All the World's a Stage (episode)

Real world article

(written from a production point of view)

The crew answers a distress call to find a colony trapped in Starfleet's past.

Summary[]

Act One[]

On the USS Dauntless, Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway calmly interrogates the still amnesiac Diviner, who struggles to remember any of the events that caused his memory loss. He claims that someone stole the ship and his daughter, and that Captain Chakotay was taken prisoner. When he tries to recall the details, he has sudden flashes of memory, first about his mission and then about his daughter. He quickly begins to go into post-neural shock, shouting incoherently until he is sedated. Then, Ensign Asencia arrives and informs Janeway that an empty escape pod from the destroyed relay station has been found, and that it was launched by Barniss Frex, who was rescued by an unidentified ship. Janeway announces that her search for the USS Protostar is no longer a rescue mission - now, it is a manhunt.

The Protostar crew, having decided to use the ship to help others outside of Starfleet since they cannot remove the Living Construct, answers a distress call emanating from a seemingly pre-warp planet. Because of a subspace distortion field, they are unable to determine the reason for the distress call from orbit, and decide to beam down. However, Murf is not feeling well, so the crew decides that Rok-Tahk should stay behind to take care of it.

Beaming down, Dal R'El, Gwyn, Zero, and Jankom Pog encounter two men calling themselves James'T and Sool'U who welcome the "Star-Flight" crew. Hologram Janeway informs Dal that Starfleet has no presence in this sector and that there is no record of first contact with this planet, so they cannot possibly be Starfleet. James'T tells the Protostar crew that they have answered the Call of En Son. The men, who call themselves Enderprizians, take the crew to their colony, New Enda-Prize, and "play them the logs." Through a stage play, the crew learns that long ago, the crew of the USS Enterprise saw a danger on their planet but were forbidden to intervene. Ensign David Garrovick, called En Son by the Enderprizians, volunteered to go to the planet. Unfortunately, his shuttle crashed. Injured and stranded on the planet, Garrovick went to the village and warned the Enderprizians of a deadly evil in the woods known as "the Gallows". Several warriors went to confront the Gallows, but none of them ever returned, and a sickness came to the village. En Son taught the villagers as much as he could to help them survive and told them that Starfleet would return one day to rid them of the evil before he, too, succumbed to the illness.

Dal is skeptical, and expresses doubt about whether it's a good idea to help the Enderprizians when their first contact with Starfleet seems to have gone poorly. Just then a girl stumbles out of the woods, ill from the curse of the Gallows, claiming to have seen it. She collapses and Dal catches her.

Act Two[]

The young Enderprizian, named Huur'A, tells everyone that the Gallows has two glowing eyes and was breathing fire and death. Dal expresses skepticism that a curse even exists, but then realizes that he, too, has become ill from the curse and panics. Zero says that they can find a cure, but not without knowing what is causing the illness. Zero and Gwyn agree that the crew must find the source of the illness.

Meanwhile on the Protostar, Rok-Tahk is caring for Murf. As she takes a sample of its slime, she receives an urgent hail from Gwyn requesting that she beam down with medical supplies and EV suits to help Dal. She leaves Hologram Janeway in charge of Murf and hurries off to help the rest of the crew.

Back on the planet, Zero stays behind to help Doctor Boons tend to Dal and Huur'A while Gwyn, Rok-Tahk and Jankom go into the woods to investigate the "curse" of The Gallows. Dal is distraught over his illness and the crew's impersonation of Starfleet. He nearly calls the Enderprizians crazy before Doctor Boons places a wood leech on his neck, which instantly eases the horrible itching from his illness. Doctor Boons gives an inspirational speech about the power of belief in Starfleet's ideals, despite the Enderprizians' limited medical and technological level. Boons then asks Dal whether he also believes in those same ideals.

Gwyn, Rok-Tahk, and Jankom discover that The Gallows is actually the crashed Galileo which has been leaking plasma for over a century. That plasma has been interacting with native dilithium, resulting in a toxic run-off which has been contaminating the land. This information is what they need to help them synthesize a cure to the illness plaguing the village. However, due to subspatial interference from the explosive reaction and a cave collapse, they are trapped in the cave and unable to radio the information or call for help. Jankom realizes the Galileo is equipped with duotronic comm relays that could punch through the interference, and he bravely leaps aboard, despite the shuttle resting precariously on the edge of a cliff.

Act Three[]

Dal and Huur'A's condition is worsening when, all of a sudden, from aboard the Galileo, Jankom manages to send an emergency transmission using the Galilieo's comm system. He informs everyone about the Galileo and its leaking plasma, which allows Zero to quickly synthesize an antidote for the illness. They administer it to Dal and Huur'A just in time, and both of them make a quick recovery. Jankom then reveals that the roof of the cavern is coming down and frantically requests to be rescued.

Hologram Janeway relays that the subspatial interference will prevent beaming them out unless the Protostar is at close range, which would knock out autocontrols and Janeway's higher level functions. Knowing that they would need to manually fly into the cavern but are down several crew members, Dal realizes they can ask the locals for help. He beams Huur'A, James'T, and Sool'U aboard the Protostar, but they are astonished at the ship's advanced controls. Dal asks if they have anything more "old school", and Janeway uses the Protostar's holo-emitters to create a console overlay that resembles that of a 23rd century Constitution class starship. Familiar with the controls taught to them by En-Son, the newly conscripted Protostar crew is now able to pilot the ship.

While Jankom, Rok-Tahk and Gwyn are taking shelter from the cave-in on board the Galileo, the shuttle broadcasts its final recorded transmission, revealed to have been sent by Ensign David Garrovick of the USS Enterprise when he was stranded on the planet over a century ago. He tried to warn the locals of the danger from his damaged shuttle, but was surprised when they welcomed and healed him and eagerly learned the ways of Starfleet from him. Just as the shuttle falls off the edge and down into the pit of toxic run-off, the Enderprizians fly the Protostar into the cavern and beam Jankom, Rok-Tahk and Gwyn off the Galileo.

As they depart, Dal gives a final captain's log. He notes that, given the rules of second contact are fuzzy, they've elected to help the Enderprizians seal up the cavern, give them medical equipment to cure the illness caused by Starfleet, and leave the planet to allow them to develop on their own. Inspired by what the Enderprizians were capable of without a ship, Dal is confident the Protostar crew can find a way to save Starfleet, even if it means them giving up their ship as well.

Rok-Tahk checks on Murf, and is shocked to find Murf has entered a chrysalis on the wall of their quarters.

Log entries[]

Captain's log, Stardate 61296.9. One minute, we were full of hope to join Starfleet. Then, poof... That dream is dead because our ship has a weapon that'll wipe the Federation off the galactic map. Pog's not used to a problem he can't fix. We tried phasers, transporters. We can't get rid of it. It just adapts. Thanks to Zero, we know even opening a hail to Starfleet could infect their systems. Despite this setback, we decided as long as we have the Protostar, we can still help others, which has led us to a mysterious M-class planet in need of help.
Captain's log, Supplemental. People can surprise you sometimes. It seems we met a new chapter of Starfleet after all. Sure, they got a few things wrong, but they got a few things right. Janeway says the rules about second contact are a bit fuzzy, so it's up to them on how they wanna evolve. If these Enderprizians can do so much without even a ship to call their own, maybe we can too. If we can't take the ship to Starfleet, we'll find another way, without the Protostar.

Memorable quotes[]

"Stupid futuristic weaponry."

- Jankom Pog, venting his frustration over the Living Construct

"Z, have you ever synthesized an antidote?"
"No, but I've skimmed the manual."
"Great, my survival's riding on chasing down a curse, and my doctor's making it up on the fly."
"I sense you are afraid, but I am doing everything in my power. Lashing out will not improve your situation. Try to relax."

- Dal and Zero

"I know what you must think of us. Our facility's poor, our knowledge woefully incomplete. En Son told my ancestors of your Prime Directive, how we weren't ready for your technology or ideas. We know we're not Star-Flight, but you don't need a ship to believe in what it stands for. What about you? Do you believe, Dal R'El?"

- Doctor Boons, to Dal

"I've learned never to fear the truth."

- Gwyn

"Jankom's been studying his share of 23rd century Starfleet ships, and that tin can is equipped with a duotronic comm relay."
"If anyone steps foot on this shuttle and it falls, this entire place blows!"
"And honestly, if we come across one more thing Pog can't fix, then Pog can't call himself an engineer."
"Jankom, what are you doing?"
"If this thing goes sideways, promise me a royal Tellarite funeral!"

- Jankom Pog, Gwyn and Rok-Tahk, as Jankom bravely boards the precariously-balanced shuttle

"Are you sure about this? They want to be Starfleet, but can they command a starship?"
"Trust me. You just have to believe."

- Hologram Janeway and Dal, putting his faith in the Enderprizians

"This is Ensign Garrovick of the USS Enterprise. This'll be my final call to Starfleet... [...] Hoping you'll come, though I've long given up that anyone'll hear it. Hope's a funny thing, isn't it? I tried to do my duty, salvaged what I could from the wreck, went to save the locals from the danger. Before I fell to my injuries. But then, they welcomed me, healed me, gave me hope when I had none. In the end, they were the ones who saved me."

- Ensign David Garrovick, in his final distress call

Background information[]

Title[]

The title was announced by Paramount+ in 25 October 2022. [1]
The quote is from a famous passage of William Shakespeare's As You Like It, and was one of several episode titles taken from Shakespearean works.

Production[]

The idea of a civilization patterning itself after Starfleet and the Federation was previously explored in Star Trek Unlimited's A Piece of Reaction. In the comic, Sigma Iotia II develops thusly after being contacted by Kirk's Enterprise, by the time the USS Enterprise-D returns to the planet. The storyline was also considered for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 30th anniversary episode "Trials and Tribble-ations".

Cast and characters[]

Fred Tatasciore who voices Doctor Boons and Sprok, had voiced James T. Kirk, Spock, and Leonard McCoy in several episodes of the stop motion animated series Robot Chicken. Tatasciore is best known in Star Trek as the voice of Shaxs in Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Continuity[]

The episode features the fate of both Ensign David Garrovick, who last appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Obsession", and the Galileo shuttle, which last appeared in "The Immunity Syndrome".
- Regarding Garrovick's fate in "All the World's a Stage", Aaron Waltke stated: "I always found it odd that Garrovick had such an arc in "Obsession," only to disappear off-camera and never be seen or mentioned again on the show, presumably like all the others. I wanted to give him a slightly bigger fanfare sendoff — and tribute to all the other redshirts." [2]
- The timeline of these events would indicate that they took place between the last appearance of the Galileo in the aforementioned "The Immunity Syndrome" (2268), and the first appearance of the Galileo II in "The Way to Eden" (2269), after it was presumably replaced.
This is also the second pre-warp civilization to perform plays based on stories told from a crashed Starfleet shuttle pilot, the first being told through B'Elanna Torres on Kelis' homeworld in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Muse", following the crash of the Delta Flyer.
Like Garrovick, Data inadvertently poisoned a pre-warp civilization, albeit more directly, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Thine Own Self".
After helping the Enderprizians, Dal mentions in his log how Janeway explained that the rules about second contact are a bit fuzzy, and how it'll be up to the Enderprizians on how they want to evolve. Second contact was introduced in Star Trek: Lower Decks and takes place after Starfleet makes first contact with a new species and allowed them the facilitations of continued communication with the Federation.
Doctor Boons uses a wood leech to temporarily ease Dal's symptoms from "the curse." In the 2150s, Doctor Phlox made use of the medicinal properties of Aldebaran mud leeches and Edosian slugs on board the Enterprise NX-01.

Links and references[]

Cast[]

And

Kate Mulgrew as "Hologram Janeway / Vice Admiral Janeway"
Jason Alexander as Doctor Noum
Eric Bauza as
Daveed Diggs as Commander Tysess
Jameela Jamil as Asencia
Samantha Smith as Cadet Huur'A
Fred Tatasciore as
- Dr. Boons
- Ensign Garrovick (voice recording)
- Sprok
- Enderprizians

Previous episode:

"Let Sleeping Borg Lie"

Star Trek: Prodigy

Season 1

Next episode:

"Crossroads"