Ep 14. Clues

Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D are on a mission to investigate a highly advanced and extremely advanced alien race called the Cairn, who are known for their telepathic abilities. The Enterprise has just encountered a strange and unknown energy field that has caused the ship's computer to shut down. After the ship's systems come back online, the crew discovers that they have lost 24 hours and are not sure what transpired on the ship during that time.

As the crew tries to figure out what happened, they notice some inconsistencies in their memory, and they find it difficult to recollect the events during that lost day. While Data is doing his analysis, he discovers that the crew has been deliberately subjected to an induced memory loss. The crew realizes that something that happened during the 24 hours could have a significant impact on their current mission.

The crew decides to retrace their steps and investigates every system on the ship, hoping to find any clues that might help them explain what happened. As they investigate, they stumble across one clue that seems to have an explanation - Data is found to be the only one who hasn't been affected by the memory loss. He follows his programming and tells the crew that nothing unusual happened during the lost day. As the crew reviews the evidence, it appears Data's statement is contradictory to what they experienced.

Captain Picard begins to wonder whether Data might be withholding information from them or is programmed to lie. As they start to accuse Data of lying to them and ask him to explain himself, Data points out that he has nothing to lie about. He is an android - he is unable to lie. Data suggests an alternative hypothesis to what really happened during the lost day, which is contrary to what the crew believes had transpired.

As the investigation continues, conflicts arise between crew members who disagree about the correct path forward. Every system on the ship is analyzed, and every crew member questioned, but the mystery still remains. Meanwhile, the resolution of the mystery that led to the ship's initial loss of power is the only thing that can successfully explain what happened.

In summary, "Clues" is an episode that explores what could happen if a crew is deceived and misled. Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise find themselves in a situation where the only way to proceed might be to question their own perception of reality and examine the data and facts carefully. The mystery of the lost day poses many challenging questions, including how a crew's skewed perceptions can disrupt a mission, how the information can be recovered, and whether truth wins in the end.