The Royale

Did You Know?

• Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club rated the episode B and called it "watchable".
• Keith R. A. DeCandido of Tor.com rated the episode 5 out of 10.
• In 2019, Screen Rant ranked "The Royale" one of the ten funniest episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Plot

The Enterprise, acting on a tip from a Klingon vessel, discovers debris from an Earth ship orbiting a planet that cannot support life. A sample brought aboard reveals NASA markings and a 52-star American flag, placing the ship’s origin in the mid-to-late 21st century and suggesting it traveled far beyond the technology of its era. Scans detect a small, life-supporting anomaly on the planet’s surface. Commander Riker, Lt. Worf, and Lt. Commander Data beam down and find a revolving door standing alone in darkness. Entering it, they step into an old Earth-style hotel and casino called The Royale, losing contact with the Enterprise.

Trapped inside, the away team tries and fails to leave, then explores the building. In a hotel room, they find the preserved, desiccated remains of NASA astronaut Colonel Stephen Richey, along with a pulp novel titled Hotel Royale. Richey’s diary explains that his starship launched in 2037, was accidentally contaminated by an unknown alien race, and was transported across the galaxy through a wormhole; he was the sole survivor. The aliens, taking pity on him, created The Royale based on the novel, believing it represented humanity’s ideal way of life. Richey found the place unbearable because of the novel’s poor quality. He lived there for 38 years until his death, and his body has remained in the room for 283 years.