Fabula
S2E19 · Manhunt
S2E19
· Manhunt

Lwaxana's Alternate Plan — The Pivot

After Deanna firmly closes the door on personal access to Picard, Lwaxana masks her hurt with a flippant aside — "too old for me" — and immediately pivots. She sidles up to Homn and the drinks and declares an "alternate plan," dismissing Deanna's concern with theatrical confidence. The moment recasts Lwaxana from desperate suitor into active schemer: she will widen her search for a mate among the ship's officers. This is a turning-point beat — comic on the surface, it sets up telepathic probing, interpersonal disruption, and the public spectacle that will escalate the ship's tensions and foreshadow her later dramatic announcement.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Lwaxana snaps into a new tactic—dismissing Picard as 'too old,' she joins Homn by the colorful drinks, declares an 'alternate plan,' and waves off Deanna's worry with supreme confidence.

disappointment to determined confidence

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Deanna Troi
Counselor
 primary

Mortified by her mother's intrusion but resolute and professionally bound to prioritize ship duties over personal entreaties.

Stands across from Mrs. Troi, delivers a concise professional refusal — prioritizing ship business over personal access — and remains composed while watching Mrs. Troi's response.

Goals in this moment
  • • To enforce professional boundaries and protect the captain's time.
  • • To defuse potential diplomatic or operational complications caused by personal entreaties.
  • • To minimize the disruption caused by her mother's behavior.
Active beliefs
  • • Ship operations and protocol must supersede individual desires aboard a Federation vessel.
  • • Allowing personal access to the captain would risk larger diplomatic or procedural issues.
  • • Her mother will likely escalate unless gently constrained.
Character traits
firm diplomatic protective embarrassed restraint
Follow Deanna Troi's journey
Mr. Homn
Valet
 primary

Quietly agreeable and obedient; expresses no overt emotion beyond ritualized deference.

Placidly sampling several tall, colorful drinks until addressed; responds with a deep, deliberate bow to acknowledge Mrs. Troi's newly declared plan without spoken input.

Goals in this moment
  • • To support Mrs. Troi through service and ceremonial acknowledgement.
  • • To follow non-verbal cues and perform expected attendant responsibilities.
  • • To remain unobtrusive while enabling Mrs. Troi's social maneuvering.
Active beliefs
  • • His role is to execute the wishes of Mrs. Troi without question.
  • • Physical rituals (bows, presenting/drinking) are an appropriate response to directives.
  • • Silence and gesture are sufficient communication in delicate social moments.
Character traits
taciturn dutiful ceremonial silently compliant
Follow Mr. Homn's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Tall Glasses of Multi-Colored Liquids

The cluster of tall, multi‑colored glasses functions as a tactile focal point for Mrs. Troi's pivot: Homn samples them while she moves to that tableau, using the drinks as social scenery to rehearse and stage her 'alternate plan.' The glasses anchor the beat and provide a physical locus for the shift from private rejection to performative scheming.

Before: Neatly arranged, condensation visible, being casually sampled by …
After: Still in place and sampled; they have become …
Before: Neatly arranged, condensation visible, being casually sampled by Homn at the edge of the room.
After: Still in place and sampled; they have become a prop in Mrs. Troi's new social maneuver rather than mere refreshment.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Troi's Quarters

Mrs. Troi's private quarters serve as the intimate stage for the exchange: a domestic setting where family dynamics, flirtation, and protocol collide. The space allows for an initial private refusal and then becomes the origin point for a plan that threatens to spill into the ship's public life.

Atmosphere Intimate but tense — private familiarity undercut by constrained formality and a quick, theatrical redirection.
Function Meeting place for a private confrontation and the launchpad for Mrs. Troi's alternate, outward-facing social …
Symbolism Represents the collision of personal intimacy with institutional duty; a domestic arena turned politicized stage.
Access Private quarters—normally restricted to invited guests and immediate attendants; not open to the public or …
Close framing on Mrs. Troi emphasizes personal focus and embarrassment. A small set of colorful drinks and Homn's presence provide ceremonial and sensory texture to the space.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 2
Foreshadowing

"Lwaxana declares an alternate plan and mate hunt among officers, setting up her public marriage announcement to Riker."

Antedians Awake — Hours to Conference; Troi's Public Proclamation
S2E19 · Manhunt
Foreshadowing

"Lwaxana declares an alternate plan and mate hunt among officers, setting up her public marriage announcement to Riker."

Public Betazoid Proposal — Riker Retreats to the Holodeck
S2E19 · Manhunt

Key Dialogue

"MRS. TROI: Ship's business takes precedence over me?"
"TROI: I'm afraid so."
"MRS. TROI: Homn, let's consider my alternate plan."