This episode has Admiral Quinn bringing Lt. Commander Remmick on board to determine if Picard or members of his crew are involved in some kind of threat that is conspiring against the Federation, and once making sure both Picard and the ship’s crew have been cleared, Quinn offers Picard the job as the Commandant of Starfleet Academy. It has been stated that this a setup for the episode “Conspiracy” later in the season.

But... something always bothered me about this episode. Maybe it’s just the people around me, but the assumption was that Quinn was genuinely trying to get to the heart of the Parasite conspiracy and bring Picard closer so he’d have an ally in his fight against it. At the same time, Quinn’s behavior does not bear that out. When the episode starts, Picard goes to meet his old friend, and seems genuinely surprisedly by his behavior. In fact, Picard seems shocked by his Quinn’s behavior throughout the Admiral’s stay on the Enterprise. Finally, when Quinn finally does tell him of what he suspects, he wants to bring him to Earth on a moments notice.

We later find out that the Parasite race has been bringing Starfleet officers to Earth, to infect them. We also find out that the Parasites can be found out by two means, the gill on their neck, and the fact, that their behavior is changed because they can’t remember their personal interactions with family, friends, and colleagues. That all suggests that Quinn may have been infected before coming onboard the Enterprise.

Also, it suggests that Remmick was only infected after leaving the Enterprise. While onboard the Enterprise, his personality is very adversarial, until the end when he tells Picard that he’d like to serve on the Enterprise after his tour in the Inspector General. Contrast that to his behavior in “Conspiracy”, where he is cordial, affable, and friendly, before he is unmasked as the mother creature. He also makes no mention of his request to serve with Picard.

Now, this is absolute pure speculation on my part, but perhaps the reason Remmick is the one infected with the mother creature, as it perhaps takes a certain amount of time for the creature to reach maturity.

Tell me what you think!