Empty Crypts, One Preserved Woman
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Data finds a crypt that is empty, lifts the cover easily, and reports the occupant has been removed and the crypt forced open, introducing the possibility of survivors or external interference.
Worf alerts a commander and, through a frost-wiped opening, Data and Worf see a perfectly preserved unconscious woman in a crypt — a startling contrast that transforms the scene from devastation to urgent rescue and mystery.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Clinically concerned — unemotional precision masking the weight of a forensic finding that implies deliberate interference and possible crime.
Data methodically clears frost, examines each crypt, records clinical observations, identifies blackened, desiccated remains, declares an environmental corruption and recognizes an empty chamber whose seal was broken and the occupant removed, then assists in documenting the scene.
- • catalogue and diagnose preservation failures accurately
- • determine whether seals failed naturally or were tampered with
- • preserve and document evidence for later investigation
- • objective measurement is necessary to determine cause
- • broken seals indicate external tampering rather than natural decay
- • evidence integrity is critical for medical and diplomatic follow-up
Alert and grim — pragmatic surface composure with an undercurrent of warrior vigilance and concern for possible hostile tampering.
Worf physically wipes frost from multiple crypts, discovers at least one desiccated corpse and then clears an aperture through which he finds a preserved, unconscious woman; he calls for the Commander to inspect the discovery, maintaining a security posture.
- • identify survivors and secure any living persons
- • assess immediate safety threats to the team and ship
- • preserve the scene where possible while calling higher authority
- • this site may have been deliberately violated by hostile actors
- • survivors must be extracted and protected immediately
- • evidence must be preserved but the living take precedence
Alert and immediately engaged — gravity of the findings compels rapid prioritization between rescue, evidence preservation, and reporting.
Although not physically described on-screen, the Unnamed Commander is directly addressed by Worf and is the on-scene senior officer being alerted; implicitly responsible for making command decisions, delegating forensic work, and coordinating medical extraction and chain-of-command reporting.
- • evaluate findings and order appropriate rescue/forensic response
- • ensure chain-of-command and protocols are followed
- • balance preservation of evidence with urgent medical needs
- • this is an operational incident requiring formal investigation
- • the safety of any living person is a priority over archaeological curiosity
- • the discovery may have diplomatic consequences if foul play is confirmed
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The glass-covered crypts are the primary containers of narrative information: Data and Worf clear their frost-covered surfaces to inspect contents, revealing blackened corpses, an empty chamber and a preserved unconscious woman. They function as forensic evidence, proof of catastrophic preservation failure and tampering.
The wiped opening in the frost is the immediate reveal mechanism: Worf clears a palm-sized hole that changes the scene from inventory to rescue by exposing the preserved unconscious woman. The hole functions narratively as revelation and pivot point.
The metallic crypt seals function as forensic clues: Data inspects them and states they were broken, signaling deliberate forced entry. The torn and pried seals provide physical evidence of tampering that changes the incident's meaning from accident to crime.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Riker authorizes Data's investigation, directly leading to the discovery of a preserved survivor."
"Riker authorizes Data's investigation, directly leading to the discovery of a preserved survivor."
"The initial discovery of frozen crypts (shrivelled corpses) escalates when, beyond them, Data and Worf uncover a perfectly preserved unconscious woman — the scene moves from devastation to urgent rescue."
"The preservation of a living subject in the derelict directly precipitates Beverly's decision to thaw and medically attend to the recovered person aboard Sickbay."
"The preservation of a living subject in the derelict directly precipitates Beverly's decision to thaw and medically attend to the recovered person aboard Sickbay."
"The preservation of a living subject in the derelict directly precipitates Beverly's decision to thaw and medically attend to the recovered person aboard Sickbay."
"The initial discovery of frozen crypts (shrivelled corpses) escalates when, beyond them, Data and Worf uncover a perfectly preserved unconscious woman — the scene moves from devastation to urgent rescue."
"Early evidence of failed crypt seals foreshadows Beverly's justification for thawing the bodies."
"Early evidence of failed crypt seals foreshadows Beverly's justification for thawing the bodies."
"Early evidence of failed crypt seals foreshadows Beverly's justification for thawing the bodies."
Key Dialogue
"DATA: The seal was broken and the environment has been corrupted."
"DATA: It has been forced open and the occupant removed."
"WORF: Commander. Look at this."