Data's Overzealous Mastery
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Data bursts in with a technical solution—he has mastered five signing languages—and immediately demonstrates, unfolding increasingly elaborate signed vignettes. His clinical excess transforms hope into irritation, and Picard cuts him off with a sharp 'Enough!'
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Worried about Riva with diminishing patience for technical distractions
Picard sits at his desk in quiet contemplation of Troi's counsel when Data interrupts with excessive enthusiasm. His sharp 'Enough!' cuts through Data's demonstration with commanding precision, refocusing on Riva's crisis.
- • Solve Riva's sudden communication crisis
- • Prevent exacerbating Riva's psychological distress
- • Technical solutions must serve emotional needs first
- • Riva's mediation abilities transcend language alone
Enthusiastic about technical achievement but oblivious to social cues
Data enters crisply, demonstrating enthusiastic mastery of signing with escalating complexity—from basic colors to romantic scenarios—until abruptly halted by Picard. His synthetic cadence lacks awareness of emotional context.
- • Demonstrate linguistic proficiency to assist Riva
- • Contribute meaningfully to the crisis resolution
- • Mastery of languages equates to effective communication
- • Technical solutions can replace psychological barriers
Concerned connection transitioning to quiet observation
Having just delivered sobering psychological insight about Riva's need for self-confidence, Troi physically comforts Picard before Data's intrusion shifts the room's dynamics from empathetic to mechanical.
- • Support Picard's leadership decisions
- • Monitor Riva's psychological welfare
- • True confidence must come from within
- • Human connection transcends technical solutions
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Captain's Ready Room serves as an intimate yet authoritative space where empathetic counsel gives way to technical interruption, its transitional nature reflecting the episode's tension between emotional intuition and synthetic precision.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"TROI: I can't do anything. It's up to him. Confidence is faith in oneself, it can't be given by another."
"DATA: This is two happy people in love walking along the beach by a blue ocean at sunset. This is --"
"PICARD: Enough!"