Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
13th episode of the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Time Squared" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 39th episode overall. It originally aired on April 3, 1989, in broadcast syndication. The episode was written by Maurice Hurley from a story by Kurt Michael Bensmiller and directed by Joseph L. Scanlan.
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 of the Enterprise encounter a double of Captain Picard, apparently from the future.
Plot
While the Federation starship Enterprise is en route to their planned destination, ship's sensors detect a lone shuttlepod drifting through empty space with no power or fuel reserves. When Lt. Worf and Commander Riker use the tractor beam to bring it into the shuttlebay, they find it has the same name and registry as an Enterprise shuttle. Inside is a double of Captain Picard, barely clinging to life. After the double is brought to sickbay for treatment, Lt. Commander Data and Chief Engineer La Forge discover that the shuttle's internal clock is about six hours ahead of the ship's chronometer which means that the shuttle, and therefore Picard's double, is from six hours into the future.
“Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)” enters the record as 13th episode of the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Time, Squared and Star can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Time, Squared and Star provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3441864. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1989.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation) primary sources, Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation) archive and Time research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Time Squared (Star Trek: The Next Generation)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.