History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E18CauseAndEffect

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Riker jokes that he hopes Data isn't stacking the poker deck. He ends up doing just that during the final deal.

We begin this episode InMediasRes, with the ''Enterprise''[='=]s engines on fire and the ship out of control. The bridge crew is frantically trying to steady the ship long enough to launch the lifeboats as Picard orders all hands to abandon ship. And just as the audience is thinking "LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt", they [[OhCrap really do it]]: the ''Enterprise'' vanishes in a huge [[ExplosionsInSpace space explosion]].

* RippleEffectProofMemory: Downplayed. Crew members do not entirely remember previous loops, but do experience ''déjà vu'' moments, which grow in intensity with each new iteration. One of the ExpandedUniverse novels also mentions that the ''Bozeman'' crew experienced the same effect, but didn't have the knowledge to break themselves free like the ''Enterprise'' did, resulting in [[FateWorseThanDeath 90 years of feeling trapped in a perpetual cycle of death]].

* RippleEffectProofMemory: Downplayed. Crew members do not entirely remember previous loops, but do experience ''déjà vu'' moments, which grow in intensity with each new iteration. One of the ExpandedUniverse novels also mentions that the ''Bozeman'' crew experienced the same effect, but didn't have the knowledge to break themselves free like the ''Enterprise'' did, resulting in [[AndIMustScream 90 years of feeling trapped in a perpetual cycle of death]].

* WhamLine: Picard's "All hands, abandon ship!" - which [[KilledMidSentence gets cut off]].

[floatboxright:
Series: Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration\\
Episode: Season 5, Episode 18\\
Title: Cause And Effect\\
Previous: The Outcast\\
Next: The First Duty\\
Recapper: Tropers/{{Scooter007}}]

Back in that unexplored sector, back to the poker game. Worf experiences ''[[PardonMyKlingon nib'poH]]'', and Crusher attempts to predict the hand that Data is about to deal. Instead, he deals all 3s; then, three of a kind to each. Crusher is called to sickbay to help La Forge deal with a dizzy spell; she inspects his VISOR on a hunch and finds that it is being affected by TechnoBabble. In Engineering, Data runs a diagnostic on ship's systems, and the results come up all 3s. They get a call from Crusher, telling them she's just recorded a mass of disembodied voices in her quarters — [[BrickJoke and they hear a glass shatter]].

-->'''Data:''' "[[Main/Understatement This is highly improbable.]]"

We begin this episode InMediasRes, with the Enterprise's engines on fire and the ship out of control. The bridge crew is frantically trying to steady the ship long enough to launch the lifeboats as Picard orders all hands to abandon ship. And just as the audience is thinking "LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt", they [[OhCrap really do it]]: the Enterprise vanishes in a huge [[ExplosionsInSpace space explosion]].

Act I seems to be a HowWeGotHere, as we're re-introduced to the Enterprise entering an unexplored sector. We first look in on Riker, Data, Worf and Crusher engaging in their regular poker game. After much banter (and a win for Crusher, who calls Riker's bluff), Crusher is called to sickbay to help [=LaForge=] deal with a major dizzy spell -- but she experiences a bit of DejaVu whilst treating him. Later that night, in her quarters, Crusher hears what seem to be a mass of disembodied voices and, in switching on the light, breaks a glass she'd left on the night stand.

Crusher reports her experiences to the rest of the senior staff, but is interrupted when sensors detect a NegativeSpaceWedgie nearby. As the bridge crew attempt to deal with the situation, the ship begins losing power and is unable to move -- just as a starship emerges from the Space Wedgie on a direct collision course. With no power to the engines, Riker (standing at Data's side for no apparent reason) suggests decompressing the main shuttlebay to provide the necessary thrust to get out of the way, while Data counter-suggests using the tractor beam to push the other ship aside. Picard goes with Data's plan, which is not entirely successful; the other ship is deflected, but not by enough, and smashes the Enterprise's warp nacelle. This quickly causes a series of catastrophes and the events of the teaser play out before us again and the Enterprise is destroyed.

Act II re-re-introduces us to the Enterprise entering an unexplored sector; it's at this point that savvy viewers will recognise the GroundhogDayLoop at play. Again we visit Riker, Data, Worf and Crusher playing poker, with much familiar banter. Crusher is about to win when Riker folds, realizing that she is going to call his bluff. Crusher is called to sickbay to help [=LaForge=] deal with a major dizzy spell -- and again experiences deja vu; only this time, [=LaForge=] feels it as well. Later that night Crusher again hears voices in her quarters and quickly calls the captain -- breaking that glass once again.

The next morning Crusher reports her experience, relating that others aboard ship have also heard the voices. But before they can investigate, sensors detect a NegativeSpaceWedgie nearby. As the bridge crew attempt to deal with the situation, a starship emerges from the Wedgie on a direct collision course. As before, Riker stands at Data's station and suggests decompressing the shuttlebay while Data votes for a tractor beam. Picard sides with Data, the collision occurs and the Enterprise blows up real good.

Act III, the Enterprise enters an unexplored sector. By this time, even the characters are starting to catch on, after a fashion; at their poker game, Worf recognizes their banter; and then he, Riker and Crusher correctly call out the hand Data is dealing even before he deals it.

-->'''Data:''' "This is highly improbable."

In anticipation, Crusher calls sickbay asking after [=LaForge=], only to be told he just walked in. This time, Crusher is examining [=LaForge=]'s VISOR under Picard's supervision as they all discuss their recent deja vu episodes. Crusher finds that some TechnoBabble is affecting the VISOR, causing his dizziness.

Later that night, Crusher is ready for the disembodied voices; when they occur, she records them (she also moves the glass away from the light switch so she won't knock it over) and calls down to [=LaForge=] that she has something to report. He in turn tells her that another instance of that same TechnoBabble just happened. As she rushes out to meet him, [[YouCantFightFate she knocks the glass off the table, breaking it yet again]]. In Engineering, [=LaForge=] and Data analyze Crusher's recording and discover that the voices belong to the crew of the Enterprise.

The next morning, Crusher and [=LaForge=] fill the others in on what they think is going on: a NegativeSpaceWedgie is going to entrap the Enterprise in a GroundhogDayLoop. They listen to parts of the recording which suggest the severity of the encounter's outcome, while trying to think of a way out. The problem is (unlike most instances of this trope) that if/when the Loop "loops", they all lose their memories of the previous loop, except for feelings of deja vu. [=LaForge=] suggests re-wiring Data's AppliedPhlebotinum to mirror the previously established TechnoBabble so that, if/when the Loop "loops", he can send a message into the next loop -- albeit an extremely short one, one word at most, which will show up only as a sort of post-hypnotic suggestion so Data won't know initially what it means. The plan is carried out, and no one feels like they've tried this before, which is a good sign. RedAlert! NegativeSpaceWedgie! Ship on collision course! The tractor beam doesn't work! Enterprise explodes! Only this time Data manages to activate the TechnoBabble message at the last second.

Back in that unexplored sector, back to the poker game. Worf experiences deja vu and Crusher attempts to predict the hand that Data is about to deal. Instead, he deals all 3s; then, three of a kind to each. Crusher is called to sickbay to help [=LaForge=] deal with a dizzy spell; she inspects his VISOR on a hunch and finds that it is being affected by TechnoBabble. In Engineering, Data runs a diagnostic on ship's systems, and the results come up all 3s. They get a call from Crusher, telling them she's just recorded a mass of disembodied voices in her quarters -- [[BrickJoke and they hear a glass shatter]].

The next morning, they are reporting their findings: they seem to be stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop caused by an as-yet-unencountered NegativeSpaceWedgie. The TechnoBabble which has been giving [=LaForge=] dizzy spells is also related to the Loop, and may be behind all the occurrences of the number 3 Data (and apparently the entire crew, it turns out) has been seeing. It is revealed that Data has been re-wired to accept the TechnoBabble, which seems to be a way to send short messages from one Loop into the next. As they ponder over what this could mean, they are called to the bridge to deal with a NegativeSpaceWedgie.

As before, the ship is without power and unable to move as another ship emerges from the Wedgie. Riker (standing at Data's side for no apparent reason) suggests decompressing the shuttlebay but Data counter-suggests using the tractor beam to push the other ship clear. Picard sides with Data, but Data suddenly has a EurekaMoment and goes with Riker's plan instead; the main shuttlebay decompresses, pushing the Enterprise clear and allowing the other ship to pass safely. The NegativeSpaceWedgie vanishes, power is restored and the Enterprise crew greet the crew of the U.S.S. Bozeman (commanded by none other than Captain [[Series/{{Frasier}} Frasier]] [[Series/{{Cheers}} Crane]]), which was either stuck in the Loop for some 90 years or got teleported by the rift 90 years into the future. Data explains his EurekaMoment: glancing at Riker, Data noted the number of rank pins on his collar (3) and deduced that the various phantom 3s referred to Riker, indicating that Riker's plan would be the successful one. Good thing he didn't think it referred to himself, since he is 3rd in command of the ship behind Riker and Picard.

* DejaVu: The crew are caught in a GroundhogDayLoop, Doctor Crusher begins to experience Deja Vu and so do the other crew members when she brings up the issue.

* GroundhogDayLoop: [[OlderThanTheyThink Pre-dating]] the TropeNamer by over a year.

* RippleEffectProofMemory: Downplayed. Crew members do not entirely remember previous loops, but do experience deja vu moments, which grow in intensity with each new iteration. One of the ExpandedUniverse novels also mentions that the Bozeman crew experienced the same effect, but didn't have the knowledge to break themselves free like the Enterprise did, resulting in [[AndIMustScream 90 years of feeling trapped in a perpetual cycle of death]].

* SpaceIsNoisy: The Enterprise explodes with a loud noise.
* StartsWithTheirFuneral: The episode starts with the Enterprise getting blown up, then seemingly cuts back to show the events leading up to the explosion. It's a subversion: the Enterprise is caught in a time loop, and the crew is actually reliving the events, with slight variations each time, until they find a way out.

Act I seems to be a HowWeGotHere, as we're re-introduced to the Enterprise entering an unexplored sector. We first look in on Riker, Data, Worf and Crusher engaging in their regular poker game. After much banter (and a win for Crusher, who calls Riker's bluff), Crusher is called to sickbay to help [=LaForge=] deal with a major dizzy spell -- but she experiences a bit of deja vu whilst treating him. Later that night, in her quarters, Crusher hears what seem to be a mass of disembodied voices and, in switching on the light, breaks a glass she'd left on the night stand.

* FridgeBrilliance: In the first poker game depicted in the episode, Dr. Crusher calls Riker's bluff. When Riker asks how she knew he'd been bluffing, she says that he had a tell with his left eyebrow. However, she's only kidding. So how ''did'' she know? Perhaps she just "had a feeling," thanks to having already been through the time loop a few times, but not enough for her deja vu to have registered yet. Since we never see the Enterprise's first time through the loop, it's possible that during the original poker game, Crusher never called Riker's bluff.

----

* KilledMidSentence: Picard, when he gives the order to abandon ship.

* YouCantFightFate: Dr Crusher very deliberately tries to avoid breaking her glass in the next loop but just ends up breaking it another way. It achieves BrickJoke status when Picard contacts her on the com, and in the background you hear a glass breaking.

* ArcNumber: ''Invoked''. As stated above, Data manages to send a message to himself in the last loop, which turns out to be the number 3. At that loop's briefing, Data states that "To date, we have encountered two-thousand and eighty-five conspicuous references to the number 3." That would actually make two-thousand and eighty-''six'' references, since 2,085 is a multiple of 3!

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Riker jokes that he hopes Data isn't stacking the poker deck. [[spoiler: He ends up doing just that during the final deal.]]

* RippleEffectProofMemory: Crew members experience deja vu moments which turn out to be vestiges of previous time loops.

* RuleOfThree: In the final cycle before it's broken, Data subconsciously causes the number three to manifest several times in his presence. This is because Data in the immediately previous loop programmed himself to do that in the next loop as a means of sending a message forward. The "three" is referring to the number of rank pips on Riker's collar, indicating to Data that his own tractor beam deflection plan won't work and that Riker's plan of rapidly decompressing main shuttlebay for thrust should be attempted.

* WhatYearIsThis: Inverted. Picard asks Bateson what year he thinks he's in, with Bateson assuming it's still 2278.

* YouCantFightFate: Dr Crusher very deliberately tries to avoid breaking her glass in the next loop but just ends up breaking it another way.