Kosinski Takes Credit for the Impossible Jump
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Kosinski arrives on the bridge with Riker and Argyle, arrogantly claiming he made a 'wonderful, incredible mistake' that caused their displacement, provoking Picard's harsh demand for explanation amid rising tension.
Kosinski attempts a technical explanation involving energy asymptotics and Bessel functions as Picard presses Riker to interpret; Riker admits it sounds like nonsense but concedes the need to accept it given their impossible situation.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Irritated by Kosinski's arrogance yet focused on managing the crisis; tense about the ship's precarious situation; incredulous at the vast distance traveled.
Captain Picard commands the Enterprise to reverse and stop the engines amidst a crisis, questions Kosinski sharply, and processes the staggering, almost impossible warp displacement data with a mix of irritation, tension, and incredulity.
- • Ensure the Enterprise's safety by commanding engine maneuvers
- • Understand the cause of the warp surge and current location
- • Maintain crew discipline and morale
- • Hold Kosinski accountable for the crisis
- • Warp displacement of this magnitude is unprecedented and dangerous
- • Kosinski's explanation is likely obfuscation or incomplete
- • Scientific data must be trusted despite personal disbelief
- • The crew must stay controlled to survive the crisis
Puzzled by the data anomalies but committed to accuracy and clarity.
Data reports the Enterprise’s velocity as off the scale and confirms the accuracy of the anomalous warp data, providing analytical and unemotional assessments that underpin the reality of their displacement.
- • Provide accurate diagnostics of the ship’s velocity and location
- • Validate or disprove Kosinski’s explanations through computational analysis
- • Support command decisions with objective data
- • Data is reliable and must be trusted
- • Kosinski’s technical explanation needs verification
- • Scientific rigor is essential in crisis
Concerned yet composed, balancing professional respect and deep mistrust of Kosinski’s explanations.
Commander Riker enters the bridge with Kosinski and Argyle, cautiously informing Picard they are investigating the incident; expresses skepticism toward Kosinski’s technical jargon but respects chain of command and the crisis stakes.
- • Clarify the cause of the warp surge
- • Maintain order and discipline on the bridge
- • Protect crew from rash decisions
- • Question Kosinski’s credibility tactfully
- • Kosinski’s explanation is unclear and likely flawed
- • Commander Picard’s judgment is paramount
- • The safety of the Enterprise overrides egos
Worried about his friend's wellbeing; uneasy about the consequences of the experiment and the crew’s tension.
Wesley watches the unfolding drama with concern focused more on the assistant than the crisis itself, reflecting his youthful curiosity and empathy, while sensing the gravity of the situation and the assistant's embarrassment.
- • Stay close to his assistant friend for support
- • Understand the implications of the warp surge
- • Advocate quietly for the assistant amidst skepticism
- • The assistant may have had a critical role in the surge
- • Kosinski’s arrogance endangers the crew
- • Youthful insight can contribute meaningfully
Shaken by the vast distance traveled and the improbable time required to return; serious about the technical and human implications.
Geordi calculates the Enterprise’s new position and estimates the time to return home, visibly shaken by the enormity of the journey ahead, grounding the abstract data in stark human terms.
- • Provide accurate navigational data
- • Support command decisions with calculations
- • Help the crew grasp the reality of their situation
- • The warp surge was catastrophic but data must be trusted
- • The crew must prepare for a long, uncertain journey
- • Starfleet protocols guide their response
Confident despite the crisis; masking embarrassment with bravado and deflection; eager to reclaim authority.
Kosinski strides confidently onto the bridge, initially stunned by the warp surge’s outcome but quickly shifts to arrogant posturing as he claims credit for the 'wonderful, incredible mistake' causing the impossible warp displacement, delivering a technical yet confusing explanation.
- • Defend his experimental methods and authority
- • Explain the warp surge as a calculable error to regain credibility
- • Mitigate blame for the dangerous outcome
- • Preserve professional reputation
- • His calculations, though flawed, led to a brilliant accidental discovery
- • The warp surge, while unintended, is a scientific breakthrough
- • His role and expertise remain indispensable despite errors
Wary and uncertain about the experimental results; anxious about potential mechanical or procedural failures.
Argyle enters the bridge with Kosinski and Riker, visibly tense and hesitant to act amidst the incomprehensible warp crisis, embodying cautious pragmatism and guarded skepticism toward Kosinski’s explanations.
- • Support ship operations without escalating panic
- • Evaluate the technical validity of Kosinski’s claims
- • Protect the integrity of the Enterprise’s engineering systems
- • Kosinski’s methodology is suspect
- • Engineering discipline must counterbalance experimental recklessness
- • The ship’s safety is paramount
Embarrassed and worn down by the chaotic fallout, yet maintaining clinical composure.
The Medical Assistant is notably absent from direct dialogue but is present in the scene context, stepping back with the assistant, showing fatigue and embarrassment, symbolizing the toll of the experiment on personnel.
- • Assist medical staff as needed
- • Maintain readiness despite crisis
- • Provide quiet support to affected personnel
- • The experiment has dangerous consequences
- • Crew wellbeing is paramount
- • Medical order must be preserved
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Enterprise Bridge Main Viewer serves as the critical interface displaying real-time sensor data, showing the ship's unprecedented velocity and position beyond known galaxies, providing visual confirmation that the warp surge was real and catastrophic.
The Enterprise Warp Engines are the propulsion system responsible for the massive, unintended warp surge that displaced the ship beyond known galaxies, their unusual performance triggering the crisis and subsequent command decisions to reverse and stop the engines.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Enterprise Main Bridge acts as the intense command center during the crisis, where Picard and his senior officers manage the unprecedented warp event, coordinate engine commands, analyze sensor data, and confront Kosinski's claims, reflecting the locus of control and tension.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The revelation of impossible distance traveled is paralleled by Geordi’s calculation of the long time required to return, together emphasizing the crew’s dire predicament."
"The revelation of impossible distance traveled is paralleled by Geordi’s calculation of the long time required to return, together emphasizing the crew’s dire predicament."
"The revelation of impossible distance traveled is paralleled by Geordi’s calculation of the long time required to return, together emphasizing the crew’s dire predicament."
"The revelation of impossible distance traveled is paralleled by Geordi’s calculation of the long time required to return, together emphasizing the crew’s dire predicament."
Key Dialogue
"PICARD: What is our velocity?"
"DATA: It is off the scale, sir..."
"KOSINSKI: The truth is, Captain, I made a mistake. A wonderful, incredible mistake."
"PICARD: Just explain what brought us here!"
"KOSINSKI: As the power built, I applied the energy asymtotically. I anticipated some tiling, but it didn't occur. That was my error -- using Bessel functions from the beginning."
"RIKER: Well... if you want the truth, sir, it sounds to me like nonsense. But considering..."
"PICARD: But considering where we are, we must assume it isn't."