Pressing Riker into Mendoza's Seat
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard and Riker leave Sickbay discussing suspicions about Mendoza's ailment, hinting at Ferengi involvement.
Picard appoints Riker to replace Mendoza in the negotiations, invoking Mendoza's earlier praise.
Riker expresses nervousness about stepping into Mendoza's role, likening negotiations to poker.
Picard reassures Riker by framing negotiations as higher-stakes poker, urging him to embrace the challenge.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Unconscious / physiologically compromised; narrative implication of vulnerability and loss of agency rather than an active emotional state.
Mendoza is unconscious on a diagnostic bed, the subject of Beverly's diagnosis and medical attention; his incapacitation precipitates immediate diplomatic consequences and he is effectively removed from the negotiations.
- • Stabilize medically (implicit goal of his caretakers rather than Mendoza himself).
- • Avoid long-term harm and recover to resume duties (implied).
- • He believed he was fit and able to perform his negotiator duties prior to collapse (implied).
- • He trusts Starfleet medical procedures and the Enterprise crew to manage his condition.
Restrained and deliberate; surface calm masks the weight of making a rapid personnel decision with political consequences.
Captain Picard stands over the bed, listens to Beverly's diagnosis, asks to be kept informed, and then makes a quiet but deliberate operational choice, positioning Riker as Mendoza's likely replacement to preserve diplomatic continuity.
- • Maintain the Federation's negotiating position and continuity despite Mendoza's removal.
- • Shield the negotiation process from panic while assigning competent representation quickly.
- • Chain-of-command and protocol require quick resolution to avoid exploitation of the Federation's vulnerability.
- • Riker has the capability (and Mendoza's implicit support) to step in despite Riker's own doubts.
Surprised and anxious; exposed self-doubt under the weight of sudden expectation and stakes beyond tactical command.
Commander Riker stands with Picard over Mendoza's bed, reacts with surprise and reluctance when Picard suggests he fill Mendoza's role; he voices self-doubt, distinguishing his instincts as 'poker' rather than diplomatic skill.
- • Avoid being thrust into a role he feels unprepared for.
- • Clarify the nature of his abilities and whether they translate to high-stakes diplomacy.
- • His quick instincts derive from tactical/poker experience and may not be sufficient for delicate negotiations.
- • The presence of opportunistic rivals (the Ferengi) heightens the risk and importance of the choice of negotiator.
Professional concern — calm, focused urgency; prioritizes patient welfare while understanding operational consequences.
Dr. Beverly Crusher actively analyzes diagnostic readouts, identifies a system-wide histaminic reaction, and authoritatively declares Mendoza unfit for negotiation for several days; she informs command and frames the medical facts that force a political decision.
- • Stabilize Mendoza and prevent further medical deterioration.
- • Accurately communicate medical facts to command so they can make informed decisions about negotiation representation.
- • The condition is not life threatening but requires several days' recovery.
- • Medical assessment is the decisive factor in readiness for duty, superseding political pressure.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The bedside diagnostic readout provides the clinical evidence Beverly reads to diagnose a system-wide histaminic reaction. Its pulsing vitals and assay markers anchor the medical authority of her pronouncement and trigger the operational decisions that follow.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Enterprise Sickbay functions as the site where private medical reality collides with public political consequence: biobeds and diagnostic consoles stage the moment Mendoza is declared unfit, and command must make an immediate diplomatic decision in this clinical setting.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Key Dialogue
"BEVERLY: "Whatever he's got is obviously not life threatening -- it's some kind of system-wide histaminic reaction. He certainly can't go back to the negotiations for several days.""
"PICARD: "Well, I guess you'll have to fill in for him, Number One.""
"RIKER: "Excuse me, sir, but those weren't natural instincts... they're poker instincts... A parlor game doesn't exactly prepare me for this...""