- The crew of the Enterprise must race against various rival powers to uncover an archaeological secret that explains the predominance of humanoid life forms in the galaxy.
- Whilst on a mission to observe the development of protostars in the Volterra Nebula, Captain Picard is visited by his old Academy archaeology mentor, Professor Galen, who invites Picard to join him on a long expedition he claims to be of great historical importance. Upon being refused again in favor of fleet duty, Galen goes alone, but his shuttle is captured by Yridians, who sell his vital findings, which Data, La Forge and Crusher help decipher, revealing an incredible DNA sequence, common to at least nineteen independent sentient life forms. As it turns out, it was sold to the Klingons and Cardassians too, who arrive simultaneously at the planet, from where they suspect the common source, which included a hidden 'program', originated. Yet this setting holds further surprises from still other races.—KGF Vissers
- Whilst on a mission to observe the development of Protostars in the Volterra Nebula, Captain Picard is visited by his old Academy archaeology mentor, Professor Galen (Norman Lloyd), who invites Picard to join him on a long expedition (for 3 months, up to a year) he claims to be of great historical importance (with origins in the field of micro-Palaeontology).
Upon being refused again in favor of fleet duty, Galen goes alone. He is severely pained at rejection from Picard and says that he is rejecting the chance of a discovery for a lifetime. Galen's shuttle is captured by Yridians. Before the Enterprise arrives, the Yridians board Galen's shuttle and kill him. Picard orders mild phaser fire, but the Yridian ship explodes. Beverly pronounces Galen dead when he is beamed on board the Enterprise.
The Yridians sell Galen's vital findings, which Data, La Forge and Crusher help decipher. By restoring them from the damaged memory banks of Galen's shuttle. Picard finds that Galen visited an unexplored system called Ruah IV before being killed by the Yridians and orders the Enterprise there. Ruah has a Proto-hominid life-form, but nothing else. Picard remembers that Galen got to Ruah IV by making a stopover at Indri VIII, which is an L class planet and only support plant life. No animal life whatsoever. At Indri VIII, Enterprise finds all plant life on the planet being destroyed by a global plasma reaction, which cannot be stopped.
Data & Geordi work on Galen's files reveals 19 blocks of coded numbers, which basically represent an incredible DNA sequence, common to at least nineteen independent sentient life forms. These lifeforms are scattered all over the galaxy and it is astonishing that the DNA sequences are so chemically "identical" in nature. They link the DNA fragments at their common protein links and Geordi starts to see an algorithm coded at a molecular level. One DNA strand has been in every human who ever existed. The algorithm must have been written almost 4 Bn years ago. But it still has pieces missing. And Picard suspects one of the pieces was on Indri VIII. He orders to check for compatible protein combinations from all non-federation planet inhabitants on board the Enterprise.
Picard remembers that Galen visited the Kurl system before coming to the Enterprise. Loren III is the only inhabited planet in that system and its DNA sample is not in the Galen files. As it turns out, it was sold to the Klingons, who are led by Captain Nu'Daq (John Cothran) and Cardassians led by Gul Ocett (Linda Thorson). Both the Klingons and Cardassians arrive simultaneously at the planet, from where they suspect the common source, which included a hidden 'program', originated. Ocett has the sample from Loren III and Nu'Daq admits he has the sample from Indri VIII. They combine their samples and find that there is one strand still missing.
Picard orders Beverly and Data to run a computer analysis to see a pattern between the available DNA strands and the star locations 4 Bn years ago (of the planet where those samples were found). According to the analysis the missing fragment should come from the Rahm-Izad system. As soon as this is found, Ocett beams back to her ship and it fires on Enterprise and the Klingons to disable their propulsion drives. But Picard had already anticipated this and allows Ocett to think she has disabled his ship.
Turns out Rahm-Izad was the wrong planet. Enterprise heads for the Vilmoran system. But Ocett gets there as well, along with the Romulans who had been tracking Galen under cloak. Picard gets the sample and completes the program which projects a holographic image of a humanoid Progenitor (Salome Jens). She reveals that they were a humanoid race from a time when none other existed in the galaxy. They knew that they would die out, and hence scattered their DNA all over the galaxy to develop more humanoid life forms and they hoped they would all come together to pool their DNA to hear the message of their progenitors.
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