Time's Arrow (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

"Time’s Arrow"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Data ponders his mortality
Episode no.	Season 5 & 6 Episode 26 & 1
Directed by	Les Landau
Story by	Joe Menosky
Teleplay by	Joe Menosky (Part I) Michael Piller (Part I) Jeri Taylor (Part II)
Featured music	Dennis McCarthy
Production code	226 & 227
Original air date	June 15, 1992 (1992-06-15) September 21, 1992 (1992-09-21)
Guest appearance(s)
Whoopi Goldberg - Guinan Jerry Hardin - Samuel Clemens Michael Aron - Jack London Barry Kivel - Doorman Ken Thorley - Seaman Sheldon Peters Wolfchild - Joe Falling Hawk Jack Murdock - Beggar Marc Alaimo - Frederick La Rouque Milt Tarver - Federation Scientist Majel Barrett - Computer voice Michael Hungerford - Roughneck Pamela Kosh - Mrs Carmichael James Gleason - Apollinaire Mary Stein - Devidian woman William Boyett - San Francisco policeman Alexander Enberg - Young reporter Bill Cho Lee - Male patient
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Inner Light" Next → "Realm of Fear"
List of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes

"Time’s Arrow" comprises the 126th and 127th episodes overall, and 26th episode of the fifth season and first episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. A two-part episode of Star Trek: TNG, the first episode was a cliffhanger season finale for the fifth season and the second episode was the premiere for the sixth season.

The second-part of the episode was nominated for three Creative Arts Emmy Awards, winning two: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Series, and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series.

The Enterprise is recalled to Earth on a priority mission pertaining to evidence of aliens on the planet 500 years ago. They are shown a cavern near Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco containing relics of the 19th century, and the severed head of Data. The Enterprise crew finds evidence pointing to a race of shapeshifters and cellular fossils native to the planet of Devidia II. Taking Data's second head, the Enterprise travels to the planet, and discovers a temporal disturbance on the planet. While there are no life forms visible, Troi senses the presence of suffering humans, and the crew realizes that the aliens are slightly out of phase with time. Data notes that his android body has a phase discriminator that would allow him to see the aliens, and Captain Picard reluctantly allows him to do so. Data, once in phase with the aliens, describes them to the crew as absorbing strands of light from a device in the center of the cavern but otherwise appear benign. However, as he observes, two aliens enter a time portal that he is drawn into; Data finds himself on Earth in San Francisco in the 19th century.