S1E9
· Justice

Captain Picard Greenlights Wesley for Away Team on Rubicun Three

On the Enterprise’s main bridge, Captain Picard logs their arrival at the idyllic but enigmatic planet Rubicun Three. Despite a puzzling sensor anomaly flagged by Data, Picard balances cautious optimism with a desire to grant the crew shore leave, a prospect especially meaningful to the young Wesley Crusher. After enthusiastic reports from Riker and a briefing on the planet’s paradoxical culture—both wild and puritanical—Picard authorizes Wesley to join the initial away team, a decision quietly supported by his mother, Dr. Beverly Crusher. This moment sets in motion the critical narrative thread where youthful eagerness collides with the planet’s rigid justice system, foreshadowing the moral and diplomatic crises to come.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Picard grants Wesley Crusher permission to join the initial away team evaluating the planet for young crew members' shore leave, a decision underscored by Beverly’s approving glance.

hopeful to tentative commitment

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

8

Alert and focused, exhibiting cautious concern about unexplained phenomena.

Lieutenant Worf reports a puzzling sensor anomaly and supports Data’s findings, maintaining professional vigilance on the bridge during this assessment phase.

Goals in this moment
  • Ensure bridge security and sensor integrity
  • Communicate potential threats to command
Active beliefs
  • Sensor anomalies may indicate hidden dangers
  • Maintaining operational readiness is paramount
Character traits
Alert Duty-bound Professional Supportive
Follow Worf's journey

Energetic and positive, eager to share good news and ease concerns.

Commander Riker returns with enthusiasm, delivering upbeat and confident reports about the planet’s natural beauty and suitability for shore leave, encouraging optimism among the bridge crew.

Goals in this moment
  • Convince command of the planet’s suitability for rest and recreation
  • Support crew morale with positive reports
Active beliefs
  • The planet is safe and beneficial for the crew
  • Positive first impressions are key to mission success
Character traits
Enthusiastic Charismatic Confident Reassuring
Follow William Riker's journey

Worn but resolute, balancing her medical responsibility with maternal instincts and hope for crew rejuvenation.

Dr. Beverly Crusher enters the bridge with heavy concern about crew exhaustion, advocating for shore leave especially for the children, and offers a supportive yet weary presence, quietly approving Wesley’s involvement.

Goals in this moment
  • Ensure crew health and morale through shore leave
  • Protect her son and support his growth within safe parameters
Active beliefs
  • Crew exhaustion risks mission effectiveness
  • Shore leave is essential for physical and emotional recovery
Character traits
Protective Concerned Maternal Professional
Follow Beverly Crusher's journey

Calm and attentive, serving as an emotional anchor amid the crew’s growing fatigue and apprehension.

Counselor Troi offers empathic insight, welcoming Beverly Crusher warmly, and gently mediates the emotional tension surrounding shore leave, encouraging open airing of feelings without intrusion.

Goals in this moment
  • Facilitate emotional communication among senior staff
  • Support Captain Picard's balanced decision-making process
Active beliefs
  • Open emotional expression aids crew cohesion
  • Understanding local and crew emotional states is crucial for mission success
Character traits
Empathic Supportive Perceptive Diplomatic
Follow Deanna Troi's journey

Calm and focused, delivering clear and balanced information.

Lieutenant Geordi La Forge provides technical and cultural context regarding the planet’s customs and laws, supplementing the briefing with neutral, factual observations about its paradoxical social mores.

Goals in this moment
  • Inform command of cultural complexities
  • Assist in evaluating the planet’s suitability for shore leave
Active beliefs
  • Understanding local customs is critical to mission safety
  • Balanced information aids command decisions
Character traits
Informative Neutral Methodical Supportive
Follow Geordi La …'s journey

Focused and cautious, balancing optimism with security awareness.

Lieutenant Tasha Yar delivers the security report on the planet’s customs and laws, endorsing shore leave with cautious professionalism and noting sensor technicians’ work on the reported anomalies.

Goals in this moment
  • Ensure crew safety through thorough assessment
  • Support command with accurate operational intelligence
Active beliefs
  • Security protocols must guide shore leave decisions
  • Unknown anomalies require careful monitoring
Character traits
Professional Cautious Alert Diplomatic
Follow Tasha Yar's journey

Calm and hopeful but tempered by prudent caution due to unexplained sensor anomalies and the unknowns of the new planet.

Captain Picard commands the bridge with measured authority, narrating the captain’s log, reviewing reports from Riker and sensor data from Data and Worf, and ultimately authorizing shore leave and Wesley’s inclusion in the away team, balancing optimism with cautious pragmatism.

Goals in this moment
  • Assess the risks and benefits of shore leave on Rubicun Three
  • Ensure crew welfare while respecting unknown planetary conditions
Active beliefs
  • The planet may offer much-needed respite for the crew
  • Due diligence is necessary before proceeding with shore leave
Character traits
Measured Authoritative Cautiously optimistic Diplomatic
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Intrigued and concerned by data incongruities, signaling potential unknowns.

Data examines sensor readings meticulously, revealing an unexplained anomaly that puzzles him, raising initial alarms on the bridge and injecting a note of caution into the otherwise optimistic briefing.

Goals in this moment
  • Clarify the nature of the sensor anomaly
  • Alert command to possible hidden risks
Active beliefs
  • Sensor data is reliable but can reveal unknown threats
  • Full disclosure to command is essential
Character traits
Analytical Curious Precise Unflappable
Follow Data's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Enterprise Bridge Main Viewer

The Enterprise Bridge Main Viewer prominently displays real-time imagery of Rubicun Three, providing visual confirmation of the planet’s Earthlike and pastoral qualities, framing the crew’s optimistic anticipation and grounding the scene’s dialogue in tangible imagery.

Before: Operational on the main bridge, actively displaying sensor …
After: Remains operational and continues to display images as …
Before: Operational on the main bridge, actively displaying sensor images of Rubicun Three.
After: Remains operational and continues to display images as the crew prepares for shore leave.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Main Bridge

The Main Bridge functions as the command nexus where the senior staff convenes to share reports, analyze sensor data, and make critical decisions about shore leave and crew welfare. Its high-tech environment and visual displays facilitate rapid information exchange and strategic planning.

Atmosphere Calm but charged with anticipation; a balance of hopeful optimism and underlying tension due to …
Function Primary decision-making center and communication hub for the Enterprise crew.
Symbolism Represents the fragile equilibrium between exploration optimism and command responsibility.
Access Restricted to senior officers and authorized personnel during this briefing.
Soft glow from control consoles Dominant visual presence of the Main Viewer showing Rubicun Three Quiet hum of technology interspersed with focused dialogue

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 4
Character Continuity medium

"Wesley's permission and inclusion on the away team lead to his integration with the Edo children, displaying his innocence and foreshadowing his inadvertent violation of their laws."

Wesley Bonds Through Play with Edo Youths
S1E9 · Justice
Foreshadowing

"Data's initial sensor anomaly noted on the bridge foreshadows the later full revelation of the Edolord's presence and threat."

Data Uncovers the Interdimensional Shadow, Triggering Red Alert
S1E9 · Justice
Foreshadowing

"Picard grants Wesley permission to join the away team, setting up Wesley's presence on the planet which directly leads to his minor infraction in the forbidden garden area."

Wesley’s Forbidden Trespass and the Deadly Edo Justice
S1E9 · Justice
Foreshadowing

"Picard grants Wesley permission to join the away team, setting up Wesley's presence on the planet which directly leads to his minor infraction in the forbidden garden area."

Away Team Confronts the Edo’s Absolute Justice
S1E9 · Justice

Key Dialogue

"PICARD: "Riker has sounded very enthused in his reports.""
"RIKER: "Exactly per my reports, sir. Class M, so Earthlike, so beautiful, it will startle you!""
"DATA: "But there is a problem here, sir! I do not understand this at all!""
"PICARD: "Of course... Wesley, if we go, you will join the away team to evaluate this world as a place for young people to relax.""
"WESLEY: "Yes, sir!""