Approximately three months after the events of the season one finale, the U.S.S. Cerritos is dispatched on a second contact mission to Apergos, where Mariner decides to do some sonic cleaning of the planet's extremely soot-covered buildings. However, this accidentally triggers a mysterious device that produces "strange energy," which Commander Ransom inadvertently absorbs. As a result, Ransom quickly develops godlike power and an ego to match, and decides that his first order of business will be venting a little pent-up frustration with his captain.
This episode contains examples of:
- Applied Phlebotinum: Spoofed by the plot device of the episode, which fire vaguely described "strange energies" that give Ransom god-like power.
- Art Shift:
- The animation becomes looser and more wavy as the Titan flies into the anomaly.
- The image of Gary Mitchell seems to be more realistically proportioned than the other characters. (Possibly in a similar vein to how in "No Small Parts" a picture of Kirk and Spock looked like how they appeared in the old animated series.)
- Brick Joke: T'Ana suggests hitting Ransom with a boulder early on, as it's how Kirk handled the Gary Mitchell situation. She shows up with one on a forklift at the end.
- Call-Back: To the first episode of Season One; Rutherford mentions early on that he's going on a date with Ensign Barnes, which Mariner congratulates him on. Lampshaded in that Mariner immediately questions why the situation feels familiar.
- Chekhov's Gun: T'Ana repeatedly mentions needing a boulder before showing up with one on a forklift at the climax to cure Ransom of his "strange energies".
- Clone by Conversion: Ransom transforms the Apergosian citizens' heads into copies of his own, but retaining their natural orange skin.
- Clothing Damage: In keeping with the Kirk parody aspect of Ransom's character, when he is hit with a bolt of energy, his shirt acquires a very large tear right along his pecs.
- Continuity Nod:
- Mariner's holo-program is straight out of Picard's torture in "Chain of Command". Boimler even says that they keep forcing him to look at lights.
- Along with the Miranda-class that Mariner takes, the ships in the holo-program include a Bajoran Interceptor, a Jem'Hadar Fighter, and at least five Delta Flyers.
- It's brought up how Kirk defeated Gary Mitchell by dropping a boulder on him after Mitchell was affected by "strange energy".
- We finally see Jennifer the Andorian at the end of the cold open. Mariner still doesn't like her, and the feeling is clearly mutual.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: A variation when Tendi suggests that Rutherford has Synthetic Memory Disorder. It's a condition that can occur from cybernetic brain implants that gradually shifts the afflicted's personality and memories as neurons degrade until their brain melts out of their skull.
- Danger Room Cold Open: The episode opens with Mariner seemingly captured by Cardassians. We quickly learn from Boimler, though, that this is just a simulation, since he calls himself a hologram. Mariner also tells Jennifer that this is her cardio method.
- Deity of Human Origin: Ransom "goes god" after being hit by strange energies, unfortunately it also alters his personality by sending him mad with power pretty immediately.
- Description Cut: Right after Tendi says that Boimler is "probably having the time of his life" on the Titan, we see him on the bridge, screaming in confusion and terror as the ship evades the Pakleds firing on them by flying into a black hole.
- Detachment Combat: Ransom detaches and enlarges his head to confront the Cerritos directly, by trying to eat it, while his headless body remains behind and continues his alterations to the planet. He later grows disembodied hands for more accurate combat.
- Detonation Moon: Ransom zaps the Apergosian moon out of existence.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: When escaping the Cardassian prison, Mariner passes by a chained up Boimler who mentions just being a hologram while begging Mariner to save him. Soon after Mariner has to pause the program when Jennifer enters the holodeck to relay a message.
- Energy Absorption: Ransom absorbs the phaser fire of the Cerritos.
- Evil Makeover: Ransom gives himself a new makeover among the other changes he makes to the planet, a white Badass Longcoat with a cape.
- Evolving Credits: The Klingons have joined the Romulans in fighting the Borg in the opening sequence, and a pair of Pakled warships are opportunistically attacking the Romulans.
- Flying Face: As his power grows, Ransom detaches his head, enlarges it several times over, and flies off into space to confront the Cerritos face-to-spaceship. Later, he adds a pair of floating hands.
- Funny Background Event:
- While Tendi and Rutherford are talking out their personal issues, especially her trying to cure him of Synthetic Memory Disorder, the giant Ransom head trying to eat the ship is seen out the windows behind her.
- The Ransomites can be seen using the workout equipment that Ransom created in the background of a few scenes.
- When Mariner is performing the repetitive Groin Attack on Ransom, T'Ana can be seen queuing up behind them with a boulder on a forklift.
- A God Am I: The energy that Ransom absorbs gives him near-omnipotent powers and the belief that he can and should reshape existence to his whim.
- Groin Attack: Mariner turns Ransom back to normal through repeated kicks to the groin.
- Hidden Depths: Mariner has the go-ahead to complete secret, off-book plans. Yet instead of huge, adventure filled missions, she chooses to power wash buildings to help beautify local planets.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: After Ransom turns T'Ana's hypospray into an ice cream cone and shakes her off, she curses and then licks it.
- Mandatory Line:
- Boimler only appears in The Teaser (as a hologram) and The Tag.
- Fred Tatasciore remains in the opening credits despite his primary character, Shaxs, now being dead. According to Memory Alpha, he voices the random Cardassian guards in the cold open.
- Mass Transformation: In addition to transforming the citizens into clones of himself, Ransom turns random objects into gym equipment. Doctor T'ana says "he's creating his own jacked utopia!"
- Mundane Solution: Mariner and T'Ana neutralize Ransom through repeated Groin Attacks and a large boulder, respectively.
- Mundane Utility: The crew uses Cetacean Ops as a swimming pool.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mariner using a sonic wash on a building uncovers a device which zaps Ransom, granting him god-like powers.
- No Ontological Inertia: Once Ransom's strange energies are neutralized, the changes that he made on the planet instantly revert back to normal — the Ransomites return to their normal selves, the twisted buildings return to their old shapes, and the moon he zapped into oblivion pops back into existence.
- Out-of-Character Alert: Tendi is concerned about Rutherford's mental state since getting his implant replaced. She's particularly concerned that he's taken a liking to pears (which he hadn't liked before), and that he's gone on several successful dates with Ensign Barnes (after things didn't work out with them in the past).
- Phlebotinum Overload: T'Ana suggests doing this to Ransom by blasting him with phasers until his powers short-circuit. Freeman shoots him once but doesn't stick with it, instead trying to talk him down.Freeman: Ugh, more power is just giving him more power!
- The Resenter: The fuel that drives Ransom's godhood is that Freeman was giving more attention to Mariner than him.
- Rushmore Refacement: Ransom uses his powers to generate a mountain and then carve his head onto it.
- Shirtless Scene: Tendi has Rutherford stripped to the waist in order to administer electric shocks to his brain.
- Ship Tease:
- Tendi is particularly bothered by Rutherford's apparently OOC behavior when she hears that he'd gone on multiple dates with Barnes, and later interrupts their date to run tests on him. Even after they reconcile, she still tells him not to date Barnes.
- When the first energy beams are released while Mariner power-washes the side of a building, a clearly-frightened Ransom rushes towards her while calling out her name.
- Stevens spends the episode acting like a huge suck-up to Ransom, runs to him when T'Ana drops the boulder, and ends the episode sitting at his bedside, reading to him while he recovers.
- Shout-Out: Possibly to the Tenth Doctor, well-known hater of pears. By the episode's end, Rutherford agrees with him.
- Skewed Priorities:
- Played for laughs as Mariner starts doing squats while trying to pilot a Miranda-class through an Asteroid Thicket and being chased by Cardassian ships because it's leg day. Subverted as this was just after it was confirmed to be a holodeck simulation, so Mariner isn't in any danger, but the holo Cardassian interrogator doesn't understand that and freaks out.
- Second Contact is held up by the Apergosian leader being preoccupied with making sure that the number on the pad he picks "has the right gravitas", as apparently numbers are significant in their culture.
- Freeman has some success complimenting Ransom back to normal, but blanches at the idea of letting him supplant her as captain, even if it's just meaningless compliments.
- Status Quo Is God: At the end of the episode, both Mariner and Freeman agree to dial back the autonomy that Mariner has on the ship, and Mariner is once more being dragged into the brig for disobeying orders. Thankfully, their mother/daughter bond is still there, and clearly stronger than it was in the past.
- Talking the Monster to Death: Freeman manages to figure out that compliments quell Ransom's rage, which also depowers him, and tries feeding him more so he can be reasoned with. Unfortunately, she draws the line at letting him believe that he'd make a better captain than her.
- Title Drop: Characters constantly refer to the energy that struck Ransom as "strange energies" and explain a bit of what it does. It's even identified as such on a PADD early on.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight:
- When Tendi tries to forcibly perform a medical treatment on Rutherford in the galley, Barnes simply leaves to change into her swimsuit and tells Rutherford that she'll meet up with him later.
- Tendi and Rutherford pay no notice to Ransom's giant head trying to eat the ship.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Ransom is driven mad by his newfound power, remaking the planet in his image. He begins acting on his resentment towards Freeman and Mariner, partially because of the attention that the former is giving the latter, but mostly frustration that they're clearly hiding their anger at the new status quo.
- X-Ray Sparks: Ransom's giant head sparks with energy, occasionally showing his skull beneath.
