1x20: THE ARSENAL OF FREEDOM

>EPISODE INFORMATION
Original Air Date: 11 April 1988
Stardate: 41798.2
Teleplay By: Richard Manning and Hans Beimler
Story By: Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin
Directed By: Les Landau

>ABOUT
The Enterprise crew investigates the disappearance of the USS Drake on the planet Minos and soon after encounters an advanced killing machine which continues to improve it's power to try and destroy the crew.


>TRIVIA

• The saucer seperation effects is a reuse from "Encounter at Farpoint".
• Director Les Landau makes his directing debut with this episode. Landau went on to direct other TNG episodes, as well as DS9 and ST: Voyager episodes.
• The theme music used for the end credits of this episode was previously used as the Enterprise seperating music in "Encounter at Farpoint".
• Footage of Jonathan Frakes (Riker) with Rice was later used in the finale "All Good Things..." so he would appear younger and beardless.
• This episode marks the third appearance of one of the Enterprise's first season Chief Engineers. In this case, it's Lieutenant Logan.
• Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) does not appear in this episode.
• This is the final episode in the first season to have Red Alert sounded and is also the final episode to show the old-style Red Alert. The next episode to have Red Alert sounded "Where Silence Has Lease" will feature a different style Red Alert where the lights flash entirely on and off and will appear like that for the rest of the show's run, rather than just the top and bottom in the old-style Red Alert.
• This is the second and last episode to show La Forge in command.
• This is Marco Rodriguez's first of two Star Trek appearances. He later appears as the Cardassian Glinn Telle in the Season 4 episode "The Wounded".

>STARRING

• Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker
• LeVar Burton as Lt. Geordi La Forge
• Denise Crosby as Lt. Tasha Yar
• Michael Dorn as Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

>GUEST STARS

• Vincent Schiavelli as Minosian peddler
• Marco Rodriguez as Captain Paul Rice
• Vyto Ruginis as Lieutenant Logan
• Julia Nickson as Ensign Lian T'Su
• George De La Peria as Lt. Orfil Solis

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