I had forgotten Gene let them somehow slip a horror episode into the first season, but this is that and well done. It even ties in to the earlier episode Coming of Age, but in a strange way. Since it appears Remmick was the source of the infection within Starfleet, why didn't he infect Picard when he was on board during that episode. I could have believe that the admiral was free of the parasite at that point, but for there to have been a conspiracy Remmick would have already had to have that alien queen inside his belly. Continuity aside, this is a fun one.
While on their way to the ocean world Pacifica the Enterprise receives a Code 47, a secret message for the captain only. It is Picards old friend calling and he won't say about what other than that they must meet on an uninhabited planet and not tell anybody. Picard agrees and when they arrive there are three other ships there. Picard finds his friend Captain Keel and two other captains who are pointing their phasers at him. Picard answers some background questions to prove it is really him and they calm down a bit. The captains explain that strange things have been happening around Starfleet and their officers are no longer themselves. They act strange and are missing most of their memories. Picard doesn't seem to take it too seriously, but after beaming back to the ship he talks to Troi about it.
They proceed to Pacifica but suddenly encounter a debris field, Captain Keel's ship has been destroyed! Picard sets Data to work analyzing all the orders from Starfleet for the last six months. Riker doesn't seem to buy it, but Data does come upon some very subtle but undeniable patterns. Picard is convinced and heads straight for Earth without orders. When they arrive three admirals call the ship including the one who tried to bring Picard in during Coming of Age (maybe he was already under their control and his invitation to run the academy was part of the conspiracy!!!). They invite Picard to dinner to talk about things but Admiral Quinn wants to have a look around the Enterprise instead. He brings some sort of creature with him and sleezocrat Remmick beams him up and Picard beams down.
Admiral Quinn meets Riker in his quarters and tries to get him to let the creature take over his mind which seems like a dumb plan until we learn he also has super strength. He manages to subdue Riker but not before he can call for help. Worf and Geordi rush in but can't handle the admiral until Crusher blasts him with a phaser (like a boss). Picard and the admirals have some awkward conversation before dinner but Picard manages to call the ship before they eat. Crusher informs him what happened and that they found out the creatures need a breathing tube that comes out of the back of the victims neck to live. Picard sits down to dinner but it is immediately clear it isn't for him when the main course is revealed to be live insects.
Picard tries to flee but is stopped by one of the other captains from the earlier meeting and Riker who now sports a tail coming out of his neck. They sit down to eat and reveal too much of the plan. They insist Riker eat some bugs but instead he blasts them with his phaser and he and Picard have a fun action sequence where they get to blast a bunch of admirals. Finally they find Remmick at a communications console sending out some sort of signal. One of the creatures crawls into his mouth and his neck starts pulsating as he explains they only want peace. Picard and Riker shoot him until his head explodes and his chest melts revealing the alien queen which they blast into oblivion. That takes care of this infection, but just before the end Data tells them that the signal Remmick sent was a homing signal to an unexplored part of the galaxy, dun dun dunnnnnn!
Review: While the stop motion effects weren't the best the horror of having a creature living in your neck controlling you in every way is pretty terrifying. This is also about as dark a story about Starfleet as any of the Treks I have seen have ever included including VI.
9 out of 10
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