Star Trek The Next Generation
S3E2
· The Ensigns of Command

Departure and the Unfelt Goodbye

Data radios the Enterprise to announce shuttle readiness and receives Worf's terse confirmation, shifting the scene from persuasion to extraction logistics. Ard'rian approaches for a private farewell: she confesses attraction, asks if he'll remember or feel, and Data responds with literal truth, then mimics a comforting kiss to give her closure. The exchange crystallizes the story's central tension—human longing against an unemotional savant—and functions as both a setup for the evacuation pickup and an emotional turning point that costs the colonists one small human consolation.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Data prepares to leave Tau Cygna Five and contacts the Enterprise for rendezvous instructions.

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3
Ard'rian
primary

Wistful and exposed; oscillates between hope and quick resignation. She deliberately seeks closure while bracing for disappointment.

Ard'rian approaches the grounded shuttle, offers muted praise about the evacuation, seeks personal reassurance about memory and feeling, confesses attraction, becomes downcast when refused, accepts a mimicked kiss and then exits with a bittersweet smile.

Goals in this moment
  • • Learn whether Data will remember the encounter and whether he can feel for her.
  • • Obtain some form of emotional closure before evacuation forces separation.
  • • Affirm her own feelings and test whether they have any reciprocity.
Active beliefs
  • • Data, as an android, likely cannot truly feel; any emotional sign will be ambiguous.
  • • Human needs deserve recognition even if the other party is incapable of reciprocation.
  • • Honesty with herself (and Data) is better than lingering false hope.
Character traits
vulnerable courageous (honest) romantic self-aware
Follow Ard'rian's journey
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Calm, clinical exterior; appears neutral and composed while showing curiosity about human behavior. Any empathy expressed is enacted as logical deduction rather than felt emotion.

Data prepares his shuttle, radios the Enterprise with clinical clarity, steps out to meet Ard'rian, answers her questions with factual precision, and performs a deliberate, surprising mimic of a kiss before boarding and closing the door.

Goals in this moment
  • • Confirm shuttle readiness and follow Enterprise extraction orders.
  • • Provide Ard'rian with closure in a way he judges effective.
  • • Preserve mission timetable by keeping the farewell brief and controlled.
Active beliefs
  • • He is incapable of feeling emotion and cannot genuinely reciprocate affection.
  • • Accurate memory is sufficient to honor relationships; remembering equals preserving.
  • • Rational acts (including mimicked gestures) can produce desired human responses when applied correctly.
Character traits
literal-minded dutiful observationally empathetic (procedural) socially awkward
Follow Data's journey
Worf
Lieutenant, Chief of Security / Tactical Officer
 primary

Businesslike and focused; no detectable sympathy in his brief transmission, prioritizing mission coordination.

Worf provides a concise comms acknowledgement to Data from the Enterprise, confirming receipt and instructing standby; he remains off-screen and operationally focused, moving extraction logistics forward without emotional involvement.

Goals in this moment
  • • Acknowledge Data's status and maintain shuttle/transport coordination.
  • • Ensure the evacuation proceeds according to command instructions.
  • • Preserve operational security by keeping communications succinct.
Active beliefs
  • • Clear, efficient communications reduce risk during evacuation.
  • • Chain-of-command and protocol must be followed under pressure.
  • • Data's report is reliable and should be acted upon promptly.
Character traits
procedural terse reliable authoritative
Follow Worf's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Data's Evacuation Shuttle

The shuttle serves as Data's transport and the scene's physical threshold: where private conversation happens on its ramp and where duty resumes when Data climbs in. Its hull and door frame the intimate farewell and the final separation before extraction.

Before: Grounded on the landing pad, engines cooling, ramp …
After: Data has boarded, the door is closed — …
Before: Grounded on the landing pad, engines cooling, ramp lowered; Data is inside making departure preparations.
After: Data has boarded, the door is closed — the shuttle is secured and ready to await rendezvous instructions for evacuation.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Shuttle Landing Site (Planet Surface)

The shuttle landing site is the immediate stage: an exposed, public space on the planet where a private emotional exchange must occur under the pressure of evacuation. It compresses intimacy and urgency, forcing a quick, decisive farewell before departure.

Atmosphere Taut, bittersweet, quietly urgent — open-air practicality shading private vulnerability.
Function Meeting point for farewell and the operational threshold where civilians and Federation personnel transition from …
Symbolism Represents the liminal space between safety and loss — a literal doorway illustrating emotional separation …
Access Open public area at the settlement's landing pad; not formally restricted but governed by evacuation …
Daylight under a high sky creating exposure rather than privacy Cooling metal hull, lowered ramp acting as a stage for departure Sounds of distant settlement activity muted by focus on shuttle operations Crunch of gravel underfoot emphasizing earthiness and finality
USS Enterprise Orbit Around Tau Cygna V (Tau Cygna Five)

The Enterprise's orbit functions indirectly in the scene via communications: it is the coordinating command center that confirms shuttle readiness and controls rendezvous, giving the on-ground actions military and temporal urgency.

Atmosphere Remote, procedural, and authoritative — its presence is felt through terse comms rather than physical …
Function Operational coordinator and extraction authority ensuring shuttle and transport timing align with evacuation plans.
Symbolism Embodies institutional responsibility and the broader stakes that constrain personal moments on the ground.
Access Restricted to the ship's crew and command channels; contact limited to authorized communications.
Cold console light and concise voice transmissions Sensor readouts and protocol-driven language imposing a deadline Absence of physical presence on the ground, creating a layer of detachment

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 3
Character Continuity medium

"Ard'rian's initial fascination with Data's android nature culminates in her emotional attachment to him, despite his lack of emotions."

First Contact at the Shuttle
S3E2 · The Ensigns of Command
Character Continuity medium

"Ard'rian's initial offer of assistance to Data creates the foundation for their growing relationship that culminates in the goodbye kiss."

Data's Evacuation Plea Rejected; Ard'rian Offers an Alliance
S3E2 · The Ensigns of Command
Character Continuity medium

"Ard'rian's initial offer of assistance to Data creates the foundation for their growing relationship that culminates in the goodbye kiss."

Ard'rian Tests Data and Quietly Allies with Him
S3E2 · The Ensigns of Command

Key Dialogue

"DATA: Commander Data to Enterprise. I am preparing to leave Tau Cygna Five and await rendezvous instructions."
"ARD'RIAN: Do you have any feelings for me?"
"DATA: I have no feelings of any kind."