The Next Phase
When a transporter accident renders Geordi and Ro invisible and intangible, they must find a way to communicate the Romulans' sabotage of the Enterprise before the ship goes to warp, or they, and everyone else, will be destroyed.
The Enterprise responds to a distress call from a Romulan science vessel, finding the ship crippled and in danger of a core breach. Riker leads an away team, including Geordi and Ro, to provide assistance. While attempting to transport back to the Enterprise with a crucial piece of equipment, a transporter malfunction occurs, and Geordi and Ro vanish, with the crew believing them dead.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, Geordi and Ro have not died but instead have been rendered invisible and intangible, phasing through objects and people. As the Enterprise assists the Romulans in repairing their ship, Geordi and Ro struggle to make their presence known, realizing they are trapped in an alternate state of existence. Meanwhile, Picard authorizes Data to arrange a memorial service.
Geordi refuses to accept their apparent demise and seeks a scientific explanation. Data's investigation leads him to suspect chroniton particles from the damaged Romulan cloaking device caused the transporter accident. As Data works to decontaminate the ship, Geordi discovers that the Romulans were secretly developing a phased cloaking device, which exploded, emitting the chronitons that affected them.
Ro and Geordi overhear the Romulans plotting to sabotage the Enterprise by installing a muon feedback wave in the power transfer beam with the intention of triggering a warp core breach when the Enterprise goes to warp. They try to warn the crew, without success. The pair realize that they are leaving “chroniton footprints” wherever they go, as Data continues to detect and eliminate the fields.
As Picard makes preparations for a memorial service, Data's chroniton sweeps and Geordi's scientific mind converge– the anyon emitter interacts with Geordi and Ro, making them partially visible and proving they are still alive. Data deduces their condition and devises a method to fully rematerialize them. The Romulans are revealed and their plot is stopped, averting disaster for the Enterprise. With the help of Data and the application of his anyon emitter and tricorder technology, Geordi and Ro are brought back into a phase that allows them to be seen and heard. Data’s science and understanding bring an end to a difficult situation, and Geordi and Ro are welcomed back by their crewmates.
In the aftermath, Geordi and Ro reflect on their experience, with Ro questioning her beliefs about the afterlife. The Enterprise continues on its mission, with the crew grateful for the return of their lost comrades.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The Enterprise responds to a distress call from a Romulan science vessel, finding it critically damaged and on the verge of a core breach. Riker leads an away team, including Geordi and Ro, to assist. During their return transport, a malfunction occurs, causing Geordi and Ro to vanish from the transporter pad, with the crew believing them dead. Back on the Enterprise, Picard and Troi grapple with the apparent loss, while Data begins a diagnostic of the transporter systems. Meanwhile, Riker and Worf work to prevent the Romulan ship's core from imploding, with Data arriving to provide critical assistance in manually ejecting the core, saving both ships from destruction. Unbeknownst to the crew, Ensign Ro awakens in an invisible and intangible state within the Enterprise's corridors. She attempts to communicate with passing crewmembers and then Picard and Beverly, only to discover they cannot see or hear her. Ro overhears Beverly preparing her death certificate, confirming the crew's belief that she is deceased. Ro's shock intensifies when Picard walks directly through her, solidifying her terrifying realization of her new, phased existence. This act establishes the central mystery of their disappearance and Ro's initial, disorienting experience of being 'dead' yet present.
The Enterprise receives a fragmented Romulan distress call warning of an imminent core breach, forcing Picard to act despite the ship’s ongoing sabotage crisis. The transmission cuts out before details …
The Enterprise races toward a distressed Romulan vessel at warp, with Picard and Data monitoring the countdown to transporter range. McDowell establishes garbled audio contact with the Romulans, confirming a …
In the chaotic aftermath of a Romulan engine room disaster—marked by dead bodies, burning consoles, and a failing warp core—Riker’s away team materializes to assist. Geordi immediately identifies the graviton …
In the chaotic aftermath of a Romulan engine room crisis, Commander Riker and his away team materialize to assist. Geordi quickly diagnoses the graviton field generator as irreparable, forcing Riker …
In the chaotic aftermath of a Romulan engine room disaster—marked by dead bodies, burning consoles, and a failing core—Riker’s away team materializes to assist. Geordi and Ro quickly assess the …
The bridge crew grapples with the irreversible loss of Geordi La Forge and Ro Laren after Brossmer confirms no physical remains can be retrieved from the transporter accident. Picard, visibly …
In the immediate aftermath of Geordi and Ro’s apparent death, Picard must make a brutal command decision under dual crises: the Romulan ship’s core breach and the transporter malfunction that …
In the Romulan engine room, Riker and Worf confront a catastrophic core implosion that threatens to destroy the ship and kill seventy-three trapped crew members. Mirok, the Romulan commander, reveals …
In the Romulan engine room, Riker and Worf race against time to manually eject the warp core before it implodes, but a blocking beam jams the chamber door. With seconds …
In the Romulan engine room, Riker and the crew race against time to manually eject the failing warp core before it implodes. As Worf and a Romulan struggle to seal …
Ro continues to struggle with her intangible state in Beverly's office, her attempts to gain attention proving futile as her hand passes through the desk. She observes Beverly marking her file as 'DECEASED,' reinforcing the grim reality of her situation. Concurrently, the Enterprise successfully transfers power to the Romulan ship, stabilizing it and fostering an unusual moment of cooperation between the two factions. On the Enterprise, Data reports an anomalous energy fluctuation in the transporter system and requests permission to inspect the imaging scanners. He then asks Picard for permission to plan and conduct a memorial service for Geordi and Ro, a request Picard grants, moved by Data's sentiment. Meanwhile, Geordi, also in a phased state, encounters Ro in Engineering. Initially relieved to see her, he quickly realizes he is also invisible and intangible to others. Ro, more accepting, posits they are 'dead,' referring to Bajoran beliefs about Borhyas. Geordi vehemently rejects this, insisting on a scientific explanation and a way to reverse their condition. He declares his intention to investigate the transporter room, while Ro, resigned to their 'afterlife,' expresses a desire to make peace with their former lives. This act deepens the mystery of their condition, introduces their differing coping mechanisms, and sets Data on a path to investigate the cause of the accident, inadvertently moving closer to understanding their true state.
The Romulan ship’s power grid stabilizes after the Enterprise’s transfer, marking a rare moment of cooperation between Riker and Mirok. Their camaraderie contrasts sharply with the Federation’s usual distrust of …
Amid the Romulan power transfer crisis, Data interrupts Picard’s command briefing to request permission for a memorial service honoring Geordi and Ro. His request—framed as a personal responsibility—reveals his emotional …
Data, accompanied by Geordi (unseen), investigates the transporter room, detecting chroniton particles which he suspects caused the accident and the 'death' of Geordi and Ro. He plans to visit the Romulan ship to find the source of these emissions and later devise a decontamination method. Ro, having accepted her 'death,' visits the bridge to say her goodbyes, even as she overhears Riker planning to speak about her at the memorial service. Geordi, still determined, convinces Ro to accompany him back to the Romulan ship, believing they will find answers there. Aboard the shuttle, Data discusses his difficulty in planning an 'appropriate' memorial service, considering Human, Bajoran, and Klingon customs, with Worf offering a Klingon perspective of joy for a warrior's death. Once on the Romulan ship, Data questions Mirok and Varel about their damaged cloaking device, confirming the presence of chroniton fields. Observing the Romulan consoles, Geordi identifies a molecular phase inverter, realizing the Romulans were secretly developing a phased cloaking device. He deduces that the device's explosion emitted the chronitons, altering their molecular structure and rendering them 'phased' rather than dead. This revelation invigorates Geordi, who sees a path to decloaking. Immediately after, Geordi and Ro overhear Mirok and Varel plotting to install a muon feedback wave in the Enterprise's power transfer beam, intending to cause a warp core breach when the ship goes to warp. Shocked, they realize they must warn the Enterprise, but their intangible state presents a formidable obstacle. As they leave, a phased Romulan (Parem) is revealed, also in their state, silently following them.
After a transporter accident renders them invisible and intangible to the crew, Geordi and Ro confront their shared predicament in Engineering. Ro, drawing on Bajoran beliefs about the afterlife, accepts …
In the Enterprise’s Engineering section, Geordi La Forge and Ro Laren—both rendered invisible and intangible to the crew—confront their shared predicament. Geordi, disoriented but defiant, tests their new state by …
In the transporter room, Data and Brossmer investigate the malfunction that rendered Geordi and Ro invisible and intangible. Data deduces the Romulan explosion as the likely trigger, detecting a lingering …
In the transporter room, Data deduces that the Romulan ship’s explosion damaged its cloaking device, releasing chroniton particles that traveled through the transporter beam and caused Geordi and Ro’s apparent …
In the transporter room, Data and Chief Brossmer analyze the transporter malfunction that phased Geordi and Ro. Data deduces the accident was caused by chroniton particles from the Romulan ship’s …
In the ready room, Picard confirms the Romulan vessel’s suspicious location while Riker prepares to assist them. When Picard announces a memorial service for Geordi and Ro, Riker surprises everyone …
In the ready room, Picard and Riker discuss the Romulan vessel’s engine core replacement while Ro lingers, grappling with her perceived death and the unresolved gratitude she feels toward Picard. …
In a shuttlecraft en route to the Romulan vessel, Data—grieving the apparent deaths of Geordi and Ro—attempts to organize a memorial service, revealing his growing emotional complexity. His logical struggle …
In the tense aftermath of Geordi and Ro’s apparent deaths, Data—grapppling with the emotional weight of their loss—seeks Worf’s guidance on planning a memorial service. His logical framework struggles to …
In the shuttlecraft, Data and Worf discuss funeral arrangements for Geordi and Ro, who are still phased and intangible but can hear the conversation. Data, struggling with the concept of …
In the Romulan engine room, Data interrogates Mirok and Varel about the cloaking device damage, revealing chroniton emissions as the cause of Geordi and Ro's transporter accident. While Mirok assures …
Geordi La Forge, while examining a Romulan console, discovers a molecular phase inverter—a device that alters matter to pass through solid objects. This revelation connects to Klingon intelligence reports about …
In the Romulan engine room, Geordi and Ro—still invisible and intangible after the transporter accident—overhear Mirok and Varel devising a muon feedback wave to sabotage the Enterprise's warp core during …
Back on the Enterprise, Geordi and Ro frantically search for evidence of the muon feedback wave, but it remains hidden from the ship's sensors. Data, meanwhile, detects new chroniton fields appearing across the Enterprise, puzzled by their random formation. Geordi realizes these are 'chroniton footprints' left by their movement, providing a potential link to their presence. Data instructs Brossmer to use the lateral sensor array to pinpoint these fields, while he modifies an anyon emitter to eradicate them. Ro goes with Brossmer to observe the sensor readings, while Geordi stays with Data, hoping to use the emitter to their advantage. Parem, the phased Romulan, also navigates the ship, searching for Geordi and Ro. In Main Engineering, Geordi observes Data using the anyon emitter to clear chroniton fields. Geordi deliberately walks through objects, generating new fields that Data detects and sprays. When Data accidentally hits Geordi's arm with the anyon beam, Geordi experiences a mild shock and partial rephasing, realizing the emitter could bring them back to normal. He tries to communicate this to Data, who remains focused on clearing the fields. On the bridge, Parem confronts Ro, revealing he can see her and demanding to know Geordi's whereabouts. Ro leads him on a chase through various crew quarters, during which Parem fires his disruptor, wounding her leg. Data and Geordi, following the unusually strong chroniton readings from the chase, arrive at the scene. Geordi tackles Parem, sending him through a wall and into space, eliminating the immediate threat. Data, still unaware of their presence, methodically decontaminates the room, leaving Geordi and Ro with the knowledge that the anyon emitter is their only hope.
Geordi and Ro, now invisible and intangible after the transporter accident, analyze sensor data in main engineering and realize the Romulans have hidden a muon feedback wave within the Enterprise’s …
In Main Engineering, Geordi and Ro analyze sensor data and realize the Romulans have hidden a muon feedback wave within the Enterprise’s sensor returns, which will trigger a warp core …
In Main Engineering, Data methodically scans the room with a tricorder, searching for chroniton readings while Geordi—still invisible and intangible—watches in frustration. When Data’s scan reveals an anomalous chroniton field …
Geordi, invisible and intangible, watches Data scan for chroniton readings in Main Engineering. When Data detects a field in the wall—left by Geordi’s phased matter passing through it—Geordi realizes he …
Geordi, desperate to communicate his intangible state to Data, escalates his attempts by repeatedly phasing his hand through a pool table in rapid succession. His frustration mounts as Data, absorbed …
In a moment of escalating frustration, Geordi La Forge—desperate to restore his physical form and communicate the Romulan sabotage—experiments with the anyon emitter in Main Engineering. When Data accidentally sprays …
On the bridge, Geordi and Ro remain frustrated as the Romulans prepare to depart, and Picard orders the Enterprise to warp. Just before Picard can issue the 'engage' command, Brossmer interrupts, stating that Data believes they should not engage warp until all chroniton fields are cleared. This grants Geordi and Ro a crucial reprieve. They decide to use the upcoming memorial service in Ten Forward as their opportunity, planning to generate as many chroniton fields as possible to force a stronger anyon emission. Picard, Riker, Geordi, and Ro head to Ten Forward, where Data has organized a lively party, much to Ro's disbelief but Geordi's delight. Ro begins firing Parem's disruptor into the walls, creating numerous chroniton fields. Data, alerted to the unusually strong new field in Ten Forward, orders Brossmer to begin decontamination immediately. The initial anyon emissions cause Geordi and Ro mild shocks, but they remain unseen. As Picard prepares to depart for Garadius Four, Geordi and Ro realize they must act. Ro sets the disruptor to overload, creating a massive chroniton surge. This forces Data to order Brossmer to flood Ten Forward with the highest level of anyonic emissions. The intensified beam causes Geordi and Ro to flicker into partial visibility, catching Picard's and Data's attention. Data quickly deduces their condition, orders the beam to full power, and fully rematerializes them. Geordi immediately warns Engineering to take the warp engines offline, revealing the Romulan muon wave. Picard, recovering from his shock, confirms Geordi's orders, averting disaster. In the aftermath, Geordi and Ro reflect on their experience. Ro, having questioned her Bajoran beliefs about the afterlife, finds a new perspective on humility, sharing a laugh with Geordi as they finally eat. The Enterprise then warps away, their lost comrades safely returned.
In the aftermath of Geordi and Ro’s apparent disappearance, Data and Geordi move methodically through the Enterprise’s corridors, tricorders in hand, searching for the anomalous chroniton fields that caused their …
In the aftermath of the transporter accident, Data and Geordi move methodically through the Enterprise’s corridor, using a tricorder to scan for chroniton particles—the same anomalous energy signature linked to …
On the Enterprise bridge, Geordi and Ro—now invisible and intangible—desperately try to warn Picard about Romulan sabotage in the dilithium chamber, but their pleas go unheard. Picard, distracted by the …
On the bridge, Picard prepares to engage warp speed, unaware that the Romulans have planted a muon feedback wave in the Enterprise's dilithium chamber. Geordi and Ro, still invisible and …
In a desperate gambit to break their invisibility and warn the Enterprise of the Romulan sabotage, Geordi and Ro exploit the memorial service in Ten Forward—a bittersweet irony where the …
During a memorial service for Geordi and Ro—who are presumed dead after a transporter accident—the two invisible protagonists witness their crew celebrating their lives in Ten Forward. Ro reacts with …
In a desperate bid to communicate their presence before the Enterprise jumps to warp, Geordi and Ro exploit the memorial service in Ten Forward. Ro overloads her disruptor, triggering a …
In a desperate, high-stakes moment, Geordi and Ro—still invisible and intangible—attempt to communicate the Romulan sabotage of the Enterprise’s warp engines by exploiting an anyonic surge during their memorial service. …
Invisible and intangible after the transporter accident, Geordi and Ro strategize in Ten Forward to exploit chroniton fields during Picard’s memorial service. Geordi, driven by scientific urgency, insists they must …
With time running out and conventional methods failing, Ro Laren escalates the disruptor experiment in Ten Forward by deliberately overloading Parem’s Romulan device. The reckless maneuver generates a massive chroniton …
After a transporter malfunction renders Geordi and Ro partially visible and intangible, they flicker into view just as Picard and Data detect their presence. Their sudden reappearance in Engineering coincides …
The USS Enterprise successfully executes a warp jump, escaping the immediate Romulan threat and the sabotage of its warp core. This moment marks the physical and narrative resolution of the …