STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/DEEP SPACE NINE UPDATE ------------------------------------------------------- by Edwin Yau -------------- Things seem to be hotting up in TNG. After a series of repeats the two-part episode "Chain of Command" aired 2 weeks early on the 12th December and 19th December before returning to another series of repeats. The episode saw Picard ultimately captured and tortured by none other than actor David Warner, who played Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek 6 and St. John Talbot in Star Trek 5. It is possible that Ronny Cox (Captain Edward Jellico in "Chain Of Command") will be taking over the centre seat permanently if Patrick Stewart declines to sign up for a possible season 7. Rumours have it that many of the cast are willing to (or even have!) sign up for an extra season. Recurring guest stars and characters seem to be popular this season with Dwight Schultz returning as Barclay and tangling with Sherlock's old adversary, Moriarty, in the up-coming episode "Ship In A Bottle". Apparently Dwight Schultz is considering turning up as Reg in further episodes this season. "Face Of The Enemy" sees Troi kidnapped by the Romulans and surgically altered into one! Look out for future Romulan episodes which are being planned. In "Chain Of Command" Troi is finally back in a proper Starfleet uniform - her hairstyle is to change too. Two-part episodes also seem popular this season with another being scheduled for early Spring '93 which, like "Redemption", revolves around Worf. This will also be a TNG and DS9 crossover. In it, Worf travels to the DS9 station following up on rumours that his father may still be alive in the vicinity. The Duras sisters, Lursa and B'Etor are set to turn up in the episode. Most of the first part is to be set in TNG, whilst the second part is set in DS9. As previously reported, Q will return once again for a second episode this season. This time Picard will `die', (and no prizes for guessing who's responsible!), and is taken back to his Starfleet Academy days for a mission. Writers are also planning Lore's comeback as well as the customary Lwaxana Troi episode. There will be other episodes with actress Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro), but not many as she is also pursuing a movie career. As to DS9, the titles of the first few episodes are: "Emissary" (pilot episode which has Leonard Nimoy's wife appearing as a Starfleet Admiral), "A Man Alone", "Past Prologue" and "Babel". The main plot of "Emissary" centres around 8 glowing globes which have magical properties. The Cardassians have 7 of them, the 8th one hidden by the Bajorans. In another early episode, a very strange entity begins growing in the DS9 station's infirmary, and no one quite knows what it is... The writers have also hinted that something might be living inside the wormhole. The rumoured "Q-Less" has "Q" dropping in for a visit with Vash. Lwaxana Troi will also drop by in an episode for a visit, and takes an interest in Odo. One rumoured episode is said to include contact with the aliens who created the worm hole. The DS9 crew will learn that the ships' power sources are destructive to these aliens, and that they will be told how to travel without affecting them. Jerry Goldsmith has composed the theme to DS9. Dennis McCarthy and Jay Chattaway are scoring the incidental music for the episodes. Finally, other rumours about DS9 plots are that one of Guinan's children is in jail on the station, and that Keiko will become the headmistress there.