The Betazoid 'Phase' — Picard Declared the Favorite
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard snaps about Lwaxana’s misread, and Troi concedes her mother’s usual accuracy—except right now—prompting Riker’s wary interjection. The room acknowledges that something is off with Lwaxana’s telepathy.
Troi exposes the Betazoid mid‑life “Phase” as the cause, Riker recalls her warning that it multiplies desire, and Troi pushes it further with “or more,” spiking the stakes. Picard’s worry deepens as Riker whistles and absorbs the escalation.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Mortified on the surface, pragmatically anxious underneath — trying to conceal personal discomfort while calculating an operational response to avoid diplomatic damage.
Picard paces in the ready room wearing his regular uniform, reacts with mortification and escalating anxiety as Troi names Lwaxana's 'Phase,' attempts to preserve diplomatic decorum while seeking a tactical avoidance strategy.
- • Avoid becoming the object of Lwaxana's advances without insulting her or violating Starfleet orders
- • Preserve the Enterprise's diplomatic mission and chain of command by minimizing personal entanglement
- • Direct or blunt refusal will cause diplomatic rupture and must be avoided
- • Institutional orders and protocol constrain personal choices and require creative operational solutions
Amused and slightly opportunistic outwardly, curious about the social dynamics while remaining loyal to the captain and ready to support a pragmatic solution.
Riker listens with amusement, whistles at the implication, and offers jocular congratulations to Picard; he treats the revelation as lightly entertaining while tacitly endorsing Picard's plan to make himself less available.
- • Maintain morale with humor while supporting Picard's authority
- • Capitalize on the comic situation without causing diplomatic harm
- • The situation, while awkward, can be managed with wit and minor evasive tactics
- • Supporting the captain's decision publicly strengthens chain of command and avoids escalation
Controlled and professional, tinged with maternal sympathy and personal embarrassment; she prioritizes protecting both her mother and ship protocol over social ease.
Counselor Troi explains, with clinical clarity and visible discomfort, that her mother is entering a physiological Betazoid 'Phase'; she frames the behavior as biological, warns of emotional consequences for Lwaxana, and reluctantly identifies Picard as the likely target.
- • Convey the biological reality and seriousness of the 'Phase' so Picard understands the limits of logic
- • Prevent Picard from reacting in a way that would harm Lwaxana emotionally or damage the mission
- • Betazoid biology supersedes simple social or logical solutions in this situation
- • Emotional harm to her mother would have political and personal consequences that must be avoided
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Captain's ready room serves as the private but official space where personal embarrassment collides with command responsibility. Its intimacy forces three senior officers into a frank conversation that turns private mortification into a tactical problem with diplomatic consequences.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Troi explains the Betazoid Phase to Pulaski, foreshadowing her fuller briefing to Picard and Riker."
"Picard's containment strategy (make himself less available) drives him to program the Holodeck escape."
"Troi warns that spurning her mother will upset her; later, Riker avoids confronting Lwaxana to keep her untroubled."
"Troi warns that spurning her mother will upset her; later, Riker avoids confronting Lwaxana to keep her untroubled."
Key Dialogue
"TROI: My mother is just beginning a physiological phase... one that all Betazoid women must deal with as they enter mid-life."
"RIKER: It's something Troi warned me about when we were first seeing each other. When a Betazoid female goes through "the Phase," it quadruples her sex drive."
"PICARD: There must be a way to convince her that it's quite impossible -- without offending her."