Bridge Commands Warp — Picard Sends a Summons
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The bridge’s stations slot into place: Picard and Riker occupy Command, Data mans Ops, Worf holds Tactical, and Ensign Gibson sits Conn, establishing ready posture and command distribution before orders fly.
Picard drives urgency—'Get us there as quickly as possible'—and Riker translates intent into action by ordering warp eight point eight; Ensign Gibson inputs the adjustment and confirms the ship’s speed and ETA.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Controlled urgency: outwardly calm and procedural while privately focused on the moral or personnel matter he intends to address in the Ready Room.
As Captain, Picard gives the decisive order to accelerate, issues a private summons for Ensign Crusher, then rises and exits the bridge — combining command authority with the intention to hold a confidential conversation offstage.
- • Accelerate the ship to reach Daled Four as soon as possible.
- • Create an opportunity for a private, one‑on‑one conversation with Ensign Crusher in the Ready Room.
- • Maintain command control and calm on the bridge while redirecting attention to a personnel matter.
- • Speed is tactically or politically necessary for the mission at Daled Four.
- • Some matters (the forthcoming moral confrontation/counsel) must be handled privately, in his Ready Room.
- • His orders must be clear and unambiguous to produce fast, reliable action from his officers.
Neutral, attentive — focused on system status rather than emotional reaction.
Data remains at Ops, silently monitoring systems and sensor readouts while the bridge transitions to higher speed; he provides an observational presence though he utters no lines in this moment.
- • Monitor systems and ensure they can sustain an increase to warp 8.8.
- • Be ready to supply technical information if requested by command.
- • Maintain an accurate operational picture for the bridge crew.
- • Objective system data should guide operational decisions.
- • Maintaining system integrity is essential when changing speed.
- • He should remain available and observant unless asked to speak.
Alert restraint — prepared for any security contingency but outwardly controlled.
Worf is posted at Tactical, present and vigilant as orders are given; he does not speak but his physical presence reinforces security readiness during the sudden tempo change.
- • Maintain ship security during the increased‑speed transit.
- • Be ready to respond to any threat that may arise en route to Daled Four.
- • Support bridge command through silence and preparedness.
- • Increased speed and diplomatic missions require heightened security vigilance.
- • His duty is to be ready rather than to question orders.
- • Showing strength through presence contributes to overall crew stability.
Professional focus — calm acceptance of command, intent on precise execution without theatricality.
Riker acknowledges Picard's instruction and immediately converts it into a concrete helm order, vocally directing Ensign Gibson to set warp eight point eight and tracking the follow‑up ETA question.
- • Execute the captain's command quickly and safely.
- • Clarify arrival timing by eliciting an ETA from the Conn.
- • Maintain clear, efficient bridge procedure under increased tempo.
- • Orders from the captain should be implemented without delay.
- • Precise navigation and timing are essential for mission success.
- • Clear verbal commands reduce ambiguity on the bridge.
Concentration and quiet confidence; procedural focus on accurate inputs and reporting.
Ensign Gibson at the Conn inputs the warp adjustments when ordered, announces the new warp setting aloud and reports the computed ETA to Daled Four after checking her console readouts.
- • Enter the requested warp setting accurately and confirm it.
- • Provide the bridge with a reliable ETA to inform command decisions.
- • Ensure ship handling remains within safe operational parameters.
- • Command inputs must be executed exactly as given.
- • Providing accurate timing is crucial for downstream decisions and planning.
- • The Conn's performance is trustworthy and will enable the ship to meet its objective.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The waist‑high bridge control consoles are the operational interface used to enter the warp setting, compute and display the ETA, and provide tactile feedback for Conn and Ops. They translate Riker's voiced command into ship propulsion changes and visible timing data that the bridge then acts upon.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Forward Stations / Conn area is the operational nerve where Gibson and Data execute navigation adjustments and monitor sensors. It is the place where Riker's verbal order is converted into tactile inputs and numerical ETA feedback that the bridge relies on to coordinate arrival and next steps.
The Captain's Ready Room is invoked by Picard as the private venue for the summons he issues — it functions here as the narrative pivot from public, procedural action to an impending private conversation of moral or personnel significance.
The Command Chair functions as Picard's visual and procedural locus for issuing the acceleration order and for exercising captain's prerogative to summon an officer. It concentrates the authority that turns tactical options into immediate ship action and then becomes the doorway to the private Ready Room.
Daled Four is referenced as the navigational destination — the three‑hour ETA focuses the bridge's operational decision‑making and frames the urgency motivating Picard's order and the forthcoming private meeting.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"RIKER: Ensign Gibson, warp eight point eight."
"GIBSON: Three hours -- nine minutes."
"PICARD: Ensign Crusher, when you have completed your duties in Engineering... report to my Ready Room."