"The Survivors" is the third episode of the third season of the syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 51st episode overall, first broadcast on October 9, 1989. The episode is inspired by concepts from "The Society of Friends" colloquially, Quakers. The phrase "Special Conscience" is part of Quaker theology, referring to the idea that there is fragment of God within each person. The pacifism, the ethics, the lack of action portrayed in the episode are also part of the theology.