Wormhole: Promise and Precaution
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Data presents the Barzan probe's impressive findings, revealing the wormhole's potential to bridge an otherwise century-long journey in seconds.
Picard expresses cautious skepticism about the wormhole's stability, likening a rushed deal to buying a 'proverbial lemon'.
Riker and Data volunteer to explore the wormhole, but Picard insists on thorough sensor analysis first to ensure safety.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Not present physically; inferred as watchful and protective of Barzan interests, likely wary of external interference.
Bhavani is invoked by Mendoza as a stakeholder who 'could object' to a manned inspection; she is not present but her interests shape the group's thinking about sovereignty and consent.
- • Preserve Barzan control over their discovery
- • Prevent actions that could compromise Barzan sovereignty or survival
- • Barzans must retain agency over their assets
- • External intervention without consent would be improper or harmful
Not present; inferred as confident and strategically poised to take advantage of any negotiation opening.
Devinoni Ral is named by Riker as the negotiator 'to watch out for' — he is not in the room, but his diplomatic presence is flagged as a subtle, potentially manipulative influence on the talks.
- • Cultivate influence over delegates to shape wormhole access
- • Exploit ambiguity or rushed decisions for personal or patron advantage
- • Emotional and social leverage can be as decisive as technical claims
- • Subtle influence matters most when stakes are ambiguous
Not present in the room; inferred as opportunistic and confident, likely seeking advantage.
DaiMon Goss (Ferengi) is referenced in Riker and Mendoza's remarks as a blustering commercial actor whose presence at the negotiations represents a competitive, profit-driven threat to outcomes.
- • Secure commercial advantage or control over wormhole access
- • Leverage Ferengi tactics and influence to profit from discovery
- • Strategic discoveries are primarily commercial opportunities
- • Bluster and negotiation pressure can yield concessions
Cautiously opportunistic — excited by the potential value but wary of contractual and reputational exposure.
Mendoza offers the commercial frame: recognizes extraordinary value but warns about contractual obligations and the danger of committing the Federation to an unverified purchase; he engages Picard and Riker conversationally about risk.
- • Avoid the Federation entering a binding agreement without certainty
- • Protect commercial and diplomatic standing by advocating due diligence
- • Contracts create binding obligations that can be costly if based on faulty data
- • Prudence and negotiation discipline protect institutions from exploitation
Calmly skeptical — intrigued by potential value but quietly anxious about institutional risk and diplomatic fallout.
Picard listens to Data's technical report, reframes the discovery through institutional caution, offers the lemon metaphor, and closes the discussion by issuing a sensor-first order and conditional authorization for a manned entry.
- • Prevent hasty, risky action that could endanger crew or Federation credibility
- • Ensure rigorous verification before committing the Federation to any agreement or expedition
- • Extraordinary discoveries require extraordinary verification
- • The Federation must avoid transactional mistakes that could become diplomatic or operational liabilities
Clinically curious with quiet determination — intellectually engaged but lacking human fear, focused on the acquisition of data.
Data presents the probe telemetry clinically, explains the probe's limitations regarding stability and duration, and volunteers himself as one of the crew to enter the wormhole if authorized.
- • Obtain definitive sensor and experiential data about the wormhole
- • Support command decisions by volunteering a controlled, technically-minded reconnaissance
- • Empirical verification resolves scientific uncertainty
- • Personal risk is acceptable when it advances knowledge and mission objectives
Concerned and impatient — pragmatic worry about losing strategic advantage combined with eagerness to resolve uncertainty through action.
Riker reacts viscerally to the implications, imagines political consequences (Ferengi tolls), advocates for direct verification, nominates La Forge for the mission and presses the operational urgency of seeing for themselves.
- • Obtain direct verification to remove uncertainty
- • Protect Federation/Starfleet strategic interests by acting before rivals
- • Firsthand observation is the most reliable way to resolve ambiguity
- • Delay can translate into political or commercial loss
Supportive and responsible by implication — trusted to perform a precise, potentially hazardous technical task.
La Forge is referenced by Riker as having continuous visual contact with the wormhole and as the logical co-investigator; he is not speaking but is positioned as the operational partner for a potential reconnaissance.
- • Provide continuous visual confirmation and technical oversight if a probe or shuttle is sent
- • Maintain sensor and piloting readiness for a possible manned entry
- • Technical expertise is essential for safe exploration
- • Operational readiness mitigates unknown risks
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The viewscreen displays the probe telemetry, charts, and graphs that ground the entire argument; characters lean toward it, read numerical claims, and base tactical and diplomatic inferences on its imagery and data representation.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Denkiri Arm is invoked as the far-side landmark the probe reached via the wormhole, serving as the tangible, scientific claim that makes the wormhole strategically significant; it anchors the otherwise abstract distance in concrete astronomical terms.
The Gamma Quadrant is named as the region reached by the probe; it transforms the wormhole from a local anomaly into a gateway to an unfamiliar political and strategic quarter, increasing the negotiation stakes.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Picard's skepticism about the wormhole's stability leads to the shuttle mission to confirm its reliability."
"Picard's skepticism about the wormhole's stability leads to the shuttle mission to confirm its reliability."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"DATA: The data from the Barzan's probe into the wormhole is impressive, Captain. The wormhole delivered the probe beyond the Denkiri Arm, in the Gamma Quadrant."
"PICARD: The Federation could wind up buying itself the proverbial lemon, Mister Mendoza."
"PICARD: Before anyone goes in there, we're going to conduct a full sensor analysis. I want to do everything possible to determine that it's safe. If we're satisfied, Data, you and Commander La Forge will enter the wormhole tomorrow."