Skin of Evil (TNG episode)
Encyclopedia
"Skin of Evil" is the 23rd episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...

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Overview

A vicious and powerful creature toys with an away team sent to rescue a downed shuttlecraft containing Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...

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Plot

The Enterprise received a distress signal from a shuttlecraft that was returning Counselor Troi from a conference. They find the shuttle has crashed on the desolate planet, Vagra II, and while they can find Troi and the pilot's life signs, they cannot beam the two to the ship. An away team beams down and discovers that an animated pool of a tar-like substance, a malevolent life form that calls itself Armus, has engulfed the shuttle. When Lt. Yar attempts to approach the shuttle, Armus hurls her back with a psychokinetic blast, severely injuring her. The away team is brought back to the Enterprise but the damage to Yar is too great for Dr. Crusher to repair, and she soon dies. A second away team, heavily armed, is sent to the planet. Armus taunts the crew members and maintains his grasp of the shuttle. During this time, Troi has communicated with Armus and learns that it is a physical manifestation of evil from the bodies of an ancient race, abandoned on Vagra II.

The away team scans Armus' energy field, finding that when Armus engulfs the shuttle and speaks to Troi, expressing his remorse and pity, the field disrupting their transporter signals is weakened which could allow them to beam Troi and the pilot out of the shuttle. After Armus toys with Troi by completely engulfing Commander Riker, Captain Picard beams down to speak to Armus directly, sending the rest of the away team to the ship. Picard engages Armus in a heated discussion to discover its motive, which is to seek revenge on those that abandoned him on Vagra II. Armus is riled to a point where the energy field is dissipated enough, allowing for Picard, Troi and the pilot to be safely beamed back to the Enterprise. After destroying the shuttlecraft from orbit, Picard orders a quarantine on Vagra II.

As they leave Vagra II, the crew holds a memorial service for Lt. Yar, with a pre-recorded simulation of Yar addressing each of the senior crew members telling them what they meant to her and what she learned from each of them. After the service, Data, who had previously become close to Yar, tells Picard that he is confused as to the purpose of the service. He says that his thoughts are for himself, because he can only think of how empty his life will be without Tasha. He asks if he missed the point, but Picard assures him he got it.

External links

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