Star Trek The Next Generation
S1E3
· The Naked Now

Geordi's Haunting Discovery and First Contagion Contact

Geordi La Forge investigates the eerily frost-covered personnel quarters of the doomed S.S. Tsiolkovsky and discovers a chilling tableau of frozen, lifeless crew members in various states of undress. His somber pity underscores the human cost behind the mystery. When a frozen woman suddenly falls from the shower stall into his arms, Geordi's shock deepens, but it is his inadvertent contact with a strange wet substance on the icy wall that marks the pivotal moment: the contagion's silent infiltration into the Enterprise crew. This event sets the infection in motion, framing the invisible threat that will escalate into a shipwide crisis, and highlights Geordi’s role as the initial patient whose experience will chart the unfolding contagion’s trajectory.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Geordi opens the closed shower stall and catches a fully clothed, frozen woman falling out, examines her frozen form with pity, and unknowingly exposes himself to a mysterious wet substance moving onto his hand, marking the initial physical contact with the contagion.

heightened suspense to shock and foreboding ['closed shower stall in bathroom']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Unidentified Preserved Woman (Frozen Woman)
primary

Inert—frozen in death, embodying the human cost of the sabotage with chilling stillness.

The frozen woman appears as a tragic, silent victim of the ship’s sabotage, fully clothed yet lifeless and encased in ice. Falling unexpectedly from the shower stall into Geordi’s arms, she catalyzes the contagion’s transmission through her proximity and the wet surface she leaves behind.

Goals in this moment
  • • None; serves as a narrative catalyst for contagion exposure.
Active beliefs
  • • None; represents consequence of external sabotage.
Character traits
silent victim helpless
Follow Unidentified Preserved …'s journey
Geordi La Forge
Chief Engineer
 primary

Startled and dismayed by the frozen corpses, deeply unsettled yet composed enough to act responsibly; a mixture of pity and dawning horror.

Geordi La Forge enters the personnel quarters, immediately reacting to the abnormal air hissing and frost. He surveys the frozen corpses with a mix of professional concern and subtle pity. Upon hearing a noise, he rushes to the adjoining bathroom, where he catches the frozen woman collapsing from the shower stall into his arms. He carefully lowers her, then steadies himself by placing his hand on the icy, wet shower wall—unknowingly initiating his infection. His actions are marked by alertness, tenderness, and growing dismay.

Goals in this moment
  • • Investigate the source and nature of the frozen corpses in the personnel quarters.
  • • Maintain composure and safety while assessing the situation for further clues.
  • • Prevent further harm by reporting the discovery promptly.
  • • Steady himself physically and mentally to continue exploration.
Active beliefs
  • • The frozen bodies signify a serious hazard threatening crew safety.
  • • The contamination or sabotage is invisible and insidious, requiring vigilance.
  • • He personally must remain cautious to avoid becoming a victim.
  • • Prompt communication to command is essential to manage the crisis.
Character traits
observant compassionate alert responsive resilient
Follow Geordi La …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Seal of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets

Geordi briefly touches his Starfleet Captain's insignia as a gesture of grounding and identity amid the unsettling discovery, symbolizing his loyalty and command responsibility even as the crew’s safety is jeopardized.

Before: Affixed to Geordi La Forge’s uniform, clean and …
After: Unchanged, still affixed to Geordi’s uniform, a silent …
Before: Affixed to Geordi La Forge’s uniform, clean and intact.
After: Unchanged, still affixed to Geordi’s uniform, a silent emblem of authority and duty.
Personnel Quarters Entry Door

The personnel quarters wall control panel is frost-covered and slick, indicative of the environmental sabotage and failing life-support systems. Geordi hits a control on this panel upon entering to stabilize conditions or assess the hazard, marking an interaction with the ship’s mechanical environment in crisis.

Before: Frost-covered, cold, and potentially malfunctioning, embedded in the …
After: Physically unchanged, but its activation marks an attempt …
Before: Frost-covered, cold, and potentially malfunctioning, embedded in the personnel quarters wall.
After: Physically unchanged, but its activation marks an attempt to manage environmental conditions amid the sabotage.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Personnel Quarters

The personnel quarters shower stall confines the frozen woman’s body and the wet side wall that serves as the contagion vector. Its icy enclosure shifts from a private hygiene space to a crucible of horror and infection, marking the threshold at which danger silently infiltrates the crew.

Atmosphere Oppressively cold and claustrophobic, echoing silent menace and sudden violence.
Function Site of initial physical contact between Geordi and the contagious material, triggering infection.
Symbolism Represents the fragile boundary between personal safety and the deadly sabotage infecting the ship.
Access Enclosed within the bathroom; accessible to crew members investigating the area.
Icy walls and floor, slick with frost and wet droplets. The frozen woman’s body suddenly falling from the stall into Geordi’s arms.
Adjoining Bathroom

The adjoining bathroom, especially the shower stall within it, acts as the crucial point of contagion transmission. The icy, wet surfaces and frozen woman’s body collapsing into Geordi’s arms transform this normally private space into a scene of terror and the vector for infection spread.

Atmosphere Claustrophobic, chilling, and suffused with silent dread; the cold intensifies the sense of isolation and …
Function Contagion transmission point and narrative pivot where the infection first crosses to the Enterprise crew.
Symbolism Embodies the invasion of the intimate and safe spaces by a lethal, invisible threat.
Access Accessible only via the personnel quarters; limited to crew and investigators.
Icy shower stall door suddenly swings open, releasing the frozen woman’s corpse. Wet droplets on the icy wall coalesce and move, signaling the contagion’s presence.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 2
Callback

"Yar's report of environmental control manipulation harks back to the initial discovery of the emergency hatch blowout on the Tsiolkovsky, linking cause and effect across narrative distance."

Confirming Catastrophic Decompression on the Tsiolkovsky
S1E3 · The Naked Now
Callback

"Yar's report of environmental control manipulation harks back to the initial discovery of the emergency hatch blowout on the Tsiolkovsky, linking cause and effect across narrative distance."

Yar Reports Sabotage and the Frozen Dead in Engineering
S1E3 · The Naked Now
What this causes 2
Causal

"Geordi's initial exposure to the mysterious wet substance on the Tsiolkovsky crew quarters directly causes his contagion symptoms aboard the Enterprise."

Beverly's Lighthearted Exchange with Data and Geordi's Unsettling Symptoms
S1E3 · The Naked Now
Causal

"Geordi's initial exposure to the mysterious wet substance on the Tsiolkovsky crew quarters directly causes his contagion symptoms aboard the Enterprise."

Geordi’s Unsettling Symptoms Defy Medical Explanation
S1E3 · The Naked Now

Key Dialogue

"GEORDI: "Sir, Lieutenant La Forge in the crew quarters. Something in here.""
"GEORDI: "Hello!""