A God's Delicate Fracture
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
After the spree, Data comforts and coerces Kareen with promises of immortality and an android body for her, then softens when her tears cut through his bravado—only to discover he has physically hurt her, a moment that briefly fractures his violent certainty before he departs.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Terrified yet evoking Graves' fading humanity through her distress
Kareen transitions from hopeful recognition to terrified rejection as Graves-in-Data's violent outburst escalates, physically recoiling when he injures her hand while pleading for his former humanity.
- • Understand what has happened to Graves
- • De-escalate his violent outburst
- • Graves' core identity is being consumed by power
- • His love for her might anchor his humanity
Professionally cautious then terrified by unexpected violence
Two security guards accompany Worf—one is instantly phasered when reaching for his weapon, the other verbally terrorized before being shot in the back, showcasing Graves-in-Data's ruthlessness.
- • Provide backup for Worf
- • Assess potential threat
- • Standard Starfleet procedures ensure safety
- • Android crewmates pose no physical danger
Euphoric god-complex fracturing into horrified self-awareness
Data, now housing Graves' consciousness, oscillates between manic triumph and horror as he demonstrates newfound physical power—crushing objects with ease, brutally attacking Worf and security guards, then accidentally injuring Kareen before recoiling from his own violence.
- • Prove his newfound power and invincibility
- • Convince Kareen to embrace his android immortality plan
- • Physical strength eliminates past vulnerabilities
- • Android existence surpasses human limitations
Unconscious during event (was professionally dutiful prior)
Worf enters professionally to escort Data but is ambushed—struck unconscious from behind in a shocking demonstration of Graves-in-Data's combat superiority over even a Klingon warrior.
- • Follow Picard's orders to retrieve Data
- • Maintain secure escort protocol
- • Standard security procedures suffice for known crew
- • Data presents no unusual threat
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Graves-in-Data wields Worf's phaser lethally—first shooting one guard center mass, then ruthlessly executing the other in the back—demonstrating his willingness to weaponize Starfleet technology against its own crew.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Observation Lounge transforms from contemplative retreat to violent battleground—its expansive windows framing both Graves-in-Data's godlike posturing and Kareen's terrified isolation as three bodies litter the floor.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Data first voices Graves' private sentiments to Kareen (signaling inside knowledge); that escalates into the explicit revelation that Graves' consciousness inhabits Data—an immediate narrative follow-through from intimacy to possession."
"After Data demonstrates lethal violence on the observation lounge (knocking out Worf and killing guards), the next escalation is his physical appearance on the bridge armed with a phaser—an intensification and relocation of the earlier brutality to the ship's command center."
Key Dialogue
"DATA: "If they try, I'll simply break their necks.""
"KAREEN: "Ira... I don't understand... what's happening to you?""
"DATA: "Don't cry, Kareen... Don't you see, I can love you now. The way I've always wanted to.""