When the Enterprise arrive at the lost colony of Mariposa in " Up the Long Ladder " , the Mariposans kidnap Pulaski and Commander William Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) and steal their DNA to clone new members of their colony . Although technologically advanced , the Mariposans lack genetic diversity . When Pulaski and Riker discover the clones , they destroy them . Picard help resolve the dispute by suggesting the Mariposans allow the Bringloidi , a preindustrial , rural people whose colony was destroyed , to migrate to their world . The Mariposans , however , have relied on cloning for 300 years , and no longer sexually reproduce . Pulaski note that with time , they will become familiar with the practice once again , and recommend that the Mariposans form large , group marriages with the Bringloidi to create a healthy population .