Admirals’ Treachery and Riker’s Deceptive Coup
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Tryla Scott enters and takes her seat, her sinister smile exposing her complicity in the alien conspiracy, deepening Picard’s sense of betrayal and isolation.
Admirals Aaron, Savar, Tryla, and Riker mock Picard, boasting of their slow, careful takeover of Starfleet and their control over the Enterprise, crushing any lingering resistance.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Horrified and dejected by the betrayal, yet maintaining a steely resolve to fight back against the conspiracy.
Captain Picard is seated at the dining table, visibly horrified and shellshocked as he witnesses the infected admirals and guard consuming live worms. After being roughly restrained by Riker, he remains dejected yet determined, seizing a moment of opportunity to grab the guard's phaser and actively participate in the ensuing firefight.
- • Expose and confront the parasitic infiltration within Starfleet
- • Survive the violent ambush and regain control of the situation
- • The parasitic infection threatens the Federation's core and must be stopped
- • Trust within Starfleet command has been fundamentally broken
Emotionally cold and resolute, fully embracing his conspiratorial role while managing tactical violence.
Commander Riker shocks everyone by revealing his parasitic allegiance, restraining Picard and consuming live worms. He escalates the violence by shooting the ceremonial guard, fights and kills Tryla Scott, and removes the counterfeit parasite splinter from his own neck, exposing his true disloyalty while maintaining cold determination.
- • Secure control of the Enterprise for the conspirators
- • Eliminate threats to the parasitic infiltration within Starfleet
- • The parasitic infection is necessary for their ascendancy
- • Violence and betrayal are required for survival and success
Confident and malevolent, reveling in her deception and the chaos it causes.
Tryla Scott enters the dining room, revealing herself as a parasite-infected betrayer. She mocks Picard, consumes live worms, and attacks Riker in a violent skirmish before being killed by him, symbolizing the depth of betrayal within trusted ranks.
- • Support the parasitic conspiracy's objectives
- • Eliminate opposition within the Enterprise command
- • Betrayal and subterfuge are necessary tactics
- • The parasitic infection grants superiority over uninfected
Smiling with confidence masking aggression and desperation in the fight to maintain control.
Admiral Savar, exhibiting Vulcan composure twisted by infection, consumes the live worms while engaging in psychological warfare. He fights Riker in a brutal throat-grip but is ultimately killed by Picard’s phaser fire, embodying both menace and cold calculation.
- • Protect the parasitic conspiracy's secrecy and agenda
- • Neutralize Riker to maintain control of the Enterprise
- • Slow, cautious infiltration will secure ultimate victory
- • The infection grants superior power and control
Mocking and angry, reveling in the exposure of his conspiracy while desperate to survive.
Admiral Aaron openly mocks Picard while consuming live parasitic worms, revealing the counterfeit splinter on Riker's neck as evidence of his allegiance. During the firefight, Aaron attempts a desperate escape through the door, displaying both anger and triumph, but is identified as the key enemy by Picard and Riker.
- • Assert dominance over Starfleet through the Enterprise's control
- • Elude capture or death during the violent confrontation
- • The parasitic infiltration ensures their control over Starfleet
- • Picard and others are naive obstacles to their agenda
Unaware and compliant until abruptly incapacitated.
The ceremonial Angel One Guard, initially obedient and consuming live worms alongside the infected officers, is unexpectedly shot by Riker and drops unconscious, symbolizing the collapse of Starfleet security amidst the violent upheaval.
- • Maintain order and guard duty as assigned
- • Follow infected leaders’ commands without question
- • Duty requires obedience to orders
- • Infection does not alter loyalty or function
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
One of the Starfleet captains' phasers is seized by Picard from the unconscious guard and used as a weapon during the firefight to defend against conspirators, marking a crucial shift from passive horror to active resistance.
The counterfeit parasite splinter, covertly embedded on Riker's neck, is revealed by Admiral Aaron during the event as evidence of Riker’s infection and betrayal. Later, Riker removes the splinter from his own neck, symbolizing his shedding of the alien facade and complicating the allegiance dynamics in the confrontation.
The polished silver bowl-like coverings function as deceptive concealments for the grotesque living worms served as 'entrees' during the ceremonial meal. Their presence heightens the horror and shock as characters reveal their parasitic infection by consuming the worms, symbolizing the hidden infiltration within Starfleet's leadership.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Dining Room serves as the claustrophobic and formal battleground for the dramatic unmasking of the parasitic conspiracy. Its polished black table and silver coverings provide a stark, ritualistic backdrop that contrasts with the grotesque revelation of living worms, intensifying the psychological warfare and escalating violence that fracture trust and command.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The suspicious attitude and cryptic behavior of Admirals Savar and Aaron lead directly to their hostile confrontation and reveal as infected conspirators during the dinner scene."
"The polite, cryptic reception by Admirals Savar and Aaron parallels their later revealed monstrous nature, illustrating the theme of betrayal cloaked in civility within Starfleet's leadership."
Key Dialogue
"AARON: "Go ahead and start, Captain. We don't stand on ceremony around here.""
"RIKER: "You're not going anywhere.""
"TRYLA: "Yes... one thing both races share is a love of theatre. And you've put on a fine show.""
"AARON: "Well said, brother. Picard and Riker control the Enterprise. Which means we control the Enterprise.""
"RIKER: "You'll be one of us soon.""