Question about Clues

[tim0122]

Clues is a really good episode, but there's one thing I never understood. I'm probably misunderstanding an actual explanation given in the episode. Wouldn't the crew have realized they lost a day and then two or more days (after the second attempt) when they interact with others outside the ship again? Like, wouldn't have a space station been like, "It's Thursday, not Tuesday." Or is the "wormhole" supposed to have transported them through time as well? Meaning for the crew, they were "only out for 30 seconds," but the ship traveled a few days ahead in time while they were out?

 

[Finn]

plot

 

[Oddish]

I'm sure that whatever the Enterprise crew did the second time around to ensure that all potential clues were obliterated, it included providing an explanation for the lost time.

 

[Mojochi]

After they're first knocked out, Data says it's only been 30 seconds, but that they've traveled a day's distance through the would-be wormhole. He then resets the clocks to match everybody else. The wormhole accounts for the temporal displacement. They presume it's a natural event & just knowingly reset their own clocks to be synchronous with everyone else, after the fact. I assume the same thing happened the second time.

The discrepancy is that the clocks shouldn't have read only 30 seconds difference at all. They had to be adjusted to that fraudulent time, to sell that story to the crew, & during the episode Geordi figures it out.

 

[Oddish]

There was a discrepancy in the first iteration. That was one of the "clues". Once they were aware of it, the crew could ensure that it was addressed.

 

[Mojochi]

After the crew wakes up the first time...

Sir, I should realign the ship's clock with Starbase 4-10's subspace signal to adjust for the time distortion

Riker adds up that the distance they went should've taken them a day. They assume the "wormhole" dumped them out a day ahead of everyone, in a matter of 30 seconds, and subsequently realign themselves to the right time... not yet knowing that they themselves had deliberately altered their own clock to give that impression, in order to conceal the secret day.

It later gets found out. However, after the second attempt, it does not, because apparently no one goes looking that time, due to there being no other suspicious things pointing them in the direction to investigate their clock again. They assume they skipped two days this time, due to the wormhole's temporal distortion, & just reset to normal & go on their merry way, none the wiser

 

[evilchumlee]

Wormholes are weird, so it's really not outlandish that they just assumed what was 30 seconds to them was longer in real time due to wormhole chicanery.