Riker Reveals Engineering Sabotage to Picard
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Riker reports to Picard that the ship's engines have been shut down from the bridge because the assistant chief engineer extracted the isolinear optical chips controlling engine functions, rendering all engines offline.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Concerned and focused, balancing the weight of command responsibility with the need to gather accurate, actionable intelligence.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard receives the urgent report from Riker via comm, maintaining his authoritative and concerned command presence as he seeks critical information to understand the crisis unfolding aboard the Enterprise.
- • Gain clear understanding of the engine failure cause
- • Coordinate an effective response to stabilize the ship
- • The ship's survival depends on timely and accurate information
- • Crew trust and integrity are critical during internal crises
Urgent seriousness mixed with controlled concern, focused on conveying critical information to maintain command clarity.
Commander William Riker stands near a communications computer panel in Engineering, urgently informing Captain Picard via comm about the sabotage. He delivers the critical information clearly and seriously, embodying calm decisiveness amid escalating crisis.
- • Inform Captain Picard immediately of the engine sabotage
- • Clarify the cause of the engine shutdown to enable rapid response
- • The sabotage must be disclosed promptly to prevent further damage
- • Maintaining open communication with command is vital for ship survival
Unseen directly but implied emotional state may include calculated resolve or desperation, indicative of someone willing to betray ship integrity.
The Assistant Chief Engineer is implicated as the agent of sabotage by having physically removed the isolinear optical chips that control the engines, an act revealing a profound breach of technical and ethical duty within the ship's vital systems.
- • Disable the Enterprise's engines to disrupt command and control
- • Conceal sabotage intentions to complicate recovery efforts
- • Sabotage is a necessary means to an unclear but urgent end
- • Disrupting ship systems can shift power balances aboard the Enterprise
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The isolinear optical chips are the critical components removed by the assistant chief engineer, causing the complete shutdown of the Enterprise's engines. Their extraction disables the digital command interface, rendering the engines unresponsive and escalating the crisis.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Engineering is the physical and symbolic battleground where this revelation of sabotage unfolds. As the nerve center for the ship's propulsion and technical systems, it becomes the stage for crisis escalation and urgent communication between Riker and Picard.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"PICARD'S COM VOICE: What have you learned, Number One?"
"RIKER: Captain, the ship's engines are cut off from the bridge. And I have the reason. The assistant chief engineer pulled out the isolinear optical chips from command and all engines are off-line."