When Infatuation Meets Fact: Data Defines Salia
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Wesley checks his reflection, suddenly hyper-aware after meeting Salia; the superconducting magnet sits on his desk and the door chimes, jolting the private moment into motion.
Data enters on the chime and opens the exchange, giving Wesley a formal doorway into information about the newcomer and transforming Wesley's private fascination into an inquisitive interrogation.
Wesley presses Data for information about Salia; Data names her and delivers concise context — orphaned child of feuding factions raised on Klavdia Three and hoped to be a unifying leader — raising the stakes and giving Wesley the political weight behind his crush.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Not present; implied dutiful and watchful concerning Salia's welfare and political preparation.
Referenced by Data as Salia's governess who accompanied her to Klavdia Three; not present but implied as the caretaker responsible for Salia's upbringing and protection.
- • Ensure Salia's safe upbringing in neutral custody.
- • Prepare Salia for the political responsibility of returning to Daled Four.
- • Stability and careful preparation are essential for Salia's success.
- • Neutral guardianship (Klavdia Three) is preferable to leaving her vulnerable.
Not directly shown; implied burdened by destiny and the expectations of others.
Mentioned by Data as the central figure whose tragic origin and diplomatic purpose are summarized; she is not present but her fate looms, reframing Wesley's private interest into political consequence.
- • (Implied) Return to Daled Four to be a unifying leader.
- • Be protected and guided by her governess and the Federation until she assumes her role.
- • Her lineage and upbringing position her as a potential peacemaker.
- • External systems (Federation, custodians) will shape her path.
Flustered and shy on the surface; excited by attraction but quickly burdened by a dawning sense of consequence and obligation.
Alone in his quarters, Wesley checks his reflection, asks Data questions about Salia, reacts with surprise to Geordi's call, grabs the superconducting magnet and leaves — transported from private fantasy to immediate duty.
- • Learn more about Salia (to satisfy curiosity and amplify his crush).
- • Return promptly to engineering with the required part to fulfill Geordi's request.
- • Hold onto a private moment while not shirking responsibility.
- • Personal connection or knowledge of Salia matters to him emotionally.
- • He must not neglect Starfleet duty even when personally distracted.
- • Information (from Data/computer) is trustworthy and will redefine his feelings.
Calm, clinical neutrality — focused on delivering facts without embellishment, inadvertently altering Wesley's emotional landscape.
Enters Wesley's quarters courteously, answers Wesley's questions with concise factual exposition about Salia's background, and acts as an unemotional conduit turning private curiosity into operational knowledge.
- • Provide accurate background information about Salia.
- • Fulfill Wesley's request for information with procedural clarity.
- • Maintain professional, unobtrusive presence in a private space.
- • Objective data is the appropriate response to personal questions.
- • Sharing factual context aids decision-making and reduces romanticized misunderstanding.
- • His role is to inform, not to console.
Mildly concerned and businesslike; impatient for progress but not harsh — prioritizes ship's needs over personal moments.
He is heard only through the comm, his brief voice checking on Wesley's wellbeing and reminding him the engineering team awaits the part, forcing Wesley to end the conversation and leave.
- • Ensure Wesley retrieves and delivers the required part to engineering promptly.
- • Confirm Wesley's capacity to perform duties.
- • Maintain engineering schedule and operational readiness.
- • Shipboard tasks take precedence over private distractions.
- • Crew members must be available and dependable.
- • Prompt communication resolves delays.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The small mirror anchors the scene's opening: Wesley checks his reflection, becomes self-conscious after meeting Salia, and the mirror underscores his vanity and vulnerability but is not directly referenced again after Data enters.
Wesley notes the computer lacks information about Salia, prompting Data's verbal briefing; the wall computer's paucity of data catalyzes the need for human (Data) exposition rather than database retrieval.
Wesley's desk functions as the staging area for the magnet and mirror; it frames his private reverie and becomes the spot where he physically severs the fantasy (by picking up the part) and moves back into Starfleet obligations.
Wesley's superconducting magnet sits on his desk as the practical reason he must leave; after Data's exposition and Geordi's prompt, Wesley picks up the magnet and exits, its retrieval ending the private moment and forcing a return to duty.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Wesley's quarters serve as the intimate setting where adolescent vanity and political reality collide: a private room that becomes the stage for Data's factual interruption and Wesley's abrupt reentry into duty, turning a sanctuary into a crossroads between desire and obligation.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Wesley's self-awareness after the transporter meeting (checking his reflection) flows into later gushing to Geordi — the transporter encounter consistently alters Wesley's behavior and focus across scenes."
"Wesley's self-awareness after the transporter meeting (checking his reflection) flows into later gushing to Geordi — the transporter encounter consistently alters Wesley's behavior and focus across scenes."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"WESLEY: What can you tell me?"
"DATA: She was born on Daled Four. Her parents were from opposite sides of factions which have been feuding for centuries. They died shortly after her birth. A Federation ship brought her and her governess to Klavdia Three to be raised in a neutral environment."
"GEORDI (over com): Wesley, are you all right?"