- Picard must learn to communicate with a race that speaks in metaphor under a difficult set of circumstances.
- The Enterprise approaches the uninhabited El-Adrel solar system, near the territory of the enigmatic, presumably pacific race known as the Children of Tamar, which is now establishing contact. Picard expected fairly easy diplomacy, but the Tamarians first have a row at their side, then transport Picard and their own captain Dathon down to the nearest planet surface, which they make impenetrable behind a particle shield, to pit them for a duel, which Picard is unwilling to engage. Both the captain and his crew on the bridge desperately study the Tamarian language, which they find to be unusually focused on mythical narrative, notably the epic of Darmok, which holds the key to its metaphorical 'code', and thus to the whole situation.—KGF Vissers
- The Enterprise is sent to formally negotiate with the Tamarians, a race that has recently made contact and seem to want further contact beyond their world. An immediate problem is inability to communicate in any known language. After several attempts to communicate Captain Picard and his Tamaraian counterpart are unexpectedly beamed down to a nearby planet's surface. While the Enterprise crew try to recover Picard and decipher what the Tamarians are trying to say to them, the two Captains are seemingly expected to fight one another, something Picard flatly refuses to do.—garykmcd
- The Enterprise approaches the uninhabited El-Adrel solar system, near the territory of the enigmatic, presumably pacific race known as the Children of Tamar, which is now establishing contact. Federation has encountered Tamarian ships 7 times in the last 100 years, but each time relations could not be established since the Tamarians cannot be comprehended. Language has proven to be a barrier. Even this time they have sent a code, a mathematical progression in their hail to the Enterprise.
Picard expected fairly easy diplomacy, but the Tamarians are truly incomprehensible. They repeat phrases which don't mean anything to humans. Rai & Jiri at Lungha. Rai of Lowani. Lowani under two moons. Jiri of Ubaya. Ubaya of crossroads at Lungha. Lungha, her sky gray. Deanna can sense only good intentions from the Tamarians. There are no hostile intentions. They transport Picard and their own captain Dathon (Paul Winfield) down to the nearest planet surface. The planet is made impenetrable behind a particle shield extended by the Tamarian ship. Hence it is not possible to beam Picard back. The object seems to be to pit them for a duel, which Picard is unwilling to engage. Dathon throws a dagger at Picard, which he throws back. Soon it is night and the temperature drops. The 2 captains are less than 20 m from each other and yet build their own fires to survive.
Both the captain and his crew on the bridge desperately study the Tamarian language, which they find to be unusually focused on mythical narrative, notably the epic of Darmok. Riker sends a shuttle to rescue Picard. But the Tamarians shoot at the aft propulsion, just enough to turn it back, but not enough to cause it any damage. Ensign Robin Lefler (Ashley Judd) works with Geordi to improve transporter efficiency to beam Picard off the surface. Meanwhile Picard and Dathon are attacked by an entity which is Electro-magnetic in nature. Riker orders Geordi to use what they have and try to beam Picard off the planet, since the Enterprise sensors can also see the entity moving towards Picard's and Dathon's position.
Picard starts understanding some of the phrases used by Dathon, but still can't comprehend their meaning. Meanwhile Deanna and Data do their research and try to find the meaning of the language. Picard figures that the Tamarians communicate by citing examples, by metaphors. As Picard understands, the entity attacks. Picard and Dathon work together to try and defeat the entity, but that's when Enterprise tries to beam him back. Picard is unable to help Dathon as he is attacked by the entity. Eventually the beam up fails, when Riker appeals to the Tamarians to withdraw their shield, but the Tamarians refuse to talk to them and shut down the channels.
In fact, the Tamarians intensify the particle field around the planet, making any beam up impossible. Dathon is injured badly. Deanna and Data tell Riker that Tamarians communicate in metaphors. It's like saying Juliet on the balcony. But unless you know what Juliet was and what she was doing on the balcony, the phrase is meaningless. The language holds the key to its metaphorical 'code', and thus to the whole situation. Picard spends another night with Dathon, but this time he shares his own stories from Earth and tries to keep him awake. In the morning, Dathon dies, and the entity prepares to attack Picard Picard learns that the whole situation was planned by the Tamarians. They knew that there was a dangerous entity on the planet. They planned that sharing and facing this danger together would bring the 2 races together and help them understand each other.
Riker attacks the particle generator on the Tamarian ship and creates a gap to beam Picard over, just before the entity attacks. The Tamarians attack the Enterprise and are about to destroy it when Picard enters the bridge and talks to the first officer in their own metaphors. The first officer understands, and a new metaphor is created that day: Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel.
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