Star Trek The Next Generation
S2E17
· Samaritan Snare

Pulaski's Ultimatum — Picard's Pride Confronted

In Pulaski's Sickbay office a terse, moral standoff forces Picard's private vulnerability into the open. Pulaski moves from clinical concern to formal command, issuing an order to report to Starbase 515 after accusing Picard of neglecting his condition. Picard parries with pride and the duty to his mission, insisting he is fine and that it would be inappropriate for her to operate. The scene functions as a turning point: it strips Picard's platitudes away, exposes his ego as the real obstacle, and escalates stakes by making the need for treatment an explicit, non-negotiable choice.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Picard paces, bristles at Pulaski's authority, and refuses to be told where to take the ship. Pulaski fires back with a formal medical order to report to Starbase five one five immediately.

evasion to authoritative ultimatum

Picard shrugs off concern with a curt 'I feel fine.' Pulaski counters hard, calling out that he has let this go too long.

dismissal to accountability

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Katherine Pulaski
Doctor (Chief Medical Officer)
 primary

Clinically composed with rising frustration—professional concern becomes moral urgency as Picard refuses treatment.

Commands the room with clinical authority: issues a direct order to report to Starbase 515, diagnoses neglect, offers to perform the procedure aboard ship, and bluntly calls out Picard's image-conscious resistance.

Goals in this moment
  • • Ensure Picard receives immediate, appropriate medical treatment.
  • • Remove Picard from a position where his condition could endanger both him and the mission.
  • • Assert medical protocol and the authority of Starfleet medicine.
Active beliefs
  • • Picard has neglected his condition and needs external medical intervention.
  • • Medical responsibility allows her to override personal pride for the captain's safety.
  • • Starbase resources or her surgical team are the right avenue to secure definitive care.
Character traits
authoritative pragmatic frank concerned decisive
Follow Katherine Pulaski's journey
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain
 primary

Defensive pride masking anxiety—he's anxious about vulnerability but channels that into formal duty and image-protection.

Paces in Pulaski's office, evasive and argumentative; repeatedly rejects Pulaski's orders, invokes the ship's mission and the Epsilon Pulsar Cluster, and frames refusal as both health and propriety.

Goals in this moment
  • • Avoid being removed from command or voluntarily submitting to a medical procedure.
  • • Preserve his public image and authority aboard the ship.
  • • Ensure the ship continues to its scheduled astronomical survey.
Active beliefs
  • • His duty to the mission supersedes his personal medical needs.
  • • Allowing Pulaski to perform the procedure (or being sent away) would harm his authority or reputation.
  • • Admitting weakness will negatively affect crew morale and operational continuity.
Character traits
defensive proud disciplined authoritative avoidant
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Epsilon Pulsar Cluster

The Epsilon Pulsar Cluster exists offstage as the narrative lure that Picard uses to justify refusal; it is invoked as the intellectual and professional obligation that anchors his stubbornness and anchors the ship's mission priorities.

Atmosphere Cold, clinical allure—scientific curiosity and professional fulfillment rather than sensory warmth.
Function Narrative incentive and motivating objective used by Picard to resist medical orders.
Symbolism Represents Picard's identity as an explorer and commander, and the intangible duty he uses to …
Described as a precise scientific objective on long-range sensors. Exists in data: periodic radio pulses and high-energy spikes that tempt the captain's curiosity.
Pulaski's Office

Pulaski's compact Sickbay office functions as the private, clinical theater for the confrontation—its tight spatial layout forces proximity and turns procedural questions into moral interrogation, allowing Pulaski's medical authority to confront Picard's command authority.

Atmosphere Tension-filled and clinical; precise, sharp, and morally charged.
Function Meeting place for private medical consultation and moral confrontation.
Symbolism Embodies institutional medical authority and the ethical boundary between care and command.
Access Restricted to senior staff and patients; intended as a private medical consultation space.
Antiseptic tang and the ship's low mechanical hum undercut personal conversation. Cool light panels throw features into sharp relief, emphasizing tightened expressions. A modest desk and two chairs force close proximity and immediate confrontation.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 1
Callback medium

"Picard’s final ‘Set course for Epsilon Sector’ fulfills his earlier desire to survey the Epsilon Pulsar Cluster after the crises resolve."

Picard Reclaims Command and Buries the Brush with Death
S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
What this causes 3
Callback

"Pulaski’s assertiveness about treating Picard pays off when she is the one who ultimately saves his life at Starbase 515."

Pulaski Stakes Her Claim
S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
Callback

"Pulaski’s assertiveness about treating Picard pays off when she is the one who ultimately saves his life at Starbase 515."

Pulaski Protects the Captain's Image
S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
Causal

"Pulaski’s ultimatum forces Picard to go to Starbase 515, leading him to announce he’ll accompany Wesley to the base."

Picard's Cloaked Departure — Hands the Bridge to Riker
S2E17 · Samaritan Snare

Part of Larger Arcs

Jean‑Luc Picard's internal struggle to accept medical vulnerability and preserve command dignity while facing a life‑threatening cardiac procedure.

Key Dialogue

"PICARD: I won't have you telling me what course to set!"
"PULASKI: As chief medical officer, I am ordering you to report to Starbase five one five immediately!"
"PULASKI: Why Captain Picard, I had no idea. You do have an ego, don't you?"