Engineering Locked Down: Wesley’s Tractor Beam Blockade and the Power Bypass Gamble
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Riker reports Wesley has activated a tractor beam linked to ship power, blocking access to Engineering and preventing entry to the computer.
Picard's voice cuts through comm, demanding if power can be shorted out to bypass Wesley's tractor beam blockade.
Riker looks to MacDougal for a solution; she shrugs, signaling uncertainty.
MacDougal tentatively affirms she might short out the power, but warns it will take time, injecting cautious hope into the crisis.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Urgent and focused, masking underlying concern about the fracturing command and the ship’s jeopardy.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard, through his comm, maintains strategic oversight by urgently questioning the feasibility of shorting out the power to bypass Wesley's tractor beam blockade. His authoritative tone reflects his determination to find any viable solution despite rising chaos.
- • Assess practical options to circumvent the blockade
- • Maintain command presence and rally the crew towards a solution
- • The tractor beam blockade can be defeated by engineering ingenuity
- • Maintaining control over ship systems is essential to survival
Concerned and alert, balancing urgency with level-headedness to communicate the severity of the situation.
Commander William Riker reports urgently to Captain Picard that Wesley has activated a tractor beam powered from the ship, blocking their access to the computer. He is the conduit of critical information, visibly concerned about the escalating sabotage and its impact on operational control.
- • Inform command of the blockade to prompt immediate action
- • Help devise a tactical response to regain access to the computer
- • The tractor beam blockade is a serious threat to ship operations
- • Swift action is necessary to prevent further loss of control
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The ship's power source is forcibly tapped by Wesley to energize the tractor beam blockade, becoming both the critical resource targeted for a risky bypass and a symbol of the ship's vulnerability amid internal mutiny.
The Engineering control computer consoles remain inaccessible behind the tractor beam blockade, representing the contested control center that the crew desperately seeks to regain access to in this moment of crisis.
The miniature tractor beam, activated by Wesley, is directly connected to the ship's power and targeted at the Engineering door, serving as a physical and symbolic blockade preventing crew access to critical computer systems, escalating the crisis.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Engineering serves as the critical battleground where the tractor beam blockade physically and symbolically denies the crew access to the ship’s vital systems. This confined, high-stakes space underscores the escalating conflict between youthful rebellion and command authority amid the broader contagion crisis.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Wesley's tractor beam blockade escalates the internal conflict by preventing ship personnel from regaining Engineering control."
"Wesley's tractor beam blockade escalates the internal conflict by preventing ship personnel from regaining Engineering control."
Key Dialogue
"RIKER: Wesley's hooked some kind of tractor beam into ship's power and has it aimed at the door. We can't get past it to get at the computer."
"PICARD'S COM VOICE: Can you short out the power?"
"MACDOUGAL: Maybe. MACDOUGAL (considers): Yes, I can. But it's going to take time."