Data Initiates Shipwide Evacuation Amidst Captain and Riker's Absence
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Data initiates the Enterprise's automated departure and orders the shipwide evacuation, signaling the dire emergency and emptying the vessel.
Data probes the computer for the whereabouts of Picard and Riker, discovering an eerie absence as all decks read empty, breaking the expected evacuation protocol.
Geordi and Data shut down their consoles and enter the turbolift, declaring themselves the last aboard as the evacuation nears completion, sealing off the ship’s emptiness.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Somber and contemplative, masking a quietly rising concern over the unusual evacuation status and the absence of his commanding officers.
Data methodically initiates the ship’s automated evacuation protocol and queries the computer about key officers’ whereabouts, exhibiting calm logic and somber reflection. He physically shuts down his console and boards the turbolift with Geordi, his demeanor underscoring a heavy awareness of their likely final presence aboard.
- • Ensure the ship is evacuated safely and completely.
- • Ascertain the whereabouts and safety of Captain Picard and Commander Riker.
- • The captain and first officer are typically the last to leave, so their absence signals unusual circumstances.
- • Activating automated departure is necessary to preserve life and prevent further harm.
Anxious and urgent, driven by the looming deadline and the need to evacuate swiftly while maintaining order.
Geordi assists Data by shutting down engineering consoles and urges quick departure due to limited time remaining. His urgency contrasts with Data’s measured approach, showing concern for the rapidly escalating danger as they enter the turbolift together.
- • Support Data in completing the evacuation process.
- • Leave the ship safely before time runs out.
- • Time is critically limited, demanding immediate action.
- • Remaining aboard the ship is increasingly perilous.
N/A - non-sentient system
As the embodiment of ship's emergency protocols, the automated departure protocol is activated by Data to systematically evacuate personnel, demonstrating the critical role of ship automation in crisis management.
- • Ensure complete and orderly evacuation of ship personnel.
- • Minimize risk to crew during emergency departure.
- • Automated systems can execute emergency protocols faster and more reliably than manual control.
- • The evacuation is necessary to avoid catastrophic loss.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The USS Enterprise Battle Bridge Control Consoles are systematically shut down by Data and Geordi as a symbolic and practical gesture marking the end of active command and control. Their dimming lights underscore the growing emptiness and vulnerability of the ship during the evacuation.
The USS Enterprise-D Forward Turbolift Doors close behind Data and Geordi as they enter for evacuation, symbolizing a threshold between command presence and the unknown dangers awaiting outside the bridge. The doors’ mechanical precision contrasts with the emotional weight of potentially being the last crew aboard.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Main Bridge serves as the locus of the evacuation initiation, its sterile high-tech environment reflecting a stark contrast between human command and the cold reality of an empty ship. The bridge's silence and dimming consoles amplify the themes of isolation and impending loss.
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
"DATA: I have put the ship on automated departure and ordered the complete evacuation of the Enterprise. Everyone remaining is leaving on foot or beaming off."
"DATA: Computer, where are the captain and Commander Riker?"
"COMPUTER VOICE: All decks empty."
"GEORDI: Let's go! We only have forty-one seconds."
"GEORDI: I think we're the last."
"DATA: I hope we are the last."