Booby Trap (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Enterprise trapped by ancient alien energy-draining device.
"Booby Trap" is the 54th episode of *Star Trek: The Next Generation*, airing as the sixth installment of the third season on October 30, 1989. It holds the distinction of being the first episode in any *Star Trek* series to be directed by a woman. The story takes place in the 24th century, following the crew of the Federation starship *Enterprise*-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. When the *Enterprise* investigates a sector littered with asteroids—the site of an ancient battle between the Menthars and the Promellians—it picks up a distress signal from a derelict Promellian battlecruiser. Picard joins an away team to explore the intact but lifeless ship, where they find a recording from its captain indicating a Menthar trap. After returning, the *Enterprise* suffers cascading power failures and is bombarded by radiation, threatening its shields and crew. Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge is tasked with restoring power, while a second away team discovers that the Menthars used devices to drain enemy energy and redirect it as lethal radiation—the same trap now holding the *Enterprise*.
La Forge realizes he must reconfigure the warp drive and traces its design to blueprints by Dr. Leah Brahms. On the holodeck, the computer takes his idle comment literally and creates a holographic version of Brahms to assist him. He asks the computer to update the hologram with her personality profile and gradually develops romantic feelings for her. The simulated Brahms suggests letting the computer take full control to make rapid adjustments, but La Forge proposes an alternative: reduce power output and manually pilot the ship out of the field. Picard and La Forge decide human intuition is superior, and Picard takes the helm, successfully maneuvering the *Enterprise* free. Once safe, the *Enterprise* destroys the Promellian vessel to prevent future victims, and La Forge kisses the holographic Brahms goodbye before deactivating the holodeck.
The episode was released on DVD as part of the season three box set on July 2, 2002, featuring 26 episodes across seven discs with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. A high-definition Blu-ray followed on April 30, 2013. In Japan, it appeared on LaserDisc on July 5, 1996, in the half-season set *Log.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Season
- 3
- Episode
- 6
- Production
- 154
- Airdate
- 1989-10-30
- Teleplay
- Ron Roman / Michael Piller / Richard Danus
- Story
- Michael Wagner / Ron Roman
- Director
- Gabrielle Beaumont
- Photographer
- Marvin V. Rush
- Guests
- Susan Gibney as Leah Brahms / Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien / Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan / Albert Hall as Galek Dar / Julie Warner as Christy / Majel Barrett as Computer Voice
- Prev
- The Bonding
- Next
- The Enemy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
While the Enterprise investigates the asteroid-laden sector of space of the final battle between the Menthars and the Promellians, it receives a distress call from a Promellian battlecruiser. They find the ancient battlecruiser adrift but intact, and Picard, anxious to see the ship for himself, joins the away team as they transport over. They find a recording by the Promellian captain that suggests the ship was caught in a Menthar trap. After the away team returns to the Enterprise, it begins to suffer a series of power losses that prevent the use of its engines, and is bombarded by radiation that threatens to drain its shields and kill the crew. Picard orders Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge to find a way to restore power, while a second away team searches for more clues on the Promellian vessel. They discover that the Menthars had used devices to absorb an enemy ship's energy and redirect it back as hazardous radiation, and that the Enterprise is stuck in the same trap.
La Forge realizes that he needs to reconfigure the warp drive, and traces the warp drive's design back to its construction blueprints, created by Dr. Leah Brahms. La Forge enters the ship's holodeck to reason through the engine reconfiguration, where the computer takes an idle remark by Geordi literally and creates a holographic representation of Brahms herself to assist him in his work. He asks the computer to update the hologram with Dr. Brahms' personality profile, and slowly gains romantic feelings for her. Eventually the simulated Dr. Brahms suggests a solution: to allow the computer to take control of the ship, allowing it to make rapid adjustments to compensate for the trap. La Forge proposes an alternate solution: to reduce the Enterprise's power output and maneuver it out of the field by manual control. Picard and La Forge decide that computers cannot account for human intuition and elect to go with the manual approach. Picard takes the helm himself to carry out the operation, successfully moving the Enterprise from the trap. Once free and with power restored, the Enterprise destroys the Promellian craft to prevent others from falling into the trap, and La Forge kisses the simulated Brahms goodbye before turning off the holodeck.
Reader's Guide
"Booby Trap" is notable as the first episode of any Star Trek series to be directed by a woman. The episode introduces the character of Dr. Leah Brahms, a spacecraft engineer whose holographic simulation becomes a romantic interest for Geordi La Forge. Critical reception has been mixed: Keith DeCandido gave it a 4 out of 10 for Tor.com, citing the creepiness of LaForge falling in love with a computer simulation of a real person, while The A.V. Club gave it a "B" grade, praising Picard's climactic piloting. Io9's 2014 listing of the top 100 Star Trek episodes placed it 90th out of over 700 episodes. In 2019, Comic Book Resources rated it the 14th best 'holodeck' episode of the franchise. Popular Mechanics in 2017 called it one of the top ten most fun episodes of The Next Generation, noting its unique plot concepts including ancient space traps and falling in love with a hologram. ScreenRant in 2020 described it as a frightening episode with one of the best moments for Captain Picard. The episode was released on DVD in 2002 and on Blu-ray in 2013, and on LaserDisc in Japan in 1996.
Did You Know?
- Actress Susan Gibney guest stars as spacecraft engineer Leah Brahms.
- The episode was released on LaserDisc in Japan on July 5, 1996.
- Rich Evans of Red Letter Media ranked this episode among his ten most favourite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 2020.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Booby Trap (Star Trek: The Next Generation) historically significant?
It holds the distinction of being the very first episode across all Star Trek series to be directed by a woman. That milestone set it apart from the rest of the franchise's production history.
What is the plot of Booby Trap (Star Trek: The Next Generation)?
The Enterprise-D answers a distress call from a derelict Promellian battlecruiser drifting in an asteroid field where the Menthars and Promellians once fought their final war. The ship then becomes ensnared by a centuries-old alien mechanism that steadily drains its power.
Who are the Menthars and Promellians in Booby Trap (Star Trek: The Next Generation)?
They are two ancient alien civilizations whose final battle took place in the asteroid sector the Enterprise investigates. Their conflict left behind the energy-sapping trap that ultimately endangers Picard's crew.
When did Booby Trap (Star Trek: The Next Generation) first air?
It premiered on October 30, 1989, serving as the sixth episode of the third season and the 54th installment in the overall TNG run.
Who guest stars in Booby Trap (Star Trek: The Next Generation)?
Susan Gibney plays Dr. Leah Brahms, a medical officer found aboard the abandoned Promellian vessel. She is the lone survivor the Enterprise rescues just before the ship falls under the trap's influence.
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