Fabula
S1E13 · The Big Goodbye
S1E13
· The Big Goodbye

Alien Probe Traverses Enterprise, Causing System Flicker

Amid escalating tensions with the Jaradan, an alien probe unexpectedly infiltrates the Enterprise's interior corridors, racing through the ship's infrastructure. Its passage causes a brief but unnerving flicker of the ship's lights, signaling a breach in security and foreshadowing imminent external threats. This sudden disturbance heightens the crew's vulnerability, layering external diplomatic crisis with internal uncertainty, and underscores the fragility of the Enterprise's systems while Captain Picard is trapped within the malfunctioning Holodeck simulation.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

The ship's lights flicker briefly as an alien probe speeds through the ship's interior, signaling a sudden, unsettling intrusion.

normal to alarm ['bowels of the ship']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

1
Alien Probe
primary

Unfeeling and mechanical, operating with a single-minded purpose to infiltrate and disturb the ship's normal function.

The alien probe aggressively traverses the internal corridors of the USS Enterprise, physically penetrating the ship’s secure interior and causing a brief, unsettling disruption in the ship’s systems as evidenced by flickering lights.

Goals in this moment
  • • To infiltrate the Enterprise undetected
  • • To disrupt ship systems and create vulnerability
Active beliefs
  • • The ship represents a target for probing or attack
  • • Disruption of systems will aid the alien agenda
Character traits
Invasive Disruptive Unpredictable
Follow Alien Probe's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Shuttlecraft Cockpit Lights

The bridge lights on the Enterprise momentarily flicker as a direct response to the alien probe's passage through the ship's corridors, signaling a brief system disturbance that visually manifests the vulnerability of the ship's internal infrastructure.

Before: Steady, fully functional lighting providing normal illumination to …
After: Momentarily flickered, creating an unsettling atmosphere and indicative …
Before: Steady, fully functional lighting providing normal illumination to the ship's corridors and bridge.
After: Momentarily flickered, creating an unsettling atmosphere and indicative of a brief but significant disturbance in ship systems.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

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Corridor Outside Sickbay

The Enterprise corridor serves as the conduit for the alien probe's rapid intrusion, its utilitarian and normally secure environment becoming a stage for vulnerability. The corridor's enclosed, narrow space emphasizes the invasive nature of the breach and heightens the sense of impending threat amid the delicate political situation.

Atmosphere Tense and charged with underlying unease, marked by the sudden flickering of lights that disrupts …
Function Pathway for the alien probe's infiltration and visual indicator of internal security breach.
Symbolism Represents the fragile boundary between safety and danger within the ship.
Access Normally restricted to authorized personnel; currently compromised by the probe's unauthorized passage.
Brief flicker of lighting Confined, narrow passage Ambient hum of ship systems temporarily disrupted

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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