Six Hours of Silence: Picard's Guarded Departure
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Wesley drops the pretense and admits the real worry isn’t exams but six hours alone with Picard, groping for conversation; Sonya fires off topics that cast Picard as a formidable polymath while Geordi’s reassurance lands wide.
Picard arrives; Geordi’s breezy greeting hits a stone wall as Picard snaps “Hardly,” then sweeps Wesley away, confirming the chill Wesley feared and leaving Geordi and Sonya trading uneasy looks.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calm, supportive — focused on reducing tension and maintaining crew morale.
Geordi walks with Sonya and Wesley toward Engineering, tries to calm Wesley with practical reassurance about the trip and exams, and offers a polite conversational opener to Picard when he arrives.
- • Reassure Wesley and minimize his visible anxiety before departure.
- • Keep routine and normalcy in the crew's interactions by making small, friendly talk with Picard.
- • Practical reassurance will ease Wesley's nerves.
- • A normal, conversational tone defuses awkwardness and keeps chain-of-command interactions smooth.
Warmly optimistic — trying to turn anxiety into curiosity and confidence.
Sonya walks with Geordi and Wesley, offering light, flattering topics (archaeology, literature, art) to soothe Wesley and give him conversational tools for the long transit with Picard.
- • Provide Wesley with conversational topics to reduce his worry.
- • Support fellow crew members emotionally so the departure proceeds without incident.
- • Picard is a rich conversational resource; Wesley can draw on shared interests.
- • A light touch and flattery will relieve social pressure easier than stern advice.
Nervous and exposed — longing for approval and unsure how to bridge the emotional distance with Picard.
Wesley walks between adults, voicing a specific social fear about an extended private transit with Picard; his worry is candid and vulnerable, prompting others to attempt mitigation.
- • Avoid social awkwardness during the six-hour transit with Picard.
- • Find a way to connect with Picard that feels natural and acceptable.
- • Picard's conversational style is intimidating and hard to access for him.
- • If he can't find topics to talk about, the trip will be anxiety-inducing and embarrassing.
Brusque and reserved on the surface; the curt response hints at private preoccupation and a desire to contain personal vulnerability.
Picard approaches the small group, receives Geordi's light greeting, and replies tersely with a single word — 'Hardly' — then immediately departs down another corridor with Wesley in tow.
- • Maintain command composure and avoid revealing private concerns in public.
- • Quickly extract Wesley for the required transit without inviting further social probing.
- • Disclosing personal worries undermines his role as captain and could worry the crew.
- • A curt response and swift movement will close the conversation and preserve professionalism.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Main Engineering functions textually as the destination that motivates the corridor conversation; the trio is en route, and Engineering's presence gives practical urgency to the walk while anchoring the shipboard, work-oriented context of the exchange.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Wesley’s anxiety about six hours alone with Picard pays off when he directly challenges Picard’s distance in the shuttle."
Key Dialogue
"WESLEY: "It's not the exams I'm worried about. It's Captain Picard.""
"WESLEY: "He's coming with me to starbase. Just the two of us. Nearly a six-hour transit. What am I going to talk to him about for six hours?""
"SONYA: "Archaeology...semantics...literature... art... you can learn a lot from Captain Picard.""
"PICARD: "Hardly.""