reproduction. For almost three centuries, every Mariposan has been a clone derived from one of the five original colonists, and now the colony is in danger of dying out because of replicative fading: each subsequent generation introduces additional minor flaws in the genetic code, which within only a few more generations will make further clones nonviable. The Mariposans ask the Enterprise crew for samples of their DNA to create new clones. Riker refuses, as he values his uniqueness, and Picard advises that the rest of the crew is likely to feel the same, so the Mariposans kidnap Riker and Pulaski to steal their DNA. Upon discovering this, the away team beams directly to the colony's cloning labs, where they are repulsed to find copies of themselves being grown, which Riker destroys. Granger is furious and appeals to Picard, but Pulaski argues that a new batch of clones will only delay the inevitable. Instead, she advises that they consider partnering with the Bringloidi to create a viable gene pool. Initially, each colony's leader treats the other society with disdain, but they eventually agree to merge their colonies and disparate cultures. Production The episode was written by Melinda M. Snodgrass. The story was intended to be a commentary about immigration, because she hated the xenophobic attitude she was seeing, the whole "We don't want them because they're the wrong color, don't speak the language, or don't have the right religion." In her opinion "what makes America vibrant is the fact we have all these cultures." The episode was originally titled "Send in the Clones". The title "Up the Long Ladder" is taken from an Irish anti-Protestant rhyme: "Up the long ladder, Down the short rope. To hell with King Billy! Three cheers for the Pope!" Deleted scenes Several scenes were filmed but later cut from the episode during editing. These were later included as features on the second season Blu-ray release. (Scene numbers are derived from the script.) Act 3, Scene 24C – Riker returns to the bridge after his romantic encounter with Brenna Odell. Act 4, Scene 33 – An alternate version of the Observation Lounge scene where Granger describes the Mariposan history of cloning, with a few additional lines of dialogue. Act 4, Scene 39B – Danilo Odell tells the Bringloidi settlers a story of the colony's founding. Act 5, Scene 48 – Data expresses a wish to further study