The newly appeared Spock asks Picard what he's doing on Romulus. "That was to have been my question to you, sir." Picard, as a representative of the Federation, demands an explanation for Spock's actions, and dismisses Spock's claim that it's a personal mission of peace as inadequate, saying that this type of "cowboy diplomacy" is no longer acceptable. When Spock continues to stonewall, Picard says that he's also come as the bearer of unhappy news. "Sarek? ... Sarek is dead?" Spock pauses. "Walk with me, Picard." They head into a different cave.

Picard tells Spock that his father expressed pride and love towards him when he and Picard met. Spock dismisses this as part of the "emotional disarray" caused by Sarek's illness, but Picard disputes that-it was from the heart. Spock then gets to the heart of the matter: he is aware of a movement among the Romulan people towards Vulcan philosophy, and he has come to foster it, to provide the first step to the reunification of the Vulcans and the Romulans! He kept it secret because of the memories of the Klingon peace overture and the responsibility he bears for its effects on Captain Kirk and Kirk's crew; he has no wish to risk anyone else a second time. When Picard says that Spock sounds like he's being influenced by emotions, Spock accuses Picard of speaking as Sarek would. "I was involved in `cowboy diplomacy', as you call it, long before you were born." Picard, regardless, insists that he cannot leave Romulus until Spock's mission is complete. "In your own way, you are as stubborn as another captain of the Enterprise I once knew." "Then I'm in good company, sir."

Captain K'Vada is more than a bit annoyed to hear Data (now on board the ship) tell him that he must remain a bit longer, but Data insists. Data further requires access to the Klingon computer to attempt to break into the Romulan information-net. He obtains this access by promising (with Picard's authority) to fully share any information he gets from this task. Further, Data makes arrangements to "piggyback" a message to the Enterprise on a Romulan signal, so as to avoid detection and still communicate.

Spock and Picard, meanwhile, are in the tavern, and Picard is being filled in on the underground. The movement is very widespread-wide enough to cause concern to the Romulan government. In response to Picard's skepticism that it's strong enough to turn the tide of the Romulan society, Spock says that he chooses to attempt to end the hostility rather than continue it. After they meet briefly with D'Tan, a Romulan child who is avidly interested in Vulcan and Vulcan culture, they meet with Pardek, who tells Spock that the Romulan proconsul [a very young man, possibly open to change] will meet with him.

The Enterprise, meanwhile, is still in orbit around Qualor Two, searching for the missing Vulcan ship T'Pau. Their investigations have led Riker to a rather seedy bar, where the piano player is the ex-wife of the now-deceased captain of the ship the Enterprise recently destroyed. Amarie is cautious, but eventually opens up, and tells Riker that within a few days, a fat Ferengi arms trader named Omag will come to the bar- and he should have the information Riker needs.

Pardek ushers Spock in to meet with Proconsul Neral (and Pardek then leaves). Neral stuns Spock when he says that he's prepared to support reunification. Neral claims to believe it's inevitable, and says that the people have grown tired of the endless hostility, and that as a result he can probably muster the support of the Senate. He tells Spock that he is prepared to publicly endorse the peace initiative, and questions Spock about likely Vulcan reactions (which, of course, would be rather cautious). He urges Spock to help, and arranges another meeting for the next day. Spock leaves-and moments later, Commander Sela enters through another door...

The underground's reaction to Spock's report is ecstatic, but Spock and Picard are both very skeptical about Neral's veracity. Picard thinks Neral might be out to expose the movement, but finds himself defending the Federation against claims that it is the one opposed to reunification. Spock declares that he will continue his efforts regardless. Picard naturally objects, and asks Spock where the logic is in ignoring Spock's own good sense. Again, Spock says that Picard's attitudes towards reunification (and perhaps towards Spock) have been colored by Sarek's perceptions. "This is the second time you have accused me of speaking with another man's voice," says Picard, steadfastly insisting he is speaking his own mind and not another's. After Spock apologizes (and comments that, in the end, the stimulating arguments between himself and Sarek were all they had), he goes on to say that he will follow this course even into a trap; if the Romulans do have ulterior motives, then it behooves them to find them out. "So...I will play the role they would have me play."

Some time later, Data is on board K'Vada's ship [back to his normal appearance, having removed the prosthetics], and Picard and Spock enter. While Picard leaves to remove his own disguise, Spock and Data work on decoding the Romulan cipher. While they do this, they discuss the Vulcan way versus the human way: Some Vulcans, after all, aspire for their entire lives to become what Data already *is* by design; but Spock, in choosing his Vulcan heritage over his human one, has abandoned the very thing that Data has sought after. Data implies that Spock is perhaps more human than he lets on, just as they break the code.

Meanwhile, back at Qualor Two, Omag finally arrives. Worf reports this to Riker, and Riker immediately beams down. Omag is a thoroughly disreputable fellow, and shows no sign of changing simply because of the two rather imposing-looking Starfleet officers standing in front of him after information. After a few minutes of putting up with Omag, Riker decides that enough is enough, and grabs him by the neck, explaining that if Omag doesn't tell everything he knows about the Vulcan ship, his right to travel in the sector will be cancelled, and that Riker...will be very unhappy. Omag says that he traded the ship to a Barolian freighter at Galorndon Core, a planet along the Neutral Zone border.

Riker confers with Picard briefly over subspace (the piggybacked signal is low-quality, however), and Picard orders them to Galorndon Core to check into this further, despite the fact that none of them can figure out how a stolen Vulcan ship fits into any of this. Data then finds records of a transmission from Romulan intelligence to Galorndon Core twelve hours earlier, containing only the message "1400".

Down on Romulus, meanwhile, Spock again meets with D'Tan and discovers that D'Tan and his family have been educating themselves as best they can about Vulcan ways for generations, to prepare for the reunification they know must come. Spock then meets with Picard and Data. When he hears of this message, he realizes that Neral's been deceiving him. He doesn't know precisely what's going on, but 1400 hours is when Neral had arranged for Spock's announcement of the peace initiative tomorrow over subspace. "Why would they need a Vulcan ship?" asks Pardek.

"That will become clear very shortly!" says Sela, who enters with several security guards. Pardek shouts that someone must have betrayed the camp's location, but Spock immediately points out that the only logical person to have done so is Pardek, who invited Spock to Romulus in the first place, arranged all the meetings, and knew of the information. Sela tells Spock and the others that their dream of reunification is not dead; "it will simply take a different form." Picard, Spock, and Data are then hauled off.

The Enterprise reaches Galorndon Core and finds no life signs, but then receives a signal from Romulus. The message, a coded signal, is from Picard, and tells them to hold position until they hear further; the diplomatic mission appears to be succeeding. Riker is skeptical.

Sela, confident of success, gives Spock a speech to read. The speech will announce that the three Vulcan ships (all stolen) heading to Vulcan are a peace envoy. (The Enterprise, she claims, will stay where it is thanks to "Picard"'s message; if not, they'll quickly find their hands full with something else.) Spock will tell Vulcan to welcome the envoy, and the Romulans will quickly overpower Vulcan and conquer it. The Federation will naturally respond, but the Romulans will be dug in, and very difficult to stop.

Spock naturally refuses to read the speech, even under threat of death (since, after all, the logical expectation is that he and the others will be killed anyway). Sela falls to her backup plan; a holographic simulation of Spock built up from holo-images taken over the past several days. It may not convince the Vulcans, but it doesn't need to; it only needs to confuse them. Sela leaves to prepare for the ships' entry into Federation space, leaving Picard, Data, and Spock alone. Since she still doesn't seem to know about their ability to access Romulan computers, they get to work arranging a diversion.

The Enterprise picks up the three Vulcan ships in the Neutral Zone and hails them. When Riker hears that the ships claim to be peace envoys, he's somewhat surprised-but he gets Geordi to work checking whether any of those are the ship they've been seeking, and moves to intercept.

Sela returns-to find an empty room. She reacts with surprise-but is even more surprised to see Commander Riker and two security guards with weapons pointed at her and her guards! She and her guards take cover and fire at them-and quickly figure out that "Riker" and the others are holograms. Then, however, Spock steps out of the "wall" [really a simulation of the real wall Data moved slightly further into the room] and nerve-pinches one guard. Picard steps out and punches the other one out. Sela moves to escape, but finds Spock pointing a disruptor at her. "I'm afraid I don't know much about disruptor settings." Sela drops her weapon, but maintains her defiance, saying that none of this will stop the Vulcan ships.

The Enterprise, moving closer to the Vulcan ships, suddenly receives an urgent distress call from a colony requiring prompt evacuation. With no proof of the Vulcan ships being anything but what they claim to be, they set a course for that colony, but wait to hear Spock's message, just coming on subspace:

"This is Ambassador Spock of Vulcan. By now, Federation sensors are tracking three Vulcan ships crossing the Neutral Zone. These ships carry a Romulan invasion force and must be stopped. I repeat, these ships-" And the signal is cut off. Riker immediately guesses that the distress call is a fake and moves to intercept.

Sela now tells Picard, Spock, and Data that they will never leave her headquarters. Data, however, has studied the layout of the building, and believes he can lead them all to safety. However, Sela cannot be allowed to warn her guards: and Data nerve-pinches her into unconsciousness. They leave.

The Enterprise reaches the Vulcan ships, only to see a Romulan Warbird uncloak between them and the Enterprise. They warn it off, but it fires- at the three ships, destroying all of them. It then heads back to Romulan space, leaving Riker to prepare for Picard's return.

In some other caves (ones Pardek knew nothing of), D'Tan and the others tell Picard that they will keep striving for reunification, awaiting the day when it will work. Picard and Data prepare to leave-but Spock tells Picard that he's staying behind. His reasons are clearer than ever: these people, this small movement, is the beginning of an inexorable move toward a Vulcan way of life. It may take them a long time to reach it, but they will-and he must help. After Picard mentions Sarek one last time, Spock observes that Picard probably knows Sarek better than he does, for Spock and Sarek never chose to meld. "I offer you the choice to touch what he shared with me," says Picard. Spock and Picard meld, and Spock and Sarek are, however slightly, however briefly, unified.

Highlight Listing:

"Unification II" - Picard and Mr. Spock clash over a proposed reunification of the Romulans and the Vulcans.

Advertising Headline:

PEACE...OR PLOT? Are the Romulans using Spock to destroy the Federation?

TV log listing:

Spock's peace mission endangers Federation/ STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

Operation SNAFU

After Spock, Picard, and Data have knocked out the Romulan guards, and Spock has Sela at gunpoint, Picard has no gun in his hand. After a camera switch, Picard then holds a Romulan "disrupter pistol". A minute later, after a scene with the Enterprise, Picard is still standing in the same place, but with a Romulan "disrupter rifle". (UV) After Data gives Sela the famous "Spock Pinch", and when Picard, Data, and Spock leave the room, look at the glass pyramid in Sela's office. There is a reflection of a cameraman chewing gum. (V)

Editor's Note:

Before this episode aired, a 10 second memoriam to Gene Roddenberry was displayed on the screen.

Technical design, graphic design, interactive features, HTML & CGI programming by Andrew Tong. || All materials Copyright © 1987-1995 by their respective authors. || Document created: January 28, 1995 || Last Modified: November 09, 2010