we couldn't fix. It was such a complicated and fascinating premise, but it was ultimately the character material that really made everybody proud. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 192)
• Jonathan Frakes admitted, " To this day I do not understand 'Yesterday's Enterprise'. I do not know what the fuck happened in that episode. I'm still trying to understand it – but I liked the look. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 192)
• Roberto Orci cited this episode as a primary inspiration for the screenplay of Star Trek . [7]
• Director David Carson cites this episode as one of his favorite episodes. Due to time pressure he also took part in the concept meetings for this episode. ( The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 19 , pp. 32-33)
• A mission report for this episode by Will Murray was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 13 , pp. 15-18.
• TV Guide ranked this as the seventh best Star Trek episode for their celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary. ( TV Guide August 24, 1996 issue)

Awards and honors [ ]

• This episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and was also nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) ( Dennis McCarthy ).
• The episode was voted the most popular episode of the series on six separate occasions – by Starlog readers in 1993 and by a viewer poll in 1994, and was voted as the most popular episode of all-time by UK Trek fans in 1996. The US publication TV Guide listed it as one of its top five all-time Trek classics in 1996 and again in 2002. Entertainment Weekly also ranked it as the #1 episode on their list of "The Top 10 Episodes" to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation . [8]
• The episode was featured in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Viewers Choice Marathon in May 1994 , at #3 in the countdown.
• The book Star Trek 101 (p. 72), by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block , lists this episode as one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Apocrypha [ ]

• Diane Duane used this episode, along with The Mirror Universe Saga , as a guide in describing the ISS Enterprise -D in her novel Dark Mirror .
• The novel Q-Squared establishes that in the military timeline from this episode, Deanna Troi's absence from the Enterprise was due to the Betazoids being wiped out by the Klingons. The novel also features another variation of the military universe where the Enterprise only discovered the Enterprise -C after the entire crew had already perished – life support having failed and the crew dying over a day before the Enterprise -D arrived in the area – and so Picard simply orders the ship's destruction. This timeline subsequently becomes caught up in the latest scheme of Trelane to merge three timelines together, the final temporal amalgamation resulting in Trelane manipulating the minds of Picard and Riker in the military timeline to escalate their desire for violence to attack other versions of the crew. As the crisis concludes, Picard and Riker are dead and an alternate version of Data has become trapped in this timeline (the other Data being a "human-oid" of a positronic brain in an organic body).
• The novel Engines of Destiny establishes that, because Guinan left an echo of herself inside the Nexus , she has a perception into various timelines and universes giving an explanation as to how she knew the timeline had been altered in this episode and the repercussions of the events in this episode seen later in TNG : " Redemption II ".
• A very similar, if not almost identical, timeline appeared in the novel Q&A , in which the Enterprise -E had still been built, but where the Klingons had completely destroyed the Federation. Picard was the only known Human left after his entire crew had been killed, and he was chained to the bottom of his command chair as a sort of trophy of war for General Worf, the commander of this ship.
• During the third anniversary of Star Trek Online , a new mission, "Temporal Ambassador", saw the Enterprise -C emerge (with Tasha Yar on board) in the year 2409 instead of 2344. The alternate timeline had continued, with the Federation losing the war but the Klingons in turn being conquered by the Dominion and the Tholian Assembly . The Enterprise was captured by the Tholians and its crew brought to a mining facility as slave laborers. With the player's help and the assistance of a future timeship , they managed to break captivity and return to 2344.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 32 , catalog number VHR 2552, 6 December 1991
• As part of the UK video collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition under the "Ensemble Cast" section, 29 September 1997
• As part of the UK video collection Star Trek - Greatest Battles : 16 November 1998
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 3.5 , catalog number VHR 4748, 3 July 2000
• As part of the TNG Season 3 DVD collection
• As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Time Travel and Star Trek: Fan Collective - Alternate Realities DVD collections
• As part of The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation DVD collection
• As part of the TNG Season 3 Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
• Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher

Guest Stars [ ]

• Denise Crosby as Natasha Yar
• Christopher McDonald as Richard Castillo
• Tricia O'Neil as Rachel Garrett

And Special Guest Star [ ]

• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan

Uncredited Co-Stars [ ]

• Arratia as Alfonse Pacelli
• Rachen Assapiomonwait as Nelson
• Majel Barrett as Computer Voice
• Joe Baumann as Garvey
• Karin Baxter as Enterprise -D operations ensign
• James G. Becker as Youngblood
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Kelly Burris as Fredericks
• Debbie David as Russell
• Carrie Crain as Ten Forward waitress
• B.J. Davis as Enterprise -D operations officer
• Jeremy Doyle as operations ensign
• Michele Gerren as Enterprise -D science officer
• Eben Ham as Enterprise -D operations ensign
• Casey Kono as operations ensign
• Mark Lentry as Enterprise -D science officer
• Debbie Marsh as Enterprise -D command officer
• James McElroy as Enterprise -D command officer
• Lorine Mendell as Diana Giddings
• Keith Rayve as Enterprise -D command officer
• John Rice as Enterprise -D science officer
• Richard Sarstedt as Enterprise -D command officer
• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
• Command division officer
• Enterprise -C crewmember (voice)
• Female command division officer
• Female com officer (voice)
• Female operations division officer
• Female science division officer
• Klingon officer (voice)
• Male com officer (voice)
• Operations division officer
• Science division officer
• Security officer
• Six command division officers
• Three dead Enterprise -C bridge crew
• Four Enterprise -C bridge crew
• Three wounded Enterprise -C crew
• Ten Forward waiter
• Transporter officer (voice)
• Vulcan command division officer

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Donna Garrett as stunt double for Tricia O'Neil
• Dan Koko as stunt double for Jonathan Frakes

Stand-ins [ ]

• James G. Becker – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Jeffrey Deacon – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Wil Wheaton

References [ ]

2344 ; 2346 ; 2362 ; " a rough ride "; aft ; " all hands "; alternate timeline ; Ambassador -class ; analysis ; antimatter containment ; antimatter containment field ; Archer IV ; area ; arrival ; assault ; attack ; audio ; automated distress signal ; auxiliary fusion generator ; away team ; Barrett ; battle alert ; Battle of Narendra III ; battleship ; billion ; biography ; bow ; bridge crew ; briefing ; bypass ; Captain's ready room ; Castillo's family ; Castillo's mother ; catalyst ; casualty ; Cetacean Ops ; children ; choice ; class one sensor probe ; choice ; cloak; combat information center ; communications ; companionship ; condition yellow ; containment field generator three ; coolant leak ; coordinates ; course ; coward ; crew ; cruiser ; damage ; damage control team ; damage report ; day ; death ; death sentence ; deck ; defensive system ; deflector shield technology ; destination ; design ; discussion ; " dismissed "; dispersal pattern ; distress call ; distress signal ; Earth ; efficiency ; effect ; engineering ; El-Aurian ; electrolyte ; electrolyte report ; emergency shutdown ; emergency team ; emitter ; engine core ; era ; evacuation ; evasive maneuvers ; event ; event horizon ; eye ; facial expression ; family ; Federation ; Federation-Klingon War (alternate timeline) ; feeling ; firefight ; fleet formation briefing ; food replicator ; fracture ; Galaxy -class ; ghost ; gravimetric fluctuation ; hailing frequency ; heat dissipation rate ; here and now ; history ; history book ; home ; honor ; hour ; hull ; hull bearing strut ; hundred ; hypothesis ; idea ; information ; instinct ; intention ; intercept course ; internal injuries ; intuition ; job ; joke ; K'Vort -class ; Kim, Joshua ; Kerr loop ; kilometer ; kiss ; Klingons ; Klingon Bird-of-Prey ( Klingon battle cruisers , Klingon scout ); Klingon Empire ; knowledge ; liaison ; life sign ; light ; linear time ; logic ; long range scanner ; lunch ; main phaser bank ; main power coupling ; main shuttlebay ; main war room ; mission ; mister ; monitor station ; month ; name ; Narendra III ; navigational sensor array ; navigational subsystem ; NCC ; " now hear this "; Null-G ward ; object ; odds ; opinion ; Ops ; order ; outpost ; pathology ; patient ; peace treaty ; percent ; perception ; permission ; phaser bank ; phenomenon ; photon bank ; photon launcher ; photon torpedo ; power system ; probability ; prune juice ; radiation anomaly ; radiation pattern ; ration ; reactor core ; reason ; record ; red alert ; registry ; repairs ; result ; risk ; Romulans ; Romulan warbird (2340s) ; Romulan warbirds, Unnamed ; room ; salute ; secondary hull ; sector containing Narendra III ; Selar ; senior officer ; sensor ; shields ; ship of peace ; ship of war ; space ; space frame ; specification ; staff ; starbase ; Starbase 105 ; starboard ; starboard power coupling ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet uniform ; " stat "; statistics ; success ; superstring material ; surrender ; survival ; survivor ; symmetrical ; Tactical ; temporal rift ; " that will be the day "; thing ; Thomas ; thousand ; time ; time displacement ; time period ; timeline ; TKL rations ; torpedo bay ; torpedo launcher ; transfer ; transporter room ; triage team 2 ; tricordrazine ; troop ; trust ; variable ; voice message ; warp core breach ; warp drive ; warp field nacelle ; warbird, Romulan ; warrior ; warship ; warship, Romulan ; weapon system ; wisdom ; " with all due respect "; wormhole ; year

Library computer references [ ]

• Tactical situation monitor : Alfin-Bernado ; Alpha Ataru ; Alpha Carinae ; Alpha Shiro ; Altair III ; Andor ; Antares ; Babel ; Beta Reilley ; Beta Simmons ; Carson ; Chess-Wilson ; Delta Vega ; Denkia ; Denkir ; Eminiar ; Foster-D'Angelo ; Gamma Hydra ; Ganino ; Genovese's Star ; Iczerone Stimson ; Janus VI ; McKnight's Planet ; Memory Delta ; Memory Gamma ; Murasaki 312 ; Omicron Ceti ; Rigel ; Sigma Nesterowitz ; Stillwell ; Theta Bowles ; Theta Mees ; Tsugh Khaidnn

Unreferenced material [ ]

accelerator coil ; Archduke Ferdinand ; Bel-Zon ; engine control processor ; Sarajevo ; Station Salem Four

External links [ ]

• " Yesterday's Enterprise " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Yesterday's Enterprise " at Wikipedia
• "Yesterday's Enterprise" at StarTrek.com
• " Yesterday's Enterprise " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Yesterday's Enterprise" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

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Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E15 "Yesterday's Enterprise"

Edit locked.

"Military log, combat date 43625.2. While investigating an unusual radiation anomaly, the Enterprise has encountered what could almost be called a ghost from its own past – the Enterprise-C, the immediate predecessor to this battleship..." — Captain Picard ... but not the one we know.

Original air date: February 19, 1990

Guinan is introducing Worf to the wonders of prune juice when the Enterprise comes upon some sort of space-time disturbance. Suddenly, a ship emerges—the damaged USS Enterprise (NCC-1701- C ), displaced 22 years in time. And it has survivors.

Panning back to the bridge of the Enterprise -D, things are... different. The lighting is darker, the design a bit more sinister, the uniforms are more militaristic, everyone is armed, Wesley is a full member of Starfleet, and Tasha Yar is standing at the tactical station! Deanna is nowhere to be found, but Worf's absence is easily explained: the Federation has been at war with the Klingons for over 20 years, a war which they are now on the brink of losing. They desperately need any ship they can get, and the Enterprise -C, though badly damaged, looks repairable.

They bring the survivors on board, including the moderately injured Captain Garrett. She tells Picard and Dr. Crusher that they had been responding to a distress call from a Klingon outpost at Narendra III when they were set upon by four Romulan Warbirds and were moments from destruction when they fell into the rift. Picard laments that a Federation rescue of a Klingon base might have tipped Federation-Klingon relations toward peace and averted some 20 years of war.

Alone of the crew of the Enterprise , Guinan's Bizarre Alien Senses lead her to pick up on the shift in the timeline, though she cannot fully comprehend it; she just knows that something is off . She talks to Picard about it, but isn't able to give him anything more definite than that this isn't what's supposed to be happening, and she implores him to send the Enterprise -C back through the rift to where it belongs. Picard balks at sending 125 people into certain death based only on a few cryptic remarks. Guinan begs him to think of the stakes: saving the lives of 40 billion casualties of war.

Meanwhile, Tasha has been liaising with the acting second in command of the Enterprise -C, Lieutenant Junior Grade Richard Castillo, trying to get the older vessel combat-ready once more. The pair quickly develop some chemistry, but the disconcerting looks that Guinan keeps throwing at Tasha distract them a bit from their budding romance.

Picard commits to sending the Enterprise -C back to the past based on Guinan's intuition. Crusher and Geordi are incredulous that Guinan could know what she claims, but Data suspects that her species has a perception that goes beyond linear time. Riker, meanwhile, questions the logic of such the act, arguing that the Enterprise -C has no possible way of saving Narendra III and the only thing it would really accomplish is sending the crew to their deaths, but Data points out that the Klingons have an awful lot of respect for people who die in battle, and dying in the defense of the Klingon outpost would likely be seen as a very honorable act.

Picard speaks to Captain Garrett about his decision. Garrett would rather fight in the "here and now" than return to a lost cause, but Picard confesses that she'd be facing a losing battle either way: the Federation is mere months from surrender. Just one starship is not going make any impact in the present, but 22 years ago, one ship could stop the war before it starts.

Garrett agrees to return to her own time and begins preparations for a suicidal last stand. But before they can leave, the two ships are suddenly attacked by a passing Klingon Bird-of-Prey on a scouting mission. The Enterprise -C sustains some damage in the fight, resulting in Garrett getting killed by a piece of shrapnel, leaving Castillo in command. Castillo makes preparations to carry out the mission in her stead, and he and Tasha share a tender goodbye. Before the ship can depart, however, Tasha confronts Guinan about the looks, having apparently surmised that her fate in the alternate timeline is a dark one. Guinan admits that in the "correct" timeline, she died horribly and pointlessly . With this news, Tasha decides to transfer to the Enterprise -C and take her chances with the Romulans, where at least her death might make a difference. This couldn't possibly have any consequences down the road at all.

These alternate-timeline Klingons aren't going away, though, and as the Enterprise -C limps back towards the rift, three Birds-of-Prey attack. The Enterprise -D devotes itself wholly to defending its doomed predecessor, suffering major damage. Riker is killed in an explosion, and the Klingons demand the surrender of the ship. "That'll be the day," scoffs Picard, and he leaps into the tactical station to continues fighting to the very last. The Klingon ships batter away at the now-helpless Enterprise -D, and with a warp core breach imminent, it looks like the end for both ships. Just as the Enterprise -D is about to be destroyed, the Enterprise -C makes it into the rift...

Tropes in this episode include:

• Ambadassador : The Enterprise -C is Ambassador -class, and she and her crew are willing to give four Romulan warbirds a serious fight, even with it being a Heroic Sacrifice to strengthen the peace between The Federation and the Klingon Empire.
• Anyone Can Die : The best thing about an Alternate Timeline episode. Captain Garrett and Riker are both killed by Exploding Instrumentation , and planned deaths of more of the bridge crew were cut for time.
• As You Know : Somewhat averted when Riker says to Picard "If we lose antimatter containment—" and Picard cuts him off. Picard is well aware of what that means. Possibly justified in the heat of the moment, and Riker's Executive Officer role may well technically require him to interpret for the Captain statements from the Chief Engineer no matter how obvious to the Captain, considering the seriousness of the statement.
• Backstory Invader : Lampshaded; all the other crew remember Tasha as having been with them all along, but Guinan, who joined the ship after Tasha died, can't remember her previously existing, or at least feels that she shouldn't still exist.
• Bad Present : From the perspective of the main characters. As usual, it's a Bad Future from the POV of the Enterprise -C crew.
• Badass Boast : From Picard in the alternate timeline: "Let's make sure history never forgets ... the name ... Enterprise ."
• Boom, Headshot! : The means of Captain Garrett's demise on the Enterprise -C bridge; some Explosive Instrumentation sends a shard of shrapnel right into her forehead, and she Dies Wide Open , leaving Lt. Castillo in charge.
• Butterfly of Doom : The premise of the episode; the Enterprise -C turns out to be a very important cog in history indeed. Without a Heroic Sacrifice on the part of a Federation ship in defense of a Klingon outpost, and instead the apparent cowardice of the Enterprise -C in vanishing from the fight, negotiations between the two sides break down into a 22-year war.
• Call-Back : Worf's spiel about human females being too fragile for "companionship" is a call back to a nearly identical conversation he had back in the first season episode " Justice ", there with Commander Riker, but here with Guinan. It would be playfully revisited again later on in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
• Canned Orders over Loudspeaker : Heard when Guinan turns to find that Ten Forward has turned into a soldiers mess. Now hear this. Fleet formation briefing in main war room at fifteen hundred hours. Doctor Joshua Kim, report to Cetacean Ops. Ensign Thomas, please report to the Combat Information Center. Ensign Thomas to the CIC.
• Captain's Log : Picard gives his usual voiceover, but in the alternate timeline he's recording a "military log" and using "combat dates" rather than Stardates.
• Continuity Nod : In the alternate timeline, there's an intercom call for "Dr. Selar," the Vulcan member of Dr. Crusher's sickbay staff last seen in " The Schizoid Man ."
• Costume Evolution : As one of many signs something is wrong, the Starfleet uniforms have a higher black collar, black cuffs on the sleeves and a white belt with the Starfleet insignia on it.
• The Ambassador -class Enterprise -C. Notable in that the Ambassador only made three other appearances in the franchise and it remains an extremely popular ship in the fandom.
• The K'vort -class battlecruiser. Basically a classic Bird-of-Prey on steroids, and powerful enough to give two Enterprise s some serious trouble.
• The Chains of Commanding : It's subtle, but alternate timeline Picard has just a few deeper wrinkles than he does normally, showing the stress of being a warship captain in such a long war.
• Critical Staffing Shortage : Riker points out that if the Enterprise -C goes back, Lt. Castillo will have "limited support from Ops, no Tactical support, reduced staff in Engineering ..." before Castillo cuts him off.
• Picard, given the order to surrender to the Klingons, spits out a "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner , vaults over the Tactical rail to man Riker's empty station, and continues attempting to fire the phasers as the bridge catches fire around him.
• The surviving Enterprise -C crew go on to embody this trope offscreen when they return to 2344, fighting the Romulans over Narendra III until the ship is destroyed and they're all either killed or taken prisoner.
• Dramatic Irony : In the alternate timeline, Geordi talks to Crusher, after the briefing to send the Enterprise -C back, about how they have no way of knowing whether any of them are even alive in the original timeline. Tasha is behind them as they walk. The audience knows that Tasha is not alive in the original timeline. Geordi's words obviously stick with Tasha and spur her to ask Guinan about her fate.
• Dying Moment of Awesome : The Enterprise -C is destroyed in defense of a Klingon colony, despite the Federation and the Klingon Empire being hostile to one another at the time. In doing so they prove to the Klingons that valor and integrity are core parts of The Federation 's ideals, leading the two governments to reconcile and become True Companions , preventing a war that would have lasted 22 years and saving 40 billion lives . Never forget the name Enterprise indeed.
• Dynamic Akimbo : Picard puts his hands on his hips on the Bridge. Perhaps he got the habit from Captain Janeway in this timeline?
• Expendable Alternate Universe : Discussed. Guinan: I can't explain it to myself so I can't explain it to you. I only know that I'm right. Picard: Who is to say that this history is any less proper than the other? Guinan: I suppose I am. Picard: Not good enough, dammit! Not good enough! I will not ask them to die! Guinan: Forty billion people have already died! This war is not supposed to be happening ! You've got to send those people back to correct this!
• "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner : The Enterprise -D is crippled, with no chance of winning the battle. The Klingons order the Enterprise to surrender. Captain Picard: That'll be the day.
• Fix Fic : Denise Crosby left the series unexpectedly while the first season was being filmed, which meant Tasha Yar had to be written out. Yar's demise in " Skin of Evil " was intentionally written as abrupt and pointless to highlight life's cruel realities, but it didn't sit well with fans. When Crosby returned for this episode, the writers got a chance to give her a more heroic death.
• The original fate of the Enterprise -C, fighting four Romulan warbirds in defense of a Klingon colony before the Klingons and Federation were allies. Giving their lives in a doomed attempt to answer the colony's distress call was (as Data pointed out) an act of courage and honor so impressive that it made the Klingon Empire reconsider their decades of hostility towards the Federation.
• The fate of the bad future 's Enterprise -D. To help the Enterprise -C reach the time portal, she and her crew stand between them and three Klingon battle cruisers.
• Hold the Line : The Enterprise -D has to hold off three Klingon Birds of Prey long enough for the Enterprise -C to re-enter the temporal rift and reset history. Similarly, the Enterprise -C has to last long enough in the Battle of Narendra III to prove to the Klingons that the Federation can become True Companions .
• With the storyline of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country coming out a year later, and the destruction of Praxis in 2293 happening before the point of divergence of the normal timeline and the Bad Future , in theory the Klingon Empire should have been crippled at this point and in no way able to fight a sustained conflict against the United Federation of Planets, and certainly not one where the Klingons are winning so much that Starfleet is considering surrendering. It's possible that the Khitomer Accords led to the Federation helping the Klingon Empire back up on their feet before relations degraded again to the point of war when the attack on Narendra III happened, making it an unwitting case of Nice Job Breaking It, Hero .
• Given that the premise involves the prior twenty years of history to be drastically different, with the Federation entangled in a decades-long war, it's highly improbable that any of the original crew would have ended up on the Enterprise -D, and especially unlikely that more than one or at most two would have. Instead, with the exception of Worf's swap with Yar (due to the Klingon war), and Troi's absence, everyone else is not only stationed on the same exact ship, but also in their exact same senior staff positions.
• It also seems very unlikely the overall design of the Enterprise -D's exterior would look the same, with all the very large windows, etc., since in the normal timeline, the -D was much like a luxury ship, whereas in the Bad Future , there would be a need for much more armour and fewer weak spots. Contrast her with the Defiant and the Enterprise -E, which were both designed to be much more combat-oriented in the face of the Borg and Dominion threats. Of course, the simple answer is that the producers didn't want to make a whole new Enterprise -D model for part of a single episode.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall : When Tasha decides that she wants a death that will count for something, it's easy to see it as acknowledging the Fix Fic nature of the scene in giving the character a more heroic exit than the "senseless" death the writers originally gave her.
• Little "No" : Guinan says this when the Negative Space Wedgie appears, a few minutes before the timeline is altered.
• Mars Wants Chocolate : Klingons want prune juice. After all, it is a warrior's drink.
• Mildly Military : The fact that this trope is averted is one of the earliest indicators to the audience that something is off. All of the crew carry phasers aboard the ship, the lighting is dimmed for a darker mood, the ramp leading to the back of the bridge has been replaced with steps, there are fewer chairs on the Bridge for officers to lounge in ( Riker now stands behind the railing instead of sitting at the Captain's side), the replicators produce standardized military rations, the ship doesn't have a counselor on the bridge—Troi doesn't appear in the Bad Future at all—and the Enterprise is even repeatedly referred to as a "battleship" instead of a "starship". The Enterprise -C, meanwhile, is referred to as a cruiser. Even the uniforms are slightly different, now having a closed collar to make the final frontier just that little bit less friendly .
• Mundane Made Awesome : Worf is quite taken by prune juice and proclaims it "a warrior's drink!"
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling : Guinan senses that something's wrong when the Negative Space Wedgie first appears, and it gets worse when the timeline changes. It also flares up whenever she's near Tasha, since the latter's supposed to be dead.
• Mythology Gag : According to Ronald D. Moore, Worf's fondness for prune juice was inspired by John M. Ford's The Final Reflection . Ford's pre-TNG take on the Klingons, among other things, had established that they loved fruit juices. Moore adored that little world-building detail and decided to incorporate it into the script and formally canonize it.
• The Needs of the Many : The Enterprise -C must return to prevent a war which kills billions . Though they know they will likely die, their deaths will prevent a long and costly war.
• There Are No Therapists : Since the alternate-reality Enterprise-D is a warship above all else, Troi is nowhere to be seen. If she is on the ship, she's apparently not seen as necessary on the bridge and consigned to a less prominent role.
• Negative Space Wedgie : Apparently caused or exacerbated by all the weapons discharges during the Battle of Narendra III.
• No Time to Explain : Riker resorts to this because he doesn't want to mess with the timeline by explaining to Captain Garrett they're from the future. Garrett orders him to explain now .
• Oh, Crap! : La Forge delivers a well-warranted one. Doubly warranted if you consider that the Enterprise 's plasma coolant is horrifically corrosive to organic matter. La Forge: Coolant leak! Bridge, we've got a coolant leak in the engine core! I can't shut it down; I estimate two minutes until a warp core breach!
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business : The stress of a twenty-year war is shown in Picard's abrupt manner and his terse interaction with Riker.
• One-Way Trip : After discussing things with Picard, Garret and then Castillo agree to take Enterprise -C back into a confrontation they would likely die in if it means averting a war today.
• Out of Focus : Given that there's not much use for a ship's counselor on the bridge of a war ship, Troi is completely absent from the bulk of the episode, She's only appears in the two short bridge scenes on the "regular" Enterprise —one before and one after the main plot of the episode—and has no dialogue. Worf makes up for his general absence by getting focus in the first and final scenes.
• Red Alert : Picard orders a "Battle Alert — Condition Yellow" when told there are Klingons in the area, though the trope is played straight when the Klingons arrive.
• Reset-Button Suicide Mission : The Enterprise -D sacrifices itself to cover the return of the Enterprise -C back to its original time in order to prevent the alternate timeline it emerged into from occurring.
• Ripple Effect Indicator : Worf arrives on the bridge, and announces something strange on sensors. Time Ripple ensues, and we cut to Tasha Yar (having died previously on the show) on the bridge in Worf's place. Once the timeline is restored, Worf is back where he should be.
• Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory : Guinan only, and downplayed at that; she doesn't seem to know exactly what's wrong with the timeline ("I know it's the same bridge; I also know it's wrong !"), but she has a good idea of how to fix it. It also seems to apply to Guinan just being there in general, as she quickly notices that she doesn't really logically belong on the ship now or have a real purpose working on it. All of the civilian Ten-Forward staff are gone except for her, and her job at just seems to be replicating generic ration packs and handing them out — something everyone could easily do for themselves — yet she is still on board regardless. Perhaps Picard felt her advice was indispensable, which it definitely proves to be in solving the episode's central problem of what to do with the Enterprise -C and her crew.
• Sacrificial Lion : One for each space battle shown, Captain Garrett and Commander Riker . Even then, they both fall victim to flying debris from Explosive Instrumentation .
• Set Right What Once Went Wrong : The Enterprise -C's mission. The crew of the Enterprise -D set forth to help them and protect them until they can go back.
• Shout-Out : When the attacking Klingons order the Enterprise to surrender and prepare to be boarded: Picard: "That'll be the day."
• Subterfuge Judo : A small instance: When she is rescued from the Enterprise -C, Captain Garrett is taken to sickbay to be treated. She notices how advanced it is, even for a starbase. Dr. Crusher tries to calm her down with her bedside manner, but Garrett insists on an explanation, forcing Picard to reveal that the Enterprise-C crew have traveled 22 years into the future.
• Trademark Favorite Food : This episode is the origin of Worf's passion for prune juice, which he describes as "a warrior's drink." The trope continues into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
• Yar reading off the registry data in the final line of the cold open: Yar: It's clearing now, Captain. Definitely a Federation starship. Accessing registry. [...] NCC-1701-C. [ Picard and Riker turn to stare at Yar, who looks up to stare at the main viewscreen ] Yar: ... U.S.S. Enterprise .
• Picard's summation of the ongoing war: Picard: The war is going very badly for the Federation; far worse than is generally known. Starfleet Command believes defeat is inevitable. Within six months, we may have no choice but to surrender.
• Wham Shot : Tasha Yar? Alive? Okay, something weird is going on here.
• What You Are in the Dark : Inverted. If the Enterprise -D is successful in helping the Enterprise -C return to their time, the crew of the Enterprise -D will have no idea what they did and what it meant for the Federation. They still do it, because it's the right thing to do. Although, back in the fixed timeline, Guinan knows and later tells Picard.
• With All Due Respect : Riker to Picard in regards to sending the Enterprise -C back through time to correct the past that altered the present. Riker: With all due respect, sir, you'd be asking 125 people to die a meaningless death.
• You Are in Command Now : Lt. Castillo, the only remaining bridge officer, takes command of the Enterprise -C after Captain Garrett is killed.
• You Have to Believe Me! : Picard's relationship with Guinan is strong enough for him to listen to what she's saying, but it doesn't help that Guinan only has her Gut Feeling that things are wrong.
• The Enterprise -D's Heroic Sacrifice to allow the Enterprise -C to get back to her own time. Captain Picard: Attention all hands. As You Know , we could outrun the Klingon vessels. But we must protect the Enterprise -C until she enters the temporal rift. And we must succeed. Let's make sure history never forgets ... the name ... Enterprise . Picard out.
• And of course, once the timeline is restored, the final fate of the Enterprise -C, destroyed after taking on four Romulan warbirds in defense of a Klingon colony. Never forget the name Enterprise , indeed.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E14 "A Matter of Perspective"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E16 "The Offspring"

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Prune juice

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Prune juice was an Earth beverage , made from the juice of prunes, a variety of plum. It is noted for being rich in fiber.

Admiral Luther Whitetree offered prune juice to Klingon Captain Krenn while visiting the Federation , though he quickly thought better of it, noting that the Medical Corps would object. ( TOS novel : The Final Reflection )

Guinan introduced Worf to prune juice in 2366 . He pronounced it "a warrior's drink," and it thereafter became a favorite drink of his, on both the USS Enterprise and Deep Space 9 . ( TNG episode : " Yesterday's Enterprise " DS9 episode : " The Way of the Warrior ", et. al.)

Jadzia Dax began to drink prune juice based on Worf's recommendation. Dax disliked it at first, but thought she might come to like it. ( DS9 novel : The Heart of the Warrior )

By 2380 , prune juice had become the largest export from Earth to the Klingon Empire. ( TNG novel : Q & A )

Connections [ ]

• Prune juice article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• Prune juice article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .

A Short History Of Klingon Bloodwine In The Star Trek Universe

This post contains  spoilers for the season 2 premiere of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." 

Klingons have one of the most interesting cultures in "Star Trek," and like many cultures, theirs has a heavy emphasis on food and drink, particularly bloodwine. Bloodwine has been the Klingon beverage of choice for as long as there have been Klingons in "Star Trek," (unless you're Michael Dorn's Worf, of course, and you prefer prune juice), but it's still a tiny bit mysterious to non-Klingon drinkers and it apparently packs quite a punch.

In the season 2 premiere of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," both La'an (Christina Chong) and Spock (Ethan Peck) drink bloodwine in order to appeal to the Klingons for diplomatic reasons, with some pretty entertaining results. But what is bloodwine, exactly? Is it simply that — wine made from blood? And how strong is it? Turns out, "Star Trek" episodes throughout the franchise have answered most (if not all) of fans' questions about the beloved alien beverage. 

According to the 1999 official "Star Trek" cookbook, bloodwine is made with fermented blood and sugar. That makes it closer to blood rum , really, which explains why it is notoriously strong. The drink has been a part of "Star Trek" lore for decades, so let's dig into the history of this potent potable and try to figure out why some non-Klingons seem to love it and others don't fare as well.

Wine made for warriors

Most of what we know about bloodwine comes from episodes of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and "Star Trek: Voyager." The drink occasionally appears or is referenced in the other shows, but "Deep Space Nine" and "Next Generation" in particular had lots of the bloody beverage because of the first Klingon Starfleet officer, Worf (Michael Dorn) . In fact, bloodwine first appeared in season 2, episode 8 of "Next Generation," "A Matter of Honor," an episode in which Worf's brother Kurn (Tony Todd) asks him to perform a Klingon ritual suicide. It would appear most often in "Deep Space Nine," as the Klingons are featured heavily, first as antagonists under the influence of a Changeling pretending to be General Martok (J.G. Hertzler) and then as allies in the fight against the Changelings and the rest of the Dominion. 

Martok and Worf would even discuss their favorite vintages (2309 was apparently a very good year for bloodwine) and Worf reveals that he likes his bloodwine "very young and very sweet" in episodes of "Deep Space Nine." Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) brought a barrel of bloodwine with her when she served alongside Worf and Martok on a mission into Dominion territory, ingratiating her to the Klingon crew in record time. In the season 2 premiere of "Strange New Worlds," Spock and La'an both chug some of the drink to do the very same thing, to slightly different effect.

One heck of a hangover

So what do the non-Klingon bloodwine drinkers have to say about the beverage? While undercover aboard a Klingon ship, shapeshifter Odo (René Auberjonois) said that "except for the taste ... it's not that bad." Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) of the U.S.S. Cerritos is complimentary of the beverage and gets plastered on the stuff with a cartoon Martok. In "Strange New Worlds," La'an sits and has a drinking contest with several different individuals, managing to put back mug after mug of bloodwine without spewing or passing out, which is pretty impressive but makes sense given her heritage. After all, she's related to Khan Noonien Singh , the genetically engineered superhuman who became an authoritarian dictator on Earth before being put into stasis, so it's entirely likely that she has some better-than-average resistance to toxins, including alcohol. It's also possible that she's just a total badass, so who knows?

Spock, on the other hand, has a few mugs of the stuff with his new Klingon comrades, proving himself to the warriors and earning their trust by handling the potent beverage. Vulcans are stronger and faster than humans, but it seems like they're not that much better at holding their booze, as Spock has a horrible hangover the next day when he goes through his debriefing. Oh well, it was worth it to avoid an intergalactic incident! I just want to know why they don't have hangover cures in the 23rd century — they have teleporters and warp-speed travel but all they can offer for hangovers is some aspirin and a "live long and prosper"? C'mon.

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Published Apr 1, 2017

First Look: Kahless Brand Warrior Energy Drink

Our only question is, What took so long? Ever since " Yesterday's Enterprise ," when Guinan introduced Worf to prune juice in Ten Forward, with the Klingon even deeming it "a warrior's drink," it seemed only a matter of time before some actually produced a licensed Star Trek /Klingon prune juice product. After all, there are official Star Trek beers and wines, right? Well, that day has finally arrived. StarTrek.com is pleased to present an exclusive First Look at Kahless Brand: Warrior Energy Drink, set to arrive in stores worldwide second quarter 2017.

According to Kahless Brand, their Warrior Energy Drink provides "Honor: on the GO!" And it features, as the bottle's label boasts, "pipius claw for vitamins, heart of targ for minerals and prune juice for that get up and GO!!!!"

Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for product release details. And in the meantime, Qapla!

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Star Trek: Things You Didn’t Know About Worf

Even longtime Star Trek fans may be unaware of some of these facts concerning Worf.

Humanizing the bad guy isn't easy, but some great writing, a stellar performance by Michael Dorn, and some Star Trek magic made the Klingons likable. After decades of portraying Klingons as the foils to the benevolent Federation, the bane of Starfleet, and even inherently evil, Star Trek came of age and started to take a more nuanced view of other races in the galaxy.

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Worf is one of the most distinctive characters in Star Trek, and most viewers can identify him no matter what show they're watching. He appears in a few, with The Next Generation as the first step in a long career that includes the classic movies with the cast from The Original Series, several Deep Space 9 episodes, and various other properties in the Star Trek IP.

6 House Of Martok

One of Worf's many titles was "Of The House of Martok," but he wasn't born into this house. The head of this house, Martok, was not of noble birth himself but had earned the title because of his distinguished military career. He used his position of power to elevate those that he deemed worthy of a similar honor, and that was the main motivation behind offering Worf a place in his house.

This was related to the period when Worf was serving as commander aboard the IKS Rotarran during the Domnion War at General Martok's side. The General was impressed by Worf and his battle prowess and intelligent planning on several occasions.

Worf's invitation to the House of Martok made perfect sense, but it had a domino effect that would lead to some drama later when the new addition to the family decided to marry Jazida Dax, a Trill. The matron of the House of Martok had some misgivings about the marriage, and the Deep Space Nine episode "You Are Cordially Invited" explores the details of that particular story.

5 Rokeg Blood Pie

It's common knowledge that Worf was raised in two different cultures, first by his biological Klingon family and then by humans. The result has been a varied and often odd taste in cuisine, such as Worf's affinity for prune juice and his favorite dish of all time, the Klingon delicacy Rokeg Blood Pie.

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Of course, a Klingon dish would contain blood, and for a human, it isn't even that strange, but not for those of the vegetarian persuasion or just the squeamish in general. There are recipes on Earth for blood pudding in several Terran cultures. Worf's human mother cooked up her own variation for her adoptive son.

There are several versions of Rokeg Blood Pie people have and can make in real life, so there might be a non-animal-product version out there somewhere. They include ingredients like heavy cream, nutmeg, onions, and the main ingredient, which is often pig's blood, stands in for the blood of a Targ.

4 Sang Klingon Operas

Most people are surprised that Klingons even have something as romantic as operas in their stoic, warlike culture, but the fact is that this is a very demonstrative race when it comes to certain passions when it comes to both love and war. Opera is also a perfect medium for Klingon entertainment, especially the old-school ones about epic and often fantastic deaths and battles.

Worf was shy about his love of opera, especially since he liked to sing it, but he had some decent talent and did it anyway. He and Ezri Dax had a moment of connection when she tries to guess what opera he was singing while stranded in an escape pod during the events of the DS9 episode, "Penumbra."

3 The Art Of Mok'bara

Mok'bara is a martial art as well as a form of meditation that is said to calm the nerves and clear the mind. This might seem contradictory to a non-Klingon mind but it makes perfect sense to Worf, which is why he was a master of the art and taught those who wanted to learn. His classes on the USS Enterprise included most of the command crew, including Deanna Troi, William Riker, and Beverly Crusher.

RELATED: Star Trek: Things You Didn’t Know About Warp Travel

Several moves in Mok'bara resemble Tai chi chuan, a martial art that originated in China. Riker demonstrated a few similar moves in the TNG episode, "Second Chances." There's also a Vulcan martial art called Sha'mura that's similar but has evolved to be less about combat and more about relaxation and exercise.

2 Kindred Warriors

One of Worf's first real friends aboard the USS Enterprise in The Next Generation was the head of security, Natasha Yar. After she passed away, the holographic message she left behind described him as a "kindred spirit" in the sense that they were both orphaned as children and grew up to be warriors.

The two of them had a few meaningful interactions before her absence compelled him to take over her job. It was a promotion, and one that integrated him more deeply into human society, but it was still apparent that Yar's death had a profound effect on him.

1 Has Allergies To Cats

Most of the characters on the Enterprise interacted with Data's cat Spot a few times, either while they were visiting Data or babysitting the cat themselves. As is the way with felines, Spot was particular about the humans she liked. She adored Reginald Barclay but despised Riker , just to give some arbitrary examples that cat owners will understand.

Worf had another, more unique distinction. He was one of the few that she didn't seem to have strong feelings about either way, and he was also allergic to her. Spot was unlike other cats in the sense that she had always lived in space, but that didn't stop her from having this common effect on Worf.

MORE: Star Trek Picard: Things The Series Changed About The Starfleet Admiral