- The Enterprise comes across its own shuttlecraft adrift in space - a duplicate - with an unconscious duplicate Capt. Picard inside.
- Deep in space, the Enterprise comes across a Federation shuttle craft floating aimlessly and without power but exhibiting one human life sign aboard. They tow in the craft only to find it is one of their own, with, to their amazement, a duplicate, but unconscious, Captain Picard inside. Data and La Forge manage to restore power and determine that the craft comes from six hours into the future, with its shuttle log revealing the Enterprise' total destruction. As the Enterprise enters a dangerous vortex, and events in the recovered shuttle's log seem to be coming true, Picard and crew must find a way to break the time-warp cycle they seem to be in.—garykmcd
- Picard faces a crushing dilemma when a shuttle, picked up in space, turns out to be carrying himself from six hours in the future after a fatal explosion aboard the Enterprise, leaving 'him' in a mute trance and responding inversely to medical stimulation. Scientific debate concludes that the ship can't run from the known future. Course is maintained, with the working hypothesis that they bumped into a sort of time-space-loop. Suddenly, an immeasurable and inescapable vortex threatens to swallow the ship. Both Picards disagree over which action is required: logical but proved futile or the seemingly crazy, daring alternative.—KGF Vissers
- The Enterprise comes upon a disabled Federation shuttle containing one life sign. Bringing it on board they discover it contains an unconscious duplicate Picard. The plot thickens when they discover that the duplicate Picard is from six hours in the future and that he is the only survivor from his Enterprise's destruction.—Michael W Hughes
- Riker cooks scrambled eggs for Pulaski, Data, & Worf. They enjoy a meal together.
Deep in space, the Enterprise comes across a Federation shuttle craft floating aimlessly and without power but exhibiting one human life sign aboard. They tow in the craft only to find it is one of their own, with, to their amazement, a duplicate, but unconscious, Captain Picard inside. Pulaski says that the duplicate Picard has his brain waves out of phase.
Attempts to wake the duplicate Picard led to his life signs going dead. The normal stimulant had the opposite effect on duplicate Picard. The Enterprise provides power to the retrieved shuttle, but the phase needs to be reversed to make it work.
Data and La Forge manage to restore power and determine from the shuttle clock that the craft comes from six hours into the future. The shuttle's log also reveals the Enterprise's destruction in the near future. The crew is perplexed as they can't believe Picard would leave the bridge in case of an emergency. Pulaski manages to revive the duplicate Picard, but he is still very disoriented. The bridge crew discusses options including reversing course. But Riker says that by taking the duplicate Picard on board, they may have committed to an unalterable sequence of events. Worf suggests that this might be a time loop where something that has happened will simply keep happening again and again. Picard understands that a mistake was made in the future and the key to exit the time loop would be to avoid making the same mistake again.
Deanna senses that the duplicate Picard desperately wants to get off the Enterprise. As the duplicate Picard gets closer to the time from where he got thrown back in time, he is calmer, and his vital signs also stabilize Picard tries to question duplicate Picard, but he still can't get answers out of him. Pulaski says that at the time in the future when the Picard was thrown back, he would be functioning normally and possibly be able to answer Picard's questions. Picard is very angry. Deanna tells Pulaski that the duplicate Picard represents doubt and hesitation in face of danger. This is what is making Picard angry. Pulaski says that if Picard starts acting irrationally, she will be forced to relieve him of duty as captain.
As the Enterprise enters a dangerous energy vortex, and events in the recovered shuttle's log seem to be coming true. Picard and crew must find a way to break the time-warp cycle they seem to be in. Deanna says that the Vortex is conscious. It has no thoughts, but instinct.
Picard thinks maybe the mistake Enterprise made last time was to stay and find out what it was. He orders the Enterprise to move out at warp 9, but the vortex simply increases the pull, and the Enterprise stays right where it is. A probe is launched, and it is destroyed. The vortex attacks Picard only (both the original and the duplicate) with bursts of energy. The Enterprise is straining its engines to hold its position. Picard decides to leave the Enterprise as he feels that sacrificing himself might save the ship.
Picard finds the duplicate Picard conscious. He knows he is on the Enterprise and knows that he needs to leave the ship in order to give it a chance to survive. The duplicate Picard says that the vortex is an entity that recognizes Enterprise as an entity, with Picard as its brain. It wants the brain. If it gets the brain, it may let Enterprise go.
Picard tries to engage duplicate Picard in a discussion on what other choices there might be. But the duplicate Picard is just single minded about leaving the Enterprise as the only choice. Picard understands the duplicate Picard is on a time loop, and to break it, he kills the duplicate with a phaser. Picard takes the Enterprise through the center of the vortex, and it vanishes. Duplicate Picard and the duplicate shuttle are also gone.
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