Lieutenant Commander Data is temporarily transferred to an undercover mission observing the peaceful Ba'ku people. He suddenly malfunctions and reveals the presence of the joint Federation–Son'a task force observing the Ba'ku. Admiral Matthew Dougherty contacts the USS Enterprise-E to obtain Data's schematics for recovery purposes, but adamantly states the Enterprise's presence is unneeded. Captain Jean-Luc Picard ignores orders and takes the Enterprise to recover Data. Captain Picard becomes suspicious when Dougherty insists that the Enterprise is no longer needed and orders Data's malfunction to be investigated.