Manhunt
Captain Jean-Luc Picard must escort delicate alien delegates to a planetary conference while fending off the amorous advances of Lwaxana Troi and preventing a covert assassination plot that could ignite an interstellar incident.
The Enterprise departs Antede Three carrying two strange, hooded Antedian delegates and a container of writhing worm‑like food; Picard records the mission in his log ("Stardate 42881.5") and orders the Antedians held in stasis until the Pacifica conference. The Antedians arrive catatonic; Doctor Pulaski diagnoses a self‑induced hibernation and stores their food—vermicular creatures that the crew finds repulsive. The routine mission fractures the instant Lwaxana Troi materializes, announcing ambassadorial rank and immediately turning the ship into a stage for her mercurial impulses.
Lwaxana arrives with her silent valet Homn and proceeds to unsettle the crew. She flirts with Captain Picard, stages an intimate Betazoid dinner in his quarters, and openly pursues him as she undergoes "the Phase," a mid‑life Betazoid condition Troi describes as greatly amplifying sexual appetite. Picard tries to preserve decorum and duty: he reminds the bridge that she holds ambassadorial status and asks officers to keep her mind untroubled. But Lwaxana's bold advances escalate — she circles bridge officers, toying with Riker and even flattering Geordi — and she publicly declares an intended union with Riker, plunging the crew into embarrassed chaos and forcing Picard to maneuver between compassion, protocol, and personal boundary.
To evade Lwaxana, Picard retreats to the Holodeck and indulges in the Dixon Hill noir program, assuming the private‑eye persona of Dixon Hill. The holodeck sequences pulse with noir clichés: a wounded hero, a bartender named Rex, a bossy secretary, and the hulking gangster Slade Bender who hires Hill to find his missing sister Alva. Picard’s Hill becomes more than escape—he plays the role with relish, drawing admirers and attracting danger. A tough, scarred gunman confronts him in the Holodeck and fires; the holodeck mortality failsafe prevents death but leaves Picard bloodied, undercutting the fantasy with the reminder that leadership cannot entirely hide.
Meanwhile the Antedians begin to awaken. Pulaski reports rising metabolic rates; the creatures go from catatonia to frantic hunger, squeaking "Food!" Worf scoops vermicula for them, and the ship prepares for their full recovery. Tension mounts when Mrs. Troi, who has been roaming the ship and testing men like the bartender Rex and Lieutenant La Forge, returns to the transporter bay. Using her telepathy and blunt assessment, Lwaxana reads the Antedians' minds: she brands the two hooded delegates as assassins and reveals that their robes conceal ultritium, an explosive she knows is undetectable by standard sensors. Data corroborates her claim with a tricorder sweep, detecting ultritium in their clothing.
The crew pivots immediately: Worf disarms and detains the Antedians, Picard orders their removal to level five for questioning, and Riker notifies command and readies the bridge. Lwaxana's erratic social behavior suddenly delivers decisive value — her telepathic intrusion exposes a conspiracy to destroy the Pacifica conference. The crisis reframes her presence from comic nuisance to crucial protector. She steps onto the transporter pad with Homn and beams down to Pacifica as the Enterprise prepares to deliver delegates, closing the loop on her dramatic arc: she fails to land a husband but prevents a catastrophe.
Throughout the episode the script balances comedy, character, and stakes. Lwaxana’s brazen sexuality and performative flirtation generate both embarrassment and comic set‑pieces (the Betazoid dinner, her audacious pronouncements on Riker), yet the writers tether her caprices to a legitimate, high‑stakes contribution: only her unfiltered mind reads the murder plot. Picard navigates the farce with wounded dignity—he fends off seduction while preserving the chain of command and protecting the mission. Riker endures humiliation and near‑marital pronouncements, Data contributes literal, awkward levity (his factual dinner anecdotes and period mannerisms in the Holodeck), and Pulaski and Worf handle the biological threat with procedural competence.
Thematically the episode interrogates duty versus desire, the value of unpopular truths, and the limits of propriety. Lwaxana's Phase, first played for laughs, becomes a catalyst that forces the crew to respect an unpredictable ally. Picard's Holodeck refuge exposes his need for distance and the occasional necessity to perform a role to survive pressure. The Antedians’ false diplomatic mask and the hidden ultritium dramatize the fragility of trust and the ever‑present risk that ceremonies of peace can hide deadly intent. In the end, order prevails: assassins are unmasked, the conference is saved, and Lwaxana departs chastising Picard as she dematerializes — a final, scolding reminder that leadership sometimes enlists the most inconvenient of saviors.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The Enterprise embarks on a routine diplomatic mission, transporting two grotesque, catatonic Antedian delegates and their repulsive, writhing food to a crucial planetary conference. This calm shatters with the unexpected, flamboyant arrival of Lwaxana Troi, Deanna's audacious mother, who immediately asserts her ambassadorial status. Her presence transforms the ship's decorum into a vibrant, unsettling stage for her mercurial impulses. Lwaxana flirts openly with Captain Picard, makes suggestive comments about his legs, and manipulates situations to isolate him, forcing Riker into the humiliating task of carrying her absurdly heavy luggage. Her brazen pursuit culminates in a private, candlelit Betazoid dinner in Picard's quarters, a surprise that leaves him deeply uncomfortable. Picard, caught between his duty to maintain Starfleet protocol and his personal boundary, attempts to preserve dignity while subtly trying to deflect her relentless advances. This initial encounter establishes Lwaxana as a disruptive force of nature, her unfiltered telepathy and audacious flirtation setting the stage for escalating comedic and dramatic tension, threatening the captain's composure and the mission's placid facade.
In the Transporter Room Picard logs the mission as two hooded Antedian delegates materialize in a self-induced, catatonic state. Pulaski examines them with clinical detachment while Wesley worries; O'Brien arranges …
Two Antedian dignitaries materialize in a self‑induced catatonic state. Pulaski examines them clinically while O'Brien arranges short‑term storage and Wesley's nervous curiosity exposes a container of writhing, vermicular food. Picard …
Casual bridge banter about the grotesque Antedian delegates—Riker teasing Wesley, Data correcting him about prejudice, and Picard deflecting with wry humility—shifts abruptly when Troi notices an incoming shuttle. The transport …
A routine bridge exchange about the grotesque Antedian delegates is abruptly overturned when an incoming transport reveals Lwaxana Troi — loudly, uninvited, and telepathically unfiltered. Deanna stiffens with dread; Data …
Lwaxana Troi materializes in the transporter room and immediately dissolves decorum: she flirts with Picard, mocks the frozen Antedian delegates as if they were food, and insists Picard honor her …
Lwaxana Troi materializes mid-transport, immediately upending decorum with coquettish telepathic thrusts toward Captain Picard and a series of caustic asides about the frozen Antedian delegates. Her valet Homn beams aboard …
Riker trudges down an Enterprise corridor doing his best to look casual while lugging an absurdly heavy bag for Lwaxana Troi. Lwaxana openly appraises his legs, turning a simple escort …
In a cramped Enterprise corridor Lwaxana Troi publicly humiliates Commander Riker by ogling his legs while Deanna seethes and Picard endures the spectacle. Riker, burdened and embarrassed, tries to defuse …
Picard endures the intensely personal Betazoid dinner, a forced intimacy under the glow of candlelight. Lwaxana's relentless romantic overtures and unsettling telepathic insights into his "naughty thoughts" leave him profoundly uncomfortable, pushing him to deploy Commander Data as an unwitting conversational shield. Data, with his dry, factual anecdotes about brown dwarf stars and co-orbital satellites, successfully bores Lwaxana, providing Picard a temporary, awkward escape from her predatory gaze. Deanna Troi, however, reveals the true, biological imperative behind her mother's behavior: "the Phase," a Betazoid mid-life condition that dramatically amplifies sexual appetite, compelling her to find a mate. This revelation recontextualizes Lwaxana's actions, transforming them from mere eccentricity into a powerful, biologically driven quest. Picard, now fully aware of the high stakes and Starfleet's directive to keep Lwaxana "untroubled," resolves to make himself less available, seeking desperate refuge in the Holodeck's Dixon Hill program. The act escalates Picard's personal crisis, transforming a comedic nuisance into a genuine threat to his composure, dignity, and command.
At a deliberately intimate, candlelit dinner in Mrs. Troi's quarters, Lwaxana stages a flirtatious, telepathically charged approach that puts Captain Picard on the defensive. Homn's ceremonial chime punctuates the moment; …
At a candlelit dinner in Lwaxana Troi's quarters, Picard is increasingly uncomfortable under Lwaxana's flirtatious, telepathically charged attention. To buy a graceful exit he summons Commander Data under the pretense …
At Mrs. Troi's quarters Lwaxana (Mrs. Troi) effortlessly seizes control of a candlelit dinner, turning a polite diplomatic meal into a staged display of romantic pursuit. Data's literal, dry astronomy …
Picard makes a tactful, awkward exit from Deanna Troi's quarters while Lwaxana's flirtatious, Betazoid charm closes in. Data offers to stay as a socially literal shield; Deanna's hard glare exposes …
Picard plunges into the Dixon Hill Holodeck program, embracing the persona of a hard-boiled private eye, finding a temporary, cherished escape from Lwaxana's relentless pursuit. He relishes the noir clichés: the sarcastic secretary, the decrepit office, and the hulking gangster Slade Bender, who hires Hill to find his missing sister, Alva. Picard finds genuine enjoyment in this simulated reality, a stark contrast to his diplomatic duties. Meanwhile, Lwaxana, undeterred by Picard's absence, activates her "alternate plan," beginning a systematic, telepathic evaluation of other male officers. She assesses Worf's "primal, savage" thoughts, finding him unsuitable, and then probes Geordi's unique perception of beauty, ultimately dismissing him. The Holodeck fantasy, however, shatters when a mysterious gunman confronts Dixon Hill, firing a shot. Though the Holodeck's failsafe prevents death, the blow to Picard's head leaves him bloodied, a visceral reminder that even simulated realities can inflict real pain and that leadership offers no true hiding place from the unexpected, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.
In the Captain's ready room Deanna delivers a clinical, embarrassing diagnosis: Lwaxana is in a Betazoid mid‑life 'Phase' that massively amplifies sexual drive. What began as flirtation is reframed as …
In the Ready Room Picard learns, with growing alarm, that Lwaxana Troi has fixated on him as a romantic "early favorite" during a Betazoid mid‑life phase. Deanna frames the behaviour …
Picard slips fully into the Dixon Hill holonovel, trading barbed banter with the program's sardonic secretary as a deliberate, tactile escape from his diplomatic strain. The secretary's jokey report—"the tailor" …
Picard slips into the Dixon Hill fantasy just as a family complication intrudes: Lwaxana Troi appears, affronted that ‘ship’s business’ makes Picard unavailable. Her hurt flashes through petulant banter — …
Deanna Troi calmly draws a professional line with her mother, Lwaxana, refusing to grant personal access to Captain Picard by invoking 'ship's business.' Lwaxana bristles—masking wounded pride with a flippant …
After Deanna firmly closes the door on personal access to Picard, Lwaxana masks her hurt with a flippant aside — "too old for me" — and immediately pivots. She sidles …
Picard, still in the Holodeck, grapples with the throbbing pain of his simulated injury, a stark reminder of the program's unexpected realism. He seeks solace and further immersion in Rex's Bar, embracing the tough-guy persona with a scotch. The bar's gritty atmosphere provides a temporary respite, but Slade Bender's aggressive return escalates the Holodeck's internal conflict. Simultaneously, a critical shift occurs: the Antedian delegates begin to stir from their catatonic state, their metabolic rates rising, signaling their imminent awakening and injecting a new urgency into the mission. Back on the bridge, Lwaxana's relentless quest for a mate culminates in a shocking public declaration: she announces her intention to marry Commander Riker, plunging the bridge crew into stunned silence and Riker into utter humiliation. This audacious pronouncement dramatically escalates the personal stakes for the crew, transforming Lwaxana from a comical nuisance into a deeply embarrassing and disruptive force, while the underlying diplomatic mission rapidly approaches its critical juncture, threatening to unravel under the weight of personal and professional chaos.
Worf and Wesley stand sentry over the motionless, hooded Antedian delegates—Worf solemnly praises their dignity while Wesley fumbles a juvenile, backhanded compliment that both flatters and needles the Klingon. Lwaxana …
Lwaxana Troi bursts into the transporter room with Homn, turning a tense security watch into an intrusive, comedic mating ritual. While Worf and Wesley stand guard over the motionless Antedian …
In the Dixon Hill Holodeck fantasy, Picard (as Hill) accepts cold cash from Slade Bender — a terse, transactional moment that makes Slade's personal stake in finding his sister Alva …
While escorting a paid Holodeck client, Picard is confronted by a mysterious, grey‑suited tough whose pale eyes and scar mark him as something more dangerous than a program. The man …
During Picard's escape into the Chandlerland holodeck fantasy, a simulated thug's swagger turns physically dangerous: a blow to the head draws real blood. Picard responds with controlled violence—hauling the attacker …
Picard is struck hard in the Holodeck corridor and discovers a real, bleeding wound—an uncomfortable proof that the simulation's violence has become physically consequential. A program secretary rushes out, mistakes …
Doctor Pulaski reports the Antedian delegates have been transferred to Sickbay, and Wesley's ETA confirms the Enterprise will reach Pacifica only two hours before the conference—an information beat that ratchets …
Lwaxana Troi bursts onto the bridge with Mister Homn and immediately turns a delicate diplomatic moment into a personal spectacle. As the crew manages the Antedians' transfer and an accelerated …
Picard takes a desperate, humanizing moment in Rex's Holodeck bar — trading weary banter with the sardonic bartender who frames his work as equal parts pourer and psychologist. The exchange …
Picard's fragile noir refuge is shattered when Slade Bender materializes behind him, spins him around and presses a brutal, personal interrogation about a missing sister, Alva. Slade's physical aggression — …
Riker, reeling from Lwaxana's public marriage declaration, seeks desperate refuge in the Holodeck with Data, joining Picard in the Dixon Hill program. Lwaxana, however, tracks them down, boldly entering the Holodeck's simulated reality. Her amorous focus immediately shifts from Riker to Rex, the mysterious bartender, whose inscrutability she finds "erotic," declaring her intent to marry him. This comedic interlude, a testament to her unpredictable nature and the Holodeck's adaptive power, is abruptly cut short as the Antedians fully awaken in Sickbay, frantically demanding food and signaling their readiness for the conference. In a dramatic pivot, Lwaxana, now back in the transporter room, casually reveals the Antedians are not delegates but assassins, their robes concealing ultritium explosives. Data's tricorder corroborates her telepathic claim, instantly validating her erratic behavior and transforming her from a comic figure into the mission's unlikely, crucial savior. Worf swiftly disarms and detains the assassins, the conference is saved, and Lwaxana beams down to Pacifica, delivering a final, scolding remark to Picard about his "thoughts" as she dematerializes, leaving the crew to process the chaotic yet ultimately successful resolution.
On the bridge, Chief Medical Officer Pulaski reports that the Antedian delegates are rousing from hibernation and that full recovery will take only hours — a hard time constraint that …
On the Enterprise bridge, the procedural urgency of Pulaski's report — the Antedians are stirring from hibernation — collides with Lwaxana Troi's theatrical, unsolicited declaration that she and Commander Riker …
Inside the Dixon Hill holodeck dive, Picard — playing the private eye 'Dixon' — defuses a dangerously escalating confrontation when hulking gangster Slade angrily rises and reaches under his coat. …
Inside Rex's Holodeck bar, Picard briefly sheds command for a Dixon Hill persona, allowing a humanizing pause before duty. Data inspects period coinage as Picard is informed the Antedian 'passengers' …
In Sickbay the supposedly catatonic Antedian delegates jolt awake in a blind, panicked hunger. Dr. Pulaski immediately diagnoses the need for vermicula and orders Worf to fetch the writhing creatures. …
The Antedian delegates suddenly jolt awake, agitated and ravenous; Pulaski immediately orders Worf to fetch live vermicula. Worf’s steady hands feed the writhing creatures, their panic giving way to frantic …
Picard's Holodeck refuge is abruptly severed when Dr. Pulaski reports the Antedian delegates have risen — tersely summarized as 'hungry' — a line that shifts the tone from comedy to …
At Rex's table Mrs. Troi abruptly declares she will marry Rex, apologizing to Riker and upending the social equilibrium. Riker departs for duty; Picard—duty-bound—rebukes her naval obligation and insists they …
Lwaxana Troi barges into the transporter room and, with casual ferocity, reads the Antedians as armed assassins—revealing their ultritium‑lined robes. Data's tricorder confirms her telepathic claim, Worf moves to disarm …
Lwaxana Troi bursts into the transporter room and, in one sardonic, telepathically informed moment, exposes the hooded Antedians as suicide-assassins—their robes lined with ultritium. Data's tricorder confirms her claim, Worf …