Ripped From the Illusion
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Worf physically separates Jeremy from Marla, triggering the boy's desperate protests as the alien entity abruptly vanishes, leaving Jeremy devastated.
Troi attempts to console Jeremy as he screams in denial over his mother's disappearance, while Picard and Worf exchange solemn looks.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Startled and uneasy at the unexpected apparition; professionally focused on the transporter systems even as the scene becomes emotionally charged.
At the transporter console adjusting side panels and monitoring circuits; visibly startled by the presence of Marla in the room and watching the interaction while maintaining technical oversight.
- • Maintain transporter system stability and prevent an unauthorized beam.
- • Provide accurate diagnostics to command should the apparition be affecting the transporter matrix.
- • The transporter systems must be controlled; anomalous activity could indicate a malfunction or an exploit.
- • His technical role is to enable command decisions with reliable data, not to substitute for security enforcement.
Overwhelmed by longing and denial; desperate for reunion, terrified and then devastated when the illusion collapses.
Stands on a transporter pad beside the apparition, insists aloud she is his mother, becomes confused and resists physically when Worf pulls him, then becomes anguished and screams for his mother when the apparition vanishes.
- • Reunite with the woman he believes is his mother and go to the planet with her.
- • Resist authority figures who prevent that reunion.
- • The woman before him is his real mother and will take care of him.
- • Adults who stop him are unjustly keeping him from what he needs (his mother).
Firm and resolute on the surface; privately concerned about the child's welfare and the unknown nature of the apparition.
Enters with Counselor Troi, sizes up the apparition, asserts command responsibility for Jeremy, refuses permission to transport the boy, and watches Worf physically remove Jeremy from the pad.
- • Prevent an unvetted transport of Jeremy to the planet.
- • Identify and contain whatever manifestation is posing as Marla Aster.
- • Jeremy is currently under Starfleet (and his) custody and must be protected.
- • An entity that can imitate a dead person is a potential danger and cannot be trusted.
Protective and resolute in action; internally conflicted, carrying weighted shame and a need to atone through protecting the bereaved child.
Moves toward the transporter pads with deliberate calm, takes Jeremy from the pad and physically pulls him away from the apparition, then shares a sober, conflicted look with Picard.
- • Remove Jeremy from immediate danger and prevent the transport.
- • Provide a physical, stabilizing presence for the boy until counselors can intervene.
- • Physical intervention is necessary when psychological appeals fail.
- • As the responsible security officer, he must act to protect those unable to protect themselves.
Clinically soothing with genuine concern; feeling the immediacy of a child's trauma and knowing restraint is necessary.
Enters with Picard, observes Jeremy's emotional state, moves to console and physically escort him as the apparition vanishes, speaking his name to ground him.
- • Stabilize Jeremy's panic and grief after the apparition disappears.
- • Prevent further harm by removing Jeremy from the vulnerable transporter pad area.
- • Jeremy is not ready to process this loss and must be emotionally contained.
- • Compassion and slow guidance are better than forcing abrupt solutions or rituals now.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Transporter Room Three Doors control ingress and egress: they open to admit Marla, Jeremy and Worf, and again as Picard, Troi and security stand in the corridor. They frame the confrontation and create a narrow staging area where Picard can order the security detachment to stay outside.
The Transporter Array Circuits serve as the tactile locus of anomaly observation and potential abduction: O'Brien runs diagnostics and adjusts panels while the apparition stands on the pads, implying the entity's use or manipulation of the transporter interface to attempt a beam to the planet.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Transporter Room Three functions as the immediate battleground where technical procedure collides with raw grief: the pads, coils, and consoles concentrate the action, enabling an attempted abduction and forcing command, security, and counseling to intervene in a confined, high-stakes space.
The Enterprise corridor immediately outside the transporter room acts as a staging area: Picard, Troi and two security personnel stand there while Picard controls who enters, and security is positioned as a buffer between public shipspace and the vulnerable transporter pad.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Key Dialogue
"JEREMY: It's my mother, Captain... She's alive."
"PICARD: Because I don't know who -- or what -- you are."
"JEREMY: Mon...Mom..."