Descent (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

"**Descent**"
"Descent"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes
Episode nos.	Season 6 and 7; Episodes 26 and 1
Directed by	Alexander Singer
Written by	René Echevarria (Part II)
Story by	Jeri Taylor (Part I)
Teleplay by	Ronald D. Moore (Part I)
Featured music	Jay Chattaway
Production codes	252 and 253
Original air dates	June 21, 1993; September 20, 1993
Guest appearances
	John Neville - Isaac Newton; Jim Norton - Albert Einstein; Natalija Nogulich - Adm. Alynna Nechayev; Brian Cousins - Crosis; Stephen Hawking - Himself; Richard Gilbert-Hill - Bosus; Stephen James Carver - Tayar; Jonathan Del Arco - Hugh; Alex Datcher - Ens. Taitt; James Horan as Lt. Barnaby; Benito Martinez - Salazar; Michael Reilly Burke - Goval;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Timescape"	Next →; "Liaisons"
	List of episodes

"Descent" is the 26th episode of the sixth season and the first episode of the seventh season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 152nd and 153rd episodes overall.

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode they once again encounter the Borg.

The episode, which was aired on television in 1993, features a guest appearance by astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. He appears in the show's opening on the holodeck in a card game with android Data, as a holographic version of himself.^[1]

^ Bradley, Laura (14 March 2018). "Stephen Hawking's Star Trek Cameo Remains Historic—and Delightful". vanityfair.com. Condé Nast. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

[1] Bradley, Laura (14 March 2018). "Stephen Hawking's Star Trek Cameo Remains Historic—and Delightful". vanityfair.com. Condé Nast. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

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