Amazon.com
Every once in a while on
The Love Boat, Captain Merrill Stubing would be given his own chance at romance and love, but the writers would always have to find a way to get rid of Stubing's paramour by the end of the episode, lest they have to start writing in a new main character. In that vein, Captain Picard meets Lt. Commander Nella Darrin (Wendy Hughes), the sassy new head of Stellar Sciences. Sparks fly in Ten-Forward when Picard sees that she's also an accomplished musician. Those who saw episode 125, "The Inner Light," in which Picard is transported into an alternative life, knows he plays the flute, but it is Darrin who gets him to start playing duets. Soon enough duets become dates, and Picard starts to worry about conflicts of interest in dating a member of his crew. Things are brought to a head when they reach a planet whose firestorms are threatening a colony, and she's the one best equipped to set up a risky deflector shield array. Two things are certain: her life is in danger, and she won't be joining the Enterprise as a major crew member. If the ending is less than satisfying (it could have been much worse), it is nice that Riker isn't the only who gets a little nookie on the show.
--Andy Spletzer
From the Back Cover
During a late-night visit to the Stellar Cartography department, Picard (Patrick Stewart) meets Lt. Commander Nella Daren (Wendy Hughes), the section's new department head, and immediately becomes smitten. Later, the two engage in a private duet with Nella on the piano and Picard on the Ressikan flute. The performance ends with a passionate kiss.
While Picard worries about the consequences of a relationship with someone under his command, the Enterprise sets course for Bersallis III to study the planet's fire storms. When a storm threatens the Federation outpost, an Away Team, including Nella, is sent to the planet's surface to install thermal deflector units. Will they survive or has Picard sent the woman he loves to her doom?
