Next Phase Episode

[Stroudarian]

Season 5, Episode 24
“The Next Phase”


A question I have had since childhood, and I have often wondered about, still confuses me to this day, so herre it goes. In the episode, after LaForge, Ro and the Romulan have been altered, they seem to pass right through walls, furniture, etc. Why didn’t they fall through the floor of the enterprise? Also, since the Romulan disruptor obviously worked, since the Romulan officer was wearing the device when he was altered, wouldn’t Ro’s and LaForge’s communicator badge have also worked, at least for them? I mean, if they are wearing the device, or anything else, at the time they were altered, it should theoretically work, at least for those who have been altered (Notice that their clothes did not fall off of them). Also, speaking of the Romulan Disruptor, since the 3 altered individuals were able to pass through bulkheads and other solid objects, wouldn’t the beam from the disprutor have not been impeded by similar objects? It’s just something that I have always wondered about.

 

[Kor]

Probably some hand-wavy technical mumbo-jumbo about gravity fields stopping right at the floor where they are generated.

Kor

 

[Stroudarian]

That is interesting. I have spent the last 25 years thinking about this episode, and that idea never occurred to me. This idea makes sense in a way. Thanks.

 

[Kor]

But then there was that time when things were going out of phase throughout the ship, and an engineering crewwoman ended up halfway through the floor.

Kor

 

[Stroudarian]

Good point. I remember that.

 

[JesterFace]

But then there was that time when things were going out of phase throughout the ship, and an engineering crewwoman ended up halfway through the floor.

Kor

Didn't that happen in another episode 'In Theory'?

Well, I guess that's known... But is there a connection between these episodes, not really.

 

[Stroudarian]

No, no connection that I can find.

 

[at Quark's]

Season 5, Episode 24
“The Next Phase”


A question I have had since childhood, and I have often wondered about, still confuses me to this day, so herre it goes. In the episode, after LaForge, Ro and the Romulan have been altered, they seem to pass right through walls, furniture, etc. Why didn’t they fall through the floor of the enterprise? Also, since the Romulan disruptor obviously worked, since the Romulan officer was wearing the device when he was altered, wouldn’t Ro’s and LaForge’s communicator badge have also worked, at least for them? I mean, if they are wearing the device, or anything else, at the time they were altered, it should theoretically work, at least for those who have been altered (Notice that their clothes did not fall off of them). Also, speaking of the Romulan Disruptor, since the 3 altered individuals were able to pass through bulkheads and other solid objects, wouldn’t the beam from the disprutor have not been impeded by similar objects? It’s just something that I have always wondered about.

What "should" have happened (I think) is that they just floated through the Enterprise, not being able to hold on to anything. Probably they would have awakened in space because the Enterprise had moved "from under their feet" while they were unconscious. But that wouldn't have made for a very interesting episode....

As for the communicators, I'd say it would depend upon whether these are a fully self-contained technology, or not (i.e. they still need an intermediate hub that was not phase shifted along with the devices, much like our cellphones today).

 

[tomswift2002]

Didn't that happen in another episode 'In Theory'?

Well, I guess that's known... But is there a connection between these episodes, not really.

In “In Theory” the transformations are caused by dark matter.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The fact that they didn't fall through the floor isn't even the most hand-wavey question. How could they breathe? Why was there air, and why didn't it escape through the walls like the people could?

 

[Herbert]

The most obvious answer is because otherwise they would fallen through the ship and into space. Boom, end of episode. Seriously, sometimes it's better not to try to figure out plot holes and wtf moments. Just go with it and enjoy the episode.

 

[JesterFace]

ThSeriously, sometimes it's better not to try to figure out plot holes and wtf moments. Just go with it and enjoy the episode.

Sometimes the plot hole is so big it cannot be just put aside or like in this case there are so many little things that make no sense it's just weird.

 

[Herbert]

I know. It would have been nice had Geordi come up with some technobabble to explain why they didn't fall through the floor but that wasn't written into the episode. What are you gonna do.

 

[tomswift2002]

I know. It would have been nice had Geordi come up with some technobabble to explain why they didn't fall through the floor but that wasn't written into the episode. What are you gonna do.

Don’t forget there was that table scene where Geordi gets zapped by Data’s beam and has a harder time pushing his hand (and says it’s harder) through, so maybe there is resistance when they’re cloaked.

 

[Herbert]

Don’t forget there was that table scene where Geordi gets zapped by Data’s beam and has a harder time pushing his hand (and says it’s harder) through, so maybe there is resistance when they’re cloaked.

Yeah but that only happens after they get zapped by Data's beam. Before that, they pass effortlessly through solids. Unless of course, it's the floor.

 

[tomswift2002]

Yeah but that only happens after they get zapped by Data's beam. Before that, they pass effortlessly through solids. Unless of course, it's the floor.

But we still see them have some resistance, since in Ten Forward, before the pistol blows up, both Ro and LaForge dive behind the table and neither go through the bench/wall.

 

[Herbert]

But we still see them have some resistance, since in Ten Forward, before the pistol blows up, both Ro and LaForge dive behind the table and neither go through the bench/wall.

That's just part of the inconsistency of the way it was written. They can pass their hand through a table. A crew member walks right through Ro but when they dive behind the table their surroundings are seemingly solid. I think it was a piss poor writing decision. They should have realized how inconsistent it was and come up with a reason why.

 

[Qonundrum]

It's still (IMHO) a great episode, a refreshing change for season 5, even if the laxity in physics is (grating) at times. I found the Romulan deceit and cultural sharing subplots to make up for the inconsistencies.

 

[tomswift2002]

That's just part of the inconsistency of the way it was written. They can pass their hand through a table. A crew member walks right through Ro but when they dive behind the table their surroundings are seemingly solid. I think it was a piss poor writing decision. They should have realized how inconsistent it was and come up with a reason why.

The show also had a similar storyline in Season 7 with The Pegasus. Both ships could pass through rocks with the phasing cloak, however, people were still able to stay in the ship without passing through the outer bulkheads.

 

[Unicron]

The fact that they didn't fall through the floor isn't even the most hand-wavey question. How could they breathe? Why was there air, and why didn't it escape through the walls like the people could?

The simplest answer in my mind is, since they can breathe, they weren't phased enough to completely fall through the floor or otherwise suffocate. The plot wouldn't be workable otherwise.

 

[Emperor Norton]

There is no bottom to space, so there is no bottom for them to fall down to. The question is more how then they moved from side to side. But....floors on the shuttle, so floors as a context on the ship...timey whimey, wibble wobble...

Also, I thought from the title this was going to be something like the "Phase II" version of a TNG follow on series, which I hadn't heard of before. So I am now sad.

 

[Ronan Fahy]

one of the Titan books, absent enemies I think, actually goes into a lot of detail about this, asking the same questions and with geordi etc wondering why it all worked as it did, and coming up with some theories, which amount to basically it being of no use if it didn't work like thst therefore someone designed it to be affected by gravity, to allow them breath, to allow light hit their eyes etc.