The Price
Counselor Deanna Troi must expose charming Devinoni Ral, an empathic negotiator who manipulates delegates to seize control of a newly discovered stable wormhole, protecting the Enterprise's integrity and preventing catastrophic political and human consequences.
A glittering discovery thrusts the Enterprise into a high-stakes bidding war, and emotion becomes the most dangerous currency. The crew orbits Barzan, where the Barzan Wormhole—a uniquely stable passage—promises a permanent galactic shortcut. Premier Bhavani invites delegates to negotiate control: the Federation, the Ferengi, the reserved Caldonians, and the suave Chrysalians represented by Devinoni Ral. Captain Picard and Commander Riker host the talks, while Counselor Deanna Troi tries to keep her professional distance until Devinoni arrives and everything shifts.
Devinoni Ral enters as a practiced negotiator and a magnetic presence. He notices Troi and intentionally breaches her defenses, seducing her and revealing, in private, that he is one-quarter Betazoid—an empath who can read and exploit emotions. Troi succumbs to a rapid, intoxicating attraction; her exhilaration pits personal desire against duty. Meanwhile, the Ferengi DaiMon Goss storms aboard with bluster and gold, rattling the proceedings; his aides, particularly the sinister Arridor, prepare biochemical sabotage designed to provoke localized allergic reactions and disrupt the Federation's negotiating team.
Tension escalates when Starfleet dispatches a manned shuttle, with Data and Geordi La Forge aboard, to probe the wormhole's far side. The shuttle experiences bizarre relativistic effects and returns with a troubling report: the wormhole does not lead where the Barzan probe indicated. Instead of the Gamma Quadrant, their readings place them deep in the Delta Quadrant—two hundred light years off. Local gravitational and particle fluctuations intensify, proving the wormhole unreliable and dangerous. The Ferengi pod follows and, after ignoring warnings, becomes stranded on the wrong side when the wormhole shifts and closes, separating them from their world.
On the negotiation floor, Devinoni plays chess. He quietly absorbs delegates’ emotional tells, times offers, and orchestrates defections: he engineers the Caldonians’ withdrawal and secures their valuable Trillium 323 for his bid. The Ferengi appear to threaten violence—Goss even fires a missile at the wormhole—forcing a political crisis. Riker and Picard scramble the ship; Troi senses something off. Her empathic training detects no genuine fear in Goss or Devinoni during the supposed confrontation. Troi confronts the ethical knot: Devinoni asked her to keep his empathic gift secret; he used that very privacy to manipulate Bhavani’s fears and orchestrate a staged showdown with Goss to sway the award to Chrysalia.
Troi breaks the silence. She exposes Ral’s tactics to Bhavani, describing how emotion was manufactured as leverage. The revelation collapses the performance—Devinoni admits to exploiting empathic perception to tilt outcomes. Yet the political fallout is complex: Devinoni offers the Ferengi perpetual access to the wormhole as bargaining to defuse Goss’ aggression, and Bhavani awards control to the Chrysalians based on a blend of neutrality, resources, and limited risk. Picard learns that the wormhole’s far side is a “dry well”—periodically unstable and shifting location—so the Federation spares itself a potentially catastrophic purchase.
Parallel crises underscore the human cost. Mendoza, the Federation negotiator, collapses from a histaminic reaction; evidence in the script ties the Ferengi technicians’ earlier biochemical work to this sabotage, suggesting the Ferengi attempted to weaken Federation representation. Data and La Forge’s shuttle returns to confirm that the wormhole’s other end occasionally shifts across quadrants, rendering long-term control hazardous. The Ferengi pay a bitter price: Goss’ men are marooned on the far side, a literal demonstration that greed and bravado carry tangible consequences.
Character arcs sharpen the moral questions. Troi wrestles with betrayal and professional integrity—her attraction to Devinoni forces a painful public stand that costs her personally but upholds her role as counselor. Devinoni reveals remorse and complexity; he wins the contract through morally dubious means, then reflects that Troi’s intervention forces him to confront who he has become. Riker defends Troi and his own command instincts, trading barbs and ultimately conceding honorably. Picard maneuvers to protect his crew and preserve diplomatic neutrality even as he chafes at deception. Geordi and Data provide the empirical counterweight, uncovering the wormhole’s instability and rescuing the ship from a bad bargain.
The episode closes on bittersweet notes. Devinoni departs with an invitation for Troi to run away with him; she refuses, anchored to her duty. Chrysalia secures the wormhole’s rights, but the prize proves hollow: the passage’s unpredictable endpoint transforms it from strategic windfall into a perilous liability. The Ferengi remain stranded; Mendoza recovers but diplomacy bears scars. The Price interrogates the ethics of using empathic advantage in commerce and war, dramatizing how intimacy can both enlighten and corrupt; Troi’s integrity becomes the fulcrum that balances personal longing against collective safety. In the end, negotiation proves less a game of clever moves than a test of conscience—one Troi chooses to pass at the cost of her private happiness.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
Orbiting Barzan, Picard's log frames the high-stakes negotiations for the wormhole, a potential galactic game-changer. Premier Bhavani, a pragmatic leader, addresses the assembled delegates—Mendoza (Federation), Leyor (Caldonian), and Devinoni Ral (Chrysalian)—emphasizing her planet's desperate need for resources. The proceedings are abruptly disrupted by the arrival of DaiMon Goss and his Ferengi entourage, who bluster their way into the talks, offering a pile of gold bars as their initial, crude bid. Picard bristles at Goss's arrogance, but diplomatic necessity forces his hand. Meanwhile, Troi, unable to shake the magnetic pull of Devinoni, surreptitiously researches his file. The chime of her door reveals Devinoni himself, who, with practiced charm, dismisses his 'traveling companion' and invites Troi to dinner. He deftly disarms her professional facade, challenging her to shed the 'Counselor Troi' persona. His hands move through her hair, a sensual, intimate gesture that bypasses her defenses, leaving her breathless and gripping her chair, a visceral reaction to the perilous ride her emotions have just begun. This act solidifies the immediate, undeniable attraction between Troi and Devinoni, setting the stage for a profound personal and professional conflict.
Exhausted after fraught negotiations, Deanna Troi seeks a private, human solace: her mother's letters and a "real" chocolate sundae. Her request exposes the gulf between empathic need and the ship's …
Deanna Troi returns to her quarters worn thin by the day's diplomatic strain, asks the computer to transfer three letters from her mother and—yearning for an authentic human comfort—requests a …
In Ten Forward the diplomatic theater and intimate danger collide. Picard formally introduces Premier Bhavani and the competing negotiators while Mendoza names Devinoni Ral a 'hired gun'—an innocuous line that …
At a convivial Ten Forward introduction, the charismatic negotiator Devinoni Ral arrives with an accessory companion and immediately disarms the room—most dangerously, Counselor Deanna Troi. Mendoza casually dubs him a …
Picard frames the crisis in voiceover as the delegates assemble to decide control of a newly discovered, potentially permanent wormhole. Premier Bhavani delivers a sober, urgent plea: Barzan needs technology …
A surprise Ferengi delegation storms the Barzan negotiations, DaiMon Goss using crude ostentation — spilling a sack of gold bars onto the conference table — to convert a moral, political …
In the Captain's Ready Room, Picard, Riker, Data, and Mendoza dissect the Barzan probe's data, marveling at the wormhole's potential to cut centuries of travel to mere seconds, yet also questioning its unprecedented stability. Riker, with his keen 'poker instincts,' immediately identifies Devinoni Ral as the most formidable threat, recognizing his unshakeable composure. Picard, ever cautious, insists on a full sensor analysis before Data and Geordi venture into the anomaly, wary of acquiring a 'proverbial lemon.' Simultaneously, in the Ferengi guest quarters, a sinister plot unfolds. Doctor Arridor extracts fluid from DaiMon Goss, concocting a biochemical agent designed to induce a debilitating allergic reaction, harmless to the Ferengi but crippling to their 'victim.' Goss gleefully anticipates using this 'short-term crippling' on the Federation representative. Back in Troi's quarters, Devinoni arrives, openly admiring her transformed appearance. Their conversation quickly escalates from champagne to passionate kisses, culminating in Devinoni sweeping her into his arms, their personal connection deepening rapidly. The professional world intrudes as Mendoza, the Federation negotiator, collapses in Sickbay, a victim of the Ferengi's insidious sabotage. Picard, recognizing the Ferengi's likely culpability, thrusts a reluctant Riker into Mendoza's place, challenging him to apply his poker skills to the high-stakes diplomatic game. Goss then confronts Picard, protesting the Federation's manned probe and declaring the Ferengi will send their own, escalating the tension and setting up a dangerous race into the unknown.
In the captain's ready room the crew confronts a discovery that could upend travel and politics: Barzan probe data shows a wormhole that collapses a century-long voyage into seconds. Data's …
Data presents startling probe data: the Barzan wormhole links to the Gamma Quadrant and could collapse a century-long voyage into seconds. Riker reframes the diplomatic crisis by naming Devinoni Ral …
Devinoni Ral arrives at Counselor Deanna Troi's private quarters and immediately undermines professional distance with casual flattery, teasing, and a deliberate disregard for Federation decorum. Their playful banter — from …
In Troi's quarters a charged flirtation collapses the thin wall between professional decorum and private desire. After playful banter and a teasing kiss, Deanna admits she cannot stop thinking about …
On the Main Bridge, anticipation coils as the Enterprise shuttle, with Data and Geordi aboard, and the Ferengi pod position themselves for entry into the wormhole. The anomaly blinks into existence—a reflective, multi-planar sphere. Both vessels plunge into a spectacular light show, but communication quickly distorts, a casualty of relativistic time dilation. Wesley Crusher diligently processes Data's garbled reports, revealing severe Doppler shifts and intense, yet unexplained, energy fields stabilizing the wormhole. Meanwhile, in the Observation Lounge, Riker, now thrust into Mendoza's role, grapples with the weight of negotiations. Devinoni Ral, ever the astute observer, subtly probes Riker's discomfort, emphasizing Chrysalia's neutrality as a counterpoint to the Federation's military might. Back in Troi's quarters, a more intimate negotiation unfolds. As Devinoni massages her, Troi presses him, sensing a deeper truth. He reveals his secret: he is one-quarter Betazoid, an empath, and he asks her to keep this powerful gift confidential. He confides his isolation and the unexpected emotional connection he feels with her, a vulnerability that draws Troi deeper into his orbit. The shuttle mission then takes a perilous turn. Data and Geordi burst from the wormhole, only to discover they are not in the Gamma Quadrant as expected, but two hundred light-years off in the Delta Quadrant. Geordi detects rapidly increasing subatomic fluctuations and gravitational acceleration, screaming for an immediate exit. Arridor, in the Ferengi pod, arrogantly dismisses their warnings, choosing to remain, setting the stage for a catastrophic miscalculation.
In the ready room a diplomatic spat escalates into a tactical ultimatum: Ferengi DaiMon Goss accuses Picard and the Federation of manipulating wormhole talks and threatens to launch his own …
A tense diplomatic standoff in the Captain's Ready Room escalates when DaiMon Goss accuses the Federation of scheming to exploit the wormhole and vows to launch a Ferengi probe of …
In Sickbay Beverly Crusher diagnoses Mendoza with a non-life-threatening but incapacitating system-wide histaminic reaction, formally ruling him out of the wormhole negotiations for days. Picard and Riker absorb the political …
In Sickbay, Beverly Crusher diagnoses Mendoza with a non-life-threatening histaminic reaction and rules him unfit for the negotiations—a sudden removal that creates an immediate diplomatic hole and suggests foul play …
The bridge scrambles as the wormhole blinks into being and Picard orders shuttle and Ferengi pod into position. Data and Geordi pilot the Enterprise shuttle while the Ferengi pod loiters …
A three-planar, reflective wormhole blossoms in the accretion disk and the Enterprise shuttle, with Data and Geordi aboard, and a Ferengi pod plunge through in a kaleidoscopic, relativistic ride. Data's …
Devinoni Ral uses faux sympathy and conversational legerdemain to pry at Riker's confidence and recast the negotiation's terms. Riker leans on procedural certainty and likens command decisions to diplomatic rules, …
Riker delivers a calm, technocratic summary of the Federation offer—technology, scholars, and Starfleet protection—expecting the facts to win the room. Devinoni Ral, watching Bhavani, deliberately reframes the debate: Chrysalia's ten …
In the exercise room, a buoyant Troi confides in Beverly Crusher, admitting her intoxicating, 'out of control' feelings for Devinoni, questioning if love can ignite in a single day. Beverly, recalling her own whirlwind romance, offers a knowing smile, endorsing Troi's exhilarating, if irrational, emotional plunge. Simultaneously, Devinoni, ever the master manipulator, subtly corners Leyor of the Caldonians in Ten Forward. He plays on Leyor's academic nature and inherent trepidation about administrative burdens, expertly steering him towards withdrawing from the negotiations. The strategy pays off: Leyor publicly withdraws, then reveals he has already struck a deal with the Chrysalians, transferring his planet's valuable Trillium 323 to Devinoni's bid, leaving Riker stunned by the unexpected coup. Far from the diplomatic maneuvering, the shuttle mission descends into chaos. Geordi desperately warns Arridor of the wormhole's accelerating instability, the meson and lepton fluctuations screaming danger. Arridor, blinded by arrogance and competitive fervor, dismisses the warnings, refusing to follow the Enterprise shuttle. Geordi, recognizing the imminent peril, takes command, piloting Shuttle Nine back into the wormhole, abandoning the stubborn Ferengi pod. Moments later, the wormhole twists violently, then disappears, stranding the Ferengi in the Delta Quadrant. Back in Troi's quarters, over a romantic candlelight dinner, the ethical knot tightens. Troi confronts Devinoni about his hidden empathic abilities, accusing him of using them to manipulate competitors. He deflects, arguing it's 'just business,' a more refined form of observation, and challenges her own use of empathy for 'protection' of her crew, forcing Troi to grapple with the blurred lines of ethical advantage.
The shuttle bursts through the wormhole and the Ferengi pod follows — a brief, deceptive calm. Data discovers they have not emerged where the Barzan probe predicted but nearly two …
The shuttle punches out of the wormhole into calm space — immediately followed by the Ferengi pod. A brief triumph curdles as Arridor brusquely rejects any help, framing the encounter …
The shuttle punches through the wormhole only to emerge somewhere entirely unexpected; a Ferengi pod follows, brusquely refusing help. Data's cold analysis reveals a catastrophic navigational mismatch — the shuttle …
Geordi, Data and the shuttle crew detect catastrophic instability on the far side of the newly found wormhole while Arridor stubbornly refuses to abandon his measurements. As fluctuations spike, Geordi …
As meson and lepton readings spike, Geordi and Data escalate from warning to action while a stubborn Arridor refuses to evacuate. Geordi rips control, drags Shuttle Nine back through the …
Tension crackles in Ten Forward as Riker confronts Devinoni, exchanging veiled barbs that escalate into a deeply personal challenge. Riker, seeing through Devinoni's attempt to provoke him over Troi, asserts his genuine care for her happiness, exposing Devinoni's lack of deeper values beyond the immediate win. His words strike home, leaving Devinoni unhappily contemplating Riker's insight. Shortly after, Devinoni, ever opportunistic, manipulates DaiMon Goss with promises of Chrysalian women, securing a new alliance. On the Main Bridge, Worf reports the Ferengi vessel is approaching the wormhole, powering missile launchers. Goss, on screen, falsely accuses the Federation of secret dealings and fires a missile at the wormhole, forcing Picard to destroy it. Red Alert screams through the Enterprise. Troi, observing Goss, senses no genuine tension or fear, realizing his aggression is a performance. She instinctively understands Devinoni's complicity. Bhavani and Devinoni arrive on the bridge, and Devinoni, having already secured the contract from Bhavani, offers the Ferengi perpetual access to the wormhole, defusing Goss's staged threat. Troi, unable to remain silent, exposes Devinoni’s empathic manipulation to Bhavani and Picard, revealing the entire incident as a calculated, manufactured drama designed to sway the negotiations. The revelation collapses Devinoni’s performance, forcing him to grin and shrug, acknowledging his deception. As the truth unfolds, Data and Geordi’s shuttle finally returns, confirming the wormhole’s far side is periodically unstable and shifts quadrants, rendering it a 'dry well'—worthless. Picard delivers the bitter truth to Goss: his men are stranded in the Delta Quadrant, a stark consequence of their greed. Devinoni, recalled by the Chrysalians, confronts Troi one last time. He confesses his tactics were necessary to win, but admits her intervention forced him to confront his own unethical nature. He asks her to run away with him, to be his conscience, but Troi, choosing integrity over personal desire, refuses, firmly anchored to her duty. The episode closes with Troi’s quiet resolve, highlighting the profound personal cost of upholding ethical principles in a world of cutthroat negotiation.
In a candlelit, intimate exchange that doubles as a moral standoff, Deanna Troi forces Devinoni Ral to own the way he "absorbed" the Caldonian bid by hiding and using empathic …
In Troi's quarters, over a private candlelit dinner, Devinoni and Deanna strip the negotiations down to a moral argument. Devinoni calmly reframes his empathic manipulation as no different from the …
In Ten-Forward Riker deliberately confronts Devinoni Ral, cutting through the Chrysalian’s polished banter to expose a moral emptiness beneath his charm. Riker refuses to be played—calling Devinoni out for having …
In Ten-Forward Riker confronts Devinoni with a moral barb — calling out Ral's emptiness and defending Deanna — and walks away having reclaimed moral high ground. Devinoni, bruised but unbowed, …
On the Enterprise bridge Worf reports a Ferengi vessel powering toward the wormhole with missile launchers. Picard orders Yellow Alert and hails DaiMon Goss; Goss answers with loud accusations that …
A Ferengi missile streaks toward the newly discovered wormhole as the bridge erupts into Yellow Alert. Picard hails DaiMon Goss—whose prerecorded accusations of secret Federation collusion escalate the spectacle—while the …
On the bridge Troi reads the room and exposes a manufactured crisis: DaiMon Goss’s missile threat and Devinoni Ral’s conciliatory offer to secure Ferengi support are revealed as a rehearsed …
On the bridge Troi publicly exposes Devinoni Ral's use of empathic manipulation to stage a crisis: the missile threat and Goss's belligerence were a performance engineered to cow Premier Bhavani …
On the bridge Troi publicly dismantles Devinoni Ral's performance: she reveals he concealed and weaponized his empathic ability to manufacture a crisis, colluding with DaiMon Goss to sway Premier Bhavani. …
On the bridge, routine operational pressure (Shuttle Nine's approach) collides with high-stakes diplomacy: Worf relays DaiMon Goss's chest-beating demand for his missing crew, and Picard replies with a cold, authoritative …
On the bridge, amid operational pressure and Picard's clipped rebuke to the Ferengi, Riker crosses to Devinoni Ral and offers a knowingly sarcastic congratulations on 'winning' the Barzan wormhole. The …
In Troi's quarters Devinoni Ral arrives diminished — recalled by his people and forced off the stage he crafted. Troi confronts him about the empathic manipulations he used to tilt …
In Troi's quarters Devinoni Ral arrives bruised by recall and strips away the performance: he admits having crossed ethical lines to bend the wormhole negotiations and tries to recruit Troi …
In Troi's quarters Devinoni Ral makes one last intimate, self-revealing appeal—part confession, part seduction—asking Troi to abandon her post and act as his conscience. He admits moral compromise and stages …