Star Trek: The Next Generation: Where Silence Has Lease

"Where Silence Has Lease" is the second episode of season two of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the twenty-seventh episode of the series overall (if one counts the two-part pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" as two episodes). Combining the episode count of all Star Trek-related TV shows to date, it is the 133rd episode of the entire franchise. The episode was directed by Winrich Kolbe with a teleplay written by Jack B. Sowards. It first aired in syndication on Saturday, November 26th, 1988.

Notes & Trivia

 * Star Trek: The Next Generation was created by Gene Roddenberry.


 * "Where Silence Has Lease" and "TNG: Where Silence Has Lease" both redirect to this page.


 * This episode is production code number 128.


 * Stardate: 42193.6.


 * The events of this episode take place in the year 2365.


 * This episode is included on disc one of the Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Complete Second Season DVD and Blu-ray collections. The collection was produced by Paramount Home Video and first released in Region 1 format on May 7th, 2002.


 * Actress Diana Muldaur is given a "Special appearance by" credit in this episode.


 * Casting director Junie Lowry-Johnson is credited as Junie Lowry in this episode.


 * Actor Colm Meaney is credited as Transporter Chief in this episode. The character's actual name is Miles O'Brien.


 * There are a total of eleven credited cast members in this episode.


 * This is the 133rd episode of the entire Star Trek franchise. It is the 110th live-action project in the franchise, including films. It is the 106th live-action television episode.


 * This is the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation directed by Winrich Kolbe. He directs sixteen episodes of the series in total. It is the first of three episodes that he directs in season two. His next episode is "Pen Pals".


 * This is the only episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation written by Jack B. Sowards. It is his final work in the science fiction genre. Sowards is also known for writing the screenplay to the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Appearances

 * This is the second appearance of Doctor Katherine Pulaski. She makes twenty appearances in the series in total.


 * This is the fourth appearance of Miles O'Brien. It is his second appearance in season two. It is his second appearance where he is identified as Transporter Chief.


 * This is the first and only appearance of Nagilum.


 * This is the first and only appearance of Haskell, who dies in this episode. He fills the archetype of the expendable "redshirt" character.

Quotes

 * Nagilum: Why are you so alarmed when I've gone to such trouble to look just like you?
 * Data: Captain, sensors show nothing out there - absolutely nothing.
 * Geordi La Forge: Sure is a damned ugly nothing.

....
 * Nagilum: You seem to find no tranquility in anything. You struggle against the inevitable. You thrive on conflict. You're selfish, yet you value loyalty. You're rash, quick to judge, slow to change. It's amazing you've survived. Be that as it may, as species, we have no common ground. You're too aggressive, too hostile, too militant.

....
 * Data: Sir, our sensors are showing this to be the absence of everything. It is a void without matter or energy of any kind.
 * William T. Riker: Yet this hole has a form, Data; it has height, width...
 * Data: Perhaps. Perhaps not, sir.
 * Captain Picard: That's hardly a scientific observation, Commander.
 * Data: Captain, the most elementary and valuable statement in science, the beginning of wisdom, is, "I do not know". I do not know what that is, sir.

....
 * William T. Riker: Remember the course in ancient history at Starfleet Academy? About the time when men still believed the Earth was flat?
 * Captain Picard: Mmm. And that the sun revolved around it.
 * William T. Riker: And that if a ship sailed too far out into the ocean, it would fall off the edge of the world.
 * Captain Picard: "Beyond this place, there be dragons." It's even said that crews threatened to hang their captain from the yardarm if he refused to turn back.
 * William T. Riker: I'm sure no one here has that in mind, sir.
 * Captain Picard: How comforting, Number One.

....
 * Data: I have a question, sir.
 * Captain Picard: Yes, Data, what is it?
 * Data. Data: What... is death?
 * Captain Picard: Oh, is that all? Well, Data, you're asking probably the most difficult of all questions. Some see it as a changing into an indestructible form, forever unchanging; they believe that the purpose of the entire universe is to then maintain that form in an earth-like garden, which will give delight and pleasure through all eternity. On the other hand, there are those who hold to the idea of our blinking into nothingness - with all of our experiences and hopes and dreams merely a delusion.
 * Data: Which do you believe, sir?
 * Captain Picard: Considering the marvelous complexity of the universe, its... clockwork perfection, its balances of this against that, matter, energy, gravitation, time, dimension - I believe that our existence must be more than either of these philosophies. That what we are goes beyond Euclidean or other practical measuring systems, and that our existence is part of a reality beyond what we understand now as reality.

Crew

 * David Livingston - Line producer
 * Burton Armus - Producer
 * John Mason - Producer
 * Mike Gray - Producer
 * Rick Berman - Co-executive producer
 * Maurice Hurley - Co-executive producer


 * Tracy Torme - Creative consultant
 * Junie Lowry - Casting
 * Ron Jones - Music
 * Jerry Goldsmith - Main title theme
 * Alexander Courage - Main title theme
 * Edward R. Brown, A.S.C. - Director of photography