First Contact in Sickbay: Clare Raymond Awakens
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Beverly rouses the three cryonically preserved humans while Picard, Data and Worf watch; the guests are revealed still wrapped in sheets, marking their abrupt reintroduction to life and the Enterprise crew's first contact with them.
Data announces he retrieved data from an ancient disk and identifies the first revival as Clare Raymond; Beverly confirms cause of death (embolism) and that her body was otherwise well preserved, turning clinical curiosity into a sobering medical fact.
Clare Raymond remains awake, scans the room and the people around her with solid, no-nonsense steadiness, registering dislocation but immediately grounding the moment with wary alertness.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calm and satisfied on the surface, carrying quiet concern for ship safety and the ethical duty his command requires.
Picard supervises from the periphery, listens to Data and Crusher, authoritatively delegates medical custody to Dr. Crusher, nods Data forward, declares he will go to the bridge, and exits.
- • Ensure the recovered individuals are treated humanely and medically cared for.
- • Delegate bedside responsibility to free himself to manage the broader Neutral Zone crisis.
- • Ascertain that the survivors do not pose an immediate security risk to the Enterprise.
- • These recovered persons are living and deserve Starfleet custodial care.
- • Command responsibilities require delegation so he can address operational/diplomatic priorities.
- • Objective data (Data's identification) should inform but not replace humane judgment.
Clinically curious and focused, prioritizing accuracy and preservation of archival data while recognizing its immediate utility.
Data reads forensic information recovered from an ancient disk, announces the three names and fragmentary occupational/vital details, provides evidentiary context and then follows Picard to the bridge.
- • Establish the identities and medical backgrounds of the recovered persons.
- • Preserve and communicate objective evidence to inform command and medical decisions.
- • Support Picard's operational needs by preparing to accompany him to the bridge.
- • Accurate archival data is crucial to appropriate treatment and legal/ethical handling.
- • Objective, documented facts will reduce uncertainty for command and medical staff.
Guarded professionalism: alert to potential threat but composed and compliant with command decisions.
Worf stands present as security presence, accepts Beverly's instruction to escort the survivors to guest quarters, leads them out with quiet efficiency.
- • Secure and escort the survivors to controlled accommodations.
- • Maintain the safety of the ship and crew by enforcing containment and oversight.
- • Follow Starfleet orders without unnecessary escalation.
- • Unexpected recovered persons may present security risks and require supervision.
- • Chain of command and obedience to orders are primary duties.
Compassionate and controlled, slightly exasperated by Ralph's entitlement but resolute in protecting patients' welfare.
Dr. Crusher conducts triage and revival procedures, delivers blunt medical diagnoses, soothes and instructs the newly awakened, asserts custody of their care, and pushes for patience when Ralph demands money.
- • Stabilize and medically assess each recovered individual.
- • Protect patients from exploitation and unnecessary stress.
- • Establish a period of rest and orientation before full explanation.
- • These individuals are patients first and legal/financial concerns are secondary to their immediate well‑being.
- • Medical ethics require patience and humane treatment for disoriented survivors.
Overwhelmed and grieving — clear eyed but emotionally raw as she faces the estrangement of time and death.
Clare Raymond is reawakened and remains conscious; she studies the room and people with stunned sobriety and a grief‑tinged disorientation, anchoring the medical fact to human loss.
- • Assess what has happened and locate any familiar anchors or explanations.
- • Avoid panic and find a steadying presence to process the shock.
- • Receive clear information about her condition and circumstances.
- • Something sudden and catastrophic happened to her world.
- • She is in a place and time that are foreign and possibly hostile; she must be careful.
Agitated and combative — using old instincts of control and financial leverage to mask fear and helplessness.
Ralph Offenhouse awakens disoriented and immediately shifts into transactional mode, demanding to know costs and asserting entitlement despite his confusion.
- • Reassert control over his situation by demanding information about costs and procedures.
- • Protect his perceived rights and social standing even in unfamiliar circumstances.
- • Gain immediate answers that reaffirm his sense of agency.
- • Services require payment and he must approve costs before proceeding.
- • His previous status and wealth still afford him entitlement and leverage.
Dazed and fragile with flickers of buoyancy — physically battered but behaviorally adaptable to new cues.
L.Q. "Sonny" Clemonds is identified by Data and assessed by Crusher as chemically ravaged; he is dazed, has a short attention span, but shows a surprising glimmer of adaptability as he finishes dressing.
- • Stabilize physically and mentally in the immediate aftermath.
- • Find comfort or distraction to manage withdrawal and disorientation.
- • Remain present and open to assistance that mitigates his vulnerability.
- • Life has been a series of survival strategies; adaptability will help now.
- • Immediate needs — sleep, food, calm — matter more than abstract explanations.
Professional and reassuring, focused on immediate comfort and practical needs rather than broader policy.
Nurse Wright awakens and assists with bedside care, stands ready to furnish necessities, and follows Dr. Crusher's orders to support and calm the patients.
- • Provide immediate comfort and supplies to the disoriented patients.
- • Support Dr. Crusher's stabilization plan and maintain clinical order.
- • Prevent panic and unnecessary movement until patients are assessed.
- • Following the doctor's instructions is the best way to stabilize patients.
- • Calm, practical care reduces disorientation and the risk of complications.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Light clinical sheets initially conceal the three recovered bodies, preserving modesty and the visual shock of their reawakening; staff lift and smooth the linens during diagnosis and the patients finish dressing, leaving sheets partially displaced.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The bridge functions as Picard's next destination; his decision to leave Sickbay for the bridge reframes the revival as an operational concern that must be balanced alongside diplomatic and tactical obligations.
Enterprise Sickbay is the intimate, clinical theater where revival occurs: doctors and technicians convert an archaeological salvage into an urgent medical and moral problem, directly shaping command choices and human reactions.
Enterprise Guest Quarters are designated as temporary lodging and quarantine for the disoriented survivors; Worf is instructed to escort them there to keep them secure and under Starfleet custody while medical care continues.
Enterprise Sickbay is the intimate, clinical theater where revival occurs: doctors and technicians convert an archaeological salvage into an urgent medical and moral problem, directly shaping command choices and human reactions.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Data's decision to pull data via the disk enables later identification of Clare Raymond in Sickbay."
"Data's decision to pull data via the disk enables later identification of Clare Raymond in Sickbay."
"Ralph’s immediate demands in Sickbay persist into later insistence on calls and control in the Lounge."
"Ralph’s immediate demands in Sickbay persist into later insistence on calls and control in the Lounge."
"Ralph’s immediate demands in Sickbay persist into later insistence on calls and control in the Lounge."
"Ralph’s immediate demands in Sickbay persist into later insistence on calls and control in the Lounge."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"DATA: I was able to retrieve some information from the ancient disk I removed from the module's computer. Based on that..."
"DATA: Her name is Clare Raymond, age thirty-five; occupation, homemaker... must be some kind of construction work."
"BEVERLY: She died of an embolism. It probably happened very suddenly, otherwise her physical condition was excellent."
"RALPH: I demand to know the cost of anything you do before the procedure is approved."