The Yamato Flash — Memory as a Weapon

A blinding flash erupts as the Galaxy‑class USS Yamato detonates; flaming debris and the saucer section streak past the viewpoint in a traumatic, slow‑motion assault. This is not merely spectacle but a targeted, weaponized memory—Pulaski and Troi have amplified Riker’s worst images to flood his nervous system with terror‑driven biochemistry. The catastrophic Yamato image becomes the climax of the fear montage, provoking a convulsive neurological response that forces the invading organism to recoil, precipitating the infection's disappearance and Riker’s agonized return to consciousness. The beat functions as the story’s turning point: a costly, ethically fraught medical gambit that saves a life while scarring it.