History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E24S7E1Descent

** Newton uses the word "science" in its modern context, but when Newton was alive, the term was "natural philosophy."

* ThePowerOfTheSun: The ''Enterprise'' triggers an artifical solar flare to roast the Borg ship alive.

Lore tries to talk Data down, claiming that the emotion chip also contains memories that he can give Data for his help. Data doesn't rise to the bait, so Lore takes away Data's emptions so that he can get the drop on him, but Data recovers quickly enough to beat Lore to the draw, stunning him. Before shutting him down for good, Data tells Lore that he will have to disassemble him.

Data prepares Geordi for an experiment that will replace his brain with an artificial one and likely lobotomize him. Geordi pleads with Data not to go through with it, but Data ignores him and puts Geordi through a preparatory procedure. Meanwhile, Troi and Picard pull the old SickCaptiveScam and get the drop on a Borg guard. Data arrives with a Geordi in tow to put a stop to their escape attempt, but not before Picard manages to snake a Borg transceiver. Once Data leaves, Geordi talks Picard through modifying it for their scheme.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: This is the first episode to reveal the existence of the Borg's transwarp corridor network, as well as the fact that the Collective is based in the Delta Quadrant. Both of these facts will have major importance in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.

** And speaking of dictators, the rogue Borg have red-and-white flags with a black symbol in the center. [[ThoseWackyNazis That doesn't conjure up certain historical imagery, does it?]]

* RedShirt: One killed on Ohniaka III, Ensign Corelki, one on TheBridge when the Borg beam onto the ''Enterprise'', and one in the Borg temple.

* RedShirt: One killed on Ohniaka III, one on TheBridge when the Borg beam onto the ''Enterprise'', and one in the Borg temple.

But these Borg are behaving oddly. They take cover and express emotion. One even refers to itself as "I." As the During the combat, Data flies into a rage as he kills one Borg with his bare hands. One Borg who has been hanging back and observing identifies Data, stating his name and rank. He and the rest of the Borg beam away. Data is left stunned by his unexpected brush with emotion. Back on the ''Enterprise'', Picard fires some torpedoes but is unable to hit the ship, as it vanishes with a curious effect. Frustrated, Picard orders the ''Enterprise'' to return to the planet to pick up his team.

Data is in the holodeck playing poker with representations of [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein]], and Stephen Hawking (playing himself). Data explains that he wanted to observe how they would interact, but their incessant bickering seems to have taken him by surprise. As Hawking wins a hand, a RedAlert is sounded.

** Nechayev chews out Picard for [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E23IBorg sending Hugh back to the Borg]] unmolested instead of as a carrier for a cyberweapon. Hugh's experience, however, suggests the weapon wouldn't have worked: when his experience of individuality began affecting the operation of his ship, [[CuttingTheKnot the Collective kicked the entire ship from the server]].

** The person in charge of programming Albert Einstein's holographic counterpart apparently fell for the anecdotal misconception that Einstein was bad at math, which is quite laughable when you consider he was one of history's most influential physicists. In reality, Einstein was actually an exceptional mathematician. This rumor was actually started while he was still alive, and Einstein even commented on the original article himself.
-->'''Einstein:''' I never failed in mathematics… Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus.