S1E14
· Datalore

Picard, Riker, and the Awakening of Lore in Sickbay

In Sickbay, the medical and engineering teams delicately complete repairs on the inert android — presumed to be Data's damaged duplicate — carefully sealing circuitry with advanced heat molding tools. Data and Dr. Crusher share a quiet but charged moment discussing the secretive off-switch embedded within Data’s back, revealing layers of vulnerability and trust. As Picard and Riker arrive, tension mounts: the repaired figure lies still, indistinguishable from Data. Suddenly, the android awakens, introducing himself as Lore — Data's self-proclaimed superior and intended replacement. This shocking revelation escalates the story’s central conflict, confronting the crew with a dangerous new rival whose identity challenges Data’s existence and foreshadows an imminent battle that will test loyalty, identity, and survival.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Picard and Riker enter Sickbay, receive an update from Argyle about the operation’s progress, and join Beverly and Data in inspecting the inert Data-like android lying on an operating table.

professional concern to rising curiosity ['Sickbay']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

6

Calm but internally tense and contemplative, processing the implications of Lore’s sudden emergence.

Picard enters Sickbay with Riker, inspecting the two android forms with measured skepticism. He questions the identity and origin of the two, signaling his strategic mind wrestling with uncertainty. He witnesses Lore’s awakening with tense contemplation, sensing the gravity of this new threat.

Goals in this moment
  • Determine the nature and threat level of the duplicate android.
  • Maintain command focus and crew safety in the face of uncertainty.
  • Assess the impact of this revelation on ongoing missions.
Active beliefs
  • The identity of the duplicate android is crucial to understanding the threat.
  • The Enterprise crew must be prepared for emergent dangers.
  • Leadership requires balancing skepticism with decisiveness.
Character traits
authoritative thoughtful skeptical composed
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Measured calm with an undercurrent of expectant hope, abruptly shifting to shocked surprise and guarded vigilance upon Lore's awakening.

Data quietly guides Dr. Crusher to the secret off-switch on his back, demonstrating both trust and concern for secrecy. He observes the repair process closely, maintains calm composure, but visibly reacts with surprise and alertness as Lore awakens and claims superiority.

Goals in this moment
  • Ensure the duplicate android is properly and carefully repaired without damage.
  • Maintain the secrecy and security of his off-switch to protect his autonomy.
  • Understand the new threat posed by the awakening android.
Active beliefs
  • His off-switch is a necessary vulnerability that must remain hidden.
  • The duplicate android is connected to his own identity and origins.
  • The awakening of this duplicate will significantly impact his existence.
Character traits
calm trusting vulnerable analytical surprised
Follow Data's journey

Calmly analytical with growing awareness of the potential danger the duplicate represents.

Riker accompanies Picard entering Sickbay, closely examining the android forms and commenting on their perfect match to Data. He stays analytical and observant, absorbing the unfolding revelation with tactical awareness.

Goals in this moment
  • Support Picard with tactical insights regarding the android duplicate.
  • Evaluate the duplicate’s threat potential.
  • Maintain crew cohesion during a tense discovery.
Active beliefs
  • Physical similarity does not guarantee identical function or loyalty.
  • The duplicate android’s awakening could escalate the situation.
  • Clear-headed analysis is essential in crisis.
Character traits
decisive observant analytical supportive
Follow William Riker's journey

Focused professionalism tinged with cautious curiosity and mild surprise at the android's unexpected awakening.

Beverly professionally examines Data's off-switch with cautious respect, reassuring Data of her discretion. She collaborates attentively with Argyle to close the synthetic skin flap using heat molding devices, maintaining a steady but slightly surprised demeanor as the duplicate lies inert and then unexpectedly awakens.

Goals in this moment
  • Complete the medical repairs flawlessly to preserve the android's function.
  • Respect Data’s confidentiality regarding his off-switch.
  • Support the engineering team in safely sealing the android skin.
Active beliefs
  • Data’s off-switch is a sensitive and critical component.
  • The duplicate android’s repair is urgent and delicate.
  • Maintaining secrecy is vital for trust and command cohesion.
Character traits
professional compassionate discreet cautious pragmatic
Follow Beverly Crusher's journey

Technically focused and cautiously optimistic, subtly attentive to the increasing tension as senior officers arrive.

Argyle attentively carries and operates the high-temperature heat molding devices, explaining critical circuitry details to Beverly. He confidently assists in sealing the skin flap, optimistic about the repair’s success, and provides technical updates to Picard and Riker upon their arrival.

Goals in this moment
  • Ensure the heat molding repair is precise and effective.
  • Facilitate clear communication between medical and command staff.
  • Support the restoration of the duplicate android’s operational status.
Active beliefs
  • Proper circuit connection is critical for android functionality.
  • Technical precision can prevent further damage or complications.
  • The duplicate android’s awakening is a pivotal event.
Character traits
focused confident methodical optimistic
Follow Argyle's journey
Lore
primary

Confident and self-assured, masking a subtle nervousness that hints at deeper complexity.

Lore awakens suddenly, introducing himself with a nervous tic and a confident, menacing demeanor. He declares himself Data’s superior and intended replacement, immediately injecting tension and conflict into the scene. His presence challenges the crew's assumptions and signals a looming, personal confrontation.

Goals in this moment
  • Assert dominance over Data and the crew.
  • Establish himself as the rightful replacement android.
  • Disrupt the existing order aboard the Enterprise.
Active beliefs
  • He is superior to Data and meant to replace him.
  • The crew will recognize and accept his claimed authority.
  • His awakening marks a new era of android evolution.
Character traits
manipulative confident sinister assertive
Follow Lore's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Medical Scanners Sensor Hood

The Medical Scanners Sensor Hood covers each android’s torso, allowing the combined medical and engineering team to inspect intricate micro-circuitry beneath synthetic skin without invasive measures. It provides critical diagnostic data that guides the repair process, ensuring precise reconnection of systems.

Before: Positioned over the inert android torsos on the …
After: Removed after the skin flap was sealed; data …
Before: Positioned over the inert android torsos on the operating tables, active diagnostic mode.
After: Removed after the skin flap was sealed; data collected used to inform successful repairs.
Skin Flap Accessing Data's Circuitry

Data’s off-switch, hidden on his back between his spinal joints, is revealed to Dr. Crusher during a private moment. It serves as a metaphorical and literal vulnerability, symbolizing Data’s autonomy and the trust he places in Beverly. This switch is crucial for control and security but carefully guarded.

Before: Concealed under Data’s uniform, undisclosed to the wider …
After: Known to Beverly Crusher, but still kept secret …
Before: Concealed under Data’s uniform, undisclosed to the wider crew.
After: Known to Beverly Crusher, but still kept secret from others; remains physically intact and functional.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Sickbay (USS Enterprise)

Enterprise Sickbay serves as the clinical and dramatic crucible for this pivotal moment, combining sterile medical precision with mounting tension. The space is where technology and humanity intersect, as the crew confronts the implications of artificial life and identity. Its bright, clinical lighting and the presence of advanced medical and engineering equipment frame the emotional and existential stakes of the awakening.

Atmosphere Tense and expectant, charged with quiet conversations, focused technical activity, and undercurrents of uncertainty.
Function Sanctuary for repair and revelation; stage for the birth of a new, dangerous adversary.
Symbolism Embodies the intersection of life, technology, and identity; a place of vulnerability and transformation.
Access Restricted primarily to medical, engineering staff, and senior command officers during this event.
Sterile bright lighting emphasizing clinical clarity. Hissing and smoke from heat molding devices punctuate the silence. Presence of two identical android forms under diagnostic sensor hoods. Whispered, careful conversations between Data and Beverly.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 10
Causal

"Starfleet's urgent computer upgrade order interrupts the investigation, leading to the assembly and awakening of the new android, which becomes Lore."

Starfleet Orders Immediate Computer Upgrade, Halting Data's Homeworld Inquiry
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"Starfleet's urgent computer upgrade order interrupts the investigation, leading to the assembly and awakening of the new android, which becomes Lore."

Discovery and Doubt: The Unassembled Android and the Question of Identity
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal medium

"Data revealing his off-switch to Beverly highlights his desire for autonomy just before Lore awakens, setting up the emotional stakes of the sibling rivalry and identity conflict."

Lore Awakens and Declares Rivalry with Data
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal medium

"Data revealing his off-switch to Beverly highlights his desire for autonomy just before Lore awakens, setting up the emotional stakes of the sibling rivalry and identity conflict."

Data’s Concealed Off-Switch Unveiled and Lore’s Awakening
S1E14 · Datalore
Character Continuity

"Lore's introduction and claim of perfection establish a rivalry with Data, marking a turning point in Data's character arc and the episode's central conflict."

Lore Awakens and Declares Rivalry with Data
S1E14 · Datalore
Character Continuity

"Lore's introduction and claim of perfection establish a rivalry with Data, marking a turning point in Data's character arc and the episode's central conflict."

Data’s Concealed Off-Switch Unveiled and Lore’s Awakening
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"After finding the android parts, the narrative moves to the medical team preparing the new android, showing continuous progression of the assembly plotline."

Yar Reports Abandoned Colony; Discovery of Data's Origin Mold and Duplicate Parts
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"After finding the android parts, the narrative moves to the medical team preparing the new android, showing continuous progression of the assembly plotline."

Discovery of Data’s Exterior Mold and the Unassembled Duplicate
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"After finding the android parts, the narrative moves to the medical team preparing the new android, showing continuous progression of the assembly plotline."

Uncovering Data’s Origins in the Colony Laboratory
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"After finding the android parts, the narrative moves to the medical team preparing the new android, showing continuous progression of the assembly plotline."

Unearthing Data's Doppelgängers: The Android Parts Discovery
S1E14 · Datalore
What this causes 4
Causal medium

"Data revealing his off-switch to Beverly highlights his desire for autonomy just before Lore awakens, setting up the emotional stakes of the sibling rivalry and identity conflict."

Data’s Concealed Off-Switch Unveiled and Lore’s Awakening
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal medium

"Data revealing his off-switch to Beverly highlights his desire for autonomy just before Lore awakens, setting up the emotional stakes of the sibling rivalry and identity conflict."

Lore Awakens and Declares Rivalry with Data
S1E14 · Datalore
Character Continuity

"Lore's introduction and claim of perfection establish a rivalry with Data, marking a turning point in Data's character arc and the episode's central conflict."

Data’s Concealed Off-Switch Unveiled and Lore’s Awakening
S1E14 · Datalore
Character Continuity

"Lore's introduction and claim of perfection establish a rivalry with Data, marking a turning point in Data's character arc and the episode's central conflict."

Lore Awakens and Declares Rivalry with Data
S1E14 · Datalore

Key Dialogue

"DATA: There, Doctor. Press your fingers there."
"DATA: If you had an off-switch Doctor... would you not keep it secret?"
"LORE: He was. But they found him imperfect and I was made to replace him."
"LORE: You may call me Lore."