Southern Pole of the Moon

Cratered regolith blankets the moon's southern pole, site of the USS Essex's alleged crash two centuries ago. Troi and Data insist the bridge section lies here, buried under lunar dust, but Picard cites sensor scans showing empty space—no wreckage, no debris. Possessed crew demand he beam skeletal remains aboard, turning this barren, disputed expanse into a flashpoint for alien entities' escape and Picard's mounting skepticism.