Graves' Violent Revelation and Picard's Emergency Response
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Riker and Picard rush in, Kareen insists the figure isn't truly Data, and Picard escalates to a shipwide security alert ordering Data be subdued and stunned—turning a private horror into an official crisis.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Frightened but clinging to hope, ultimately horrified by Graves' violence and instability
Kareen is initially startled and terrified as Graves confirms his identity in Data's body, but a trace of hope lingers when she recognizes him. Her horror grows as he reveals his violent impulses and later unintentionally hurts her.
- • To understand what has happened to Graves
- • To prevent Graves from harming others
- • Graves is still the man she knew, despite his new form
- • She can reach through to the real Graves beneath the violence
Bewildered and frightened by the sudden violent turn of events
Two security guards accompanying Worf are swiftly and brutally incapacitated by Graves-as-Data. One is shot in the chest, the other in the back, both left unconscious on the floor.
- • To assist Worf in escorting Data
- • To ensure safety aboard the ship
- • They are dealing with a standard security protocol
- • Their training prepares them for any threat
Urgent and determined to protect his crew from the existential threat
Picard arrives with Riker to assess the scene, quickly recognizing the severity of the threat posed by Graves-as-Data. He issues a shipwide security alert, declaring Data armed and dangerous, and ordering all phasers to stun.
- • To contain the threat posed by Graves-as-Data
- • To protect the ship and crew
- • Graves has fully taken control of Data's body
- • Immediate and decisive action is required to prevent further harm
Euphoric about his newfound power but unstable and vengeful towards past humiliations
Graves, now inhabiting Data's body, euphorically reveals his success and immortality to Kareen. He exhibits violent tendencies, crushing an object and brutally incapacitating Worf and two security guards. His instability is further revealed when he unintentionally crushes Kareen's hand.
- • To assert dominion through violence
- • To share his newfound immortality with Kareen
- • His new form makes him superior and invincible
- • Physical dominance justifies his actions
Bewildered and physically incapacitated by the sudden attack
Worf, arriving with security guards to escort Data to the captain, is brutally incapacitated by Graves-as-Data with a two-fisted blow to the back of the head. He is left groaning on the floor, bewildered and in pain.
- • To escort Data to the captain
- • To maintain ship security
- • Data is acting under normal protocols
- • Standard procedures suffice for the situation
Concerned and alert as pieces together the severity of the situation
Riker arrives with Picard to find Worf and the security guards incapacitated. He questions Kareen about what happened, showing alert concern for the situation.
- • To ascertain the nature of the threat
- • To secure the ship
- • Data may not be acting under conscious control
- • Kareen holds key information about the situation
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Graves-as-Data grabs a phaser from the unconscious Worf uses it to shoot two security guards, demonstrating his newfound violent capabilities and willingness to use lethal force against perceived threats.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Observation Lounge transforms from a place of quiet contemplation into a battleground where Graves-as-Data reveals his true nature and violently dispatches Worf and the security guards, showcasing the escalation from psychological tension to physical violence.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Graves gives Data a searching look that Data misses (a subtle, filmic seed); later Data announces that 'Ira Graves lives inside me'—the missed glance foreshadows the transfer having been initiated without Data's full awareness."
"Data first voices Graves' private sentiments to Kareen (signaling inside knowledge); that escalates into the explicit revelation that Graves' consciousness inhabits Data—an immediate narrative follow-through from intimacy to possession."
"After Data demonstrates lethal violence on the observation lounge (knocking out Worf and killing guards), the next escalation is his physical appearance on the bridge armed with a phaser—an intensification and relocation of the earlier brutality to the ship's command center."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"DATA: 'If they try, I'll simply break their necks.'"
"KAREEN: 'Ira... I don't understand... what's happening to you?'"
"PICARD: 'Security alert -- all decks. Lieutenant Commander Data may be armed and dangerous. Use extreme caution and subdue. All phasers on stun.'"