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The Royale (TNG episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Royale" is a second season episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
.
markings and a 52-star American flag. To investigate how such an old ship got so far from home, Commander Riker
, Lt. Worf
and Lt. Commander Data
beam down to a mysterous small liveable pocket on the planet and find a revolving door. Upon entering they find themselves trapped in an old earth-style hotel/casino called the Royale where they are cut off from contact with their ship.
While exploring the building after unsuccessfully attempting to leave, they find the remains of Col. Steven Richey, a NASA
astronaut
who had lived to a very old age and a book titled Hotel Royale by Todd Matthews. Upon reading his diary it is revealed his starship was in confrontation with aliens and he was the only survivor. Taking pity on him they created The Royale for him thinking the novel was an instruction of humans' preferred way of living. Little did they know Col. Richey's time in The Royale was a living hell. Data, Riker, and Worf eventually discover that they are inside a living version of the book the same as Col. Richey was.
However, their newfound knowledge doesn't get the away team any closer to finding a way out of the building, until a quick read-through of the novel reveals that it had been recreated in detail by the aliens, and its contents played out in its entirety. None of the characters (or the away team) can leave until they are scripted to do so. As such, Riker realizes they have to assume the role of the characters in the novel to escape and, using the building's craps
table, raise enough money to become the nondescript "foreign investors" destined to buy out the Royale. They successfully leave after fulfilling their part of the story.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
.
Overview
Riker, Data and Worf become trapped in a strange hotel on a planet otherwise incapable of supporting human life.Plot
Following a tip from a Klingon ship, the Enterprise finds debris from an earth ship orbiting an uninhabitable alien planet. A sample of the debris beamed aboard shows NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
markings and a 52-star American flag. To investigate how such an old ship got so far from home, Commander Riker
William Riker
William Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
, Lt. Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
and Lt. Commander Data
Data (Star Trek)
Lieutenant Commander Data is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek...
beam down to a mysterous small liveable pocket on the planet and find a revolving door. Upon entering they find themselves trapped in an old earth-style hotel/casino called the Royale where they are cut off from contact with their ship.
While exploring the building after unsuccessfully attempting to leave, they find the remains of Col. Steven Richey, a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
who had lived to a very old age and a book titled Hotel Royale by Todd Matthews. Upon reading his diary it is revealed his starship was in confrontation with aliens and he was the only survivor. Taking pity on him they created The Royale for him thinking the novel was an instruction of humans' preferred way of living. Little did they know Col. Richey's time in The Royale was a living hell. Data, Riker, and Worf eventually discover that they are inside a living version of the book the same as Col. Richey was.
However, their newfound knowledge doesn't get the away team any closer to finding a way out of the building, until a quick read-through of the novel reveals that it had been recreated in detail by the aliens, and its contents played out in its entirety. None of the characters (or the away team) can leave until they are scripted to do so. As such, Riker realizes they have to assume the role of the characters in the novel to escape and, using the building's craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
table, raise enough money to become the nondescript "foreign investors" destined to buy out the Royale. They successfully leave after fulfilling their part of the story.
External links
- The Royale rewatch by Keith R.A. DeCandido