| "The Arsenal of Freedom" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Next Generation episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 21 |
| Directed by | Les Landau |
| Story by | |
| Teleplay by |
|
| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Cinematography by | Edward R. Brown |
| Production code | 121 |
| Original air date | April 11, 1988 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Arsenal of Freedom" is the twenty-first episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, originally aired on April 11, 1988, in broadcast syndication. The teleplay was written by Richard Manning and Hans Beimler, based on a story by Beimler. The episode was directed by Les Landau.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, the crew investigates the disappearance of the USS Drake. They travel to the planet Minos, where an away team and the ship are separately attacked by the demonstration of an automated weapons system.
Maurice Hurley saw the episode as commentary on the sale of F-14 Tomcats to Iran. He intended to have Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) reveal her feelings for Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in this episode, but Gene Roddenberry had it changed. VFX Supervisor/Producer Dan Curry created the model of the drone seen in this episode using a pantyhose container and a shampoo bottle.[2] The opinions of critics were mixed, but singled out the performance of Vincent Schiavelli for praise.