While searching for survivors from the wrecked Federation freighter Odin, the Enterprise visits Angel One, a female-dominated planet at approximately Earth's 20th-century level of development. Picard sends down an away team (letting Troi do the talking), after Mistress Beata grudgingly permits the visit.

They first encounter only evasions and distrust. Some time later, after extracting a promise from the away team that they will take the survivors away, Beata gives them several crucial facts: there are four survivors, led by a man named Ramsey, and, more importantly, they are fugitives on this world. Back on the ship, Wesley and several of his classmates have contracted a respiratory ailment after a skiing trip on the holodeck, and Beverly cannot as yet figure out how it's transmitted.

The away team (minus Riker, who stays behind and is seduced by Beata) locates Ramsey, where they discover all is not as it seems. Ramsey and his fellows have learned to love this planet, but are crusading for equality. As they are civilians, the Enterprise cannot forcibly take them. As they return and express their regrets to Beata, she replies that she must then sentence them to death. Meanwhile, the time is drawing closer to a probable encounter with the Romulans in the Neutral Zone, and the virus has spread to the point where both Picard and Worf are out of action, leaving Geordi in command.

Riker and his team prepare to depart, expecting that Ramsey will manage to stay uncaught for a long time, but as they make their preparations, Ramsey is led in. Even in the face of certain death, however, Ramsey and his men are adamant-they and their families would rather die than leave. Riker attempts to take them by force, but is forbidden to beam up by Dr. Crusher, who has declared a medical emergency. Riker sends up Data, the only crewmember who is safe from the infection, with orders to get to the Neutral Zone "before it is too late."

Data interprets Riker's orders literally, and stays in orbit as long as he can. Riker makes one final plea to Beata before Ramsey's scheduled execution, convincing her that she's fighting, not a revolution, but evolution. Beata calls a last- second halt to the execution, and she and the council decide to exile Ramsey and his followers instead. Beverly finds the inoculant to the virus, and the ship heads for the Neutral Zone.

Highlight Listing:

"Angel One" - While the away team struggles to save male fugitives on a planet run by women, the Enterprise is ravaged by a highly infectious virus.

Advertising Headline:

NO MAN'S LAND Male fugitives face certain death on a planet ruled by women.

TV log listing:

Battle of the sexes on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.

Technical design, graphic design, interactive features, HTML & CGI programming by Andrew Tong. || All materials Copyright © 1987-1995 by their respective authors. || Document created: January 28, 1995 || Last Modified: July 12, 1999