Empty Chair on the Bridge — Kolrami's Snub and Riker's Request
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bridge posture locks in: Picard commands, Kolrami sits close, Burke holds Tactical—while Data’s absence opens a conspicuous gap that pricks the room’s composure.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Focused and businesslike; shows no visible reaction to Kolrami's aside, ready to execute orders cleanly.
At Tactical, announces the Hathaway message, receives Picard's order to 'handle that,' and immediately exits to carry out the escort/reboarding task—acting as the executive instrument of Picard's delegation.
- • Execute Picard's orders without delay
- • Ensure the safe reboarding/escort of the named ensign
- • Orders from the captain are to be carried out promptly
- • Procedural clarity prevents small errors from becoming operational problems
Detached superiority; displays contempt that intentionally undermines Riker's personnel choice and escalates interpersonal tension.
Seated to Picard's left, offers an immediate tactical judgment that the ensign be escorted and restrict contact, then mutters a contemptuous aside about the ensign's status, injecting scorn into an otherwise procedural exchange.
- • Assert intellectual dominance over the command conversation
- • Signal skepticism about Starfleet's personnel decisions and Riker's judgment
- • Emotional/ill-disciplined personnel compromise mission effectiveness
- • Public displays of superiority will expose weaker command choices
Restrained professionalism masking irritation—he chooses procedure and crew safety over public confrontation with Kolrami.
Sits in the Command Chair, solicits Kolrami's view on the request, quietly grants Riker permission, and delegates the escort to Burke; controls the exchange with contained authority while suppressing irritation.
- • Resolve the personnel/safety issue efficiently
- • Maintain command decorum and keep the simulation's integrity intact
- • Crew safety and procedure trump petty commentary
- • Maintaining chain-of-command and impartial judgment preserves morale
Absent; his nonappearance produces an implicit coolness and a subtle anxiety about missing diagnostics or unemotional counsel.
Not physically present on the bridge; his conspicuous absence is explicitly noted, creating a perceptible technical and emotional void that alters how command processes information in the exchange.
- • Provide precise technical and tactical counsel when present
- • Ensure procedural correctness through data-driven analysis
- • Accurate technical input is essential for sound command decisions
- • Objective analysis reduces emotional bias in critical judgments
Practical concern mixed with mild frustration—he focuses on remedying a personnel lapse rather than moralizing about it.
Appears on the Main Viewer from the Hathaway, reports that Ensign Crusher left critical experiments unattended, and formally requests permission for the ensign to reboard—framing the matter as practical and safety-oriented.
- • Secure the return of a crew member who compromised experiments
- • Preserve the operational integrity of the Hathaway/simulation
- • Personnel mistakes must be corrected swiftly to protect mission outcomes
- • Command decisions require clear permission channels
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Main Viewer functions as the communication conduit showing Riker aboard the Hathaway; it externalizes the off-bridge source of the problem and focuses bridge attention toward the practical request, making remote command decisions immediate and public.
The 'Message from the Hathaway' acts as the initiating object that triggers the scene's action—its arrival compels Riker's request and forces immediate personnel triage, turning an off-screen mistake into an on-bridge decision.
The Command Chair anchors Picard's authoritative posture during the exchange; its physical centrality underscores his role as decider and the focal point where Kolrami's aside and Picard's restraint meet.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Conn Station exists as a peripheral witness point: supernumeraries sit there, eyes tracking the exchange. Its presence underscores the bridge as a shared workplace where even minor personnel actions are seen and recorded by the crew.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Key Dialogue
"RIKER: I'd like to request permission for Ensign Crusher to reboard the Enterprise, Captain."
"PICARD: Permission granted."
"KOLRAMI: I saw no sense in Riker choosing him anyway -- he is just a non-commissioned child."