Unspoken Attractions and Professional Distance
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Riker probes whether Graves filled a paternal role; Kareen deflects—calling him more a teacher—which clarifies their relationship and keeps emotional intimacy contained. The answer reframes grief as intellectual devotion rather than familial comfort.
Troi names Graves' attraction to Kareen; Kareen admits she sensed it but insists no affair occurred and imagines a world where age would have allowed love. She casts a lingering look at Riker, then withdraws—longing surfaces and is immediately repressed.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Melancholic but composed, with undercurrents of unfulfilled longing
Deflects Riker's assumption about her relationship to Graves, acknowledges complicated feelings with quiet dignity, then reveals Graves' emotional withdrawal.
- • Protect Graves' dignity
- • Clarify nature of their bond
- • Their connection transcends familial labels
- • Graves' withdrawal signifies deeper crisis
Existential fear masked by intellectual preoccupation
Absent but centrally discussed - characterized as being in pain, emotionally withdrawn, and singularly focused on Data, foreshadowing his later actions.
- • Avoid emotional confrontation
- • Maintain connection to Data
- • Emotional displays show weakness
- • Data represents his future survival
Professional detachment with underlying frustration at Graves' resistance to treatment
Delivers a clinical assessment of Graves' terminal condition, demonstrating her medical professionalism while revealing his resistance to care.
- • Provide accurate medical assessment
- • Establish need for medical intervention
- • Patient autonomy has limits with terminal pain
- • Her duty is to alleviate suffering
Professional focus with awareness of interpersonal dynamics
Silently observing the medical discussion, demonstrating professional readiness while staying unobtrusive during personal revelations.
- • Be prepared for medical needs
- • Maintain professional decorum
- • Medical support must be constant
- • Patient privacy is paramount
Unaware of being manipulated (if present at all in scene)
Mentioned as Graves' sole remaining confidant, establishing his position as the focal point of Graves' desperate plans.
- • Potentially learning from Graves' wisdom
- • Graves offers valuable knowledge
- • Human relationships require understanding
Calm professional focus masking discomfort with emotional intimacy
Present but silent during the emotional exchange, maintaining security awareness while others engage in sensitive discussion.
- • Maintain situational awareness
- • Avoid intruding on personal matters
- • Personal discussions are private matters
- • Security requires constant vigilance
Curious yet slightly embarrassed by personal nature of questioning
Probes Kareen about her relationship with Graves, displaying diplomatic curiosity that unintentionally crosses into personal territory.
- • Understand Graves' psychological state
- • Assess Kareen's reliability as informant
- • Personal relationships reveal operational dynamics
- • Graves' behavior requires explanation
Professionally detached yet attentive to emotional undercurrents
Uses empathic abilities to expose the romantic tension between Graves and Kareen, disrupting the clinical atmosphere with psychological insight.
- • Reveal hidden emotional truths
- • Facilitate honest communication
- • Unspoken feelings affect current crisis
- • Truth will clarify motivations
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The living room serves as an intimate confessional space where personal revelations about Graves' hidden affections and Kareen's complex relationship with him come to light under the watch of the Enterprise crew.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Kareen reveals Graves has withdrawn and now speaks only to Data (establishing intimacy/uniqueness); later Data uses knowledge of Graves' private feelings toward Kareen—showing that intimacy is the bridge permitting Graves' influence/knowledge to travel to Data."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"RIKER: Has he been... like a father to you? KAREEN: More like a teacher."
"TROI: I sense that his feelings for you are very warm. He's attracted to you in many ways. KAREEN: Attracted?... I know -- I've felt certain feelings from him. But he's always been a gentleman."
"KAREEN: Had I been older... perhaps we could've been lovers. But nothing like that ever happened between us."