Ferengi Probe Ultimatum and Picard's Safety Directive
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Goss declares his intention to send his own probe and warns the Federation to stay out of his way, asserting Ferengi independence.
Picard warns Riker to advise Data and La Forge to avoid conflicts with the Ferengi probe, prioritizing safety amid rising tensions.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Neutral and duty-focused; any curiosity is subordinated to compliance with command orders.
Data is not present onstage but is explicitly ordered by Picard to avoid confrontation; his role is turned into a mandated restraint to prevent technical escalation.
- • Follow Captain's order to avoid direct engagement with Ferengi actions
- • Remain prepared to provide technical support without escalating hostilities
- • Adherence to command directives preserves ship safety
- • Technical verification is preferable to provocation
Absent but influential — represented as calm and pragmatic, lending institutional legitimacy to Picard's position.
Premier Bhavani is invoked by Picard as having 'no objection' to Federation activity; she is not onstage but her presumed neutrality is used to counter Goss's accusations.
- • Preserve Barzan autonomy by ensuring transparent, neutral handling of the wormhole
- • Avoid escalation that would endanger her people's interests
- • Neutral oversight and shared information better protect her world's interests
- • The Federation's involvement can be acceptable if it remains transparent and respectful
Cautiously attentive and reserved; their judgment is a latent pressure on negotiators.
The delegates function as the immediate, skeptical audience for the dispute; Picard's promise to share results is addressed to them and their trust is implied as the exchange's stake.
- • Receive reliable, verifiable information to make informed political decisions
- • Avoid being manipulated by partisan displays or commercial intimidation
- • Verifiable data (shared exploration results) should guide their decision-making
- • Party theatrics and threats are less persuasive than transparent evidence
Indignant and defiant; his anger masks commercial calculation and an attempt to seize leverage through intimidation.
DaiMon Goss accuses the Federation of scheming, threatens to send a Ferengi probe of his own, issues a blunt ultimatum to the Enterprise to stand aside, then storms out with his companions.
- • Assert Ferengi rights and secure a competitive advantage over access to the wormhole
- • Intimidate the Federation into non-interference through public denunciation and the threat of independent action
- • The Federation will default to advantage if not actively challenged
- • Public posturing and threats will influence delegates and force concessions
Calmly authoritative with underlying vigilance—willing to reassure politically while immediately prioritizing crew safety.
Picard moderates the confrontation with measured authority, assures diplomatic transparency to the delegates, then converts the dispute into an operational order instructing Data and La Forge to avoid confrontation.
- • Defuse immediate diplomatic tension and preserve Federation credibility by promising shared results
- • Prevent the confrontation from escalating into operational or technical risk to the ship and crew
- • Transparency with delegates will undercut accusations of bad faith
- • Operational caution must override political bravado when crew safety is at stake
Briskly confrontational, confident but ready to enforce consequences—angry on behalf of institutional fairness.
Riker interrupts the Ferengi's insinuation with a blunt, tactical challenge—urging Goss to prove his threat by sending a probe—sharpening the confrontation rather than smoothing it.
- • Expose Goss's threats as bluster or convert them into tangible action (probe deployment)
- • Defend Federation operational prerogatives and deter intimidation
- • Direct challenges expose bluff and reduce political theater
- • Practical action (probe deployment) will be more decisive than words
Restrained concern—ready to act technically but constrained by command to avoid confrontation.
La Forge is referenced by Picard as someone who should avoid direct confrontation; he is cast as the engineering/pilot asset whose involvement must be restrained to prevent accidents.
- • Comply with Picard's operational directive to avoid escalation
- • Protect engineering assets and crew from politically driven risk
- • Technical operations should not be used as instruments of political brinkmanship
- • Following orders maintains ship safety and chain of command
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The concept of a 'manned probe' — represented by the canonical Barzan Probe asset — is the focal technical contention. Both Federation and Ferengi probe deployment are invoked as the concrete actions that will test claims, convert rhetoric into risk, and determine control of exploration data.
Picard keys his combadge to acknowledge Sickbay's call. This small device punctuates the scene, shifting attention from political theater back to shipboard duty and signaling the commander's multiple responsibilities.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Sickbay is invoked offstage by Beverly's comm, pulling Picard's attention away from diplomacy toward an urgent medical matter. Its mention reframes priorities and stresses the commander’s divided responsibilities.
The Barzan Wormhole functions as the unseen but central strategic prize motivating the clash. Its existence underlies accusations and drives competing probe deployments—turning abstract sovereignty into immediate operational danger.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"RIKER: "Then send in your own probe, Goss.""
"GOSS: "That's exactly what I intend to do. And I strongly suggest you stay out of our way.""
"PICARD: "Tell Data and La Forge to do themselves a favor and stay out of their way.""