Department of Temporal Investigations Report: "Time's Arrow"

Temporal Investigations
Incursion Report
Filed Stardate 46072.5
Commander L. Keith Marcus, DTI Analyst
Transmitted over secured channel Alpha 564 Theta 3



I. SUMMARY OF INCURSION

On Stardate 45959.1 the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D was recalled to Earth in re several interesting artifacts found by a work crew in a long abandoned mine approximately 1 mile beneath San Francisco.  In addition to several items from Earth's late 19th century the crews also found what seemed to be a duplicate of Lieutenant Commander Data's severed head.  Analyzing the items aboard the Enterprise it is confirmed that the duplicate head dates to the late 1890s.  Tricorder readings of the cave indicated triolic waves, an energy time foreign to Earth in both the 19th and 24th centuries.  Further investigation by Commander LaForge lead the Enterprise to planet Devidia II in the Marrab sector.  After proceeding to Devidia II the Enterprise detected a temporal disturbance and triolic waves on the planets surface, matching what was detected in the Sa Francisco cave.  An away team beams down to a cave, including Lt. Commander Data whose phase discriminator makes it possible to see the lifeforms sensed by Counselor Troi.  Using his phase discriminator Data phases to a temporal variance of .004, allowing him to see and interact with the Devidians.  Encountering two Devidians and an Ophidian Data is transported back in time to San Francisco, Earth, 1893.  A group of Enterprise senior officers (Picard, Riker, Troi, Dr. Crusher and LaForge) duplicate the event with a modified discriminator and travel back to 19th century Earth.  In 1893 San Francisco Data interacts with Jack London and author Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka Mark Twain) as well as Guinan, an El-Aurian living on Earth at that time as a human (who would by the 24th century serve as bartender on the Enterprise-D).  While Data worked to detect the Devidians and stop the interference in Earth's past Picard and the other officers, posing as a theater troupe began searching for Data.  During their search Dr. Crusher would determine that the Devidians were using a cholera outbreak on Earth as cover to steal human neural energy from dying patients.  After reuniting with Data the crew made their way to their mining cavern and confronted the Devidians.  Data attempts to use the Ophidian to open the time portal, however the energy discharge severs his head from his body. The rest of the crew escape through the Devidians time portal and return to the 24th century along with Data's body.  The portal was unstable and collapsed, leaving Captain Picard temporarily trapped in 1893.  Just before the collapse Clemens, who had followed the crew to the cavern escaped through the portal and ended up in 2369.  In 1893 Picard used Data's head which he realized would have to stay in the cavern to send a message to the future.  In 2369 LaForge manages to connect Data's head (the one from the cavern) to his body and activate it.  Data processes the message and informs the crew about specific adjustments that must be made to the Enterprises photon torpedoes to properly destroy the cave without creating a massive temporal rift.  Commander Riker decided to send Clemens back to the planet with the Ophidian and the information needed to reopen the rift so that he and Picard may return to their proper timeframes.  After Picard safely returns to the Enterprise the ship fired several modified torpedoes at the planet destroying the Devidians cave.

Temporal Displacement: approximately 386 years


II. VIOLATIONS

Following interviews with the Enterprise-D senior officers as well as a review of log entries and tricorder data it has been determined that the following violations of the Temporal Prime Directive occurred:

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Revealing his true origin and timeframe to an inhabitant of a past timeframe (Guinan)

Commander William Riker

Assaulting an inhabitant of a past timeframe

-A 19th century police officer

Allowing an inhabitant of a past timeframe to see and have access to 24th century technology
-Allowing Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain to freely walk about the USS Enterprise-D, including seeing nonhuman crewmembers)

Lieutenant Commander Data

Interacting with historical figures (Jack London and Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain)


III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Potential contamination/damage to the timeline: minimal

Predestination: the presence of Commander Data's head in the San Francisco mine cavern and the events caused by that discovery led to Data's travel back to 19th century Earth and ultimately his head being separated from his body and being left in the cavern.  Captain Picard utilized this to send a message from 1893 to the Enterprise in 2369.  This message is likely part of the predestination paradox.  Because of this, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)'s travel to the 24th century while undesirable is a part of the predestination paradox as well.

Due to this mitigating factor, the following violations

Commander William Riker
Allowing an inhabitant of a past timeframe to see and have access to 24th century technology
-Allowing Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain to freely walk about the USS Enterprise-D, including seeing nonhuman crewmembers)

-and-

Lieutenant Commander Data
Interacting with historical figures (Jack London and Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain)

are dismissed.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard revealing his true origin and timeframe to Guinan in 1893, although ill-advised, is like also a predestination paradox, given their future close friendship in the 24th century.

The remaining violation:

Commander William Riker

Assaulting an inhabitant of a past timeframe

-A 19th century police officer

is likely of no real consequence, and is thus dismissed.  It is stressed that any interference/interaction with people in a past timeframe, no matter how small, can have vast unforeseen consequences for the future timeline.

It is the recommendation of the Department of Temporal Investigations that the Devidians, being a temporally active species, be kept under close supervision to prevent and additional attempts to alter or interfere with past or future time periods.

This report is final.