Starfleet Orders Immediate Computer Upgrade, Halting Data's Homeworld Inquiry
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Tasha receives a subspace message from Starfleet demanding the Enterprise proceed with the scheduled critical computer upgrade at Starbase Armus Nine, disrupting the ongoing investigation.
Picard, initially annoyed by the message, presses Wesley for clarification, then commands Riker to set course to the upgrade destination, reluctantly putting mission protocol above personal curiosity.
The Enterprise leaves orbit of Data's home planet, marking a decisive end to their limited exploration window.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Focused and steady, masking any underlying tension about the disruption.
Lieutenant Tasha Yar receives the critical subspace message, promptly communicates it to Captain Picard, demonstrating composure and alertness in delivering unsettling news.
- • Relay Starfleet orders accurately
- • Maintain bridge security and readiness
- • Clear communication is vital during crises
- • Security involves vigilance and prompt reporting
Annoyed by the abrupt interruption yet composed; internally conflicted between dedication to Data's mystery and obligation to Starfleet protocol.
Captain Picard commands the bridge with a mix of frustration and reluctant acceptance as he receives Starfleet's orders to halt the investigation and prioritize a computer upgrade. He asserts authority by issuing a direct order to Riker to leave orbit, demonstrating his struggle to balance personal mission focus with institutional obedience.
- • Ensure compliance with Starfleet orders
- • Redirect ship promptly to Starbase Armus Nine
- • Starfleet directives must be obeyed despite personal misgivings
- • Uncovering Data's origins is important but subordinate to Federation priorities
Eager yet apprehensive, balancing optimism with underlying fear of the unknown.
Data observes the assembly process with a mixture of hope and anxiety, engaging in conversation about the android’s potential functionality, embodying deep emotional stakes tied to his origins and identity.
- • Learn if the android can be activated
- • Understand implications for his own existence
- • This android holds answers to my origins
- • Assembly success could redefine my identity
Stoic and watchful, prepared for any security threats amid uncertain changes.
Worf is present at his station on the bridge, maintaining a vigilant security posture during the tension-filled communication and command shift.
- • Maintain security of bridge and crew
- • Support command decisions through readiness
- • Security is foundational to mission integrity
- • Preparedness deters potential threats
Calm and focused, embodying steady command presence in face of sudden change.
Commander Riker acts as Picard's dutiful first officer, promptly receiving and executing orders to disengage orbit. He maintains a professional and supportive demeanor, subtly managing Wesley's enthusiasm with a quiet gesture to keep bridge discipline.
- • Execute Captain's orders efficiently
- • Maintain order and discipline on the bridge
- • Chain of command must be respected
- • Operational efficiency is key during sudden mission shifts
Cautiously optimistic and earnest, aiming to aid command by providing clarity.
Wesley Crusher respectfully explains the necessity of the computer upgrade and the Bynars’ exclusive expertise, clarifying the strategic reasons behind Starfleet’s directive and tempering Picard's frustration with informed insight.
- • Clarify reasons for Starfleet orders
- • Support smooth transition of ship’s mission
- • Technical knowledge is key to understanding orders
- • Clear communication aids command decisions
Professional focus with readiness to adjust ship operations as directed.
Geordi La Forge remains at his station monitoring ship systems, implied as the executor of navigation and helm commands necessary to leave orbit in compliance with orders.
- • Support ship maneuvering out of orbit
- • Ensure smooth transition between mission phases
- • Technical operations are critical for mission success
- • Maintaining ship readiness is paramount
Concentrated and slightly uneasy, aware of the technical unknowns and stakes.
Chief Engineer Argyle works alongside Dr. Crusher in the delicate technical assembly, expressing thoughtful caution and uncertainty about the android’s construction, highlighting the complexity of the task.
- • Safely assemble the unassembled android
- • Maintain integrity of Data during comparison
- • Engineering precision is essential
- • Understanding synthetic construction is incomplete
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Starfleet subspace message acts as the catalyst abruptly interrupting the Enterprise’s investigation, delivering the authoritative order to initiate the critical computer upgrade at Starbase Armus Nine on schedule, forcing immediate course redirection.
The unassembled android parts lie on an advanced operating table in Sickbay, serving as the tangible key to Data’s origin mystery. Medical and engineering teams carefully work to assemble the android, symbolizing hope and the promise of connection to Data’s past.
The Enterprise’s shipboard computer system is the subject of the mandated upgrade ordered by Starfleet, representing a technical imperative that requires the ship to abandon its current investigation and proceed to Starbase Armus Nine for enhancement.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Main Bridge serves as the nerve center for command decisions, where the crew receives the Starfleet subspace message and executes the difficult order to leave orbit around Data's home planet, embodying the tension between exploration and duty.
The orbit around Data's home planet is the starting point of the Enterprise's forced departure, framing the tension between the exploration of a silent, desolate world and the imposition of external command, symbolizing loss and interrupted discovery.
Starbase Armus Nine is the mandated destination for the ship's computer upgrade, representing the locus of technological advancement and the institutional pressures shaping the Enterprise’s trajectory, though it remains offscreen and distant in this event.
Enterprise Sickbay is the sterile crucible where the unassembled android is painstakingly assembled under medical and engineering supervision, symbolizing the fragile intersection of technology and life, and the emotional weight of Data's origins quest.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Discovery of multiple android parts in the colony leads to attempts to assemble the new android onboard, setting up the critical plot of Lore's emergence."
"Discovery of multiple android parts in the colony leads to attempts to assemble the new android onboard, setting up the critical plot of Lore's emergence."
"Discovery of multiple android parts in the colony leads to attempts to assemble the new android onboard, setting up the critical plot of Lore's emergence."
"Discovery of multiple android parts in the colony leads to attempts to assemble the new android onboard, setting up the critical plot of Lore's emergence."
"Starfleet's urgent computer upgrade order interrupts the investigation, leading to the assembly and awakening of the new android, which becomes Lore."
"Starfleet's urgent computer upgrade order interrupts the investigation, leading to the assembly and awakening of the new android, which becomes Lore."
"Starfleet's urgent computer upgrade order interrupts the investigation, leading to the assembly and awakening of the new android, which becomes Lore."
"Picard’s reflection on the newly discovered android and its implications mirrors the crew's later emotional discomfort when Lore integrates aboard the ship, highlighting the human-machine tension."
"Picard’s reflection on the newly discovered android and its implications mirrors the crew's later emotional discomfort when Lore integrates aboard the ship, highlighting the human-machine tension."
"Picard’s reflection on the newly discovered android and its implications mirrors the crew's later emotional discomfort when Lore integrates aboard the ship, highlighting the human-machine tension."
Key Dialogue
"TASHA: Captain, I have a subspace reply to your request. Starfleet considers it vital we begin our ship's computer upgrade at Starbase Armus Nine on schedule."
"PICARD: Damn. Can anyone see why they've turned down a perfectly legitimate request to finish this investigation here?"
"WESLEY: Sir... you asked for the kind of computer upgrade that only the Bynars can handle. And they're available only at this time."
"PICARD: Then, get us there on schedule, Number One. Thank you, Wesley. I'd completely forgotten that."
"ARGYLE: It appears to include all the components in your body. Not that we really understand your construction either..."
"BEVERLY: We'll have our top medical and engineering specialists working on its assembly, Mister Data."