The Chorus' Revelation: Unmasking Riva's Deafness
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard probes the Chorus and learns the critical revelation: Riva is deaf and the Chorus not only speaks his words but conveys his emotional intent—reframing the team's understanding of Riva's methods and the mission's communication challenges.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Detached yet precise in their roles
The Chorus functions as Riva’s unified voice, translating his gestures into speech while embodying facets of his identity. They remain expressionless except for the Warrior/Adonis’s targeted flirtation with Troi.
- • Faithfully convey Riva’s thoughts and emotional intent
- • Maintain their disciplined synchronicity
- • Their purpose is sacred and centuries-old
- • Harmony in translation ensures diplomatic clarity
Confident and self-amused
The Warrior/Adonis boldly flirts with Troi, declaring himself the embodiment of Riva’s passion and honor. His momentary animation contrasts with the Chorus’s usual neutrality.
- • Engage Troi’s empathic interest
- • Demonstrate Riva’s charismatic facets
- • Passion is a valid diplomatic tool
- • Personal connection enhances professional rapport
Respectful curiosity with underlying cautiousness
Picard assumes a diplomatic stance as he greets Riva and his Chorus, adjusting their protocol upon realizing Riva’s deafness. His curiosity is tempered by professionalism, and he seeks Troi's counsel when puzzled by the Chorus’s dynamic.
- • Establish rapport with Riva for the Solais Five mission
- • Understand Riva's unique communication method to avoid diplomatic missteps
- • Unorthodox methods may still hold profound cultural and functional value
- • First-contact scenarios require flexibility and humility
Defensive readiness, masking curiosity
Worf remains alert as security, instinctively stepping forward when Riva suddenly raises his voice. His vigilance underscores his protective duty toward the away team.
- • Ensure no threat arises from Riva’s outburst
- • Maintain security protocol without escalating tension
- • Unpredictability demands heightened awareness
- • A warrior’s duty is to shield allies from harm
Alert and prepared for contingencies
Riker remains on the Enterprise, monitoring communications with the away team, providing logistical support and readiness.
- • Ensure the away team’s safety from the Enterprise
- • Maintain open channels for updates on the mission
- • The ship must remain prepared for rapid response
- • First-contact protocols must balance caution with openness
Intrigued and slightly flustered by the Chorus
Troi reacts empathetically to Riva’s interaction, engaging warmly with his Chorus and interpreting their dynamics. She is visibly flattered by the Warrior/Adonis’s attentions while maintaining professionalism.
- • Bridge cultural understanding between the away team and Riva
- • Navigate the Warrior/Adonis’s flirtation diplomatically
- • Communication transcends verbal language
- • Personal connections can facilitate broader diplomacy
Self-assured with playful intensity
Riva projects calm authority, studying each away team member intently before revealing his deafness provocatively. He commands the Chorus fluidly and pushes Picard to address him directly.
- • Test the away team’s adaptability to his methods
- • Assert control over the diplomatic engagement
- • True mediation requires unflinching honesty
- • Others must meet him on his terms to achieve understanding
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Solais Five is referenced as the urgent diplomatic destination where Riva’s mediation skills are critically needed, heightening the stakes of the away team’s interaction with him.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"Picard's captain's log and the order to divert to Ramatis directly set the away-team meeting that produces the ritualized assembly where the story's central mystery (Riva and his Chorus) is introduced."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The revelation on Ramatis (Riva's deafness and Chorus' function) is carried forward and reiterated during shipboard introductions, maintaining continuity of how the crew must understand and interact with Riva."
"The revelation on Ramatis (Riva's deafness and Chorus' function) is carried forward and reiterated during shipboard introductions, maintaining continuity of how the crew must understand and interact with Riva."
"The revelation on Ramatis (Riva's deafness and Chorus' function) is carried forward and reiterated during shipboard introductions, maintaining continuity of how the crew must understand and interact with Riva."
"The revelation on Ramatis (Riva's deafness and Chorus' function) is carried forward and reiterated during shipboard introductions, maintaining continuity of how the crew must understand and interact with Riva."
"The revelation on Ramatis (Riva's deafness and Chorus' function) is carried forward and reiterated during shipboard introductions, maintaining continuity of how the crew must understand and interact with Riva."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
"The ritualized arrival context immediately leads to the Chorus's explanation and the critical revelation that Riva is deaf and uses the Chorus as his voice."
Key Dialogue
"CHORUS: 'Deaf. Born, and hope to die.'"
"WARRIOR/ADONIS: 'I am Riva's libido. I am his passion. I am the anarchy of lust. The romantic—the ... lover. Also, I am as he.'"
"RIVA: 'Speak to me!' (aggressively gesturing)"