S3E11
· The Hunted

Bridge Lockdown — Turbolift as Bait

Following Worf's alert, Picard moves the Enterprise from crisis mode into tactical containment: general quarters are sounded, targeted decks are sealed with security fields, and Data executes orders. Riker proposes reactivating the turbolifts as deliberate bait — a calculated risk that converts a passive lockdown into an active hunt. The sequence crystallizes the crew's shift from defensive protocol to pursuit. As the bridge marshals its resources below, Roga Danar, stalking the corridors with a phaser, tests that very gamble by slipping into an operating turbolift, raising the stakes and moral tension.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

Picard orders the ship into general quarters and clearance of corridors, prioritizing containment and safety.

urgency to resolve

Picard directs heightened security measures on specific decks to prevent Danar's movement.

alert to strategic focus ['decks thirty-four, thirty-five, and thirty-six']

Riker proposes reactivating turbolifts as bait to force Danar into a predictable move.

concern to tactical anticipation

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3

Grim determination — composed command presence overlaying an urgent need to prevent loss of life and diplomatic fallout.

Issues immediate, high-level orders from the bridge: commands Data to sound general quarters and seal decks, expresses explicit concern about hostages, and accepts Riker's tactical recommendation with a grim nod.

Goals in this moment
  • Secure the ship and prevent Danar from taking hostages
  • Contain the situation while preserving crew and civilian safety
Active beliefs
  • Starfleet protocol and decisive containment reduce casualties
  • Delaying action risks hostage situations and political escalation
Character traits
decisive authoritative morally serious restrained urgency
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Calmly dutiful — objective execution of orders with no visible affective modulation.

Complies efficiently with bridge orders: executes the general‑quarters command and activates the requested security containment fields on specified decks via control consoles without hesitation.

Goals in this moment
  • Implement command decisions correctly and quickly
  • Ensure ship systems reflect tactical decisions to protect crew
Active beliefs
  • Following chain-of-command orders ensures best operational outcome
  • Systems will behave predictably when configured correctly
Character traits
efficient accurate obedient emotionally neutral
Follow Data's journey

Focused, quietly confident — willing to accept a calculated risk to convert passive containment into capture.

Proposes an active tactic from the bridge: reactivating turbolifts as bait to force Danar into predictable behavior; explains the simple cause/effect rationale to Picard and trusts ship systems to execute it.

Goals in this moment
  • Entice Danar into a controllable trap
  • Minimize collateral damage while ensuring capture
Active beliefs
  • Danar will act on obvious opportunities (predictable behavior)
  • Controlled risks now are preferable to uncontrolled escalation later
Character traits
pragmatic tactically minded calm under pressure decisively proactive
Follow William Riker's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

3
USS Enterprise-D

The aft corridor turbolift car is reactivated by order (via bridge systems) and used as deliberate tactical bait. Its doors open in the corridor, presenting the opportunity Roga tests by stepping inside; narratively it converts an inert transport system into a trigger for capture.

Before: Dormant/offline in corridor service due to earlier lockdown …
After: Operational and occupied — door opened and Roga …
Before: Dormant/offline in corridor service due to earlier lockdown protocols (turbolifts taken offline).
After: Operational and occupied — door opened and Roga has entered, making it an active locus of the manhunt.
Main Bridge Security Containment Field

Main bridge security containment fields are ordered raised to seal decks thirty‑four through thirty‑six. They serve as immediate physical barriers shaping Danar's options and narrowing escape corridors; the fields materially convert tactical intent into constrained geography.

Before: Inactive or not engaged on the specified decks, …
After: Active and projecting corridor‑spanning forcefield grids on the …
Before: Inactive or not engaged on the specified decks, leaving corridors potentially passable.
After: Active and projecting corridor‑spanning forcefield grids on the indicated decks, restricting movement and channeling potential escape routes.
Starfleet Security Phasers (Transporter Room)

Handheld energy weapons (security phasers) are implied as the ship moves to general quarters and prepare for enforcement. Their existence raises the specter of lethal force and anchors the contingency that fields, orders, and bait could escalate into deadly confrontation.

Before: Stored or at rest in armories/transport pad racks; …
After: Readied for deployment by security teams as general …
Before: Stored or at rest in armories/transport pad racks; not actively fired in this moment.
After: Readied for deployment by security teams as general quarters is sounded and corridors are cleared.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Corridor Outside Sickbay

The corridor outside the transporter room functions as the tactical chokepoint where Roga prowls, a guard watches near a glowing forcefield rim, and the reopened turbolift door becomes bait. The corridor's narrow geometry concentrates risk and creates a stage for sudden confrontation between hunter and hunted.

Atmosphere Tension-filled and quietly mechanical — low hums, jittering emergency lights, and watchful silence heighten each …
Function Pursuit path / battleground / tactical chokepoint where capture or escape will likely be decided.
Symbolism Represents constriction of options and the narrowing moral aperture—where institutional containment meets individual survival instinct.
Access Corridors are being cleared of non-essential personnel and forcefields restrict passage on targeted decks; movement …
Strip lighting with low mechanical hum Glowing rim of an active forcefield visible near a posted guard Scuffs and small evidence of recent struggle on walls and floor An opening turbolift door that contrasts with the otherwise sealed environment

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph


Key Dialogue

"PICARD: Sound general quarters. Clear corridors of all non-essential personnel. I don't want him taking any hostages."
"DATA: General quarters sounded, sir."
"RIKER: Data... put the turbolifts back on line. If Danar sees they're operating, he may try to use one."
"RIKER: Soon as he does, we have him."