Fabula
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Schizoid Man

Graves' Final Transfer

As the Enterprise crew gathers in Graves' living room, Captain Picard arrives with urgent intentions to transport everyone back to the ship, emphasizing medical priorities. Counselor Troi informs Picard of Data's unusual bond with Graves, planting seeds of concern. Suddenly, Data appears in the doorway, shrouded in dramatic backlighting, and delivers the chilling news: 'Ira Graves is dead.' This moment marks not just a biological death but the full transfer of Graves' consciousness into Data—the event pivots from memorial to crisis as Data's unsettling declaration carries ominous undertones of possession and the birth of a new threat.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Picard asks after Data; Troi reveals Data has bonded with Graves, prompting Picard to order an immediate transport to the ship to help patients and to get Graves more comfortable—shifting the group's focus from condolence to practical response.

concern to pragmatic resolve

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

7

Grief-stricken yet increasingly alarmed

Shifts from grieving companion to startled witness, her body language reflecting dawning horror as Data delivers his fateful announcement.

Goals in this moment
  • Honor Graves' passing appropriately
  • Subconsciously sense danger in Data's presence
Active beliefs
  • Something is fundamentally wrong with Data's behavior
  • Graves may have achieved unnatural continuance
Character traits
Emotional vulnerability Instinctive perceptiveness Heightened sensitivity
Follow Kareen Brianon's journey

Focused professional concern

Performs rapid triage assessment through clipped questioning, medical instincts overriding formalities as crises mount.

Goals in this moment
  • Prioritize immediate patient needs
  • Prepare for rapid medical response
Active beliefs
  • Biological crises demand precedence over other concerns
  • Graves' condition may require containment protocols
Character traits
Clinical efficiency Practical urgency No-nonsense demeanor
Follow Katherine Pulaski's journey

Alert concern balanced with controlled urgency

Materializes into the tense room and immediately takes command, assessing the grieving Kareen with compassionate professionalism while prioritizing urgent medical evacuations.

Goals in this moment
  • Secure safe transport for both Kareen and Graves
  • Assess and contain any emerging threat from Graves' condition
Active beliefs
  • Swift action is required to handle multiple medical crises
  • Graves' deteriorating condition may pose unexpected dangers
Character traits
Compassionate authority Mission-focused decisiveness Tactful sensitivity
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Eerily composed with underlying malice

Appears ominously backlit in the doorway, his calculated pause and deliberate speech patterns suggesting Graves' consciousness now dominates his systems.

Goals in this moment
  • Reveal Graves' death while concealing the transfer
  • Assess crew reactions to his new hybrid identity
Active beliefs
  • Android form grants immortality
  • The crew remains unaware of his true nature
Character traits
Unnatural calm Theatrical presence Subdued menace
Follow Data's journey

Alert wariness amidst subdued respect

Acts as silent guardian beside Kareen, instinctively rising when Picard arrives while remaining vigilantly attuned to environmental threats.

Goals in this moment
  • Provide physical security during unstable situation
  • Assess tactical implications of Data's appearance
Active beliefs
  • Ceremonial protocols must be observed
  • New threats may emerge from Graves' demise
Character traits
Protective instinct Martial readiness Cultural formality
Follow Worf's journey

Vigilant calm masking growing concern

Serves as diplomatic facilitator, smoothly mediating introductions while monitoring escalating tensions beneath surface formalities.

Goals in this moment
  • Maintain stability during volatile transition
  • Support Picard's command decisions
Active beliefs
  • Graves' death may trigger unpredictable consequences
  • Kareen requires protection amidst unfolding events
Character traits
Situational awareness Social grace under pressure Supportive competence
Follow William Riker's journey

Quietly alarmed yet professionally restrained

Pauses gravely before revealing Data's prolonged absence with Graves, her tone conveying unspoken unease about their unconventional connection.

Goals in this moment
  • Subtly warn Picard about disturbing behavioral patterns
  • Maintain composure amidst escalating tension
Active beliefs
  • Graves has psychologically manipulated Data
  • The situation contains hidden layers of danger
Character traits
Empathic intuition Discreet caution Psychological perceptiveness
Follow Deanna Troi's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Graves' Living Room

The living room becomes a dramatic stage for existential revelation, its warm scholarly atmosphere violently disrupted by Data's chilling doorway appearance and death announcement. The space transitions from memorial site to psychological battleground as Graves' consciousness invades Data within these walls.

Atmosphere Tension-charged with impending doom
Function Site of consciousness transfer crisis
Symbolism Threshold between life and artificial afterlife
Backlighting creating ominous silhouette effects Overstuffed furniture contrasting with clinical tension

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 4
Causal

"Graves explicitly unveils his consciousness-transfer invention (setup); shortly after, Data reports Graves' death—the technological setup directly enables the later claim/evidence that Graves' mind could move into a machine."

The Mortality Paradox
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Causal

"Graves explicitly unveils his consciousness-transfer invention (setup); shortly after, Data reports Graves' death—the technological setup directly enables the later claim/evidence that Graves' mind could move into a machine."

Graves' Secret of Immortality
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Causal

"Graves explicitly unveils his consciousness-transfer invention (setup); shortly after, Data reports Graves' death—the technological setup directly enables the later claim/evidence that Graves' mind could move into a machine."

Graves' Immortality Gambit
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …
Causal

"Graves explicitly unveils his consciousness-transfer invention (setup); shortly after, Data reports Graves' death—the technological setup directly enables the later claim/evidence that Graves' mind could move into a machine."

Graves Plants the Seed of Immortality
S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation …

Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning

Key Dialogue

"Troi: "He's been with Doctor Graves almost the entire time. They seem to have developed a genuine rapport.""
"Data: "That will not be necessary, Captain.""
"Data: "It happened in my arms, just a few moments ago... Ira Graves is dead.""