The Next Generation Enterprise crew stumble across a monstrous construct that initially affects Troi's dreams. They gradually work out that a giant machine-killer has trapped within it the maddened crews of the vessels it has destroyed, and it is about to do the same to the Enterprise and its crew. Ethical debates rage about their next steps.
This is set very early on in the new ship's mission. The crew are all still strangers to each other, and trying to find their feet in a new situation. The story is told from mainly Riker's PoV, as he struggles to find a role as first officer, and also somewhat less from Geordi's as he struggles with people's misunderstanding of his visor's capabilities, and with befriending a still-naive Data. But if Data really were that naive, how did he ever get through Starfleet officer training school?
This is obviously an attempt to give depth to the characters, to show the uncertainties behind their cool competently exteriors, but I feel it doesn't quite work -- the extra characterisation doesn't quite work for me. Again, would anyone with Riker's internal problems ever have gained such a rank on such a ship? Surely Starfleet isn't that incompetent? But then again...