Star Trek The Next Generation
S1E16
· 11001001

Data Overrides Protocol to Initiate Emergency Evacuation

In Main Engineering, Lieutenant Commander Data, confronted with the impending catastrophic failure of the antimatter containment field, decisively overrides standard command protocols to initiate a ship-wide Red Alert and automated evacuation. Despite Wesley Crusher’s hesitation about bypassing Captain Picard’s approval, Data relies on cold, logical assessment to prioritize survival over hierarchy. Geordi La Forge struggles futilely to stabilize the deteriorating field as Data communicates urgent orders to abandon ship and maximizes the Enterprise’s distance from inhabited planets. This tense moment marks a pivotal escalation from technical crisis to full-scale emergency, underscoring Data’s critical role in crisis management and setting the stage for the crew’s desperate flight and the ship’s impending fate.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Data orders the bridge to alert Starbase 74 and initiate automated abandonment protocols, laying in a course to maximize distance from inhabited planets despite Wesley's hesitation about bypassing the captain's approval.

urgency to decisive command

Data broadcasts an unequivocal, authoritative order for all personnel to abandon ship, escalating the alarm as the klaxon screams and the Enterprise empties in evacuation.

alarm to frantic evacuation ['Enterprise corridors and transporters']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

4
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Calm and resolute with an unwavering focus on the objective, masking any potential latent concern beneath his android composure.

Data calmly analyzes the deteriorating antimatter containment field, overrides standard command protocols to initiate Red Alert and automated evacuation orders, communicating authoritatively via com panel. His presence exudes cold logic and methodical crisis management, decisively prioritizing survival over chain-of-command formalities.

Goals in this moment
  • • Prevent the destruction of the Enterprise
  • • Ensure crew evacuation is initiated immediately
Active beliefs
  • • Hierarchy can be bypassed in emergencies
  • • Logical assessment must guide critical decisions
Character traits
calm logical decisive authoritative unemotional
Follow Data's journey
Beverly Crusher
Chief Medical Officer
 primary

Anxious and conflicted, torn between procedural adherence and emergent necessity.

Wesley, communicating from the bridge via com voice, voices hesitation about Data's unilateral decision to bypass Captain Picard's approval, reflecting his respect for Starfleet protocols despite the urgency of the situation.

Goals in this moment
  • • Ensure chain of command is respected
  • • Clarify the crisis situation from the bridge
Active beliefs
  • • Captain’s approval is necessary for drastic actions
  • • Emergencies demand rapid but considered responses
Character traits
worried hesitant respectful cautious
Follow Beverly Crusher's journey
Geordi La Forge
Chief Engineer
 primary

Increasingly worried and tense, grappling with the limits of his control amid system failure.

Geordi actively monitors and attempts to stabilize the failing antimatter containment field, reporting anomalies to the bridge and expressing increasing concern and frustration as his efforts prove futile. His technical mastery is shadowed by the gravity of impending disaster.

Goals in this moment
  • • Maintain containment field integrity
  • • Alert command of the crisis
Active beliefs
  • • The containment field can still be salvaged
  • • Prompt communication is vital for survival
Character traits
concerned determined focused technical urgent
Follow Geordi La …'s journey
Custodian Voice
primary

Unwaveringly neutral and objective.

The Enterprise Computer Voice provides continuous, precise countdown and situation analysis regarding the antimatter containment failure, reinforcing the gravity and immediacy of the threat.

Goals in this moment
  • • Accurately inform crew of timing
  • • Support emergency protocol execution
Active beliefs
  • • Data must be supported by accurate system data
  • • Clear communication aids survival
Character traits
precise calm unemotional reliable
Follow Custodian Voice's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

3
Red Alert Klaxon

The Red Alert Klaxon pierces the quiet of Main Engineering, signaling a critical state of emergency. Its shrill, repetitive alarm compels immediate crew evacuation and heightens the tension of the scene.

Before: Silent and inactive.
After: Actively sounding, signaling Red Alert and emergency evacuation.
Before: Silent and inactive.
After: Actively sounding, signaling Red Alert and emergency evacuation.
Enterprise Corridor Communication Panels

The Enterprise Corridor Com Panel enables Data and Geordi to communicate urgent orders and status updates. Data’s use of this panel triggers the Red Alert klaxon and broadcasts evacuation commands ship-wide.

Before: Idle and ready for use in Main Engineering.
After: Activated to broadcast emergency orders and initiate alarms.
Before: Idle and ready for use in Main Engineering.
After: Activated to broadcast emergency orders and initiate alarms.
Enterprise Navigational Systems

The Enterprise Ship Computer Systems are at the heart of the crisis, with the antimatter containment field deteriorating rapidly. The systems provide critical data, enable Data’s emergency override commands, and facilitate communication and automated evacuation sequences.

Before: Fully operational but compromised with a deteriorating containment …
After: Operating under emergency protocols with Red Alert active …
Before: Fully operational but compromised with a deteriorating containment field.
After: Operating under emergency protocols with Red Alert active and evacuation sequences initiated.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Main Bridge

The Bridge functions as the distant command nexus, receiving Data and Geordi’s reports and relaying orders. It is also the source of Wesley Crusher’s hesitant communications, representing the tension between command hierarchy and emergent crisis management.

Atmosphere Focused but tense, marked by uncertainty and procedural caution.
Function Command center for ship-wide coordination and decision-making.
Symbolism Embodies the chain of command and the struggle to maintain order amid chaos.
Access Restricted to senior command staff and authorized personnel.
Console interfaces Communications equipment Bridge com voice lines
Main Engineering

Main Engineering serves as the tense epicenter where the crisis unfolds. Its dim lighting and eerie silence amplify the urgency of the failing antimatter containment field. This confined technical haven turns into a stage for desperate last-resort decisions, highlighting the stark transition from routine operations to life-or-death emergency.

Atmosphere Quiet, tense, shadowed by imminent disaster, suffused with urgent technical focus.
Function Command center for technical crisis response and emergency initiation.
Symbolism Represents the fragile heart of the Enterprise, where control over life-sustaining systems is slipping away.
Access Restricted to engineering staff and senior officers during crisis.
Dim lighting Flickering console lights Silent corridors Sudden piercing klaxon

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 1
Causal

"Data's detection of the antimatter containment field deterioration and initiation of a Red Alert directly triggers the panic and evacuation of the Enterprise."

Automated Evacuation Amid Antimatter Crisis
S1E16 · 11001001

Key Dialogue

"DATA: The field is deteriorating. Contact the captain immediately. I am initiating Red Alert."
"WESLEY'S COM VOICE: Shouldn't we wait for the captain's approval?"
"DATA: There is no time. Based on all the information presently available the decision is correct."