“Conspiracy” is the next to last episode of the first season. The teleplay was written by Tracy Torme.
While most episodes are full of mystery or suspense, this one is downright creepy. Think of it as a tv version of “Alien.”
Captain Picard receives a message on a subspace channel by fellow captain Walker Keel. He has Picard meet him and a couple of other starfleet captains on a remote planet where he tells Picard about unusual behaviors and orders by other starfleet officers and command. Picard is warned to watch his back as he boards his ship.
Picard enlists Commander Data to use his unique talent to review Starfleet logs for the past six months. Data does notice a pattern and concludes that there seems to be an attempt of overtaking and controlling a certain area of space. By who or what is the question.
Picard then has no choice but to inform the remaining bridge crew of why he is diverting the ship’s previous rendezvous at Pacifica and heading toward the command post on Earth. He feels he must warn them of a possible threat.
When he arrives, he is met with 3 admirals, including Quinn who we were first introduced to in “Coming of Age.” Also here is Commander Remmick from same episode. They invited Picard to dinner while Quinn requests to beam aboard the Enterprise for a tour. Picard agrees but tells Riker privately that he wants him to stay aboard until the dinner to observe Quinn. Picard is suspicious because of his lack of memory concerning their last encounter.
Quinn has brought aboard a creature that resembles a scorpion without the curled up tail. He tells Riker he has a “superior form of life” he’d like Dr. Crusher to see. Riker says he will have his science officer look at it and that’s when the fun begins.
Quinn insists it’s for the doctor and Riker finds himself thrashed around the quarters and his attempt at defense has no effect on Quinn. Worf and Geordi enter Quinn’s quarters and too are thrown about. Geordi is thrust through the doors and Dr. Crusher shows up with her phaser and puts Quinn unconscious.
Meanwhile, Picard is treated to a meal of live larvae like worms. He is repulsed and backs up only to find Riker standing there, telling Picard to sit back down. An admiral checks the back of Riker’s neck to see if the protrusion in which the invading creature breaths is visible behind the neck. Riker explains that the invader, which was meant for the doctor, is in him but it couldn’t be helped.
Dr. Crusher discovered the creature during an examination of Quinn and applied the same type of worm like protrusion on Riker to fake the possession.
Riker and Picard are told that putting phasers on kill was the only way to get rid of the host in the body. Riker, about to enjoy his “meal” shoots his phasers at the dinner hosts. The invaders leave their hosts through the mouth. Riker and Picard follow one to what we find is the mother host, inside the body of Remmick. They are forced to kill Remmick along with the queen host in a rather gruesome fashion.
The show ends with a chilling report from Data; Remmick was sending signals from Earth that appear to have been a homing beacon to the fellow invading hosts.
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