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I am wracking my brain for this episode. I think it was a Next Generation episode, but I can't find it on the list of their episodes. The ship comes across a small vessel which contains an alien from another dimension. The alien was supposed to be dead, since it is a funeral vessel, but he is still alive.

The alien starts to question his faith, since our dimension is obviously not Heaven. The "funeral vessels" are all crashed on an asteroid or moon, however. In the end, it is found that the moon has some strange electromagnetic field that may be a result of the energy from the other dead aliens. So perhaps that moon is a form of heaven for them.

The episode did a good job of exploring issues of death and the afterlife. I was hoping to share it with a trekkie friend who just lost a loved one. Please help if you can remember it.

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    I don't think that trying to convince your friend that Heaven's fake would cheer him up...
    – algiogia
    Commented Aug 15, 2018 at 12:55
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    I think you mean well, but please give your friend some time to process and grieve first. Trying to show or discuss this episode with them in an attempt to help them will likely be confusing and seem insensitive or offensive.
    – raisin-wrangler
    Commented Aug 15, 2018 at 14:17
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    algiogia: The episode certainly implies that there may exist an afterlife of sorts for those aliens.
    – Ham Sandwich
    Commented Aug 15, 2018 at 15:04
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    @HamSandwich Yes, but only at the very end, almost as an afterthought.
    – Mr Lister
    Commented Aug 15, 2018 at 19:30
  • Of course. Spiritual things are usually limited in Star Trek. I think there's a deleted scene from "Who Watches the Watchers" floating around where Captain Picard phasers a few dozen of the Mintakans after finding out that they want to turn him into a god.
    – Ham Sandwich
    Commented Aug 16, 2018 at 2:08

1 Answer 1

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The episode you're thinking of is from Star Trek: Voyager and is called Emanations.

Excerpt from Act 1:

Chakotay reports that they have discovered eighteen bodies on the asteroid – eleven male, seven female. The bodies are in various stages of decomposition, some have been there for years, others just a few days.

Excerpt from Act 2:

Kim learns that when the species, called the Vhnori, are near death, they are placed in a coffin-like device called a cenotaph, which euthanizes the occupant, then transports them to the "Next Emanation," their culture's concept of Heaven or nirvana.

Excerpt from Act 4:

Kim's presence disturbs the plans of Hatil Garan, whose family has convinced him that it is time to be sent to the Next Emanation. Expressing his doubts to his wife, Loria, she angrily tells Kim to leave her husband alone.

Excerpt from Act 5:

Janeway tells him that may not be the whole story, as the energy that was detected by Voyager had slight neural energy emissions from the newly appearing bodies, adding to a complex and dynamic energy field that inundated the asteroid field and surrounded the planet – a possible indication of the Next Emanation.

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    @Mast Memory is a generally faulty thing. Do you have a better proposal?
    – T.J.L.
    Commented Aug 15, 2018 at 12:45
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    @Mast Emanations is definitely the correct answer, question just got a few of the details confused. Emanations is a good match, and no other Star Trek episode even comes close. Ben Hocking, maybe the Act Five reference to the energy emissions to strengthen the case?
    – Drew
    Commented Aug 15, 2018 at 12:46
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    Thank you so much!!! That was the episode I was thinking of. Looking forward to watching it again.
    – Brian Haney
    Commented Aug 16, 2018 at 6:15
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    well. to be fair to @BrianHaney - this was a better episode when it was called "Half a Life" on TNG ;)
    – NKCampbell
    Commented Aug 17, 2018 at 21:52
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    @BrianHaney - Don't forget to click the "accepted" button (on the left of the question) to show that this is the right answer
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 17, 2018 at 22:07

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