Star Trek The Next Generation
Character
Public Servant
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Kova Tholl

disdainful distrustful cautious self-important skeptical
Kova Tholl (alias: Tholl) is a Mizarian public servant abducted into an alien holding bay experiment alongside Picard, Haro, and Esoqq. Initially unconscious for twelve days, he awakens skeptical and distrustful of his captors and fellow prisoners. Tholl asserts Mizarian intellectual superiority, verbally clashes with Esoqq over cultural differences, and panics at threats of cannibalism. He challenges Picard's leadership, questions Federation conflicts, and deflects accusations of collaboration by blaming others. Tholl reluctantly participates in escape attempts (e.g., door-prying) but demands proof of loyalty amid rising group paranoia. His traits include arrogance, intellectual condescension, fear, skepticism, and manipulation. His narrative role spans captivity survival dynamics and public service on Mizar II.
20 appearances
Mizarian Public Service
Also known as: Tholl

Kova Tholl's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

20 moments
S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Awakening: The First Fracture of Command

Unknown (unconscious), but his presence underscores the alien nature of the experiment and the fragility of Picard’s leadership in this context.

Kova Tholl lies unconscious on another bunk, his middle-aged Mizarian features suggesting a civilian background. Like Haro, his presence is passive but contributes to the sense of disorientation and the …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Leadership Forged in Captivity: The First Alliance

Suspicious and resentful, with a simmering anger toward the captors and a wariness of the group’s dynamics—he sees Picard’s leadership as both a threat and a potential liability.

Tholl awakens skeptical and disdainful, immediately challenging Picard’s authority. He warns Picard about the dangers of interacting with the key panel, sharing his experience of being punished by an energy …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard Asserts Leadership Amidst Captivity and Escalating Tensions

Suspicious and disdainful, with an undercurrent of resignation. His emotional state is one of cautious detachment, prioritizing self-preservation over group cohesion and refusing to invest hope in Picard’s leadership or Starfleet’s intervention.

Tholl is the first to challenge Picard’s authority, regarding him with suspicion and disdain from the moment he awakens. He shares his abduction timeline—twelve days of captivity—and warns Picard away …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Leadership Forged in Crisis: The Chalnoth Gambit

Skeptical and resigned, with an undercurrent of bitterness. His emotional state reflects a mix of frustration and fatalism—having endured captivity longer than the others, he is wary of false hope and quick to dismiss optimistic assertions.

Kova Tholl awakens skeptical and disdainful, challenging Picard’s authority from the outset. He reveals his prolonged captivity (twelve days) and warns Picard about the dangers of tampering with the key …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Gambit: The Warrior’s Defiance and the Captain’s Command

Wary and detached—observing the power dynamics but unwilling to commit to Picard’s authority just yet.

Tholl regards the standoff with a mix of suspicion and disdain, his body language rigid and unyielding. He does not intervene, nor does he show any sign of fear—only cautious …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The First Fracture: Pride, Prejudice, and the Hunger for Power

Disdainful and arrogant at first, but increasingly fearful and defensive as Esoqq’s threats escalate.

Tholl engages in verbal sparring with Esoqq, defending Mizarian intellectualism but shrinking back in fear when cannibalism is threatened. His disdain for Chalnoth culture is palpable, but his arrogance crumbles …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Intellectual Duel: Exposing Tholl’s Flawed Logic and the Group’s Fractured Unity

Defensive and anxious, masking his fear with intellectual posturing. His emotional state is a mix of arrogance, insecurity, and creeping dread as Esoqq’s threats escalate.

Tholl engages in verbal sparring with Esoqq, defending Mizarian intellectualism while dismissing Chalnoth culture as 'uncivilized.' He challenges Picard’s leadership by questioning the Federation’s conflicts and Romulan hypothesis, revealing his …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Hunger and the Threat: Picard’s Authority Tested by Cannibalism’s Shadow

Terrified and humiliated, with a desperate need for validation. Tholl’s emotional state is one of crushing vulnerability—his earlier confidence in his intellectual superiority is exposed as a facade, and he’s left exposed as just another prey animal in Esoqq’s sights. There’s a shameful relief in his plea to Picard, a childlike dependence that contrasts sharply with his earlier condescension. His fear is not just of death, but of irrelevance—the realization that his brain, which he prides himself on, means nothing in the face of raw, unfiltered violence.

Tholl’s intellectual arrogance shatters under the weight of Esoqq’s threat, his body language collapsing inward like a house of cards. He shrinks back, his earlier bravado replaced by raw, primal …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Breaking Point: Escalation and the Illusion of Unity

Arrogant and fearful, masking his vulnerability with intellectual superiority and condescension.

Tholl engages in a condescending and dismissive dialogue with Esoqq, challenging Picard's leadership and expressing fear when Esoqq threatens to eat him. He defends Mizarian culture and intelligence while insulting …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Strategic Concession: Naming the Romulans as the Enemy

Skeptical, fearful of Esoqq’s threats, but intellectually engaged in the debate

Tholl engages in a verbal sparring match with Picard and Esoqq, first suggesting the Romulans as a potential enemy and then boasting of his intellectual superiority. His dialogue is sharp …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Hunger That Divides: Trust Collapses Under Survival’s Weight

Terrified and humiliated—his fear of Esoqq’s threat overrides his usual condescension, and he’s reduced to a pleading, vulnerable state. There’s a flicker of shame as he realizes his intelligence offers no defense here.

Tholl shrinks back in dread as Esoqq turns his predatory gaze toward him, his earlier intellectual condescension evaporating into raw fear. He pleads with Picard for protection, his voice trembling, …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Fracture: Paranoia and the Collapse of Trust

Panic-stricken and guilty, his indignation a thin veneer over a collapsing sense of self-preservation.

Tholl is the event’s emotional powder keg, his indignant deflections (‘You accuse me of collaborating?’) revealing a man cornered by his own guilt. Physically, he’s defensive—backing away from Esoqq’s advances, …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Paranoia Spiral: Tholl’s Desperate Deflection and the Fracturing of Trust

Desperate and indignant, teetering on the edge of panic as his lies unravel.

Tholl is the catalyst of the scene’s unraveling, his desperation manifesting as frantic, pivoting accusations. He begins by warning Esoqq about provoking the captors, but when Esoqq turns on him, …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Trial of Picard: Trust Collapses Under the Weight of Paranoia

Desperate and indignant, masking deep fear of being exposed as a collaborator or weak link.

Tholl, cornered by Esoqq’s accusations, pivots desperately to deflect blame onto others. He accuses Haro of triggering the stun beams and frames Picard as a manipulative leader, his voice rising …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Impossible Proof: When Trust Becomes the Only Weapon

Defensive frustration giving way to reluctant introspection; a man who prides himself on logic but is unmoored by the absence of answers.

Tholl initiates the confrontation with a blunt demand for Picard to prove his loyalty, his tone laced with skepticism and self-importance. When Picard admits the impossibility of proof, Tholl’s expression …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Pivot: From Paradox to Pragmatism

Skeptical but increasingly reflective, his hostility giving way to cautious consideration of Picard’s argument.

Tholl confronts Picard with skepticism, demanding proof of his identity and voicing doubt about trust. His initial hostility softens as Picard’s words sink in, and he sheepishly weighs the captain’s …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard’s Gambit: The Illusion of Escape and the Fracture of Trust

Skeptical and resistant, shifting to frustration and accusatory anger upon the revelation of the solid wall, with a deepening sense of despair.

Tholl, initially skeptical and resistant, watches from a distance as Picard and Haro examine the circuitry. He reluctantly joins the group in physically straining to force the door open, only …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Illusion of Escape: Trust Shattered by the False Door

Skeptical and reluctant at first, then furious and accusatory as the failed escape attempt shatters his fragile trust in Picard.

Tholl starts the event by watching Picard and Haro examine the circuitry, his skepticism evident in his body language. He resists helping to open the door at first, voicing his …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
Picard Shatters the Illusion: The Experiment’s True Face Revealed

Frustrated and disbelieving, then shocked into silence. His skepticism masks deep-seated anxiety about being manipulated, and the alien's reveal leaves him emotionally vulnerable.

Tholl reacts with skepticism and frustration throughout the scene. He challenges Picard's leadership, scoffs at the idea of being a "white rat" in an experiment, and is visibly shaken when …

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S3E18 · Allegiance
The Architect’s Unmasking: Picard’s Gambit and the Experiment’s Collapse

Shocked and disoriented, oscillating between disbelief and a creeping sense of violation. His pride is wounded by the realization that he was a pawn in an experiment.

Tholl reacts with skepticism as Picard begins his accusations, his arms crossed and his expression skeptical. When Haro transforms, his eyes widen in shock, and he stumbles back slightly, his …

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Affiliation

Starfleet
Military Judicial Authority and Personnel Accountability (Starfleet legal proceedings and precedent-setting tribunals)