Star Trek The Next Generation
S2E16
· Q Who?

Violent Stop — Data Seizes Command

The Enterprise jerks out of its uncontrolled spin and comes to a sudden, violent halt; the bridge falls silent as motion and certainty are stripped away. Data immediately assumes command, converting stunned disbelief into precise procedure. The moment crystallizes two realities: an external, inexplicable force has shattered the crew's agency, and disciplined, analytic response is the only immediate defense. This event functions as a turning point — it ends disorientation, establishes a chain of command under crisis, and sets the tactical stakes for the looming Borg threat.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

The Enterprise violently halts from a chaotic spin, freezing the crew in stunned silence as Data commands the bridge—this abrupt stop shatters the illusion of control and signals an external, incomprehensible force has intervened.

chaos to dread ['Main Bridge']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

1
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Externally composed and analytically engaged; internally focused on maximizing situational data rather than emoting, with undertone of urgency expressed as increased processing priority.

Data takes formal command of the bridge immediately after the ship stops, converting the crew's startled reaction into procedural action by issuing or preparing to issue orders, organizing sensors and stabilizing bridge functions with clinical precision.

Goals in this moment
  • • Reassert operational control of the bridge and ship systems.
  • • Collect and analyze sensor data to identify the cause of the sudden spin and halt.
Active beliefs
  • • Orderly, logical procedure reduces chaos and limits harm.
  • • Immediate, data-driven action is the most effective defense against unknown external threats.
Character traits
calm analytical decisive procedural
Follow Data's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

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Main Bridge

The Main Bridge is the stage where motion, sound, and command coalesce: it absorbs the physical jerk of the ship, frames the crew's collective reaction, and becomes the arena in which Data imposes procedural order. In this event the bridge embodies both vulnerability and the vessel's last immediate line of coordinated defense.

Atmosphere Sudden, metallic tension shifting into disciplined silence and focused urgency.
Function Command center where immediate tactical decisions are organized and issued.
Symbolism Embodies institutional authority and the fragile locus of human agency when external forces intervene.
Access Functionally restricted to bridge crew and senior officers during crisis response.
Ambient processor hum and console lights punctuate the sudden silence. Officers clustered at curved LCARS consoles, tactile keys and displays active beneath their hands.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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