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The Star Trek: TNG Episode That Predicted DS9 & Voyager

By Rachel Hulshult

Published Jun 27, 2024

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Summary

Star Trek: TNG's "The Price" introduced a wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, which is one of the concepts key to Deep Space Nine.
The wormhole turns out to be an unstable age to the Delta Quadrant. which is a plot device in Star Trek: Voyager's premiere.
"False Profits" in Star Trek: Voyager served as a sequel to "The Price," connecting the Ferengi officers' storylines across series.

One episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation predicted main plot points of both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D, TNG ushered in a golden era for the Star Trek franchise. Captain Picard and his crew soon became almost as popular as the characters of Star Trek: The Original Series, and TNG laid the groundwork for much of what came after. Many elements (and characters) introduced on TNG would play a role on DS9 and Voyager, including two important references in the same episode.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 8, "The Price," the Enterprise hosts several delegates who wish to bid on rights to a supposedly stable wormhole. Discovered by the Barzan people, this wormhole could provide a stable way to travel vast distances across the galaxy. The negotiator representing the Chrysalians, Devinoni Ral (Matt McCoy), finds himself drawn to Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and she shares his feelings. The two embark on a ionate romance, which takes up much of the episode's runtime, as the negotiations continue in the background. The wormhole itself serves as a precursor to DS9, and a Ferengi shuttle connects to Voyager.

Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril) in Star Trek: Discovery is a member of the Barzan species introduced by Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star trek enterprise archer the next generation picard captain burnham

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Star Trek: TNG's "The Price" Features A Wormhole To The Gamma Quadrant

The Bajoran wormhole in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine remains the only truly stable wormhole in the Milky Way Galaxy.

The wormhole at the center of the negotiations in "The Price" connects the Alpha Quadrant to the Gamma Quadrant, just like the Bajoran wormhole in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Since the Barzans do not have the means to control the wormhole and the space traffic that would use it, they have decided to auction it off to the highest bidder. The Federation bids for the right to control the wormhole, as do the Caldonians and the Chrysalians. When the Ferengi learn of the wormhole's existence, they insert themselves into the bidding as well.

Officially discovered by Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) in DS9's premiere episode, the Bajoran wormhole completely changed politics in both quadrants. Space Station Deep Space 9 set up at the entrance to the wormhole, making it one of the Federation's most important outposts.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the wormhole turns out to be a "proverbial lemon," just as Captain Picard feared. While the Alpha Quadrant side of the wormhole seems stable, the other end moves locations. When Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) travel through the wormhole to investigate, they end up in the Delta Quadrant, not the Gamma Quadrant. They determine that the Alpha Quadrant side of the wormhole will eventually become unstable as well, rendering the wormhole basically useless.

Star Trek: TNG's "The Price" Also Features A Ship That Gets Lost In The Delta Quadrant

Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 5, "False Profits" serves as a sequel to "The Price."

When Data and Geordi take a shuttle into the wormhole, they offer to share any information they find with the other delegates. The Ferengi, however, insist on investigating for themselves, and Ferengi officers Arridor (Dan Shor) and Kol (J.R. Quinonez) take their own shuttle into the wormhole. Data and Geordi soon detect strange readings, and they urge the Ferengi to return with them back to the Alpha Quadrant. The Ferengi refuse to listen and find themselves stranded in the Delta Quadrant when the wormhole moves to a new location.

The USS Voyager will find itself in a similar predicament in the premiere of Star Trek: Voyager, when the powerful Caretaker sends the ship to the Delta Quadrant. Later, in Voyager's "False Profits," Voyager encounters Ferengi officers Arridor and Kol (Leslie Jordan), who have declared themselves gods on a primitive planet. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew stop the Ferengi, and Arridor and Kol travel back through the unstable wormhole to the Alpha Quadrant. It will take Voyager a few more years to find its way home, but "False Profits" serves as a nice callback to Star Trek: The Next Generation.