- A proto-Vulcan culture worships Captain Picard and prepares to offer Counselor Troi as a sacrifice.
- The "Enterprise" is to provide technical assistance to a 3-man anthropological field team on the planet Mintaka III, which is observing, in hiding, the Vulcanoid Bronze Age native population. When the holographic hiding place is ravaged by an explosion, the landing party and its advanced technology are observed by two natives, one of whom, Liko, gets hurt badly and is beamed up for life-saving treatment; Picard orders his short-term memory wiped out to prevent a breach of the Prime Directive, but that fails as Commander William Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi find out, after they are beamed down again, temporarily altered to resemble Mintakans, to look for missing anthropologist Palmer. The culture now revives an abandoned belief in a supernatural overseer, worships the Picard, and soon considers offering Counselor Troi as a human sacrifice.—KGF Vissers
- The Enterprise is en route to the planet Mintaka III where a team of Federation anthropologists are observing the development of the population, a proto-Vulcan society. The Federation team operates from an observation post that is hidden behind a holographic image thereby allowing them to observe freely without interfering with the local culture. Their reactor is in need of urgent repairs however and when it fails, their duck blind is seen by one of the locals, Liko. He must be transported to the ship for emergency medical care but in his quasi-conscious state believes that he has seen the god of his ancestors - in the form of Captain Picard. While the Captain tries to convince Nuria, their leader, that they are simply advanced humanoids and not gods, those remaining on the planet below decide to make a human sacrifice to the god Picard: Counselor Troi.—garykmcd
- The "Enterprise" is to provide technical assistance to a 3-man anthropological field team on the planet Mintaka III, which is observing, in hiding, the Vulcanoid Bronze Age native population. When the Holographic hiding place is ravaged by an explosion, the landing party and its advanced technology are observed by two natives (Liko and his daughter Oji (Pamela Adlon)), one of whom, Liko (Ray Wise), gets hurt badly and is beamed up for lifesaving treatment.
Picard orders his short-term memory wiped out to prevent a breach of the Prime Directive, but that fails. Vulcans have a different brain build as compared to the humans. Liko remembers Picard after being beamed back. Commander William Riker and Counsellor Deanna Troi find out, after they are beamed down again, temporarily altered to resemble Mintakans, to look for missing anthropologist Palmer. Palmer was thrown out of the observatory window after the initial explosion and was missed by the away team. The planet has many sinkholes and caverns, and thallium compounds that sensor beams cannot penetrate. This is why they might not be getting picked up by the Enterprise scans of the planet. Hence the decision to send another away team in the form of Riker and Deanna.
Liko is found by Oji and tells her about his encounter with "Picard". They decide to tell the others including Nuria (Kathryn Leigh Scott) and Fento (John McLiam). Troi reaches his group and tries to convince Liko that he had a dream. But then the villagers find Palmer and group believes Liko. Riker is instructed by Picard to beam back Palmer unseen. So, Deanna leads the group away in search of another "servant of Picard", while Riker is left alone with Fento. Riker ties up Fento and takes Palmer to be beamed up. Oji sees them escaping and alerts the others. Riker manages to hide and gets him, and Palmer beamed back.
The culture now revives an abandoned belief in a supernatural overseer, worships the Picard, and soon considers offering Counsellor Troi as a human sacrifice, as they believe that she might have angered the Picard. Dr Barron (James Greene) the leader of the observatory wants Picard to make an appearance and give the Mintakans a set of commandments. But Picard says this violates the very essence of the Prime Directive. Picard learns from Riker that Nuria is the leader of her people. Picard beams her up. Picard tries to convince Nuria that he is not God, but a normal living being. Picard tries to explain the meaning of evolution and technology to Nuria, and she understands when she is made to compare herself to a cave-person.
Liko prepares to Shoot Deanna with a bow and arrow. Picard loses one of Dr Barron's colleagues in sickbay to internal injuries. He shows Nuria how he cannot control death and hence is not God. Picard and Nuria beam down to save Deanna and help everyone understand that Picard is not God. Liko wants Picard to bring back his wife from the dead, but Picard cannot. Liko is angry and shoots his bow at Picard, injuring him, and thus proving that he is not God. All matters settled, the Enterprise dismantles the observation post and leaves.
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