Fabula
S1E14 · Datalore
S1E14
· Datalore

Geordi Reveals Hidden Entrance to Colonists’ Sanctuary

On the barren surface of Data's home planet, the away team surveys the desolate terrain, uncovering evidence of a deliberate concealment beneath the seemingly natural landscape. Geordi's keen engineering instincts detect subtle signs of artificial construction — a masterful ruse to mask the colonists' secret refuge. His discovery culminates in activating a nearly invisible mechanism embedded in the rock face, revealing a concealed entrance. This breakthrough not only confirms the colonists' urgent desire to protect their legacy but also deepens the mystery surrounding Data’s origins, setting the stage for further revelations and peril.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Geordi uncovers signs of deliberate construction hidden beneath natural terrain, hinting that Data's discovery site was a hurriedly made concealment to protect secrets.

skepticism to revelation ["rock face behind Data's birth pallet"]

Geordi activates a concealed mechanism in the rock face, opening a hidden entrance that confirms the colonists' fear of discovery and secretive efforts to preserve their legacy through Data.

curiosity to tension ['secret compartment behind birth pallet']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5

Focused and probing, balancing security concerns with intellectual curiosity.

Lieutenant Tasha Yar remains vigilant, scanning the environment with her tricorder while questioning Data about his origins. Her proactive stance blends tactical alertness with genuine inquisitiveness.

Goals in this moment
  • To gather precise environmental data
  • To understand the significance of Data’s implanted memories
Active beliefs
  • Believes accurate scanning is vital for safety and discovery
  • Suspects the colonists concealed information intentionally
Character traits
alert inquisitive pragmatic vigilant
Follow Tasha Yar's journey

Calm and contemplative, with an undercurrent of quiet intrigue and a subtle yearning to understand his own origin fully.

Data provides essential guidance based on his implanted memories and observations; he leads the team to his birthplace pallet and offers measured reflections on the hurried nature of his memory implantation and the colonists' fear-driven secrecy.

Goals in this moment
  • To help the team locate his origin point
  • To comprehend why the colonists stored memories in him
Active beliefs
  • Believes his memories hold fragments of the colonists’ intentions
  • Accepts the colonists deliberately concealed their existence
Character traits
reflective analytical intrigued vulnerable
Follow Data's journey

Alert and steady, embodying readiness for confrontation despite the eerie silence.

Worf maintains a vigilant posture, guarding the away team against any potential security threats and monitoring their surroundings with disciplined focus.

Goals in this moment
  • To ensure the team's security
  • To detect any hidden dangers in the desolate terrain
Active beliefs
  • Believes constant vigilance is necessary in unknown environments
  • Trusts the away team leadership implicitly
Character traits
vigilant disciplined protective alert
Follow Worf's journey

Measured curiosity laced with cautious optimism, balancing hope against the starkness of the environment.

Commander Riker leads the away team with cautious curiosity, carefully observing the barren landscape, engaging Data with reflective questions, and trying to piece together the mystery of the land and Data’s origins.

Goals in this moment
  • To understand the true nature of the planet's desolation
  • To support uncovering Data’s origin and the colony’s fate
Active beliefs
  • Believes the Tripoli log holds critical clues
  • Trusts Data’s fragmented memories as valuable evidence
Character traits
curious cautious leadership tactical awareness
Follow William Riker's journey

Alert and intellectually stimulated, merging technical expertise with investigative zeal.

Geordi is intensely focused and methodical, analyzing the barren soil and terrain with his VISOR and tricorder, detecting artificial manipulations. His excitement builds as he uncovers the hidden mechanism that reveals the concealed entrance, a major breakthrough in the investigation.

Goals in this moment
  • To decipher the environmental clues pointing to the colony’s fate
  • To uncover hidden structures that explain Data’s origin
Active beliefs
  • Believes the landscape conceals artificial elements
  • Trusts in technology to reveal hidden truths
Character traits
analytical focused persistent excited
Follow Geordi La …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

4
Data's Tricorder

The Starfleet Tricorder is actively used by Tasha to scan the barren environment and collect data on soil conditions and any signs of life or artificial structures, aiding their investigation of the colony’s sudden disappearance.

Before: Operated by Tasha Yar, active and scanning the …
After: Continues in possession of Tasha Yar, transmitting collected …
Before: Operated by Tasha Yar, active and scanning the terrain.
After: Continues in possession of Tasha Yar, transmitting collected environmental data.
Geordi La Forge's VISOR with Visual Acuity Transmitter

Geordi’s VISOR is instrumental in detecting subtle irregularities in the barren terrain, enabling him to identify the artificial crack in the rock face and precisely activate the hidden mechanism that reveals the concealed entrance.

Before: Worn and operational on Geordi’s face, surveying the …
After: Remains in use by Geordi, having identified and …
Before: Worn and operational on Geordi’s face, surveying the landscape.
After: Remains in use by Geordi, having identified and activated the concealed entrance.
Simple Stone Pallet on Data's Homeworld

The simple stone pallet marks the exact spot where Data was found, serving as a physical and symbolic birthplace marker that anchors the team’s exploration and reflection on Data’s origins amid the desolate environment.

Before: Covered in a layer of dust, undisturbed on …
After: Still covered in dust but now focal to …
Before: Covered in a layer of dust, undisturbed on the barren ground.
After: Still covered in dust but now focal to the team’s investigation and memories.
Signal Device

The signal device is referenced by Data as the key clue that led the original landing party to the planet and, subsequently, to Data himself lying near the stone pallet; it remains an important piece of the origin puzzle though not physically manipulated in this event.

Before: Located near the rectangular depression, dormant.
After: Unchanged, resting within the concealed refuge area.
Before: Located near the rectangular depression, dormant.
After: Unchanged, resting within the concealed refuge area.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

3
Close Parking Orbit Around Data's Homeworld

The Enterprise remains in close orbit above Data’s desolate home planet, serving as the operational base for the away team’s investigation and symbolizing a distant but steady lifeline to Starfleet and broader civilization.

Atmosphere Silent, watchful, and expectant from orbit.
Function Orbital support and communication relay for the away team.
Symbolism Represents the connection between the crew and the unknown origins they seek to understand.
Close parking orbit Stable but distant vantage point
Hastily Carved Stone Hollow on Data's Homeworld

The rectangular depression in the barren rock surface acts as the physical site where the original signal device was found and Data was discovered. It forms the immediate investigative focus of the team, containing hidden secrets that hint at the colonists' desperate concealment efforts.

Atmosphere Stark and silent, filled with a sense of abandonment and latent mystery.
Function Concealed refuge marker and entry point to deeper secrets.
Symbolism Encapsulates lost hope and the fragile persistence of memory.
Access Open to the away team only
Dusty stone pallet Sparse light revealing worn rock surfaces
Rock Face Behind Data's Birth Pallet

The rock face behind Data’s birth pallet conceals a nearly invisible hidden entrance, brilliantly camouflaged within the natural harshness of the terrain. This site becomes the critical threshold where the team uncovers tangible evidence of the colonists' final act of concealment and protection.

Atmosphere Tense and expectant as secrets are about to be unveiled.
Function Concealment site and gateway to the colony's hidden refuge.
Symbolism Symbolizes the barrier between known history and buried truth.
Access Accessible only by activating the hidden mechanism
Almost invisible crack Humming sound upon activation Revealed opening in rock

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 4
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"The command to assemble the away team leads directly to their materialization on the barren planet, marking a clear narrative progression from shipboard to surface investigation."

Return to a Silent Homeworld
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"The command to assemble the away team leads directly to their materialization on the barren planet, marking a clear narrative progression from shipboard to surface investigation."

Data Reveals Fragmented Memories of Lost Colony
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"The command to assemble the away team leads directly to their materialization on the barren planet, marking a clear narrative progression from shipboard to surface investigation."

Orbiting Data's Lost Home: The Away Team Assembles
S1E14 · Datalore
NARRATIVELY_FOLLOWS medium

"The command to assemble the away team leads directly to their materialization on the barren planet, marking a clear narrative progression from shipboard to surface investigation."

Data’s Ambivalent Homecoming and Orbit Insertion
S1E14 · Datalore
What this causes 4
Causal

"The away team's discovery of barren, lifeless soil leads Geordi to find the hidden storage of android parts, revealing the backstory of the colony and Data’s origins."

Uncovering Data’s Origins in the Colony Laboratory
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"The away team's discovery of barren, lifeless soil leads Geordi to find the hidden storage of android parts, revealing the backstory of the colony and Data’s origins."

Discovery of Data’s Exterior Mold and the Unassembled Duplicate
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"The away team's discovery of barren, lifeless soil leads Geordi to find the hidden storage of android parts, revealing the backstory of the colony and Data’s origins."

Yar Reports Abandoned Colony; Discovery of Data's Origin Mold and Duplicate Parts
S1E14 · Datalore
Causal

"The away team's discovery of barren, lifeless soil leads Geordi to find the hidden storage of android parts, revealing the backstory of the colony and Data’s origins."

Unearthing Data's Doppelgängers: The Android Parts Discovery
S1E14 · Datalore

Key Dialogue

"GEORDI: "It was really very cleverly done to make this look like a natural hollow in the terrain here. Signs of it being constructed hurriedly... as if to hide something here.""
"DATA: "This has awakened a memory remnant of how the colonists hoped to remain hidden... but their fear of being discovered led to their storing information in me.""
"GEORDI: "Yes, I thought so.""